Split (3)

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fig1 illustrates a mechanical face seal which provides a seal between a housing 10 and a rotatable shaft 11 at the point where the shaft 11 penetrates the housing 10 . a first annular seal face member of seat 12 is supported within a locating ring 14 , the location ring 14 being secured to a flange 13 on the shaft 11 by means of a plurality of angularly spaced bolts 15 . a sealing strip 16 positioned between the seat 12 and the location ring 14 provides a seal between the seat 12 and shaft 11 . a tubular support member 20 is mounted on the housing 10 by means of a plurality of angularly spaced bolts 21 passing through a flange portion 22 , so that it extends coaxially of the shaft 11 towards the seat 12 . the support member 20 is sealed with respect to the housing 10 by means of an elastomeric o - ring 23 . an abutment ring 24 is slidingly located on the external diameter of the tubular portion of support member 20 and is sealed with respect thereto by means of an elastomeric o - ring 25 . a key 26 located on the outer diameter of the tubular portion of the support member 20 engages in an axially extending key - way 27 in the abutment ring 24 to secure the abutment ring 24 rotationally with respect to the support member 20 , whilst permitting axial movement of the abutment ring 24 . a plurality of compression springs 28 are located in angularly spaced closed bores 29 in the end of support member 20 and act against a shoulder portion 30 on the internal diameter of abutment ring 24 , to urge the abutment ring 24 towards the seat 12 . a second seal face member 31 , is interposed between the abutment ring 24 and the seat 12 . this second seal face member 31 has a frustroconical sealing face 32 which is maintained in sealing engagement with a corresponding frustroconical sealing face 33 on the seat 12 , by means of the axial load applied by the springs 28 . at the opposite end of seal face member 31 , a radial face 34 abuts against the radial end face 35 of the abutment ring 24 and is sealed with respect thereto by means of an elastomeric o - ring 26 . a plurality of angularly spaced drive pins 37 engage in bores in the end of abutment ring 24 and extend axially to engage in radially extended bores 38 in the seal face member 31 , so that they will transmit rotational movement from the abutment ring 24 to the seal face member 31 , while permitting limited radial movement . this limited radial movement permits the seal face member 31 to centralise itself with respect to the seal 12 , under the influence of the radial force applied to the seal face member 31 , resulting from reaction of the axial force applied by the springs 28 , at the frustroconical faces 32 and 33 . fig2 illustrates a double seal based on the seal illustrated in fig1 . the same reference numerals have been used for similar components . in this double seal , the seat 12 defines a pair of oppositely inclined frustroconical sealing faces 33 and 33 &# 39 ;. the seat 12 in adapted to be mounted onto the flange 13 of a shaft by means of angularly spaced bolts passing through holes 40 and 41 . the seat 12 is sealed to the shaft flange 13 by means of an elastomeric o - ring 42 . as described above , an abutment ring 24 is mounted on the external diameter of the tubular portion of support member 20 and urges a frustroconical sealing face 32 of a seal face member 31 into sealing engagement with face 33 of seat 12 . in similar manner , a second abutment ring 24 &# 39 ; is mounted coaxially of abutment ring 24 in sliding engagement with the internal diameter of the tubular portion of support member 20 . this second abutment ring 24 &# 39 ; urges the frustroconical sealing face 32 &# 39 ; of a further seal face member 31 &# 39 ; into sealing engagement with the second face 33 &# 39 ; on the seat 12 . a plurality of angularly spaced axially extending grooves 43 and 43 &# 39 ; of part circular cross section are provided in the inner surface of ring 24 and the outer surface of ring 24 &# 39 ; respectively , so that when aligned , the grooves 43 and 43 &# 39 ; will provide locations for the compression springs 28 . the grooves 43 and 43 &# 39 ; open to the surfaces of the rings 24 and 24 &# 39 ; that engage the support member 20 and are closed at their other ends , so that the springs 28 may act between the end of support member 20 and the closed end of the grooves 43 and 43 &# 39 ;, to urge the rings 24 and 24 &# 39 ; axially towards the seat 12 . alternate grooves 43 and ring 24 and alternate grooves 43 &# 39 ; in ring 24 &# 39 ; are of increased length relative to the intermediate grooves , and the shorter grooves 43 on ring 24 are aligned with the longer grooves 43 &# 39 ; on ring 24 &# 39 ;, so that adjacent springs 28 will act between the support member 20 and either the end of groove 43 on ring 24 or the end of groove 43 &# 39 ; on ring 24 &# 39 ;. in this manner , rings 24 and 24 &# 39 ; will be independently loaded towards the seat 12 . an annular chamber 50 is defined between the seal face members 31 and 31 &# 39 ;. one or more passages 51 may be provided through the tubular portion of support member 20 to communicate with the chamber 50 . where , for example , the seal is to be used to separate one service on the outside of ring 24 and member 31 , from another service on the inside of ring 24 &# 39 ; and member 31 &# 39 ;, the passage 51 may serve to remove any fluid which leaks past the sealing faces 32 and 33 or 32 &# 39 ; and 33 &# 39 ;, so that the fluid in one service will not be contaminated by the fluid in the other service , even if some leakage does occur across the sealing faces . alternatively , if for example the seal is to be used to seal a potentially hazardous gas or vapour from atmosphere , the chamber 50 may be filled with a barrier liquid , which will also serve to lubricate and cool the sealing faces . in the double seal illustrated in fig3 an abutment ring 60 is bolted to the flange 61 on a shaft 11 , by means of a plurality of angularly spaced bolts 63 . a tubular support member 20 is secured to a housing 10 in the manner described above . a pair of concentric seal face members 65 and 66 are slidingly located on the external and internal diameters of the tubular portion of support member 20 and are provided with spring means 28 to independently urge them axially towards the abutment ring 60 , in similar manner to the abutment rings 24 and 24 &# 39 ; described with reference to fig2 . the seal face members 65 and 66 are provided with oppositely inclined frustroconical sealing faces 67 and 68 respectively . a seal face member 70 is interposed between the abutment ring 60 and the seal face members 65 and 66 , correspondingly inclined frustroconical sealing faces 71 and 72 on the seal face member 70 being maintained in sealing engagement with the sealing faces 67 and 68 respectively , on the seal face members 65 and 66 . a radial face 73 at the other end of seal face member 70 engages a radial face 74 on abutment ring 60 and is sealed thereto by means of a pair of elastomeric o - rings 75 and 76 . a plurality of drive pins 77 are located in axial bores in the abutment ring 60 and extend axially to engage in radially extended bores 78 in the seal face member 70 , so that rotational movement of the shaft 11 will be transmitted to the seal face member 70 , but the seal face member 70 will be permitted limited radial movement relative to the abutment ring 60 . the seal face member 70 may thus centralise itself between the sealing faces 67 and 68 of the seal face members 65 and 66 , as a result of the radial loads applied thereto by reaction of the axial load applied by springs 28 at the frustroconical sealing faces 67 and 71 , and 68 and 72 . as with the embodiment described with reference to fig2 a passage 51 may be provided to the annular chamber 50 defined between the seal face members 65 and 66 to permit removal of fluid leaking past the sealing faces or the introduction of a barrier fluid into the cavity . in the seal illustrated in fig4 a first seal face member of seat 80 is located with respect to a housing 10 , a frustroconical face 81 on the seat 80 engaging corresponding frustroconical face 82 on the housing 10 . the seat 80 is sealed with respect to the housing 10 by means of an elastomeric o - ring 83 . a plurality of drive pins 84 are located in bores in the housing 10 so that they extend axially and engage in radially extended bores 85 in the seat 80 . a drive ring 86 is secured to a shaft 11 by means of a plurality of angularly spaced clamping screws 87 . the drive ring 86 is sealed with respect to the shaft by means of an elastomeric o - ring 88 . an abutment ring 89 is slidingly located on the external diameter of the drive ring 86 and is sealed with respect thereto by means of an elastomeric o - ring 90 . means ( not shown ), for example a key and key - way between the drive ring 86 and abutment ring 89 is also provided to transmit rotation of the shaft to the abutment ring 89 while permitting axial movement of abutment ring 89 . a plurality of compression springs 91 are located in angularly spaced closed bores 92 in the drive ring 86 , and act against a shoulder 93 on the internal diameter of abutment ring 89 to urge the abutment ring 89 axially towards the seat 80 . the end face 95 of abutment ring 89 is of frustroconical configuration and abuts a corresponding frustroconical face 96 of a seal face member 97 which is interposed between the abutment ring 89 and seat 80 . the faces 95 of abutment ring 89 and 96 of seal face member 97 can be machine finished or lapped to provide a fluid tight seal therebetween . a plurality of drive pins 98 are located in bores in the abutment ring 89 and extend axially into radially extended bores 99 in the seal face member 97 , so as to transmit rotational movement from the abutment ring 89 to the seal face member 97 whilst permitting limited relative radial movement therebetween . a radial sealing face 100 at the other end of the seal face member 97 is maintained in sealing engagement with a corresponding radial sealing face 101 on seat 80 by the axial load applied by springs 91 . the radial loads applied to the seat 80 and seal face member 97 , as a result of the reaction of the axial load applied by springs 91 at the frustroconical faces 81 and 82 and 95 and 96 , ensure that the seat 80 and seal face member 97 remain centralised and provide radial stability . in the seals described above , the seal face members 31 , 31 &# 39 ;, 70 and 97 engaged by the abutment rings 24 , 24 &# 39 ;, 60 and 89 may constitute wear elements and would be made of softer materials than the other seal face members 12 , 65 , 66 and 80 . for example , in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 the seal face member 31 may be made from graphite , carbon or plastics material and the seat 12 may be made from metal or sintered refractory materials , for example alumina . the seal face members 31 , 31 &# 39 ;, 70 and 97 may however be made of similar or harder materials than the other seal face members 12 , 65 , 66 and 80 . moreover , replaceable wearing faces may be provided in the seal face members . in order to facilitate removal and replacement of the seal face members when worn , these members may conveniently be split axially into a plurality of arcuate portions . the seal face members may then be removed and replaced merely by retracting the axially movable components of the seal . where the seal face member is subjected to an inward radial force applied by the inclined faces , the arcuate portions of the seal face member may be held together by this radial force . otherwise , the arcuate portions of the seal face members may be held together by clamping rings of tangential bolts . similarly , other components of the seals , for example elastomeric o - rings and abutment rings may be split axially to facilitate removal and replacement . provided that the sealing faces of the seal face memberes are machined to a reasonable finish , lapping of the faces is not necessary and a running in period could provide a fluid tight seal between the faces . the arrangements described above will also accommodate variations in eccentrics introduced , for example by axial or radial misalignments . however , where it may be necessary to accommodate large misalignments and / or sealing is required from start up , the sealing faces may be made semi - spherical . with this arrangement , the axial alignment of the seal face members may vary considerably while still maintaining full sealing engagement . with double seals of the type described with reference to fig2 and 3 , the spring rates of the springs 28 acting on the inner and outer seal face members may differ so as to provide differential loading of the inner and outer seal face members . furthermore the configuration of the axially movable abutment rings and / or seal face members may be varied to adjust their pressure balance and hence the effect of the pressure of the sealed fluid , to provide differential loading on the inner and outer seal face members or to compensate for pressure differentials across the seal .	8
referring in more detail to the drawings , fig1 illustrates a fuel tank 10 made of a high density polyethylene ( hdpe ) plastic or a multi - layered plastic shell utilizing a blow molding process . the tank 10 has mutually opposed and substantially parallel walls 12 , 14 having respective interior surfaces 16 , 18 which substantially face one - another defining a primary fuel chamber 20 between them . walls 12 , 14 unitarily form respective deep indentations 22 , 24 which project into the fuel chamber 20 toward one - another to form a support or reinforcing structure or kiss - off member 26 . as best shown in fig2 interior surface 16 adheres to interior surface 18 at the distal ends or bottom portions 28 , 30 of the respective indentations 22 , 24 via a weld thereby forming an annular engagement area 32 of a stress relief feature 33 which will yield or separate upon the exertion of excessive shear forces before wall 12 or wall 14 tear themselves . the engagement area 32 is substantially evenly annular , so that the width does not vary appreciably along its circumference . this favorably influences the yield , tearing or separation characteristics through the welded annular engagement area 32 . yielding of the weld or annular engagement area 32 , instead of the walls of the fuel tank shell , assures that the fuel tank 10 and / or permeation barriers thereof will not leak or permeate fuel vapor as a result of a vehicle accident . the interior surfaces 16 , 18 enclosed by the engagement area 32 and carried by the bottom portions 28 , 30 define a substantially hollow sphere or void 34 . in other words , bottom portions 28 , 30 of respective indentations 22 , 24 resemble minor reverse indentations or dome portions 31 projecting in an outward direction with reference to the fuel tank 10 . when manufacturing a plastic fuel tank 10 made by a blow molding process , the void 34 is created by the use of tooling 35 ( as best shown in fig3 ) which subjects the walls 12 , 14 to a vacuum in the direction of arrows 36 , 38 . the tool 35 is divided into two halves each forming one of the indentations 22 , 24 and having an annular portion 39 that corresponds to the annular engagement area 32 and a semispherical recess 41 forming one of the domed portions 31 . the vacuum assures that an essentially constant wall thickness 40 is attained in the region of the indentations 22 , 24 and is dependent on the ratio of the diameter of the annular area 32 to the volume of the hollow region or spherical void 34 . by controlling the height and diameter of the semispherical contour the essentially constant wall thickness 40 in the region of the reinforcing structure is achieved . if the engagement area 32 were of a spot - like or solid weld , without the void 34 , or if the annular engagement area 32 was too large , it is likely that the welded area engagement 32 would not yield , and instead a tear through either wall 12 , 14 designated by the arrows 37 , 39 in the region of the indentations 22 , 24 would occur causing a fuel leak from the tank 10 . to prevent this tearing , a criterium for the dimension of the annular engagement area 32 is desirable . the area of the annular engagement 32 is thus smaller than the total cross sectional area of the reinforcing structure 26 , and must be smaller than a minimum cross sectional area a s of either tank wall 12 , 14 which would otherwise represent the location of an undesired tank wall tear . referring to fig4 the tear area a s is calculated from the inner diameter 42 of the annular engagement 32 and the minimum wall thickness 40 of either wall 12 , 14 in the region of the annular engagement . the equation is as follows : a s =( π ) ( inner diameter 42 ) ( minimum wall thickness 40 ), or where d 42 is the inner diameter 42 , and t 40 is the minimum wall thickness in the annular engagement 32 region . in a similar manner , the area of the annular engagement 32 can be calculated from its inner diameter 42 and outer diameter 44 , as follows : area 32 =[( π )/( 4 )][( outer diameter 44 ) 2 −( inner diameter 42 ) 2 ], or where d 44 is the outside diameter of the annular engagement 32 . experiments have shown that a dependable yield or separation of the welded annular engagement area 32 is obtained when the engagement area 32 is not more than seventy five percent of a s , i . e . a 32 ≦ ¾a s . making engagement area 32 even smaller with respect to a s introduces a greater safety margin for the yielding of the engagement area 32 . as best illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the pressure between the void 34 and the chamber 20 remains equal during the manufacturing cooling process via an opening 46 of the stress relief feature 33 which extends there between . the annular engagement area 32 is therefore not a closed ring , but one interrupted by at least one opening 46 . opening 46 further supports interior cooling of the void 34 which , along with equalized pressure , leads to a constant wall thickness 40 and an increase in shape stability of the walls 12 , 14 during removal of the tank 10 from the mold . the opening 46 of the stress relief feature 33 further provides a deliberate , directional , weakening of the annular engagement area 32 . the opening 46 extends radially through and is co - planar to the engagement area 32 , lying in the same imaginary plane . the circumferential orientation of the opening 46 is determined theoretically or empirically and generally extends in the direction of the expected problematic internal or external forces exerted upon the tank 10 during a vehicle accident . the opening 46 thereby forms a starting point for a bust - tear through the annular area 32 when a critical force is exceeded . if multi - directional forces are expected , then more than one such opening 46 may be provided for pressure relief or propagation separation . when a force is sufficient to cause a tear through the reinforcing structure 26 , acting in the direction of the pressure relief opening 46 , an even tear occurs through the engagement area 32 only , and without adverse tears through the walls 12 , 14 , which could lead to leaks from the tank 10 . referring to fig5 a second embodiment of a reinforcing structure 26 ′ is shown wherein the annular engagement area 32 and the opening 46 of the stress relief feature 33 of the first embodiment is replaced with a plastic stress relief bar 32 ′ with a groove 46 ′ providing a stress relief feature 33 ′. the bar 32 ′ is engaged at both ends to respective plastic fuel tank walls 12 ′, 14 ′ via tear resistant welds or adhesives . the bar 32 ′ is preferably injection molded and is placed within the plastic parison while blow molding the fuel tank and before the blow molding tooling 35 ′ is closed . the stress relief bar 32 ′ carries the lateral groove 46 ′ disposed approximately at mid - section . groove 46 ′ provides the starting point for a bust - tear through the bar 32 ′ when a predetermined internal or external pressure or force is exceeded . the bar 32 may have a variety of shapes in lateral cross section including circular , oval and retangular . however , the lateral cross section of the bar 32 ′ at the groove 46 ′ is substantially smaller than the cross section of wall 12 ′ or wall 14 ′ or any indentation formed therein . similar to the first embodiment , the lateral cross section of the bar 32 ′ at the groove 46 ′ is seventy five percent or less the cross section of either indentation of wall 12 ′ or wall 14 ′ substantially near the respective weld of the bar 32 ′. referring to fig6 a third embodiment of a reinforcing structure 26 ″ is shown wherein the annular engagement area 32 of the first embodiment is replaced with a solid rectangular or square engagement area 32 ″. an indentation 22 ″ has a bottom portion or hollow protrusion 28 ″ which , unlike the first embodiment , projects further into a fuel chamber 20 ″ defined by a tank 10 ″. a distal end 50 of the protrusion 28 ″ is carried by an interior surface 16 ″ of a wall 12 ″ which unitarily forms the indentation 22 ″, and is rectangular in shape and thus defines the shape of the engagement area 32 ″ which provides the engagement to an opposing indentation 24 ″. indentation 24 ″ has a consistent wall thickness which is greater than a minimum wall thickness 40 ″ of the indentation 22 ″ located at an acute juncture 52 disposed between the protrusion 28 ″ and the remaining indentation 22 ″. unlike the first and second embodiments , when an internal or external force is applied to the reinforcing structure 26 ″ a tear occurs through the wall 12 ″ at the minimum wall thickness 40 ″ of the indentation 22 ″. a plug or welded plate 54 engaged sealably to an exterior surface 56 of the wall 12 ″ prevents leakage of fuel out of the tank 10 ″. any fuel leakage through wall 12 ″ is contained within a secondary chamber 58 carried between the exterior surface 56 at the indentation 16 ″ and the plug 54 . while the forms of the invention herein disclose constitute presently preferred embodiments , many others are possible . for instance , the fuel tank and reinforcing structure need not be plastic , but can be made of metal or any other variety of materials . moreover , adherence of the engagement area 32 can be achieved via an adhesive in place of the weld . it is not intended herein to mention all the equivalent forms or ramifications of the invention , it is understood that the terms used herein are merely descriptive rather than limiting and that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention .	1
the invention described in this application is an aspect of a larger set of inventions described in the following co - pending applications which are commonly owned by the assignee of the present invention , and are hereby incorporated by reference : u . s . provisional patent application no . 60 / 084 , 724 , filed may . 8 , 1998 , entitled “ apparatus and method for intra - organ measurement and ablation ”; and u . s . provisional patent application no . 60 / 084 , 712 filed may . 8 , 1998 , entitled “ a radio - frequency generator for powering an ablation device ”. the ablation apparatus according to the present invention will be described with respect to two exemplary embodiments . referring to fig1 and 2 , an ablation device according to the present invention is comprised generally of three major components : rf applicator head 2 , main body 4 , and handle 6 . main body 4 includes a shaft 10 . the rf applicator head 2 includes an electrode carrying means 12 mounted to the distal end of the shaft 10 and an array of electrodes 14 formed on the surface of the electrode carrying means 12 . an rf generator 16 is electrically connected to the electrodes 14 to provide mono - polar or bipolar rf energy to them . shaft 10 is an elongate member having a hollow interior . shaft 10 is preferably 12 inches long and has a preferred cross - sectional diameter of approximately 4 mm . a collar 13 is formed on the exterior of the shaft 10 at the proximal end . as best shown in fig6 and 7 , passive spring member 15 are attached to the distal end of the shaft 10 . extending through the shaft 10 is a suction / insufflation tube 17 ( fig6 - 9 ) having a plurality of holes 17 a formed in its distal end . an arched active spring member 19 is connected between the distal ends of the passive spring members 15 and the distal end of the suction / insufflation tube 17 . referring to fig2 , electrode leads 18 a and 18 b extend through the shaft 10 from distal end 20 to proximal end 22 of the shaft 10 . at the distal end 20 of the shaft 10 , each of the leads 18 a , 18 b is coupled to a respective one of the electrodes 14 . at the proximal end 22 of the shaft 10 , the leads 18 a , 18 b are electrically connected to rf generator 16 via an electrical connector 21 . during use , the leads 18 a , 18 b carry rf energy from the rf generator 16 to the electrodes . each of the leads 18 a , 18 b is insulated and carries energy of an opposite polarity than the other lead . electrically insulated sensor leads 23 a , 23 b ( fig5 a and 5b ) also extend through the shaft 10 . contact sensors 25 a , 25 b are attached to the distal ends of the sensor leads 23 a , 23 b , respectively and are mounted to the electrode carrying means 12 . during use , the sensor leads 23 a , 23 b are coupled by the connector 21 to a monitoring module in the rf generator 16 which measures impedance between the sensors 25 a , 25 b . alternatively , a reference pad may be positioned in contact with the patient and the impedance between one of the sensors and the reference pad measured . referring to fig5 b , electrode leads 18 a , 18 b and sensor leads 23 a , 23 b extend through the shaft 10 between the external walls of the tube 17 and the interior walls of the shaft 10 and they are coupled to electrical connector 21 which is preferably mounted to the collar 13 on the shaft 10 . connector 21 , which is connectable to the rf generator 16 , includes at least four electrical contact rings 21 a - 21 d ( fig1 and 2 ) which correspond to each of the leads 18 a , 18 b , 23 a , 23 b . rings 21 a , 21 b receive , from the rf generator , rf energy of positive and negative polarity , respectively . rings 21 c , 21 d deliver signals from the right and left sensors , respectively , to a monitoring module within the rf generator 16 . referring to fig5 a , the electrode carrying means 12 is attached to the distal end 20 of the shaft 10 . a plurality of holes 24 may be formed in the portion of the distal end 20 of the shaft which lies within the electrode carrying means 12 . the electrode carrying means 12 preferably has a shape which approximates the shape of the body organ which is to be ablated . for example , the apparatus shown in fig1 through 11 has a bicornual shape which is desirable for intrauterine ablation . the electrode carrying means 12 shown in these figures includes horn regions 26 which during use are positioned within the cornual regions of the uterus and which therefore extend towards the fallopian tubes . electrode carrying means 12 is preferably a sack formed of a material which is non - conductive , which is permeable to moisture and / or which has a tendency to absorb moisture , and which may be compressed to a smaller volume and subsequently released to its natural size upon elimination of compression . examples of preferred materials for the electrode carrying means include open cell sponge , foam , cotton , fabric , or cotton - like material , or any other material having the desired characteristics . alternatively , the electrode carrying means may be formed of a metallized fabric . for convenience , the term “ pad ” may be used interchangeably with the term electrode carrying means to refer to an electrode carrying means formed of any of the above materials or having the listed properties . electrodes 14 are preferably attached to the outer surface of the electrode carrying means 12 , such as by deposition or other attachment mechanism . the electrodes are preferably made of lengths of silver , gold , platinum , or any other conductive material . the electrodes may be attached to the electrode carrying means 12 by electron beam deposition , or they may be formed into coiled wires and bonded to the electrode carrying member using a flexible adhesive . naturally , other means of attaching the electrodes , such as sewing them onto the surface of the carrying member , may alternatively be used . if the electrode carrying means 12 is formed of a metallized fabric , an insulating layer may be etched onto the fabric surface , leaving only the electrode regions exposed . the spacing between the electrodes ( i . e . the distance between the centers of adjacent electrodes ) and the widths of the electrodes are selected so that ablation will reach predetermined depths within the tissue , particularly when maximum power is delivered through the electrodes ( where maximum power is the level at which low impedance , low voltage ablation can be achieved ). the depth of ablation is also effected by the electrode density ( i . e ., the percentage of the target tissue area which is in contact with active electrode surfaces ) and may be regulated by pre - selecting the amount of this active electrode coverage . for example , the depth of ablation is much greater when the active electrode surface covers more than 10 % of the target tissue than it is when the active electrode surfaces covers 1 % of the target tissue . for example , by using 3 - 6 mm spacing and an electrode width of approximately 0 . 5 - 2 . 5 mm , delivery of approximately 20 - 40 watts over a 9 - 16 cm 2 target tissue area will cause ablation to a depth of approximately 5 - 7 millimeters when the active electrode surface covers more than 10 % of the target tissue area . after reaching this ablation depth , the impedance of the tissue will become so great that ablation will self - terminate as described with respect to the operation of the invention . by contrast , using the same power , spacing , electrode width , and rf frequency will produce an ablation depth of only 2 - 3 mm when the active electrode surfaces covers less than 1 % of the target tissue area . this can be better understood with reference to fig1 a , in which high surface density electrodes are designated 14 a and low surface density electrodes are designated 14 b . for purposes of this comparison between low and high surface density electrodes , each bracketed group of low density electrodes is considered to be a single electrode . thus , the electrode widths w and spacings s extend as shown in fig1 a . as is apparent from fig1 a , the electrodes 14 a , which have more active area in contact with the underlying tissue t , produce a region of ablation a 1 that extends more deeply into the tissue t than the ablation region a 2 produced by the low density electrodes 14 b , even though the electrode spacings and widths are the same for the high and low density electrodes . some examples of electrode widths , having spacings with more than 10 % active electrode surface coverage , and their resultant ablation depth , based on an ablation area of 6 cm 2 and a power of 20 - 40 watts , are given on the following table : examples of electrode widths , having spacings with less than 1 % active electrode surface coverage , and their resultant ablation depth , based on an ablation area of 6 cm 2 and a power of 20 - 40 watts , are given on the following table : thus it can be seen that the depth of ablation is significantly less when the active electrode surface coverage is decreased . in the preferred embodiment , the preferred electrode spacing is approximately 8 - 10 mm in the horn regions 26 with the active electrode surfaces covering approximately 1 % of the target region . approximately 1 - 2 mm electrode spacing ( with 10 % active electrode coverage ) is preferred in the cervical region ( designated 28 ) and approximately 3 - 6 mm ( with greater than 10 % active electrode surface coverage ) is preferred in the main body region . the rf generator 16 may be configured to include a controller which gives the user a choice of which electrodes should be energized during a particular application in order to give the user control of ablation depth . for example , during an application for which deep ablation is desired , the user may elect to have the generator energize every other electrode , to thereby optimize the effective spacing of the electrodes and to decrease the percentage of active electrode surface coverage , as will be described below with respect to fig1 . although the electrodes shown in the drawings are arranged in a particular pattern , it should be appreciated that the electrodes may be arranged in any pattern to provide ablation to desired depths . referring to fig6 and 7 , an introducer sheath 32 facilitates insertion of the apparatus into , and removal of the apparatus from , the body organ to be ablated . the sheath 32 is a tubular member which is telescopically slidable over the shaft 10 . the sheath 32 is slidable between a distal condition , shown in fig6 , in which the electrode carrying means 12 is compressed inside the sheath , and a proximal condition in which the sheath 32 is moved proximally to release the electrode carrying means from inside it ( fig7 ). by compressing the electrode carrying means 12 to a small volume , the electrode carrying means and electrodes can be easily inserted into the body cavity ( such as into the uterus via the vaginal opening ). a handle 34 attached to the sheath 32 provides finger holds to allow for manipulation of the sheath 32 . handle 34 is slidably mounted on a handle rail 35 which includes a sleeve 33 , a finger cutout 37 , and a pair of spaced rails 35 a , 35 b extending between the sleeve 33 and the finger cutout 37 . the shaft 10 and sheath 32 slidably extend through the sleeve 33 and between the rails 35 a , 35 b . the tube 17 also extends through the sleeve 33 and between the rails 35 a , 35 b , and its proximal end is fixed to the handle rail 35 near the finger cutout 37 . a compression spring 39 is disposed around the proximal most portion of the suction / insufflation tube 17 which lies between the rails 35 a , 35 b . one end of the compression spring 39 rests against the collar 13 on the shaft 10 , while the opposite end of the compression spring rests against the handle rail 35 . during use , the sheath 32 is retracted from the electrode carrying means 12 by squeezing the handle 34 towards the finger cutout 37 to slide the sheath 32 in the distal direction . when the handle 34 advances against the collar 13 , the shaft 10 ( which is attached to the collar 13 ) is forced to slide in the proximal direction , causing compression of the spring 39 against the handle rail 35 . the movement of the shaft 10 relative to the suction / insufflation tube 17 causes the shaft 10 to pull proximally on the passive spring member 15 . proximal movement of the passive spring member 15 in turn pulls against the active spring member 19 , causing it to move to the opened condition shown in fig7 . unless the shaft is held in this retracted condition , the compression spring 39 will push the collar and thus the shaft distally , forcing the rf applicator head to close . a locking mechanism ( not shown ) may be provided to hold the shaft in the fully withdrawn condition to prevent inadvertent closure of the spring members during the ablation procedure . the amount by which the springs 15 , 19 are spread may be controlled by manipulating the handle 34 to slide the shaft 10 ( via collar 13 ), proximally or distally . such sliding movement of the shaft 10 causes forceps - like movement of the spring members 15 , 19 . a flow pathway 36 is formed in the handle rail 35 and is fluidly coupled to a suction / insufflation port 38 . the proximal end of the suction / insufflation tube 17 is fluidly coupled to the flow pathway so that gas fluid may be introduced into , or withdrawn from the suction / insufflation tube 17 via the suction / insufflation port 38 . for example , suction may be applied to the fluid port 38 using a suction / insufflation unit 40 . this causes water vapor within the uterine cavity to pass through the permeable electrode carrying means 12 , into the suction / insufflation tube 17 via holes 17 a , through the tube 17 , and through the suction / insufflation unit 40 via the port 38 . if insufflation of the uterine cavity is desired , insufflation gas , such as carbon dioxide , may be introduced into the suction / insufflation tube 17 via the port 38 . the insufflation gas travels through the tube 17 , through the holes 17 a , and into the uterine cavity through the permeable electrode carrying member 12 . if desirable , additional components may be provided for endoscopic visualization purposes . for example , lumen 42 , 44 , and 46 may be formed in the walls of the introducer sheath 32 as shown in fig5 b . an imaging conduit , such as a fiberoptic cable 48 , extends through lumen 42 and is coupled via a camera cable 43 to a camera 45 . images taken from the camera may be displayed on a monitor 56 . an illumination fiber 50 extends through lumen 44 and is coupled to an illumination source 54 . the third lumen 46 is an instrument channel through which surgical instruments may be introduced into the uterine cavity , if necessary . because during use it is most desirable for the electrodes 14 on the surface of the electrode carrying means 12 to be held in contact with the interior surface of the organ to be ablated , the electrode carrying means 12 may be provide to have additional components inside it that add structural integrity to the electrode carrying means when it is deployed within the body . for example , referring to fig1 , alternative spring members 15 a , 19 a may be attached to the shaft 10 and biased such that , when in a resting state , the spring members are positioned in the fully resting condition shown in fig1 . such spring members would spring to the resting condition upon withdrawal of the sheath 32 from the rf applicator head 2 . alternatively , a pair of inflatable balloons 52 may be arranged inside the electrode carrying means 12 as shown in fig2 and connected to a tube ( not shown ) extending through the shaft 10 and into the balloons 52 . after insertion of the apparatus into the organ and following retraction of the sheath 32 , the balloons 52 would be inflated by introduction of an inflation medium such as air into the balloons via a port similar to port 38 using an apparatus similar to the suction / insufflation apparatus 40 . structural integrity may also be added to the electrode carrying means through the application of suction to the proximal end 22 of the suction / insufflation tube 17 . application of suction using the suction / insufflation device 40 would draw the organ tissue towards the electrode carrying means 12 and thus into better contact with the electrodes 14 . fig1 and 13 show an alternative embodiment of an ablation device according to the present invention . in the alternative embodiment , an electrode carrying means 12 a is provided which has a shape which is generally tubular and thus is not specific to any particular organ shape . an ablation device having a general shape such as this may be used anywhere within the body where ablation or coagulation is needed . for example , the alternative embodiment is useful for bleeding control during laparoscopic surgery ( fig1 ), tissue ablation in the prostate gland ( fig1 ), and also intrauterine ablation ( fig1 and 16 ). operation of the first exemplary embodiment of an ablation device according to the present invention will next be described . referring to fig1 , the device is initially configured for use by positioning the introducer sheath 32 distally along the shaft 10 , such that it compresses the electrode carrying means 12 within its walls . at this time , the electrical connector 21 is connected to the rf generator 16 , and the fiberoptic cable 48 and the illumination cable 50 are connected to the illumination source , monitor , and camera , 54 , 56 , 45 . the suction / insufflation unit 40 is attached to suction / insufflation port 38 on the handle rail 35 . the suction / insufflation unit 40 is preferably set to deliver carbon dioxide at an insufflation pressure of 20 - 200 mmhg . next , the distal end of the apparatus is inserted through the vaginal opening v and into the uterus u as shown in fig6 , until the distal end of the introducer sheath 32 contacts the fundus f of the uterus . at this point , carbon dioxide gas is introduced into the tube 17 via the port 38 , and it enters the uterine cavity , thereby expanding the uterine cavity from a flat triangular shape to a 1 - 2 cm high triangular cavity . the physician may observe ( using the camera 45 and monitor 56 ) the internal cavities using images detected by a fiberoptic cable 48 inserted through lumen 42 . if , upon observation , the physician determines that a tissue biopsy or other procedure is needed , the required instruments may be inserted into the uterine cavity via the instrument channel 46 . following insertion , the handle 34 is withdrawn until it abuts the collar 13 . at this point , the sheath 32 exposes the electrode carrying member 12 but the electrode carrying member 12 is not yet fully expanded ( see fig9 ), because the spring members 15 , 19 have not yet been moved to their open condition . the handle 34 is withdrawn further , causing the shaft 10 to move proximally relative to the suction / insufflation tube 17 , causing the passive spring members 15 to pull the active spring members 19 , causing them to open into the opened condition showing in fig1 . the physician may confirm proper positioning of the electrode carrying member 12 using the monitor 56 , which displays images from the fiberoptic cable 48 . proper positioning of the device and sufficient contact between the electrode carrying member 12 and the endometrium may further be confirmed using the contact sensors 25 a , 25 b . the monitoring module of the rf generator measures the impedance between these sensors using conventional means . if there is good contact between the sensors and the endometrium , the measured impedance will be approximately 20 - 180 ohm , depending on the water content of the endometrial lining . the sensors are positioned on the distal portions of the bicornual shaped electrode carrying member 12 , which during use are positioned in the regions within the uterus in which it is most difficult to achieve good contact with the endometrium . thus , an indication from the sensors 25 a , 25 b that there is sound contact between the sensors and the endometrial surface indicates that good electrode contact has been made with the endometrium . next , insufflation is terminated . approximately 1 - 5 cc of saline may be introduced via suction / insufflation tube 17 to initially wet the electrodes and to improve electrode electrical contact with the tissue . after introduction of saline , the suction / insufflation device 40 is switched to a suctioning mode . as described above , the application of suction to the rf applicator head 2 via the suction / insufflation tube 17 collapses the uterine cavity onto the rf applicator head 2 and thus assures better contact between the electrodes and the endometrial tissue . if the generally tubular apparatus of fig1 and 13 is used , the device is angled into contact with one side of the uterus during the ablation procedure . once ablation is completed , the device ( or a new device ) is repositioned in contact with the opposite side and the procedure is repeated . see . fig1 and 16 . next , rf energy at preferably about 500 khz and at a constant power of approximately 30 w is applied to the electrodes . as shown in fig5 a , it is preferable that each electrode be energized at a polarity opposite from that of its neighboring electrodes . by doing so , energy field patterns , designated f 1 , f 2 and f 4 in fig1 , are generated between the electrode sites and thus help to direct the flow of current through the tissue t to form a region of ablation a . as can be seen in fig1 , if electrode spacing is increased such by energizing , for example every third or fifth electrode rather than all electrodes , the energy patterns will extend more deeply into the tissue . ( see , for example , pattern f 2 which results from energization of electrodes having a non - energized electrode between them , or pattern f 4 which results from energization of electrodes having two non - energized electrodes between them ). moreover , ablation depth may be controlled as described above by providing low surface density electrodes on areas of the electrode carrying member which will contact tissue areas at which a smaller ablation depth is required ( see fig1 a ). referring to fig1 b , if multiple , closely spaced , electrodes 14 are provided on the electrode carrying member , a user may set the rf generator to energize electrodes which will produce a desired electrode spacing and active electrode area . for example , alternate electrodes may be energized as shown in fig1 b , with the first three energized electrodes having positive polarity , the second three having negative polarity , etc . as another example , shown in fig1 c , if greater ablation depth is desired the first five electrodes may be positively energized , and the seventh through eleventh electrodes negatively energized , with the sixth electrode remaining inactivated to provide adequate electrode spacing . as the endometrial tissue heats , moisture begins to be released from the tissue . the moisture permeates the electrode carrying member 12 and is thereby drawn away from the electrodes . the moisture may pass through the holes 17 a in the suction / insufflation tube 17 and leave the suction / insufflation tube 17 at its proximal end via port 38 as shown in fig7 . moisture removal from the ablation site may be further facilitated by the application of suction to the shaft 10 using the suction / insufflation unit 40 . removal of the moisture from the ablation site prevents formation of a liquid layer around the electrodes . as described above , liquid build - up at the ablation site is detrimental in that provides a conductive layer that carries current from the electrodes even when ablation has reached the desired depth . this continued current flow heats the liquid and surrounding tissue , and thus causes ablation to continue by unpredictable thermal conduction means . tissue which has been ablated becomes dehydrated and thus decreases in conductivity . by shunting moisture away from the ablation site and thus preventing liquid build - up , there is no liquid conductor at the ablation area during use of the ablation device of the present invention . thus , when ablation has reached the desired depth , the impedance at the tissue surface becomes sufficiently high to stop or nearly stop the flow of current into the tissue . rf ablation thereby stops and thermal ablation does not occur in significant amounts . if the rf generator is equipped with an impedance monitor , a physician utilizing the ablation device can monitor the impedance at the electrodes and will know that ablation has self - terminated once the impedance rises to a certain level and then remains fairly constant . by contrast , if a prior art bipolar rf ablation device was used together with an impedance monitor , the presence of liquid around the electrodes would cause the impedance monitor to give a low impedance reading regardless of the depth of ablation which had already been carried out , since current would continue to travel through the low - impedance liquid layer . other means for monitoring and terminating ablation may also be provided . for example , a thermocouple or other temperature sensor may be inserted to a predetermined depth in the tissue to monitor the temperature of the tissue and terminate the delivery of rf energy or otherwise signal the user when the tissue has reached a desired ablation temperature . once the process has self terminated , 1 - 5 cc of saline can be introduced via suction / insufflation tube 17 and allowed to sit for a short time to aid separation of the electrode from the tissue surface . the suction insufflation device 40 is then switched to provide insufflation of carbon dioxide at a pressure of 20 - 200 mmhg . the insufflation pressure helps to lift the ablated tissue away from the rf applicator head 2 and to thus ease the closing of the rf applicator head . the rf applicator head 2 is moved to the closed position by sliding the handle 34 in a distal direction to fold the spring members 15 , 19 along the axis of the device and to cause the introducer sheath 32 to slide over the folded rf applicator head . the physician may visually confirm the sufficiency of the ablation using the monitor 56 . finally , the apparatus is removed from the uterine cavity . a second embodiment of an ablation device 100 in accordance with the present invention is shown in fig2 - 37b . the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment primarily in its electrode pattern and in the mechanism used to deploy the electrode applicator head or array . naturally , aspects of the first and second exemplary embodiments and their methods of operation may be combined without departing from the scope of the present invention . referring to fig2 and 22 , the second embodiment includes an rf applicator head 102 , a sheath 104 , and a handle 106 . as with the first embodiment , the applicator head 102 is slidably disposed within the sheath 104 ( fig2 ) during insertion of the device into the uterine cavity , and the handle 106 is subsequently manipulated to cause the applicator head 102 to extend from the distal end of the sheath 104 ( fig2 ) and to expand into contact with body tissue ( fig3 ). referring to fig2 , in which the sheath 104 is not shown for clarity , applicator head 102 extends from the distal end of a length of tubing 108 which is slidably disposed within the sheath 104 . applicator head 102 includes an external electrode array 102 a and an internal deflecting mechanism 102 b used to expand and tension the array for positioning into contact with the tissue . referring to fig2 a and 25b , the array 102 a of applicator head 102 is formed of a stretchable metallized fabric mesh which is preferably knitted from a nylon and spandex knit plated with gold or other conductive material . in one array design , the knit ( shown in fig2 a and 26b ) is formed of three monofilaments of nylon 109 a knitted together with single yarns of spandex 109 b . each yarn of spandex 109 b has a double helix 109 c of five nylon monofilaments coiled around it . this knit of elastic ( spandex ) and inelastic ( nylon ) yarns is beneficial for a number of reasons . for example , knitting elastic and relatively inelastic yarns allows the overall deformability of the array to be pre - selected . the mesh is preferably constructed so as to have greater elasticity in the transverse direction ( t ) than in the longitudinal direction ( l ). in a preferred mesh design , the transverse elasticity is on the order of approximately 300 % whereas the longitudinal elasticity is on the order of approximately 100 %. the large transverse elasticity of the array allows it to be used in a wide range of uterine sizes . another advantage provided by the combination of elastic and relatively inelastic yarns is that the elastic yarns provide the needed elasticity to the array while the relatively inelastic yarns provide relatively non - stretchable members to which the metallization can adhere without cracking during expansion of the array . in the knit configuration described above , the metallization adheres to the nylon coiled around the spandex . during expansion of the array , the spandex elongates and the nylon double helix at least partially elongates from its coiled configuration . one process which may be used to apply the gold to the nylon / spandex knit involves plating the knit with silver using known processes which involve application of other materials as base layers prior to application of the silver to ensure that the silver will adhere . next , the insulating regions 110 ( described below ) are etched onto the silver , and afterwards the gold is plated onto the silver . gold is desirable for the array because of it has a relatively smooth surface , is a very inert material , and has sufficient ductility that it will not crack as the nylon coil elongates during use . the mesh may be configured in a variety of shapes , including but not limited to the triangular shape s 1 , parabolic s 2 , and rectangular s 3 shapes shown in fig2 a , 27 b and 27 c , respectively . turning again to fig2 a and 25b , when in its expanded state , the array 102 a includes a pair of broad faces 112 spaced apart from one another . narrower side faces 114 extend between the broad faces 112 along the sides of the applicator head 102 , and a distal face 116 extends between the broad faces 112 at the distal end of the applicator head 102 . insulating regions 110 are formed on the applicator head to divide the mesh into electrode regions . the insulated regions 110 are preferably formed using etching techniques to remove the conductive metal from the mesh , although alternate methods may also be used , such as by knitting conductive and non - conductive materials together to form the array . the array may be divided by the insulated regions 110 into a variety of electrode configurations . in a preferred configuration the insulating regions 110 divide the applicator head into four electrodes 118 a - 118 d by creating two electrodes on each of the broad faces 112 . to create this four - electrode pattern , insulating regions 110 are placed longitudinally along each of the broad faces 112 as well as along the length of each of the faces 114 , 16 . the electrodes 118 a - 118 d are used for ablation and , if desired , to measure tissue impedance during use . deflecting mechanism 102 b and its deployment structure is enclosed within electrode array 102 a . referring to fig2 , external hypotube 120 extends from tubing 108 and an internal hypotube 122 is slidably and co - axially disposed within hypotube 120 . flexures 124 extend from the tubing 108 on opposite sides of external hypotube 120 . a plurality of longitudinally spaced apertures 126 ( fig2 ) are formed in each flexure 124 . during use , apertures 126 allow moisture to pass through the flexures and to be drawn into exposed distal end of hypotube 120 using a vacuum source fluidly coupled to hypotube 120 . each flexure 124 preferably includes conductive regions that are electrically coupled to the array 102 a for delivery of rf energy to the body tissue . referring to fig2 , strips 128 of copper tape or other conductive material extend along opposite surfaces of each flexure 124 . each strip 128 is electrically insulated from the other strip 128 by a non - conductive coating on the flexure . conductor leads ( not shown ) are electrically coupled to the strips 128 and extend through tubing 108 ( fig2 ) to an electrical cord 130 ( fig2 ) which is attachable to the rf generator . during use , one strip 128 on each conductor is electrically coupled via the conductor leads to one terminal on the rf generator while the other strip is electrically coupled to the opposite terminal , thus causing the array on the applicator head to have regions of alternating positive and negative polarity . the flexures may alternatively be formed using a conductive material or a conductively coated material having insulating regions formed thereon to divide the flexure surfaces into multiple conductive regions . moreover , alternative methods such as electrode leads independent of the flexures 124 may instead be used for electrically connecting the electrode array to the source of rf energy . it is important to ensure proper alignment between the conductive regions of the flexures 124 ( e . g . copper strips 128 ) and the electrodes 118 a - 118 d in order to maintain electrical contact between the two . strands of thread 134 ( which may be nylon ) ( fig2 ) are preferably sewn through the array 102 a and around the flexures 124 in order to prevent the conductive regions 128 from slipping out of alignment with the electrodes 118 a - 118 d . alternate methods for maintaining contact between the array 102 a and the conductive regions 128 include using tiny bendable barbs extending between the flexures 124 and the array 102 a to hook the array to the conductive regions 128 , or bonding the array to the flexures using an adhesive applied along the insulating regions of the flexures . referring again to fig2 , internal flexures 136 extend laterally and longitudinally from the exterior surface of hypotube 122 . each internal flexure 136 is connected at its distal end to one of the flexures 124 and a transverse ribbon 138 extends between the distal portions of the internal flexures 136 . transverse ribbon 138 is preferably pre - shaped such that when in the relaxed condition the ribbon assumes the corrugated configuration shown in fig2 and such that when in a compressed condition it is folded along the plurality of creases 140 that extend along its length . flexures 124 , 136 and ribbon 138 are preferably an insulated spring material such as heat treated 17 - 7 ph stainless steel . the deflecting mechanism is preferably configured such that the distal tips of the flexures 124 are sufficiently flexible to prevent tissue puncture during deployment and / or use . such an atraumatic tip design may be carried out in a number of ways , such as by manufacturing the distal sections 124 a ( fig2 ) of the flexures from a material that is more flexible than the proximal sections 124 b . for example , flexures 124 may be provided to have proximal sections formed of a material having a modulus of approximately 28 × 10 6 psi and distal sections having a durometer of approximately 72d . alternatively , referring to fig3 , the flexures 124 may be joined to the internal flexures 136 at a location more proximal than the distal tips of the flexures 124 , allowing them to move more freely and to adapt to the contour of the surface against which they are positioned ( see dashed lines in fig3 ). given that uterine sizes and shapes vary widely between women , the atraumatic tip design is further beneficial in that it allows the device to more accurately conform to the shape of the uterus in which it is deployed while minimizing the chance of injury . the deflecting mechanism formed by the flexures 124 , 136 , and ribbon 138 forms the array into the substantially triangular shape shown in fig2 , which is particularly adaptable to most uterine shapes . as set forth in detail below , during use distal and proximal grips 142 , 144 forming handle 106 are squeezed towards one another to withdraw the sheath and deploy the applicator head . this action results in relative rearward motion of the hypotube 120 and relative forward motion of the hypotube 122 . the relative motion between the hypotubes causes deflection in flexures 124 , 136 which deploys and tensions the electrode array 102 a . the ablation device according to the second embodiment includes a measurement device for easily measuring the uterine width and for displaying the measured width on a gauge 146 ( fig2 ). the measurement device utilizes non - conductive ( e . g . nylon ) suturing threads 148 that extend from the hypotube 122 and that have distal ends attached to the distal portion of the deflecting mechanism ( fig2 ). as shown in fig2 , threads 148 are preferably formed of a single strand 150 threaded through a wire loop 152 and folded over on itself . wire loop 152 forms the distal end of an elongate wire 154 which may be formed of stainless steel or other wire . referring to fig3 , wire 154 extends through the hypotube 122 and is secured to a rotatable bobbin 156 . the rotatable bobbin 156 includes a dial face 158 preferably covered in a clear plastic . as can be seen in fig3 , dial face 158 includes calibration markings corresponding to an appropriate range of uterine widths . the bobbin is disposed within a gauge housing 160 and a corresponding marker line 162 is printed on the gauge housing . a torsion spring 164 provides rotational resistance to the bobbin 156 . expansion of the applicator head 102 during use pulls threads 148 ( fig2 ) and thus wire 154 ( fig2 ) in a distal direction . wire 154 pulls against the bobbin 156 ( fig3 ), causing it to rotate . rotation of the bobbin positions one of the calibration markings on dial face 158 into alignment with the marker line 162 ( fig3 b ) to indicate the distance between the distal tips of flexures 124 and thus the uterine width . the uterine width and length ( as determined using a conventional sound or other means ) are preferably input into an rf generator system and used by the system to calculate an appropriate ablation power as will be described below . alternately , the width as measured by the apparatus of the invention and length as measured by other means may be used by the user to calculate the power to be supplied to the array to achieve the desired ablation depth . the uterine width may alternatively be measured using other means , including by using a strain gauge in combination with an a / d converter to transduce the separation distance of the flexures 124 and to electronically transmit the uterine width to the rf generator . the most optimal electrocoagulation occurs when relatively deep ablation is carried out in the regions of the uterus at which the endometrium is thickest , and when relatively shallower ablation is carried out in areas in which the endometrium is shallower . a desirable range of ablation depths includes approximately 2 - 3 mm for the cervical os and the cornual regions , and approximately 7 - 8 mm in the main body of the uterus where the endometrium is substantially thicker . as discussed with respect to the first embodiment , a number of factors influence the ablation depth that can be achieved using a given power applied to a bipolar electrode array . these include the power supplied by the rf generator , the distance between the centers of adjacent electrodes (“ center - to - center distance ”), the electrode density ( i . e ., the porosity of the array fabric or the percent of the array surface that is metallic ), the edge gap ( i . e . the distance between the edges of adjacent electrode poles ), and the electrode surface area . other factors include blood flow ( which in slower - ablating systems can dissipate the rf ) and the impedance limit . certain of these factors may be utilized in the present invention to control ablation depth and to provide deeper ablation at areas requiring deeper ablation and to provide shallower regions in areas where deep ablation is not needed . for example , as center - to - center distance increases , the depth of ablation increases until a point where the center to center distance is so great that the strength of the rf field is too diffuse to excite the tissue . it can been seen with reference to fig3 that the center to center distance d1 between the electrodes 118 a , 118 b is larger within the region of the array that lies in the main body of the uterus and thus contributes to deeper ablation . the center to center distance d2 between electrodes 118 a , 118 b is smaller towards the cervical canal where it contributes to shallower ablation . at the distal end of the device , the shorter center to center distances d3 extend between top and bottom electrodes 118 b , 118 c and 118 a , 118 d and again contribute to shallower ablation . naturally , because the array 102 a expands to accommodate the size of the uterus in which it is deployed , the dimensions of the array 102 a vary . one embodiment of the array 102 a includes a range of widths of at least approximately 2 . 5 - 4 . 5 cm , a range of lengths of at least approximately 4 - 6 cm , and a density of approximately 35 %- 45 %. the power supplied to the array by the rf generator is calculated by the rf generator system to accommodate the electrode area required for a particular patient . as discussed above , the uterine width is measured by the applicator head 102 and displayed on gauge 146 . the uterine length is measured using a sound , which is an instrument conventionally used for that purpose . it should be noted that calibration markings of the type used on a conventional sound device , or other structure for length measurement , may be included on the present invention to allow it to be used for length measurement as well . the user enters the measured dimensions into the rf generator system using an input device , and the rf generator system calculates or obtains the appropriate set power from a stored look - up table using the uterine width and length as entered by the user . an eprom within the rf generator system converts the length and width to a set power level according to the following relationship : where p is the power level in watts , l is the length in centimeters , w is the width in centimeters , and 5 . 5 is a constant having units of watts per square centimeter . alternatively , the user may manually calculate the power setting from the length and width , or s / he may be provided with a table of suggested power settings for various electrode areas ( as determined by the measured length and width ) and will manually set the power on the rf generator accordingly . referring again to fig2 and 22 , the handle 106 of the rf ablation device according to the second embodiment includes a distal grip section 142 and a proximal grip section 144 that are pivotally attached to one another at pivot pin 166 . the proximal grip section 144 is coupled to the hypotube 122 ( fig2 ) via yoke 168 , overload spring 170 and spring stop 172 , each of which is shown in the section view of fig3 . the distal grip section 142 is coupled to the external hypotube 120 via male and female couplers 174 , 176 ( see fig3 a and 32b ). squeezing the grip sections 142 , 144 towards one another thus causes relative movement between the external hypotube 120 and the internal hypotube 122 . this relative sliding movement results in deployment of the deflecting mechanism 102 b from the distal end of the sheath and expansion of the array 102 a to its expanded state . referring to fig3 a and b , rack 180 is formed on male coupler 174 and calibration markings 182 are printed adjacent the rack 180 . the calibration markings 182 correspond to a variety of uterine lengths and may include lengths ranging from , for example , 4 . 0 to 6 . 0 cm in 0 . 5 cm increments . a sliding collar 184 is slidably disposed on the tubing 108 and is slidable over male coupler 174 . sliding collar 184 includes a rotating collar 186 and a female coupler 176 that includes a wedge - shaped heel 188 . a locking spring member 190 ( fig3 b and 35 ) extends across an aperture 192 formed in the proximal grip 144 in alignment with the heel 188 . when the distal and proximal handle sections are squeezed together to deploy the array , the heel 188 passes into the aperture 192 . its inclined lower surface gradually depresses the spring member 190 as the heel moves further into the aperture 192 . see fig3 a and 36b . after passing completely over the spring member , the heel moves out of contact with the spring member . the spring member snaps upwardly thereby engaging the heel in the locked position . see fig3 c . a release lever 194 ( fig3 ) is attached to the free end of the spring member 190 . to disengage the spring lock , release lever 194 is depressed to lower spring member 190 so that the inclined heel can pass over the spring member and thus out of the aperture 192 . referring again to fig3 a and 32b , sliding collar 184 is configured to allow the user to limit longitudinal extension of the array 102 a to a distance commensurate with a patient &# 39 ; s predetermined uterine length . it does so by allowing the user to adjust the relative longitudinal position of male coupler 174 relative to the female coupler 176 using the rotating collar 186 to lock and unlock the female coupler from the rack 180 and the male coupler 174 . locking the female coupler to the rack 180 and male coupler 174 will limit extension of the array to approximately the predetermined uterine length , as shown on the calibration markings 182 . once the uterine length has been measured using a conventional sound , the user positions sliding collar 184 adjacent to calibration marks 182 corresponding to the measured uterine length ( e . g . 4 . 5 cm ). afterwards , the user rotates the collar section 186 to engage its internally positioned teeth with the rack 180 . this locks the longitudinal position of the heel 188 such that it will engage with the spring member 190 on the proximal grip when the array has been exposed to the length set by the sliding collar . the handle 106 includes a pair of spring assemblies which facilitate controlled deployment and stowage of the array 102 a . one of the spring assemblies controls movement of the grips 142 , 144 to automatically stow the array 102 a into the sheath 104 when the user stops squeezing the grips 142 , 144 towards one another . the other of the spring assemblies controls the transverse movement of the spring flexures 124 to the expanded condition by limiting the maximum load that can be applied to the deployment mechanism 102 b . fig3 shows the distal and proximal grips 142 and 144 in partial cross - section . the first spring assembly for controlled stowage includes a handle return mandrel 196 that is slidably disposed within the proximal grip 144 . a compression spring 198 surrounds a portion of the return mandrel 196 , and a retaining ring 200 is attached to the mandrel 196 above the spring 198 . a spring stop 202 is disposed between the spring 198 and the retaining ring . the lowermost end of the return mandrel 196 is pivotally engaged by a coupling member 204 on distal grip 142 . relative movement of the grips 142 , 144 towards one another causes the coupling member 204 to pull the return member downwardly with the proximal grip 144 as indicated by arrows . downward movement of the mandrel 196 causes its retaining ring 200 and spring stop 202 to bear downwardly against the compression spring 198 , thereby providing a movement which acts to rotate the grips 142 , 144 away from one another . when tension against the grips 142 , 144 is released ( assuming that heel 188 is not locked into engagement with spring member 190 ) the grips rotate apart into the opened position as the compression spring 198 returns to the initial state , stowing the applicator head inside the sheath . the second spring assembly for controlling array deployment is designed to control separation of the flexures . it includes a frame member 178 disposed over yoke 168 , which is pivotally attached to proximal grip 144 . tubing 108 extends from the array 102 a ( see fig2 ), through the sheath 104 and is fixed at its proximal end to the frame member 178 . hypotube 122 does not terminate at this point but instead extends beyond the proximal end of tubing 108 and through a window 206 in the frame member . its proximal end 208 is slidably located within frame member 178 proximally of the window 206 and is fluidly coupled to a vacuum port 210 by fluid channel 212 . hypotube 120 terminates within the frame . its proximal end is fixed within the distal end of the frame . a spring stop 214 is fixed to a section of the hypotube within the window 206 , and a compression spring 170 is disposed around the hypotube between the spring stop 172 and yoke 168 . see fig3 b and 34 . when the distal and proximal grips are moved towards one another , the relative rearward motion of the distal grip causes the distal grip to withdraw the sheath 104 from the array 102 a . referring to fig3 a and 37b , this motion continues until female coupler 176 contacts and bears against frame member 178 . continued motion between the grips causes a relative rearward motion in the frame which causes the same rearward relative motion in external hypotube 120 . an opposing force is developed in yoke 168 , which causes a relative forward motion in hypotube 122 . the relative motion between the hypotubes causes deflection in flexures 124 , 136 which deflect in a manner that deploys and tensions the electrode array . compression spring 170 acts to limit the force developed by the operator against hypotubes 120 , 122 , thus limiting the force of flexures 124 , 136 acting on the array and the target tissue surrounding the array . referring to fig2 , collar 214 is slidably mounted on sheath 104 . before the device is inserted into the uterus , collar 214 can be positioned along sheath 104 to the position measured by the uterine sound . once in position , the collar provides visual and tactile feedback to the user to assure the device has been inserted the proper distance . in addition , after the applicator head 102 has been deployed , if the patient &# 39 ; s cervical canal diameter is larger than the sheath dimensions , the collar 214 can be moved distally towards the cervix , making contact with it and creating a pneumatic seal between the sheath and cervix . in preparation for ablating the uterus utilizing the second exemplary embodiment , the user measures the uterine length using a uterine sound device . the user next positions sliding collar 184 ( fig3 b ) adjacent to calibration marks 182 corresponding to the measured uterine length ( e . g . 4 . 5 cm ) and rotates the collar section 186 to engage its internally positioned teeth with the rack 180 . this locks the longitudinal position of the heel 188 ( fig3 a ) such that it will engage with the spring member 190 when the array has been exposed to the length set by the sliding collar . next , with the grips 142 , 144 in their resting positions to keep the applicator head 102 covered by sheath 104 , the distal end of the device 100 is inserted into the uterus . once the distal end of the sheath 104 is within the uterus , grips 142 , 144 are squeezed together to deploy the applicator head 102 from sheath 104 . grips 142 , 144 are squeezed until heel 188 engages with locking spring member 190 as described with respect to fig3 a through 36c . at this point , deflecting mechanism 102 b has deployed the array 102 a into contact with the uterine walls . the user reads the uterine width , which as described above is transduced from the separation of the spring flexures , from gauge 146 . the measured length and width are entered into the rf generator system 250 ( fig2 ) and used to calculate the ablation power . vacuum source 252 ( fig2 ) is activated , causing application of suction to hypotube 122 via suction port 210 . suction helps to draw uterine tissue into contact with the array 102 . ablation power is supplied to the electrode array 102 a by the rf generator system 250 . the tissue is heated as the rf energy passes from electrodes 118 a - d to the tissue , causing moisture to be released from the tissue . the vacuum source helps to draw moisture from the uterine cavity into the hypotube 122 . moisture withdrawal is facilitated by the apertures 121 formed in flexures 124 by preventing moisture from being trapped between the flexures 124 and the lateral walls of the uterus . if the rf generator 250 includes an impedance monitoring module , impedance may be monitored at the electrodes 118 a - d and the generator may be programmed to terminate rf delivery automatically once the impedance rises to a certain level . the generator system may also or alternatively display the measured impedance and allow the user to terminate rf delivery when desired . when rf delivery is terminated , the user depresses release lever 194 to disengage heel 188 from locking spring member 190 and to thereby allow grips 142 , 144 to move to their expanded ( resting condition ). release of grips 142 , 144 causes applicator head 102 to retract to its unexpanded condition and further causes applicator head 102 to be withdrawn into the sheath 104 . finally , the distal end of the device 100 is withdrawn from the uterus . two embodiments of ablation devices in accordance with the present invention have been described herein . these embodiments have been shown for illustrative purposes only . it should be understood , however , that the invention is not intended to be limited to the specifics of the illustrated embodiments but is defined only in terms of the following claims .	0
referring to fig1 a hvac unit 10 that is employed to control the air quality in a room 12 pumps discharge air 14 into the room by way of a fan 16 . the discharge air 14 is typically a mixture of fresh air 18 ( outside air ) and return air 20 ( existing room air ) that has been filtered by a filter 28 and then heated or cooled by way of a hot water / chilled water ( hw / cw ) coil 22 . the relative amounts of fresh air 18 and return air 20 that comprise the discharge air 14 are respectively controlled by the position of a fresh air damper 24 and a return air damper 26 . the dampers 24 , 26 are usually mechanically or otherwise coupled to one another so that the dampers are coordinated in their movement . although in most circumstances , fresh air 18 is mixed with return air 20 , in certain circumstances , the discharge air 14 includes only one of fresh air 18 or return air 20 . by combining fresh air 18 with return air 20 in order to produce the discharge air 14 , co2 and other contaminants within the return air 20 are diluted . additionally , depending upon the desired room temperature and the existing room temperature within the room , fresh air 18 is also in some cases mixed with the return air 20 in order to contribute to the heating or cooling of the air within the room 12 . for example , when the existing room temperature is higher than the desired room temperature , and the fresh air temperature is lower than an economizer switch - over temperature setpoint , the fresh air 18 can be added to the return air 20 to reduce the overall temperature of the room without additional cooling action by the hw / cw coil 22 . in these ways , control of the relative amounts of fresh air 18 and return air 20 allows for the maintaining of the indoor air quality ( iaq ) of the room 12 . typically , the operation of the hvac unit 10 is controlled by a controller 30 that is part of or coupled to the hvac unit . the controller 30 receives indications of the temperature of the room 12 from a room sensor 32 , indications of the temperature of the discharge air 14 from a discharge air sensor 34 , and indications of the co2 levels within the room 12 from a co2 sensor 36 . based upon these indications , as well as other information concerning a desired room temperature (“ room temperature setpoint ”) and desired co2 levels (“ co2 setpoint ”) within the room 12 , the controller 30 provides control signals which determine the positions of the fresh air damper 24 and the return air damper 26 and thereby determine the relative mixture of fresh air 18 and return air 20 within the discharge air 14 . the controller 30 further provides control signals to control the operation of a hw / cw valve 38 which determines the amount of hot or chilled ( cold ) water provided to the hw / cw coil 22 and thereby controls the heating and cooling action of the hw / cw coil . referring to fig2 the system of fig1 operates in at least two states , a normal heating state 100 and a low limit state 110 . the controller 30 operates differently depending on whether it is in the heating state 100 or the low limit state 110 , as shown in the block diagrams of fig3 and 4 , which are discussed below . the two transition points between the two states are set so that there is smooth transitioning between the heating state 100 and the low limit state 110 . as shown in fig2 the controller 30 switches from the heating state 100 to the low limit state 110 when a heating proportional integral ( pi ) control element 56 ( see fig3 ) employed by the controller 30 in the heating state is saturated high , that is , the output of the heating pi control element remains at ( or above ) its maximum value for a saturation time period . the length of the saturation time period is adjustable , and in one embodiment is two minutes . the requirement that the heating pi control element 56 remain at its maximum value for the saturation time period before the controller 30 switches from the heating state 100 to the low limit state 110 prevents the system from leaving the heating state 110 merely as a result of instantaneous ( or very short ) periods of maximization of the heating output of the system . the heating pi control element 56 typically becomes saturated high in situations where both the temperature of the fresh air 18 is low and the co2 level within the room 12 is high ( presumably because a large number of occupants are within the room ). in such situations , the system attempts to bring in larger amounts of the cold fresh air 18 to reduce co2 levels , but then must compensate for the coldness of the fresh air by providing additional heating of the mixture of the fresh air and the return air 20 . when the output of the heating pi control element 56 is saturated high , this is indicative that the hw / cw coil 22 is providing the maximum amount of heat possible . that is , the hw / cw valve 38 is supplying the maximum amount of hot water to the hw / cw coil 22 that is possible to heat the mixture of fresh air 18 and return air 20 used to produce the discharge air 14 . because the heating capacity of the system is at its maximum level when the heating pi control element is saturated high , the temperature of the discharge air 14 cannot be raised by further heating provided by the hw / cw coil 22 , and the room temperature cannot be controlled if the temperature of the discharge air 14 falls further . consequently , the controller 30 switches to a new state of operation , namely , the low limit state 110 . once the controller 30 is in the low limit state 110 , it only returns to the heating state 100 when it is determined that a co2 alarm turns off and a low limit timer has timed out , as discussed further with respect to fig4 . when the co2 alarm turns off , currently measured co2 levels within the room 12 as measured by the co2 sensor 36 are no longer higher than a co2 setpoint . for the low limit timer to time out , the co2 alarm must remain off ( that is , the co2 levels must remain at or below the co2 setpoint ) for a predetermined period of time , which in one embodiment is 15 minutes . because the co2 levels are less than ( or equal to ) the co2 setpoint , less of the fresh air 18 is needed to be added to the discharge air 14 in order to dilute the existing co2within the return air 20 . consequently , the hw / cw coil 22 need not continue to provide maximum heat , and the system can operate in the heating state 100 . the shutting off of the co2 alarm and timing out of the low limit timer is indicative of a situation in which the system can return to the “ normal ” heating state 100 because either the temperature of the fresh air 18 has risen or the co2 levels are no longer excessive ( presumably because the number of occupants in the room 12 has decreased ), or both . that is , co2 levels could have fallen below the co2 setpoint either because the number of occupants in the room 12 has decreased , or because the temperature of the fresh air 18 has increased and consequently the system has been able to bring in a greater amount of fresh air and dilute the co2 levels in the room . referring to fig3 a block diagram concerning the operation of the controller 30 in the heating state 100 includes two control loops , a heating control loop 40 and a co2 control loop 42 . with respect to the heating control loop 40 , the controller 30 provides a control signal 55 to the hw / cw valve 38 based upon a room temperature signal 51 from the room sensor 32 , a discharge air temperature signal 53 from the discharge air sensor 34 , and the room temperature setpoint , which may be stored in memory in the controller 30 or provided from another source that is coupled to the controller . the control signal 55 provided to the hw / cw valve 38 is determined as follows . the controller 30 , at a first comparator 50 , determines a difference between the room temperature setpoint and the room temperature signal 51 . this difference is provided to a room pi control element 52 , which in turn provides the discharge air temperature ( dat ) setpoint as its output . the dat setpoint is compared at a second comparator 54 with the discharge air temperature signal 53 from the discharge air sensor 34 . the difference between these two signals is provided from the second comparator 54 to the heating pi control element 56 , which in turn provides the control signal 55 to the hw / cw valve 38 . therefore , the heating control loop 40 is actually a pair of cascaded control loops , the first generating the dat setpoint based upon the room temperature signal 51 and the room temperature setpoint , and the second generating the control signal 55 based upon the discharge air temperature signal 53 and the dat setpoint . further , with respect to the co2 loop 42 , the co2 setpoint that is provided from memory or from some other location is compared at a third comparator 59 with a co2 level signal 57 from the co2 sensor 36 . the difference between the co2 setpoint and the co2 level signal 57 is provided from the third comparator 59 to a co2 pi control element 58 , which then provides an output signal to control the positioning of the fresh air damper 24 . thus , in the heating state , the amount of fresh air 18 provided to the room 12 relative to the amount of return air 20 is determined based upon the co2 levels in the room . in order to control the heat level in the room 12 in the heating state 100 , the controller 30 controls the heating provided by the hw / cw coil 22 . that is , the heating within the room is not controlled even in part by varying the relative proportions of the fresh air 18 and return air 20 . as discussed , if the output of the heating pi control element 56 is saturated high ( at its maximum level ), the controller 30 switches to the low limit state 110 . in the low limit state 110 , the controller 30 operates in accordance with fig4 . as shown , the controller 30 provides control of the fresh air damper 24 by way of an air control loop 46 . also , the controller 30 operates to provide a co2 alarm output at a co2 alarm branch 49 and maximum heating capacity at a heating control branch 48 . the heating control branch 48 provides a 100 % signal 68 to the hw / cw valve in order to maintain the output of the hw / cw valve 38 at its highest output . additionally , the fresh air damper 24 is controlled so that the amount of fresh air 18 being added to the discharge air 14 does not overwhelm the system . the fresh air damper 24 is controlled by a damper control signal 67 provided from the controller 30 , which is determined as follows . the room temperature signal 51 from room sensor 32 is compared with the room temperature setpoint at a comparator 60 ( which may be the same as comparator 50 ), the output of which is provided to a room pi control element 62 ( which may be the same as the room pi control element 52 ). the output of the room pi control element 62 is a discharge air temperature ( dat ) setpoint that is then compared against the discharge air temperature signal 53 from discharge air sensor 14 at a second comparator 64 ( which may be the same as comparator 54 ). the output of the second comparator 64 is in turn provided to a low limit pi control element 66 , which outputs the damper control signal 67 to the fresh air damper 24 . typically , the fresh air damper 24 is controlled to be less than its maximum open position in the low limit state . as with respect to the heating control loop 40 of fig3 the air control loop 46 is made up of two cascaded control loops , the first generating the dat setpoint and the second generating the damper control signal 67 . the co2 level signal 57 provided by the co2 sensor 36 is provided to a third comparator 69 ( which may be the same as comparator 59 ) at which it is compared with the co2 setpoint . the output of the third comparator 69 is provided to a co2 alarm 70 , which provides either an on or an off signal depending upon whether the co2 levels within the room are excessive or are within a range of acceptable levels ( e . g ., below the co2 setpoint ), respectively . although the output of the co2 alarm 70 does not directly control any device within the hvac unit 10 , once the co2 alarm continuously produces an off signal for the time out period of the low limit timer ( shown as part of the co2 alarm 70 ), the controller 30 returns to the heating state 100 . thus , the system remains in the low limit state 110 only as long as the co2 levels are excessively high . the requirement that the co2 alarm 70 remain off for the entire length of the time out period prevents the system from leaving the low limit state 110 merely as a result of short - term dips in the co2 levels below the co2 setpoint . in alternate embodiments , the proportional integral ( pi ) control elements can be replaced with other types of control elements ( e . g ., proportional integral differential or “ pid ” control elements ). although the comparators 50 , 54 and 59 employed in the heating state 100 need not be the same as the comparators 60 , 64 and 69 of the low limit state 110 , in certain embodiments these are the same elements . likewise , the room pi control element 52 need not be the same as the room pi control element 62 , although in certain embodiments this is the case . in the preferred embodiment all of the comparators , control elements , alarms , timers and other control elements described as part of the heating state 100 and low limit state 110 are embodied in software within the controller 30 ; however in other embodiments , these elements may be hardwired elements . while the foregoing specification illustrates and describes the preferred embodiments of this invention , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction herein disclosed . the invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes . accordingly , reference should be made to the following claims , rather than to the foregoing specification , as indicating the scope of the invention .	5
reference will now be made in detail to potentially preferred embodiments of the invention , examples of which have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings . it is to be understood that it is in no way intended to limit the invention to such illustrated and described embodiments . on the contrary , it is intended to cover all alternatives , modifications and equivalents as may be included within the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereto . turning now to the drawings , wherein like elements are denoted by like reference numerals throughout the various views , in fig1 there is shown a fabric web 10 , wherein eight fabric panels to be cut 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 , 24 , and 26 have been outlined . also , specific fabrics pieces to be removed and slits 28 , 30 , 32 within the two largest fabric panels 12 , 14 are outlined as well . the fabric web 10 in this specific example comprised nylon 6 , 6 , 630 denier yarns , woven on a jacquard loom into a fabric 10 comprising 41 picks by 41 ends per inch . in fig2 two smaller preferred fabric panels 16 , 18 have been connected to one preferred large fabric panel 12 by substantially straight seams 34 , 36 , 38 , 40 . the composite fabric structure now has two small fabric portions 39 , 41 uncovered by the two smaller fabric panels 16 , 18 . the free space 30 remains and an imaginary straight line 42 denotes the future fold line within the fabric composite of the fabric panels 12 , 16 , 18 . in fig3 tie - rods 31 , 44 have been placed over the small fabric portions 39 , 41 parallel to the seams 38 , 40 , and the fabric portions 39 , 41 have been folded back in a manner to form a right angle at the point of contact between the two portions 39 , 41 . in fig4 the small fabric portions 39 , 41 have been folded over once again and seams 35 , 37 have been produced to connect the fabric portions 39 , 41 to themselves and to the smaller fabric panels 16 , 18 . the folded over fabric portions 39 , 41 provide reinforcement in order to withstand inflation pressures at the mouth opening of the cushion . in fig5 the fabric panel 12 has been folded over imaginary line 42 ( in half ) leaving one smaller fabric panel 16 in view ( the other is not illustrated as it is now located on the bottom portion of fabric panel 12 directly beneath smaller fabric panel 18 ). a seam 46 connects fabric panel 12 to itself and also connects the smaller fabric panels 16 , 18 both to the larger panel 12 and to themselves . upon unfolding of the connected composite , the non - connected ends of the panel 12 will form the same shape as the front panel 24 of fig6 . fig7 then shows the seam 48 needed to sew the non - connected ends of the large panel 12 ( of fig5 ), and fig8 provides a side view of the finished cushion 50 after all the connections through seams 34 , 35 , 46 have been made . [ 0049 ] fig9 shows a fully deployed inflatable restraint cushion 50 in opposing relation to an occupant 52 located on the front seat 54 of a vehicle 56 such as an automobile , airplane , and the like . as shown , the cushion 50 may be outwardly deployed from the dash panel 57 through an inflation means 58 from a position directly opposite the occupant 52 . it is to be understood , however , that the cushion 50 may likewise be deployed from any other desired location in the vehicle 56 including the steering wheel ( not illustrated ), the vehicle side panels ( not illustrated ), the floor ( not illustrated ), or the backrest of the front seat 54 for disposition in opposing relation to a rear passenger ( not illustrated ). in fig1 there is shown a fabric web 110 , wherein eight fabric panels to be cut 112 , 114 , 116 , 118 , 120 , 122 , 124 , and 126 have been outlined . also , specific slits 128 , 129 , 130 , 32 within the two largest fabric panels 112 , 114 are outlined as well . the fabric web 110 in this specific example comprised nylon 6 , 6 , 630 denier yams , woven on a jacquard loom into a fabric 110 comprising 41 picks by 41 ends per inch . in fig1 , two smaller preferred fabric panels 116 , 118 have been connected to one preferred large fabric panel 112 by substantially straight seams 144 , 146 , 148 . the composite fabric structure now has two small fabric portions 131 , 150 , 152 uncovered by the two smaller fabric panels 116 , 118 . an imaginary straight line 142 denotes the future fold line within the fabric composite of the fabric panels 112 , 116 , 118 , which is noticeably off - center in order to ultimately allow for the bag to be deployed at an angle from a horizontally disposed dashboard ( not illustrated ). in fig1 , tie - rods 153 , 155 have been placed over the small fabric portions 150 , 152 which have been folded back over the tie - rods 153 , 155 as shown , folded again , as in fig1 , and connected to themselves by seams 152 , 156 . the folded over fabric portions 150 , 152 provide reinforcement in order to withstand inflation pressures at the mouth opening of the cushion . in fig1 , the fabric panel 112 has been folded over imaginary line 142 leaving one smaller fabric panel 116 in view ( the other is not illustrated as it is now located on the bottom portion of fabric panel 112 directly beneath smaller fabric panel 118 ). a seam 158 connects fabric panel 112 to itself and also connects the smaller fabric panels 116 , 118 both to the larger panel 112 and to themselves . upon unfolding of the connected composite , the non - connected ends of the panel 112 will form the same shape as the front panel 124 of fig1 . fig1 then shows the seam 159 needed to sew the non - connected ends of the large panel 112 ( of fig1 ), and fig1 provides a side view of the finished cushion 160 . [ 0054 ] fig1 shows a fully deployed inflatable restraint cushion 160 in opposing relation to an occupant 162 located on the front seat 164 of a vehicle 166 such as an automobile , airplane , and the like . as shown , the cushion 160 may be outwardly deployed from the dash panel 167 through an inflation means 168 from a position directly opposite the occupant 162 . it is to be understood , however , that the cushion 160 may likewise be deployed from any other desired location in the vehicle 166 including the steering wheel ( not illustrated ), the vehicle side panels ( not illustrated ), the floor ( not illustrated ), or the backrest of the front seat 164 for disposition in opposing relation to a rear passenger ( not illustrated ). in fig1 there is shown a fabric web 210 , wherein eight fabric panels to be cut 212 , 214 , 216 , 218 , 220 , 222 , 224 , and 226 have been outlined . also , specific fabrics pieces to be removed and slits 228 , 230 , 232 within the two largest fabric panels 212 , 214 are outlined as well . the fabric web 210 in this specific example comprised nylon 6 , 6 , 630 denier yams , woven on a jacquard loom into a fabric 210 comprising 41 picks by 41 ends per inch . in fig2 , two smaller preferred fabric panels 216 , 218 have been connected to one preferred large fabric panel 212 by substantially straight seams 234 , 236 , 238 , 240 . an imaginary straight line 242 denotes the future fold line within the fabric composite of the fabric panels 212 , 216 , 218 . in fig2 , the fabric panel 212 has been folded over imaginary line 242 ( in half ) leaving one smaller fabric panel 216 in view ( the other is not illustrated as it is now located on the bottom portion of fabric panel 212 directly beneath smaller fabric panel 218 ). a seam 244 connects fabric panel 212 to itself and also connects the smaller fabric panels 216 , 218 both to the larger panel 212 and to themselves . upon unfolding of the connected composite , the non - connected ends of the panel 212 will form the same shape as the front panel 224 of fig2 . fig2 then shows the seam 252 needed to sew the non - connected ends of the large panel 212 ( of fig2 ), and fig2 provides a top view of a finished cushion 260 and fig2 provides a side view of a finished cushion 260 after all the connection through seams 234 , 244 , 248 have been made . [ 0058 ] fig2 shows a fully deployed inflatable restraint cushion 260 in opposing relation to an occupant 262 located on the front seat 264 of a vehicle 266 such as an automobile , airplane , and the like . as shown , the cushion 260 may be outwardly deployed from the dash panel 267 through an inflation means 268 from a position directly opposite the occupant 262 . it is to be understood , however , that the cushion 260 may likewise be deployed from any other desired location in the vehicle 266 including the steering wheel ( not illustrated ), the vehicle side panels ( not illustrated ), the floor ( not illustrated ), or the backrest of the front seat 264 for disposition in opposing relation to a rear passenger ( not illustrated ). these specific configurations and shapes provide the lowest overall seam usage as compared to the available inflation airspace volume . specific measurements for each inventive cushion manufactured in this configuration ( but with different amounts of utilized fabric ) are further described in table 2 , below . each of the panels utilized in these preferred embodiments may be formed from a number of materials including by way of example only and not limitation woven fabrics , knitted fabrics , non - woven fabrics , films and combinations thereof . woven fabrics may be preferred with woven fabrics formed of tightly woven construction such as plain or panama weave constructions being particularly preferred . such woven fabrics may be formed from yarns of polyester , polyamides such as nylon 6 and nylon - 6 , 6 or other suitable material as may be known to those in the skill in the art . multifilament yarns having a relatively low denier per filament rating of not greater than about 1 - 4 denier per filament may be desirable for bags requiring particular good foldability . in application , woven fabrics formed from synthetic yams having linear densities of about 40 denier to about 1200 denier are believed to be useful in the formation of the airbag according to the present invention . fabrics formed from yams having linear densities of about 315 to about 840 are believed to be particularly useful , and fabrics formed from yams having linear densities in the range of about 400 to about 650 are believed to be most useful . while each of the panels may be formed of the same material , the panels may also be formed from differing materials and or constructions such as , without limitation , coated or uncoated fabrics . such fabrics may provide high permeability fabric having an air permeability of about 5 cfm per square foot or higher , preferably less than about 3 cfm per square foot or less when measured at a differential pressure of 0 . 5 inches of water across the fabric . fabrics having permeabilities of about 1 - 3 cfm per square foot may be desirable as well . fabrics having permeabilities below 2 cfm and preferably below 1 cfm in the uncoated state may be preferred . such fabrics which have permeabilities below 2 cfm which permeability does not substantially increase by more than a factor of about 2 when the fabric is subjected to biaxial stresses in the range of up to about 100 pounds force may be particularly preferred . fabrics which exhibit such characteristics which are formed by means of fluid jet weaving may be most preferred , although , as noted previously , weaving on jacquard and / or dobby looms also permits seam production without the need for any further labor - intensive sewing or welding operations . in the event that a coating is utilized on one or more material panels , neoprene , silicone urethanes or disperse polyamides may be preferred . coatings such as dispersed polyamides having dry add on weights of about 0 . 6 ounces per square yard or less and more preferably about 0 . 4 ounces per square yard or less and most preferably about 0 . 3 per square yard or less may be particularly preferred so as to minimize fabric weight and enhance foldability . it is , of course , to be understood that aside from the use of coatings , different characteristics in various panels may also be achieved through the use of fabrics incorporating differing weave densities and / or finishing treatments such as calendaring as may be known to those in the skill of the art . while the airbag cushions according to the present invention have been illustrated and described herein , it is to be understood that such cushions may also include additional components such as shape defining tethers , gas vents , and the like as may be known to those in the skill of the art . with regard to comparable airbag cushions , the following table presents comparative seam usage factors for other well known and commercially available airbag cushions . the labels used are those used within standard & amp ; poor &# 39 ; s dri , a well known publication which denotes many different types of products offered for sale to the automotive industry . the 414t and cf bags listed above are tilted cushions for use in conjunction with relatively horizontal dashboards . the others are used in conjunction with substantially vertically configured dashboards . generally , a airbag module manufacturer or automobile manufacturer will specify what dimensions and performance characteristics are needed for a specific model and make of car . thus , airbag inflation airspace volume , front panel protection area ( particularly for passenger - side airbag cushions ), and sufficient overall protection for a passenger are such required specifications . in comparison with those commercially available airbag cushions listed above , the inventive airbag cushions which meet the same specifications ( and actually exceed the overall passenger protection characteristics versus the prior art cushions ) but require less fabric , less seam length for sewing operations , and thus cost appreciably less than those competitive cushions . the dimensions and seam usage factors for the inventive bags ( which compare with those in table 1 , above , directly , and as noted ) are presented below in tabular form and are the same general shape as those presented within the drawings described above ( but with larger pieces of fabric panels , etc . ): clearly , the inventive bags , which possess the same available inflation airspace volume and front fabric panel area as the comparative prior art commercially available cushions ( bags ), require much less in the way of total seam length , which thus correlates into overall much lower effective seam usage factors . furthermore , as noted above , in standard crash tests , these inventive bags ( cushions ) either performed as well as or outperformed their commercially available , more expensive , counterparts . while specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto , since modifications may certainly be made and other embodiments of the principals of this invention will no doubt occur to those skilled in the art . therefore , it is contemplated by the appended claims to cover any such modifications and other embodiments as incorporate the features of this invention which in the true spirit and scope of the claims hereto .	8
referring now more particularly to the drawings , the alternative health care machine includes a horizontal table portion 10 with a downwardly extending rim 10a , supported by post 11 , which may rest on the floor or other surface ( not shown ). first leg support members 12 and second leg support members 13 are provided , the leg supports 12 and 13 being hingedly connected together at 14 . the leg supports 13 at their lower ends each have a bracket 15 attached thereto and which carries a roller 16 on a shaft 17 . arm supports 18 for the forearm of a patient are provided and connected to the table portion 10 by hinges 19 . the leg supports 12 and 13 include plates 20 of plywood with a cushion of foam thereon ( not shown ) and which may have an outer covering of naugahyde or leather thereon ( not shown ) as desired . the arm supports 18 can also include plates ( not shown ) of plywood with a cushion of foam thereon ( not shown ) and which may have an outer covering of naugahyde or leather thereon ( not shown ), as desired . pads p can be provided on table portion 10 for engagement by the head and shoulders of the user . the structure for controlling the positioning of the leg supports 12 and the arm supports 18 is shown in fig4 and includes a variable speed motor 22 connected through a speed reducer 23 to a shaft 24 . the shaft 24 has a sprocket 25 carried thereon which is connected to a sprocket 26 by a chain 27 . a crank shaft 29 is provided to which the sprocket 26 is fixed and which has a crank 30 and a crank 31 for purposes to be explained . the crank shaft 29 has a sprocket 32 hereon which is connected to a sprocket 33 by a chain 34 . the sprocket 33 is fixed to a crank shaft 35 which has a crank 36 and a crank 37 . the crank shafts 29 and 35 at their ends are mounted in self - aligning spherical bearings 28 , which are bolted to the rim 10a of the table 10 by bolts 72 ( see fig8 ). spaced slots 38 , 39 , 40 and 41 are provided through the table portion 10 . the cranks 30 and 31 have connecting rods 42 connected thereto and which extend through the slots 38 and 39 , the rods 42 being connected by detachable connectors 43 which are pivotally connected to the leg supports 12 by pivot brackets 44 connected to brackets 45 by pins 46 . the cranks 36 and 37 have connecting rods 47 connected thereto , and which extend through the slots 40 and 41 , the rods 47 being connected by detachable connectors 48 which are pivotally connected to the arm spports 18 . the effective length of the rods 42 and 47 between the cranks 30 , 31 , 36 and 37 and the supports 12 , 13 and 18 can be varied to change the lift height of the supports as desired . referring now to fig6 and 7 , the hinging of one of the leg supports 12 is there illustrated , and includes a bracket 50 carried on the upper face of the table portion 10 , with a bracket 48 carried on the plate 20 of the leg support 12 . insertable bushings 49 of nylon or the like are provided in frictional engagement with the bracket 48 , and with a bracket 50 , with a pin 51 pivotally connecting the brackets 48 and 50 together . a control apparatus 52 for controlling the speed of the motor 22 is provided which is illustrated in fig3 and 9 , which has an energizing plug 52a , a toggle switch 53 and a rotatable speed control 54 . a conductor 55 is provided to connect the controller 52 to the field of the motor 22 and a conductor 55a connects the control apparatus 52 to the armature of the motor 22 . the details of the control apparatus 52 are shown in u . s . pat no . 3 , 457 , 672 . the control apparatus 52 also has a pilot light 56 , which is illuminated when the toggle switch 53 is in the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; position . the control apparatus 52 also includes a reset button 57 , a fuse 58 , a torque limit control 59 , and a movable control 60 for &# 34 ; forward &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; brake &# 34 ;, and &# 34 ; reverse &# 34 ; operation . elastic straps 61 may be employed which are attached to the arm supports 18 and the leg supports 12 and 13 for retaining the arms and legs of a patient ( not shown ) in engagement with the arm supports 18 and the leg supports 12 and 13 for exercise . the straps 61 may be provided with strips of velcro 62 and 63 for ease of engagement and disengagement . a patient ( not shown ) who is to undergo treatment is placed on the pads in a supine position with his or her arms or legs placed on the arm supports 18 and the leg supports 12 and 13 . the straps 61 are placed over the patient &# 39 ; s arms and legs and secured . the toggle switch 53 is moved to the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; position to supply electrical energy to the motor 22 , through the conductors 55 and 55a , and which energizes the light 56 . the rotatable speed control 54 is then adjusted to the desired speed of operation . the torque control 59 , and the movable control 60 will not normally require attention . the motor 22 , through the speed reducer 23 , shaft 24 , sprocket 25 , chain 27 , and sprocket 26 will operate the crank shaft 29 carried in the bearings 28 , to move the cranks 29 and 31 and the connecting rods 42 . the connecting rods 42 will alternately raise and lower the arm supports 18 on each side , thereby raising and lowering the arms of the patient ( not shown ) who is undergoing treatment . the crank shaft 35 is rotated by the chain 34 which is in engagement with sprockets 32 and 33 , and through the cranks 36 and 37 , the connecting rods 47 alternately raise and lower the leg supports 12 , the leg supports 12 by hinged connections 14 to the leg support 13 , also raises and lower the leg supports 13 in an alternating relation . it should be noted that the machine has several safety operating features which includes : ( 1 ) preset torque ; the torque limiting preset on the permanent magnet d . c . motor is for safety . should a patient &# 39 ; s leg or arm get under the moving parts of the machine [ the patient &# 39 ; s arms and legs moving up and down for exercise ] motor will stall causing the machine to stop , thus preventing injury . when the obstacle is removed , the reset button 57 is pushed and the machine will go back to normal operation ; ( 2 ) a neutral safety switch : machine can not accidently be turned on . the switch must be manually put in forward or reverse position , then the start button pressed before the machine will operate ; ( 3 ) an amber light indicator verifying power to control box , which indicates that there is electricity to the control apparatus ; ( 4 ) a forward and reverse switch which is necessary as a safety feature . if an object gets lodged under any of the moving parts , the machine will automatically stop , then the movable control 60 can be moved to make moving parts move back so that the lodged object can be removed ; and ( 5 ) a variable speed control which allows the machine to go from approximately 15 steps per minute to a normal walking speed . the speed being determined by the patient &# 39 ; s problem that is to be helped . several machines in accordance with the invention have been placed in various locations for some months and their usage has been found helpful in improving the condition of patients who suffer from problems associated with strokes , speech disabilities , vascular flow , brain patterning , muscular distress , and many other problems associated with injury or disease where synchronized exercise of the arms and legs in a normal exercise pattern simulating normal movements of walking is useful . it will thus be seen that a machine has been provided with which the objects of the invention are achieved .	0
referring first to fig1 an apparatus for regulating the delivery of solid material to a lance is shown . the blowing lance is shown at 1 and may be a multiple - flow lance used to supply the pool concurrently with oxygen and granulated material . alternatively , a conventiaion single - flow lance may be used to inject only the granulated material into the pool . in the latter case , the refining oxygen and possibly the post - combustion oxygen would be delivered through a separate lance . the lance 1 is mounted on a fast - positioning system 2 , which is integral with a carriage , or any other mobile system ( not shown ) and is used to vertically position the lance a desired distance over the surface of the pool . the positioning system 2 is connected to an assembly 5 of rigid tubes 3 and hinges 4 , conventionally known as shears , and a safety device 6 which detects possible leaks in the body of the lance 1 . the detection of leaks is particularly important in those multiple - flow lances which simultaneously deliver the fuel ( which is normally abrasive ), and the combustion - supporting agent . for use in the present invention , a typical leak detector comprises a sheath filled with a liquid which surrounds the conduit of carbonaceous material in the lance , and a pressure detector which monitors the pressure of the liquid . in the event of a rupture , the detector records a change in pressure which it transmits to the safety device 6 . the safety device 6 , in turn , stops the blowing operation . a cooling circuit as described in luxembourg patent application no . 84 , 433 corresponding to u . s . application ser . no . 542 , 429 may also be utilized , so as to produce a simultaneous separation between the fuel and combustion - supporting agent conduits . as in the previously described leak detector , monitoring the pressure of the cooling circuit similarly permits a detection of leaks . in a preferred embodiment , the shears 5 may be connected by electromagnetic valves 9 and 10 , respectively , to the supply circuit 7 which supplies carbonaceous material to the lance 1 , and / or to the flushing circuit 8 which supplies flushing gas . the flushing circuit 8 is used to carry a predetermined flow of either argon originating from a source 30 , or of nitrogen originating from a source 31 to the lance 1 , by opening and / or closing the valves 21 or 22 , respectively and by adequately controlling a flow regulator 11 . the regulator 11 is essentially composed of a pressure sensor 19 , a pressure variation sensor 18 , and a temperature sensor 20 , connected respectively to transducers 17 , 16 and 15 , which transform the sensed signals into electrical signals processable by the computer 14 . the information processed by the computer 14 will determine the flow of flushing gas required as a function of the operation of the vessel or the state of blockage of the conduits ; and the computer , in turn , transmits operating signals to a regulating valve 12 through an amplifier 13 . it should be pointed out that for reasons of simplicity of illustration and not limitation , the computer has been illustrative at several different locations ( see references 14a and 14b ). thus , while the distinct computers have been shown in fig1 the present invention can equally be accomplished by using only one computer . between the valve 22 and the nitrogen source 31 are valves 24 and 26 as well as a pressure regulator 25 which are positioned to prevent the nitrogen source 31 from exerting excessive pressure to the flushing gas supply 8 . a unidirectional ( e . g ., check valve ) valve 53 prevents any feedback from the supply circuit 7 of carbonaceous material to the circuit 8 supplying the flushing gas . the supply circuit 7 which provides carbonaceous material is connected only to the nitrogen source ( as opposed to the argon source ) 31 and is essentially comprised of a flow regulator 11a and a fluidizing system 40 which has a reservoir or storage chamber 47 and cellular regulator 48 . the cellular regulator has a well known construction including a cylindrical rotor metering wheel peripherally provided with plural vanes which define individual compartments or cells . the fluidizing system continuously varies the flow rate of the particular carbonaceous material to be introduced by regulatoring the rotational speed of the metering wheel of the cellular regulator 48 . the flow rate of carrier gas passing through the blowing lance 1 can thus be modified independently of the quantity of solid material contained therein . the fluidizing system 40 is connected both to conduit 41 which carries pressurizing gas to the reservoir 47 of carbonaceous material , and to conduits 42 through 46 which supply gas to the fluidization system for the carbonaceous material . a sensor 50 monitors the pressure in the conduits downstream from the fluidizing system 40 and acts through transducer 49 and the computer 14b , to vary the speed of rotation of the cellular regulator 48 . the flow regulator 11a for the circuit 7 supplying carbonaceous material is of a similar design to that of regulator 11 controlling the flow of flushing gas . as a result , the elements performing equivalent functions are given the same reference numbers with the added letter a . it should be noted that the prevailing pressure in the conduit is monitored by the use of sensor 19a upstream from the pressure regulator 25a and valves 24a and 26a , sensor 19 seeing essentially the full pressure of the nitrogen source 31 . the preferred embodiment of the present invention also contains several conventional manometers 51 and electromagnetic valves 52 . it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that instead of a single computer , individual computers , preferably analog computers , may also be used for the regulation of the flow rate of carrier gas , carbonaceous material , flushing gas , and to regulate the fluidizing system 40 . in that case , the amplifiers 13 and 13a have been replaced by amplifier - regulators , which would receive their commands from the computer 14b , which would then control the concentration of solid material in the gas by acting on the amplifier - regulator 13a , and on the rotational speed of the wheel 48 of the cellular regulator 48 . the computer 14b would then also be connected to the amplifier - regulator 13 to meter the flow of flushing gas . supplementary coordination between the various elements of the installation can be provided by an operator . during the recarburization phase , the valve 9 is opened while the valve 10 is closed . the flow rates of the carrier gas and the carbonaceous material are regulated to maximum values compatible with the capacities of the system ( source , conduits , fluidizer , etc .) and the metallurgical requirements ( capacity of the bath for the absorption of carbon , etc .). if the conduits indicate an incipient blockage , which can occur in the conduits located downstream from the fluidizer system 40 , the pressure sensed by the sensor 50 increases , which will result in the computer 14 sending a command to reduce the rotational speed of the wheel of cellular regulator 48 so as to reduce the charge of solid material in the carrier gas flow . if the pressure continues to rise , an additional reduction of the speed of rotation is commanded . thereafter , if the pressure drops , the rotational speed of the wheel of cellular regulator 48 is again increased . when successive reductions in the rotational speed of the wheel of cellular regulator 48 do not result in the clearing of conduits , the computer 14 commands the cessation of operation of the supply circuit 7 , the closing of the valve 9 , and the opening of the valve 10 . the regulating valve 12 is then completely opened whereby nitrogen or argon ( depending on the opening or the closing of the valves 21 and 22 ) is sent at high pressure to the shears 5 and the lance 1 . if the desired clearing occurs , the pressure measured by the sensor 50 drops and the recarburization process may start again . between two recarburization operations , the valve 9 is closed and the valve 10 is opened whereby a weak flow of gas ( either nigrogen or preferably argon ) is allowed to circulate through the shears 5 and the lance 1 so as to prevent a blockage of the conduits from agglomeration of carbonaceous material deposited in the tubes , or a blockage of the lance head . while the operation of the present invention has been described using neutral gas sources of either argon or nitrogen , it should be obvious to one skilled in the art that the use of any gas which is compatible with the particular chemical constraints of the system may be employed , i . e ., any nonoxidizing gas , including recycled gas . as discussed above , the procedures involved in clearing the conduits have been described in terms of opening or closing the electromagnetic valves 9 and 10 . it should be noted that the valves 9 and 10 can also be opened concurrently , with the different flow rates of gaseous and solid material adjusted so as to lead to the desired clearing . still another alternative would permit the electromagnetic valve 10 to be commanded by pulses . in this latter case , it is necessary to choose the frequency and the rise time of the signals commanding the opening / closing of the valve 10 so as to avoid the creation of vibrations in the conduits or the appearance of excessive pressures which would be destructive to the equipment . while a preferred embodiment has been shown and described , various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration and not limitation .	2
a real power meter 1 and a speed meter 5 are connected to an electric motor drive 2 which is to be monitored , is illustrated only schematically , and which has an angle resolver 2a . the electric motor drive 2 is supplied from a power supply device which is not illustrated . on starting up control electronics 8 , which are connected to the electric motor drive 2 and to the real power meter 1 , the actual real power monitoring is activated on reaching or after reaching the nominal ( i . e ., predetermined ) rotation speed of the electric motor drive . this is done after a suitably preselected time after switching on the electric motor drive 2 , since the normal time profile of the real power curve is known , or as a function of the actually measured rotation speed . after this time , the output signal of the real power meter 1 is passed to the first input of a first comparator 3 . a power threshold value which represents an overload state is stored in the power threshold value memory 4 and is supplied to the second input of the first comparator 3 . since the real power is a load - proportional variable , the power threshold value is preselected to be a specific amount above the real power caused by the normally connected load . if the load is constant with respect to time , the power threshold value is thus likewise constant with respect to time . if the load changes in a time - dependent manner , for example during an operation of a machine tool , time - dependent load threshold values can be stored in the power threshold value memory 4 . the power threshold value associated with the respective time of the real power measurement is then supplied to the first comparator 3 . if the instantaneously measured real power exceeds the power threshold value , the first comparator 3 supplies on its output a signal which initiates a switching and / or warning signal having the identifier &# 34 ; overload &# 34 ;. the disconnection of the drive , for example , can thus be selected . the speed meter 5 is not driven by the control electronics 8 . it measures the speed of the electric motor drive 2 continuously , that is to say , even during the starting phase before the nominal rotation speed is reached . for this purpose , either the propulsion speed can be measured by measuring the linear movement per time interval , or the rotation speed can be measured by measuring the rotation angle per time interval . in this exemplary embodiment , an angle resolver 2a is provided on the electric motor drive 2 for measuring the rotation angle per time interval . the output signal of the speed meter 5 is passed to the first input of a second comparator 6 . a speed threshold value which is stored in the speed threshold value memory 7 , is time - dependent and represents an overload state , and is passed to the second input of said second comparator 6 . this speed threshold value indicates the tolerated error from the movement of the electric motor drive 2 which is expected under normal operating conditions . in this case , the expected movement depends on the time when the electric motor drive 2 is switched on , after which the electric motor drive 2 is operated with continuous current or with pulsed current . if the instantaneously measured speed undershoots ( i . e ., is less than ) the speed threshold value , this indicates an overload state . the second comparator 6 then supplies at its output a signal which initiates a switching and / or warning signal , which is independent of the real power , having the identifier &# 34 ; overload &# 34 ;. fig2 shows the typical time profile of the real power and of the speed of an electric motor drive 2 in the continuous - current mode , whose load is connected after reaching the nominal rotation speed . fig3 shows the same measurement variables for an electric motor drive in the continuous - current mode with a continuous load . the nominal rotation speed is reached at the time t s . t l designates the time when the load is connected in fig2 this not being illustrated in fig3 because of the permanently connected load . t ol indicates a time at which an overload occurs in the examples here . the continuous rise in the speed until the nominal rotation speed is reached can be seen in fig2 and 3 . after this , the speed is load - dependent , that is to say , it falls as the load rises . a constant load results , as illustrated , in a constant speed . the real power rises from zero and reaches a load - dependent peak value . this is thus correspondingly greater in fig3 that is to say , when a continuous load is connected , than in fig2 . after reaching the peak value , the real power falls to a no - load level on reaching the nominal rotation speed . as soon as the load is connected , it then rises to a load - proportional level . the power threshold value is selected above this load - proportional real power value . a threshold value below the illustrated speed is specified in a corresponding manner for the speed . if an overload occurs after reaching the nominal rotation speed and after connection of the load at the time t ol , the real power rises suddenly . in contrast , the speed in the event of an overload falls comparatively slowly as the real power rises . it can be seen that monitoring of the overload is possible with the aid of a speed monitor with threshold value comparison even after reaching the rated rotation speed and after connection of the load . monitoring of the overload with the aid of real power monitoring with threshold value comparison is , so to say , the &# 34 ; slicker &# 34 ; method since the threshold value is reached in the shorter time here . in contrast , speed monitoring with threshold value comparison is the &# 34 ; more inert &# 34 ; method , since it responds more slowly in the event of an overload . this can be made use of , depending on the application . thus , it may be desirable for minor , brief overloads not to lead to system disconnection immediately . in this case , the &# 34 ; more inert &# 34 ; method would be preferred , the overload warnings having to be suppressed as a result of the real power monitoring . combined monitoring will be selected for the majority of systems , that is to say the speed is monitored in the starting phase , while the real power is monitored , in contrast , in continuous operation after reaching the nominal rotation speed . real power monitoring with threshold value comparison is unsuitable for the operating states before the nominal rotation speed is reached , because of the described way in which the real power passes through a peak value well above the power threshold value . monitoring of the overload with the aid of speed monitoring with threshold value comparison is very sensitive , in contrast , in this region , because the speed rises continuously in the starting phase . only as a result of the proposed mutual supplementing of the monitoring of the real power and speed of the electric motor drive is it possible to implement monitoring of the overload even in those cases which are distinguished by small movement paths of a continuously loaded electric motor drive below the nominal rotation speed , for example , in the pulsed mode as well . as a consequence , the invention is particularly suitable for use in the case of positioning drives having very small movement paths , such as that which is required , for example , for various purposes in the case of scanners ( for example sample scans in the case of surface examinations ). another field of application is in motorized functions on microscopes , such as the height adjustment of the object table for focusing purposes , for example . this demands very small movement paths which can be achieved only by pulsed operation of the electric motor drive . damage to the observed object and to the objective as a result of mutual collision is then avoided by the monitoring of the overload . fig3 describes the said curve profiles for an electric motor drive in the continuous - current mode . for an electric motor drive in the pulsed - current mode , this drive in each case experiences small speed increases as a result of the individual current pulses , which increases overall lead to a continuous rise in the speed and , after a specific number of pulses , to a load - proportional , constant , mean speed ( cf . for example de 40 28 241 a1 ). as a consequence , the time profile of the speed moves upwards and downwards with small errors in a quasi - oscillating manner about that speed profile which is illustrated in fig3 . a typical curve profile thus also results here which is dependent on the switching - on time of the electric motor drive and from which speed threshold values can be derived . using these speed threshold values , it is possible to carry out monitoring of the overload in all the operating states , even of the electric motor drive which is operated in a pulsed manner . in contrast , in pulsed operation , monitoring of the overload with the aid of real power monitoring is fundamentally unusable since the electric motor drive is repeatedly energized with each current pulse , which means a new starting phase every time . furthermore , in pulsed operation , use is made of the fact that the brief pulse can load the electric motor drive beyond the rated power provided only that the real power remains below the rated power when averaged with respect to time . in the case of real power monitoring , this would immediately lead to an overload report , while increasing the power threshold value would disguise any possibly occurring overload state . monitoring of the overload can thus be achieved only by means of speed monitoring in the case of electric motor drives which are operated with pulsed current as well as stepping motors .	7
fig1 shows a level shift circuit for use in an image display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention . fig1 shows a positive power voltage v dd , a negative power voltage gnd , an input signal in , an output signal out , a capacitor c 11 , p - channel tft &# 39 ; s p 11 and p 12 and n - channel tft &# 39 ; s n 11 and n 12 . the circuit shown in fig1 is constituted by a bias voltage setting section constructed of the positive power voltage v dd , negative power voltage gnd , p - channel tft p 11 and the n - channel tft n 11 and an amplifier circuit section constructed of the positive power voltage v dd , negative power voltage gnd , p - channel tft p 12 and n - channel tft n 12 . in the bias voltage setting section , the drain of the p - channel tft p 11 is connected to the drain of the n - channel tft n 11 and one electrode of the capacitor c 11 , while the source of the p - channel tft p 11 and the gate of the n - channel tft n 11 are connected to the positive power voltage v dd , while the gate of the p - channel tft p 11 and the source of the n - channel tft n 11 are connected to the negative power voltage gnd . in the amplifier circuit section , the gate of the p - channel tft p 12 is connected to the gate of the n - channel tft n 12 and the one electrode of the capacitor c 11 ( serving as the input terminal of the amplifier circuit section ). the drain of the p - channel tft p 12 and the drain of the n - channel tft n 12 are connected to each other ( serving as the output terminal of the amplifier circuit section ). the source of the p - channel tft p 12 is connected to the positive power voltage v dd , while the source of the n - channel tft n 12 is connected to the negative power voltage gnd . reference is made to the operation of the level shift circuit of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in fig1 . the input signal in is capacitively coupled with the capacitor c 11 and inputted to the input terminal of the amplifier circuit section . in this case , depending on a bias voltage determined on an on - state resistance ratio between the p - channel tft p 11 and the n - channel tft n 11 ( this voltage being defined as vb ), the voltage level of swing of the input signal in is shifted to the bias voltage vb although the amplitude does not change . that is , by correctly setting the bias voltage vb , the amplifier circuit section can be normally operated . then , in the amplifier circuit section , the p - channel tft p 12 is turned off and the n - channel tft n 12 is turned on when the input signal in has high level , as a consequence of which the negative power voltage gnd is outputted from the output terminal of the amplifier circuit section . the p - channel tft p 12 is turned on and the n - channel tft n 12 is turned off when the input signal in has low level , as a consequence of which the positive power voltage v dd is outputted from the output terminal of the amplifier circuit section . that is , the amplitude of the input signal in is amplified by the level shift circuit of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in fig1 ( note that the potential difference between the positive power voltage v dd and the negative power voltage gnd is set higher than the amplitude of the input signal in ). fig2 shows a relation between the input and output of the level shift circuit in the first embodiment of the present invention . the voltage level of swing of the input signal in is shifted to the bias voltage vb so as to become a signal inb and inputted to the input terminal of the amplifier circuit section . if the input - to - output voltage characteristic of the amplifier circuit section has a characteristic curve of the waveform b and the amplitude of the signal inb has an input voltage operating range such that the output voltage of the amplifier circuit section is inverted from the positive power voltage v dd to the negative power voltage gnd , then a signal outb is outputted from the output terminal of the amplifier circuit section . in this case , if the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the p - channel tft constituting the level shift circuit becomes smaller than the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the n - channel tft , then the input - to - output voltage characteristic of the amplifier circuit section comes to have a characteristic curve of the waveform c , and the operating point is shifted to the positive power voltage v dd side . in this case , if the signal to be inputted to the input terminal of the amplifier circuit section remains the signal inb , then a signal outc is outputted from the output terminal of the amplifier circuit section , meaning that sufficient amplitude conversion is not effected . however , if the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the p - channel tft becomes smaller than the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the n - channel tft , then the on - state resistance value of the p - channel tft p 11 becomes smaller than the on - state resistance value of the n - channel tft n 11 . therefore , the bias voltage determined by the bias voltage setting section is shifted from vb to the positive power voltage v dd side to become vc , and the signal to be inputted to the input terminal of the amplifier circuit section becomes a signal inc . as a result , the signal outb is outputted from the output terminal of the amplifier circuit . conversely to the above , if the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the p - channel tft constituting the level shift circuit becomes greater than the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the n - channel tft , then the input - to - output voltage characteristic of the amplifier circuit section comes to have a characteristic curve of the waveform a , and the operating point is shifted to the negative power voltage gnd side . in this case , the on - state resistance value of the p - channel tft p 11 becomes greater than the on - state resistance value of the n - channel tft n 11 . therefore , the bias voltage determined by the bias voltage setting section is shifted from vb to the negative power voltage gnd side to become va , and the signal to be inputted to the input terminal of the amplifier circuit section becomes a signal ina . as a result , the signal outb is outputted from the output terminal of the amplifier circuit section instead of a signal outa . that is , in the level shift circuit of the first embodiment of the present invention , even if the threshold voltages of the transistors constituting the level shift circuit fluctuate to shift the operating point of the amplifier circuit section , then the bias voltage is automatically set by the bias voltage setting section in response to the shift . although the bias voltage setting section is constructed of one p - channel tft and one n - channel tft in the level shift circuit of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in fig1 either or both of the p - channel tft and the n - channel tft may be constructed of two or more elements . fig3 shows another example of the level shift circuit of the first embodiment of the present invention . fig3 shows a capacitor c 31 , p - channel tft &# 39 ; s p 31 , p 32 and p 33 , n - channel tft &# 39 ; s n 31 , n 32 and n 33 and other components similar to those of fig1 . the circuit of fig3 differs from the level shift circuit of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in fig1 in that the bias voltage setting section is constructed of two p - channel tft &# 39 ; s and two n - channel tft &# 39 ; s . with this arrangement , the voltages applied across the terminals of each transistor can be reduced , and therefore , the effect of reducing the stress due to the electric field applied across the source and drain of each transistor can be expected . the bias voltage can be determined by the quantitative ratio between the p - channel tft &# 39 ; s and the n - channel tft &# 39 ; s , increasing the degree of freedom of setting the bias voltage . fig4 shows a level shift circuit to be used for an image display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention . fig4 shows a capacitor c 41 , p - channel tft &# 39 ; s p 41 , p 42 and p 43 , n - channel tft &# 39 ; s n 41 , n 42 and n 43 and other components similar to those of fig1 . the circuit of fig4 differs from the level shift circuit of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in fig3 in that the gate of the p - channel tft p 42 and the gate of the n - channel tft n 41 constituting the bias voltage setting section are connected to each other and the drain of the p - channel tft p 42 and the drain of the n - channel tft n 41 are connected to each other . in the level shift circuit of the first embodiment shown in fig2 and fig3 the quantity of shift of the operating point of the amplifier circuit section due to the fluctuations in threshold voltage of the transistors and the direction of shift of the bias voltage from the bias voltage setting section exhibit coincidence . however , in general , the quantity of shift of the bias voltage becomes greater than the operating point of the amplifier circuit section . accordingly , if the quantity of shift of the bias voltage becomes too large , then it is possible that the amplitude of the input signal in might deviate from the range of operating point of the amplifier circuit section . on the other hand , in the level shift circuit of the second embodiment of the present invention shown in fig4 the bias voltage from the bias voltage setting section is fed back to the gate of the p - channel tft p 42 and the gate of the n - channel tft n 41 , allowing the quantity of shift of the bias voltage due to the fluctuations in threshold voltage of the transistors can be compensated for . the compensation effect will be described in detail . if the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the p - channel tft that constitutes the level shift circuit becomes smaller than the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the n - channel tft , then the on - state resistance values of the p - channel tft &# 39 ; s p 41 and p 42 become smaller than the on - state resistance values of the n - channel tft &# 39 ; s n 41 and n 42 . therefore , the bias voltage is shifted to the positive power voltage v dd side . however , the bias voltage from the bias voltage setting section is fed back to the gate of the p - channel tft p 42 and the gate of the n - channel tft n 41 , and therefore , the bias voltage shifted to the positive power voltage v dd side operates so as to reduce the on - state resistance value of the n - channel tft n 41 . as a result , the quantity of shift of the bias voltage becomes smaller than that of the level shift circuit of the first embodiment shown in fig2 and fig3 . conversely to the above , if the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the p - channel tft constituting the level shift circuit becomes greater than the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the n - channel tft , then the bias voltage , which is shifted to the negative power voltage gnd side , operates so as to reduce the on - state resistance value of the p - channel tft p 42 . as a result , similar to the aforementioned case , the quantity of shift of the bias voltaae becomes smaller than that of the level shift circuit of the first embodiment shown in fig2 and fig3 . that is , in the level shift circuit of the second embodiment of the present invention , if the threshold voltages of the transistors constituting the level shift circuit fluctuate to shift the operating point of the amplifier circuit section , then the bias voltage from the bias voltage setting section can be easily set in accordance with the quantity of shift of the amplifier circuit section . although the bias voltage setting section is constructed of two p - channel tft &# 39 ; s and two n - channel tft &# 39 ; s in the level shift circuit of the second embodiment of the present invention shown in fig4 either or both of the p - channel tft &# 39 ; s and the n - channel tft &# 39 ; s may be constructed of three or more elements . either or both of the p - channel tft &# 39 ; s and the n - channel tft &# 39 ; s may also be constructed of one element . that is , there may be a construction in which either the p - channel tft p 41 or the n - channel tft n 42 is eliminated from the level shift circuit of the second embodiment of the present invention shown in fig4 . fig5 shows a level shift circuit to be used for an image display device according to the third embodiment of the present invention . fig5 shows a capacitor c 51 , p - channel tft &# 39 ; s p 51 and p 52 , n - channel tft &# 39 ; s n 51 , n 52 and n 53 and other components similar to those of fig1 . the circuit of fig5 differs from the level shift circuit of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in fig1 in that an n - channel tft n 52 for voltage clamping is provided between the output terminal of the bias voltage setting section and the input terminal of the amplifier circuit section . the drain of the n - channel tft n 52 is connected to the gate of a p - channel tft p 52 and the gate of an n - channel tft n 53 serving as the input terminal of the amplifier circuit section and connected to one electrode of the capacitor c 51 . the gate of the n - channel tft n 52 is connected to the drain of a p - channel tft p 51 and the drain of an n - channel tft n 51 serving as the output terminal of the bias voltage setting section , while the source of the n - channel tft n 52 is connected to the positive power voltage v dd . in the level shift circuit of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in fig1 and fig3 and the level shift circuit of the second embodiment of the present invention shown in fig4 the capacitor impedance is required to be made sufficiently lower than the on - state resistance value of each of the p - channel tft and the n - channel tft that constitute the bias voltage setting section . considering the level shift circuit of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in fig1 assuming that the frequency of the input signal in is fhz , the on - state resistance of the p - channel tft p 11 is rp 11 , the on - state resistance of the n - channel tft n 11 is rn 11 , the capacity of the capacitor c 11 is c 11 , then the impedance zc 11 of the capacitor c 11 becomes zc 11 = 1 /( 2π · c 11 ). it is required to make the following relational expression : hold . otherwise , the signal waveform becomes distorted at the input terminal of the amplifier circuit section , and the level shift circuit does not correctly operate . if the frequency fhz of the input signal in is changed to f / 10 hz , in order to satisfy the aforementioned relational expression , then the value of the capacitor c 11 is required to be ten times the value , and the values of the on - state resistance rp 11 of the p - channel tft p 11 and the on - state resistance rn 11 of the n - channel tft n 11 are required to be ten times the values . that is , in order to sufficiently increase the ratio between the impedance zc 11 of the capacitor c 11 at the frequency of the input signal in and the on - state resistances of the transistors of the bias voltage setting section , it is required to increase the capacitance by increasing the size of the capacitor or increase the on - state resistance of the transistor by increasing the number of transistors that constitute the bias voltage setting section . however , increasing the size of the capacitor and increasing the number of transistors are not always preferable since they lead to the increase in scale of the level shift circuit . in order to increase the on - state resistance rp 11 of the p - channel tft p 11 and the on - state resistance rn 11 of the n - channel tft n 11 , a method for adjusting the transistor size can also be considered . however , taking the design rule of the transistors into consideration , it is difficult to make the value of the on - state resistance of the transistor not smaller than a specified value . on the other hand , in the level shift circuit according to the third embodiment of the present invention shown in fig5 the low level of the input signal in is shifted from the voltage set by the ratio between the on - state resistance of the p - channel tft p 51 and the on - state resistance of the n - channel tft n 51 to a voltage v ′ dropped by the threshold voltage of the n - channel tft n 52 . if the circuit operates with the low level of the input signal in reducing to a voltage lower than the voltage v ′, then the gate of the p - channel tft p 52 , the gate of the n - channel tft n 53 and the capacitor c 51 are to be charged via the n - channel tft n 52 , and consequently the voltage is clamped at the voltage v ′ without becoming lower than the voltage v ′. then , it is proper to set the low level of the input signal , i . e ., the voltage v ′ so that the amplitude of the input signal in falls within the range of the operating point of the amplifier circuit section . that is , according to the level shift circuit of the third embodiment of the present invention , by clamping the low level voltage of the input signal , the input signal is inputted to the amplifier circuit section without waveform distortion . this obviates the need for the adjustment of the on - state resistance values of the p - channel tft and the n - channel tft that constitute the bias voltage setting section and the adjustment of the capacitance of the capacitor , consequently increasing the degree of freedom of designing . fig6 shows another example of the level shift circuit of the third embodiment of the present invention . fig6 shows a capacitor c 61 , p - channel tft &# 39 ; s p 61 and p 62 , n - channel tft &# 39 ; s n 61 , n 62 and n 63 and other components similar to those of fig1 . the circuit of fig6 differs from the level shift circuit of the third embodiment of the present invention shown in fig5 in that the gate and source of the n - channel tft n 62 for voltage clamping provided between the output terminal of the bias voltage setting section and the input terminal of the amplifier circuit section are connected to each other . with this arrangement , the n - channel tft n 62 functions as a diode , and the low level of the input signal in is shifted from the voltage set by the ratio between the on - state resistance of the p - channel tft p 61 and the on - state resistance of the n - channel tft n 61 to a voltage dropped by the threshold voltage of the n - channel tft n 62 . although the bias voltage setting section is constructed of one p - channel tft and one n - channel tft in the level shift circuit of the third embodiment of the present invention , either or both of the p - channel tft and the n - channel tft may be constructed of two or more elements . although the level shift circuit of the third embodiment of the present invention employs the n - channel tft for voltage clamping use , a p - channel tft may be employed instead . fig7 shows a level shift circuit to be used for an image display device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention . fig7 shows a capacitor c 71 , p - channel tft &# 39 ; s p 71 , p 72 and p 73 , n - channel tft &# 39 ; s n 71 , n 72 , n 73 , n 74 and n 75 and other components similar to those of fig1 . the circuit of fig7 differs from the level shift circuit of the second embodiment of the present invention shown in fig4 in that the n - channel tft n 73 and the n - channel tft n 74 for voltage clamping are provided between the output terminal of the bias voltage setting section and the input terminal of the amplifier circuit section . the drain of the n - channel tft n 73 is connected to the source of the n - channel tft n 74 . the gate of the n - channel tft n 73 is connected to the gate of the p - channel tft p 72 and the gate of the n - channel tft n 71 and connected to the drain of the p - channel tft p 72 and the drain of the n - channel tft n 71 . the source of the n - channel tft n 73 is connected to the positive power voltage v dd . the gate and drain of the n - channel tft n 74 are connected to each other and further connected to the gate of the p - channel tft p 73 , the gate of the n - channel tft n 75 and one electrode of the capacitor c 71 serving as the input terminal of the amplifier circuit section . here is considered the voltage clamping level of the level shift circuit of the fourth embodiment of the present invention shown in fig7 . as a bias voltage from the bias voltage setting section , a voltage dropped by the threshold voltage of the n - channel tft n 73 is outputted from the drain of the n - channel tft n 73 . the gate and drain of the n - channel tft n 74 are connected to each other . therefore , a voltage outputted from the drain of the n - channel tft n 73 is increased by the threshold voltage of the n - channel tft n 74 . that is , in the level shift circuit of the fourth embodiment of the present invention , by providing two transistors for voltage clamping use and making the second transistor compensate for the voltage dropped by the threshold voltage of the first transistor , the low level of the input signal can be clamped with the voltage set by the bias voltage setting section , and this allows the bias voltage to be easily set . although the bias voltage setting section of the level shift circuit of the fourth embodiment of the present invention has the same construction as that of the bias voltage setting section of the level shift circuit of the second embodiment of the present invention , the same construction as that of the bias voltage setting section of the level shift circuit of the first embodiment of the present invention may also be provided . although the bias voltage setting section is constructed of two p - channel tft &# 39 ; s and two n - channel tft &# 39 ; s in the level shift circuit of the fourth embodiment of the present invention , either or both of the p - channel tft &# 39 ; s and the n - channel tft &# 39 ; s may be constructed of three or more elements . although the level shift circuit of the fourth embodiment of the present invention employs the n - channel tft for voltage clamping use , a p - channel tft may be employed instead . fig8 through fig1 show a level shift circuit to be used for an image display device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention . if the fluctuations in threshold voltage of the p - channel tft and the n - channel tft constituting the level shift circuit are small and the fluctuation in range of the operating point of the amplifier circuit section is small , then the bias voltage from the bias voltage setting section is not required to be adjusted to the threshold voltage of the transistor but allowed to be fixed . therefore , the level shift circuit of the fifth embodiment of the present invention shown in fig8 through fig1 can be considered . fig8 shows capacitors c 81 , c 82 and c 83 , a p - channel tft p 81 , an n - channel tft n 81 and other components similar to those of fig1 . the circuit of fig8 differs from the level shift circuit of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in fig1 in that the transistors are replaced by capacitors . the bias voltage is set according to a ratio of capacity c 82 of capacitor c 82 to capacity c 83 of capacitor c 83 . fig9 shows capacitors c 91 , c 92 and c 93 , a p - channel tft p 91 , n - channel tft &# 39 ; s n 91 and n 92 , and other components similar to those of fig1 . the circuit of fig9 differs from the level shift circuit of the third embodiment of the present invention shown in fig5 in that the transistors are replaced by capacitors . a bias voltage set according to a ratio of capacity values c 92 to c 93 is clamped with a voltage dropped by the threshold voltage of the n - channel tft n 91 . fig1 shows a capacitor c 101 , resistors r 101 and r 102 , a p - channel tft p 101 , an n - channel tft n 101 and other components similar to those of fig1 . the circuit of fig1 differs from the level shift circuit of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in fig1 in that the transistors are replaced by resistors . a bias voltage is set according to a ratio of resistance values r 101 to r 102 . in the level shift circuit of the fifth embodiment of the present invention shown in fig8 through fig1 , the bias voltage setting section is constructed of the capacitors or the resistors . therefore , the bias voltage can be easily stably set without receiving the influence of the transistor characteristics . in the level shift circuit of the fifth embodiment of the present invention , the transistor for voltage clamping use is provided between the bias voltage setting section employing the capacitors and the amplifier circuit section . however , it is acceptable to provide a transistor for voltage clamping use between the bias voltage setting section employing the resistors and the amplifier circuit section or provide two transistors for voltage clamping use as in the level shift circuit of the fourth embodiment of the present invention . in the level shift circuit of the fifth embodiment of the present invention , the bias voltage setting section is constructed of one capacitor or resistor provided on each of the positive power voltage side and the negative power voltage side . however , the element or elements located on either or both the positive power voltage side and the negative power voltage side may be constructed of two or more elements . according to the level shift circuit of the embodiments of the present invention , continuous grain boundary crystalline silicon may be used as polysilicon . the level shift circuits of the embodiments of the present invention employ the cmos inverter circuit for outputting a signal inverted with respect to the input signal as an amplifier circuit section that serves as an input signal amplitude amplifying means . however , a circuit means for outputting a signal that is not inverted with respect to the input signal may be employed instead . the invention being thus described , it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention , and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims .	6
in describing the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings , specific terminology will be resorted to for the purpose of clarity . however , it is not intended to be limited to the specific terms as selected and it is to be understood that each specific term is inclusive of technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose . fig1 illustrates an overview of the preferred embodiment of the present invention . in the preferred embodiment , electronic image processing workstation 1 comprises a worksurface 2 , an upper console housing 3 , a lower console housing 4 , a supporting base 10 , an energized conductive surface 5 that extends under work surface 2 , a still picture display 6 , a high resolution display 7 , a menu display 8 , and general groupings of permanent function symbols generally denoted by 9 . conductive surface 5 , located below work surface 2 , functions as a user interface to workstation 1 . mounted within upper console housing 3 and beneath the surface of conductive surface 5 are workstation displays 6 , 7 and 8 , which in the preferred embodiment , are commercially available video display monitors . the functions associated with permanent function symbols 9 are initiated by directing stylus 5a towards conductive surface 5 at the respective location of the particular function symbol . thus , stylus 5a and conductive surface 5 are the controlling input devices for function symbols 9 . function symbols 9 are permanently affixed to conductive surface 5 , such as by a silk screen process . other methods of permanently marking function symbols 9 , such as adhesive labels and etching , could be used in other embodiments . the chosen silk screen method provides for placing function symbols 9 in a convenient , permanent and repeatable position on conductive surface 5 . the supporting frames ( not explicitly shown ) for console housing 3 , lower console housing 4 and work surface 2 are fabricated from a rigid material such as plastic or sheet metal , which is formed and mounted to a structural frame ( not explicitly shown ) of conventional design . upper console 3 is angularly adjustable relative to lower console 4 . lower console 4 is linearly adjustable in the vertical direction . in the preferred embodiment , these adjustments are executed with the assistance of built - in electric motors ( not explicitly shown ) and actuators ( not explicitly shown ) of conventional design . in other embodiments , these adjustments are executed by using other well - known forms of mechanical , hydraulic , or vacuum systems . fig2 is a block diagram of the electronic system of workstation 1 . an audio i / o unit 10 communicates with the main system bus 20 , receives signals from microphone 32 , and drives speaker ( s ) 33 . in the preferred embodiment , microphone 32 is model no . bt1759 manufactured by knowles co ., the reference and operating manuals for which are hereby incorporated by reference . also in the preferred embodiment , speaker ( s ) 33 is ( are ) model no . 84bp01 manufactured by mura , the reference and operating manuals for which are hereby incorporated by reference . audio i / o unit 10 also receives audio ( voice ) signals from external ( plug - in ) microphone 32 and plug - in headset 101 and drives external earphones 101 and speakers 33 . in the preferred embodiment , headset and earphones 101 are star - mate model e , manufactured by plantionics , the reference and operating manuals for which are hereby incorporated by reference . audio i / o unit 10 supports hands - free voice communication over the general switched telephone network ( also referred to as the dial network ) by interfacing with speakerphone 105 . speakerphone 105 is of conventional design , and connects to telephone line 109 in a conventional manner . in the preferred embodiment , speakerphone 105 is a model 800sp manufactured by ntt , the reference and operating manuals for which are hereby incorporated by reference . audio i / o unit 10 also supports hands - free voice communication over digital network 117 by interfacing with digital communication unit 113 . digital communication unit 113 known in the art , and , in the preferred embodiment , is manufactured by n . t . t . corporation , the reference and operating manuals for which are hereby incorporated by reference . communication unit 113 provides the necessary coding / decoding function and signal protocol conversion that enables audio i / o unit 10 to interface digital network 117 . digital network 117 can be , for example , the japanese isn network , or any ccitt isdn . under control of the main cpu unit 16 , which receives user commands from conductive surface 121 ( the stylus and spatial coordinate sensing system , such as described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 603 , 231 issued jul . 29 , 1986 to l . reiffel et al ., for &# 34 ; system for sensing spatial coordinates &# 34 ;, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference ), audio i / o unit 10 controls muting , microphone and speaker selection , and similar audio functions for headset 101 microphone 32 and speaker 33 , for example . communication unit 11 interfaces the main system bus 20 to digital communication unit 113 . digital communication unit 113 establishes connection with digital network 117 , thereby enabling digital communications between main system bus 20 and digital network 117 through communication unit 11 . special function unit 12 performs hardware - assisted data manipulations that allow the system , under control of main cpu unit 16 , in turn controlled by the user through conductive surface 121 , to perform transformations on or between any of the three display images : menu , high resolution , and still picture by causing data to flow from the respective display memory ( not explicitly shown ) through special function unit 12 . special function unit 12 manipulates the image data and returns it in altered form to the same or a different location in either the same or a different display memory . mass storage unit 13 provides secondary digital memory in the form of hard disc ( e . g .-- winchester ), magnetic diskette , and magnetic tape or other conventional digital storage technologies . in the preferred embodiment , main storage unit 13 interfaces disk drive 136 and tape unit 138 to main system bus 20 . also in the preferred embodiment , disk drive 136 is model d5146 manufactured by nec , and tape unit 138 is floppy tape id1020 manufactured by interdyne , the reference and operating manuals for which are hereby incorporated by reference . main storage unit 13 interfaces memory units 136 and 138 in a conventional manner to main system bus 20 . power supply 14 is of conventional design and receives a . c . power from the main power source and transforms it to rectified and filtered d . c . voltages that are suitable for the circuits of workstation 1 . in the preferred embodiment , power supply 14 is model no . hs300 - 01 manufactured by koby electronics , the reference and operating manuals for which are hereby incorporated by reference . power supply 14 has a standby ( or sleep mode ) low power mode that allows workstation 1 to monitor the communication lines , such as telephone line 109 and digital network 117 , and respond to remote requests but to consume lower amounts of power than when in the normal &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; state , with all components active . menu video unit 15 comprises the display electronics for display 125 , which , in the preferred embodiment , is a 13 - inch ( diagonal ) monochrome display . in the preferred embodiment , display 125 is a 13 inch 15v4972 - oom monitor manufactured by wells gardener , the reference and operating manuals for which are hereby incorporated by reference . in the preferred embodiment , display 125 primarily is used to display screen menus and directory listings . the combination of menu video unit 15 and display 125 constitute a full display system . menu video unit 15 comprises conventional video control electronics memory for the video display . display 125 converts the electronic signals from menu video unit 15 to a visual display by scanning an electron beam across a phosphor screen in a conventional manner . the menu display is 1024 pels across by 393 pels vertical , one - bit per pel , operating non - interlaced . the menus displayed on the display 125 are visually located under conductive surface 121 . because conductive surface 121 is transparent , the image on display 125 is visible to the user . the user is thus able to make menu selections by directing stylus 121a ( see also stylus 5a of fig1 ) over the appropriate menu legend or icon and touching stylus 121a to conductive surface 121 ( the work surface of the workstation ). conductive surface 121 , senses the coordinates of stylus 121a , and transmits these coordinates and the information that stylus 121a has touched conductive surface 121 to the main cpu 16 . using a coordinate comparison look - up table technique , main cpu unit 16 interprets the coordinates as a selection of the new command represented by the new legend or icon . the selected command is then executed by main cpu 16 . this menu display function is optimized for the display of menus with legends and icons in easy - to - read and attractive form , thereby facilitating user recognition and operation . as illustrated in fig2 the menu video unit 15 receives data and control signals through the main system bus 20 . in the preferred embodiment , the high resolution video unit subsystem 129 , comprises high resolution video unit 17 and display 133 . high resolution video unit 17 functions in a manner similar to menu video unit 15 . in the preferred embodiment , display 133 is a 17 &# 34 ; monochrome display , model vx1500 - t17 - p164 - ie - sps manufactured by moniterm , the reference and operating manuals for which are hereby incorporated by reference . display 133 is vertically oriented ( portrait style ), as opposed to the horizontally oriented ( landscape ) display 125 . high resolution subsystem 129 supports a 1728 pel across by 2368 pel vertical display , consisting of a single bit of memory ( on - off ; white - black ) per pel . this display subsystem is functionally optimized for documents displayed in group 3 and group 4 ( ccitt ) facsimile formats . the data for the images to be displayed on display 133 are communicated to the high resolution video subsystem 129 ( and high resolution video unit 17 ) via main system bus 20 in a conventional manner . high resolution video subsystem 129 primarily is used for the display and manipulation ( editing , annotation , etc .) of document images . as with display 125 , display 133 lies under conductive surface 121 . the user places stylus 121a on conductive surface 121 ( workstation surface ) at a point over the image to be edited or manipulated . the functions to be performed on the portion of the image are selected by the user through stylus 121a by making selections of the permanent function symbols 9 ( of fig1 ) ( as more fully described below ) or on menu functions typically displayed on display 125 . still picture subsystem 137 , comprising still picture unit 18 , display 141 and color camera 145 , is functionally optimized for the display of images that have either or both color or continuous tone ( grey scale ). in the preferred embodiment , display 141 is a 13 - inch ( diagonal ) color display crt monitor , model cm4000 , manufactured by motorola , the reference and operating manuals for which are hereby incorporated by reference . display 141 is horizontally ( landscape ) oriented . also in the preferred embodiment , the components of subsystem 137 are functionally optimized for the display of images that have either or both color or continuous tone ( grey scale ). still picture unit 18 supports 640 pels across by 480 pels vertically with one byte of data per pel . camera 145 allows video pictures to be captured by still picture unit 18 , which digitizes these pictures and stores them in its video memory ( not explicitly shown ). in the preferred embodiment , camera 145 is a model no . dxc - 3000 manufactured by sony corp ., the reference and operating manuals for which are hereby incorporated by reference . still picture subsystem 137 communicates with the other components of workstation 1 via main system bus 20 in a conventional manner . stylus 121a and conductive surface 121 are used to interact with the image on display 141 as with high resolution subsystem 129 and display 133 as described above . interface unit 19 is a conventional circuit that interfaces main system bus 20 with image scanner printer 149 . in the preferred embodiment , scanner printer 149 is a model np9030 manufactured by canon , the reference and operating manuals for which are hereby incorporated by reference . scanner printer 149 acts as both an input and an output device for workstation 1 . scanner printer 149 scans paper - based images that are inserted therein and supplies an electronic image data equivalent of the paper image to interface unit 19 . interface unit 19 communicates the image data to main system bus 20 for storage in either the memory of high resolution video unit 17 , or alternatively in the memory of main cpu unit 16 or in the secondary memory interfaced via main storage unit 13 . images from any memory in workstation 1 can be transmitted via main system bus 20 to interface unit 19 , and from there to scanner printer 149 for conversion to a hard copy . other input devices using conventional formats can be attached via appropriate interface units to the main system bus 20 in a conventional manner . other output devices also may be attached to workstation 1 by using suitable interface units from either main system bus 20 or the display system video outputs 153 , 157 and 161 of display 125 , 133 and 141 , respectively . fig3 is an illustration of workstation work surface 2 showing the location of the displays 6 , 7 , and 8 ( also numbered 141 , 133 , and 125 , respectively , in fig2 ) as well as the locations and groupings of the permanent function symbols 20 - 31 . while preferred embodiment utilizes three displays and permanent function symbols illustrated in fig3 other configurations and quantities of displays and permanent function symbols are possible and lie within the spirit of the present invention , and are utilized in alternative embodiments . the present invention provides significant operational improvements over the prior art in its selection and integration of the subsystems of workstation 1 . specifically , in the integration of multiple displays on a single visual surface that the operator controls via a transparent conductive surface and stylus . the present invention physically provides displays 125 , 133 and 141 in a plane ( work surface 2 of fig3 ), thus establishing a desirable work and control surface . the work surface can be physically manipulated to accommodate the differing personal attributes of the user and differing task requirements of the specific activity . it combines a conductive surface interface that facilitates ease of user operation with the work surface . the conductive surface extends over all of the displays and beyond , thus creating surface area for permanent function symbols , further facilitating ease of use of the present invention . the present invention unifies and integrates the control of all system operations and controls onto and through this single conductive surface . visually , the displays are integrated by their position in a single plane , and the integrated conductive surface control system that operates them in a unified fashion . the images are integrated and coordinated through this same unified conductive surface control system . for example , the permanent function symbols are used to select image editing modes . this causes a directory of image pages to appear on the menu display monitor . a pointer on that directory points to a specific directory entry , and the corresponding page is displayed on the document display or the still picture display , as may be appropriate according to whether the page is color ( or continuous tone ) or document ( two - tone ). the permanent function symbols are stylus selected to cause the directory pointer to advance ( paging forward ) and the pointer advances and simultaneously the next page is displayed on the appropriate display . images and displays are further integrated in that they may be transported in whole or in part between displays . where the displays are of the same type , as in the case of menu and document displays , this can be a straightforward electronic transfer of the image data . where the image type differs , as in the case of document and still picture displays , the transfer involves a manipulation between document and color / continuous tone formats . these transformations are performed in a conventional manner by special function unit 12 and main cpu unit 16 , appropriately communicating through main system bus 20 . images reside in either personal visual space or common visual space . this distinction can be either physical or virtual . the cpu and its software divide the memory into common visual space and personal visual space . common visual space includes images that all of the linked workstations can view . personal visual space includes images that can be viewed only by the workstation where they are stored . this division is accomplished through standard memory partitioning techniques . referring again to fig3 conductive surface 5 of work surface 2 integrates the selection of the permanent function symbols 20 - 31 with selections made from the displays 6 , 7 and 8 . the versatile application of conductive surface 5 is accomplished by selectively allocating response capabilities to areas of conductive surface 5 occupied by either the permanent function symbols or the screen areas of displays 6 , 7 and 8 . touching stylus 121a ( of fig2 ) to the response enabled are a particular function results in the control of the corresponding screen area or function symbol . stylus 121a is thus used for selecting from the permanent functions and controls offered by the system , including functions creating and controlling communication links with other systems for selecting from menus appear on displays 6 , 7 or 8 screens , and for annotating or editing images that appear on displays 6 , 7 or 8 . thus , all work applications have been integrated through stylus 121a and conductive surface 5 . permanent function symbols 20 - 27 , 29 - 31 of fig3 are grouped and positioned so as to positionally coordinate with the screen that they control . the permanent function symbols of the preferred embodiment will be further described . color function symbols 20 permit the assignment of 1 - of - 8 different colors for annotations executed on the 640v × 480h pels still picture display 6 . color function symbols 20 are much like a color palette , and the user can select the desired color by touching the stylus to the appropriate color function symbol . page operation function symbols 21 control the still picture display 6 image page operations . basic entry level functional area controls 22 control the image edit , conference , input / output , directory edit , end session , and utility functions . the following controls are provided : the print screen command 23 , audio mute 24 , and help menus 25 , without requiring the user to descend into or disturb the various functional areas or menu levels . screen controls 26 for the single screen mode ( as opposed to the split screen mode ) of high resolution display 7 include 8 - way scroll functions , page forward / reverse , and page mark and retrieval . split screen controls 27 provide an independent set of controls for the second image created when the split screen mode is activated . the abort control 28 , teleconferencing files 29 , and memoranda controls 30 are general functions that service displays 6 , 7 and 8 . these controls are primary menu levels and are located near the menu display to simplify use when controlling menu display 6 . overlay control symbol 31 allows the user to overlay other images on top of the image displayed on high resolution monitor 7 . microphone 32 and speaker 33 ( shown in fig2 ) permit the operator of workstation 1 to utilize the hands - free audio communications . the audio operation of the present invention is acoustically activated , which gives the operator independence from manually controlling both a stylus and a telephone . thus , the operator is able to communicate verbally and visually without complication or disruption of the workstation activity . referring now to fig4 ( a ) and fig4 ( b ), right side views of workstation 1 are provided to illustrate the range of adjustments available with the present invention . the below described physical adjustments are accomplished with conventional motors and actuators , in a conventional manner . fig4 ( a ) illustrates workstation 1 with lower console 4 in the maximum vertical height adjustment 34 in combination with upper console 3 and work surface 2 maximum angular adjustment 35 relative to a horizontal reference line . fig4 ( b ) illustrates workstation 1 with lower console 4 in the minimum vertical height adjustment 36 in combination with upper console 3 and work surface 2 minimum angular adjustment 37 relative to a horizontal reference line . any combination of adjustments , workstation height and work surface angle , are possible within the range of these minimum / maximum angle and height limits . thus , the present invention can be adjusted in height and position to accommodate a range of user physical attributes and a range of applications . in addition , the teachings and principles of u . s . pat . no . 3 , 671 , 668 , issued jun . 20 , 1972 to l . reiffel , for &# 34 ; teaching system employing a television receiver &# 34 ;; u . s . pat . no . 3 , 718 , 759 , issued feb . 27 , 1973 to l . reiffel , for &# 34 ; audio - visual teaching system and student response apparatus &# 34 ;; u . s . pat . no . 3 , 617 , 630 , issue nov . 2 , 1971 to l . reiffel , for &# 34 ; superimposed dynamic television display system &# 34 ;; and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 654 , 484 , issued mar . 31 , 1987 to reiffel et al ., for &# 34 ; video compression / expansion system &# 34 ; are applicable to the present invention , and the disclosures of each of these references is hereby incorporated by reference . while the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction herein disclosed , and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims .	7
now referring to fig1 , a portion of an exemplary machine 10 is shown . the machine 10 may be any suitable machine and in this embodiment may be described as an articulated wheel loader . the machine 10 may have a first frame structure 12 and a second frame structure 14 . the first frame structure 12 may be regarded as a front portion of the machine 10 and may for example be provided with a work arm ( not shown ). the second frame portion 14 may be regarded as a rear portion of the machine 10 and may for example carry an operator platform 16 , for example a cab . the first and second frame structures 12 and 14 have first and second longitudinal axes 13 and 15 respectively which are discussed in more detail below . the first and second frame structures 12 and 14 may be connected together via a linkage arrangement generally designated with numeral 18 . the linkage arrangement 18 is shown in more detail in fig2 and 3 . the linkage arrangement 18 as shown in more detail in fig2 and 3 may include various bearing portions such as the first , second and third universal bearing arrangements generally designated with numerals 20 , 22 and 24 respectively . each of the universal bearing arrangements 20 , 22 and 24 may include bearings 26 - 30 which may have first , second and third housing portions 32 , 34 and 36 with first , second and third curved portions 38 , 40 and 42 in the housing portions 32 - 36 such that the curved portions 38 - 42 and their corresponding housing portions 32 - 36 are rotatably fixed with each other . the curved portions 38 - 42 and the housing portions 32 - 36 may be able to rotate relative to one another in more than one plane thereby providing multiple degrees of freedom for pivoting movement between the housing portions 32 - 36 and the curved portions 38 - 42 and any components attached thereto while also providing self - aligning properties . the bearings 26 - 30 may for example be bearings that are commonly referred to as spherical bearings . the curved portions 38 - 42 may have first , second and third central bores 44 , 46 and 48 extending at least partially therethrough . in one embodiment the central bores 44 - 48 extend completely through the curved portions 38 - 42 . the universal bearing arrangements 20 - 24 may have first , second and third pivot centers 55 , 56 and 57 , respectively , which may be defined as the centers around which the pivot action of each of the universal bearing arrangements 20 - 24 takes place . the pivot centers 55 - 57 may lie in planes 70 , 72 and 74 , respectively , which is described below . the universal bearing arrangements 20 - 24 may have first , second and third link pins 50 , 52 and 54 that extend at least partially through the central bores 44 - 48 and extend at least partially into or through at least one of the frame structures 12 and 14 . each of the first , second and third link 50 - 54 pins may define a first , second and third longitudinal pin axis 76 , 78 and 80 respectively . the linkage arrangement 18 may further include a link member 60 . in one embodiment the link member 60 may be an angled link having first and second opposing end portions 62 and 64 . the end portions 62 and 64 may both be generally u - shaped and may be configured such that they can receive at least a portion of the spherical bearings 26 and 28 . the end portions 62 and 64 may further have bores 66 and 68 extending at least partially therethrough to receive the link pins 50 - 52 respectively . in one embodiment the universal bearing arrangements 20 and 22 are configured such that the housing portions 32 and 34 , but not the link pins 50 and 52 , are mechanically fixed in the frame structures 12 and 14 respectively . this allows the link pins 50 and 52 to change position relative to both the frame structures 12 and 14 . in one embodiment the universal bearing arrangement 24 is configured such that the link pin 54 is mechanically fixed in the frame structure 12 by a fastening arrangement 59 and the link pin 54 is therefore positionally fixed to the frame structure 12 . fig5 - 6 b are schematic diagrams convenient for explaining the operation of an embodiment of the current linkage arrangement . it is to be understood that the diagrams in fig5 - 6 b are exemplary only and any depicted movement may be exaggerated for clarity purposes . it is to be understood that when referring to fig4 - 6 b it is to be clear that the positional and axial references are based on a substantially flat and horizontal base line such as base line 11 as shown in fig1 . for clarity purposes not all components of the machine 10 are shown in fig1 , but the base line 11 could for example be regarded as the surface upon which the machine 10 is supported . in each of the side views as depicted in fig4 a , 5 a , 6 a and 6 b , the base line 11 is represented for convenience . fig4 and 4 a represent the orientation of the first and second frame structures 12 and 14 relative to one another as depicted in fig1 and 2 . the machine 10 has substantially no articulation or oscillation such that the first and second longitudinal axes 13 and 15 are substantially parallel and substantially horizontal . fig5 and 5 a represent the orientation of the first and second frame structures 12 and 14 relative to one another when the machine 10 is articulated , for example for steering purposes . the steering system may be of any suitable type and is not depicted in any of fig1 - 6 b . it can be seen from fig5 that in a plan view the longitudinal axes 13 and 15 no longer align and no longer lie in the same plane . however , from a side view as shown in fig5 a the longitudinal axes 13 and 15 still appear aligned , as they are still lying in the same plane . the longitudinal axes 13 and 15 are therefore still substantially horizontal . fig6 , 6 a and 6 b represent the orientation of the first and second frame structures 12 and 14 relative to one another when the machine 10 is oscillated . this may for example happen when one of the front wheels ( not shown ) of the machine 10 is lifted from the base line 11 by for example an obstacle . this may result in one corner of the frame structure 12 being lifted upwards and side - wards . fig6 b depicts how the frame structure 12 may move and rotate relative to the frame structure 14 . oscillation may have multiple components of relative movement between the frame structures 12 and 14 and it is to be understood that part of the movements may be counteracted by the operator , by for example introducing an articulation to counter a natural articulation that may occur during oscillation . it can be seen from fig6 , 6 a and 6 b that the longitudinal axes 13 and 15 are no longer aligned and no longer lie in the same plane . at least the longitudinal axis 13 is no longer substantially horizontal . it can be seen that when the first and second longitudinal axes 13 and 15 are substantially parallel and substantially horizontal as represented in fig1 - 4 a , the first , second and third pivot centers 55 , 56 and 57 lie in different planes 70 , 72 and 74 respectively . each of the planes 70 , 72 and 74 is substantially horizontal when the first and second longitudinal axes 13 and 15 are substantially parallel and substantially horizontal . it can also be seen that the first pivot center 55 in horizontal plane 72 lies below the second pivot center 56 in horizontal plane 70 . the third pivot center 57 in horizontal plane 74 lies beneath both the horizontal planes 70 and 72 . for convenience , the relationships within the linkage arrangement when the first and second longitudinal axes 13 and 15 are substantially parallel , and substantially horizontal may also be described as follows ; a distance d 1 relates to the distance between the two planes 70 and 74 which are the planes associated with the pivot centers involved in providing articulation , i . e . the pivot centers 55 and 57 . a distance d 2 relates to the distance between the two planes , 72 and 74 , which are the planes associated with the pivot centers involved in providing oscillation , i . e . the pivot centers 56 and 57 . it can be seen that d 1 is greater than d 2 . when the first and second longitudinal axes 13 and 15 are substantially parallel and substantially horizontal as represented in fig1 - 4 a , the longitudinal pin axes 76 - 80 are substantially parallel whereby the first and third longitudinal axes 70 and 78 are not only parallel , but are also substantially coaxial . the invention allows the second universal bearing arrangement 22 to be lower compared to the prior art . the operator platform 16 , which is mounted on the second frame portion 14 can thus be lower , thereby reducing the overall machine height while maintaining structural integrity . other aspects can be obtained from a study of the drawings , the specification , and the appended claims .	8
the invention will now be described in detail in connection with certain preferred and optional embodiments , so that various aspects thereof may be more fully understood and appreciated . the present invention provides tunable process for the preparation of water dispersive , biocompatible , fluorescent l - cystine labeled gold ( au ) quantum clusters having different core sizes , without using any toxic reactants . the present invention provides l - cystine labeled au qcs which is biocompatible and water dispersive having tunable fluorescence properties . the invention provides the facile , one pot synthesis of l - cystine labeled au qcs comprising the steps of : a ) mixing a solution of a gold salt with a solution of l - cystine , followed by the addition of a base , to obtain brown coloured reaction mixture ; and b ) allowing said reaction mixture to stand at ambient temperature for complete reduction of gold ions to obtain au qcs . according to the process , gold solution is chloroauric acid haucl4 , wherein the concentration of gold solution ranges from 0 . 005 - 0 . 01m , and volume ranges from 0 . 1 - 20 milliliters ( ml ), while the volume of l - cystine solution used is in the range of 1 - 5 ml having concentration in the range of 0 . 05 - 0 . 1m . the base employed in the process is selected from the group consisting of naoh , koh , k 2 co 3 , na 2 co 3 , nahco 3 , preferred base is naoh with concentration of about 0 . 1m , and used in the range of 200 - 600 μl . the ambient temperature is maintained in between 20 - 35 ° c ., preferably 25 ° c . further the synthesized quantum clusters contain less than 100 atoms of gold metal , wherein the au clusters having the sizes less than 2 nm . the process of formation of l - cystine labeled au qcs disclosed results in the formation of the qcs within few minutes . the process of synthesis is completed in 5 minutes . the invention provides facile , one pot process for the synthesis of l - cystine labeled au qcs comprises : a ) mixing of 0 . 01 m haucl 4 and 0 . 1m l - cystine solutions followed by the addition of 0 . 1 m naoh , to obtain brown coloured reaction mixture ; and b ) allowing said reaction mixture to stand for 5 min at 25 ° c . for complete the reduction of gold ions to obtain au qcs . the instant l - cystine labeled au qcs having different core sizes are characterized by using uv - vis spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy . following examples are given by way of illustration therefore should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention . 10 - 2 m haucl4 and 10 - 1 m l - cystine solutions were mixed following the addition of 10 - 1 m naoh , as shown in table 1 , to prepare 3 samples without addition of any other reducing agent , catalyst or template . immediately after the addition , the color of mixture was turned to red first and then brown . the 3 sample mixture of solutions was left at 250 c for 5 min to complete the reduction process of gold ions into the au cluster . the suspension as such for each sample was used for further characterization . uv - vis spectra of sample 1 au qcs ( cf fig1 ) showed the broad and strong absorption in the uv range starting from ˜ 490 nm with the absence of surface plasmon resonance peak ( 520 nm ) that indicated the presence of au qcs having the sizes smaller than ˜ 2 nm . the spectra of gold qcs samples were quite different from the spectrum of pure l - cystine solution . the shift of absorbance onset to the longer wavelength showed the synthesis of au qcs with larger core sizes . further , photoluminescence properties were studied by fluorescence spectroscopy and confirmed the synthesis of au cluster with various core sizes . the emission peak position for fluorescent au clusters depends on the size of the au qc core . according to the spherical jellium model , au qcs with larger core size emit at longer wavelengths ( e . g ., uv ( au 5 ), blue sample 1 ( au 8 ), green sample 2 ( au 13 ), and red sample 3 ( au 25 ) emission . fluorescence excitation and emission spectra for all samples were demonstrated in fig2 . the shift in fluorescence excitation and emission spectrum peaks for different au qcs suspension exhibits the synthesis of au qcs with different core sizes . 2 . the process does not require use of other reducing agent , catalyst or template . 3 . the process involves the use of small , biocompatible and non - toxic molecule , like l - cystine which adds the key advantage of use of the l - cystine capped au qcs for biological systems . 4 . the process allows the synthesis of different core size au qcs with various emissions .	1
the following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings . the same reference numbers in different figures identify the same or similar elements . as illustrated in fig1 a - 1d , an oral care implement , such as toothbrush construction 100 , 300 , 400 , 500 , may include a brush head 101 and a handle 102 . the head 101 may be a refill head that is removably connected to handle 102 , or it may be integrally formed and attached to the handle 102 . the head 101 may include one or more tooth cleaning elements , such as a field of bristles 103 . as used herein , the term “ tooth cleaning elements ” or “ cleaning elements ” includes any type of structure that is commonly used or is suitable for use in providing oral health benefits ( e . g ., tooth cleaning , tooth polishing , tooth whitening , massaging , stimulating , etc .) by making contact with portions of the teeth and gums . such tooth cleaning elements include but are not limited to tufts of bristles that can be formed to have a number of different shapes and sizes and elastomeric cleaning members that can be formed to have a number of different shapes and sizes , or a combination of both tufts of bristles and elastomeric cleaning members . referring to the toothbrush construction 100 of fig1 a , the head 101 may also include one or more energy producing devices , such as piezoelectric devices 104 . the piezoelectric devices 104 may be arranged in contact with , or proximate to , the bristles 103 , so that movement of the bristles causes stress or strain on the devices 104 . for example , a given bristle may be attached to a cantilever portion of a micro - electro - mechanical system ( mems ) device to stress or strain the device 104 . mems cantilevers are conventionally fabricated from silicon nitride ( sin ), silicon ( si ), or various polymers . in a cantilever mems device , the proximal end of the cleaning element ( e . g ., bristle or elastomeric element ) is attached to the “ cantilevered ” portion of the mems device . in this construction , z - axis movement of the cleaning element causes deflections in the mems device which invokes electrical potential . nevertheless , the amount of electrical energy depends on the modulus of elasticity of the material , the thickness of the cantilevered portion and the piezo - resistive material of the mems device . the stress or strain causes the piezoelectric device 104 to generate a small amount of electrical energy , such as a voltage . as will be explained below , the head 101 may also include wiring and circuitry to carry this voltage to other parts of the toothbrush 100 , and that electrical energy may eventually be used to power one or more output devices 105 . referring to the toothbrush construction 300 of fig1 b , the head 101 may also include one or more piezoelectric devices 106 that are stressed or strained by the natural bending of the head 101 along the longitudinal axis x - x that occurs during a normal tooth brushing operation . the amount of bending or deflection along the longitudinal axis can depend on the type of material and thickness of the head 101 . for example , rigid plastics or resins , such as polypropylene , may be used to form the head 101 . to provide a controlled deflection profile and / or focus the bending in regional areas , the head 101 may include one or more flexing joints 107 disposed transverse ( e . g ., along a y - axis ) to the longitudinal axis x - x . in the one construction , the joints 107 may be disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush . in other constructions , the joints 107 may be notches or grooves , having less head material in the area than in the immediate surrounding portion of the head 101 . in the alternative construction , the joints 107 may be formed of a less rigid material than other portions of the head ( e . g ., rubberized or elastomeric sections at the joints 107 ). the flexibility of the head 101 ( e . g ., z - axis movement ) facilitates enhanced cleaning of the lingual and facial surfaces with dentifrice on the tooth cleaning elements . in addition , z - axis movement of the tooth cleaning elements facilitates improved interproximal cleaning as well as cleaning of the crowns of the molars of the teeth of a human . in this way , a toothbrush provides improved cleaning capabilities and energy harvesting features . the piezoelectric devices 106 may be placed near the joints 107 to maximize the stress or strain experienced by the device 106 as the head deflects or bends along the longitudinal axis x - x during brushing . nevertheless , the head 101 may twist to have a torsional component which causes strain on the piezoelectric device 106 . the changes in strain on device 106 invoke an electrical response in the piezoelectric device . hence , during a brushing operation , piezoelectric devices 106 can experience a combination of different types of movements including , for example , a deflection along the longitudinal axis and a twisting component about the same longitudinal axis . as illustrated in fig1 b , the piezoelectric devices 106 may be placed directly above and centered relative a flexing joint 107 . in alternative head construction shown in fig3 , the joints or grooves 308 may be disposed along or generally parallel to the longitudinal axis x - x of the toothbrush . in this construction , the grooves 308 are disposed across the width w of the head . piezoelectric device 304 may be placed directly above and centered with respect to a flexing joint 308 . alternatively , the device 304 may be placed under the bristle field similar to device 104 . in these longitudinal joint constructions , the head 101 may flex in side - to - side motions ( e . g ., width ) and provide improved energy harvesting features . referring to fig1 a and 1b , with the piezoelectric devices 104 , 106 , the amount of electrical energy generated will vary proportionally with the amount of force used to brush a user &# 39 ; s teeth . individual performance ranges will depend on the piezoelectric material type and configuration chosen , and any piezoelectric material type and configuration may be used as desired . additionally , different types of piezoelectric devices may be used . the device 106 may be larger in structure than device 104 . in one construction , device 104 , 106 may be a microelectromechanical system ( mems ) device that includes a cantilever portion attached to each of a plurality of the bristles 103 . referring to the toothbrush construction 400 of fig1 c , the toothbrush 400 may also include one or more electromagnetic generators 108 . each generator 108 may include a wire coil 109 and a magnet 110 that is configured to freely move through the coil 109 as the toothbrush 100 is moved back and forth along its longitudinal axis ( horizontal , as depicted in fig1 ). this configuration may be accomplished in a variety of ways . for example , the coil 109 may be embedded within a tube of a non - conducting material having a low coefficient of friction , and the magnet 110 ( which may also be encased in a similar material ) may be centrally aligned within the tube . the non - conducting material having a low friction should be biocompatible . an example of such a material is polycarbonate . as the toothbrush 400 is moved back and forth , the magnet 110 moves back and forth through the coil 109 , inducing a small amount of current in the coil 109 . the amount of current generated will depend on several factors , such as the strength of the magnet , the number of loops in the coil , and the speed at which the magnet travels . the head 101 may include additional wiring and circuitry to convey this current to other parts of the toothbrush , as will be explained below . referring to fig1 d , toothbrush construction 500 may include a combination of the features of toothbrush constructions 100 , 300 , and 400 for energy harvesting . fig2 illustrates an electrical schematic that can be used with the toothbrush 100 . as illustrated , an energy harvesting device 201 represents the devices 104 , 106 and / or electromagnetic generators 108 that are in the toothbrush 100 . the toothbrush 100 may have one , some , or all of these as energy harvesting devices , and they are generically represented in fig2 . the energy harvesting device 201 may generate an alternating current ( ac ) output due to the back - and - forth motion of the toothbrush 100 and / or bending of the head 101 and / or bristles 103 . for example , the generator 108 may generate an alternating current ( ac ) output in use ( e . g ., generating a positive current when the toothbrush is moved in one direction , and a negative current when the toothbrush is moved in an opposite direction ). this output may be supplied to a rectifier circuit 202 to convert the ac output to a dc output . any type of rectifier circuit 202 may be used , depending on the type of output generated by the particular piezoelectric devices 104 , 106 and / or the generator 108 , and on the type of output desired . the rectifier circuit 202 may then be coupled to an electrical energy storage device 203 . device 203 may be any type of device that can receive electrical energy ( a charge ) and store it for later use . for example , a capacitor or rechargeable battery may be used to store the electrical energy from the rectifier 202 in the form of a stored charge . the actual amount of charge stored will depend on the type and number of energy harvesting devices 201 used in the toothbrush , and the electrical energy storage device 203 may act as an integrator summing the charges generated by each movement , bending , or stroke of the toothbrush . the energy stored in energy storage device 203 will accumulate as the toothbrush is used , and a switch circuit 204 may be used to regulate the release of that energy . the switch circuit 204 may keep an electrical connection between the storage device 203 and an output load 206 in an open state until the voltage level in the storage device 203 reaches a predetermined level , and then close that connection when the voltage reaches that predetermined level to discharge the device 203 and to allow the output load 206 to use the stored energy . one example embodiment of the switch circuit 204 is a silicon - controlled rectifier ( scr ), or a thyristor , configuration , as illustrated in fig2 . by knowing the scr &# 39 ; s turn - on voltage , and the desired predetermined voltage for the storage device 203 , the ratio of resistor values r 1 / r 2 can be chosen so that the scr turns on when the voltage across the device 203 has reached that predetermined voltage level . that predetermined voltage level can be chosen to reflect a suitable amount of tooth brushing . for example , this can be based on a typical stroke length and / or force of brushing . if a typical tooth brushing is expected to run for s strokes at a force of f newtons before the switch 204 is to be closed , and a typical stroke is l m in length , then it is known that the typical brushing will generate ( s strokes )( l m / stroke ) f n = x joules of energy . when the accumulated voltage in the storage device 203 corresponds to that amount of work done during the brushing , the switch will close . during brushing , the piezoelectric devices 104 , 106 will generate a known amount of voltage for a given amount of bending force , and the electromagnetic generator 108 will generate a known amount of current for each time the magnet 110 passes through coil 109 . this energy will be stored in the storage device 203 , and accordingly , the storage device 203 acts as a form of integrator , totaling up the mechanical work performed by the user &# 39 ; s brushing . if the user brushes faster , or harder , the storage device 203 will accumulate charge faster than if the user brushes slower or with less force . when the predetermined voltage has been accumulated , the switch circuit 204 may close the electrical connection , and the stored voltage in device 203 may be discharged and used for a variety of purposes . for example , output devices 206 may include devices that signal to the user when sufficient brushing has occurred . such signaling devices may take many forms , such as a light - emitting diode ( led ) or other illuminated display , a speaker generating an audible tone , and / or a mechanical vibrator . for example , a display may be placed on the toothbrush to assist in reporting output . the display may include light - emitting diode ( led ) displays , an alphanumeric display screen , individual lights , or any other desired form of visual output . for example , the display may be an organic led or electroluminescent sheet that can be tuned to provide a desired luminescent characteristic such as color , temperature , intensity etc . oled or el ( electroluminescent ) technology can be embedded into the toothbrush molding , or can be applied to the surface of the toothbrush body . it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to any particular type of display . in some implementations , the toothbrush relies entirely on the mechanically - harvested energy to run these output devices , so the devices may be configured to be very low power devices . for example , an energy - efficient led with a current limiting resistor may be used , or a dc piezoelectric buzzer as an audio device , or a piezoelectric vibrator as a vibrating device . output devices 206 can perform other functions besides informing the user when brushing is complete . for example , the energy can be used to power components , such as micro pumps and pump valves , to deliver actives at predetermined stages during brushing . for example , a separate active or flavor can be automatically delivered midway through the brushing . the energy can alternatively be used as a supplement to energy provided by another battery on the toothbrush ( e . g ., for playing video games , playing music , or any other battery - operated function ), or to recharge such a separate battery . in some configurations , toothbrush 100 , 300 , 400 , 500 may be a traditional electric vibratory toothbrush ( with vibrating head / bristles , motor , power supply , etc . ), and the energy harvesting circuitry may be used as a supplement to recycle some of the mechanical energy in the brushing and vibration of the toothbrush and use that energy to assist in powering and / or recharging a battery of the device . the toothbrush may include a voltage regulator 205 to provide a constant voltage to the output device 206 . for example , national instrument &# 39 ; s lm2674 or lm3670 integrated circuit may be used for this purpose . other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification disclosed herein . for example , the fig2 schematic is merely an example . while fig2 represents energy harvesting devices 201 generically , and shows a single example rectifier 202 , storage 203 , switch , 204 , etc ., multiple devices 201 may be used and separate circuitry can be supplied for different types of devices 201 . fig4 illustrates an alternate circuit configuration . this alternate configuration can use an integrated circuit ( e . g ., part no . lm3670_sot23 — 5 u1 ), instead of the scr in fig2 , to control the switching of the circuit . the use of this integrate circuit for the switching may allow the easier turning on / off of the device at the enable pin ( labeled pin 3 , or “ eb ”, in the figure ), allowing for a more efficient system . the fig3 configuration also shows the addition of a zener diode d5 . the zener diode may protect against the generation of too much voltage , by short - circuiting the source if too much voltage is generated . such a component may help prevent damage to the circuitry if , for example , the user vigorously brushes or shakes the toothbrush for an extended period of time . it is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only , with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims .	0
referring to fig1 , a pipettor assembly 10 in accordance with the present invention includes a pipette tip 12 and a pipettor mandrel 30 having a distal end 31 and a proximate end 33 . the pipette tip 12 is generally made from polypropylene , and has an elongated , truncated , body portion with a collar portion 16 and a conical head 14 . referring to fig2 a , the collar portion 16 includes a mouth 18 defined by a rim 19 and a funnel - shaped first taper 20 . the collar portion 16 further includes a second step 22 which is a cylinder - shaped portion having a substantially constant interior diameter . the second step 22 is defined between the first taper 20 and a second taper 23 . the second taper 23 is also funnel - shaped and feeds into a first step 24 . like the second step 22 , the first step 24 is also a cylinder - shaped portion having a substantially constant interior diameter . the interior diameter of the first step 24 is smaller than the interior diameter of the second step 22 . after the first step 24 , the collar portion ends in a positive stop 26 . the positive stop is a flange between the collar portion 16 and conical head 14 . the exterior of the mandrel 30 is defined by a tapered lead in 38 on the distal end 31 of the mandrel , followed by a first band 40 , a first cylindrical portion 42 , a second cylindrical portion 44 , and a second band 46 . the diameter of the lead in 38 gradually increases from the distal end 31 up to the diameter of the first band 40 . the first band 40 is a raised portion on the mandrel 30 adjacent to the lead in 38 upon the first cylindrical portion 42 . the first cylindrical portion 42 is an elongated portion of the mandrel 30 extending from the first band 40 . the diameter of the first band 40 is slightly larger than the diameter of the first cylindrical portion 42 . on the opposite end of the first cylindrical portion 42 from the first band 40 , the mandrel 30 tapers into the second cylindrical portion 44 , which has a larger diameter than the first cylindrical portion 42 . like the first band 40 , the second band 46 is a raised portion upon the mandrel 30 . the second band 46 is positioned upon the second cylindrical portion 44 and has a diameter slightly larger than that of the second cylindrical portion 44 . insertion of the mandrel 30 into the pipette tip 12 is now described with reference first to fig2 a . the mouth 18 of the collar portion 16 of the pipette tip 12 is designed to receive the mandrel 30 . upon insertion of the mandrel into the pipette tip , the mandrel lead in 3 $ moves axially towards the positive stop 26 of the pipette tip 12 in the direction of the arrow 31 . initially , the mandrel lead in 38 enters the taper 20 of the pipette tip 12 . next , the first band 40 of the mandrel 30 enters the taper 20 of the pipette tip 12 , and then enters the second step 22 of the pipette tip 12 . the diameter of the first band 40 is smaller than the diameter of the second step 22 of the pipette tip 12 . thus , as the lead in portion 38 , first band 40 , and first cylindrical portion 42 enter the second step 22 , the first band 40 only occasionally contacts the interior cylindrical walls of the second step 22 of the pipette tip 12 . the occasional contacts with the interior cylindrical walls may adjust orientation of the pipette tip 12 , causing the pipette tip to properly align with the mandrel 30 during insertion . additional alignment occurs when the first band 40 of the mandrel 30 moves past the second taper 23 and into the first step 24 of the pipette tip 12 . as shown in fig2 a , sealing occurs when the first band 40 of the mandrel 30 fully engages the first step 24 of the pipette tip 12 causing a portion of said first step 24 to be displaced because the diameter of the first seal is slightly larger than the diameter of the first step . when the first step 24 is displaced , it presses against the first band 40 to form an air - tight seal between the mandrel and tip . thus , at this point , the pipette tip 12 will stay on and seal . sealing continues to occur as the first band 40 moves in the direction of the arrow 31 toward the positive stop 26 . the first cylindrical portion 42 of the mandrel 30 does not generally contact the interior cylindrical wall of the pipette tip 12 as the mandrel is inserted because the diameter of the first cylindrical portion is less than the interior diameter of both the second step 22 and the first step 24 of the pipette tip 12 . however , there may be some incidental contact between the first cylindrical portion 42 and the first step 24 , depending upon manufacturing tolerances , but this incidental contact does not contribute any significant resistance during insertion . because only a portion of the mandrel 30 , specifically the first band 40 , contacts the pipette tip 12 , roughly constant insertion forces are required to insert the mandrel into the tip once the first band fully engages the mandrel . this constant insertion force provides an advantage over other pipettor assemblies where a greater portion of the mandrel contacts the tip . final alignment occurs when the second cylindrical portion 44 and the second band 46 of the mandrel 30 enters the taper 20 and second step 22 of the pipette tip 12 . as shown in fig2 b , a second seal may be formed , depending upon tolerances , if the second band 46 of the mandrel 30 engages the second step 22 of the pipette tip 12 causing a portion of said 1 second step 22 to stretch . as with the first seal , roughly constant insertion forces are required if a second seal is formed because only the second band 46 contacts the interior wall of the second step 22 of the pipette tip 12 . the mandrel 30 is fully inserted into the tip 12 when the mandrel lead in 38 abuts the positive stop 26 on the pipette tip 12 . as with insertion , the forces required to remove the mandrel 30 from the tip 12 are roughly constant during removal . during removal , if a second seal has been formed between the second band 46 and the second step 22 of the pipette tip 12 , contact is maintained between the second band 46 and the interior wall of the second step 22 of the pipette tip 12 until the second band clears the second step and enters the first taper portion 20 of the mouth 18 of the pipette tip . the second cylindrical portion 44 of the mandrel 30 does not continually contact the interior wall of the first taper 20 of the pipette tip 12 as the mandrel is removed because the diameter of the first taper of the pipette tip is larger than the diameter of the second cylindrical portion 44 . there may be some incidental contact between the second cylindrical portion 44 and the first taper 20 , but this incidental contact does not contribute any significant resistance during removal . the first seal is maintained during removal until the first band 40 clears the first step 24 of the pipette tip 12 . the first band 40 then enters the second taper 23 followed by the second step 22 of the pipette tip 12 . as the first band 40 is removed from the tip 12 , the first band of the mandrel 30 does not generally contact the interior wall of the second step 22 or first taper 20 since the diameters of the second step and first taper are both larger than the diameter of the first band . there may be some incidental contact between the first cylindrical portion 42 and the second step 22 or first taper 20 , but this incidental contact does not contribute any significant resistance during insertion . therefore , removal forces are similar to the roughly constant insertion forces . since the seals for the pipettor assembly 10 are on the mandrel and not on the interior wall of the pipette tip , greater manufacturing yields of the pipette tips can be attained . as discussed previously , a core pin which forms the interior of the pipette tip must be pulled out of the tip during manufacturing . when the seals are on the interior wall of the pipette tip as with some prior pipette tips , the core pin must be dragged across the seals in order to remove the core pin from the mold , thus increasing the likelihood of damage to the seals . in contrast , during removal of the core pin from the pipette tips of the present invention , the core pin is 1 pulled out of the pipette through portions of the pipette tip with increasingly greater diameters , thereby eliminating any drag . thus , fewer pipette tips are damaged during manufacturing when the seals are positioned on the mandrel and not the pipette tip . furthermore , since the seals for the pipettor assembly 10 are on the non - resilient mandrel 30 and not on the resilient interior wall of the pipette tip 12 , there is no twisting of the seals upon insertion of the tip onto the mandrel . as discussed previously , when the seals are resilient and located on the pipette tip , they may improperly twist upon insertion of the mandrel into the pipette tip and prevent proper sealing . however , the present invention avoids this problem by integrating non - resilient seals onto the mandrel . when such seals are positioned on the mandrel 30 and not the pipette tip 12 , twisting of the seals upon insertion of the tip onto the mandrel is eliminated and a proper seal is consistently formed between the mandrel and the pipette tip . another embodiment of the present invention further improves manufacturability of the pipette tips . in this embodiment , shown in fig3 - 5 , the exterior of the collar portion 16 is defined by external ribs 17 that run parallel to the axis of the pipette tip . as shown in fig4 and 5 , the external ribs 17 are positioned along a section of the collar portion 16 adjacent to the conical head portion 14 of the pipette tip 12 . these ribs improve the flow of plastic into the tip during molding thereby improving the ease of manufacturing the tips . at the same time , by adding ribs , the wall of the collar portion 16 , particularly the first step 24 , may be made thinner . by thinning this wall , the forces required to insert or remove the mandrel 30 from the tip 12 are lowered because the wall of the collar portion 16 is easier to displace by the first band 40 on the mandrel during insertion or removal . as shown in fig3 , this embodiment also includes a molded internal ring 27 in the pipette tip 12 which is a positive stop for the mandrel 30 when it is inserted into the tip . this molded internal ring also functions as a “ puller ring ” that facilitates molding by keeping the tip on the core pin when the mold opens . other puller rings 29 are included on the conical head 14 of the pipette tip 12 . these puller rings 29 on the conical head 14 of the pipette tip 12 may also be included in other embodiments of the invention , such as that shown in fig2 a , to facilitate molding of the pipette tip . the previously described versions of the present invention have many advantages including , but not limited to low insertion , sealing , and removal forces , and higher manufacturing yields for the custom molded pipette tips . although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof , other versions are possible . therefore , the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein .	6
the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below in reference to the drawings . however , the present invention is not limited to the embodiment , and various modifications and changes in design can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . with an anisotropic conductive sheet according to an embodiment of the present invention , a direction which determines a sheet plane of the sheet is defined as x direction ; a direction orthogonal to the x direction and contained in the sheet plane is defined as y direction ; and a direction orthogonal to both the x and y directions is defined as z direction . the anisotropic conductive sheet may have a predetermined thickness in the z direction . therefore , the sheet has a bottom surface substantially in parallel with the sheet plane ( i . e . a surface along x - y plane ). the anisotropic conductive sheet includes : striped , belt - shaped members (“ striped belts ”), each of which extends in the x direction and has a width in the y direction : and non - conductive belt - shaped members (“ non - conductive belts ”), each of which is composed of a non - conductive member , extends in the x direction and has a width in the y direction , in which the striped belts and non - conductive belts are disposed side by side alternately in the y direction . further , each striped belt is composed of conductive members (“ conductive pieces ”) having a conductive property and non - conductive members (“ non - conductive pieces ”) having a non - conductive property , in which the conductive and non - conductive members are disposed alternately in the x direction . the repetition intervals with which the conductive and non - conductive pieces are repeated may be about 80 μm or smaller in the x direction and about 110 μm or smaller in the y direction . the width of the striped belt may be about 80 μm or smaller . also , the width of the non - conductive belt may be about 80 μm or smaller . the conductive pieces may be made from a conductive elastomer , while the non - conductive pieces may be made from a non - conductive foamed resin or non - conductive elastomer . the striped belt may be arranged so as to include the conductive and non - conductive pieces alternately . the non - conductive belt may be made from a non - conductive foamed resin or non - conductive elastomer . the non - conductive foamed resin or non - conductive elastomer has a low dielectric constant and / or a low dielectric loss . more specifically , it is preferable that the non - conductive foamed resin or non - conductive elastomer is lower than the conductive elastomer in a dielectric constant and / or dielectric loss . more preferably , such dielectric constant is less than or equal to 2 . 28 , while the dielectric loss is less than or equal to 0 . 025 . in addition , at least part of the chemical bonds between the members can be established by a coupling agent . as for the anisotropic conductive sheet , each conductive piece may protrude in the top surface and / or bottom surface of the sheet in comparison with the non - conductive pieces and non - conductive belts , which are located around the conductive piece . the flexible anisotropic conductive sheet having a predetermined thickness and predetermined top and bottom surfaces on both sides in the direction of the thickness , i . e . front and back sides of the sheet , can be manufactured by a process including : an a and b sheets &# 39 ; stacking step of alternately stacking conductive sheet members ( a ) (“ conductive sheets ( a )”) each composed of a conductive member and non - conductive sheet members ( b ) (“ non - conductive sheets ( b )”) each composed of a non - conductive member into an a - and - b - sheets - laminated structure ( c ) ( or a - b sheet - laminate ( c )); a first cutting step of cutting the resulting a - and - b - sheets - laminated structure ( c ) with a predetermined thickness into zebra sheets ; a c and d sheets &# 39 ; stacking step of alternately stacking the resulting zebra sheets and non - conductive sheet members ( d ) (“ non - conductive sheets ( d )”) each composed of a non - conductive member into a c - and - d - sheets - laminated structure ( e ) ( or c - d sheet - laminate ( e )), and a second cutting step of cutting the resulting c - and - d - sheets - laminated structure ( e ) with a predetermined thickness . further , the anisotropic conductive sheet can be manufactured by the process , wherein the a and b sheets &# 39 ; stacking step includes : applying a coupling agent to each non - conductive sheet ( b ) before stacking the conductive sheet ( a ) on the non - conductive sheet ( b ): and applying the coupling agent to each conductive sheet ( a ) before stacking the non - conductive sheet ( b ) on the conductive sheet ( a ), wherein the c and d sheets &# 39 ; stacking step includes : applying the coupling agent to each non - conductive sheet ( d ) before stacking the zebra sheet on the non - conductive sheet ( d ); and applying the coupling agent to each zebra sheet before stacking the non - conductive sheet ( d ) on the zebra sheet . here , the conductive sheets ( a ) may comprise or consist of a single kind of sheet members or different kinds of sheet members and so may do the non - conductive sheets ( b ). for example , the conductive sheets ( a ) may comprise or consist of sheet members of the same material , but varied in thickness . in addition , while alternately stacking the conductive sheets ( a ) and non - conductive sheets ( b ) may mean to stack the sheets ( a ) and sheets ( b ) one after the other in arbitrary order , this doesn &# 39 ; t rule out putting the third kind of sheets , films , other members , or the like between the conductive sheet ( a ) and non - conductive sheet ( b ). also , each of the steps of stacking sheet members may include placing the coupling agent between the sheets so as to bond the sheets together . the a - and - b - sheets - laminated structure ( c ) formed by stacking in this way may be heated or subjected to the other treatment for the purpose of enhancing the integrity between the sheets , or further expediting the curing of the sheet members themselves , or for the other purpose . the a - and - b - sheets - laminated structure ( c ) may be cut by : a blade of a super steel cutter , a ceramic cutter , or the like ; a whetstone such as a fine cutter , sawing by a sawing machine such as saw ; or other cutting machines or cutting tools ( which may include non - contact type cutting machines such as a laser cutting machine ). moreover , in order to prevent overheating , and to obtain a clean cut area or for other purposes in the cutting process , the laminated structure may be cut using a cutting fluid such as a cutting oil , or it may be cut by a dry process . while a subject to be cut ( e . g . work piece ) may be cut while being rotated alone or together with a cutting machine or tool , it is needless to say that various conditions for the cutting should be appropriately selected depending on the a - and - b - sheets - laminated structure ( c ). now , the phrase , cutting with a predetermined thickness may mean cutting the laminated structure so that sheet members having the predetermined thickness can be produced . the predetermined thickness doesn &# 39 ; t means that the thickness of each resulting sheet member is necessarily uniform anywhere in the member . the thickness of the sheet member may be changed depending on a place in the member . in regard to the zebra and d sheets &# 39 ; stacking step of alternately stacking the zebra sheets and the non - conductive sheets ( d ) into a zebra - and - d - sheets - laminated structure ( e ) ( or c - d sheet - laminate ( e ))), the same thing can be also said as what has been described above concerning the a and b sheets &# 39 ; stacking step to obtain an a - and - b - sheets - laminated structure ( c ) from the conductive sheets ( a ) and the non - conductive sheets ( b ). also , in regard to the second cutting step of cutting the zebra - and - d - sheets - laminated structure ( e ) ( or c - d sheet - laminate ( e )) with a predetermined thickness , the same thing can be said as what has been described above about the first cutting step of cutting the a - and - b - sheets - laminated structure ( c ) ( or a - b sheet - laminate ( c )). the flexible anisotropic conductive sheet of the present invention having a predetermined thickness and predetermined top and bottom surfaces on both sides in the direction of the thickness may be characterized by including a broad belt - shaped member ( hereinafter referred to as broad belt ) whose height substantially corresponds to the thickness of the anisotropic conductive sheet . the broad belt includes : striped , belt - shaped members (“ striped belts ”), each having a predetermined height substantially in agreement with the predetermined thickness of the anisotropic conductive sheet , a predetermined width , and a length longer than its height and width ; and non - conductive belt - shaped members (“ non - conductive belts ”) having a non - conductive property , each having a predetermined height substantially in agreement with the predetermined thickness of the anisotropic conductive sheet , a predetermined width , and a length longer than its height and width , wherein the striped belts and the non - conductive belts are arranged side by side in the direction of the width of broad belt so that they coincide with each other in height and length . in addition , the striped belts has conductive members (“ conductive pieces ”) having a conductive property and non - conductive members (“ non - conductive pieces ”) having a non - conductive property , which are disposed alternately in the direction of the length of the striped belts . having a predetermined thickness and predetermined top and bottom surfaces on both sides in the direction of the thickness may be a feature that a usual sheet has . the anisotropic conductive sheet has a predetermined thickness , and it may have top and bottom surfaces determined by dimensions larger than the thickness in the front and the bottom or on the upside and the downside of the sheet in the direction of the thickness . being flexible may mean that the sheet can be bent . a striped belt may take on a long and narrow form in which conductive pieces and non - conductive pieces are coupled alternately . the height ( or thickness ) of the striped belt may be substantially the same as height ( or thickness ) of the conductive pieces and non - conductive pieces . the striped belt may have a fixed height ( or thickness ). in addition , the width of the striped belt may be substantially the same as the width of the conductive pieces and non - conductive pieces , and may be fixed . a non - conductive belt may have substantially the same height ( or thickness ) and length as those of the striped belt . therefore , a broad belt may have a width larger than or substantially equal to the sum of the widths of the striped belt and the non - conductive belt because the striped belt and the non - conductive belt are bonded side by side in the direction of the width so that they coincide with each other in height and length . having a conductive property may mean to have a sufficiently high conductivity or to have a sufficiently low electric resistance . further , for the whole anisotropic conductive sheet , the phrase may means to have a conductive property such that an anisotropic conductive sheet having such configuration can take on a sufficient conductive property in its conductive direction . the resistance between terminals to be connected usually is preferably 100 ω or smaller ( more preferably 10 ω or smaller , and much more preferably 1 ω or smaller ). having a non - conductive property may mean to have a sufficiently low conductivity or to have a sufficiently high impedance or electric resistance . further , for the whole anisotropic conductive sheet , the phrase may means to have a non - conductive property such that an anisotropic conductive sheet having such configuration can take on a sufficient non - conductive property in its non - conductive direction . the resistance is preferably 10 kω or larger ( more preferably 100 kω or larger , and much more preferably 1 mω or larger ). the striped , belt - shaped member (“ striped belt ”) disposed alternately may be a long and narrow member having conductive and non - conductive pieces disposed alternately . the long and narrow member doesn &# 39 ; t necessarily seem to be actually in a stripe pattern . what is intended here is that the long and narrow member may seem to have a stripe pattern if the conductive and non - conductive pieces are different in color . however , the alternate placement like this doesn &# 39 ; t have to be necessarily applied to the entire striped belt . it is sufficient that the striped belt has a part in such condition , i . e . where the conductive and non - conductive pieces are alternately disposed . the repetition interval corresponds to a distance derived from the arithmetic operation : the sum of the lengths of two adjacent conductive and non - conductive pieces ( in the longitudinal direction of the belt - shaped member ) is divided by two . when different distances are derived from the arithmetic operation , the repetition interval may mean the shortest one . in general , when it is assumed that a substantially straight line segment is drawn on the sheet , the line segment runs across a conductive member ( i )/ non - conductive member ( ii )/ conductive member ( iii )/ non - conductive member ( iv ) or a non - conductive member ( i )/ conductive member ( ii )/ non - conductive member ( iii )/ conductive member ( iv ) and as such , the repetition interval may be considered to correspond to the result of the arithmetic operation : the sum of the distances of the routes along which the line segment runs across the ( ii ) and ( iii ) is divided by two . the inter - terminal distance to be applied means a distance between terminals in the non - conductive direction of the anisotropic conductive sheet when the sheet has the terminals to be connected to a circuit board and / or an electronic component in the conductive direction of the sheet , for example . when such distance takes on different values , the inter - terminal distance to be applied may be the smallest one . in the present invention , the repetition intervals , with which the conductive and non - conductive pieces are repeated in the striped belt , may be about 80 μm or smaller in the x direction and about 110 μm or smaller in the y direction . further , the width of the striped belt may be about 80 μm or smaller . the width of the non - conductive belt may be about 80 μm or smaller . the stripe pattern doesn &# 39 ; t necessarily look like striped actually as described above , and it only represents a condition where the conductive and non - conductive pieces are disposed alternately . here , the repetition intervals are as described above . more specifically , the repetition intervals in the x and y directions may be about 80 μm or smaller in the x direction and about 110 μm or smaller in the y direction . the widths of the two kinds of pieces may be about 80 μm or smaller , and more preferably about 50 μm or smaller respectively . the present invention may be characterized in the following . the first is that the conductive pieces and non - conductive pieces , which constitute the striped belt are made from conductive elastomer and non - conductive elastomer respectively . the second is that the members are chemically bonded with each other ( chemical bond ), and at least part of such chemical bonds can be established by a coupling agent . in the present invention , chemical bonds may be established between the members and therefore the anisotropic conductive sheet may be handled as a single structure . in general , unvulcanized elastomer ( i . e . elastomer which has not been subjected to the cross - linking treatment such as heating ), can be chemically bonded with unvulcanized elastomer and vulcanized elastomer at the molecular level as they are crosslinked by vulcanization ( i . e . a cross - linking treatment such as heating ). further , even with other combinations as well as the combinations described above , it is possible to establish molecular level chemical bonds at their interfaces by a coupling agent , provided that the process by the coupling agent may include a surface treatment by a primer , etc . the feature of the chemical bond is a strong bonding force . for example , when in an anisotropic conductive sheet , a metal thin wire is inserted in elastomer thereof , the bond through the bonding force is stronger than that between the metal thin wire and elastomer . the chemical bond can be grasped as a word comparable with the physical bond and the mechanical bond . the conductive elastomer means elastomer having a conductive property , and it may be typically elastomer in which an electroconductive material is mixed so that its specific volume resistance is lowered ( e . g . 1 ω · cm or smaller ). specifically , what can be used as such elastomer is : caoutchouc ; polyisoprene rubber ; butadiene copolymers and conjugated diene - based rubbers of butadiene - styrene , butadiene - acrylonitrile , butadiene - isobutylene , etc ., and those subjected to hydrogenation ; styrene - butadiene - diene block polymer rubber ; block polymer rubbers of styrene - isoprene block polymer , etc . and those subjected to hydrogenation ; chloroprene polymer ; vinyl chloride - vinyl acetate copolymer ; urethane rubber ; polyester - based rubber ; epichlorohydrin rubber ; ethylene - propylene copolymer rubber ; ethylene - propylene - diene copolymer rubber ; soft liquid epoxy rubber ; silicone rubber ; fluororubber ; or the like . of these materials , what is preferably used is silicone rubber superior in heat resistance , brittle resistance at low temperature , chemical resistance , weather resistance , electrical insulative property , and safety . conductive elastomer can be formed by blending the following conductive substance into such elastomer : a powdered metal ( for which a substitutable form is a flake , a fragment , a foil , or the like ) of gold , silver , copper , nickel , tungsten , platinum , palladium , other pure metals , sus , phosphor bronze , beryllium copper , or the like ; or nonmetallic powder ( for which a substitutable form is a flake , a fragment , a foil , or the like ) of carbon , or the like . incidentally , the carbon may include carbon nanotube , fullerene , etc . the coupling agent for bonding the conductive elastomer and non - conductive elastomer is a binder capable of bonding these members , and it may include a commercially available , usual adhesive agent . specifically , the coupling agent may be any of silane - based , aluminum - based , and titanate - based coupling agents , and those of them , a silane coupling agent is used well . the flexible anisotropic conductive sheet of the present invention may be characterized in each of the conductive members protrudes in comparison with the non - conductive matrix located around the conductive member . to protrude may represent any one of or all of the conditions : where the conductive member is thicker than a portion where the non - conductive matrix is located in the thickness of the anisotropic conductive sheet ; where the level of the upper surface of the non - conductive matrix is lower than the level of the upper surface of the conductive member when the anisotropic conductive sheet is placed horizontally ; and / or where the level of the lower surface of the non - conductive matrix is higher than the level of the lower surface of the conductive member when the anisotropic conductive sheet is placed horizontally . arranging an anisotropic conductive sheet like this can make electrical contacts with terminals of an electronic component and a board more reliable . this is because when the terminals are brought near to the sheet , the terminals first touch the conductive members and as such , the force to press the terminals against the sheet enables an appropriate contact pressure to be ensured . the embodiment of the present invention will be described below in reference to the drawings . however , in the description on the embodiment , specific materials , numerical values , etc . are cited merely as preferred examples according to the present invention and as such , the present invention is not limited to the embodiment . fig1 shows an anisotropic conductive sheet 10 as an embodiment of the present invention . the anisotropic conductive sheet 10 of the embodiment is a rectangular sheet member and is configured by alternately disposing : belt - shaped members 12 each composed of a non - conductive member ; and striped , belt - shaped members 14 each having conductive members and non - conductive member alternately disposed . the adjacent belt - shaped member 12 composed of the non - conductive member and striped , belt - shaped member 14 are bonded by a coupling agent . for the anisotropic conductive sheet of the embodiment , a conductive silicone rubber manufactured by shin - etsu polymer co ., ltd . is used as the conductive elastomer ; and a silane coupling agent manufactured by shin - etsu polymer co ., ltd . is used as the coupling agent . the non - conductive elastomer has the following physical properties . dielectric constant ( ε , 1 gz )= 2 . 28 , dielectric dissipation factor ( tan δ )= 0 . 025 , volume resistivity ( ω · cm )= 1 . 00e + 13 , and cell size ( μm )= 1 - 2 . fig2 is an enlarged , fragmentary view showing an enlarged upper left corner portion of the anisotropic conductive sheet shown in fig1 , in which the belt - shaped members 12 , 14 are illustrated in detail further . in fig2 , the belt - shaped members 12 , each composed of a non - conductive member shown in fig1 , correspond to belt - shaped members 20 , and the striped , belt - shaped members 14 (“ striped belt ”) in fig1 correspond to striped belts each including non - conductive members 22 and conductive members 24 . in other words , the anisotropic conductive sheet takes on a structure in which the striped belts each including non - conductive members 22 and conductive members 24 and non - conductive belt - shaped members 20 (“ non - conductive belts ”) are arranged as follows : one striped belt is disposed next to one non - conductive belt , next to which is disposed another non - conductive belt 20 , further next to which is disposed another striped belt . the two kinds of belt - shaped members have substantially the same thickness ( t ) in this embodiment . as described above , adjacent belt - shaped members are bonded with each other by a coupling agent . also , of the conductive and non - conductive members which constitute the striped belt 14 , adjacent members are bonded with each other by the coupling agent . thus , one sheet as shown in fig1 is configured . here , the coupling agent for the bonding is non - conductive and as such , the non - conductive property in a direction in parallel with the sheet plane is maintained . the width of each non - conductive belt 20 is t 12 , and the width of each striped belt 14 is t 14 . while these widths are all the same in this embodiment , some of them may be the same value , or all of them may be different values . the widths can be adjusted easily in a method of manufacturing an anisotropic conductive sheet according to the embodiment , which is to be described later . the striped belt 14 includes non - conductive members 22 with a length of t 22 and conductive members 24 with a length of t 24 . while the lengths of the members are all the same in this embodiment , some of them may be the same value , or all of them may be different values . the lengths can be adjusted easily in the method of manufacturing an anisotropic conductive sheet according to the embodiment , which is to be described later . in this embodiment , the length of the conductive members (“ conductive pieces ”) of each striped belt is about 50 μm and the length of the non - conductive members (“ non - conductive pieces ”) is about 30 μm , the width of the striped belts is about 50 μm , and the width of the non - conductive belts is about 50 μm . however , it is needless to say that those may be made longer ( or larger ) or shorter ( or smaller ) in another embodiment . in the case of the embodiment , the repetition interval corresponds to a numerical value derived from the arithmetic operation : the sum of the lengths of two adjacent different kinds of elastomer is divided by two , i . e . ( t 22 + t 24 )/ 2 . for the entire anisotropic conductive sheet , the average of values derived in this way may be used to feature the anisotropic conductive sheet . however , the minimum value may be used instead . otherwise , a combination of the minimum , average values , etc . may be used . when the average value is used , a fine pitch performance for the entire sheet is to be represented . when the minimum value is used , it can be considered that a minimum inter - terminal distance which can be guaranteed is to be determined . in a case where the conductive elastomer are disposed relatively uniformly , the number of times that the conductive elastomer of a predetermined length appears per unit length in the striped , belt - shaped member , or a cumulative length of the conductive elastomer per unit length may be used . in this embodiment , the repetition interval is about 40 μm even when the average or minimum value is used , and the cumulative length of the conductive elastomer per unit length is about 0 . 6 mm / mm . while the size of the anisotropic conductive sheet of this embodiment can be clearly specified by adding the widths or lengths , the sheet is not restricted in thickness t as well as width and length . ( the thickness of the anisotropic conductive sheet of the embodiment is about 1 mm .) however , when the anisotropic conductive sheet is used to connect between terminals of a circuit board and an electronic component , it is desirable that the sheet is sized so as to match their dimensions . in a case like this , an anisotropic conductive sheet usually measuring 0 . 5 to 3 . 0 cm by 0 . 5 to 3 . 0 cm has a thickness of 0 . 5 to 2 . 0 mm . now , a method of manufacturing an anisotropic conductive sheet according to the embodiment will be described in reference to fig3 to 6 . fig3 shows the way that an a - and - b - sheets - laminated structure ( c ) ( or a - b sheet laminate ( c )) is formed by alternately stacking already - prepared conductive sheet members ( a ) 70 (“ conductive sheets ( a )”) and non - conductive sheet members ( b ) 80 (“ non - conductive sheets ( b )”). on the a - and - b - sheets - laminated structure ( c ) 90 ( or a - b sheet laminate ( c ) 90 ) in the course of stacking , a non - conductive sheet 82 is further stacked and then the conductive sheet 72 is stacked thereon . a coupling agent is put between the sheet members thereby to bond between the sheet members . in the undermost position of the a - and - b - sheets - laminated structure 90 in the course of stacking , the non - conductive sheet 83 is disposed . the thickness of the sheet member may be regarded as corresponding to t 22 shown in fig1 and 2 . the thickness of the conductive sheet 72 located thereon may be regarded as corresponding to t 24 shown in fig1 and 2 . therefore , the lengths of the non - conductive and conductive pieces in the striped belts 14 shown in fig1 and 2 can be varied freely by changing the thickness of the sheet members 72 and 82 . likewise , the lengths t 22 and t 24 of the two kinds of members of the striped belt located between the non - conductive belts 20 correspond to the thicknesses of the corresponding non - conductive and conductive sheet members respectively . usually , the thicknesses of the sheet members are about 80 μm or smaller , and more preferably about 50 μm or smaller for fine pitch . in this embodiment , the thicknesses of the non - conductive and conductive sheet members are adjusted so that the length of the non - conductive members is about 30 μm , and the length of the conductive members is about 50 μm . incidentally , alternately stacking the conductive and non - conductive sheet members may include to pile up two or more conductive sheet members and then stack one or more non - conductive sheet member thereon . likewise , alternately stacking the conductive and non - conductive sheet members may include to pile up two or more non - conductive sheet members and then stack one or more conductive sheet member thereon . fig4 shows the first cutting step of cutting an a - and - b - sheets - laminated structure ( c ) 92 produced by the a and b sheets &# 39 ; stacking step . the a - and - b - sheets - laminated structure 92 is cut along a cutting - plane line 1 - 1 so that the thickness of the resulting zebra sheet members 91 (“ zebra sheets ”) becomes a desired t 14 . the thickness t 14 corresponds to t 14 shown in fig1 and 2 . thus , the striped belts 14 in fig1 and 2 can be adjusted freely in their widths . all of the striped belts 14 may have the same width or they have different widths . the thicknesses of the zebra sheets are typically about 80 μm or smaller , and more preferably about 50 μm or smaller . in this embodiment , the thicknesses are about 50 μm . fig5 shows the way that a zebra - and - d - sheets - laminated structure ( e ) ( or c - d sheet - laminate ( e )) is formed by alternately stacking zebra sheets 91 produced by the first cutting step and non - conductive sheet members ( d ) 80 (“ non - conductive sheet ( d )”). on the c - and - d - sheets - laminated structure ( e ) 100 ( or c - d sheet - laminate ( e ) 100 ) in the course of stacking , a non - conductive sheet 86 is further stacked and then the zebra sheet 96 is stacked thereon . the coupling agent is put between the sheet members thereby to bond between the sheet members . in the undermost position of the c - and - d - sheets - laminated structure 100 in the course of stacking , the non - conductive sheet 86 is disposed . the thickness of the sheet member may be regarded as corresponding to t 12 , i . e . the width of the non - conductive belt 12 shown in fig1 and 2 . therefore , the widths of the two kinds of belt - shaped members 12 and 14 shown in fig1 and 2 can be varied freely by changing the thicknesses of the sheet members 86 , 96 . usually , the widths of the sheet members are about 80 μm or smaller , and more preferably about 50 μm or smaller for fine pitch . in this embodiment , these widths are adjusted so that the width of the non - conductive belts 12 is about 30 μm , and the width of the striped belts 14 is about 50 μm . fig6 shows the second cutting step of cutting a zebra - and - d - sheets - laminated structure ( e ) 102 ( or c - d sheet - laminate ( e ) 102 ) produced by the c and d sheets &# 39 ; stacking step . the laminated structure 102 is cut along a cutting - plane line 2 - 2 so that the thickness of the resulting anisotropic conductive sheets 104 becomes a desired t . thus , it becomes possible to facilitate the fabrication of thin and thick anisotropic conductive sheets , which is usually considered to be difficult . while the thickness of the anisotropic conductive sheets is usually about 1 mm , the thickness may be about 100 μm or smaller when the sheet is made thinner . the thickness may be made about 50 μm or smaller when particularly desired so . also , the thickness may be made a few mm . in this embodiment , the thickness is about 1 mm . the flow chart of the method of manufacturing an anisotropic conductive sheet is presented in fig7 and 8 . fig7 shows a process of producing the zebra sheets . first , a non - conductive sheet is placed in a predetermined location for stacking ( s - 01 ). optionally , a coupling agent is applied to the upper side of the non - conductive sheet ( s - 02 ). it is needless to say that this step can be omitted because it 18 an optional step . ( ditto for other optional steps to be described later .) a conductive sheet ( a ) is placed thereon ( s - 03 ). whether the thickness ( or height ) of the resulting a - and - b - sheets - laminated structure ( c ) has reached a desired thickness ( or height ) is checked ( s - 04 ). if the desired ( predetermined ) thickness is achieved , go to the first cutting step ( s - 08 ). if the desired ( predetermined ) thickness is not achieved , the coupling agent is applied to the upper side of the conductive sheet ( a ) optionally ( s - 05 ). then , another non - conductive sheet ( b ) is placed thereon ( s - 06 ). whether the thickness ( or height ) of the resulting a - and - b - sheets - laminated structure ( c ) has reached the desired thickness ( or height ) is checked ( s - 07 ). if the desired ( predetermined ) thickness is achieved , go to the first cutting step ( s - 08 ). if the desired ( predetermined ) thickness is not achieved , return to the step s - 02 . then , the coupling agent is applied to the upper side of the non - conductive sheet ( b ) optionally . in the first cutting step ( s - 08 ) one or more zebra sheets are cut out at a time , and then stored ( s - 09 ). fig8 shows the zebra and d sheets &# 39 ; stacking step of producing anisotropic conductive sheets form the zebra sheets and non - conductive sheets ( d ). first , a non - conductive sheet ( d ) is placed in a predetermined location for stacking ( s - 10 ). optionally , the coupling agent is applied to the upper side of the non - conductive sheet ( d ) ( s - 11 ). a zebra sheet is placed thereon ( s - 12 ). whether the thickness ( or height ) of the resulting zebra - and - d - sheets - laminated structure ( e ) has reached a desired thickness ( or height ) is checked ( s - 13 ). if the desired ( predetermined ) thickness is achieved , go to the second cutting step ( s - 17 ). if the desired ( predetermined ) thickness is not achieved , the coupling agent is applied to the upper side of the zebra sheet optionally ( s - 14 ). then , another non - conductive sheet ( d ) is placed thereon ( s - 15 ). whether the thickness ( or height ) of the resulting zebra - and - d - sheets - laminated structure ( e ) has reached the desired thickness ( or height ) is checked ( s - 16 ). if the desired ( predetermined ) thickness is achieved , go to the second cutting step ( s - 17 ). if the desired ( predetermined ) thickness is not achieved , return to the step s - 11 . then , the coupling agent is applied to the upper side of zebra sheet optionally . in the second cutting step ( s - 17 ) one or more anisotropic conductive sheets are cut out at a time , and then stored ( s - 18 ). fig9 , 10 , and 11 show the second embodiment . in the second embodiment , vulcanized conductive sheet members and unvulcanized non - conductive sheet members are used to produce an anisotropic conductive sheet 110 by a method as described above . fig1 and 11 show cross sections of the anisotropic conductive sheet 110 taken along the line a - a and the line b - b respectively . as seen from the drawings , the conductive members 124 are protruding in a surface of the sheet , protruding relative to the non - conductive members 120 and 122 and as such , the reliability for contacts is high . the reason why the sheet takes on such geometry is the unvulcanized rubber is contracted owing to heating . at this time , the conductive elastomer is vulcanized and the non - conductive elastomer is unvulcanized . an unvulcanized non - conductive elastomer can be glued to a vulcanized elastomer by heating or the like . therefore , the optional application of the coupling agent is not always necessary in the manufacturing method described above and as such , it can be crossed off the steps . fig1 to 14 show other embodiments of the present invention . it is seen from fig1 that conductive members 31 each composed of a conductive elastomer formed in a rectangular prism are surrounded by a matrix member 1 e made from foamed resin and scattered in a plane of the anisotropic conductive sheet 200 . while the volume percentage of the matrix member in this condition is lower in comparison with the above - mentioned embodiments , the conductive members are electrically isolated by the matrix member effectively . incidentally , the conductive members penetrate the anisotropic conductive sheet 200 across the thickness of the sheet , from which it can be seen that the conductive property of the sheet is kept uniform . from fig1 , it is clear that conductive members 41 each composed of a cylindrical conductive elastomer are surrounded by a matrix member 1 f made from a foamed resin and scattered in a plane of the anisotropic conductive sheet 210 . the anisotropic conductive sheet 210 is nearly identical with the foregoing except that the form of the conductive members is changed from rectangular to circular one in section . fig1 shows an anisotropic conductive sheet 10 ′ different from the anisotropic conductive sheet 10 shown in fig1 in that the conductive members 24 are disposed randomly . other features of the sheet are the same as those of the anisotropic conductive sheet shown in fig1 . fig1 and 16 show an example of application of an anisotropic conductive sheet 10 according to one of the embodiments of the present invention , in which the sheet is sandwiched between two boards 40 and 50 . fig1 schematically shows , in section , a situation where the anisotropic conductive sheet 10 sandwiched between the two boards 40 , 50 receives a compressive force and a compressive strain is caused therein , whereby the conductivity between the terminals 42 of the board 40 and the terminals 52 of the board 50 is ensured . since the terminals 42 , 52 slightly protrude from the surfaces of the boards 40 and 50 , it is expected that the contact pressure of the anisotropic conductive sheet 10 at the terminal surfaces is larger than that at other places on the boards in the vicinities of the terminals . also , it is seen that the conductive members 22 in the anisotropic conductive sheet 10 between the terminals 42 and 52 form conductive channels . further , the interfaces between the conductive member 22 and non - conductive member 24 are bonded chemically and as such , the form of the anisotropic conductive sheet 10 can be kept against shearing forces at the interface caused by the surface nonuniformity , etc . and the form can be restored when the compressive load is removed . fig1 schematically shows a contact surface of the anisotropic conductive sheet 10 which is in contact with the terminal 42 . it is seen from the drawing that the conductive members 24 are surrounded by the non - conductive members 12 , 22 and electrically connected with the terminal 42 .	7
a complex in accordance with the present invention is a supramolecular complex comprising cucurbituril and fullerene . the cucurbituril used in the present invention is not deformed and comprises cucurbit [ 6 ] uril or cucurbit [ 7 ] uril . all kinds of fullerenes fit for the cavities of said cucurbituril , such as [ 60 ] fullerene , [ 70 ] fullerene , etc ., can be used in the present invention . the fullerene used in the present invention is nonpolar material and coupled at the entrance of the cavity of cucurbituril entirely by molecular interaction , not by covalent bonding , to form a stable complex . the molar ration of the initial compounds , cucurbit [ 7 ] uril and c60 , ranged between 1 : 2 and 2 : 1 . in all cases the formation of a cuc7 : f6 = 1 : 2 complex could be observed . fullerene , used in the present invention , has potential characteristics as a bio - medicine such as the functions of eliminating free radicals , cutting dna , and the like . and cucurbituril is working as acceptor or absorption material of fullerene . thus , a complex in accordance with the present invention can be used as a medicine delivery means in the field of pharmaceutics . the complex in accordance with the present invention has a single - phase and can be obtained by solid - phase reaction . in other words , a complex in accordance with the present invention can be obtained by crushing a mixture of solid - phase cucurbituril and fullerene . in more detail , a complex in accordance with the present invention can be obtained by mixing solid - phase fullerene and solid - phase cucurbituril with molar ratio from 1 : 2 to 2 : 1 , preferably with 2 : 1 , and crushing the mixture in a mixing crusher under the room temperature , preferably in a chrome steel mixing crusher with chrome steel crushing balls being added , with the rotation speed from 20 rpm for about 1 to 10 hours . hereinafter , an embodiment of the present invention is described in detail . here , the embodiment is only for an example of the present invention , and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment . in a typical experiment , a complex was produced by crushing a mixture of 20 . 1 mg ( 28 × 10 − 3 mmol ) of [ 60 ] fullerene and 16 . 3 mg ( 14 × 10 − 3 mmol ) of cucurbit [ 7 ] uril ( cb [ 7 ]) in a chrome steel mixing crusher using chrome steel crushing balls . the crushing was being carried out with the speed of 20 rpm for 1 to 10 hours . after washing - out the produced cb [ 7 ]- c 6 ofullerene complex with warm water , we added 2m of naoh to the solution to control its ph to be 12 and added 20 ml of toluene thereto to dissolve the remaining cb [ 7 ] and non - coupled [ 60 ] fullerene . after dissolving excessive initial compounds by agitation the mixture for 30 minutes , we allowed the complex to precipitate . the aqueous phase containing the insoluble complex was frozen , so that the upper organic phase could be decanted . next , after leaving the aqueous - phase until it gets back to room temperature , we centrifuged it under 0 ° c . with 5000 rpm for 10 minutes , and then poured out the water carefully . after washing the complex with pure water until its ph got to be neutral , we finally evaporated the remained water and vacuum - dried the dark - brown complex to obtain the complex of the present invention ( yield rate : 33 %). referring to the x - ray diffraction analysis results shown in fig2 the produced complex did not show the typical 2θ values of cucurbit [ 7 ] uril and [ 60 ] fullerene . like the cases observed in other complexes containing [ 60 ] fullerene , it is shown that the crystal structures of initial compositors , i . e ., cucurbit [ 7 ] uril and [ 60 ] fullerene , are concealed , by forming a complex , in the complex of the present invention . referring to the ft - ir spectrums shown in fig3 a characteristic absorption band of cucurbit [ 7 ] uril and a typical absorption band of c 60 fullerene are shown at 527 cm − 1 . that is to say , it represents that the complex obtained in the present invention comprises cucurbit [ 7 ] uril and c 60 fullerene . referring to the thermo - gravimetric analysis results shown in fig3 the total weight loss of the complex of cucurbit [ 7 ] uril and [ 60 ] fullerene was 40 . 1 % at 410 ° c ., and this represents that the weight ratio of cucurbit [ 7 ] uril and [ 60 ] fullerene in the complex is 1 : 2 . as mentioned thereinbefore , a complex in accordance with the present invention is a supramolecular complex comprising fullerene having potential characteristics as a biomedicine and cucurbituril working as absorption material or acceptor of fullerene . since the complex in accordance with the present invention can be easily manufactured and handled , it can be usefully used as a medicine delivery means in the field of pharmaceutics .	2
next , this invention will be explained with reference to the accompanied drawings . this invention is not limited by the examples explained herein . also , the following explanation uses an example where the protective film is used on a portable music player ; however , the usage of the protective film is not limited to such player , and this invention can be employed for use in or with various types of electronic and non - electronic devices or objects . a first example is explained with reference to fig1 - 3 . fig1 is a perspective view of the portable electronic device and the protective film . fig2 a is the side cross - section view of the protective film which comprises the first film layer 20 covering both the switch control surface 72 and the touch sensing control surface 73 of the portable electronic device 70 . fig2 b is a side cross - section view of the first film layer together with the second film layer of the protective film after removing an adhesive film covering pieces therefrom , and fig2 c is a side cross - section view of a removed film covering surface and a remaining piece after peeling the protective film therefrom . as shown in fig2 a , the protective film 10 is comprised of the first film layer 20 and the second film layer 40 . materials to be used in the first and the second film layers 20 , 40 are not particularly limited as long as a user is able to view the display screen 71 and / or a desired portion such as an instruction / sign 73 of the electronic device 70 and the protective film 10 does not prevent the user from controlling the device 70 in a practical manner . also , materials to be used in the first and second film layers 20 , 40 may be the same or different . the first film layer 20 has an adhesive layer surface 30 thereon , and the second film layer 40 is superposed thereon , so that the adhesive surface 30 is sandwiched between the first and the second film layers 20 and 40 . again , materials used to create the adhesive surface 30 is not limited to a particular type as long as the first and the second film layers 20 , 40 can stay on the electronic device 70 . the first film layer 20 has a first cut line 21 that enables separation of the first film layer 20 into two pieces , i . e ., a large cover surface 22 and a remaining piece 23 . similarly , the second film layer 40 has a second cut line 41 that enables separation of the second film 40 into two pieces , i . e ., a switch control surface cover 42 and an adhesive surface covering piece 43 . as shown in fig2 b , when the user carefully peels the first film layer 20 from the first cut line 21 with two fingers holding the edge around the first cut line 21 , the first film layer 20 , with the adhesive surface 30 together with the switch surface cover held by the adhesive surface 30 and separated at the second cut line 41 , is removed from the second film layer 40 without the switch surface cover 42 . here , the adhesive surface 30 , the switch surface cover 42 , and the second cut line 41 are arranged so that the switch surface cover 42 adheres to the adhesive layer 30 after the peeling process . fig2 c shows the adhesive covering piece 43 of the second film layer 40 , after the above - removing process , which was covering the adhesive surface 30 and the remaining piece 23 of the first film layer 20 attached to the adhesive surface covering piece 43 via the remaining adhesive surface 30 . shapes and surface areas of the first film layer 20 can be decided as necessary . for example , the first cut line 21 in fig2 a can be extended along a circumferential line of the second control surface 73 of the electronic device 70 in fig1 , so that the first film layer 20 appropriately fits over the second control surface 73 . also , the adhesive surface 30 can cover any area of the surface of the first film layer 20 as long as the first film layer 20 is securely attached on the surface of the electronic device 70 and also securely holds the later described switch surface cover 42 . shapes and surface areas of the second layer 40 can be decided as necessary . for example , the second cut line 41 in fig2 a can be extended along a circumferential line of the first control surface 72 of the electronic device 70 , and therefore as separating the second layer 40 into two pieces at the circumferential line , the resulting second layer 40 makes an appropriate shape to cover the first control surface 72 as shown in fig1 . fig3 is a side cross - section of the protective film 10 placed on the portable electronic device 70 . as shown in fig3 , the portable electronic device 70 has two different surfaces for controlling the device itself , i . e ., the first control surface 72 and the second control surface 73 . here , the large surface cover 22 of the first film layer is appropriately placed over the first and the second control surfaces 72 , 73 and securely attached to the second control surface 73 via the adhesive surface 30 . the switch surface cover 42 of the second film layer 40 is appropriately placed on the first control surface 72 of the electronic device 70 . one surface of the switch surface cover 42 facing with and attaching to the first control surface 72 of the electronic device 70 is a non - adhesive surface while the other surface of the switch surface cover 42 is securely attached to the large surface cover 22 of the first film layer via the adhesive surface 30 . fig4 and fig5 show other embodiments of this invention . in fig4 , the first film layer has a smaller area and is slightly larger than the second film layer . in fig5 , the protective film covers a major surface of the portable electronic device . fig6 show the present invention with the addition of at least one rib 50 incorporated into the film . this rib 50 provides several advantages . first , it prevents bubbles from forming when placing the protective film 10 on the surface of the electronic device 70 . it is common knowledge that bubbles tend to form between the electronic control surface 70 and the protective film 10 . the rib 50 of the present invention minimizes the bubbles by providing an internal air chamber . secondly , the rib 50 provides a physical , touchable guide for electronic device users . for example , one popular mp3 player has a touch sensitive area that forms a circle around the first and the second control surfaces 72 , 74 . the rib 50 of the present invention can be made so that it forms a circle around the first control surface 72 or the second control surface 74 , thereby providing the user with a physical divider between the first control surface 72 or the second control surface 74 , i . e ., the non - sensitive switch control surface and the touch sensitive areas . further , the shape of the rib 50 is not limited to a circle ; it can be any form , such as plural curve strips or straight lines . the shape is limitless as long as the rib 50 provides the above - described advantages . the protective film 10 could have either one or more of the previously described ribs 50 incorporated into the protective film 10 . finally , the rib 50 or ribs 50 prevent the protective film 10 from peeling off of or away from the surface of the electronic device 70 . it is readily apparent that the above - described embodiments have the advantage of wide commercial utility . it should be understood that the specific form of the invention hereinabove described is intended to be representative only , as certain modifications within the scope of these teachings will be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , the protective film may be sized and shaped as necessary to fit a desirable portion of the electronic device 70 surface . for example , as shown in fig4 , which is the perspective view of the protective film covering the second control surface 73 of the portable electronic device 70 placed thereon , the protective film 10 can simply cover the first surface 72 only . by the same token , the protective film 10 can cover beyond the second control surface 73 of the electronic device 70 . furthermore , the material of the protective film may be flexible to provide an appropriate fitness on the electronic device 70 surface , it could be opaque material or it may be a transparent material so that the user is able to see instructions or signs 74 marked on the electronic device 70 surface . in addition , either the first film layer 20 or the second film layer 40 may have a larger surface or a surface without the other film superposed thereon , which facilitates the user &# 39 ; s action to remove one film layer from the other film layer . accordingly , reference should be made to the following claims in determining the full scope of the invention .	8
there is illustrated in the accompanying drawing an embodiment of a cold plate system for an ice dispenser which is presently contemplated as the best mode of carrying out the invention . as shown , an ice dispenser , indicated generally at 10 , is conventionally comprised of a hopper , bin or tank 12 for storing a large mass of crushed , cracked , flaked or cubed ice , such as 50 pounds , a rotary impeller or agitator 14 driven by an electric motor 16 , and means 18 for accommodating controlled discharge of ice from the lower end portion of the hopper through a discharge opening 20 . the means 18 , although not forming a part of the present invention , is highly desirable to enable convenient dispensing of ice in the hopper , and may take the form of any of the dispensing means disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 165 , 901 , 3 , 211 , 338 and 3 , 217 , 509 , to which reference is made for a more detailed description . the hopper 12 is essentially an open top tub , the major part of which comprises a main upper hopper portion which may be of circular or other cross section , but preferably is of polygonal cross section as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 517 , 860 to facilitate maintaining the particles of ice in discrete , free flowing form . the bottom of the hopper is provided with a circular depression comprising an annular trough 22 in which the discharge opening 20 is formed . the opening is spaced a short distance above the bottom of the trough , and the trough is appropriately provided at its bottom with melt water drain holes ( not shown ) so that only discrete particles of relatively dry ice will be discharged through the opening . the bottom of the hopper is closed by an end wall 24 , so that ice to be discharged gravitates into and is confined within the trough . the hopper may be made in any conventional manner , such as by deep drawing of sheet metal or the molding of plastics , and when completed is sheated in insulation and provided with a removable insulated cover , all as is well known in the art . the bottom wall 24 of the hopper is centrally apertured for upward , liquid sealed passage therethrough of a shaft 26 of the motor 16 , the motor being suitably mounted on the wall exteriorly of the hopper . fastened to the motor shaft within the interior of the hopper is the impeller 14 which has a plurality of radial arms 28 that generally follow the contour of the bottom wall of the hopper and extend into the trough and engage the mass of ice in the hopper to cause the same to rotate . a rod 30 extends from side to side and top to bottom within the hopper and provides a fixed resistance against which the rotating mass of ice may be moved to facilitate agitation and separation thereof into discrete , free flowing particles . the motor 16 may comprise an electric gear motor coupled with the discharge means 18 , such that the motor is operated for a short interval of time during operation of the discharge means to provide a free flow of ice particles therethrough . to maintain a supply of ice in the hopper and to replenish ice discharged through the means 18 , an ice maker 32 has an ice outlet or ice discharge spout 34 in communication with the open upper end of the hopper . the ice maker may be of any conventional type , and provides crushed , cracked , flaked or cubed ice to the hopper . although the ice maker is shown positioned at the upper end of the hopper , the actual positioning of the ice maker is not critical , and the ice maker may be mounted in any convenient location , for example below the hopper with manufactured ice being carried into the hopper by any convenient means , such as by a spiral drive . to control operation of the ice maker in order to maintain ice in the hopper at a selected level , a thermostat 38 is mounted on an inside wall of the hopper in proximity with the ice spout 34 and at the level at which the ice is to be maintained , and senses the presence or absence of ice therearound by means of the surrounding temperature . since as ice fills the hopper it tends to build up higher in the hopper near its point of entry , by positioning the thermostat thereat overfilling of the hopper is prevented . the thermostat is connected with a control system 40 for operating the ice maker and the agitator . the control system may operate in a conventional manner , so that upon ice occurring around the thermostat the ice maker is turned off and the agitator motor is energized for a predetermined period to rotate the agitator and level the mass of ice within the hopper . if the hopper is less than completely full , upon leveling the ice drops away from the thermostat , whereupon the ice maker again operates . since ice builds up faster near its point of entry into the hopper , sensing of ice by the thermostat and cyclic operation of the ice maker and agitator motor usually occur several times before the overall level of the ice in the hopper is sufficiently high that ice remains about the thermostat after agitation , whereupon the ice maker remains off until enough ice is discharged from the hopper to drop its level to beneath the thermostat . preferably , however , the control system operates as disclosed in copending application ser . no . 928 , 242 of benjamin d . miller , which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention , such that the ice maker continuously operates whenever it is necessary to fill the hopper and until such time as the hopper is completely full . in this manner , the ice maker is cycled on and off a minimum number of times , and the operating life of the ice maker is significantly extended . in a conventional use of the ice dispenser 10 with a cold plate , to precool a beverage into which potable ice may be dispensed the cold plate is either mounted within a separate ice pan or within the hopper 12 . should the cold plate be in a separate ice pan , then it is necessary for an operator to monitor the quantity of ice in the pan to ensure that the cold plate remains covered by ice , and to replenish the ice as necessary . if the cold plate is in the hopper , although it is continuously surrounded by ice because of the ice maker 32 , most cold plates are of a standard rectangular configuration and installation of the same in a round and / or irregularly shaped hopper is extremely difficult . further , health and sanitation codes are becoming stricter in connection with placement of cold plates within potable ice hoppers due to the questionable cleanability of cold plate surfaces , and in particular to the cleanability of the junctures between a cold plate and the ice hopper , which can lead to contamination of the ice . in accordance with the present invention , a cold plate system for an ice dispenser includes an ice pan in which is mounted a cold plate . the ice pan is connected with the ice dispenser hopper through an ice feed conduit , and ice in the hopper passes through the conduit and into the ice pan to surround and cool the cold plate . feed of ice through the conduit is automatic , so that the cold plate is continuously surrounded by ice while at the same time is separate from the hopper . thus , there is no contamination of the ice in the hopper and the invention provides all of the advantages associated with prior techniques without any of the disadvantages thereof . referring again to the drawing , in accordance with the present invention a cold plate 42 is in an insulated ice pan 44 . the cold plate , as is conventional , may consist of a cast aluminum plate , and has at least one pair of fluid connections 46 defining an inlet to and an outlet from a length of stainless steel tubing embedded in the plate . in use the cold plate is surrounded by ice and cooled , so that a beverage flowing through the tubing is cooled . one or more drains 48 are provided to carry away water produced by melt down of ice surrounding the cold plate , and the cold plate preferably is pitched toward the drain to facilitate water runoff . the ice pan 44 is provided with an insulated cover or top 50 which defines with the ice pan a chamber or space 52 for storage of ice for cooling the ice plate 42 , and a removable door 54 in the cover enables access to the interior of the structure for cleaning . the upper end of the cover has an opening in communication with one end of an insulated ice feed means or conduit 56 , and an opposite end of the conduit communicates with the interior of the hopper 12 through an opening in a bottom wall of the trough 22 . in operation , movement of ice in the hopper 12 by the agitator 14 facilitates entry of ice into the upper end of the conduit 56 for gravitation therethrough and into the ice pan 44 to fill the space 52 and the interior of the conduit until the level of ice rises to the top of the conduit . when this occurs ice feed to the cold plate automatically stops , and then later automatically continues upon depletion of ice in the ice pan through melt down . thus , the cold plate is automatically maintained covered by ice , which is a necessary condition for proper cooling of fluids passed through the cold plate tubing . it is understood , of course , that means other than the conduit 56 could be used to transfer potable ice from the hopper to the cold plate . for example , instead of the conduit a mechanical type of ice feed could be employed for the transfer of ice from the hopper to the ice pan , such as a screw feed mechanism . of course , in use of a mechanical feed mechanism a separate thermostat would be positioned within the space 52 to detect the level of ice therein to control operation of the mechanism . the invention thus provides all of the advantages of existing cold plate systems with none of the disadvantages thereof . to this end , since the cold plate and the ice pan are remote from and out of contact with potable ice in the hopper , sanitation problems have been eliminated and the ice hopper cannot become contaminated . at the same time , however , ice is automatically maintained about the cold plate without manual intervention , so that there is no possibility for inadequate or failure of cold plate cooling through operator neglect . while embodiments of the invention has been described in detail , various modifications and other embodiments thereof may be devised by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , as defined by the appended claims .	5
before the present invention is described in such detail , it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to particular variations set forth herein as various changes or modifications may be made to the invention described and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation , material , and composition of matter , process , process act ( s ) or step ( s ) to the objective ( s ), spirit or scope of the present invention . all such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the claims made herein . methods recited herein may be carried out in any order of the recited events that is logically possible , as well as the recited order of events . furthermore , where a range of values is provided , it is understood that every intervening value , between the upper and lower limit of that range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range is encompassed within the invention . also , it is contemplated that any optional feature of the inventive variations described may be set forth and claimed independently , or in combination with any one or more of the features described herein . all existing subject matter mentioned herein ( e . g ., publications , patents , patent applications and hardware ) is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety except insofar as the subject matter may conflict with that of the present invention ( in which case what is present herein shall prevail ). the referenced items are provided solely for their disclosure prior to the filing date of the present application . nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the present invention is not entitled to antedate such material by virtue of prior invention . reference to a singular item , includes the possibility that there are plural of the same items present . more specifically , as used herein and in the appended claims , the singular forms “ a ,” “ and ,” “ said ” and “ the ” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . it is further noted that the claims may be drafted to exclude any optional element . as such , this statement is intended to serve as antecedent basis for use of such exclusive terminology as “ solely ,” “ only ” and the like in connection with the recitation of claim elements , or use of a “ negative ” limitation . last , it is to be appreciated that unless defined otherwise , all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs . in accordance with the present invention there is provided a hanger assembly configured to retain / hold and / or display items such as hair - bands , bracelets , necklaces , or similar items . the hanger including a hook having first and second ends , and a bead attached to the second end , defining an upper portion of the hanger . a lower hanger portion , the lower hanger portion including a spiral having first and second ends , the first end of the spiral being coiled around the straight portion of the hook , and second end which is the end of the spiral . referring now to fig1 , there is shown an exemplary embodiment of a hanger assembly in accordance with the present invention . as show in fig1 , the hanger assembly 10 includes hook assembly 40 and a lower spiral assembly 60 , wherein the upper and lower assemblies combined form the entire hanger assembly 10 . the upper assembly 40 includes a hooked portion 20 and a straight portion 30 . a bead 50 is attached to the straight portion 30 . the bead 50 and the straight portion 30 may be attached to one another using mechanical means such as soldering , welding , threading or similar methods or through the use of glues , heat - sealing , or other similar means . the lower assembly includes a coiled portion 25 and a spiral portion 35 . the coiled portion 25 as shown is coiled around the straight portion 30 , in such a way that the lower spiral assembly 60 can turn freely around the axis formed by the straight portion 30 . the bead 50 is attached to the straight portion 30 at the terminus of the straight portion 30 . the bead 50 is attached to the straight portion 30 below the coiled portion 25 . the bead 50 is configured to prevent the lower spiral assembly 60 from slipping off the straight portion 30 . hooked portion 20 and a straight portion 30 may be constructed of materials such as ferrous or non - ferrous metals , ceramics , plastics and other similar methods . additionally , in a preferred embodiment the hook is generally circular in shape , though it is contemplated that other shapes may be substituted without departing from the scope of the invention . upper assembly 40 is configured to receive a fixed support , or additional hanging means such as chain , rope , metal loops , and such . bead 50 may be constructed of materials such as steel , stainless steel , titanium , ceramic , plastic , wood , or other similar materials . referring now to fig2 , there is shown a side view of the hanger assembly 10 in accordance with the present invention . as shown in fig2 , the lower assembly 60 of the hanger is configured to retain objects such as a hair - band , shown in dotted outline . although the hanger of the present invention has been shown and described as being configured to retain items such as hair - bands , it is contemplated that the hanger could be utilized to retain other items . such items could be but not limited to : neckties , necklaces , and belts . it is contemplated that modifications may be made to the lower spiral portion of the hanger to retain items of this type without departing from the scope of the present invention . as various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention , it is intended to that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . the instant invention is shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical , and preferred embodiments . it is recognized , however , that departures may be made there from , which are within the scope of the invention , and that obvious modifications will occur to one skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure .	0
turning now to the drawings and referring to fig1 a telephone system constructed according to the principles of the present invention is shown . in fig1 a control unit 110 controls the overall operation of the telephone system , and includes an interior buffer for temporarily registering a caller identification ( id ) ( i . e ., a caller &# 39 ; s telephone number ) received through a public switched telephone network ( pstn ). control unit 110 also enables the temporarily registered caller identification ( id ) to be transferred and registered in a memory 118 , and controls an operation of searching for a registered caller identification ( id ). a ring detecting unit 112 is connected to the public switched telephone network ( pstn ). the ring detecting unit 112 detects a ring signal received through the public switched telephone network ( pstn ), and transmits the ring signal to control unit 110 . a line signal detecting unit 114 detects the caller identification ( id ) ( i . e ., a caller &# 39 ; s telephone number ) received through the public switched telephone network ( pstn ), and provides the caller identification ( id ) to control unit 110 . a talking circuit unit 116 is connected to the public switched telephone network ( pstn ) through a hook switch ( h / s ), and interfaces various tone signals and vocal signals between a telephone speech network and the public switched telephone network ( pstn ). memory 118 is used to register the caller identifications ( ids ) according to a reception sequence after they are detected by line signal detecting unit 114 . memory 118 also reads selected caller identifications ( ids ), and provides the selected caller identifications ( ids ) to control unit 110 . a transceiver 120 includes a transmitter which converts a user &# 39 ; s vocal signal into an electrical signal for output to talking circuit unit 116 , and a receiver which converts an electrical signal received from talking circuit unit 116 into an audible sound ( i . e ., voice ). a display unit 132 displays the present operating state of the telephone system , and displays the caller identification ( id ) selected during the searching of the caller identifications ( ids ) registered in memory 118 under the control of control unit 110 . a key input unit 124 includes : a search key for searching for caller identifications ( ids ) registered in memory 118 , a start key for automatically dialing the telephone number corresponding to the selected caller identification ( id ), and a stop key for terminating the search of caller identifications ( ids ). key input unit 124 also generates key instructions and data according to a key input , and provides them to control unit 110 . hook switch ( h / s ) having a hook relay connects the public switched telephone network ( pstn ) to talking circuit unit 116 under the control of control unit 110 . fig2 is a waveform diagram of a ring signal containing a caller identification ( id ) received from an office exchange , and fig3 is a memory map in which the caller identification ( id ) is registered according to the principles of the present invention . reference character 3 a of fig3 shows the structure of memory 118 shown in fig1 . memory 118 includes ten data buffers ( call_bank ) in which the detected caller identification ( id ) is automatically registered . each data buffer provides twenty ( 20 ) bytes of data storage capacity . the ten data buffers are operated according to a “ last in first out ” ( lifo ) rule . reference characters 3 b - 1 and 3 b - 2 of fig3 show a preferred embodiment for registering a detected caller identification ( id ) when the detected caller identification ( id ) has not previously been registered in the data buffers ( call_bank ). alternatively , reference characters 3 c - 1 and 3 c - 2 of fig3 show a preferred embodiment for registering a detected caller identification ( id ) when the detected caller identification ( id ) has previously been registered in the data buffers ( call_bank ). fig4 is a flow chart of steps for registering a received caller identification ( id ) according to the principles of the present invention . briefly , the flow chart of fig4 includes the steps of : detecting a caller identification ( id ) received during an incoming call , temporarily storing the detected caller identification ( id ) in an inner buffer of control unit 110 , determining whether the detected caller identification ( id ) has previously been registered in memory 118 , registering the detected caller identification ( id ) in memory 118 after eliminating identical caller identification ( id ) from memory 118 when the detected caller identification ( id ) has previously been registered in memory 118 , and registering the detected caller identification ( id ) as new caller identification ( id ) when the detected caller identification ( id ) has not previously been registered in memory 118 . fig5 is a flow chart of steps for searching for a registered caller identification ( id ) according to the principles of the present invention . briefly , the flow chart of fig5 includes the steps of : sequentially displaying caller identifications ( ids ) in response to successive inputs of the search key , connecting a call by automatically dialing a telephone number corresponding to the displayed caller identification ( id ) when the start key is input , and finishing the search for caller identification ( id ) when the stop key is input . with reference to the appended drawings , the preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail . as shown in fig4 control unit 110 first determines whether a caller identification ( id ) is detected by line signal detecting unit 114 , in step 410 . when a caller identification ( id ) is detected by line signal detecting unit 114 , control unit 110 temporarily stores the detected caller identification ( id ) in the inner buffer , in step 412 . control unit 110 then sets a count variable n to a value of 9 , in step 414 . the count variable n is used for checking the caller identifications ( ids ) registered in the ten buffers ( call_bank [ 0 ]- call_bank [ 9 ]) of memory 118 . next , control unit 110 determines whether the count variable n is greater than or equal to 0 , in step 416 . when the count variable n is greater than or equal to 0 , the caller identification ( id ) temporarily stored in the inner buffer of control unit 110 is compared with the caller identification ( id ) registered in the nth buffer ( call_bank [ n ]) of memory 118 ( see 3 a of fig3 ) to determine whether they are identical , in step 418 . when the caller identifications ( ids ) are different , the count variable n is decremented by one in step 420 , and step 416 is again performed . when the detected caller identification ( id ) has not previously been registered in memory 118 , steps 416 to 420 are repeated until the count variable n is less than 0 . when this condition is detected in step 416 , control unit 110 sets the count variable n to a value of 8 , in step 424 . the count variable n is set to 8 in order to transfer each caller identification ( id ) registered in memory 118 from a present buffer ( call_bank [ n ]) to a next buffer ( call_bank [ n − 1 ]). control unit 110 then determines whether the count variable n is greater than or equal to 0 , in step 426 . when the count variable n is greater than or equal to 0 in step 426 , the caller identification ( id ) registered in the nth buffer of memory 118 ( call_bank [ n ]) is transferred to the next buffer ( call_bank [ n + 1 ]), in step 428 . then , the count variable n is decremented by one in step 430 , and step 426 is again performed . after all of the caller identifications ( ids ) registered in memory 118 have been transferred to the next buffer ( call_bank [ n + 1 ]) through the repetition of steps 428 to 430 , the count variable n will exhibit a value that is less than 0 . when this condition is detected in step 426 , control unit 110 stores the caller identification ( id ) temporarily stored in its inner buffer in the buffer 0 ( call_bank [ 0 ]) in step 432 , and the procedure ends . referring back to fig3 the technique for registering detected caller identification ( id ) when the detected caller identification ( id ) has not previously been registered in memory 118 will now be described using reference characters 3 b - 1 and 3 b - 2 . when a caller identification ( id ) “ a ” is detected under the condition that caller identifications ( ids ) are registered in memory 118 according to the format shown by reference character 3 b - 1 of fig3 control unit 110 temporarily stores caller identification ( id ) “ a ” in its inner buffer having 20 bytes of data storage capacity . control unit 110 then compares caller identification ( id ) “ a ” with each of the caller identifications ( ids ) registered in buffers ( call_bank [ 0 ]- call_bank [ 9 ]) of the memory 118 . since caller identification ( id ) “ a ” has not previously been registered in the buffers ( call_bank [ 0 ]- call_bank [ 9 ]) of memory 118 , caller identification ( id ) “ b ” to caller identification ( id ) “ e ”, which are registered in the buffers ( call_bank [ 0 ]- call_bank [ 8 ]), are transferred and registered as indicated by reference character 3 b - 2 of fig3 . the caller identification ( id ) “ f ” registered in buffer 9 ( call_bank [ 9 ]) of 3 b - 1 is eliminated , and the newly detected caller identification ( id ) “ a ” is registered in buffer 0 ( call_bank [ 0 ]). reference character 3 b - 2 of fig3 represents a map of the buffers ( call_bank [ 0 ]- call_bank [ 9 ]) of memory 118 after the registering steps are completed . alternatively , when a detected caller identification ( id ) has previously been registered in memory 118 , this condition is recognized in step 418 of fig4 and the steps for re - registering the detected caller identification ( id ) in memory 118 will be as follows . control unit 110 decrements the count variable n by one in step 422 . this is performed to eliminate the identical caller identification ( id ) which has already been registered in the nth buffer ( call_bank [ n ]), and transfer the registered caller identification ( id ) to a preceding buffer ( call_bank [ n − 1 ]). after control unit 110 has transferred all of the caller identifications ( ids ) from the buffers n − 1 ( call_bank [ n − 1 ]) to 0 ( call_bank [ 0 ]) through steps 426 to 430 , the count variable n becomes less than 0 , and control unit 110 stores the caller identification ( id ) temporarily stored in its inner buffer in the buffer 0 ( call_bank [ 0 ]), in step 432 . the technique for registering detected caller identification ( id ) when the detected caller identification ( id ) has previously been registered in memory 118 will now be described using reference characters 3 c - 1 and 3 c - 2 of fig3 . when a caller identification ( id ) “ a ” is detected under the condition that caller identifications ( ids ) are registered in memory 118 according to the format shown by reference character 3 c - 1 of fig3 control unit 110 temporarily stores caller identification ( id ) “ a ” in its inner buffer having 20 bytes of data storage capacity . control unit 110 then compares caller identification ( id ) “ a ” with each of the caller identifications ( ids ) registered in buffers ( call_bank [ 0 ]- call_bank [ 9 ]) of the memory 118 . since the caller identification ( id ) “ a ” has already been registered in buffer 2 ( call_bank [ 2 ]) of memory 118 , as indicated by reference character 3 c - 1 of fig3 it is eliminated from buffer 2 ( call_bank [ 2 ]). the caller identification ( id ) “ c ” registered in buffer 1 ( call_bank [ 1 ]) is then transferred to buffer 2 ( call_bank [ 2 ]), as indicated by reference character 3 c - 2 of fig3 . moreover , caller identification ( id ) “ b ” is transferred from buffer 0 ( call_bank [ 0 ]) to buffer 1 ( call_bank [ 1 ]). the new caller identification ( id ) “ a ” temporarily stored in the inner buffer of control unit 110 is registered in buffer 0 ( call_bank [ 0 ]). consequently , reference character 3 b - 2 of fig3 represents a map of the buffers ( call_bank [ 0 ]- call_bank [ 9 ]) of memory 118 after the registering steps are completed . referring now to fig5 a flow chart of steps for searching for a registered caller identification ( id ) according to the principles of the present invention will be described in detail . in step 510 , control unit 110 determines whether any key is input from the key input unit 124 . when any key input from key input unit 124 is detected in step 510 , control unit 110 determines whether the key is the search key , in step 512 . when the key is the search key , the count variable n is set to 0 , in step 514 . the count variable n is set to 0 so that the caller identification ( id ) registered in buffer 0 is output prior to any other caller identifications ( ids ). that is , the count variable n is set to 0 to enable execution of the “ last in first out ” ( lifo ) rule . next , in step 516 , control unit 110 determines whether the count variable n is greater than nine , which represents the last buffer ( call_bank [ 9 ]). when the count variable n is greater than 9 , the count variable n is reset in step 514 . alternatively , when the count variable n is not greater than 9 , control unit 110 enables the caller identification ( id ) registered in buffer n ( call_bank [ n ]) to be displayed through the display unit 122 . since the count variable n was set to 0 in step 514 , the caller identification ( id ) registered in buffer 0 ( call_bank [ 0 ]) is displayed first . while the caller identification ( id ) registered in buffer n ( call_bank [ n ]) is displayed , control unit 110 determines whether any key is input from the key input unit 124 , in step 520 . when a key input from the key input unit 124 is not provided within a predetermined time , this condition is detected in step 532 , and the process ends . alternatively , when a key input from key input unit 124 is provided within the predetermined time , control unit 110 determines whether the key is the search key , in step 522 . when the key is the search key , control unit 110 increments the count variable n by one , in step 524 , and enables display of the caller identification ( id ) registered in the next buffer ( call_bank [ n ]) on the display unit 122 through steps 516 to 518 . on the other hand , when the key is not the search key , but the start key , this condition is detected in step 526 . control unit 110 responds to input of the start key by automatically dialing the telephone number corresponding to the caller identification ( id ) displayed on display unit 122 , in step 528 . alternatively , when the key is the stop key , this condition is detected in step 530 . control unit 110 responds to input of the stop key by ending the process . as described above , the present invention automatically registers a caller identification ( id ) ( i . e ., a caller &# 39 ; s telephone number ) after detecting it from an incoming ring signal . accordingly , it is possible to reduce the annoyance caused by an obscene or threatening call , and a user can know a telephone number received in his absence . moreover , the user can advantageously dial a caller &# 39 ; s telephone number through a simplified process . while there have been illustrated and described what are considered to be preferred embodiments of the present invention , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made , and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the true scope of the present invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation to the teaching of the present invention without departing from the central scope thereof . therefore , it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present invention , but that the present invention includes all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims .	7
referring to fig1 the interconnect 10 is shown in conjunction with the top of a vial 12 and the end of a syringe 14 . in this preferred embodiment , the interconnect 10 is molded from flexible medical grade plastic . other usable materials will be apparent to those skilled in the art . the interconnect has an annular bottom ridge 16 that snap fits over the top flange 18 of the vial 12 . alternatively , the interconnect may have a threaded bottom to mate with the top of a threaded vial . a sleeve 20 at the interconnect top has an interior taper toward the vial to receive and form a granule seal with the syringe 14 . the taper in the sleeve allows the sleeve to receive and form a granule seal with syringe ends of different diameters . thus , the invention will accommodate syringes of different sizes or syringes of the same size with different diameters caused by manufacturing variances . this preferred embodiment uses a sleeve taper of approximately two degrees from the longitudinal axis of the sleeve . other tapers are also effective depending on the length of the sleeve , the range of syringe diameters the sleeve is to accommodate , and the desired seal between the sleeve and the syringe . for example , tapers of twelve degrees will result in a sleeve that will accommodate a large range of syringes , but the sleeve - syringe seal will be compromised . at the other extreme , a zero degree taper will result in an excellent seal , but only for a single syringe diameter . at the bottom of the interconnect 10 is a metering port 22 fitting into the neck of the vial 12 to partially obstruct the flow of material out of the vial and into the syringe . the bottom end 24 of the metering port 22 may be flat or may be bevelled toward the inner or outer surface . a bevel on the inner surface will lessen the flow obstruction and a bevel on the outer surface will increase the flow obstruction . the granules are transferred from the vial 12 to the syringe 14 by snapping the interconnect 10 onto the vial top 12 , inserting the syringe end 14 into the interconnect sleeve 20 , and partially inverting the assembly . when the desired amount of material has been transferred , the tilt angle of the assembly is reduced until the transfer terminates and the syringe end 14 is disengaged from the interconnect sleeve 20 . fig2 and 3 further illustrate the operation of the interconnect 10 for transferring solid granules and , especially , the metering port 22 . fig2 shows the vial - interconnect - syringe assembly without a metering port . as the assembly is inverted to a tilt angle above horizontal , the granules 25 immediately sift along the interconnector and the length of the syringe . the assembly is moved to a horizontal position after the desired amount of granules 25 have been transferred . when the syringe 14 is disengaged from the interconnect sleeve 20 in the horizontal position , some of the granules left in the interconnector 10 and along the length of the syringe near the end of the syringe 14 are likely to spill out . as illustrated in fig3 the metering port avoids spilling upon syringe disengagement . the metering port 22 prevents the granules from dropping into the syringe until a predetermined tilt angle is attained . the angle depends on the bevel of the metering port bottom 24 and the inside diameter of the metering port 22 . the desired tilt angle is the angle which will force the dropping granules 25 to drop to the bottom of the syringe 14 without collecting along the length of the syringe 14 . thus , after the desired amount of granules 25 have been transferred and the tilt angle of the assembly is reduced to terminate transfer , the syringe 14 may be disengaged from the interconnect sleeve 20 with no danger of granules being spilled . it has been found that for dry granules of hydroxylapatite a tilt angle of approximately 60 degrees from horizontal is sufficient to prevent any granules from collecting along the length of the syringe . this angle is achieved with no bevel on either side of the metering port bottom 24 . other types of granules may require other tilt angles to avoid granules collecting along the length of the syringe , and thus other bevels on the metering port bottom 24 or diameters in the metering port 22 . while the drawings illustrate the operation of the apparatus for transferring solid granules , a similar operation with similar advantages is used for liquid transfer . fig4 shows the interconnect cap 26 inserted into the interconnect sleeve 20 . the cap has a stopper 27 with a tapered portion 28 tapering toward the vial at an angle in excess of the taper of the interconnect sleeve 20 . in the preferred embodiment , a taper of approximately three degrees from the stopper longitudinal axis is used . the stopper 27 also includes a shaft 30 at the upper end . the diameter of the shaft 30 matches the diameter of the opening at the top of the sleeve 20 . the cap 26 is positioned by removing the syringe end 14 from the interconnect sleeve 20 , and inserting the stopper tapered portion 28 . the stopper shaft 30 is then pressed into the interconnect sleeve 20 by applying a downward force to the top of the cap 26 until the desired friction fit is attained . the seal between the interconnect 10 and the cap 26 is improved if the stopper 27 is sized so that the bottom edge of the stopper shaft 30 contacts the bottom of the sleeve 20 when the stopper shaft 30 is inserted into the sleeve 20 . the stopper tapered portion 28 permits the cap 26 to be temporarily rested on the interconnect 10 without the step of pressing the stopper shaft 30 into the interconnect sleeve 20 . the taper on the stopper tapered portion 28 helps ensure that its surface does not contact the interconnect sleeve 20 . such contact could distort the interconnect sleeve 20 and thereby prevent the syringe end 14 from fitting properly . in the alternative embodiment for the cap 26 and interconnect 10 shown in fig5 the top of the interconnect 10 has a flange 32 in the same shape and dimensions as the top flange 18 of the vial 12 . a standard rubber stopper 34 used for capping the vial 12 without the interconnect 10 may then be used to cap the interconnect 10 . the straight shaft 36 of the stopper 34 deforms to the shape of the interconnect tapered shaft 20 to provide an airtight seal between the stopper and the interconnect . the stopper 34 may include a crimped metal seal 36 that is crimped around the interconnect flange 32 . in a variation of this alternative embodiment , not shown in the drawings , the interconnect may have a threaded top on the sleeve to mate and seal with a threaded annular surface on the cap . in any of these embodiments , a flexible ring gasket 38 may be compressed between the top of the vial flange 18 and the interconnect 10 to form an airtight seal between the interconnect 10 and the vial 12 . while the invention has been disclosed in connection with the preferred embodiments thereof , it should be understood that certain changes may be made which are within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims :	0
before the figures are discussed in detail , it should be noted that fig1 , 4 , 5 and 11 show a first group of weighing modules according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention , each of which has two symmetrically arranged measuring points . these embodiments can be built directly into a separate track , for example , and can measure the wheel contact force of a wheel . fig6 , and 8 show a second group of exemplary embodiments of weighing modules according to the invention that have at least three measuring points . it is especially simple to arrange any number of such weighing modules in a row . in addition , corresponding reference numbers appearing in the figures refer to components that are identical or function identically . shown in fig1 is a first exemplary embodiment of a weighing module according to the invention for measuring wheel contact forces of rail - borne vehicles . this weighing module comprises essentially the body of a measuring rail 1 , to which are applied a number of strain gauges 2 . the base body of the measuring rail shown can be composed of a construction rail profile of type vo 1 - 54 , for example , although other common or application - specific rail profiles also come into consideration as the base body for a particular measuring rail as a general rule . the measuring section , within which the wheel contact forces of a rail - borne vehicle can be sensed , includes essentially the entire length of the measuring rail 1 shown . the head 7 and the web 8 of the measuring rail have approximately the same width in profile , so that the rail head 7 and the rail web 8 transition smoothly into one another along the rail height . a rail foot 9 is provided at the bottom of the profile . as already mentioned at the outset , other rail profiles also come into consideration . the measuring rail 1 is structured in the region of the rail web 8 and rail foot 9 by means of two slots 10 that pierce the body of the rail profile in its width . starting from a bore 11 that is located at a defined distance from one of the opposite rail ends , each of the two slots extends in the longitudinal direction of the measuring rail , first horizontally toward the center of the rail and , after a defined distance , inclined at an angle toward the rail foot 9 . moreover , a link 6 is defined in each case by this defined distance . a suitable structuring can be accomplished by means of metal - cutting production , for example . a measuring rail 1 structured in such a manner thus forms a load introduction region with a load introduction part 3 , two deformation bodies 4 , and two links 6 . accordingly , the links 6 are located at each end of the measuring rail 1 , so that one of the links 6 connects the load introduction part 3 to one of the two deformation bodies 4 in each case . provided under each of the deformation bodies 4 is a load exit plate 5 with which the measuring rail 1 can be rigidly attached to a substructure 12 , e . g ., a concrete foundation . the load exit plates 5 preferably are rigidly connected to the relevant deformation body 4 , wherein this connection can take place , for example , by means of thermal joining or through a screw connection that is not shown . as a general rule , a unit having a measuring rail 1 and load exit plate 5 can also be produced from a one - piece base body . likewise , the load exit plates 5 can also be part of a rail mount , e . g ., a ribbed plate , so that the rigid connection for rail mounting can be accomplished by means of external clamps . the load introduction part 3 extends in the longitudinal direction over the entire length of the measuring rail 1 and has the full height of the rail profile in the region located between the two deformation bodies 4 , and is supported via the two links 6 on the two deformation bodies 4 and on the load exit plates 5 located thereunder . regardless of the position on the rail head 7 at which the contact force of a wheel is introduced into the load introduction part 3 , the force is always transmitted into the deformation bodies 4 through the links 6 . as a result of the arrangement of the links 6 according to the invention , an exact force transmission is achieved , wherein , in particular , the influence on the two deformation bodies 4 , and hence on the measurement result as well , of changes in length of the load introduction part 3 that can arise in the case of bending due to a high weight loading is reduced . furthermore , the arrangement of the links 6 according to the invention permits the transmission and measurement of tensile forces that arise during driving on the measuring rail 1 . the two deformation bodies 4 are designed such that the shear stresses caused by forces transmitted through the two links into the two deformation bodies 4 can be sensed between the links 6 and the load exit plates 5 located under the rail foot 9 by means of strain gauges 2 . a number of strain gauges are located on each deformation body , with which a complete wheatstone measuring bridge , and thus a measuring point , can be implemented at each deformation body . two strain gauges 2 with two resistance regions each are arranged in each deformation body 4 , as described below . a measuring point is defined in each case by such an arrangement of two strain gauges 2 in each deformation body 4 . as is evident from fig1 , the two links 6 are each arranged at one end of the measuring rail 1 for the purpose of load or force transmission . the load exit plates 5 are offset in the longitudinal direction toward the rail ends , so that an active deformation region is produced in the two deformation bodies 4 in the longitudinal direction between the relevant link 6 and the side of a load exit plate 5 facing the relevant rail end . in order to guarantee an optimal deformation , the rail foot of the rail profile that is shown by way of example has been removed in the regions between the rail ends and deformation bodies 4 . as is also readily evident in fig1 and in particular in fig1 , which shows a cutaway view of another embodiment , the strain gauges 2 that are used for measurement of the shear strains in the deformation bodies 4 preferably are each located in a pocket 13 , which can be introduced laterally into the relevant deformation body 4 , for example in the form of a blind hole . the pockets 13 serve to accommodate the strain gauges 2 , and are each located in the shear strain region of a deformation body 4 . each deformation body can have two pockets 13 separated from one another by a web 19 , as can be seen in fig1 in particular , wherein either two strain gauges , or preferably one strain gauge with two resistance regions , i . e . a double strain gauge , are in turn located in each pocket . moreover , regardless of whether two strain gauges with one resistance region each or one strain gauge with two resistance regions are placed in each pocket , the resistance regions of the strain gauges , which are not shown in detail in the figures , usefully are also oriented at a 45 ° angle to one another within a given pocket 13 of a deformation body 4 , e . g ., as two serpentine regions oriented at a 45 ° angle to one another , so that shear stresses and / or displacement angles can also be calculated from the measured elongations . such an orientation can in general be considerably simplified by the use of suitably prefabricated double strain gauges . the bottom edges of the longitudinal sides of the measuring rail shown in fig1 , as well as the measuring rails shown in fig2 , 5 and 11 , are each provided with a bevel , for example a 45 ° bevel 14 . as is evident in particular from fig2 and 11 , this bevel 14 is suitable for routing electrical connections for contacting the strain gauges located in the pockets 13 . in the installed state , both sides of the measuring rail are abutted by , e . g ., additional measuring rails next to it or , in an alternative , the rails of a relevant track , also called railway tracks , wherein at most a small gap between the measuring rail and railway track is permissible . by means of the bore 15 shown in fig2 and 11 , the electrical connections of the strain gauges can be routed out of the relevant pockets 13 . as a result of the bevel 14 , there is sufficient spacing to an additional , abutting measuring rail — not shown in fig1 , 5 and 11 — or alternative adjacent rail of a track , to lead out a suitable cable . such a sufficient spacing is readily apparent in the row arrangement of a preferred refinement shown in fig4 , for example . fig2 and 11 show such an embodiment of a weighing module according to the invention , wherein fig1 is a cutaway view of the weighing module from fig2 . a measuring rail 16 shown there differs from the measuring rail 1 from fig1 . nonetheless , the measuring rail 16 , like the embodiment described above with reference to fig1 , includes a construction rail profile from whose rail body , in particular in the region of the web 8 , are formed two links 6 , two deformation bodies 4 that each have two pockets 13 for accommodating a number of strain gauges — not shown in detail — to provide one measuring point for each deformation body , and a load introduction part 3 . in contrast to the weighing module shown in fig1 , the measuring rail 16 of the weighing module shown in fig2 and 11 has a connector at each of its two ends , each of which has a groove 17 and a tongue 18 . using the connector shown and a suitably matched spacer 19 , one embodiment of which is shown in fig3 by way of example , multiple measuring rails 16 can be brought into engagement with one another in an extremely simple manner such that a measuring track can be constructed with any desired length , as shown in fig4 , for example . fig3 shows one embodiment of an appropriate spacer 19 , which like the measuring rail 16 preferably is made from a construction profile or full rail profile , wherein a connector of complementary design to the measuring rail 16 having a tongue 32 and groove 31 is provided at its ends . the measuring rail 16 and the spacer 19 thus provide a connecting system with which it is especially easy to assemble a measuring track of any desired length for later installation in an existing track system . the rails of an existing track , which is to say the railway tracks , need only be removed over the length of a desired measuring track and replaced with a number of measuring rails 16 and spacers 19 . as already mentioned , fig4 shows by way of example a measuring track comprising three measuring rails 16 , wherein each pair of measuring rails 16 is connected by a spacer 19 . the measuring track can be terminated at each of the first and last measuring rails with an end piece , not shown in the figures , that ensures an essentially joint - free transition to the railway tracks adjacent thereto . fig5 shows an alternative embodiment of a weighing module according to the invention in which , in contrast to the embodiments described above , a rail profile with no rail foot is used instead of a full rail profile as the base body for the measuring rail 20 employed there . such an embodiment can be used when the material properties of a full rail cannot be employed for measurement reasons , for example . all in all , therefore , fig1 , 4 , 5 and 11 show weighing modules according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention , each of which has two symmetrically arranged measuring points , wherein these embodiments can be placed , e . g ., directly in a separated track to ascertain the wheel contact force of a wheel . as a result of specially designed connectors that are secured between at least two weighing modules , measuring sections of any desired length can be constructed , for example measuring sections as in fig4 using connectors as in fig3 for weighing modules as in fig2 . however , in the case of relatively low maximum wheel loads , including in the case of streetcars for example , the connectors themselves can also be elongated in such a manner that one can construct a measuring section of equal length with fewer measuring points . furthermore , using weighing modules with symmetrically arranged measuring points , it is possible to ascertain positions of a wheel on a relevant weighing module , and thus to ascertain axle bases as well . fig6 shows another embodiment of the invention . for example , the measuring rail 21 shown there can be produced from a profile without a rail foot as shown , and comprises a load introduction region made up of at least three load introduction parts 22 , 23 , 24 , wherein the at least three load introduction parts 22 , 23 , 24 as a whole are connected by an equal number of links 6 to an equal number of deformation bodies 25 , 26 , 27 . in this design , all deformation bodies extend in the same direction and are consequently aligned with one another so that in each case an outside load introduction part 24 is supported only on one deformation body 27 . in the example shown , the measuring rail 21 has three load introduction parts 22 , 23 , 24 , three links 6 , and three deformation bodies 25 , 26 , 27 , each of which again has two pockets for accommodating strain gauges . such a measuring rail thus defines three measuring points . the measuring rail 21 can be made from the base body of a rail profile or any other semifinished product , for example by metal - cutting methods , wherein the load exit plates 5 can likewise constitute a one - piece unit with the deformation bodies 25 , 26 , 27 . the ends of the measuring rail 21 have a seat surface 28 and connecting surface 29 , which are shaped such that a number of individual measuring rails can be arranged in a row and brought into engagement with one another so that measuring tracks with a specific required or desired length can be assembled . a corresponding measuring track with three measuring rails 21 , 21 a and 21 b is shown by way of example in fig7 . in a manner similar to the preceding embodiments , suitably matched end pieces that ensure an essentially joint - free transition to the railway tracks adjacent thereto can be provided for terminating the measuring track . a suitably terminated measuring track with three measuring rails 21 , 21 a and 21 b as in fig7 is shown in fig8 by way of example . each load introduction region of each measuring rail 21 , 21 a or 21 b forms three load introduction parts 22 , 23 , 24 , wherein in each case only two load introduction parts 22 and 23 of each measuring rail are supported on two adjoining deformation bodies of the same measuring rail . as is evident from fig7 and 8 , one outer load introduction part 24 of each measuring rail 21 , 21 a , and 21 b , which in fig7 is always the right - hand load introduction part , is supported on the one hand on the deformation body 27 of the same measuring rail 21 , 21 a or 21 b , while the opposite side of the load introduction part 24 of the measuring rail 21 is supported via the connecting surface 29 of the measuring rail 21 on the seat surface 28 and deformation body 25 of the measuring rail 21 a . in a corresponding manner , the opposite side of the load introduction part 24 of the measuring rail 21 a is supported via the connecting surface 29 of the measuring rail 21 a on the seat surface 28 and deformation body 25 of the measuring rail 21 b . accordingly , support for the load introduction part 24 of the measuring rail 21 b is provided by the connecting surface 29 of the same measuring rail 21 b , wherein preferably a suitably adapted end piece or terminating piece 31 , such as can be seen in fig8 , can be provided . the end piece or terminating piece 31 used in fig8 is shown enlarged in fig9 . such a piece is further adapted to substantially simultaneously allow a transition to a railway track , not shown in fig7 and 8 , adjoining the end of the measuring track . in the simplest case , this can be accomplished by means of a flat terminating surface 31 b , as can be seen in fig9 . an appropriately adapted end piece or terminating piece 30 , such as can be seen in fig8 , can be provided for the seat surface 28 of the measuring rail 21 located at the opposite end of the measuring track . the end piece or terminating piece 30 used in fig8 is shown enlarged in fig1 . such a piece is suitably further adapted to simultaneously allow a transition to a railway track , not shown in fig7 and 8 , adjoining this end of the measuring track . in the simplest case , this can in turn be accomplished by means of a flat terminating surface 30 b , as can be seen in fig1 . thus , once again the wheel contact force can generally be introduced by one load introduction part into two deformation bodies through two links in each case , regardless of the position that a wheel being tested assumes on the measuring rail , and in addition the tensile forces that arise during driving are transmitted to the deformation bodies and consequently are sensed by the strain gauges . the embodiments of weighing modules according to the invention shown in fig7 and 8 thus each have at least three measuring points . any desired number of such weighing modules can be arranged in a row . only the beginning and end pieces , which is to say the transitions to the normal track , need to be implemented in an appropriately adapted manner , for example as shown in fig9 and 10 . the spacing from support point to support point remains constant and can be adapted to the requirements ( e . g ., sleeper spacing ). the invention being thus described , it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention , and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims .	6
referring to fig1 and 2 , the transducer 10 is formed by an outer shell 12 , which can be of metal or plastic . the shell 12 is illustratively shown as cylindrical in shape but any other shape can be used , such as rectangular or part cylindrical and part rectangular or any other suitable desired shape . the rear end of the shell 12 is illustratively shown as having threads 14 to mount the transducer to a corresponding threaded member . of course , the shell can have no or any conventional type of mounting , such as a strap or clamp , suitable for the application in which the transducer is being used . alternatively , the transducer can be hand held or mounted on an adjustable fixture . if desired , the shell can be omitted . within shell 12 is a body 16 of a suitable material such as epoxy , whose shape conforms to the shell interior . if the shell is omitted the body can de formed with threads or have a slot through which a mounting strap can pass . a bore 18 , illustratively of a cylindrical shape , is formed part way into the body 16 from its front end with the bore front end being closed by a window 19 that has an opening 21 . the window 19 can be formed in the last step of making the transducer and can be a disk of plastic , epoxy or teflon attached by an adhesive . alternatively , a separate window can be omitted and the end of the body form the transducer front end . a sealed capsule 30 of a flexible material , such as neoprene rubber , latex , ge 636 blue rubber , or similar material that is flexible and deformable , is held within the bore 18 . a suitable element to form the capsule is a rubber boot available from allied electronics of bristol pa . under part number 860 - 4480 . any suitable rubber or member of deformable plastic material can be used . the wall thickness depends on a variety of factors , such as the type of material , transmission fluid used with it and the power applied to the transducer . the capsule 30 has an inner wall and an outer wall with a head portion 32 that extends forward of the body front end window 19 . the sealed capsule 30 is shaped in the form of a hollow tube with the head 32 that extends from the body window in the shape of a dome , i . e ., rounded . the rear part of the capsule 30 within the body bore 18 has a cylindrical or other suitable shape blind bore 34 that terminates at the capsule inner wall . the interior of the sealed capsule 30 is filled with a liquid 33 that can transmit ultrasonic energy , preferably with as low a loss as possible . a suitable liquid is dow corning 710 r fluid . any other suitable equivalent type liquid or oil can be used . a tubular internal housing 38 , preferably of a metal such as stainless steel , has a front portion located in the capsule blind bore 34 and a rear portion that extends into the body bore 18 . the body bore 18 is filled with a flexible epoxy material 25 , such as emerson & amp ; cumming , cryogenic epoxy , 26 s . this holds the capsule 30 and internal housing 38 in place in the body 16 and affords sufficient expandability to accommodate for expansion and contraction of capsule 30 . a first window 41 of a material , such as teflon , through which ultrasonic energy can pass is attached to the front end of the internal housing 38 . preferably , the entire front surface of the first window 41 is in firm contact with the inner wall of the flexible capsule 30 . a second window 43 , such as of epoxy , is in back of and in firm contact with the back surface of the first window 41 . the first an second windows can be of any suitable shape , such as circular . a piezo - electric element 45 , such as of pzt , is mounted on the back surface of the second window 43 . the piezo - electric element 45 can be of any shape , such as square , rectangular , or round and it is mounted to the rear surface of the second window 43 by a suitable adhesive . the piezo - electric element 45 has a pair of electrodes , as is conventional . each one of a pair of lead wires 47 in the internal housing 38 has its end connected to an electrode of the piezo - electric element 45 . the interior of the internal housing 38 is filled with a rubber material 39 , which can be of the same type as that forming the capsule 30 , and the wires 47 are held by this material . the portion of the wires 47 extending from the internal housing 38 are embedded in the rear portion of the epoxy body 16 . if desired , an impedance matching element or elements 49 , such as a resistor and / or capacitor , can be connected across the wires 47 . while the impedance matching elements 49 are shown within the internal housing 38 , they also can be within the body bore 18 . the wires 47 in the internal housing 38 are the terminal ends of a coaxial cable 50 whose other end is connected to an electronic circuit 51 that powers the transducer . the circuit 51 can be that of an ultrasonic liquid level sensor or flow meter and operate at any suitable frequency , such for example , 250 khz to 5 mhz . the circuit 51 provides the ultrasonic energy to the piezo - electric element 45 for transmission and receives energy that is reflected back to the piezo - electric element . such circuits are well known in the art and the transducer 10 can be used with any compatible circuit . a process for making the transducer 10 follows . first , the piezo - electric crystal element 45 is selected for the required operating frequency , which can illustratively be from 250 khz - 5 mhz . electrodes are plated on the crystal and the ends of the two wires 47 are attached . a layer of epoxy , which forms the second window 43 , has one surface affixed to the front surface of the crystal element and the other surface to the first window 41 . the assembly of the crystal , windows and wires is inserted into the internal housing 38 and the impedance matching element ( s ) 49 connected . the interior of the internal housing 38 is then filled with the material 39 to provide a secure mounting and this assembly is inserted into the capsule central blind bore 34 . the interior of the capsule 30 is then filled with the transmission liquid 33 , such as by use of a hypodermic needle , and the hole for the needle is sealed . the rigid body 16 is formed and the shell 12 , if used , is mounted onto the body 16 . the assembly of the capsule 30 and interior housing are held in the body bore 18 while it is filled with the flexible epoxy 25 . in the use of the transducer 10 , the capsule head 32 is brought into contact with the outside surface of the wall of the article containing the liquid to be sensed . when contact is made , the head 32 deforms against the article wall . a coupling is effected that permits the transmission and reception of ultrasonic energy between the piezo - electric element 45 and the article wall . the time of contact of the capsule head 32 with the article wall needed depends on the type of article , wall thickness and timing of signals produced by the circuit 51 . as described in the aforesaid u . s . pat . no . 4 , 630 , 245 , the ultrasonic energy transmitted by the transducer piezo - electric element 45 is coupled to the wall defining the article and passes into the article interior . if there is a liquid present in the article at the level of the point of entry of the ultrasonic energy , the energy travels to the article opposing wall , is reflected and passes back through the wall at the point of energy entry back to the transducer piezo - electric element where it is received and transmitted to the circuit 51 receiver for detection and production of any desired signal , such as an alarm . if there is no liquid in the article at the point of entry of the ultrasonic energy , the energy dissipates in the empty space ( air ) and is not reflected by the article opposing wall for detection . in a flow meter type application , the ultrasonic energy enters the article wall and its return is modified by the flow rate of the liquid in the article . the transducer 10 of the intention is used in conventional applications , such as measuring liquid level in a vessel from a vessel side wall , point level sensing , or from the bottom of the vessel in a “ bottom up ” continuous measurement application that determines the height of the liquid in the vessel . it can also be used in an assembly line type operation to contact the wall of vessels , such as bottles , sequentially moving past the transducer . one or more of the transducers can be placed on the outer wall of a pipe to sense the flow rate of a liquid within the pipe . it also can be mounted in a portable hand held device for liquid level or flow rate measurement . specific features of the invention are shown in one or more of the drawings for convenience only , as each feature may be combined with other features in accordance with the invention . alternative embodiments will be recognized by those skilled in the art and are intended to be included within the scope of the claims . accordingly , the above description should be construed as illustrating and not limiting the scope of the invention . all such obvious changes and modifications are within the patented scope of the appended claims .	6
reference is now made to the figures wherein is illustrated ring shaped intervertebral cage ( 1 ), designed to be inserted in the intervertebral space ( e ) to be treated between two contiguous vertebrae , and to be received into an interior cavity ( 10 , fig2 ) a bony material acting as a graft , or any structure that can act as a bony substitute or be “ assembled ” by a growth of bony material . the cavity of the intervertebral cage can thus be filled before or after it is positioned in the intervertebral space . according to some applications , the device includes a single intervertebral cage ( 1 , fig1 and 2 ), for example to carry out arthrodesis between two cervical vertebrae . it is to be understood that for other applications , the device can include two intervertebral cages ( not represented ), for example , to carry out arthrodesis between two lumbar vertebrae during positioning by the posterior route . according to the applications , an intervertebral cage according to the invention may be made in the shape of a closed ring ( 1 , fig3 a ) or in the form of a ring opened on one side ( not represented ). in one embodiment represented in fig1 and 2 , the invention comprises a fixation device enabling its anchoring in the plate ( vo ) of a vertebra ( v ) within the intervertebral space ( e ) to be treated . this fixation device is formed from two anchoring pins ( 21 , 22 ), with approximately parallel axes and connected by a small rod ( 23 ). these anchoring pins are introduced into two drillings ( 121 , 122 ) made in a thinned down part of the intervertebral cage , then are impacted , that is pushed in with force , into the bony material forming the plate of one of the two vertebrae surrounding the intervertebral space to be treated . in one embodiment , the thinned down part of the cage forms a small flat rod ( 12 ) that abuts small flat rod ( 23 ), connecting the two anchoring pins ( 21 , 22 ) when the latter are impacted in face ( vo ) of a vertebra ( v ). the thickness of the small rod ( 23 ) connecting the anchoring pins and the small rod ( 12 ) formed by a thinning of the intervertebral cage ( 1 ) are such that the superimposition of the two small rods ( 12 , 23 ) after impacting is no higher along the axis of the spine than the rest of the intervertebral cage ( 1 ). in one embodiment represented in fig3 b the length of the anchoring pins ( 21 , 22 ) and the thickness of the small rod ( 23 ) connecting them are determined so that the sum of these two dimensions forming the height of the fixation device in this embodiment is no greater than the height along the axis of the spine of the rest of the intervertebral cage ( 1 ). thus , it is possible to introduce into this intervertebral space an intervertebral cage already provided with anchoring pins , the latter then only having been impacted into the face ( vo ) of a vertebra ( v ), for example with the aid of a spreader , a distractor or another tool of known type . in one embodiment represented in fig3 c , the fixation device , enabling the device to be anchored in the face ( vo ) of a vertebra ( v ) within the intervertebral space ( e ) to be treated , is constituted of an anchoring tongue including legs ( 51 , 52 ) having intersecting edges forming a “ v ” are connected by a small rod ( 53 ). legs ( 51 , 52 ) are introduced between a thinned down part of the intervertebral cage formed by a small rod ( 62 ) and two lugs ( only one , 54 , is represented on fig3 c ) formed on the device and symmetrically disposed in relation to the device axis . the “ v ” shaped tongue includes legs ( 51 , 52 ) is then forced into place similarly to the device provided with pins ( 21 , 22 ). legs ( 51 , 52 ) are forced into place in face vo of vertebra v so the small flat rod ( 53 ), connecting the anchoring legs ( 51 , 52 ) abuts small flat rod ( 62 ). the diameters of the small rod ( 53 ) connecting the anchoring tongues and the small rod ( 62 ) formed by a thinning of the intervertebral cage ( 1 ) are such that the superimposition of the two small rods ( 62 , 53 ) after legs ( 51 , 52 ) are forced into face ( vo ) is no higher along the axis of the spine than the rest of the intervertebral cage ( 1 ). in one embodiment ( not shown ), the device according to the invention comprises two intervertebral cages . each of the two cages is formed from an open ring having at least one part having a reduced height along the axis of the spinal cord . in one embodiment , at least one of the cages is in the shape of a “ u ” or “ c ” ( not shown ). each cage includes at its end a small rod from one part having a reduced height along the axis of the spine . these small rods are crossed by at least one bore or opening having an axis approximately perpendicular to the face ( vo ) of the vertebra ( v ) with which they are in contact . in one embodiment , two intervertebral cages are arranged in the intervertebral space with their openings facing each other . at least one fixation device including two anchoring pins with parallel axes connected by a small rod is introduced into the bore of each of the two small rods with ends facing each other . the anchoring pins are then forced into the face of the vertebra and inserted into the bores of the small rods of the intervertebral cages to help to keep said cages immovable . in one embodiment , an intervertebral cage ( 1 ) used in a device according to the invention has at least one undulating surface ( 11 ) in contact with the vertebrae ; in one example , the undulating contact surface ( 11 ) has a saw tooth shape as illustrated in fig3 c . under the pressure exerted by the vertebrae surrounding the treated intervertebral space ( e ), the undulating surface ( 11 ) supports the surface of faces ( vo ) of these same vertebrae to limit the risks of displacement of the intervertebral cage . in one embodiment , represented in fig1 and 4b , a fixation device comprises a plate called top hemiplate ( 32 ) united with the small rod ( 23 ) connecting the anchoring pins ( 21 , 22 ) to each other . hemiplate ( 32 ) extends outside the intervertebral space ( e ) to be treated and is coupled to the exterior surface of the vertebra opposite the vertebra receiving the anchoring pins . this top hemiplate ( 32 ) includes at least one bore or opening ( 321 ) which receives a bone anchoring screw ( 4 ) of a known type . screw ( 4 ) is fixed in the body of the vertebra and inserted in the face ( vo ) to prevent any migration of the intervertebral cage ( 1 ) within or outside the treated intervertebral space ( e ). top hemiplate ( 32 ) also comprises an opening ( 320 ) enabling introduction of the graft into the cage ( 1 ) after the cage is positioned in the intervertebral space . the part of the piece connecting the small rod ( 23 ) and the top hemiplate ( 32 ) has an “ l ” shape . in one embodiment represented in fig4 a , a plate called bottom hemiplate ( 31 ), is fixed in the same way to the vertebra receiving the anchoring pins . the part of the piece connecting the small rod ( 23 ) and the bottom hemiplate ( 31 ) has an “ l ” shape . in one embodiment represented in fig5 a , a fixation device comprises a plate called complete plate ( 33 ) that is integral with the small rod ( 23 ) connecting the anchoring pins ( 21 , 22 ) to each other . plate ( 33 ) extends to the exterior of the intervertebral space ( e ) to be treated and is coupled to the exterior surface of these two vertebrae surrounding the intervertebral space ( e ) to be treated . the part of the piece connecting the small rod ( 23 ) and the complete plate ( 33 ) has a “ t ” shape . complete plate ( 33 ) includes at least two bores ( 331 , 332 ), each of which receives a bone anchoring screw ( 4 ) of a known type . screw ( 4 ) is fixed in the body of the corresponding vertebra and inserted in the plate ( 33 ) to prevent any migration of the intervertebral cage ( 1 ) within or outside the treated intervertebral space ( e ). this complete plate ( 33 ) also comprises an opening ( 330 ) enabling introduction of the graft into the cage ( 1 ) after the cage is placed in the intervertebral space . in one embodiment represented in fig1 b , 5a and 5b , a fixation device comprises a plate called complete plate ( 33 ) united with the small rod ( 23 ). small rod ( 23 ) includes two locking studs ( 24 , 25 ) perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of rod ( 23 ). studs ( 24 , 25 ) are housed in the two bores ( 121 , 122 ) of the intervertebral cage ( 1 ). this complete plate ( 33 ) extends outside the intervertebral space ( e ) to be treated and is coupled to the exterior surface of the two vertebrae surrounding the intervertebral space ( e ) to be treated . the use of locking studs ( 24 , 25 ) rather than pins makes it possible to use a softer material that is forced into the face of the vertebra , but on the other hand has the advantage of being transparent during radiography . the part of the piece connecting the small rod ( 23 ) and the complete plate ( 33 ) has a “ t ” shape in its section along a plane containing the axis of the spine . this complete plate ( 33 ) includes at least two bores ( 331 , 332 ) each of which receives a bone anchoring screw ( 4 ) of a known type . screw ( 4 ) is fixed in the body of the corresponding vertebra and inserted into the face of the vertebra to prevent migration of the intervertebral cage ( 1 ) within or outside the treated intervertebral space ( e ). in the embodiment illustrated in fig3 a and 5a , each of the two opposite ends of the small rod ( 23 ) connecting the locking studs and the complete plate ( 33 ) has a rounded protuberance contacting the walls of the intervertebral cage ( 1 ). the rounded protuberances are clipped by elastic deformation in a housing ( 13 ) arranged in the wall opposite the intervertebral cage ( 1 ). the clipping of the protuberances ( 233 ) in the housings ( 13 ) makes it possible to maintain the cage ( 1 ) and the plate ( 33 ) together during positioning of the unit or after positioning . in one embodiment , to prevent the anchoring screws from loosening , for example under the effect of the movements of the spine , the bores in plate ( 33 ) that receive the screws in a plane parallel to the plate ( 33 ) have a section slightly lower than the interior of the plate at the level of their opening on the surface opposite the vertebra ; the surface opposite the vertebrae is called an external surface area . the heads of the screws have a part of a section greater than that of the external opening of the bore . thus , once the screw has been screwed to where the large part of the head of the screw has penetrated the interior of the bore under force , the elasticity of the material forming the plate retains the screw head within the bore , limiting the risks of later loosening . this complete plate ( 33 ) also comprises an opening ( 330 ) enabling introduction of the graft into the cage ( 1 ) after positioning of the cage in the intervertebral space . in one embodiment the plate ( 31 , 32 , 33 ) of the fixation device includes at least one bore ( 311 , 321 , 331 , 332 ) for receiving a bone anchoring screw ( 4 ) which is located in a position shifted relative to a plane containing the axis of the spine . thus , it is possible to treat two adjacent intervertebral spaces by using fixation plates and by positioning these plates in staggered rows . the shifted position of the bores in the plates enables the plates to be fixed in place by different screws located on the same vertebra and at the same height along the axis of the spine . in one embodiment , all or part of the device according to the invention is made from a radiotransparent material , for example from peek , which makes it possible to monitor the development of bony tissues within the cage by radiography . in spite of that , for verification that the elements of the device are not displaced , it is possible to fix one or more of the elements with a radio marker containing , for example , a small piece of non - radiotransparent material . therefore , according to the applications it is possible to position an intervertebral cage ( 1 ) in different ways , simply by using one type or another of fixation device . the same intervertebral cage ( 1 ) can , for example , be positioned : or provided with a fixation device with pins ( 21 , 22 , 23 ), or provided with a fixation device with pins and a top ( 32 ) or bottom ( 33 ) hemiplate , or provided with a fixation device with pins and with a complete plate ( 33 ), or provided with a top ( 32 ) or bottom ( 31 ) hemiplate added by locking studs ( 24 , 25 ), or provided with a complete plate ( 33 ) added by locking studs ( 24 , 25 ). such modularity makes it possible for the surgeon to choose the type of fixation during the surgery and according to the anatomic conditions he encounters , by having at his disposal a reduced number of components among which to choose . the fixation device that includes pins or a plate or both , can be later removed ( for example during a new surgery ) without significant destruction of the arthrodesis . in fact , this device may no longer be necessary after reinforcement of the arthrodesis , although providing discomfort , either for the patient or for similar treatment of an adjacent intervertebral space . it must be obvious for persons skilled in the art that the present invention makes possible embodiments under numerous other specific forms without leaving the field of application of the invention as claimed . as a result , the present embodiments must be considered as illustration , but may be modified in the field defined by the scope of the fixed claims , and the invention must not be limited by the details given above .	0
the 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionic acid ester derivative used in the present invention is represented by formula ( i ) given above . examples of this compound include methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate , ethyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate , butyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate , methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl - 3 - methyl ) propionate , methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl - 5 - methyl ) propionate , propyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl - 4 - ethyl ) propionate , propyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl - 3 , 4 - diethyl ) propionate , propyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl - 3 , 4 - dimethyl ) propionate , methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl - 3 , 5 - diethyl ) propionate , methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl - 3 - ethyl - 6 - methyl ) propionate , and the like , but the compound of formula ( i ) is not limited to these examples . the catalyst used in the present invention is a heterogeneous metal catalyst which comprises palladium supported on a carrier , or comprises palladium and either of chromium oxide and chromium hydroxide all of which are supported on a carrier . the carrier preferably is at least one member selected from the group consisting of compounds of group iia , iiia , and iva elements of the periodic table , such as carbon , alumina , silica gel , barium sulfate , and the others . these catalysts may be prepared by known methods , for example , by the impregnation - fixation technique as described , e . g ., in shokubai jikken manual ( catalyst experiment manual ), edited by shokubai gakkai , published by maki shoten , japan , in which a carrier is impregnated with a metal compound and the resulting carrier is subjected to hydrogen reduction at a high temperature . however , a commercially available catalyst may also be used as it is . the amount of the catalyst used for the ring formation and dehydrogenation reaction is generally about from 0 . 1 to 5 % by weight , preferably about from 0 . 3 to 2 % by weight , based on the amount of the 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionic acid ester derivative , since too small an amount of the catalyst results in very low reactivity , whereas too large an amount thereof results not only in an increased amount of by - products because of too high reactivity , but also in an increased cost . in the case of using the catalyst comprising palladium and either of chromium oxide and chromium hydroxide all of which are supported on a carrier , the amount of the chromium oxide or chromium hydroxide is generally about from 1 to 20 % by weight , preferably about from 5 to 15 % by weight , based on the amount of the palladium . along with the palladium - based catalyst described above , at least one of magnesium trisilicate , zirconia , metallic chromium , and metallic tungsten may be used as a promoter for practicing the ring formation and dehydrogenation reaction . as this promoter , a commercially available promoter may be used as it is without any treatment . the amount of the promoter used is generally about from 0 . 01 to 3 % by weight , preferably about from 0 . 05 to 2 % by weight , based on the amount of the 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionic acid ester derivative . the ring formation and dehydrogenation reaction of the 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionic acid ester derivative may be conducted generally at about from 100 ° to 350 ° c ., preferably at about from 230 ° to 280 ° c . temperatures outside the above range are not preferred because too low a temperature results in low reactivity , while a temperature exceeding about 350 ° c . tends to cause the starting material and / or the product to decompose . a solvent may be used in performing the ring formation and dehydrogenation reaction . examples of the solvent include phenyl ether , benzyl ether , methyl α - naphthyl ether , ethylnaphthalene , dimethylbiphenyl , dodecane , tetradecane , tetralin , acetophenone , phenyl propyl ketone , methyl benzoate , dimethyl glutamate , and the like . the amount of the solvent is generally from about 0 . 5 to about 10 times , preferably from about 1 to about 7 times , the amount of the 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoly ) propionic acid derivative . the ring formation and dehydrogenation reaction can be carried out by introducing the 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionic acid ester derivative and either the catalyst or both the catalyst and the promoter , and then heating the resulting mixture , along with a solvent if required , at a predetermined temperature generally for about 5 hours to about 50 hours . the reaction is generally carried out in an inert gas atmosphere under ordinary pressure . as a result , 3 , 4 - dihydrocoumarin derivative is obtained in a yield of about from 30 to 45 %, and coumarin derivative is obtained in a yield of about from 30 to 40 %. besides these compounds , o - ethylphenols , methyl dihydrocinnamic acid esters , octahydrocoumarins , etc . result as by - products . according to the process of the present invention , coumarin derivatives can be produced in higher yields as compared with conventional processes . the present invention will be explained in more detail by reference to the following examples , which should not be construed to be limiting the scope of the invention . unless otherwise indicated , all parts , percents , etc . are by weight . in a four - necked flask , 200 g of methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate was mixed with 2 . 0 g of a catalyst consisting of active carbon and 5 % by weight of palladium supported thereon and with 0 . 2 g of magnesium trisilicate as a promoter . the resulting mixture in the flask was heated at 240 ° c . for 10 hours with stirring at 300 rpm in a nitrogen atmosphere . thereafter , the mixture was heated to 260 ° c . and maintained at this temperature for 5 hours , and was then heated to 270 ° c . and maintained at this temperature for 15 hours . after completion of the reaction , the resulting reaction mixture was filtered to remove the catalyst and promoter , and then analyzed by gas chromatography . as a result , it was found that the conversion of the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate was 99 . 8 % and the yields of coumarin and 3 , 4 - dihydrocoumarin based on the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate were 28 . 7 % and 36 . 6 %, respectively . in a four - necked flask , 300 g of methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate was mixed with 3 . 0 g of a catalyst consisting of active carbon and 5 % by weight of palladium supported thereon and with 0 . 3 g of zirconia as a promoter . the resulting mixture in the flask was heated at 240 ° c . for 10 hours with stirring at 300 rpm in a nitrogen atmosphere . thereafter , the mixture was heated to 260 ° c . and maintained at this temperature for 5 hours , and was then heated to 270 ° c . and maintained at this temperature for 15 hours . analysis of the resulting reaction mixture by gas chromatography revealed that the conversion of the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate was 99 . 7 % and the yields of coumarin and 3 , 4 - dihydrocoumarin based on the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate were 28 . 0 % and 40 . 6 %, respectively . the same procedures as in example 2 were repeated except that the catalyst of example 2 was replaced by 3 . 0 g of a catalyst consisting of active carbon and 5 % by weight of palladium and 0 . 5 % by weight of chromium hydroxide both supported on the active carbon , and the promoter was not used . analysis of the resulting reaction mixture by gas chromatography revealed that the conversion of the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate was 99 . 5 % and the yields of coumarin and 3 , 4 - dihydrocoumarin based on the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate were 28 . 7 % and 42 . 1 %, respectively . the same procedures as in example 2 were repeated except that the catalyst of example 2 was replaced by 3 . 0 g of a catalyst consisting of active carbon and 5 % by weight of palladium and 0 . 5 % by weight of chromium hydroxide both supported on the active carbon , and the promoter was replaced by 0 . 3 g of a fine powder of metallic chromium and 0 . 6 g of zirconia . analysis of the resulting reaction mixture by gas chromatography revealed that the conversion of the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate was 99 . 9 % and the yields of coumarin and 3 , 4 - dihydrocoumarin based on the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate were 33 . 9 % and 40 . 9 %, respectively . in a four - necked flask , 300 g of methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate was mixed with 3 . 0 g of a catalyst consisting of active carbon and 5 % by weight of palladium supported thereon and with 0 . 3 g of a fine powder of metallic chromium as a promoter . the resulting mixture in the flask was heated at 240 ° c . for 10 hours with stirring at 300 rpm in a nitrogen atmosphere . thereafter , the mixture was heated to 255 ° c . and maintained at this temperature for 1 hour , and was then heated to 270 ° c . and maintained at this temperature for 15 hours . analysis of the resulting reaction mixture by gas chromatography revealed that the conversion of the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate was 99 . 4 % and the yields of coumarin and 3 , 4 - dihydrocoumarin based on the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate were 29 . 2 % and 40 . 3 %, respectively . the same procedures as in example 2 were repeated except that the promoter of example 2 was replaced by 0 . 3 g of a fine powder of metallic chromium and 0 . 6 g of zirconia . analysis of the resulting reaction mixture by gas chromatography revealed that the conversion of the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate was 99 . 7 % and the yields of coumarin and 3 , 4 - dihydrocoumarin based on the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate were 30 . 3 % and 35 . 6 %, respectively . the same procedures as in example 2 were repeated except that the promoter of example 2 was replaced by 0 . 3 g of a fine powder of metallic tungsten . analysis of the resulting reaction mixture by gas chromatography revealed that the conversion of the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate was 99 . 6 % and the yields of coumarin and 3 , 4 - dihydrocoumarin based on the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate were 32 . 3 % and 27 . 6 %, respectively . the same procedures as in example 2 were repeated except that the 0 . 3 g of zirconia was not used . analysis of the resulting reaction mixture by gas chromatography revealed that the conversion of the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate was 99 . 7 % and the yields of coumarin and 3 , 4 - dihydrocoumarin based on the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate were 19 . 2 % and 47 . 2 %, respectively . the same procedures as in example 2 were repeated except that the promoter of example 2 was replaced by 0 . 3 g of barium sulfate . analysis of the resulting reaction mixture by gas chromatography revealed that the conversion of the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate was 99 . 6 % and the yields of coumarin and 3 , 4 - dihydrocoumarin based on the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate were 28 . 0 % and 37 . 3 %, respectively . the same procedures as in example 2 were repeated except that the promoter of example 2 was replaced by 0 . 3 g of a fine powder of metallic molybdenum . analysis of the resulting reaction mixture by gas chromatography revealed that the conversion of the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate was 99 . 0 % and the yields of coumarin and 3 , 4 - dihydrocoumarin based on the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate were 21 . 2 % and 29 . 2 %, respectively . the same procedures as in example 2 were repeated except that the promoter of example 2 was replaced by 0 . 3 g of tungsten trioxide . analysis of the resulting reaction mixture by gas chromatography revealed that the conversion of the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate was 99 . 2 % and the yields of coumarin and 3 , 4 - dihydrocoumarin based on the methyl 3 -( 2 - cyclohexanoyl ) propionate were 23 . 1 % and 38 . 4 %, respectively . while the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof .	2
1 ) intimately mix together the starting materials in the correct stoichiometric ratio and press into a pellet . 2 ) heat the resulting mixture in a furnace under an inert atmosphere , at a furnace temperature of between 300 ° c . and 800 ° c . until reaction product forms . 3 ) allow the product to cool before grinding it to a powder . the desired target reaction product is obtainable irrespective of the order in which the starting materials are mixed together . however , if a high - energy mixing process is used , then certain advantages may be obtained if the starting materials minus the elemental phosphorus are mixed with high energy first , before adding elemental phosphorus and mixing using a less vigorous mixing process . the starting materials and reaction conditions used in examples 1 to 12 are summarised in table 1 below : analysis by x - ray diffraction techniques was conducted using a siemens d5000 powder diffractometer to confirm that the desired target materials had been prepared , to establish the phase purity of the product material and to determine the types of impurities present . from this information it is possible to determine the unit cell lattice parameters . the general xrd operating conditions used to analyse the precursor electrode materials from examples 1 to 10 are as follows : the xrd operating conditions used to analyse the precursor electrode material from example 11 are as follows : the xrd operating conditions used to analyse the precursor electrode material from example 12 are as follows : the target materials were tested in a metallic lithium half cell which can be made using the following procedure : the positive electrode is prepared by solvent - casting a slurry of the active material , conductive carbon , binder and solvent . the conductive carbon used is super p ( timcal ). pvdf co - polymer ( e . g . kynar flex 2801 , elf atochem inc .) is used as the binder , and acetone is employed as the solvent . the slurry is then cast onto glass and a free - standing electrode film is formed as the solvent evaporates . the electrode is then dried further at about 80 ° c . the electrode film contains the following components , expressed in percent by weight : 80 % active material , 8 % super p carbon , and 12 % kynar 2801 binder . optionally , an aluminium current collector may be used to contact the positive electrode . metallic lithium on a copper current collector may be employed as the negative electrode . the electrolyte comprises one of the following : ( i ) a 1 m solution of lipf 6 in ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and dimethyl carbonate ( dmc ) in a weight ratio of 1 : 1 ; ( ii ) a 1 m solution of lipf 6 in ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ) in a weight ratio of 1 : 1 ; or ( iii ) a 1 m solution of lipf 6 in propylene carbonate ( pc ) a glass fibre separator ( vvhatman , gf / a ) or a porous polypropylene separator ( e . g . celgard 2400 ) wetted by the electrolyte is interposed between the positive and negative electrodes . the cells are tested as follows , using constant current cycling techniques . the cell is cycled at a given current density between pre - set voltage limits . a commercial battery cycler from maccor inc . ( tulsa , olka ., usa ) is used . on charge , sodium ( lithium )- ions are extracted from the cathode active material . during discharge , lithium ( sodium )- ions are re - inserted into the cathode active material . fig1 b and c ( cell # 210021 ) show the first cycle constant current data for the lifepo 4 cathode active material ( x0851 , made using anhydrous fepo 4 and red p ) measured in a metallic lithium half - cell . specifically , fig1 b shows the voltage profile ( electrode potential versus cumulative specific capacity ) and fig1 shows the differential capacity profile ( differential capacity versus electrode potential ). the constant current data shown in the figure were collected using a lithium metal counter electrode at a current density of 0 . 04 ma / cm 2 between voltage limits of 2 . 5 and 4 . 2 v . the non - aqueous electrolyte used was a 1 m solution of lipf 6 in a 1 : 1 mixture of ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ). the electrochemical testing was carried out at a controlled temperature of 25 ° c . the open circuit voltage ( ocv ) of the as - made cell was 3 . 029 v vs . li . referring to fig1 b , during the first lithium extraction process , a charge equivalent to a material specific capacity of 147 mah / g was obtained for the cathode active material . the subsequent re - insertion process corresponded to material specific capacity of 142 mah / g , indicating the general reversibility of the lithium - ion insertion reactions . the symmetrical nature of the charge - discharge voltage profile indicates the excellent reversibility of the system . this is further exemplified by the symmetrical nature of the differential capacity profile shown in fig1 . fig2 b and c ( cell # 209052 ) show the first cycle constant current data for the lifepo 4 cathode active material ( x0776 , made using fe 2 o 3 and red p ) measured in a metallic lithium half - cell . fig2 b shows the voltage profile ( electrode potential versus cumulative specific capacity ) and fig2 c shows the differential capacity profile ( differential capacity versus electrode potential ). the constant current data shown in the figure were collected using a lithium metal counter electrode at a current density of 0 . 04 ma / cm 2 between voltage limits of 2 . 5 and 4 . 2 v . the non - aqueous electrolyte used was a 1 m solution of lipf 6 in a 1 : 1 mixture of ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ). the electrochemical testing was carried out at a controlled temperature of 25 ° c . the open circuit voltage ( ocv ) of the as - made cell was 3 . 231 v vs . li . referring to fig2 b , during the first lithium extraction process , a charge equivalent to a material specific capacity of 155 mah / g was obtained for the cathode active material . the subsequent re - insertion process corresponded to material specific capacity of 145 mah / g , indicating the general reversibility of the lithium - ion insertion reactions . the symmetrical nature of the charge - discharge voltage profile indicates the excellent reversibility of the system . this is further exemplified by the symmetrical nature of the differential capacity profile shown in fig2 c . fig3 b and c ( cell # 208052 ) show the first cycle constant current data for the lifepo 4 cathode active material ( x0686 , made using fe 2 o 3 and red p ) measured in a metallic lithium half - cell . in this test the electrode formulation contained no carbon io additive to improve electronic conductivity . fig3 b shows the voltage profile ( electrode potential versus cumulative specific capacity ) and fig3 c shows the differential capacity profile ( differential capacity versus electrode potential ). the constant current data shown in the figure were collected using a lithium metal counter electrode at a current density of 0 . 04 ma / cm 2 between voltage limits of 2 . 5 and 4 . 2 v . the non - aqueous electrolyte used was a 1 m solution of lipf 6 in a 1 : 1 mixture of ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ). the electrochemical testing was carried out at a controlled temperature of 25 ° c . the open circuit voltage ( ocv ) of the as - made cell was 3 . 259 v vs . li . referring to fig3 b , during the first lithium extraction process , a charge equivalent to a material specific capacity of 124 mah / g was obtained for the cathode active material . the subsequent re - insertion process corresponded to material specific capacity of 111 mah / g , thus indicating the general reversibility of the lithium - ion insertion reactions . this material performance derived from an electrode with no conductive additive is surprisingly good . the symmetrical nature of the charge - discharge voltage profile indicates the excellent reversibility of the system . this is further exemplified by the symmetrical nature of the differential capacity profile shown in fig3 c . fig4 b and c ( cell # 207072 ) show the first cycle constant current data for the lifepo 4 cathode active material ( x0650 , made using iron oxalate , fe ( c 2 o 4 ). 2h 2 o — an fe 2 + precursor that requires no reducing agent ) measured in a metallic lithium half - cell . fig4 b shows the voltage profile ( electrode potential versus cumulative specific capacity ) and fig4 c shows the differential capacity profile ( differential capacity versus electrode potential ). the constant current data shown in the figure were collected using a lithium metal counter electrode at a current density of 0 . 04 ma / cm 2 between voltage limits of 2 . 5 and 4 . 2 v . the non - aqueous electrolyte used was a 1 m solution of lipf 6 in a 1 : 1 mixture of ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ). the electrochemical testing was carried out at a controlled temperature of 25 ° c . the open circuit voltage ( ocv ) of the as - made cell was 3 . 177 v vs . li . referring to fig4 b , during the first lithium extraction process , a charge equivalent to a material specific capacity of 63 mah / g was obtained for the cathode active material . this is a relatively low material utilization . the subsequent re - insertion process corresponded to material specific capacity of 45 mah / g indicating the relatively poor reversibility . fig4 c shows the corresponding differential capacity profile for this material which is indistinct and noisy indicating the poor electrochemical reversibility of the active material . fig5 b and c ( cell # 207071 ) show the first cycle constant current data for the lifepo 4 cathode active material ( x0649 , made using fe 2 o 3 by carbothermal reduction using super p carbon ( timcal ) as the reducing agent and conductivity enhancer ) measured in a metallic lithium half - cell . fig5 b shows the voltage profile ( electrode potential versus cumulative specific capacity ) and fig5 c shows the differential capacity profile ( differential capacity versus electrode potential ). the constant current data shown in the figure were collected using a lithium metal counter electrode at a current density of 0 . 04 ma / cm 2 between voltage limits of 2 . 5 and 4 . 2 v . the non - aqueous electrolyte used was a 1 m solution of lipf 6 in a 1 : 1 mixture of ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ). the electrochemical testing was carried out at a controlled temperature of 25 ° c . the open circuit voltage ( ocv ) of the as - made cell was 3 . 177 v vs . li . referring to fig5 b , during the first lithium extraction process , a charge equivalent to a material specific capacity of 135 mah / g was obtained for the cathode active material . the subsequent re - insertion process corresponded to material specific capacity of 111 mah / g indicating good reversibility . the symmetrical nature of the charge - discharge voltage profile further indicates the reversibility of the system . this is further exemplified by the symmetrical nature of the differential capacity profile shown in fig5 c . fig6 b and c ( cell # 209046 ) show the first cycle constant current data for the li 3 v 2 ( po 4 ) 3 cathode active material ( x0773 , made using v 2 o 5 and red p ) measured in a metallic lithium half - cell . specifically , fig6 b shows the voltage profile ( electrode potential versus cumulative specific capacity ) and fig6 c shows the differential capacity profile ( differential capacity versus electrode potential ). the constant current data shown in the figure were collected using a lithium metal counter electrode at a current density of 0 . 04 ma / cm 2 between voltage limits of 3 . 0 and 4 . 2 v . the non - aqueous electrolyte used was a 1 m solution of lipf 6 in a 1 : 1 mixture of ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ). the electrochemical testing was carried out at a controlled temperature of 25 ° c . the open circuit voltage ( ocv ) of the as - made cell was 3 . 286 v vs . li . referring to fig6 b , during the first lithium extraction process , a charge equivalent to a material specific capacity of 107 mah / g was obtained for the cathode active material . the subsequent re - insertion process corresponded to material specific capacity of 92 mah / g , indicating the general reversibility of the lithium - ion insertion reactions . the symmetrical nature of the charge - discharge voltage profile indicates the excellent reversibility of the system . this is further exemplified by the symmetrical nature of the differential capacity profile shown in fig6 c . fig7 b and c ( cell # 208031 ) show the first cycle constant current data for the life 0 . 5 mn 0 . 5 po 4 cathode active material ( x0703 , made using fe 2 o 3 , mn 2 o 3 and red p ) measured in a metallic lithium half - cell . specifically , fig7 b shows the voltage profile ( electrode potential versus cumulative specific capacity ) and fig7 c shows the differential capacity profile ( differential capacity versus electrode potential ). the constant current data shown in the figure were collected using a lithium metal counter electrode at a current density of 0 . 04 ma / cm 2 between voltage limits of 2 . 5 and 4 . 4 v . the non - aqueous electrolyte used was a 1 m solution of lipf 6 in a 1 : 1 mixture of ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ). the electrochemical testing was carried out at a controlled temperature of 25 ° c . the open circuit voltage ( ocv ) of the as - made cell was 3 . 114 v vs . li . referring to fig7 b , during the first lithium extraction process , a charge equivalent to a material specific capacity of 121 mah / g was obtained for the cathode active material . the subsequent re - insertion process corresponded to material specific capacity of 98 mah / g , indicating the general reversibility of the lithium - ion insertion reactions . the symmetrical nature of the charge - discharge voltage profile indicates the excellent reversibility of the system . this is further exemplified by the symmetrical nature of the differential capacity profile shown in fig7 c . fig8 b and c ( cell # 209045 ) show the first cycle constant current data for the limn 0 . 5 fe 0 . 2 mg 0 . 3 po 4 cathode active material ( x0771 , made using fe 2 o 3 , mn 2 o 3 and red p ) measured in a metallic lithium half - cell . fig8 b shows the voltage profile ( electrode potential versus cumulative specific capacity ) and fig8 c shows the differential capacity profile ( differential capacity versus electrode potential ). the constant current data shown in the figure were collected using a lithium metal counter electrode at a current density of 0 . 04 ma / cm 2 between voltage limits of 3 . 0 and 4 . 4 v . the non - aqueous electrolyte used was a 1 m solution of lipf 6 in a 1 : 1 mixture of ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ). the electrochemical testing was carried out at a controlled temperature of 25 ° c . the open circuit voltage ( ocv ) of the as - made cell was 3 . 042 v vs . li . referring to fig8 b , during the first lithium extraction process , a charge equivalent to a material specific capacity of 122 mah / g was obtained for the cathode active material . the subsequent re - insertion process corresponded to material specific capacity of 87 mah / g , indicating the general reversibility of the lithium - ion insertion reactions . the symmetrical nature of the charge - discharge voltage profile indicates the excellent reversibility of the system . this is further exemplified by the symmetrical nature of the differential capacity profile shown in fig8 c . fig9 b and c show the first cycle constant current data for the na 4 fe 3 ( po 4 ) 2 p 2 o 7 cathode active material ( xo761 , made using fe 2 o 3 and red p ) measured in a metallic lithium half - cell . specifically , fig9 b shows the voltage profile ( electrode potential versus cumulative specific capacity ) and fig9 c shows the differential capacity profile ( differential capacity versus electrode potential ). the constant current data were collected using a lithium metal counter electrode at a current density of 0 . 04 ma / cm 2 between voltage limits of 2 . 0 and 4 . 0 v . the electrolyte used was 1 m solution of lipf 6 in a 1 : 1 mixture of ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ). the testing was carried out at 25 ° c . the open circuit voltage ( ocv ) of the as - made cell was 2 . 889 v vs . li . referring to fig9 b , it is assumed that sodium ions are extracted from the active material during the initial charging of the cell . during the sodium ion extraction process , a charge equivalent to a material specific capacity of 102 mah / g was obtained for the cathode active material . it is expected from thermodynamic considerations that the sodium extracted from the na 4 fe 3 ( po 4 ) 2 p 2 o 7 material during the initial charging process , enters the electrolyte , and is then displacement ‘ plated ’ onto the lithium metal anode ( i . e . releasing more lithium into the electrolyte ). therefore , during the subsequent discharging of the cell , it is assumed that a mix of lithium and sodium is re - inserted into the material . the re - insertion process corresponds to 104 mah / g , indicating the reversibility of the ion insertion reactions . the symmetrical nature of the charge - discharge curves further indicates the excellent reversibility of the system . this is further exemplified by the symmetrical nature of the differential capacity profile ( for cycle # 2 ) shown in fig9 c . fig1 b and c show the first cycle constant current data for the na 3 v 2 ( po 4 ) 3 cathode active material ( x0757 , made using v 2 o 5 and red p ) measured in a metallic lithium half - cell . specifically , fig1 b shows the voltage profile ( electrode potential versus cumulative specific capacity ) and fig1 c shows the differential capacity profile ( differential capacity versus electrode potential ). the constant current data were collected using a lithium metal counter electrode at a current density of 0 . 04 ma / cm 2 between voltage limits of 2 . 5 and 4 . 1 v . the electrolyte used was 1 m solution of lipf 6 in a 1 : 1 mixture of ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ). the testing was carried out at 25 ° c . the open circuit voltage ( ocv ) of the as - made cell was 2 . 719 v vs . li . referring to fig1 b , it is assumed that sodium ions are extracted from the active material during the initial charging of the cell . during the sodium ion extraction process , a charge equivalent to a material specific capacity of 97 mah / g was obtained for the cathode active material . it is expected from thermodynamic considerations that the sodium extracted from the na 3 v 2 ( po 4 ) 3 material during the initial charging process , enters the electrolyte , and is then displacement ‘ plated ’ onto the lithium metal anode ( i . e . releasing more lithium into the electrolyte ). therefore , during the subsequent discharging of the cell , it is assumed that a mix of lithium and sodium is re - inserted into the material . the re - insertion process corresponds to 50 mah / g , indicating the reversibility of the ion insertion reactions . the symmetrical nature of the charge - discharge curves further indicates the excellent reversibility of the system . this is further exemplified by the symmetrical nature of the differential capacity profile shown in fig1 c . fig1 ( cell # 209008 ) shows the first cycle constant current data for the lifepo 4 cathode active material ( x0740 , made using fe 2 o 3 and red p , using a 40 % excess of red p thereby producing a composite product of lifepo 4 and fe 2 p ) measured in a metallic lithium half - cell . fig1 b shows the voltage profile ( electrode potential versus cumulative specific capacity ) and fig1 c shows the differential capacity profile ( differential capacity versus electrode potential ). the constant current data shown in the figure were collected using a lithium metal counter electrode at a current density of 0 . 04 ma / cm 2 between voltage limits of 2 . 5 and 4 . 2 v . the non - aqueous electrolyte used was a 1 m solution of lipf 6 in a 1 : 1 mixture of ethylene carbonate ( ec ) and diethyl carbonate ( dec ). the electrochemical testing was carried out at a controlled temperature of 25 ° c . the open circuit voltage ( ocv ) of the as - made cell was 3 . 187 v vs . li . referring to fig1 b , during the first lithium extraction process , a charge equivalent to a material specific capacity of 146 mah / g was obtained for the cathode active material . the subsequent re - insertion process corresponded to material specific capacity of 137 mah / g , indicating the general reversibility of the lithium - ion insertion reactions . the symmetrical nature of the charge - discharge voltage profile indicates the excellent reversibility of the system . this is further exemplified by the symmetrical nature of the differential capacity profile shown in fig1 . this example was performed using a tube furnace such as that depicted in fig1 . in detail , fig1 shows a schematic view of a tube furnace 10 which comprises a tubular furnace body 15 which has a cylindrical reaction cavity 20 for receiving an open ended non - porous ceramic tube 30 , and heating elements ( not shown ) for heating the cylindrical reaction cavity 20 . two stainless steel ends 40 , 50 are provided to seal against the open ends of the non - porous ceramic tube 30 , aided by two rubber gaskets ( not shown ) and held in place by clamps ( not shown ). furnace baffles 60 , 70 inside the non - porous ceramic tube 30 , provide heat insulation . expansion vessels 80 , 90 are also provided to accommodate a change in volume of the gaseous components in the non - porous ceramic tube 30 , as it is heated during the reaction process . a crucible 100 is positioned within the non - porous ceramic tube 30 for containing the reactants during the reaction process . during the reaction process , an open ended non - porous ceramic tube 30 is placed within the cylindrical cavity 20 of the tubular furnace body 15 and a crucible 100 containing the starting materials and furnace baffles 60 , 70 are all positioned inside the open ended non - porous ceramic tube 30 as shown in fig1 . the open ends of the open ended non - porous ceramic tube 30 are then sealed using the stainless steel ends 40 , 50 , under an atmosphere of air . the tubular furnace body 15 is then heated to the required reaction temperature and , as this proceeds , the pressure within the non - porous ceramic tube 30 is maintained at an approximately constant level by the expansion of the heated air being accommodated by the expansion vessels 80 and 90 . after heating for the required reaction time , the tubular furnace body 15 is cooled sufficiently to allow removal of the crucible 100 from the non - porous ceramic tube 30 , and recovery of the reaction products . fig1 ( b ) ( cell # 0 305086 ) shows the electrode voltage ( v vs . li ) versus cumulative cathode specific capacity ( mah / g )) are derived from the first cycle constant current cycling data for the lifepo 4 ( sample x1322 ) active material in a metallic lithium half - cell . the electrolyte used was a 1 . 0 m solution of lipf 6 in ethylene carbonate / diethyl carbonate . the constant current data were collected at a current density of 0 . 40 ma / cm 2 between voltage limits of 2 . 50 and 4 . 20 v vs . li . the testing was carried out at 25 ° c . during the cell charging process , lithium ions are extracted from the cathode active material . during the subsequent discharge process , lithium ions are re - inserted into the cathode active material . the first charge process corresponds to a cathode specific capacity of 102 mah / g . the first discharge process corresponds to a cathode specific capacity of 80 mah / g . these data demonstrate the reversibility of the lithium ion insertion reactions in the lifepo 4 active material . fig1 ( c ) ( cell # 305086 ) shows the first cycle differential capacity profile ( differential capacity ( mah / g / v ) versus electrode voltage ( v vs . li )] for the lifepo 4 ( sample x 1322 ) derived from the constant current cycling data shown in fig1 ( b ) . differential capacity data have been shown to allow characterization of the reaction reversibility , order - disorder phenomenon and structural phase changes within the ion insertion system . the data presented in fig1 ( c ) for the lifepo 4 cathode confirm the reversible lithium - ion insertion behaviour as characterized by the generally symmetrical nature of the differential capacity peaks during cell charge and discharge . fig1 ( d ) ( cell # 305086 ) shows the cycling performance ( cathode specific capacity ( mah / g ) versus cycle number ] for the lifepo 4 ( sample x 1322 ) derived from constant current cycling data on the active material carried out in a metallic lithium half - cell . the electrolyte used was a 1 . 0 m solution of lipf 6 in ethylene carbonate / diethyl carbonate . the constant current data were collected at a current density of 0 . 40 ma / cm 2 between voltage limits of 2 . 50 and 4 . 20 v vs . li . the testing was carried out at 25 ° c . the active material cycles at a cathode discharge specific capacity of around 80 mah / g . these data again demonstrate the reversibility of the lithium ion insertion reactions in the lifepo 4 active material .	7
this disclosure of the invention is submitted in furtherance of the constitutional purposes of the u . s . patent laws “ to promote the progress of science and useful arts ” ( article 1 , section 8 ). embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the aforementioned figures . various modifications or adaptations of specific methods and or structures may become apparent to those skilled in the art as embodiments of the present invention are described . all such modifications , adaptations or variations that rely upon the teachings of the present invention , and through which these teachings have advanced the art , are considered to be within the spirit and scope of the present invention . to aid in interpretation of the description of the illustrations and claims that follow , the term “ semiconductor substrate ” is defined to mean any construction comprising semiconductive material , including , but not limited to , bulk semiconductive materials such as a semiconductor wafer ( either alone or in assemblies comprising other materials thereon ) and semiconductive material layers ( either alone or in assemblies comprising other materials ). the term “ substrate ” refers to any supporting structure , including , but not limited to , the semiconductor substrates described above . in addition , the terms “ low dielectric constant material ” or “ low - k material ” are used interchangeably herein and refer to materials having a dielectric constant that is lower than that of thermally grown silicon dioxide , or a value of approximately 3 . 7 or lower , and the term “ standard dielectric material ” refers to a material having a dielectric constant between that of silicon dioxide and silicon nitride or greater than about 3 . 7 to 7 . 0 or higher . referring to fig1 , a portion of an integrated circuit at an early stage of fabrication in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention is depicted . a first dielectric stack 50 is show encompassing a layer of a first material 20 disposed over semiconductor substrate 10 . first material 20 encompasses a material having as a characteristic , a low dielectric constant . such a material is referred to herein as a low - k material , which , as mentioned above , is defined as a material having a dielectric constant that is lower than that of thermally grown silicon dioxide , or a value of approximately 3 . 7 or less . advantageously , a variety of such low - k materials are known , and layer 20 can encompass , any of such materials , for example , cured hydrogen or methyl silsesquioxane compositions . other exemplary materials include , but are not limited to , the various poly arylene ether ( pae ) polymers such as silk ® manufactured by the dow chemical company of midland , mich . velox ™ manufactured by schumacher of carlsbad , calif . or flare ™ manufactured by honeywell of morristown , n . j . each of the exemplary materials is generally available as a liquid precursor material which is applied to substrate 10 by a spin - coating process and subsequently cured into a solid dielectric material . generally , a thickness in the range of approximately 100 nanometers ( nm ) to approximately 1000 nm for first layer 20 is appropriate for most low - k materials , where a thickness of approximately 400 nm to 800 nm is typical for the range of materials mentioned above . additionally , in some embodiments in accordance with the present invention , first low - k layer 20 can be formed using chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ) methods and materials , for example fluorine or carbon - comprising silicon oxides . such cvd methods will employ processing steps different than those employed where the low - k material is formed from a spin - on material precursor , however a range of thickness between approximately 100 nanometers ( nm ) to approximately 1000 nm for such a low - k cvd formed layer is still generally appropriate . it will be understood then , that any and all of the specific process steps for the forming of low - k layer 20 from a spin - on type of material or a cvd type of material , as well as the materials themselves are design choices and that this range of materials and processing choices is within the scope and spirit of the present invention . still referring to fig1 , first dielectric stack 50 is shown further encompassing a first etch - stop or protective - barrier layer 30 overlying low - k layer 20 . in some embodiments in accordance with the present invention , it is advantageous to employ first protective - barrier layer 30 to prevent outgassing from low - k layer 20 during the subsequent formation of a first standard dielectric constant ( k ) layer 40 . first standard - k layer 40 is depicted in fig1 as being encompassed by dielectric stack 50 . in some embodiments , first barrier layer 30 serves primarily in a subsequent process as an etch - stop in addition to or instead of serving as a protective - barrier to prevent the aforementioned out - gassing . advantageously , where barrier layer 30 encompasses one of the common dielectric materials such as silicon nitride , a silicon oxynitride or silicon carbide , such layer is formed with a thickness in the range of about 3 nm to about 15 nm , although other thickness for first barrier layer 30 can be utilized where appropriate , as can other appropriate materials . in some embodiments , barrier layer 30 can be omitted . however , where such layer is present , it will be understood , that the thickness for first barrier layer 30 is dependent on , among other things , the specific material and forming process used for low - k layer 20 as well as the material selected for barrier layer 30 . thus for a first barrier layer 30 encompassing silicon nitride and where first layer 20 is cured hydrogen silsesquioxane ( hsq ), a thickness for layer 30 of approximately 3 nm to 8 nm is appropriate and a thickness of approximately 5 nm typical . as previously mentioned , fig1 depicts first standard - k layer 40 overlying first low - k layer 20 and first barrier layer 30 . typically , standard - k layer 40 is one of the commonly used , cvd formed , dielectrics such as a silicon oxide material and is selected to be etchable selectively with respect to the material of first layer 30 , if present , or with respect to the material of first layer 20 if barrier layer 30 is not present . as will be discussed below , typically first standard - k layer 40 is a sacrificial layer , that is to say a layer that will be removed at a subsequent processing step . generally , first sacrificial layer 40 has a thickness in the range of approximately 100 nm to approximately 1000 nm . a total thickness of stack 50 ( layers 20 and 40 , as well as layer 30 if present ), is generally no more than about 1000 nm although some embodiments in accordance with the present invention can employ a total thickness greater than 1000 nm . the specific thickness employed for layer 40 , and the total thickness of stack 50 is dependent on the specific materials employed for each of the materials encompassed by stack 50 as well as the desired thickness of the dielectric stack . turning now to fig2 , the structure of fig1 is depicted after a first masking layer 60 is deposited , patterned and dielectric stack 50 ( fig1 ) etched to form first dielectric blocks 52 which define first open regions 54 over underlying substrate 10 . while first masking layer 60 typically encompasses photoresist , other appropriate masking materials can be employed . the removing of portions of dielectric stack 50 is typically accomplished using a conventional plasma etch technique , although other methods for removing portions of stack 50 can be employed where appropriate . it will be understood that the specific processing used for removing such portions is tailored to optimize the removal of each of the specific materials within stack 50 . such an etching process then exposes an upper surface 12 of substrate 10 within each first open region 54 , as well as first sidewalls 56 and first upper surfaces 58 of first dielectric blocks 52 . in fig3 , a first conformal barrier layer 32 is shown formed overlying substrate 10 after masking layer 60 ( fig2 ) is removed . such first conformal layer 32 overlies upper surface 12 as well as sidewalls 56 and upper surfaces 58 . conformal barrier layer 32 is generally formed from any of the materials previously mentioned with regard to barrier layer 30 , and serves to protect , or form a barrier , against interaction between the materials of dielectric stacks or regions 52 and a subsequently formed conductive layer within open regions 54 . thus rather than first sidewalls 56 being adjacent first open regions 54 , conformal barrier layer 32 is disposed therebetween such that an outer surface 34 of layer 32 will be adjacent the subsequently formed conductive layer . as seen in fig4 , first conformal barrier 32 is etched from over surface 12 as well as upper surface 58 prior to forming a first conductive layer 70 . in this manner , where electrical contact between such conductive layer , 70 and a contact region ( not shown ) in substrate 10 adjacent surface 12 is desired , any non - conductive material as might be encompassed by first conformal layer 32 is removed and electrical contact to such a contact region facilitated . as depicted , such etching leaves conformal barrier layer 32 disposed between first conductive layer 70 and first dielectric blocks 52 , thus serving to form a barrier between the material of conductive layer 70 and the materials of dielectric blocks 52 . in this manner , embodiments of the present invention serve to prevent the material of conductive layer 70 from interacting with the materials of blocks 52 , or visa versa , during subsequent processing or , upon completion of the semiconductor processing operation , whilst the semiconductor device is in operation . for example , where first conductive layer 70 is copper or a copper alloy , and any one of first layers 20 , 30 or 40 encompass silicon oxide , copper migration into such silicon oxide layers is known to occur during subsequent processing or over time while the integrated circuit employing such structures is operating . use of such a barrier is also known to be advantageous where conductive layer 70 is aluminum or an aluminum alloy and any of the materials of dielectric region 52 encompass fluorine . the material of first conformal layer 32 is selected to prevent such fluorine from reaching the aluminum or to prevent the copper migrating into silicon oxide . in addition , regardless of the material selected for first conductive layer 70 , use of first conformal barrier layer 32 is advantageous for stabilizing the structure of fig4 during a chemical mechanical polishing ( cmp ) step as is often employed for planarization purposes . referring again to fig3 , materials such as silicon nitride , silicon oxynitrides and silicon carbide , discussed with regard to first barrier layer 30 , are generally used as non - conductive materials for conformal layer 32 . more recently , materials such as nitrogen and hydrogen - comprising amorphous carbon and silicon and nitrogen - comprising amorphous carbon have become available and are also suitable for first conformal barrier layer 32 . in addition , films of some refractory metal nitrides such as titanium nitride and tantalum nitride are conductive barrier materials that can be advantageously employed when no material of dielectric blocks 52 include fluorine and or when contact to a region within substrate 10 is desirable . the formation of first conformal layer 32 is accomplished by any method appropriate to the specific material selected , where such a method results in the forming an essentially conformal layer , as depicted . for example , where silicon nitride is selected for conformal barrier 32 , a low pressure cvd process is generally advantageously employed . in addition , in a manner essentially analogous to that for barrier layer 30 , the thickness for conformal barrier 32 will be a function of the specific material from which the barrier is formed , as well as the materials of dielectric region 52 and conductive layer 70 ( fig4 ). it will be noted that conformal barrier 32 initially overlies upper surfaces 12 of substrate 10 as well as sidewalls 56 and upper surfaces 58 of dielectric blocks 52 . as previously mentioned in some embodiments in accordance with the present invention , it is advantageous for conductive layer 70 to electrically contact doped regions ( not shown ) of substrate 10 at selected portions of surface 12 that provide access to such doped regions . where a non - conductive material such as silicon nitride is selected for first conformal barrier layer 32 , such embodiments generally require removal of such layer from surface 12 , as depicted in fig4 . advantageously , such a process for removal of conformal layer 32 from surface 12 is analogous to well known spacer forming processes and in some embodiments of the present invention , such an analogous process is employed . alternatively , it can be advantageous to employ a conductive barrier material for first conformal layer 32 , for example , a refractory metal nitride material . in this manner , such a material &# 39 ; s conductivity eliminates the need for removing the material from surface 12 . advantageously , as will be seen in fig5 , in embodiments in accordance with the present invention , when first conductive layer 70 is planarized , such conductive second barrier material is removed from surface 42 and an electrical short circuit is avoided . first conductive layer 70 generally encompasses a metal such as copper , aluminum , an alloy of copper or aluminum or some combination thereof , although other appropriate materials can be employed . as depicted in fig4 , layer 70 is formed to completely fill first open regions 54 ( fig3 ) and to overlie first dielectric blocks 52 . generally , where the material of layer 70 is a metal , the formation of such layer employs a physical vapor deposition ( pvd ) process such as a sputtering or evaporative process , although a cvd process , if known , can also be advantageously employed . as depicted , after forming conductive layer 70 , a first upper surface 72 of such layer is generally irregular . thus typically a planarization process is employed to form conductive interconnects 76 having a first planarized upper surface 74 , as depicted in fig5 . it will be noted that as layer 70 is formed to completely fill open regions 54 , the thickness of layer 70 , as deposited , is necessarily greater than the thickness of dielectric blocks 52 . turning now to fig5 , in some embodiments in accordance with the present invention , the formation of planarized surface 74 advantageously provides for the removal of portions of barrier layer 32 formed overlying dielectric blocks 52 . such embodiments generally employ a chemical mechanical polishing ( cmp ) process . in this manner , portions of first sacrificial layer 40 within such regions are exposed after planarization to facilitate the subsequent removal of such layer . it will be noted that while planarized surface 74 is generally formed using a cmp process , other appropriate planarization methods can also be employed . finally , it will be noted that where a cmp planarization process is employed , first dielectric blocks 52 can serve as a planarization stop , thus the planarization process results in interconnect portions 76 having a thickness essentially equal to the thickness of the as formed first blocks 52 . the specific thickness of first dielectric blocks 52 that is desired is actually a function , among other things , of the current carrying requirement for first interconnects 76 . for example , where interconnects 76 are aluminum - comprising portions of a high performance memory integrated circuit that has a interconnect line width of approximately 0 . 25 micron , a thickness of 800 nm for interconnect 76 is found appropriate . hence dielectric blocks 52 would also have a thickness of 800 nm . as known , other thickness for interconnects 76 for such an integrated circuit are also appropriate where metal composition and interconnect line width vary from the above example . thus , an essentially copper - comprising interconnect will generally have a thickness less than an essentially aluminum - comprising interconnect due to copper &# 39 ; s higher electrical conductivity . turning now to fig6 , a second conformal barrier layer 132 is shown formed overlying first interconnects 76 , barrier layer 30 and first conformal layer 32 after removal of first sacrificial material 40 . second barrier layer 132 has second sidewalls 134 which define a lateral dimension of first open regions 42 which result from removing such sacrificial material 40 therefrom . second barrier layer 132 is formed from the same or similar materials and by using the same or similar methods as described above for first conformal barrier layer 32 , and while generally is of the same thickness as employed for layer 32 , another appropriate thickness can be selected . removal of sacrificial material 40 to form first open regions 42 is generally accomplished using an etching method that is tailored to the specific materials employed for material 40 as well as barrier layer 30 , if present . for example where material 40 encompasses silicon oxide and barrier layer 30 encompasses silicon nitride , a two part reactive ion etch ( rie ) process will appropriately allow removal of both materials in a manner selective to first low - k material 20 . where barrier layer 30 is not present , the materials of first sacrificial layer 40 and first low - k layer 20 are chosen to be selectively etchable with respect to one another . in some embodiments where layer 30 is employed , as depicted , only the material of layer 40 is removed in the forming of first opening 42 and portions of barrier layer 30 remain . thus , while fig6 shows a structure having layer 30 overlying regions of low - k layer 20 and underlying second conformal layer 132 , it will be noted that where layer 30 is removed , or not initially formed , second conformal layer 132 will be adjacent first low - k material 20 . turning now to fig7 , the structure of fig6 is depicted after a second dielectric stack 150 encompassing a low - k constant layer 120 , a second barrier layer 130 and a second standard - k layer 140 are formed . as shown , second low - k material 120 fills first open regions 42 and extends elevationally above first interconnects 76 . typically , second low - k material layer 120 is formed to have a thickness that provides for such layer to extend above interconnects 76 by at least about 100 nm to about 600 nm , although other thickness can be employed . second low - k material 120 can have the same composition as first low - k material 20 or can be a different low - k material . in one exemplary embodiment of the present invention , first low - k material layer 20 encompasses a carbon - comprising silicon oxide material and second low - k material 120 is a hydrogen silsesquioxane ( hsq ) material . it will be noted that after forming second layer 120 , such layer can be planarized prior to forming second barrier layer 130 and second standard k material 140 . however , where second low - k material 120 is formed using a spin - on type material and process , generally , such planarization is not needed to provide an essentially planar structure as depicted in fig7 . the forming of second materials 120 , 130 and 140 is analogous to the forming of first materials 20 , 30 and 40 , although the thickness dielectric stack 150 is generally greater than that of first stack 50 . for example , where first dielectric stack 50 is formed having a thickness of about 800 nm , second stack 150 will have a thickness of about 1200 nm . however , the materials and methods described for layers 20 , 30 and 40 are generally applicable to the forming of second layers 120 , 130 and 140 and will therefore not be described again . however , as mentioned for first barrier layer 30 , the forming of second barrier layer 130 is optional . fig8 depicts the structure of fig7 after forming a second masking layer 160 , patterning such layer and forming second openings 154 and second dielectric blocks 152 . the forming of second masking layer 160 , second openings 154 and second blocks 152 is generally accomplished using the same or analogous materials and methods to that of first masking layer 60 , openings 54 and blocks 52 ( fig2 ). second barrier layer 132 is shown removed from over upper surface 74 of first interconnects 76 . it will be noted that such is optional , and in some embodiments in accordance with the present invention , barrier layer 132 is not so removed . however , where such layer is removed , generally it is removed using the etching process employed for forming second opening 154 . in fig9 , second masking layer 160 is shown removed and a third conformal barrier layer 232 is shown formed overlying first interconnects 76 and second blocks 152 such that third surfaces 234 define a lateral dimension of second openings 154 . third barrier 232 generally being formed of the same or similar thickness and using the materials and methods as previously described for first conformal barrier 32 . turning to fig1 , a second conductive layer 170 is shown filling openings 154 ( fig9 ) and extending elevationally above dielectric blocks 152 . such material is formed in the same or analogous manner to that of first layer 70 . thus , third conformal layer 232 is removed from over interconnects 76 within openings 154 to facilitate electrical contact thereto prior to forming layer 170 , while portions of such conformal layer 232 are left disposed between layer 170 and dielectric blocks 152 to form a barrier therebetween . generally , second conductive layer 170 is formed of a material similar or analogous to the material of first interconnects 76 . thus where interconnects 76 are of a copper - encompassing material , second layer 170 is also a copper - encompassing material . in some embodiments of the present invention , however , the materials of interconnects 76 and layer 170 are different , and where such different materials are selected , generally a conductive interface material ( not shown ) is employed therebetween . as depicted , second conductive layer 170 extends elevationally above dielectric blocks 152 , hence the thickness of second conductive layer 170 , as formed , is greater than the thickness of second dielectric blocks 152 . referring now to fig1 , the structure depicted in fig1 is shown at a subsequent processing step where second standard - k or sacrificial layer 140 is removed and second interconnects 176 are formed . it will be noted that in some embodiments , such forming of second interconnects 176 and removal of second sacrificial layer 140 is accomplished in a manner analogous to that of forming first interconnects 76 and removing first sacrificial layer 40 . however , in some embodiments of the present invention , other methods are employed . for example , second conductive layer 170 can be etched using a commonly known plasma etching process to expose portions of second stand - k layer 140 and layer 140 then subsequently removed using second barrier 130 as an etch stop . thus it will be understood that the specific method of forming the structure depicted in fig1 , nor that of other structures depicted in the other figures herein , is not intended to limit the scope and spirit of embodiments of the present invention . turning to fig1 , the structure of fig1 is shown after forming third conformal layer 232 and third dielectric stack 250 , such encompassing third low - k material layer 220 , third barrier layer 230 and third standard - k or sacrificial layer 240 . the forming of third conformal barrier layer 232 and third dielectric stack 250 is accomplished using methods and materials that are analogous to those employed for the forming of second conformal layer 132 and second dielectric stack 150 depicted in fig7 . generally , however , while the thickness of third barrier 232 is similar to or the same as that of conformal barriers 32 and 132 , the thickness of third dielectric stack 250 is generally the same as or greater than the thickness of second stack 150 . thus , for example , where second dielectric stack 150 is formed having a thickness of approximately 1200 nm , third stack 250 has a thickness of approximately 1200 nm to approximately 1600 nm . in fig1 , the structure of fig1 is shown after forming a third masking layer 260 , patterning such layer and forming third opening 254 and third dielectric blocks 252 . the forming of third masking layer 260 , third opening 254 and third dielectric blocks 252 is generally accomplished using the same or analogous materials and methods to that of first masking layer 60 , openings 54 and blocks 52 ( fig2 ), respectively . however , as shown , and unlike the structure depicted in fig8 , third opening 254 encompasses not only second upper surfaces 174 of second interconnects 176 , but also dielectric region 152 ′ disposed therebetween . thus , it will be understood that the process employed to remove portions of third low - k material 220 , is selective to the material employed to form second barrier 130 . that is to say that the material of layer 220 is removed preferentially with respect to the material of layer 130 . in this manner opening 254 can be employed to form a conductive interconnect 276 between adjacent second interconnects 176 that provides for direct lateral interconnectivity as depicted in fig1 . it will be understood , that forming of interconnect 276 is provided in a manner the same as or analogus to the manner employed and described for the forming of second interconnect 176 . it will be understood , that embodiments of the present invention include , but are not limited to the exemplary structures depicted in the figures herein . thus while such figures show the forming of three conductive interconnects 76 , 176 and 276 , embodiments in accordance with the present invention include integrated circuits having less than three such interconnects as well as embodiments having more than three such interconnects . in addition , it will be understood that the capacitance between any two adjacent interconnects in an integrated circuit , for example such as between any two adjacent interconnects 76 as depicted in fig7 , is a function of the dielectric constant ( k ) of the material therebetween , the area of the electrodes and the distance between the electrodes . thus for the structure shown in fig7 , the capacitance will include contributions from barrier layer 30 ( if present ), conformal barrier layers 32 and 132 and portions of both low - k layers 20 and 120 that are disposed therebetween . thus the following proportional relationship is known : it can be seen , therefore , that where the lowest possible capacitance is desired , each of the various components should have as low a dielectric constant as possible for any given electrode area and any distance or spacing between the electrodes . in addition , where , for example , barrier layer 32 has a relatively high k , it is desirable for layer 32 to be as thin as possible to minimize its contribution . in a similar manner , where layer 20 and layer 120 are different materials , the thickness of the layer with the lowest k material should be maximized to provide for the maximum contribution of this low dielectric constant to the total capacitance . as different materials , as has been discussed , having low dielectric constants have varying properties in addition to their respective dielectric constants , factors such as ease of use or application are also generally considered with regard to ensuring the most advantageous result . for example , in one embodiment in accordance with the present invention where ease of forming the low - k material layers is considered , low - k layer 20 , applied in an early processing step ( see , fig1 ), is advantageously applied as a layer of a carbon - comprising silicon oxide material employing a cvd process . for layer 120 , where spacing between interconnects 76 might inhibit filling the space between adjacent electrodes ( see , fig6 ), a liquidus material having excellent fill characteristics such as an hsq material is advantageously employed to facilitate the filling between interconnects 76 as well as enhance the planarity of the uppermost surface so formed . however , it will be noted that such exemplary selections of materials are illustrative only and other embodiments in accordance with the present invention are advantageously formed of other materials and by other methods . it should also be realized that forming of the low - k dielectric materials between adjacent interconnects in accordance with embodiments of the present invention offer several advantages over previously known methods . for example , where a relatively thick interconnect is needed ( for example interconnects 76 , 176 or 276 ), forming a low - k layer from a single material in a single application can often be problematic . thus low - k materials applied from a liquidus spin - on source , while often offering the lowest dielectric constant are generally not as thermally or physically stable as standard - k dielectric materials such as those formed from a cvd type of process . thus it is often difficult to apply relatively thick layers of these low - k materials without significant outgassing , layer cracking or dimensional instability problems occurring during curing and subsequent processing . cvd films encompassing fluorine , while more stable than such spin - on materials , generally only have a dielectric constant of about 3 . 4 . in addition , such layers are known to lose fluorine during subsequent processing resulting in contamination problems . carbon - comprising silicon oxide materials also do not generally have a very low dielectric constant and while typically formed using a cvd method , such films are often prone to particle contamination where thick films are formed . finally , newer carbon containing films such as proprietary carbon , nitrogen , hydrogen films ( u . s . pat . no . 5 , 946 , 601 ) or applied materials &# 39 ; of santa clara , calif ., blok silicon , carbon , hydrogen film seem more applicable to the instant invention as barrier materials for their reportedly superior diffusion barrier properties . in compliance with the statute , the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural and methodical features . it is to be understood , however , that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown and described , since the means herein disclosed comprise preferred forms of putting the invention into effect . the invention is , therefore , claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims appropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents .	7
turning now to the drawings , fig1 is a conceptual diagram of a packet communications system 20 according to the present invention . the packet communications system 20 includes a wireless - fidelity ( wi - fi ) section that is shown in fig1 as three regional areas ( ras ) ra 1 , ra 2 , and ra 3 , and a mobile communication device 22 . each of the ras has a plurality of access points ( aps ). fig1 shows seven aps , 24 , 26 , 28 , 30 , 32 , 34 , 36 , 38 and 40 in ra 1 which communicate with the mobile wireless communication device 22 at 2 . 4 ghz . it will be appreciated that the number of ras can vary depending on the geographical area covered , and that the number of aps in each ra can vary depending upon various factors including the size of the geographical area of the ra , the obstructions to rf communication within the ra , the anticipated number of simultaneous mobile wireless connections to each ap , and the cost of each ap . the areas covered by each of the aps 24 - 40 overlap so that there is complete coverage in ra 1 , and ra 1 , ra 2 , and ra 3 overlap such that there are no gaps in coverage between the ras . the number of ras , and therefore the region covered by the system , is virtually unlimited , the larger area requiring more aps and larger bandwidth connections through the internet 50 . also shown in fig1 are three regional points of presence ( regpop ) 42 , 44 , and 46 . the regpops process the wi - fi traffic to and from each ap in ra 1 , ra 2 , and ra 3 generally over a 5 . 8 ghz rf link , although a wired connection can be used instead . a core network site or national office 48 is connected to each of the regpops 42 , 44 , and 46 by the internet 50 . intermediate 5 . 8 ghz relay points , referred to herein as rpops , can be used where a direct 5 . 8 ghz connection between an ap and a regpop is not feasible . these rpops can also be aps such as aps 28 and 36 . the rpop at ap 28 relays 5 . 8 ghz communications between aps 24 , 30 and regpop 42 , while the rpop at ap 36 relays 5 . 8 ghz communications between aps 32 , 34 and regpop 42 . alternatively , the rpops 28 and 36 can be connected to the regpop 42 by wired connections 51 and 52 , respectively rather than the 5 . 8 ghz rf connections . each of the aps hase four or six 2 . 4 ghz antennas for rf communication with the mobile communication devices 22 . the aps with four 2 . 4 ghz antennas have their beams directed at 90 degree rotational offsets in the horizontal plane as shown in diagram 53 . similarly , the aps with six 2 . 4 ghz antennas have their beams directed at 60 degree rotational offsets in the horizontal plane as shown in diagram 54 . the 2 . 4 ghz communication between the aps and mobile communication devices 22 conforms to the ieee 802 . 11 standard ; more specifically , the 802 . 11b and 802 . 11g standards . the 802 . 11b standard has a 11 mbps data rate while the 802 . 11g standard has a 54 mbps data rate , but the 802 . 11b standard is able to communicate over longer distances than the 802 . 11g standard . with wireless mobile audio communication devices 22 which can operate under both 802 . 11b and 802 . 11g , the ap 24 - 40 detects the signal strength of the transmission from the wireless mobile audio communication devices 22 , and if it is high enough , the wireless mobile audio communication devices 22 and the aps 24 - 40 communicate using the 802 . 11g standard to take advantage of the higher data rate which allows more simultaneous connections to one of the 2 . 4 ghz antennas without degrading the transmissions . if the signal strength isn &# 39 ; t high enough for the 802 . 11g standard , but is high enough for the 802 . 11b standard , then the 802 . 11b standard is used . in practice only about five percent of the 11 mbps and 54 mbps data rate can be used to provide a high quality audio transmission . the system in the preferred embodiment of the present invention uses a g . 792 codec , which requires a voice bandwidth of about 40 kbps . thus an antenna on an ap 24 - 40 transmitting and receiving signals using the 802 . 11b standard can provide simultaneous transmissions with about 10 to 14 wireless communication devices 22 , while an antenna transmitting and receiving signals using the 802 . 1 μg standard can provide simultaneous transmissions with about 65 to 70 wireless audio communication devices 22 . a wireless audio mobile communication device 22 , when roaming into an ap area , may necessitate using the 802 . 11b standard , but as the audio mobile communication device 22 continues to move in the ap area , the signal strength may improve such that the 802 . 11g standard can be used . if the number of simultaneous communications through the antenna used in the communication is low enough , the ap will usually not switch to the 802 . 11g standard to avoid the additional computational and time overhead required for the transition . however , if the number of wireless audio communication devices 22 transmitting to and from the antenna increases , the ap will switch from the 802 . 11b to the 802 . 11g standard to maintain the quality of the communication . although 802 . 11b and g provide 13 channels , the system of the present invention uses only channels 1 , 6 and 11 for voice to minimize disturbances in the rf transmissions . the channel assignments of each antenna for the four antenna aps and the six antenna aps are shown in diagrams 53 and 54 , respectively . installing aps having four or six antennas as well as selecting the number and placement of the aps is determined mainly by the maximum number of anticipated simultaneous communications at each ap , the rf disturbances present in the ap area , the rf disturbances along the 5 . 8 ghz path from the ap to the rpop or regpop , and the costs of the four antenna and six antenna ap sites . also shown in fig1 is a router 64 and a plurality of wired connections 66 to each of the aps 24 - 40 , rpops 28 and 38 and the regpop 42 . the router 64 and wired connections 66 are part of an out - of - band ( oob ) network which monitors the wireless system and provides operating commands to the various elements of the system . the router 66 is connected through the regpop 42 and through the internet to a server and operator interface to the oob network in the national office 48 . in the preferred embodiment the wired connections 66 are isdn connections . fig2 is a block diagram of aps 24 , 28 , 30 , 32 , 34 , and 36 . shown in fig2 are three sections 70 , 72 , and 74 that are the electronics exclusive to the 2 . 4 ghz 802 . 11 sectors 1 , 2 , and 4 or 6 , respectively . a fourth section 76 shows the 5 . 8 ghz 802 . 11 electronics for the aps 24 , 28 , 30 , 32 , 34 , and 36 . the sections 70 , 72 , 74 , and 76 have electrical connections to an ip switch 78 . the sector electronics comprise a 2 . 4 ghz multi - polarized directional antenna 80 connected through a lightning protector 82 to a channel filter 84 that , in turn , is connected to a 1 watt amplifier 86 . the 1 watt amplifier 86 is connected by a low loss cable 88 to another lightning protector 90 that is also connected to an ap 2 . 4 ghz 802 . 11 interface 94 . the ap 2 . 4 ghz 802 . 11 interface 94 is connected to an ap injector 78 , that is also connected to the ip switch 78 . section 76 includes a narrow band 8 . 5 ghz antenna 98 connected through a lightning protector 82 to a 5 . 8 ghz 8 . 5 ghz 802 . 11 interface or radio 100 . the 5 . 8 ghz radio 100 is connected to a radio injector 102 that , in turn , is connected to the ip switch 78 . in some cases a wired connection to regpop 42 or to a rpop is made through a cable 103 . in those cases , section 78 would not be used since the cable 103 would provide a direct ip connection obviating the need for the 8 . 5 ghz 802 . 11 link . in the preferred embodiment , the antennas 80 are multipolarized . in the four sector aps , the antennas 80 have a beam width of about 8 inches , and in the six sector aps , the antennas 80 have a beam width of about 4 inches . in operation the mobile communication device 22 establishes an 802 . 11 compliant communication with the ap 2 . 4 ghz 802 . 11 interfaces 94 through a signal path that includes the antenna 80 , lightning protector 82 , channel filter 84 , 1 watt amplifier 86 , low impedance connection 88 , lightning protector 90 , and amplifier injector 92 . the ip data to and from the ap 2 . 4 ghz 802 . 11 interfaces 94 after the 802 . 11 frame structure is passed through the ap injector 96 to and from the ip switch 78 . in aps 24 , 26 , 30 , 32 , 34 , and 38 the data is passed through the radio injector 102 and to and from the 5 . 8 ghz radio 100 which communicates with an rpop 28 or 36 or ap 40 using the 802 . 11 communication interface . fig3 is a block diagram of aps 28 and 36 . the block diagrams of aps 28 and 36 are the same as the block diagram of fig2 but with the addition of another section 104 which is the same as section 78 except that the narrow beam 8 . 5 ghz antenna 98 is replaced by a broad beam 8 . 5 ghz antenna 106 . the broad beam 5 . 8 ghz antenna 106 communicates with the narrow band 8 . 5 ghz antennas 98 of the aps 24 , 30 , 32 , and 34 . ap 40 has the same block diagram as fig3 except that section 76 is missing since the connection between the ap 40 and the regpop 42 is through cable 103 . ap 40 could also be configured without the 2 . 4 ghz sections 70 - 74 and thus consist of a section 104 and ip switch 78 with the cable connection 103 to the regpop 42 . the aps 24 - 38 can operate without a special ip cable which reduces the cost of installation and operating fees for the aps . fig4 is a block diagram that includes ra 1 , rpops 28 and 36 , regpop 42 and the national office 48 . the block diagrams for the aps 24 - 40 have been described above . the regpop 42 transfers ip data with the aps in router / switch 110 and transfers the data through a firewall 112 that is connected with a router 113 that , in turn , is connected to the internet 50 . voice data is passed between the regpop 42 and the national office 48 through a virtual private network in the internet 50 . computer ip data ( i . e ., data for another computer or an ip network ) is transferred to and from the public portion of the internet 50 at each of the regpops 42 , 44 , and 46 which have their own separate internet addresses . connected to the internet 50 in the national office 48 is a router 114 that has a connection to a firewall 116 that , in turn , is connected to a switch 118 . the switch 118 is also connected to a session border controller 120 that in turn is connected to a sip proxy 122 . the sip proxy 122 connects with a sip proxy in the mobile communication device 22 . the sip proxy 122 is connected to a voice gateway 124 that interfaces the public switched telephone network ( pstn ) 126 to complete the connection between a voice mobile communication device 22 and a caller using the pstn 126 . the router 114 has another connection that is to another firewall 128 that , in turn , is connected through a switch 130 to a radius / ldap server 132 that stores information on the mobile communications devices 22 . the radius / ldap server 132 is also connected to a value added services module 134 that includes vms , sms , info , and in . fig5 is a conceptual representation 140 of an ap according to the present invention . shown in fig5 is a tower having a cable 88 through the tower from a lower electronics enclosure 144 to an upper electronics enclosure 146 . attached to the top of the tower 142 are four or six 2 . 4 ghz antennas 80 . shown below the 2 . 4 ghz antennas 80 are the two 5 . 8 ghz antennas 98 and 106 . the upper electronics enclosure 146 holds the electronic blocks within the dashed lined rectangles 146 shown in fig2 and 3 . the rest of the electronics at the aps are located in the lower enclosure 144 . the lower enclosure has a first cable passing through a wall of the enclosure that is one of the oob cables 66 shown in fig1 , and the lower enclosure 144 may also have a second cable 103 passing through the wall of the enclosure . cable 103 is shown in fig2 , and 4 . it will be appreciated that a tower is not required for an ap site . an ap can be mounted on the side or top of a building , for example . also , since the coverage area for each ap is smaller than the coverage area for a conventional cellular phone base station , the height needed for the base station antenna is not necessarily required for an ap antenna . the system of fig1 is primarily for voice communication . to also handle data communication , the aps need to be modified as shown in fig6 by providing two parallel communication paths , a first communication path 152 and a second communication path 154 and by placing voice data and computer data on separate channels defined in the 802 . 11 standard . the diagram 52 of fig1 shows a top sector which can be used for both voice and computer data with the voice data on channel 1 and the computer data on channel 13 . each of the communication paths 152 and 154 have an ap 2 . 4 ghz 802 . 11 interface , and an ap injector 96 . the ap 2 . 4 ghz interface 94 in communication path 152 encodes and decodes 802 . 11 frames in channels 1 , 6 , and 11 , while the ap 2 . 4 ghz interface 156 in communication path 152 encodes and decodes 802 . 11 frames in other channels , such as channel 13 , that are used for computer data . a combiner 93 combines and splits the signals between the amp injector 92 and the ap 2 . 4 ghz 802 . 11 interface 94 in each of the communication paths 152 and 154 . the ip data to and from the ap injectors 96 pass through the ip switch 78 . when a 2 . 4 ghz 802 . 11 interface has been established and data from the mobile communications device 22 is passing through the system , the national office 48 detects if voice data or computer data is being transferred to and from the mobile communication device 22 . if the communication is voice communication , the first communication path 152 is used , and if the communication is computer data , the second communication path 154 is used . the two communication paths 152 and 154 are necessary because the computer data transmitted is much denser then the voice data . the delays due to retries required because of the denser traffic would degrade the quality of the voice transmission , but generally can be tolerated in computer data exchanges . fig7 is a timing diagram 160 of a mobile communications device 22 handoff process when the mobile communications device roams from one sector connection to another sector connection . at the top of fig7 is a perspective view of a horizontal slice near an ap . a region 162 shows the area where the predominant signal strength is to and from a sector 2 and region 164 shows the area where the predominant signal strength is to and from a sector 1 . the area 166 is the crossover region between the areas 162 and 164 . in the example of fig7 a mobile communications device 22 initiates a telephone call with an ap association shown in block 168 . after the ap association , an ap authentication occurs as shown in block 170 . this initial authentication takes about 350 to 400 ms . once the authentication is complete , normal voice transmission using sector 2 occurs as shown in block 172 . also , after the authentication , an ip address is assigned as shown in block 174 and a sip call initiation occurs as shown in block 176 . as shown in the bottom row of fig7 , as the mobile communication device 22 travels , the signal strengths for sector 2 and sector 1 change . the mobile communications device 22 operates in the power save mode and uses the rest time to measure the signal strength from the surrounding sectors . when the mobile communications device 22 senses that another sector has a 3 db greater signal than the sector that the mobile communication device 22 is currently communicating with , as occurs at point 178 , the mobile communications device 22 dissociates from sector 2 in this example as shown in block 180 , associates with sector 1 as shown in block 182 , authenticates with sector 1 as shown in block 184 , and resumes normal communication as shown in block 186 using sector 1 instead of sector 2 . advantageously , the system of the present invention keeps the ip address and sip connection alive for one or two seconds after the mobile communication device 22 disassociates so that the mobile communication device 22 can reassociate and reauthenticate in about 50 ms which does not cause a disturbance noticeable to the user of the mobile communication device 22 . the system of the present invention also remembers the key used in the last connection for a few seconds so that the authentication and wep / wpa / wpa 2 encryption can be quickly reestablished . fig8 is a block diagram of a wired packet communication system in which the functions of the national office 48 shown in fig4 have been shifted to the regional point - of - presence and a multiprotocol label switching ( mpls ) backbone ring 190 that is a network available in many countries of the world . as shown in fig8 the router / switch 113 transfers data to and from access point 40 and optional to and from other access points such as access points 28 and 36 . the router / switch 113 is coupled to the internet 50 through the firewall 112 and router 110 . the router / switch 113 is coupled to the mpls backbone ring 190 and to the session border controller 120 and the radius / ldap server 132 . by moving the national office 48 functions to the regpop , router 114 , firewalls 116 and 128 , and switches 118 and 130 have been eliminated . however , instead of having only one national office , the remaining blocks of the national office have to be duplicated at each regpop . in some alternative embodiments of fig8 the radius / ldap server 132 and value added services 134 can be located in a national office and the mpls backbone ring used to provide high speed connections between the alternative regpop and the alternative national office . while the invention has been described by reference to various specific embodiments , it should be understood that numerous changes may be made within the spirit and scope of the inventive concepts described . accordingly , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the described embodiments , but will have full scope defined by the language of the following claims . for example , with appropriate changes that can be made by those skilled in the art , the ip frame encoding for the wireless transmission of data can be encoded using standards other than 802 . 11 such as bluetooth .	7
the teachings of the present invention are applicable to many different types of computer networks and may also be used , for instance , in conjunction with direct on - line connections to databases . in addition to or alternatively , a telephone system may also be used to receive and distribute the information . in one embodiment , a standard telephone may be used to communicate the usage information and may be used in conjunction with an ivr ( interactive voice response ) communication system . the telephone may have an input / output device that receives and sends information over the telephone communication system . an individual entering the usage information can use either the pad or the microphone . the spoken or keypad entered information may be transferred over the telephone system through various known methods . the system and method of the present invention will be described generally with reference to cars , light duty trucks , medium duty trucks , heavy duty trucks , trailers and equipment , but have application in the management of other types of vehicles as well . with regard to the references in this specification to computers , the computers may be any standard computer including standard attachments and components thereof ( e . g ., a disk drive , hard drive , cd player or network server that communicates with a cpu and main memory , a sound board , a keyboard and mouse , and a monitor ). the processor of the cpu in the computer may be any conventional general purpose single - or multi - chip microprocessor . in addition , the processor may be any conventional special purpose processor such as a digital signal processor or a graphics processor . the microprocessor has conventional address lines , conventional data lines , and one or more conventional control lines . with regard to references to software , the software may be standard software used by those skilled in the art or may be coded in any standard programming language to accomplish the tasks detailed below . in one embodiment , the server database may be maintained by what is referred to as a “ server company .” the server company may be the company or entity keeping track of the usage information by maintaining the database . the company or entity that is leasing or purchasing the vehicles , from the server company or elsewhere , and for whom usage information is being tracked , may be known as a client company . the server company may be tracking the information on its own leased vehicles in the possession of the client company , or performing the tracking services for the client company for a fee . in either case , the present description will utilize the term server company for that organization that maintains the server database and will utilize the term client company for that organization that operates the vehicles . finally , various embodiments are described in terms of a “ user ” entering the information . the “ user ” may be an individual who enters data for a vehicle the individual personally uses , an individual working at a garage in the employ of the client company , or others . this information may also be entered via an automated database , which can periodically download information from a database maintained by the client company , to the server company &# 39 ; s database . [ 0030 ] fig1 is a block diagram illustration of a network based on a client - server model . the network comprises one or more database servers 10 , one or more clients 12 , a user interface device 16 , and a communication pathway 14 . the clients 12 communicate with the servers 10 over the communication path 14 via the user interface device 16 . the communication pathway 14 may be through the internet or other suitable telecommunications paths . a suitable network protocol , such as the tcp / ip protocol , may be used for the communications . the user interface device 16 may be any computer or web interface device known to those skilled in the art . the application server 10 may include a web server that provides the computer information . the web server and the database server 10 may exist within a single computer or computer system or can also be separate entities . as referred to herein , the server 10 includes both possibilities . the server 10 allows access by the clients 12 to various network resources through communication pathway 14 . [ 0031 ] fig2 is a block diagram of a representative client interface device 16 . as described above , the client &# 39 ; s user interface device 16 may be any conventional computer known to those skilled in the art . in fig2 the client user interface device 16 is a computer that includes a central processor unit (“ cpu ”) and main memory 18 , an input / output interface 22 for communicating with various databases , files , programs , and networks ( such as the internet ), and one or more storage devices 20 . the storage devices 20 may be disk drive devices or cd rom devices . the client computer may also include a monitor 24 or other screen device and an input device such as a keyboard 26 and / or a mouse 28 . in order to facilitate use over the internet , the client computer could have software programs contained in the main memory 18 or the storage 20 which can be used by the cpu 18 . in some embodiments , a web browser , which is a known software tool used to access the web via a connection obtained through an internet service provider , may be part of the software programming utilized . a variety of browsers known to those skilled in the art may be used within the scope of the present invention . as explained above , a web server may allow access to so - called “ web sites ” and “ web pages .” once the web browser has accessed these pages through the web server , the html page may be downloaded through the input / output interface 22 . the central processing unit 18 will use the browser software package to interpret the information and display it on the monitor 24 . the software may also contain other software or programs which will allow the user to fill in information on the screens and to exchange data with the server 10 . the memory 18 or the storage device 20 may also contain configuration software . this software will enable the computer to configure the downloaded html web page to make it an interactive device . the configuration software may allow a user to move from one field to another on the downloaded web page to select options or enter usage information . [ 0034 ] fig3 illustrates server 10 . the server 10 may contain programs that run on the server - side to process requests and responses from the user &# 39 ; s interface 16 , which sends the proper information to the client , and performs compilation and storage functions . the server 10 may send out web pages in html format for the user to download , interpret with his / her computer , and view on the monitor . the server 10 may be configured to incorporate the client database 50 or , in an alternative embodiment , the server 10 may simply be connected to a client database at a remote site in much the same way as the server 10 and user interface 16 are connected . the server 10 may further contain software programs 52 that control the interface with the communications pathway 114 of fig1 . the server 10 may further control the operations of the database 50 and the compiling of the usage information for the generation of reports . the database storage area 50 of the server 10 may be further organized so that each client company database 54 is separately maintained . in alternative embodiments , the data within database 54 may be mixed with that from other clients for a more accurate vehicle database for cost analysis . the information entered by the user may be placed in a designated area according to what usage information is entered , which individual user entered the usage information , what specified period , and also what type of information is entered . the information may be further organized by distinguishing between what information is directly accessible by the users and client companies and what information is only accessible to the client company and users by requesting a report . the server company may do any number of manipulations of the usage information stored in the database , such as calculating the total cost of the vehicles , calculating the cost to use different types of vehicles , issuing reminders for scheduled maintenance or other calculations may be facilitated . alternatively , the database 50 may be maintained at the client company , whether it owns or leases the vehicles , or at the server company . the physical location of the database is not critical . [ 0038 ] fig4 illustrates a flow chart of the acts of logging onto the system and inputting usage information into the server database . as illustrated in fig4 the individual customer may access the internet application by typing in the appropriate tcp / ip address and accessing the html formatted web page as shown in fig5 from the server company &# 39 ; s server . the user may be then directed to a welcome page such as shown in fig6 . once the connection is made , the user may log on to the database by entering an identification and a password 62 . one example of an identification and password for the internet access may be a number or character string . the identification and password may indicate to the database what person is entering the data , what garage is entering the data , or for what client company the user is entering the information . in alternative embodiments , passwords may be issued for an organizational entity as a whole or for an individual user . once the user is cleared onto the database , then the user may begin to perform functions . the server database prompts the user to select a function the user wishes to perform 64 . the user may select a series of options 66 - 70 : a . view old entered data ( 66 ) b . enter new data ( 68 ) c . request a new report ( 70 ) if the user desires to select option a , the server database may first prompt the user to select a relevant period for viewing the usage information 72 . the server database may then display previously entered usage information 74 . any manner of displaying the data may be utilized , such as a spreadsheet layout illustrated in fig7 or as an html page as illustrated in fig8 . if the data for the selected time period has not been completely entered , the server company &# 39 ; s database may prompt the user to enter in the remaining data , in which case the user would be sent to option b . upon selection of option b , the user may enter new usage information data 68 . the user may be directed to a remote entry form such as illustrated in fig8 . as above , the user may be prompted to select a specified period for which to enter the usage information 74 . once the server database is selected , the user may enter the usage information 76 . examples of the types of usage information which may be entered are illustrated in fig7 such as : as illustrated in fig7 many different types of information may be entered and tracked on a concurrent basis . the usage information may be entered as a single bit of usage information , for example , the odometer reading at the time of vehicle or how much money was spent on an oil change , or as a whole series of interrelated bits of information such as would be associated with vehicle repair . this usage information may be entered in units , such as us dollars , canadian dollars , miles , kilometers , or other appropriate units . alternatively , the usage information may be entered in a spreadsheet format , with a garage or organization downloading all of the client company &# 39 ; s usage information to the server company &# 39 ; s database about one vehicle , a group of vehicles , or an entire fleet , at one time . a spreadsheet such as illustrated in fig7 may be used for this purpose . the user may first enter the information onto a spreadsheet that is on the client company &# 39 ; s database or on the user &# 39 ; s personal computer . when the user then logs onto the database , the entire contents of the spreadsheet may be sent as a file to the server . the spreadsheet format may facilitate the batch entry of data by a client company &# 39 ; s garage or a client company &# 39 ; s server without having to continuously log on and off of the system and database of the server company . [ 0063 ] fig8 illustrates an example html page for an individual vehicle entry 100 . the corporate code and fleet number may identify the client company . the vehicle number may identify the car . in the other blocks , routine information may be entered about the car of the present embodiment , including everything from the corporate code to the mileage and license number . as may be appreciated , just about any information about the vehicle may be tracked in such a layout . this particular page focuses on a repair done on the vehicle , asking for information on when work was performed , the price for parts and labor , and the invoice number . other blanks may be allowed for additional comments and codes concerning the vehicle and the work performed . additional fields a customer can upload corp . code 2 digit number ( 01 , 44 , 67 , or 98 ) fleet number maximum 6 digit integer unit number any 8 character text string tech # any 8 character text string garage # any 25 character text string telephone any 10 character text string supplier id # any 10 character text string mileage maximum 7 digit number engine hours maximum 7 digit number work started date field work performed date field r . o ./ invoice # any 8 character text string repair code any 40 character text string major repair code any 40 character text string minor repair code any 40 character text string parts dollars currency field labor hours maximum 7 digit number + 2 decimal labor dollars currency field total repair currency field qty maximum 6 digit number + 2 decimal comments any 75 character text string user defined lists repair codes any 40 character text strings garage code any 40 character text strings garage phone any 10 character text strings labor rate currency field supplier id any 10 digit integer user selectable default settings corp 2 digit number ( 01 , 44 , 67 , or 98 ) fleet maximum 6 digit integer distance miles / kilo invoice invoice required / invoice optional / invoice not available default asset type vehicle only / vehicle with equipment / equipment only next invoice number maximum 10 character text string invoice heading maximum 40 character text string with reference to the above fields , the first column illustrates possible fields for entry , with the second column showing an example form the usage information may take for that field . the user enters the information and then moves onto the next field such as by pressing the enter key or the tab key . other ways to jump to the next field may also be utilized . in general , the fields may be arranged such that entering a particular field will be followed by entering usage information for a related field . limitations set out above , such as the 75 character maximum imposed on the comments , may be changed by those reasonably skilled in the art as needed or desired . the user may alternatively select option c ( 70 in fig4 ) to request a new report . the user may then be prompted to enter the reportable period for which the report is requested 78 . if all of the relevant usage information has not been entered for that reportable period , then the user may be prompted to enter in the new usage information before the report can be properly compiled and the information reported 80 ( see above ). once the user completes entering the usage information , the report may be produced . this system may be set up to automatically verify the accuracy of the entered information by looking at the unit entered , for example , if too large of a monetary number is entered into the system , the system could prompt the user to validate the amount spent . in alternative embodiments , the reports may be issued automatically rather than being requested on demand . however , the report requested on demand feature may be desirable for the client company for various reasons known to those reasonably skilled in the art . once the usage information is displayed , the report requested , or the usage information entered , the user may then go back to the beginning to perform another operation 86 . alternatively , the user can exit the database by logging off 88 . to exit the system , the internet user may first log off 88 the server database . logging off may insure that if the computer is left on , and connected to the server database , that another user or passerby could not then alter the previously entered usage information or enter incorrect usage information . to log off 88 an internal system , the user may simply turn off or abandon the user &# 39 ; s personal account . in an internal system , logging off of the system is not as important as when the terminal is accessible to the public . once the user is logged off and exited 90 from the system , the server database may then send the information to be compiled . as illustrated in fig9 in the present embodiment the server company may provide bill consolidation services to the client company . the server company first collects the billing information from the client 102 . alternatively , the client company may instruct the service providers to invoice the server company directly 104 for the services performed , reducing even more the effort expended by the client company . in one embodiment , the server company may employ personnel to enter into the system such bills that are sent directly to the server company for payment . in other embodiments , the client company may enter this billing information into the database or simply forward the bills to the server company for entry organizing them in any manner . in other embodiments , a combination of direct billing 104 or forwarded billing 102 may also be used . once the server company has the billing information , the server company may then pay the service providers directly 106 . the server company may then compile an itemized report of the bills paid , and thereafter send one bill to the client company 108 . this service provided by the server company only requires that the client company submit one payment 110 for all of the bills in a given time period , saving the time and effort of paying each individual bill for the vehicle fleet . the system and method reduces expenditures in personnel and equipment that a client company must expend to maintain a vehicle fleet . the client company can have a vehicle fleet without staffing a whole department to keep track of the vehicles , maintain the vehicles , or service the vehicles . the user of each vehicle may individually input the usage information directly into the database . advantageously , the server company can produce reports for the client company . since the server company may perform this service for one or more client companies , the client company can receive cost information based on a greater number and variety of vehicles than it may individually utilize . the server company can therefore provide valuable advice if the client company wishes to expand its vehicle fleet , to change the makes or the models of the vehicles in its fleet , or to reduce its vehicle fleet . enabling a better analysis of a client company &# 39 ; s needs for vehicle fleet decisions helps the client company further reduce expenditures . inherent in these decisions is the analysis of different aspects of different vehicles , finding out what about the vehicles worked well and what did not . the reports and analysis done by the server company may be much more beneficial to the client company because it is based on a database larger than that maintained for the client company alone , allowing a better statistical sampling the server company can also provide a bill payment plan to the client company . whether the bill is sent directly to the server company , or the bill is forwarded to the server company from the client company , the server company may pay the bill without the client company expending the resources required to maintain its own billing department . the client company may pay the one consolidated bill at the end of each billing period , saving money spent on personnel and facilities . as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art , while the preceding discussion sets forth various embodiment of the method and system of the present invention , these implementations are not intended to be restrictive of the appended claims , nor are they intended to imply that the claimed invention has limited applicability to one type of computer or telephone network . while the principles underlying the internet and the web have been described in some detail above and below in connection with various aspects of the present invention , this discussion is provided for descriptive purposes only and is not intended to imply any limiting aspects to the broadly claimed methods and systems . while the present invention has been described with reference to several embodiments thereof , those skilled in the art may recognize various changes that may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention . accordingly , this invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification but rather as indicated in the appended claims . any number or ordering of the elements in the following claims is merely for convenience and is not intended to suggest that the ordering of the elements of the claims has any particular significance other than that otherwise expressed by the language of the claims .	6
fig1 shows a sprinkling or irrigation tube 1 , made of plastic material , for example polyethylene , which has , at a given pitch , holes 2 through which water can flow at a low flow rate to water vegetables 3 . dripper units 4 are attached within tube 1 facing each hole 2 , their structure being shown more clearly in fig2 . each dripper unit 4 takes the general form of a small oblong hollow block made of plastic material of a general parallelepiped shape whose surface 5 , intended to be adjacent to the wall of tube 1 , is curved to mould itself to said wall once dripper unit 4 is put in place . a collecting chamber 6 , which communicates with a hole 2 of tube 1 and with passages 7 opening into the cavity 8 ( visible in fig4 ) delimited by the block of dripper unit 4 , is formed in surface 5 . channels 7 a and 7 b forming a labyrinth connecting collecting chamber 6 to passages 7 , are also made in surface 5 . in the completed tube , dripper units 4 are attached , preferably by heat welding , via their entire surface 5 to the inner face of tube 1 . collecting chamber 6 then opens into hole 2 through which water can flow at a predetermined rate through the labyrinth formed by channels 7 a and 7 b . according to the invention , each dripper unit 4 has two notches 9 provided in the lugs formed , in the example , by the respective end walls delimiting cavity 8 in dripper unit 4 . each notch 9 opens towards the interior of tube 1 when dripper unit 4 is mounted in place . it will be seen hereinafter that the width of this notch 9 is carefully defined to fulfill one of the essential functions of the invention . it is to be noted that , according to an alternative , the body of dripper unit 4 could have only one notch 9 or , possibly , more than two notches distributed over its length in transverse walls or partitions passing through cavity 8 . it will be noted in fig1 that the length of each dripper unit 4 is designated 1 , while the pitch with which dripper units 4 are repeated in the longitudinal direction of tube 1 is designated d . the method and the installation allowing a tube such as that shown in fig1 and 2 to be manufactured will now be described . dripper units 4 in the form shown in fig2 and manufactured in advance , are brought to point 10 ( fig3 a ), for example from a vibrating hopper feeder well known in the art ( not shown in the drawings ). longitudinally positioned , they follow a rectilinear trajectory succeeding each other and being in contact with each other . they are thus introduced into a first conveyor or caterpillar type take off 11 , hereinafter the “ caterpillar ”. this caterpillar 11 includes an endless upper conveyor belt 12 a and a lower endless conveyor belt 12 b whose respective lower and upper sides are parallel and held apart from each other at a slightly smaller distance than the thickness of a dripper unit 4 . as conveyor belts 12 a and 12 b are consequently driven in such a way that their respective lower and upper sides move in the direction of arrows fa and fb , dripper units 4 are driven longitudinally ( towards the left in fig3 a ). caterpillar 11 is arranged for imposing on dripper units 4 a predetermined progression speed which is preferably fixed by the following ratio : first caterpillar 11 is followed by a transfer guide 13 formed by a block in which a passage 14 is arranged having a transverse rectangular cross - section substantially equal to the transverse cross - section of a dripper unit 4 . guide 13 is followed by a station 15 for attaching dripper units 4 onto a thread 16 . this station 15 , hereinafter the “ second caterpillar ”, includes three endless conveyor belts 15 a , 15 b and 15 c ( see also fig4 ), namely an upper belt 15 a and two lower belts 15 b and 15 c , these latter being placed side by side below upper belt 15 a and each having a slightly smaller width than the width of belt 15 a . upper belt 15 a is driven in the direction of arrow fc and lower belts 15 b and 15 c are driven in the direction of arrow fd . the lower side of belt 15 a is situated at a distance from the upper sides of lower belts 15 b and 15 c , so as to arrange a gap between them whose height is slightly less than the thickness of a dripper unit 4 . the active length of second caterpillar 15 is preferably equal to approximately the sum of length l and distance d as defined hereinbefore . thread 16 is unwound from a spool 17 in the direction of arrow fe . it may have a diameter of 0 . 5 mm for example , and be made of plastic material such as polyethylene or polypropylene . attaching station or second caterpillar 15 also includes an insertion wheel 18 rotatably mounted in the direction of arrow ff about an axis 19 at right angles to the direction of progression of dripper units 4 . this wheel 18 is formed of a disc 20 ( fig4 ) having a thin rim 21 whose edge is formed so as to have a circular concave groove 22 of a radius substantially corresponding to the radius of the cross - section of thread 16 . the thickness of rim 21 is preferably 0 . 4 mm . insertion wheel 18 is placed relative to second caterpillar 15 in such a way that its peripheral portion rotates between lower belts 15 b and 15 c , and groove 22 is situated above the plane formed by the upper sides of said belts . moreover , notches 9 formed in the end walls of dripper units 4 have a width which is less than the diameter of thread 16 . thus , according to an essential aspect of the invention , thread 16 , by passing over insertion wheel 18 , is inserted into notches 9 of each dripper unit 4 which passes between belts 15 a , 15 b and 15 c , which is seen clearly in fig4 . this insertion causes thread 16 to be caught in notches 9 and thus thread 16 and dripper unit 4 to be attached . it will be noted that in order to facilitate insertion , notch 9 widens towards wheel 18 . second caterpillar 15 is followed by a waiting station 23 , a first portion of which appears in fig3 a , and a second portion of which appears in fig3 b . waiting station 23 is essentially formed of a guide - bar 24 disposed longitudinally in the advancing direction of dripper units 4 . it has over its entire length a longitudinal groove 25 of reverse t - shaped cross - section , the transverse bar having substantially the same cross - section as a dripper unit 4 . below guide - bar 24 , groove 25 opens into a volume delimited by a caisson 26 in which a partial vacuum is maintained by suction ( not shown ). above guide - bar 24 , groove 25 communicates with the atmosphere through orifices 27 provided in steps in order to assure a draught through caisson 26 . at the downstream end of guide - bar 24 , groove 25 opens upwards towards an opening 28 of larger dimension in order to allow a brush 29 to pass , said brush being suspended above guide - bar 24 so as to obstruct groove 25 . thus , brush 29 act as a brake , the passage downstream of dripper units 4 being prevented by brush 29 which only yields if sufficient traction is exerted on said dripper units . according to another essential aspect of the invention , waiting station 23 allows a waiting line 30 to form , consisting of a predetermined number of dripper units 4 , which , when stopped by the brake or brush 29 , accumulate behind each other in guide - bar 24 , while thread 16 forms loops 16 a as shown in fig3 a , 3 b and 5 . waiting station 23 also includes a sensor 31 which is capable , through another opening 32 which enables groove 25 to communicate with the open air , of sensing the presence of a dripper unit 4 at this location and of counting the number of dripper units 4 in waiting station 23 . sensor 31 is connected to a control device 33 responsible for regulating , as a function of the number of dripper units 4 situated in waiting station 23 , the speed of a driving motor 34 for belts 15 a , 15 b and l 5 c and for insertion wheel 18 in attaching station 15 . the mechanical torque between motor 34 and belts 15 a , 15 b and 15 c is represented by dot and dash lines in fig3 a . the advancing speed of dripper units 4 into attaching station 15 is adjusted to a value vd equal to extrusion speed v 2 of tube 1 increased or decreased by a correction value c which can vary as a function of the signal provided by sensor 31 . moreover , the length of belts 15 a , 15 b and 15 c is chosen to be substantially equal to the value d + l ( see fig1 ). these arrangements allow a determined number of dripper units 4 always to be held in waiting line 30 . the installation according to the invention also includes an extrusion station 35 . this station includes an extrusion head 36 receiving molten plastic material in a melting chamber ( not shown ), and supplying a semi - formed tube to a calibration cylinder or die 38 . from there , formed tube 1 passes into a cooling station 39 , then into a regulated drawing station and into a perforation station ( not shown ). in the latter , cooled tube 1 is perforated at intervals at right angles to collecting chambers 6 for dripper units 4 . as these three stations of the installation are well known to those skilled in the art , they are not described in detail here . a passage 38 , through which extends a support table for dripper units 4 , passes through extrusion head 35 . likewise , die 38 has a central passage 40 into which extends the downstream part of table 41 . the latter is intended first to allow transfer of dripper units 4 to die 37 and , in said die , to assure application pressure of dripper units 4 against the inner wall of semi - formed tube 1 , said pressure guaranteeing good heat welding of dripper units 4 to the wall of tube 1 . according to another important aspect of the invention , panel 41 is fitted with a third caterpillar 43 formed of an endless belt 44 whose upper side passes into a longitudinal groove 45 of panel 41 , so that its upper surface is flush with the upper surface thereof . endless belt 44 also passes over a motor device 46 and over return rollers 47 , 48 and 49 , while the lower side passes into a groove 50 made in the inner surface of panel 41 . motor device 46 is arranged to drive third caterpillar 43 at extrusion speed v 2 of tube 1 . third caterpillar 43 adds a particular advantage , especially when the wall of tube 1 has a relatively small thickness . third caterpillar 43 is able to considerably reduce the friction undergone by dripper units 4 caused by their sliding over table 41 , when they pass into die 38 where they are attached to tube 1 . this is important to the extent that tube 1 has to transmit the traction force to dripper units 4 and to thread 16 allowing them to continue on from waiting line 30 , the pressure with which dripper units 4 are made to be heat welded to the wall of tube 1 being able to be relatively significant . in short , it has been established that , as a result of the method according to the invention , manufacturing of the irrigation tube can occur without any discontinuity , in particular without inopportune acceleration or deceleration of the moving elements in the installation and the tube being formed . it will be noted that according to an alternative embodiment of the installation , waiting station 23 can be replaced by a dancer or take - up device 60 such as shown in fig6 . this dancer 60 includes conventionally two fixed pulleys 62 and 63 between which is inserted a moving pulley 64 connected to a first end of an arm 65 hinged by its second end onto a frame b . arm 65 is spring - biased to move the fixed pulleys away from each other as a result of return means 66 formed by a spring . these return means 66 may also be formed by a counterweight which is fixed in relation to the hinge axis of arm 65 on an opposite part to that carrying moving part 64 . thread 16 carrying dripper units 4 coming from second caterpillar 15 is thus deviated by fixed pulley 62 wound onto moving pulley 64 , and again deviated towards extrusion station 36 by second fixed pulley 63 . dancer device 60 is associated with first guide means 68 fixed onto frame b , and to second moving guide means 69 , attached to arm 65 . fixed guide means 68 are arranged between first fixed pulley 62 and moving pulley 64 , while moving guide means 69 are arranged between moving pulley 64 and second fixed pulley 63 . these guide means 68 , 69 are essential for preventing any rotation of dripper units 4 about themselves before entry into the extrusion station . as a result of this dancer device 60 , the advancing speed of dripper units 4 can thus be adjusted as a function of the extrusion speed . fig7 shows another alternative embodiment of the installation wherein the same elements as those described in conjunction with the preceding figures are designated by the same numerical references . according to this variant , waiting station 23 has been omitted and replaced by a longitudinal groove similar to groove 25 described in conjunction with fig3 a and 3b . caterpillar 15 has also been shortened so that no more than one dripper unit 4 is driven by belts 15 a and 15 b at one time . typically , the active length of caterpillar 15 is equal to three times the length of a dripper unit 4 . in this variant , thread 16 is unreeled from spool 17 without tension , for example by flyer pay off . thread 16 which carries dripper units 4 is thus only driven by the tube which has just been formed to which the dripper units are attached . this is made possible to the extent that the thread is unreeled without tension from spool 17 , where the dripper units have a very low weight and where the friction coefficient of the dripper units in groove 25 is very low . thus , during locking of the thread onto the dripper unit , the latter is driven by caterpillar 15 at a speed v substantially higher than v 1 or v 2 . since v is higher than v 1 or v 2 , a little slack is created in the thread between caterpillar 15 and the extrusion station . as soon as the dripper unit which is attached onto the thread leaves caterpillar 15 , the thread carrying dripper units 4 is driven only by the tube at speed v 2 . caterpillar 15 thus only drives dripper unit 4 before and after attachment thereof to the thread , but never drives the thread alone .	8
a conventional mobile information terminal controls the number of operating cores of a multi - core cpu on the basis of a cpu load caused by an overall system and suppresses power to be consumed by the mobile information terminal . it is , however , expected that performance of information processing devices will be improved and the number of functions will be increased , and there is a demand to further reduce power to be consumed in the future . relationships between the numbers of operating cores of a multi - core cpu ( hereinafter referred to as cpu , and sometimes as a processor ) and power to be consumed by the cpu are described with reference to fig1 to 2b . a so - called dual - core cpu that has two cores is used as the multi - core cpu . fig1 is a graph illustrating relationships between processing amounts ( workloads ) of the cpu and power to be consumed by the cpu . in the graph , the abscissa indicates a processing amount , and the ordinate indicates power to be consumed . the processing amount is a value ( ghz ) obtained by multiplying an operational frequency of the cpu by the number of operating cores of the cpu . a curved line 1 indicates the relationship when the number of operating cores of the cpu is 1 , while a curved line 2 indicates the relationship when the number of operating cores of the cpu is 2 . each of plots of the curved lines 1 and 2 is an intersection of a processing amount (=( an operational frequency of the cpu )×( the number of operating cores of the cpu )) and power to be consumed when the operational frequency of the cpu is provided . an operational frequency of an n - th plot of the curved line 1 from the left side corresponds to an operational frequency of an n - th plot of the curved line 2 from the left side . for example , when an operational frequency of the first plot of the curved line 1 from the left side is 0 . 3 ghz , an operational frequency of the first plot of the curved line 2 from the left side is also 0 . 3 ghz . since the abscissa indicates the processing amount (=( the operational frequency )×( the number of operating cores )), however , a processing amount of the first plot of the curved line 2 from the left side is 2 times as large as the operational frequency of the first plot of the curved line 2 from the left side or is 0 . 6 ghz (= 0 . 3 ghz × 2 ( cores )). as illustrated in fig1 , it is apparent that when the operational frequency of the cpu is high ( or in a range indicated by a circle a ), power to be consumed by the cpu may be reduced by increasing the number of operating cores to 2 while an equivalent processing amount is ensured . it is also apparent that when the operational frequency of the cpu is low ( or in a range indicated by a circle b ), power to be consumed by the cpu is not reduced and is increased by increasing the number of operating cores to 2 . fig2 a and 2b are schematic diagrams illustrating changes in power to be consumed when the number of operating cores of the cpu according to the first embodiment is increased . fig2 a illustrates a state in which the operational frequency of the cpu is high ( or corresponds to the range indicated by the circle a illustrated in fig1 ), while fig2 b illustrates a state in which the operational frequency of the cpu is low ( or corresponds to the range indicated by the circle b illustrated in fig1 ). as illustrated in fig2 a , when the operational frequency of the cpu is high and the number of operating cores of the cpu is increased to 2 , the processing power of the cpu is increased by 2 and the operational frequency of the cpu is reduced to a level corresponding to a load of the cpu with the increased processing power after the increase in the number of operating cores . thus , when the operational frequency of the cpu is high , the operational frequency of the cpu may be reduced by increasing the number of operating cores , and as a result , power to be consumed by the cpu may be reduced . specifically , when the operational frequency of the cpu is high and the number of operating cores of the cpu is increased , an operational point a1 of the curved line 1 transitions to an operational point c1 of the curved line 2 . the operational frequency of the cpu is reduced after the transition to the operational point c1 , and the operational point c1 transitions to an operational point b1 of the curved line 2 ( power to be consumed at the operational point b1 is lower than power to be consumed at the operational point a1 ). as illustrated in fig2 b , however , when the operational frequency of the cpu is high and the number of operating cores of the cpu is increased , the processing power of the cpu is increased by 2 , but the operational frequency of the cpu is not sufficiently reduced due to the lowest value of the operational frequency of the cpu . thus , when the operational frequency of the cpu is low and the number of operating cores is increased , the operational frequency of the cpu may not be reduced , and as a result , power to be consumed by the cpu may not be sufficiently reduced . specifically , when the operational frequency of the cpu is low and the number of operating cores of the cpu is increased , an operational point a2 of the curved line 1 transitions to an operational point b2 of the curved line 2 . the operational frequency of the cpu , however , may not be reduced after the transition to the operational point b2 , and no further transition is made . thus , even when the number of operating cores is increased , power to be consumed by the cpu may not be reduced . actually , power to be consumed by the cpu is increased by increasing the number of operating cores . based on the aforementioned facts , when the operational frequency of the cpu is low , an increase in power to be consumed by the cpu is suppressed by prohibiting an increase in the number of operating cores in the following embodiments . the time “ when the operational frequency of the cpu is low ” corresponds the time when an operational point , which is among multiple operational points ( plots of the curved line 2 ) after an increase in the number of operating cores of the cpu and at which power to be consumed is lower than that at an operational point ( plot of the curved line 1 ) before the increase in the number of operating cores of the cpu , does not exist . for example , as illustrated in fig1 , it is apparent that if the operational point before the increase in the number of operating cores of the cpu is “ p1 ”, an operational point , which is among the multiple operational points of the curved line 2 and at which power to be consumed is lower than that at the operational point “ p1 ”, exists . in addition , it is apparent that if the operational point before the increase in the number of operating cores of the cpu is “ p2 ”, an operational point “ p4 ”, which is among the multiple operational points of the curved line 2 and at which power to be consumed is lower than that at the operational point “ p2 ”, exists . thus , if the operational point before the increase in the number of operating cores of the cpu is “ p1 ” or “ p2 ”, power to be consumed by the cpu is reduced by increasing the number of operating cores . it is apparent that if the operational point before the increase in the number of operating cores of the cpu is “ p3 ”, an operational point , which is among the multiple plots of the curved line 2 and at which power to be consumed is lower than that at the operational point “ p3 ”, does not exist . thus , if the operational point before the increase in the number of operating cores of the cpu is “ p3 ” and the number of operating cores is increased , power to be consumed by the cpu is not reduced . thus , when the operational frequency of the cpu is lower than an operational frequency of the operational point “ p3 ”, the number of operating cores of the cpu is not increased . a mobile information terminal 100 according to the first embodiment is described with reference to fig3 to 13 . in the first embodiment , a smart phone , a tablet personal computer ( pc ), or the like may be used as the mobile information terminal 100 . android ( registered trademark ) may be used as an operating system ( os ) installed in the mobile information terminal 100 . android includes an os kernel , an application framework , and a library . a control program according to the first embodiment is included in the application framework or the library . the embodiments , however , are not limited to this . another os may be used instead of android . the control program according to the first embodiment may be included in a structure other than the application framework and the library . fig3 is an outline diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the mobile information terminal 100 according to the first embodiment . as illustrated in fig3 , the mobile information terminal 100 according to the first embodiment includes a central processing unit ( cpu ) 101 , a main memory 102 , an auxiliary memory 103 , a clock supplying circuit 104 , a voltage supplying circuit 105 , a display 106 , and a touch screen 107 as hardware modules . the hardware modules are connected to each other by a bus 108 . the cpu 101 is a type of multi - core processor and is operated by a clock signal supplied by the clock supplying circuit 104 and a voltage supplied by the voltage supplying circuit 105 and controls the other hardware modules of the mobile information terminal 100 . the cpu 101 is a so - called dual - core cpu and includes a core ( core 0 ) 1011 and a core ( core 1 ) 1012 . the cpu 101 reads various programs stored in the auxiliary memory 103 and loads the programs into the main memory 102 . the cpu 101 executes the various programs loaded into the main memory 102 and thereby achieves various functions . details of the various functions are described later . in the first embodiment , the dual - core cpu is used as the cpu 101 . the cpu 101 , however , may be another multi - core cpu such as a quad - core cpu and may include an arbitrary number of cores . the main memory 102 stores the various programs to be executed by the cpu 101 . the main memory 102 is used as a work area of the cpu 101 and stores various types of data to be used for processing to be executed by the cpu 101 . as the main memory 102 , a random access memory ( ram ) or the like may be used . the auxiliary memory 103 stores the various programs to be used to operate the mobile information terminal 100 . examples of the various programs are the operating system ( os ) and application programs to be executed by the mobile information terminal 100 . the auxiliary memory 103 stores , as the application programs , an “ application ” that causes a content ( execution result ) to be displayed on the display 106 and enables a user to operate a screen , a “ service ” that does not cause a content to be displayed on the display 106 and is executed in the background for the execution of the application , and the like . when a plurality of applications are activated , however , the auxiliary memory 103 stores either an application ( foreground application ) that causes a content to be displayed in the foreground on the display 106 and enables the user to operate the screen in practice or an application ( background application ) that does not cause a content to be displayed in the foreground on the display 106 and does not enable the user to operate the screen in practice . the control program according to the first embodiment is stored in the auxiliary memory 103 . as the auxiliary memory 103 , a hard disk or a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory may be used . the display 106 is controlled by the cpu 101 and displays image information to the user . the touch screen 107 is attached to the display 106 and used to enter information of a position touched by a finger of the user or an edge of a pen . fig4 is an outline diagram illustrating functional blocks of the mobile information terminal 100 according to the first embodiment . as illustrated in fig4 , the mobile information terminal 100 according to the first embodiment includes circuitry ( programmed or dedicated hardware ) that implement an application execution manager 201 , a cpu core control determining section 202 , a system load measurer 203 , a thread load measurer 204 , a cpu frequency controller 205 , a cpu frequency and state setting section 206 , a process and system manager 207 , a cpu state controller 208 , a timer 209 , application and service execution information 301 , cpu core control parameter information 302 , cpu control information 303 , process execution information 304 , and system state information 305 . the application execution manager 201 , the cpu core control determining section 202 , the system load measurer 203 , the thread load measurer 204 , the cpu frequency controller 205 , the cpu frequency and state setting section 206 , the process and system manager 207 , the cpu state controller 208 , the timer 209 , the application and service execution information 301 , the cpu core control parameter information 302 , the cpu control information 303 , the process execution information 304 , and the system state information 305 are each achieved by causing the cpu 101 to execute the os kernel of android or the application framework and the library . the application and service execution information 301 , the cpu core control parameter information 302 , the cpu control information 303 , the process execution information 304 , and the system state information 305 are built in the auxiliary memory 103 . the application execution manager 201 manages the execution and termination of the programs such as the application and the service . specifically , when a usage environment for an application program such as the application or the service or the state of a process of the application or service is changed , the application execution manager 201 updates the “ type ” or “ state ” of the application and service execution information 301 ( described later ). as usage environments , the foreground and the background are defined . for example , when the application program starts to be executed in the foreground or is activated or restarted in the foreground , the application execution manager 201 accesses the application and service execution information 301 and updates the “ type ” to the “ foreground ” and the “ state ” to “ currently executed ”. the cpu core control determining section 202 periodically monitors an operational state of a system and determines whether or not the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 is increased or reduced . specifically , the cpu core control determining section 202 references the system state information 305 , the cpu core control parameter information 302 , and the like and changes a detail set in “ cpu1 / online ” of the cpu control information 303 on the basis of “ run - queue - avg ” ( the average of the lengths of run queues for threads ), the number ( parallelism level ) of threads executed by the cpu 101 , the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 , the operational frequency of the cpu 101 , and various control parameters . the thread load measurer 204 references the process execution information 304 and calculates , on the basis of accumulated execution times , a parallelism level of threads executed by the cpu 101 . the system load measurer 203 monitors the operational state of the overall system , references details stored in the “ run - queue - avg ” and “ cpu utilization ” of the system state information 305 , and uses the referenced details to determine control of the cores . the cpu frequency controller 205 periodically references the system state information 305 and instructs , on the basis of the “ cpu utilization ” of the system state information 305 , the cpu frequency and state setting section 206 to change the operational frequency of an operating core of the cpu 101 . the cpu frequency and state setting section 206 turns on or off the core ( core 1 ) 1012 of the cpu 101 on the basis of an on or off instruction provided by the cpu state controller 208 . in addition , the cpu frequency and state setting section 206 controls the operational frequency of an operating core of the cpu 101 on the basis of the instruction provided by the cpu frequency controller 205 and indicating the change in the operational frequency . the process and system manager 207 monitors an execution state of a process executed by the cpu 101 and updates an “ execution state ” and “ accumulated execution time ” of the process execution information 304 . in addition , the process and system manager 207 monitors the operational state of the overall system and updates “ online ”, “ offline ” “ run - queue - avg ”, “ cpu utilization ”, and “ operational frequency ” of the system state information 305 . the cpu state controller 208 periodically monitors the cpu control information 303 and notifies the cpu frequency and state setting section 206 of an on or off instruction on the basis of the “ cpu1 / online ” of the cpu control information 303 . for example , when the core ( core 1 ) 1012 is in an on state and the “ cpu1 / online ” is changed from “ 1 ” to “ 0 ”, the cpu state controller 208 notifies the cpu frequency and state setting section 206 of the off instruction so as to instruct the cpu frequency and state setting section 206 to turn off the core ( core 1 ) 1012 . on the other hand , when the core ( core 1 ) 1012 is in an off state and the “ cpu1 / online ” is changed from “ 0 ” to “ 1 ”, the cpu state controller 208 notifies the cpu frequency and state setting section 206 of the on instruction so as to instruct the cpu frequency and state setting section 206 to turn on the core ( core 1 ) 1012 . the timer 209 notifies the application execution manager 201 , the cpu core control determining section 202 , the system load measurer 203 , the thread load measurer 204 , the cpu frequency controller 205 , the cpu frequency and state setting section 206 , the process and system manager 207 , and the cpu state controller 208 of the current time acquired from a real time clock circuit ( not illustrated ), for example . fig5 is an outline diagram illustrating the application and service execution information 301 according to the first embodiment . as illustrated in fig5 , the application and service execution information 301 stores a “ process id ”, a “ program name ”, a “ type ”, and a “ state ” for each of the application programs . the application and service execution information 301 stores information of processes of all the application programs to be executed by the cpu 101 . thus , the application and service execution information 301 stores information of processes of applications ( foreground applications and background applications ) and services , for example . the “ foreground ” and the “ background ” are defined as “ types ”. as “ states ”, “ currently executed ”, “ standby ”, “ executable ”, “ currently stopped ”, and “ zombie ” are defined . the “ types ” and “ states ” of the application and service execution information 301 are updated by the application execution manager 201 . fig6 is an outline diagram illustrating the cpu core control parameter information 302 according to the first embodiment . as illustrated in fig6 , the cpu core control parameter information 302 stores , as control parameters , a “ first frequency threshold ”, a “ second frequency threshold ”, a “ first run queue length threshold ”, a “ second run queue length threshold ”, a “ duration threshold ”, a “ lower limit for thread load measurement ”, a “ third run queue length threshold ”, and a “ parallelism level threshold ”. the “ first frequency threshold ”, the “ second frequency threshold ”, the “ first run queue length threshold ”, the “ second run queue length threshold ”, the “ duration threshold ”, the “ lower limit for thread load measurement ”, and the “ parallelism level threshold ” are each used in order to determine whether or not the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 is increased or whether or not the core ( core 1 ) 1012 of the cpu 101 is turned on . the “ duration threshold ” and the “ third run queue length threshold ” are each used in order to determine whether or not the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 is reduced or whether or not the core ( core 1 ) 1012 of the cpu 101 is turned off . the control parameters according to the first embodiment are not limited to the parameters stored in the cpu core control parameter information 302 and are set for each of configurations such as the minimum operational frequency of the cpu 101 . the minimum operational frequency is the minimum value among multiple operational frequencies set to the cpu 101 . the minimum value is set for each of the configurations of the cpu 101 or set by the os . fig7 is an outline diagram illustrating the cpu control information 303 according to the first embodiment . as illustrated in fig7 , the cpu control information 303 stores “ 0 ” or “ 1 ” as the “ cpu1 / online ” that determines whether the core ( core 1 ) 1012 of the cpu 101 is turned on or off . in the first embodiment , “ 0 ” is assigned to an instruction to turn off the core ( core 1 ) 1012 , and “ 1 ” is assigned to an instruction to turn on the core ( core 1 ) 1012 . thus , if “ 0 ” is registered in the “ cpu1 / online ” of the cpu control information 303 , the cpu state controller 208 instructs the cpu frequency and state setting section 206 to turn off the core ( core 1 ) 1012 . if “ 1 ” is registered in the “ cpu1 / online ” of the cpu control information 303 , the cpu state controller 208 instructs the cpu frequency and state setting section 206 to turn on the core ( core 1 ) 1012 . fig8 is an outline diagram illustrating the process execution information 304 according to the first embodiment . as illustrated in fig8 , the process execution information 304 is created for each of threads generated by the cpu 101 and stores a “ thread id ( sid )”, an “ execution state ( state )”, a “ parent process id ( ppid )”, and an “ accumulated execution time ” for each of the threads . the “ parent process id ( ppid )” is the id of a parent process of the interested thread . for example , when multiple threads are generated from the same application program , the same “ parent process id ( ppid )” is stored for each of the multiple threads . the “ accumulated execution time ” is stored as an accumulated execution time of an application program such as an application or a service . the “ accumulated execution time ” starts to be counted when the application program is activated . the “ thread ids ”, “ execution states ”, “ parent process ids ”, and “ accumulated execution times ” of the process execution information 304 are updated by the process and system manager 207 for each of monitoring operations . fig9 is an outline diagram illustrating the system state information 305 according to the first embodiment . as illustrated in fig9 , the system state information 305 stores the “ online ( the number of an online cpu core )”, the “ offline ( the number of an offline cpu core )”, the “ run - queue - avg ”, the “ cpu utilization (%)”, and the “ operational frequency ( mhz )”. a number of an operating core of the cpu 101 is stored in the “ online ”. a number of a core that is not operating and is included in the cpu 101 is stored in the “ offline ”. when the core ( core 0 ) 1011 and the core ( core 1 ) 1012 are operating , “ 0 ” and “ 1 ” are stored in the “ online ” and no value is stored in the “ offline ”. when only the core ( core 0 ) 1011 is operating , “ 0 ” is stored in the “ online ” and “ 1 ” is stored in the “ offline ”. the “ run - queue - avg ” indicates the latest average of the numbers of threads waiting to be executed by the cpu 101 . the “ cpu utilization ” indicates the cpu utilization of the overall system or the total of execution times of all threads per unit time . the “ operational frequency ” indicates the operational frequency of the cpu 101 . the “ online ”, “ offline ”, “ run - queue - avg ”, “ cpu utilization ”, and “ operational frequency ” of the system state information 305 are updated by the process and system manager 207 for each of the monitoring operations . fig1 is a flowchart of a process of determining control of the cpu core according to the first embodiment . as illustrated in fig1 , the cpu core control determining section 202 executes a process of determining whether or not the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 is increased ( in step s 001 ). the process of determining whether or not the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 is described later in detail . next , the cpu core control determining section 202 executes a process of determining whether or not the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 is reduced ( in step s 002 ). the process of determining whether or not the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 is reduced is described later in detail . then , the cpu core control determining section 202 sets the timer 209 for the periodical monitoring and changes to a sleep state ( in step s 003 ). a time to be set in the timer 209 is not limited . the first embodiment assumes that the time to be set in the timer 209 is 10 milliseconds . after the set time elapses and the timer 209 expires , the cpu core control determining section 202 executes the process of determining control of the cpu core again from the process of step s 001 . fig1 is a flowchart of the process of determining whether or not the number of operating cores is increased according to the first embodiment . the process of determining whether or not the operation of the core ( core 1 ) 1012 is started is described on the premise that only the core ( core 0 ) 1011 of the cpu 101 is operating . as illustrated in fig1 , the cpu core control determining section 202 references the system state information 305 and determines whether or not the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 is 1 ( in step s 011 ). specifically , the cpu core control determining section 202 determines whether or not only “ 0 ” that is the number of the core “ core 0 ” 1011 is registered in the “ online ”. when the cpu core control determining section 202 determines whether or not the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 is 1 , the cpu core control determining section 202 starts measuring the duration of a condition on the basis of time information provided by the timer 209 . if the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the number of operating cores is not 1 ( no in step s 011 ), the cpu core control determining section 202 terminates the process ( according to the first embodiment ) of determining whether or not the number of operating cores is increased . if the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 is 1 ( yes in step s 011 ), the cpu core control determining section 202 references the cpu core control parameter information 302 and acquires control parameters corresponding to the case where the number of operating cores is 1 ( in step s 012 ). specifically , the cpu core control determining section 202 acquires , as the control parameters , the “ first frequency threshold ”, “ second frequency threshold ”, “ first run queue length threshold ”, “ second run queue length threshold ”, “ duration threshold ”, “ lower limit for thread load measurement ”, and “ parallelism level threshold ” of the cpu core control parameter information 302 . next , the cpu core control determining section 202 references the system state information 305 and sets a thread load measurement flag ( in step s 013 ). specifically , if the operational frequency , stored in the system state information 305 , of the cpu 101 is higher than the “ lower limit for thread load measurement ”, the cpu core control determining section 202 stores “ 1 ” in the thread load measurement flag . if the operational frequency , stored in the system state information 305 , of the cpu 101 is not higher than the “ lower limit for thread load measurement ”, the cpu core control determining section 202 stores “ 0 ” in the thread load measurement flag . the thread load measurement flag is used in order to determine whether or not a parallelism level is calculated for each of threads . if “ 1 ” is stored in the thread load measurement flag , the thread load measurer 204 calculates cpu utilization for each of the threads . if “ 0 ” is stored in the thread load measurement flag , the thread load measurer 204 does not calculate cpu utilization for each of the threads . next , the cpu core control determining section 202 determines whether or not the operational frequency of the cpu 101 is higher than the “ first frequency threshold ” ( in step s 014 ). the first embodiment assumes that the “ first frequency threshold ” is “ 700 mhz ”. if the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the operational frequency of the cpu 101 is not higher than the “ first frequency threshold ” ( no in step s 014 ) or is equal to or lower than 700 mhz , the cpu core control determining section 202 initializes the duration of the condition on the basis of time information provided by the timer 209 ( in step s 023 ) or sets the duration of the condition to 0 ( seconds ) and terminates the process ( according to the first embodiment ) of determining whether or not the number of operating cores is increased . in the first embodiment , if the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the operational frequency of the cpu 101 is not higher than the “ first frequency threshold ” ( 700 mhz ), the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that power to be consumed by the cpu 101 is not reduced by increasing the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 and the cpu core control determining section 202 does not increase the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 and terminates the process of determining whether or not the number of operating cores is increased . if the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the operational frequency of the cpu 101 is higher than the “ first frequency threshold ” ( yes in step s 014 ) or 700 mhz , the cpu core control determining section 202 determines whether or not the operational frequency of the cpu 101 is higher than the “ second frequency threshold ” ( in step s 015 ). the first embodiment assumes that the “ second frequency threshold ” is “ 1000 mhz ”. if the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the operational frequency of the cpu 101 is higher than the “ second frequency threshold ” ( yes in step s 015 ) or 1000 mhz , the cpu core control determining section 202 references the system state information 305 and determines whether or not the length of a run queue for threads is larger than the “ second run queue length threshold ” and whether or not the parallelism level of the threads is larger than the “ parallelism level threshold ” ( in step s 016 ). the first embodiment assumes that the “ second run queue length threshold ” is “ 1 . 5 ” and the “ parallelism level threshold ” is “ 2 ”. if the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the length of the run queue for the threads is not larger than the “ second run queue length threshold ” and that the parallelism level of the threads is not larger than the “ parallelism level threshold ” ( no in step s 016 ), or the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the length of the run queue for the threads is not larger than 1 . 5 and that the parallelism level of the threads is not larger than 2 , the cpu core control determining section 202 initializes the duration of the condition on the basis of time information provided by the timer 209 ( in step s 023 ) or sets the duration of the condition to 0 ( seconds ) and terminates the process of determining whether or not the number of operating cores is increased . if the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the length of the run queue for the threads is larger than the “ second run queue length threshold ” and that the parallelism level of the threads is larger than the “ parallelism level threshold ” ( yes in step s 016 ), or the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the length of the run queue for the threads is larger than 1 . 5 and that the parallelism level of the threads is larger than 2 , the cpu core control determining section 202 updates the duration of the condition on the basis of time information provided by the timer 209 ( in step s 017 ). next , the cpu core control determining section 202 determines whether or not the duration of the condition is larger than the “ duration threshold ” ( in step s 018 ). the first embodiment assumes that the “ duration threshold ” is “ 300 milliseconds ”. if the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the duration of the condition is not larger than the “ duration threshold ” ( no in step s 018 ) or is equal to or smaller than 300 milliseconds , the cpu core control determining section 202 terminates the process ( according to the first embodiment ) of determining whether or not the number of operating cores is increased . if the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the duration of the condition is larger than the “ duration threshold ” ( yes in step s 018 ) or 300 milliseconds , the cpu core control determining section 202 operates the core ( core 1 ) 1012 of the cpu 101 or increases the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 ( in step s 019 ) and terminates the process ( according to the first embodiment ) of determining whether or not the number of operating cores is increased . specifically , the cpu core control determining section 202 updates the “ cpu1 / online ” of the cpu control information 303 to “ 1 ”. when the “ cpu1 / online ” is updated to “ 1 ”, the cpu state controller 208 instructs the cpu frequency and state setting section 206 to turn on the core ( core 1 ) 1012 , and as a result , both core ( core 0 ) 1011 and core ( core 1 ) 1012 operate . if the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the operational frequency of the cpu 101 is not higher than the “ second frequency threshold ” ( no in step s 015 ) or is higher than 700 mhz and not higher than 1000 mhz , the cpu core control determining section 202 determines whether or not the length of the run queue for the threads is larger than the “ first run queue length threshold ” ( in step s 020 ). the first embodiment assumes that the “ first run queue length threshold ” is “ 2 . 0 ”. if the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the length of the run queue for the threads is not larger than the “ first run queue length threshold ” ( no in step s 020 ) or is equal to or smaller than “ 2 . 0 ”, the cpu core control determining section 202 initializes the duration of the condition on the basis of time information provided by the timer 209 ( in step s 023 ) or sets the duration of the condition to 0 ( seconds ) and terminates the process ( according to the first embodiment ) of determining whether or not the number of operating cores is increased . if the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the length of the run queue for the threads is larger than the “ first run queue length threshold ” ( yes in step s 020 ) or “ 2 . 0 ”, the cpu core control determining section 202 updates the duration of the condition on the basis of time information provided by the timer 209 ( in step s 021 ). in the first embodiment , if the operational frequency of the cpu 101 is in a range of the “ first frequency threshold ” to the “ second frequency threshold ” ( or in a range of 700 mhz to 1000 mhz ), the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that it is highly likely that power to be consumed by the cpu 101 is not reduced by increasing the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 . thus , the cpu core control determining section 202 uses the “ first run queue length threshold ” in order to determine whether to increase the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 and thereby provides an environment in which the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 is hardly increased . note that the “ first run queue length threshold ” is larger than the “ second run queue length threshold ”. next , the cpu core control determining section 202 determines whether or not the duration of the condition is larger than the “ duration threshold ” ( in step s 022 ). the first embodiment assumes that the “ duration threshold ” is “ 300 milliseconds ”. if the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the duration of the condition is not larger than the “ duration threshold ” ( no in step s 022 ) or is equal to or smaller than 300 milliseconds , the cpu core control determining section 202 terminates the process ( according to the first embodiment ) of determining whether or not the number of operating cores is increased . if the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the duration of the condition is larger than the “ duration threshold ” ( yes in step s 022 ) or 300 milliseconds , the cpu core control determining section 202 operates the core ( core 1 ) 1012 or increases the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 ( in step s 019 ) and the terminates the process ( according to the first embodiment ) of determining whether or not the number of operating cores is increased . specifically , the cpu core control determining section 202 updates the “ cpu1 / online ” of the cpu control information 303 to “ 1 ”. in the first embodiment , if the operational frequency of the cpu 101 is equal to or lower than the “ first frequency threshold ” ( 700 mhz ), the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that power to be consumed by the cpu 101 is not reduced by increasing the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 , and the cpu core control determining section 202 does not increase the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 . thus , an unwanted increase in the number of operating cores may be suppressed . for example , an increase , caused by an increase in the number of operating cores , in power to be consumed by the cpu 101 may be suppressed . in the first embodiment , however , if the operational frequency of the cpu 101 is in the range of the “ first frequency threshold ” to the “ second frequency threshold ( or in the range of 700 mhz to 1000 mhz ), the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that it is highly likely that power to be consumed by the cpu 101 is not reduced by increasing the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 . thus , the cpu core control determining section 202 uses the “ first run queue length threshold ” in order to whether to increase the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 and thereby provides the environment in which the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 is hardly increased . thus , an unwanted increase in the number of operating cores may be suppressed . for example , an increase , caused by an increase in the number of operating cores , in power to be consumed by the cpu 101 may be suppressed . fig1 is a flowchart of a process of measuring a thread load according to the first embodiment . as illustrated in fig1 , the thread load measurer 204 references the cpu core control parameter information 302 and acquires the “ parallelism level threshold ” corresponding to the case where the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 is 1 ( in step s 031 ). the first embodiment assumes that the “ parallelism level threshold ” is “ 2 ”. next , the thread load measurer 204 determines whether or not the thread load measurement flag is in an on state or whether or not “ 1 ” is stored in the thread load measurement flag ( in step s 032 ). if the thread load measurer 204 determines that the thread load measurement flag is not in the on state ( no in step s 032 ) or that “ 1 ” is not stored in the thread load measurement flag , the thread load measurer 204 determines again whether or not the thread load measurement flag is in the on state ( in step s 032 ). if the thread load measurer 204 determines that the thread load measurement flag is in the on state ( yes in step s 032 ) or that “ 1 ” is stored in the thread load measurement flag , the thread load measurer 204 references the application and service execution information 301 and the process execution information 304 and calculates cpu utilization for each of threads of a process to be measured ( in step s 033 ). specifically , the thread load measurer 204 first references the application and service execution information 301 and acquires a process id of a foreground application . subsequently , the thread load measurer 204 references the process execution information 304 and identifies the threads of which the parent process is the foreground application associated with the process id . then , the thread load measurer 204 calculates cpu utilization for each of the threads on the basis of accumulated execution times of the threads . next , the thread load measurer 204 calculates a parallelism level of threads executed by the cpu 101 on the basis of the cpu utilization calculated for the threads and a cpu utilization threshold ( in step s 034 ). specifically , the thread load measurer 204 calculates the number of threads of which cpu utilization is higher than the cpu utilization threshold . the first embodiment assumes that the cpu utilization threshold is 40 %. then , the thread load measurer 204 sets the timer 209 for the periodical monitoring and changes to a sleep state ( in step s 035 ). a time set in the timer 209 is not limited . the first embodiment , however , assumes that the time set in the timer 209 is several tens of milliseconds . after the set time elapses and the timer 209 expires , the thread load measurer 204 executes the process of measuring a thread load from the process of step s 031 . in the first embodiment , when the operational frequency of the cpu 101 is equal to or lower than the “ lower limit for thread load measurement ”, the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that power to be consumed by the cpu 101 is not reduced by increasing the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 , and the thread load measurer 204 does not start the calculation of the parallelism level of the threads . note that the “ lower limit for thread load measurement ” is equal to or lower than the “ first frequency threshold ”. thus , power to be consumed for the calculation of the parallelism level of the threads may be reduced . fig1 is a flowchart of a process of determining whether or not the number of operating cores is reduced according to the first embodiment . the process of determining whether or not the operation of the core ( core 1 ) 1012 is stopped is described on the premise that both cores ( cores 0 and 1 ) 1011 and 1012 of the cpu 101 are operating . as illustrated in fig1 , the cpu core control determining section 202 references the cpu core control parameter information 302 and acquires control parameters corresponding to the case where the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 is 2 ( in step s 041 ). specifically , the cpu core control determining section 202 acquires , as the control parameters , the “ duration threshold ” and “ third run queue length threshold ” of the cpu core control parameter information 302 . next , the cpu core control determining section 202 references the system state information 305 and determines whether or not the length of the run queue for the threads is smaller than the “ third run queue length threshold ” ( in step s 042 ). the first embodiment assumes that the “ third run queue length threshold ” is “ 1 . 2 ”. if the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the length of the run queue for the threads is not smaller than the “ third run queue length threshold ” ( no in step s 042 ) or is equal to or larger than 1 . 2 , the cpu core control determining section 202 initializes the duration of the condition on the basis of time information provided by the timer 209 ( in step s 046 ) or sets the duration to 0 ( seconds ) and terminates the process ( according to the first embodiment ) of determining whether or not the number of operating cores is reduced . if the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the length of the run queue for the threads is smaller than the “ third run queue length threshold ” ( yes in step s 042 ) or 1 . 2 , the cpu core control determining section 202 updates the duration of the condition on the basis of time information provided by the timer 209 ( in step s 043 ). next , the cpu core control determining section 202 determines whether or not the duration of the condition is larger than the “ duration threshold ” ( in step s 044 ). the first embodiment assumes that the “ duration threshold ” is “ 300 milliseconds ”. if the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the duration of the condition is not larger than the “ duration threshold ” ( no in step s 044 ) or is equal to or smaller than 300 milliseconds , the cpu core control determining section 202 terminates the process ( according to the first embodiment ) of determining whether or not the number of operating cores is reduced . if the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the duration of the condition is larger than the “ duration threshold ” ( yes in step s 044 ) or 300 milliseconds , the cpu core control determining section 202 stops the operation of the core ( core 1 ) 1012 of the cpu 101 or reduces the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 ( in step s 045 ). specifically , the cpu core control determining section 202 updates the “ cpu1 / online ” of the cpu control information 303 to “ 0 ”. when the “ cpu1 / online ” is updated to “ 0 ”, the cpu state controller 208 instructs the cpu frequency and state setting section 206 to turn off the core ( core 1 ) 1012 , and the operation of the core ( core 1 ) 1012 is stopped . a mobile information terminal 100 a according to the second embodiment is described below with reference to fig1 to 17 . fig1 is an outline diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the mobile information terminal 100 a according to the second embodiment . the cpu 101 of the mobile information terminal 100 according to the first embodiment has the core ( core 0 ) 1011 and the core ( core 1 ) 1012 , while a cpu 101 a of the mobile information terminal 100 a according to the second embodiment has the core ( core 0 ) 1011 , the core ( core 1 ) 1012 , a core ( core 2 ) 1013 , and a core ( core 3 ) 1014 . fig1 is an outline diagram illustrating functional blocks of the mobile information terminal 100 a according to the second embodiment . in the second embodiment , the mobile information terminal 100 a has a cpu core control determining section 202 a , cpu core control parameter information 302 a , and system state information 305 a in order to achieve a process of determining control of the four cores of the cpu 101 a . the cpu core control determining section 202 a , the cpu core control parameter information 302 a , and the system state information 305 a are each achieved by causing the cpu 101 a to execute the os kernel of android or the application framework and the library . the cpu core control parameter information 302 a and the system state information 305 a are built in the auxiliary memory 103 . fig1 is an outline diagram illustrating the cpu core control parameter information 302 a according to the second embodiment . as illustrated in fig1 , the cpu core control parameter information 302 a according to the second embodiment stores the control parameters of the cpu core control parameter information 302 according to the first embodiment , control parameters corresponding to the case where the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 a is “ 3 ”, and control parameters corresponding to the case where the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 a is “ 4 ”. fig1 is an outline diagram illustrating the system state information 305 a according to the second embodiment . as illustrated in fig1 , the system state information 305 a according to the second embodiment stores “ 0 ”, “ 1 ”, “ 2 ”, and “ 3 ” in the “ online ” and “ offline ”, while “ 0 ” indicates the number of the core ( core 0 ) 1011 , “ 1 ” indicates the number of the core ( core 1 ) 1012 , “ 2 ” indicates the number of the core ( core 2 ) 1013 , and “ 3 ” indicates the number of the core ( core 3 ) 1014 . the cpu core control determining section 202 according to the first embodiment determines whether or not the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 is 1 ( in step s 011 ). if the cpu core control determining section 202 determines that the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 is 1 ( yes in step s 011 ), the cpu core control determining section 202 acquires the control parameters corresponding to the case where the number of operating cores is 1 ( in step s 012 ). on the other hand , the cpu core control determining section 202 a according to the second embodiment does not determine whether or not the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 a is 1 . the cpu core control determining section 202 a references the system state information 305 a and acquires the number of operating cores of the cpu 101 a . subsequently , the cpu core control determining section 202 a according to the second embodiment references the cpu core control parameter information 302 a and acquires control parameters associated with the acquired number of operating cores , instead of acquiring the control parameters corresponding to the case where the number of operating cores is 1 . then , the cpu core control determining section 202 a uses the control parameters associated with the acquired number of operating cores and thereby executes the process of determining whether or not the number of operating cores is increased and the process of determining whether or not the number of operating cores is reduced . the technique disclosed herein , therefore , is not only applied to the dual - core cpu but also applied to another multi - core cpu such as a quad - core cpu . the first and second embodiments assume that the mobile information terminals 100 and 100 a are smart phones , tablet pcs , or the like . the mobile information terminals 100 and 100 a , however , are not limited to those devices . the first and second embodiments are applicable to desktop pcs and server devices as long as the desktop pcs and the server devices each have a multi - core cpu . all examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art , and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions , nor does the organization of such examples in the specification relate to a showing of the superiority and inferiority of the invention . although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail , it should be understood that the various changes , substitutions , and alterations could be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	8
the process of this invention provides n - substituted carbamates from the acid - catalyzed reaction of a suitable olefin or alcohol and a carbamate . suitable carbamate starting materials are non - basic esters of carbamic acid of the form h 2 nc ( o ) or , where r is c 1 - c 10 straight - chained or branched alkyl or c 7 - c 13 aralkyl , where r optionally contains halogen or ether substituents which are unreactive in the conditions of the acid - catalyzed reaction . carbamic acid esters of polyalcohols , such as ethylene glycol , are also suitable . preferred carbamates include methyl and ethyl carbamate . suitable olefins are those such as gem - disubstituted olefins and styrenes which are capable of forming relatively stable carbonium ions or those which can be polymerized by cationic polymerization . suitable olefins generally form tertiary or benzylic carbonium ions upon protonation . examples of suitable olefins include , but are not limited to , 2 - methyl - 2 - butene , 2 - methyl - 1 - butene , isobutylene , isoprene , styrene , α - methylstyrene , bis - isopropenylbenzene , methylene cyclohexane , and 2 - methyl - l - pentene . suitable alcohols are those which can react with a lewis or bronsted acid to form a relatively stable carbonium ion , such as a tertiary or benzylic carbonium ion . suitable alcohols include , but are not limited to , tertiary aliphatic alcohols such as t - butyl alcohol and t - amyl alcohol , and substituted derivatives thereof , and aryl - substituted alcohols such as benzyl alcohol and sec - phenethyl alcohol and substituted derivatives thereof . suitable acid catalysts are blends of at least one perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymer ( i . e ., a fluorinated polymer which has sulfonic acid functional groups ) and at least one perfluorinated polymer diluent , where the combined weight ratio of acid polymer to diluent is between 99 : 1 and 1 : 2 . suitable perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymers are known in the art and include the nafion ® polymers , which are catalysts for use in the manufacture of industrial chemicals and are available from e . i . du pont de nemours and company . suitable perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymers can also be made by the hydrolysis of sulfonyl - containing polymers such as those described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 330 , 654 and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 329 , 435 which are hereby incorporated by reference . nafion ® polymers are preferred . suitable perfluorinated polymer diluents for use in the catalyst blends are fluorinated polymers which contain functional groups which are inert under the reaction conditions . suitable perfluorinated polymer diluents include , but are not limited to : polytetrafluoroethylene ( ptfe , e . g ., teflon ®); copolymers of various combinations of tetrafluoroethylene , hexafluoropropylene , perfluoromethylvinyl ether and perfluorovinyl ether ; and fluorinated polymers containing carboxylic acid functional groups . the blends are not limited to two - component blends ; multi - component blends are also possible . one example of a multi - component blend is a blend of two sulfonic acid - containing polymers with one diluent polymer ; the two sulfonic acid - containing polymers could be different compositions , or be based on the same monomers but having different equivalent weights . another example is a blend of one sulfonic acid - containing polymer with two diluent polymers the two diluent polymers could be two polymers of different compositions or be based on the same monomer but having different equivalent weights . preferably , the catalyst is a blend of perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymers and polytetrafluoroethylene in the ratio of 1 : 1 to 20 : 1 , most preferably from 1 : 1 to 10 : 1 . the polymer blends can be prepared by coextruding the thermoplastic forms of the polymers as described in the art ( e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 176 , 215 ). powders , granules , or pellets of the individual polymers can first be mixed together . such a mixture is then subjected to heat and pressure by various means , such as pressing , extruding in a screw extruder , or working on a roll mill or rubber mill . to assure formation of an intimate , uniform blend , the steps can be repeated two or more times . for example , pressed films can be flaked or cut into small pieces and repressed into film . extruded polymer can be chopped into pellets as it is extruded , and then re - extruded . powders for blending can be made by grinding in a mill or cold grinding in a freezer mill . the sulfonyl groups are then converted to sulfonic acid groups . such conversion is ordinarily accomplished by hydrolysis carried out with an aqueous solution of a mineral acid or alkali metal hydroxide . base hydrolysis is preferred . use of hot solution , near the boiling point of the solution , is preferred for rapid hydrolysis . it can also be of advantage to include a water - miscible organic compound such as dimethylsulfoxide in the hydrolysis bath . the process of this invention is generally performed by charging the reaction vessel with the olefin or alcohol , the carbamate , the acid catalyst and , optionally , solvent , and heating the reaction mixture . alternatively , the catalyst can be added after the olefin or alcohol , the carbamate and solvent ( if desired ) have been charged in the reaction vessel and heated . when the reaction is complete , the n - substituted carbamate product is obtained by filtering off the catalyst and isolating the carbamate from the filtrate by distillation or crystallization , as appropriate . the amounts of reagents are arbitrary , but preferably the ratio of olefin or alcohol to carbamate is 1 : 5 to 10 : 1 . more preferably , the ratio of olefin or alcohol to carbamate is 1 : 1 to 2 : 1 . the ratio of carbamate to sulfonic acid catalyst group is 10 : 1 to 1000 : 1 , preferably 20 : 1 to 200 : 1 . if the only acidic functional groups are the catalytically active sulfonic acid groups , the equivalent weight of the catalyst blend can be determined by titration of the acid groups with standardized base ( e . g ., naoh ) using an indicator such as phenolphthalein . if other acidic groups , e . g ., carboxylic acid groups , are present , titration will give the equivalent weight for the combined acid groups . the ratio of sulfonic to carboxylic acid groups can then be determined by treating two separate samples of the catalyst blend with aqueous kc1 and aqueous k 2 co 3 and determining the amount of k incorporated in each sample by elemental analysis . kc1 replaces only the sulfonic acid protons with k , whereas k 2 co 3 replaces both the sulfonic and carboxylic acid protons with k . suitable solvents for the reaction of this invention are hydrocarbon ( e . g ., petroleum ether , cyclohexane ), halocarbon ( e . g ., methylene chloride , carbon tetrachloride ), aromatic ( benzene , toluene , xylene ) or haloaromatic ( e . g ., chlorobenzene ) solvents . alternatively , the olefin , alcohol or carbamate can serve as the solvent . the reaction mixture is substantially nonpolar . as polarity increases , the activity of the catalyst blend diminishes . thus , a reaction mixture that is largely , but not necessarily wholly , nonpolar is desired . use of the catalyst blend , even in a polar reaction mixture , is advantageous because the catalyst blend of a perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymer and perfluorinated polymer diluent is less expensive to use than a perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymer alone . however , to maximize the activity of the catalyst blend , a substantially nonpolar reaction mixture is required . preferably the reaction mixture is nonpolar . the reaction can be conducted at atmospheric or elevated pressures , depending on the boiling point of the olefin or alcohol and solvent . the reaction temperature is a function of the reactivity of the olefin or alcohol , but is generally between 0 ° c . and 200 ° c ., preferably 20 ° c . to 150 ° c . the reaction time is 5 minutes to 24 hours . the process of this invention is further illustrated by the following examples and comparative experiments . in particular , it should be noted that the catalyst blends of this process give substantially and unexpectedly higher turnover rates ( moles of n - substituted carbamate per mole of ion - exchange capacity ) than acid catalysts of the prior art , or even of the components of the catalyst blend . &# 34 ; ion exchange capacity &# 34 ; is defined as 1000 divided by the equivalent weight of the polymer . &# 34 ; mequiv &# 34 ; ( millequivalents ) reflects the total ion exchange capacity of the catalysts . these examples illustrate that blends of perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymers and perfluorinated diluent polymers give higher turnover rates than perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymers or perfluorinated carboxylic acid polymers alone . a round - bottom flask was charged with 2 - methyl - 2 - butene ( 4 . 6 g , 65 . 7 mmol ), methyl carbamate ( 2 . 5 g , 33 . 3 mmol ), chlorobenzene ( 1 . 0 g , standard ), and benzene ( 30 . 0 ml ). after heating this mixture to reflux ( 68 - 70 ° c . ), catalyst ( 0 . 6 , 0 . 9 or 1 . 2 g ), was added . samples were withdrawn at 30 minute intervals and analyzed by gas chromatography ( gc .). gc . analysis was performed on either a 1 / 2 &# 34 ; ( 3 mm ) diameter , 10 &# 39 ; ( 3 . 05 m ) column packed with se - 30abs or a 50 &# 39 ; ( 15 . 3 m ) cross - linked methyl silicone fused silica capillary column programmed for 60 ° c . to 200 ° c . at 8 ° c . min - 1 . the reactions were usually stopped before 50 % of the methyl carbamate reacted to form product . results are presented in table 1 . table 1______________________________________catalyst activity vs . blend composition . sup . acatalyst catalyst amountex . composition ( g , % sap . sup . b ) ( mequiv .) tor . sup . f______________________________________1 sap / cap . sup . c 0 . 6 , 90 0 . 456 0 . 142 sap / cap 0 . 9 , 90 0 . 684 0 . 143 sap / cap 0 . 6 , 79 0 . 417 0 . 134 sap / cap 0 . 6 , 75 0 . 39 0 . 065 sap / cap 0 . 9 , 75 0 . 585 0 . 096 sap / cap 0 . 6 , 66 . 6 0 . 384 0 . 137 sap / cap 0 . 9 , 66 . 6 0 . 576 0 . 168 sap / cap 0 . 6 , 50 0 . 381 0 . 179 sap / cap 0 . 9 , 50 0 . 571 0 . 2010 sap / fep . sup . d 0 . 6 , 66 . sup . c 0 . 312 0 . 1411 sap / tfe . sup . e 0 . 6 , 62 . sup . d 0 . 294 0 . 26a cap 1 . 2 , 0 1 . 143 n . r . b sap 0 . 6 , 100 0 . 477 0 . 047c sap 0 . 9 , 100 0 . 716 0 . 049______________________________________ . sup . a blends of perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymer and perfluorinated diluent polymer . sup . b sap = perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymer . sup . c cap = perfluorinated carboxylic acid polymer . sup . d sap / teflon fep ® blend , 66 / 34 . sup . e sap / teflon ® blend , 62 / 38 . sup . f tor = mmol of product per mequiv . of total ion exchange capacity per minute these examples and comparative experiments show that the blends of perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymers and perfluorinated carboxylic acid polymers give higher turnover rates than other strong acid catalysts . a round - bottom flask was charged with olefin , carbamate , chlorobenzene ( 1 . 0 g , standard ) and benzene ( 30 ml ). after heating the resulting mixture to reflux , catalyst was added to the solution . samples were withdrawn periodically and analyzed by gc . the results are presented in table 2 . table 2______________________________________catalyst activity of blends v . other strong acid catalystscatalyst amountex . sap / cap . sup . c ( mequiv .) tor . sup . d olefin______________________________________12 blend . sup . a 79 / 21 0 . 21 2 . 6 2 - me - 1 - butene13 blend . sup . b 79 / 21 0 . 53 0 . 2 2 - me - 2 - butened sap . sup . a 100 % 0 . 6 0 . 61 2 - me - 1 - butenee sap . sup . b 100 % 0 . 48 0 . 05 2 - me - 2 - butenef amberlyst 15 ® 2 . 82 0 . 095 2 - me - 1 - buteneg amberlyst 15 ® 2 . 82 0 . 016 2 - me - 2 - buteneh cf . sub . 3 co . sub . 2 h 2 . 63 n . r . 2 - me - 2 - butenei amberlite 6 . 98 n . r . 2 - me - 2 - butenej h . sub . 2 so . sub . 4 3 . 06 0 . 08 2 - me - 1 - butene ( stops after 20 min . ) k p - tolyl - 2 . 32 0 . 006 2 - me - 1 - butenesulfonic acid ( stops after 50 min . ) ______________________________________ . sup . a 60 - 100 mesh . sup . b 10 - 35 mesh . sup . c sap = perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymer cap = perfluorinated carboxylic acid polymer . sup . d tor = mmol of product per mequiv . of total ion exchange capacity per minute these examples illustrate the use of blends of perfluorinated sulfonic acid polymers ( sap ) and perfluorinated carboxylic acid polymers ( cap ) to prepare a variety of n - substituted carbamates . for the isobutylene reactions , a 90 cc fischer porter ( f - p ) tube was charged with isobutylene ( 268 mmol ), h 2 nco 2 me ( 66 . 7 mmol ), catalyst ( sap / cap = 79 / 21 , 60 - 100 mesh ), methylene chloride or benzene ( 8 ml ), and chlorobenzene ( 1 . 0 g , standard ). the f - p tube was heated to 80 ° c . for 30 minutes , and the reaction mixture analyzed by gas chromatography . the results are presented in table 3 . for the other reactions , a round - bottom flask was charged with olefin or alcohol , carbamate , catalyst ( sap / cap = 79 / 21 , 60 - 100 mesh ), chlorobenzene ( 1 . 0 g , standard ) and benzene ( 30 ml ). after heating the resulting mixture to reflux , catalyst was added to the solution . samples were withdrawn periodically and analyzed by 9as chromatography . the results are presented in table 3 . table 3______________________________________perparation of n - substituted carbamatescatalyst olefin / alcohol carbamate time yieldex . ( mequiv ) ( mmol ) ( min ) % ______________________________________14 0 . 42 2 - me - 1 - butene h . sub . 2 nco . sub . 2 me 50 91 . 3 60 . 0 30 . 715 2 . 43 2 - me - 1 - butene h . sub . 2 nco . sub . 2 et 40 91 . 1 60 . 0 28 . 116 2 . 43 2 - me - 2 - butene h . sub . 2 nco . sub . 2 me 60 100 60 . 0 30 . 717 2 . 43 2 - me - 2 - butene h . sub . 2 nco . sub . 2 et 60 88 . 7 60 . 0 28 . 118 1 . 25 isobutylene h . sub . 2 nco . sub . 2 me 30 100 268 66 . 719 0 . 42 isobutylene . sup . a h . sub . 2 nco . sub . 2 me 30 27 . 9 268 66 . 720 1 . 25 . sup . b isobutylene h . sub . 2 nco . sub . 2 me 30 73 . 9 268 66 . 721 0 . 42 α - me - styrene h . sub . 2 nco . sub . 2 et 10 83 58 . 5 25 . 822 0 . 42 methylene - h . sub . 2 nco . sub . 2 me 90 45 . 3 cyclohexane , 30 . 7 52 . 123 0 . 42 2 - me - 1 - pentene h . sub . 2 nco . sub . 2 et 150 46 . 3 29 . 8 14 . 624 0 . 83 . sup . b t - butanol h . sub . 2 nco . sub . 2 me 60 24 . 8 108 4025 0 . 42 t - amyl alcohol h . sub . 2 nco . sub . 2 me 100 13 . 5 60 . 2 30 . 726 0 . 42 . sup . b sec - phenethyl h . sub . 2 nco . sub . 2 me 120 64 . 5 alcohol , 33 3327 0 . 69 . sup . b benzyl alcohol h . sub . 2 nco . sub . 2 me 120 2 . 3 . sup . c 26 . 9 26 . 7______________________________________ . sup . a benzene solvent . sup . b 35 - 60 mesh . sup . c fp tube ; 10 ml benzene solvent	2
the tobacco harvester generally designated at 10 in fig1 is identical to the tobacco harvester disclosed in the above - identified co - pending application need not be described in detail herein since the details do not form a part of the present invention . however , for the sake for coordinating the relationship of the trailer 20 with the harvester 10 certain basic details of the harvester will be described hereinafter . the harvester 1 is comprised of a main frame 12 which is supported at the forward end by a tongue 14 adapted to be connected to a towing tractor and which is pivotally connected by means of post 16 to a rigid vertical support member 18 connected to the main frame 12 . the pivoted tongue arrangement allows the tobacco harvester to straddle either the first row or the second row of tobacco adjacent the fifth middle along which the tractor ( not shown ) and the trailer 20 travel . the rear end of the main frame 12 is provided with depending support posts 22 which carry wheels 24 . a pair of rotating defoliators are disposed one on each side of the row of tobacco plants for stripping the lowermost leaves from the tobacco plant as the harvester moves along the row . the leaves which are harvested by the defoliator means ( not shown ) are deposited onto a pair of parallel conveyors 26 only one of which is shown in fig1 . the tobacco leaves are moved rearwardly by the conveyors 26 and are then transported upwardly by two pairs of opposed conveyors 28 and 30 , only one pair of which is shown in fig1 . the leaves are then deposited onto a transversely disposed conveyor 32 which can be shifted laterally depending upon which row of tobacco is being harvested . the leaves are deposited from the conveyor 32 into the large conventional tobacco curing box 34 which is placed on the trailer 20 travelling alongside the harvester . the trailer 20 is provided with a rear platform 36 upon which an operator may stand to supervise the filling of the tobacco box 34 and to operate the controls for shifting the conveyor 32 as well as the controls for the hitch will be described hereinafter . the trailer 20 is provided with a tongue 38 rigidly secured to the front thereof and a connecting bar 40 is pivoted to the tongue 38 by means of pivot pin 42 . the opposite end of the connecting bar 40 is pivotally connected to a laterally extending hitch bar 44 by means of a pivot pin 46 . the hitch bar 44 is comprised of a flat steel bar having a plurality of apertures 48 spaced therethrough and is adapted to be inserted into a socket member 50 and secured therein by means of a pin 52 which will extend through a selected aperture 48 . when the harvester is straddling the first row adjacent the fifth middle the hitch bar 44 will be inserted into the socket member 50 as shown in fig2 . however , when the harvester is straddling the seccnd row from the fifth middle the hitch bar 44 will be inverted and inserted into the socket member 50 &# 39 ; and secured therein by the bolt 52 which will extend through the aperture 51 which will be aligned with a selected aperture 48 in the hitch bar 44 . the socket members 50 and 50 &# 39 ; form a continuous aligned socket arrangement to accommodate the hitch bar 44 should a different hole 48 be selected for cooperation with the pin 52 . the socket members 50 and 50 &# 39 ; are secured to the lower end of a lever 54 which is in the form of a hollow steel box beam . the lever 54 is pivoted to the main frame 12 by means of a pin 56 which extends through aligned apertures in a bracket 58 , the lever 54 and the support plate 60 to which the bracket 58 is secured and which in turn is secured to the frame 12 by welding or the like . a hydrualic cylinder 70 is pivoted at one end by means of the pivot pin 72 to a bracket 74 which is connected to the main frame 12 . the double acting piston ( not shown ) within the cylinder 70 is connected to a piston rod 76 which in turn is pivotally connected to a flange 80 on the upper end of the lever 54 by means of a pivot pin 82 . a first hydraulic hose 84 is connected between a control valve 86 and one end of the cylinder 70 and a second hydraulic hose 88 is connected between the control valve 86 and the opposite end of the cylinder 70 . the control valve 86 is connected to hydraulic input and output conduits 90 and 92 and communication between the inlet and outlet conduits and the first and second hydraulic hoses 84 and 88 is controlled by means of a plunger 94 operable under the control of a pivoted control lever 96 . the control valve 86 is of conventional construction and is adapted to supply hydraulic fluid under pressure selectively to one end or the other of the cylinder 70 for actuating the piston and piston rod 76 while simultaneously coupling the other end of the cylinder 70 to the outlet conduit 92 . since the control valve arrangement is located at the forward end of the tobacco harvester and since the attendant riding on the platform 36 of the trailer 20 is located adjacent the rear of the trailer suitable operating means for the valve operating lever 96 have been provided . one end of the valve operating lever 96 is pivoted to the lower end of a rod 100 which is secured to an elongated control rod 102 which extends substantially the entire length of the harvester and which is slidably supported in bearings 104 on the top of a plurality of posts 106 spaced along the length of the frame 12 . the control rod 102 is provided with a downwardly depending extension 108 at the rear end thereof which is disposed near the rear end of the trailer 20 for ready access by the operator standing on the platform 36 . in the operation of the trailer hitch according to the present invention the trailer can initially be disposed in the solid line position relative to the tobacco harvester as shown in fig1 . in this position the conveyor 32 will deposit tobacco leaves into the forward end of the tobacco box 34 on the trailer and the piston rod 76 will be in its fully retracted position within the cylinder 70 to dispose the pivoted lever 54 in the solid line position . when the operator standing on the platform 36 of the trailer 20 feels that sufficient tobacco has been accumulated in the front of the trailer he can readily grasp the extension 108 of the control rod 102 and push the control rod forwardly or to the left as viewed in fig1 . the shifting may be gradual so that the piston rod 76 will gradually be extended from the solid line to the phantom line position in fig1 which will move the trailer 20 and the box 34 forwardly relative to the tobacco harvester so as to dispose the rear end of the box under the conveyor 32 . the operator can shift the control rod 102 forwardly or rearwardly as well to position the tobacco receiving box at any desired longitudinal position relative to the transverse conveyor 32 to evenly distribute the tobacco leaves within the box 34 . as disclosed more fully in the co - pending application the operator also has access to the control shaft 110 for shifting the end of the conveyor 32 laterally depending upon the row of tobacco which is being harvested . the hydraulic arrangement for adjusting the hitch according to the present invention is mounted completely on the harvester that various types of trailers having conventional coupling arrangements on the forward end thereof can be readily coupled to the hitch bar 44 and be reciprocated relative to the harvester . by having the hydraulic operating arrangement for the hitch mounted on the frame of the harvester the control valve and the double acting hydraulic piston and cylinder arrangement can readily be tied into the hydraulic operating system for the harvester and it is not necessary to couple or uncouple any hydraulic lines each time a different trailer is hitched to the harvester . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof it will be understood by those in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	0
the invention is directed to a method for controlling friction clutches or - brakes in lockable differentials or power shift transmissions by means of an actuator acting upon the friction elements . moreover the invention is directed to preferred apparatus for performing such a method . the actuated arrangement herein is a clutch or a brake while the actuator is defined as the unit generating the force or the moment . a gearbox or a linkage or possibly a direct mechanical connection can be provided as a transfer arrangement in between the above units . devices for mechanical force - or moment transmittal from an actuator through a transfer arrangement to a friction clutch or - brake must often be designed with as little friction as possible , wherein the friction in the actuator is just as important as the friction in the transfer arrangement . a reason for the desired low friction in the actuator is the possible selection of small actuators and a low energy consumption . another reason is the desire for a linear behavior of the device in order to improve its control capability . the frictional effects in a force or moment transfer arrangement produce hysteresis , which is disadvantageous with respect to the dynamic control . arising from this a method as introduced above makes possible an improved control which approaches linearity without having the reduce the inherent frictional forces . the solution herein involves imposing an alternating load upon the force or the moment exerted by the actuator for reducing the frictional forces in the transfer arrangement . the effect of the invention is that of eliminating or reducing the frictional forces during the application of changing forces or moments . according to a first embodiment the alternating load can occur at a specific frequency and in a specific pulse - interval ratio through modulation of the electromotive or electromagnetic , actuator generating the force . a second possibility is seen in connecting an independent pulse generating member at a suitable point within the transfer arrangement or the actuator , wherein its drive or control functions occur as stated above , but where the nature of the force generation must not follow the same principle as in the actuator . applications of the method in the invention are feasible in different types of transfer arrangement design . the method provided can in certain applications , especially in highly geared transmission arrangements also diminish unwanted lagging of the clutch or the brake . a first preferred embodiment of the method in the invention are differentials with an externally controllable degree of lock or slip , wherein the degree of locking can be adjusted by a disc clutch . a second preferred embodiment for the method in the invention is a gearshift transmission where , without interrupting the traction force , gear wheels together with their shafts can be locked or released by means of friction clutches instead of synchronization arrangements and claw clutches . since relatively high forces are required for actuating disc clutches , which are to be operated by comparatively small electromagnetic or electromotive , actuators having a low power output , a transmission arrangement with a high step - up ratio is required . appropriate mechanical arrangements usually have frictional losses which manifest themselves in marked hysteresis effects . the interfering frictional influences can be reduced by pulsating the actuator and thus the actuation behavior overall can be improved . a transmission arrangement adapted , hereto can for instance comprise a rotatable adjuster ring with control cams on its end faces , acting upon an axially displaceable pressure ring moving the friction discs . by means of pulse - width modulation of an eletric motor which provides the actuating means , frictional forces which create the disturbances in continuous controlled changes in differential locking torque are suppressed such that on exact adjustment is possible . preferred arrangements for applying the method in the invention are depicted in the drawings . fig1 shows an externally controllable lockable differential in a first embodiment in longitudinal section . fig2 shows an externally controllable lockable differential in a second embodiment in longitudinal section . fig3 shows a gearshift transmission which can be shifted without interrupting the traction force in longitudinal section . fig4 shows a gearshift transmission in fig3 with an electric motor actuator in cross - section . the lockable differential bevel gear drive 108 includes a differential cage 112 is rotatably arranged in a bearing 115 supported in a bearing support 111a connected with a housing 111 , as depicted in fig1 . the differential cage 112 is designed so as to be divided and comprises a first part 112a receiving the first output bevel gear 117 and the second output bevel gear 116 ; said output bevel gears mesh with differential bevel gears 119 rotatably supported on the carrier 118 designed as a pin arranged in a part 112a of the differential cage 112 so as to rotate together with said differential cage . the second part 112b of the differential cage 112 is connected with the first part 112a so as to rotate together with same . it serves for receiving a friction arrangement 121 . furthermore , a ring gear 120 is mounted on a flange surface of the differential cage 112b , through which the differential cage 112 can be driven by the engine of the vehicle . the output bevel gears 116 , 117 comprises bores sets of teeth , into which , for examples half shaft connectors 113 , 114 are placed which serve as connectors for the drive shafts of the rear road wheels . it is however also conceivable that the joints belonging to the drive shafts are equipped with appropriate trunnions which can be slid directly into the bors of the output bevel gear wheels 116 , 117 . the two output bevel gears 116 , 117 are located in the differential cage 112 so as to be respectively rotatable . furthermore , a friction assembly 121 is provided comprising outer discs 122 and inner discs 124 . the inner discs 124 have sets of teeth in their bores , by means of which they are received on a matching external set of teeth 125 of an extension of the output bevel gear 116 so as to fixedly rotate together but to be displaceable thereon . the outer discs 122 arranged respectively between two inner discs 124 have also teeth on their outer circumference which engage into corresponding grooves or sets of teeth 123 which are arranged in the differential cage 112 or its second part 112b so as to fixedly rotate together . the outer discs 122 are also displaceable in axial direction . the friction assembly 121 abuts on the one side axially on a support face 126 which is a component of the first part 112a of the differential cage 112 and on the other side by a thrust plate 127 to which pressure can be applied to the frictional arrangement 121 . thrust pins 141 protruding through the second part 112b of the differential cage 112 are provided against which rests a pressure disc 140 arranged outside of the differential cage 112 . the differential cage 112b is provided with a radially oriented face in the area of the thrust pins 141 . the action of the frictional arrangement 121 for braking the output bevel gear 116 with respect to the differential cage 112 is described in the following . an actuating ring 128 is arranged in the bearing area 111a of the housing 111 so as to be fixedly connected for ratation with but axially displaceable upon a bearing carrier extention 131 . the bearing carrier extension 131 is provided with a set of splines 130 for this purpose on which the actuating ring 128 is guided by corresponding splines 130 arranged in a bore of its extension . this ensures non - rotation of the actuating ring 128 , which respect to the carrier 111a of the housing 111 wherein , however , because of the splines 130 an axial displacement in direction of the friction assembly 121 is possible . an axial thrust bearing 139 is installed between a radial face of the actuating ring 128 and the pressure plate 140 . this diminishes the friction since the pressure plate 140 revolves together with the differential cage 112 . furthermore , a back - up ring 163 is arranged on the bearing carrier extension 131 so as to be rotatable but axially not displaceable . the back - up ring 163 abuts against an axial bearing comprising the roller members 153 and the back - up rin 154 . the back - up ring 163 and the back - up ring 128 have radially extending end regions which lie opposite each other . the back - up ring 163 is provided with a set of bevel gear teeth 134 in its radially outer segment for obtaining the rotary motion , with a pinion 135 engaging into said bevel gear teeth . the pinion 135 is connected through a free wheeling arrangement 136 with a first step up stage 132 as viewed from the electric motor 133 . furthermore , a return spring 137 is arranged between the housing 111 and the shaft belonging to the pinion 135 which shaft is conducted toward the outside through the housing 111 ; the return spring 137 is designed as a spiral spring . in reversible step - down gear trains , said spring can also be coupled to the motor shaft . possibly the return spring can even be eliminated . the control of the motor 133 can occur in known fashion , for instance , by using signals indicating vehicle wheel slippage . fig2 shows an externally controlled lockable differential gear 208 . the differential cage 212 is rotatably mounted in the housing 211 on bearings 215 , 219 . the differential cage 212 is divided . a planet carrier 216 and an output gear wheel 217 are received as output drive elements in the differential cage 212 . axially parallel differential wheels 229 are rotatably supported on rotary trunnions 218 designed as sleeves arranged in the planet carrier 216 . furthermore , the ring gear 220 is connected to a flanged face of the differential cage 212 , through which the differential cage 212 can be driven by the engine of a vehicle . the output drive elements 216 , 217 have internal splines , into which connecting half shafts 213 , 214 are placed which serve as the connection to the drive shafts . alternative shaft / flange designs , left or right hand sides , can be seen . the second segment 212b of the differential cage 212 is connected rigidly for rotation with the first segment 212a . the two output drive elements 216 , 217 are mounted to be respectively rotatable in the differential cage 212 . furthermore , a friction assembly 221 is provided consisting of outer discs 222 and inner discs 224 . the inner discs 224 have sets of teeth in their bores , by which they engage with a corresponding outer set of teeth or splines 225 on an extension of the output drive wheel 217 so as to fixedly rotate with same , however to be displaceable on same . the outer discs 222 respectively arranged between two inner discs 224 have also teeth on their outer circumference , which engage with the corresponding grooves or sets of teeth 223 arranged in the differential cage 212 . the outer discs 222 are also displaceable in axial direction . the friction assembly 221 abuts on the one side axially at the support face 226 which is a component of the differential cage 212 , on the other side pressure can be applied to the friction assembly 221 by means of a thrust plate 257 . thrust pins 258 located in the rotary planet pins 218 are provided , which can be acted upon by a first pressure disc 259 . a thrust plate 227 abuts on same by means of a first axial bearing 260 , said plate is adjustable by means of further thrust pins 241 , against which a second pressure plate 240 arranged externally of the differential cage 212 rests . a second axial thrust bearing 239 is installed between a radial face of the actuation ring 228 and the pressure plate 240 . this diminishes the friction since the pressure plate 240 revolves together with the differential cage 212 . the actuation of the friction assembly 221 for braking the output drive gear 217 with respect to the differential cage 212 is described in the following . a back - up ring 254 is arranged in the housing 211 to fixedly rotate with said housing and to be axially nondisplaceable with respect to same . an actuation ring 228 is additionally arranged on a bearing support extension 231 so as to be rotatable and axially displaceable thereto . the actuation ring 228 reacts against the back - up ring 254 through ball members 249 which run in ball races . the actuation ring 228 and the back - up ring 254 have side faces mutually extending radially . in the illustrated example , the actuation ring 228 comprises at least three ramped ball grooves disposed circumferentially on its end face facing the back - up ring 254 . the back - up ring 254 comprises the same number of romped ball races raked in the opposite direction . in the initial state when there is no axial force acting upon the friction assembly 221 , thus with the bevel gear differential 208 operating in the open state , the actuating ring 228 and the back - up ring 254 are in the closest possible position to each other . if the actuating ring 228 is turned , the ball grooves turn relatively to each other and displace the actuating ring 228 in direction of the friction arrangement 221 , which leads to a predetermined locking effect and thus the coupling of the motion of the output drive wheel 217 and thus the output drive wheel 216 to the rotational movement of the differential cage 212 . in order to generate the rotational motion the actuating ring 228 is provided with a set of teeth 234 at its radially outer segment into which a pinion 235 engages . the set of teeth 234 is preferably designed as a helical set of teeth , in order to move the actuating ring 228 against the friction assembly 221 during the build - up of the locking force . the pinion 235 is driven via gear 236 , by the electric motor 233 through a step down gear 232 . in the invention the electric motor is powered by pulsating current or voltage . fig3 shows a longitudinal section through the two shafts of a gear shift transmission . this transmission comprises five forward speeds and one reversing speed . the shifting mechanisms for each two gearpairs per mechanism in three groups are located between the respective gearpairs , similarly to the synchronizing slide collars in conventional manual shift motor vehicle transmissions . the shifting mechanisms can either be installed on the drive shaft 320 located at the top or as depicted on the output drive or intermediate shaft 327 located at the bottom . the arrangement on the shaft located at the bottom is preferable , since herein the associated friction discs 337 can be easily provided with sufficient lubricating oil . the pinions for the first speed as well as the reversing speed are , as can be discerned , integrated into the drive shaft 320 . fig4 shows a gear shift mechanism for two speeds consisting essentially of a central expander disc 401 , 301 rotatable in both directions and axially nondisplaceable , together with two nonrotatable but axially displaceable expansion discs ( pressure discs ) 402 , 302 and with balls 303 guided in between in ramped races not shown . fig4 shows furthermore the arrangement of the expander disc drive 405 and a possible locking means 406 of the central expander disc , when providing for the reversing gear . an electric motor 407 installed with its motor flange on the transmission housing wall 408 , comprises a spiral gear pinion 410 or a worm gear on its extended drive shaft 409 , which is in engagement with a set of teeth 411 on the external circumference of the central expansion disc 401 . the pinion or the worm gear are supported on a pinion housing 412 , which is guided in matched grooves 413 of the central expansion disc 401 . security against rotation of the housing 412 relatively to the central expander disc 401 , 301 is provided by a connecting tube 414 between the pinion housing 412 and the motor support flange 415 . the security against rotation of the two pressure discs 402 , 302 is preferably effected directly with respect to the pinion housing , 412 . this security is achieved by an appropriate peripheral cut out in each of the pressure discs 402 , 302 whose side flanks 417 abut on the housing 412 . the tangential guiding of the pinion housing 412 , relative to the transmission housing 408 is achieved by one guide tube 414 . an important aspect can be seen in the actuation of two disc clutches by one single electric motor . the expander disc 401 , 301 is guided on both sides by axial thrust bearings 340 , whose abutment discs 341 take up the respective reaction forces of the expansion . preferably , the rotational guidance of the expansion disc 401 , 301 is to be carried by the radial bearing 342 . the transmittal of the expanding force from the pressure or thrust disc 402 , 302 to a disc pressure ring 346 occurs by an additional axial thrust bearing 343 . a friction disc housing 344 is integrated with the respective gear wheel 345 on the countershaft or drive shaft 327 which is permanently in engagement with its gear wheel 338 on the drive shaft 320 . the travel of the balls in the respective groove pairs is controlled in the invention with modulated electric motor current . microswitches 419 are attached at one of the housings 412 whose probes slide upon the flanks of the expanding disc 401 . the zero or neutral position is indicated by appropriate depressions in the probe travel path at one or both sides of the disc 401 , 301 .	5
although the following description relates to the instrumentation of a concrete structure , it should be kept in mind that the present invention can also be applied to structures made of another material , such as rock pillar or embankment . for example , in metallic mines , the exploiter companies tend to reduce to the minimum the number of rock pillars and the workers can be endangered if such pillars are not closely scrutinized to detect any deformation thereof while excavation is progressing . referring now to fig1 of the attached drawings , a structure 1 , made of concrete , is being instrumented . as can be seen , only the portion of interest of the structure is shown in fig1 . in a first step , an elongated , cylindrical hole 2 of given diameter has been drilled into the concrete of the structure 1 . an instrumented cell 45 is then inserted into the hole 2 . the cell 45 consists of a cylindrical concrete body 42 enclosed in a cylindrical concrete shell 44 . both the body 42 and shell 44 are coaxial with the hole 2 . a vibrating wire gauge 43 is embedded in the concrete of body 42 . the shell 44 is sealed and the body 42 is not adhered or otherwise connected to the concrete of the latter shell . spacers such as 46 , typically made of plastic material , are adhered to the outer , cylindrical surface of the shell 44 to center the latter shell in the hole 2 . obviously , the outer diameter of the shell 44 is slightly smaller than the diameter of the hole 2 . the next step is to introduce in the hole 2 a cylindrical concrete inclusion 3 also of diameter slightly smaller than that of hole 2 . for that purpose , a cylindrical steel tube section 47 has an end embedded in the concrete of the inclusion 3 . as depicted in fig4 the other free end of the tube section 47 has an end formed with a pair of diametrically opposed l - shaped slots such as 50 . a cylindrical pole member 49 with a diameter slightly smaller than that of the tube section 47 is formed with a radial pin 48 . in order to introduce the inclusion 3 in the hole 2 , one slides the pole member 49 in the tube section 47 to insert the pin 48 into one of the slots 50 , and then pushes the inclusion 3 through the pole member 49 and the tube section 47 . the orientation of the inclusion 3 in the x - z plane ( fig2 ) can be adjusted through rotation of the pole member 49 to thereby rotate the inclusion 3 through the tube section 47 . rotation of the inclusion 3 enables correct orientation of a plurality of vibrating wire gauges embedded therein as described hereinafter . as can be appreciated , using the pole member 49 and pipe section 47 , one can insert deeply the inclusion 3 in the hole 2 of the structure 1 . in order to center the inclusion 3 in the hole 2 , spacers such as 4 , typically made of plastic material , are adhered to the cylindrical surface of the inclusion 3 . when the inclusion 3 has been adequately positioned , the pole member 49 is removed from the tube section 47 and from the hole 2 . the inclusion 3 , the body 42 and the shell 44 are made of concrete having substantially the same mechanical properties as the concrete of the structure 1 . in this manner , the modulus of elasticity of the inclusion 3 , body 42 and shell 44 is as close as possible to that of the structure 1 whereby any influence of a difference between these two moduli on the accuracy of the deformation measurements is eliminated . in the example illustrated in fig2 six vibrating wire gauges 5 - 10 are embedded in the inclusion upon pouring of the concrete . it should be noted here that the vibrating wire gage 43 ( fig1 ) is of the same type as the gauges 5 - 10 . the technique of measuring deformations of a concrete body through measurement of the variation in length of vibrating wire gauges embedded in the concrete is well known to those skilled in the art , and it is therefore believed unnecessary to describe in the present specification that technique . as an example , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 730 , 497 ( rabensteiner et al .) issued on mar . 15 , 1988 , proposes the use of a vibrating wire gauge in a deformation - measuring sensor to be embedded in concrete . fig2 of the appended drawings shows the vibrating wire gauges 5 - 10 positioned in accordance with a three - dimensional arrangement . more particularly , vibrating wire gauges 6 , 10 and 8 are respectively oriented in the direction of the axes x , y and z of a three - dimensional coordinate system . vibrating gauge 5 is located in the plane defined by the axes y and z but at 45 degrees from these two axes , vibrating gauge 7 is located in the plane of the axes x and z at 45 degrees from the two latter axes , while vibrating gauge 9 is in the plane of the axes x and y and forms an angle of 45 degrees with these two axes . the complete tensor of deformations of the structure in any direction can therefore be determined by the set of vibrating gauges 5 - 10 to enable measurement thereof . also , as shown in fig1 a longitudinal conduit 11 is partly embedded in the concrete inclusion 3 . in order to seal with grout any space existing between the inclusion 3 , the shell 44 and the hole 2 , the open end of the latter hole is closed by means of a stopper 13 . fig3 a and 3b details the structure of the stopper 13 , comprising a pair of outer and inner circular steel plates 14 and 15 . these plates are peripherally beveled as shown at 16 . a circular packer 17 , advantageously made of rubber material , is disposed between the plates 14 and 15 . a threaded rod 18 has one end welded to the center of the plate 15 and traverses holes made through the packer 17 and the plate 14 . a nut 19 can be screwed to crush the rubber packer 17 between the plates 14 and 15 . as can be appreciated by one skilled in the art , the periphery of the packer 17 is then forced against the wall of the cylindrical hole 2 to thereby tightly close the corresponding end of the latter hole . two circular holes 20 and 21 are made through the plates 14 and 15 and the packer 17 . an inlet pipe section 27 ( fig1 ) traverses the hole 20 and is aligned with and connected to the longitudinal conduit 11 . the hole 20 is advantageously sealed with the pipe section 27 therein to prevent leakage of grout . an outlet pipe section 28 ( fig1 ) traverses the hole 21 and constitutes an outlet for the air and injected grout . electric wires 26 ( fig1 ) of the vibrating gauges 5 - 10 and 43 embedded in the inclusion 3 and body 42 also pass into the hole 21 . again , the hole 21 is preferably sealed with the wires 26 therein to prevent leakage of grout through it . referring back to fig1 of the attached drawings , a pump 29 sucks a grout 30 contained in a reservoir 31 , and injects it into the hole 2 through the pipe section 27 , and the longitudinal conduit 11 ( see arrows 32 , 33 and 34 ). although fig1 illustrates the pipe section 27 traversing the lower portion of the stopper 13 , the latter pipe section can also traverse the upper portion of this stopper . it is however important to align the pipe section 27 with the conduit 11 . the grout injected through the pipe section 27 and the conduit 11 fills the space between the shell 44 and hole 2 ( see arrows 51 , 52 and 53 ) and returns through the cylindrical space 35 defined between the hole 2 and the inclusion 3 ( see arrows 36 , 37 and 54 ), and is directed toward the outlet pipe section 28 ( see arrows 38 , 39 , 40 and 41 ), to thereby tightly fill any empty space between the stopper 13 and the opposite , closed end of the hole 2 . the deformations of the structure and the associated variations in the distribution of the stresses are calculated using the measurements obtained through the vibrating wire gauges in the instrumented inclusion taking into consideration the homogeneity and the elasticity of the structure . accordingly , the injected grout should present elastic properties ( modulus of elasticity and poisson &# 39 ; s ratio ) as close as possible to those of the environment ( the concrete of both the inclusion and structure ). in the preparation of the grout , one must therefore take into account the type of the cement and the ratio of water / cement . any change in this ratio ( water / cement ) modifies the composition of the grout and consequently its mechanical and hydraulic behaviour . the type of cement used is determined by the environmental conditions in the concrete structure such as the temperature , humidity , chemistry of the underground water , etc . . . , as they influence the short - and long - term behaviour of the grout , in particular its durability . to make easier the on - site installation of the inclusion , portland cement of type 10 or type 30 is used . as well known in the art , additives or expansive agents such as aluminum powder can be added to modify other properties of the grout such as its viscosity , its porosity , its adherence and its mechanical resistance ( tension , compression , flexion and shear ). one can appreciate that the concrete structure 1 , the inclusion 3 and the grout 30 form an homogeneous mass whereby any deformation of the structure 1 is transmitted through the grout to deform the inclusion 3 and is therefore detected by the vibrating gauges 5 - 10 . the measurements from the vibrating gauge 43 enable control of the influence of the variations of the environmental conditions . more specifically , they enable compensation of the deformation measurements for any change in the environmental conditions , such as temperature , humidity , aging of the concrete , etc ., that is any environmental condition not related to deformation of the concrete caused by change of stresses in the structure . the technique in accordance with the invention presents , for the intended applications , numerous advantages including in particular the following ones : as the cylindrical inclusion may have a diameter of 14 cm and a length of 50 cm , its volume is well larger than that of the bigger granules whereby the measurements are representative of the real deformations contrary to certain prior art devices whose volume is too small ; as the inclusion and the structure to be instrumented are made of concrete having a similar composition and the hole in the structure is sealed with a grout , there is no deterioration over a time period as long as 50 years ; the vibrating wire gauges are very accurate but are simpler to implement than the high performance , electric strain gauges used in steel structures . also , some vibrating gauges are installed since over 40 years . the vibrating gauges are so positioned that the measurements are all related to the same critical spot whereby the instrumented portion of the concrete inclusion can be as short as 10 cm ; and an instrumented cell is provided for enabling necessary correction of the deformation values due to variations in the environmental conditions . although the present invention has been described hereinabove with reference to preferred embodiments thereof , such embodiments can be modified at will , within the scope of the appended claims , without departing from the nature and spirit of the subject invention .	6
fig1 depicts components of an exemplary wireless communication system 100 for conducting meetings between persons or groups of persons located remotely from each other . the communication system 100 may comprise , but is not limited to , a video conferencing or audio conferencing system of the type sold by polycom , inc . of milpitas , calif . the communication system 100 includes a base station 102 having primary system circuitry configured to receive and process conference data . additionally , base station 102 may be configured to manage communications with other conferencing systems ( e . g ., video conferencing systems located at other sites ) over conventional circuit or packet switched networks , such as a public switched telephone network or the internet . the communication system 100 also includes a plurality of remote devices 104 , 106 , which communicate with the base station 102 and each other through electromagnetic signals , typically radio frequency ( rf ) signals . alternatively , infrared signals or other suitable electromagnetic signals may be employed for communication between various communication components . remote devices 104 , 106 may include wireless microphones , wireless speakers , or other devices coupled wirelessly such as personal computers , lcd projectors , video monitors , and other conference - related items . it is noted that while two remote devices 104 , 106 are depicted in fig1 , a lesser or greater number of remote devices may be utilized . the components of the communication system 100 are located within a first conference room 110 . those skilled in the art will appreciate that even low power rf signals will easily penetrate walls and similar physical barriers , such as a wall 112 separating an adjacent second conference room 114 from the first conference room 110 . occasionally , rf signals generated by the base station 102 located in the first conference room 110 may be communicated to a remote device 116 , which is not part of communication system 100 , located in the second conference room 114 . the information underlying the transmitted rf signals may be inadvertently disseminated to persons having access to the remote device 116 . if this information is sensitive , the confidentiality of the information is then compromised . further , rf signals generated by the remote device 116 may inadvertently be transmitted and subsequently processed by the base station 102 . the present system and method will secure against inadvertent disclosure of confidential information . inadvertent disclosure is prevented by determining which remote devices are co - located in the same communication system 100 as the base station 102 , and thus only allow co - located devices to exchange conference data with each other and the base station 102 . the term “ conference data ”, as used herein , denotes data representative of any information which may be presented to users of the communication system 100 during the operating thereof , including speech , images , and the like . as previously mentioned , the conference data is typically exchanged between components of the communication system 100 through the use of rf signals . for co - location discrimination analysis , an acoustic signal is sampled by all communication components ( i . e ., 102 , 104 , and 106 ). this acoustic signal is separate and distinct from the radio frequency ( rf ) signals typically used for data exchange , and is not in the same frequency band as the rf signals . thus , the acoustic signal may include ultrasonic and subsonic audio sources . furthermore , the acoustic signal may be environmental ( i . e . speech within the room ) or specifically generated for co - location discrimination analysis . although the present embodiment is described as using acoustic signals , those skilled in the art will recognize that alternative energy signals or light signals , such as infrared signals pulsing through light emitting diodes ( led ) may be utilized for the discrimination analysis . because the acoustic signal is attenuated outside of the first room 110 , the remote device 116 located in the second room 114 will sample a weaker or dissimilar acoustic signal as compared to the remote devices 104 , 106 located in the first room 110 . thus , a comparison of the sample taken by the remote device 116 will be different from the samples taken by the base station 102 and the remote devices 104 , 106 , thereby resulting in a determination by a signal analysis processor ( not shown ) within the communication system 100 that the remote device 116 is not co - located in the first room 110 . furthermore , the co - location discrimination analysis can be continuous or pulsed . continuous discrimination analysis will occur at low levels so as not to disturb occupants of the first room 110 . alternatively , analysis may be conducted periodically . for example , the discrimination analysis may shut down for a period of time before subsequently activating to sample , process , and analyze acoustics signals before shutting down again . additionally , the length of time for acoustic signal sampling is dependent upon the desired accuracy of the discrimination analysis . for higher accuracy , the sampling must be of a longer duration while a lower accuracy will allow for a relatively shorter sampling of the acoustic signal . referring to fig2 , discrimination analysis components of a base station 102 and an exemplary remote device 104 are depicted . in one embodiment , base station 102 performs the co - location discrimination analysis , and is preferably provided with an acoustic sensor 202 , a signal processor 204 , a signal analysis processor ( sap ) 206 , an rf transceiver 208 , and a memory 210 all coupled to a common system bus 212 . the acoustic sensor 202 samples an external acoustic signal and forwards the sample to the signal processor 204 for processing . the signal processor 204 converts the sample into a digital signal that is representative of the sampled acoustic signal . this digital signal is sent to an sap 206 and subsequently becomes the reference signal for discrimination analysis . the sampled acoustic signal may be ambient or specifically generated for discrimination analysis . for example , a signal generator may be contained within the base station 102 or the remote devices 104 , 106 ( fig1 ). this signal generator may be embodied as a speaker emitting sound waves , or alternatively , a light - emitting diode ( led ) device for emitting infrared or other light . those skilled in the art will recognize that other forms of detectable energy signals may be generated and utilized for discrimination analysis . as shown further in fig2 , the remote device 104 is provided with an acoustic sensor 214 , a signal processor 216 , and an rf transceiver 218 . each component of the remote device 104 is directly coupled to a common system bus 220 . the acoustic sensor 214 samples the same external acoustic signal as that sampled by the base station 102 , and forwards the sample to the signal processor 216 . the signal processor 216 subsequently converts the sample into a digital signal that is representative of the sampled acoustic signal . the rf transceiver 218 then sends this representative signal to the rf transceiver 208 of the base station 102 . thus , these rf transceivers 208 , 218 may be utilized for both data conference transmissions and discrimination analysis transmissions . the rf transceiver 208 forwards the representative signal received from the remote device 104 to the sap 206 for discrimination analysis . the sap 206 compares the reference and representative signals to determine whether the signals are equivalent or within a predetermined threshold . if the sap 206 determines signal equivalence , the remote device 104 is co - located within the same wireless communication system as the base station 102 . the memory 210 may embody a list of remote devices in communication with the base station 102 . this list is periodically updated when a remote device is determined to be external to or non co - located with the communication system of the base station 102 . if the sap 206 determines that a remote device and the base station 102 are not within the same communication system , the base station 102 discriminates against the non co - located device by removing the remote device from the list in memory 210 . consequently , all communications with the non co - located device are discontinued , information received from this non co - located device is not processed , and the base station 102 may transmit a shutdown signal to the non co - located device . thus , the embodiment shown in fig2 illustrates discrimination analysis being performed by the base station 102 . the remote devices forward their representative signals to the base station for comparison with the reference signal . if the reference and representative signals are comparable , then the sap 206 concludes that the remote device is co - located within the same communication system as the base station 102 . however , if the remote device is not co - located , the base station 102 discriminates against the remote device by disregarding all communications with the remote device . additionally , the base station 102 may send a shutdown signal to the non co - located remote device . in another embodiment of the communication system , each remote device conducts the co - location discrimination analysis . fig3 shows a block diagram of discrimination analysis components of a base station 300 and an exemplary remote device 310 for the alternative embodiment . the base station 300 includes an acoustic sensor 302 , a signal processor 304 , and an rf transceiver 306 all coupled to a common system bus 308 . as previously discussed in connection with the acoustic sensor 202 , the acoustic sensor 302 samples an external acoustic signal and forwards the sample to the signal processor 304 , which converts the sample into a digital signal representative of the sampled acoustic signal . subsequently , this representative signal is forwarded via the system bus 308 to the rf transceiver 306 , where the representative signal is transmitted to each remote device 310 . in this embodiment , the digital signal from the base station 300 is the representative signal used for discrimination analysis . fig3 also depicts components of an exemplary remote device 310 , which includes an acoustic sensor 312 , a signal processor 314 , an rf transceiver 316 , and a signal analysis processor ( sap ) 318 . at relatively the same instance the base station 300 samples an external acoustic signal ; each remote device 310 also samples the same acoustic signal with the acoustic sensor 312 . the signal processor 314 subsequently converts the sample into a digital signal that is representative of the sampled acoustic signal . this digital signal is subsequently forwarded via a system bus 320 to the sap 318 for discrimination analysis . because each remote device 310 performs the discrimination analysis , the digital signal generated by the signal processor 314 is the reference signal . if the sap 318 determines that the reference and representative signals are not similar , then the remote device 310 is not co - located within the same communication system as the base station 300 . consequently , the remote device 310 stops communicating with the wireless communication system of the base station 300 , and may subsequently shut itself down . fig4 is a diagram comparing signal waveforms of reference and representative signals . for simplicity of illustration , fig4 will be discussed in connection with the communication system utilizing the embodiment of fig1 and fig2 . as shown , the base station 102 ( fig1 ) produces a reference signal 402 that is representative of a sampled acoustic signal . at relatively the same instance , the remote devices 104 , 106 , and 116 also sample and process the same acoustic signal . this results in the remote devices 104 , 106 , and 116 producing representative signals 404 , 406 , and 408 , respectively . there are many well - known methods for comparing acoustic signals , which may be implemented for co - location discrimination analysis . one such method is correlated envelope energy analysis . in this method , the sap 206 ( fig2 ) determines if an envelope of each of the representative signals 404 , 406 , and 408 is similar in form to an envelope of the reference signal 402 . thus , the similarity in amplitude of the waves is less important than whether the representative signals 404 , 406 , and 408 have generally similarly occurring valleys and peaks . an alternative method involves a comparison of ( harmonic ) frequency energy . in this method , for example , the sap 206 determines if a high pitch sound received at the base station 102 is also perceived at each remote device 104 , 106 , 116 . thus , this method searches for correlation between the sinusoidal components of representative signals 404 , 406 , and 408 with the sinusoidal components of reference signal 402 . additionally , cross - correlation analysis of the local and remote representative signals may determine if the devices sampled the same acoustic signal . this method generally compares the peaks of the representative signals 404 , 406 , and 408 with the reference signal 402 to determine if similar peaks exist . those skilled in the art will recognize that many other methods of signal analysis may be utilized for co - location discrimination . since the remote devices 104 , 106 are located within the first room 110 ( fig1 ) with the base station 102 , remote representative signals 404 and 406 are very similar to the reference signal 402 of the base station 102 . therefore , the sap 206 analysis concludes that the remote devices 104 , 106 are co - located within the same communication system as the base station 102 , and will continue to communicate with the remote devices 104 , 106 . the remote device 116 is not located within the communication system 100 ( fig1 ) of the first room 110 . since the acoustic signal distorts while traveling through the wall 112 ( fig1 ), the representative signal 408 is dissimilar to the reference signal 402 of the base station 102 . therefore , the sap 206 analysis will conclude that the remote device 116 and the base station 102 are not co - located . discrimination against the remote device 116 will thus occur wherein communications between the remote device 116 and the base station 102 are disregarded , and remote the device 116 may shut down . fig5 is a flowchart 500 that illustrates a method for co - location discrimination analysis with the analysis being performed at the base station 102 ( fig2 ). initially in step 502 , a remote device 104 ( fig2 ) and the base station 102 sample an acoustic signal with their respective acoustic sensors 214 , 202 ( fig2 ). this acoustic signal may be from an external environmental source or be generated by a remote device 104 or by the base station 102 . alternatively , other forms of energy signals may be utilized for the analysis such as a light signal emitted from a light - emitting diode ( led ) device . the samples are then processed into digital signals that are representative of the acoustic signal . since the base station 102 performs the discrimination analysis , the representative signal generated by the base station 102 is the reference signal . in step 504 , the remote device 104 transmits its representative signal of the acoustic signal sample to the base station 102 for co - location discrimination analysis . the representative signal is received by an rf transceiver 208 ( fig2 ) in the base station 102 , and is subsequently forwarded to an sap 206 ( fig2 ). in step 506 , the sap 206 compares the representative signal with the reference signal generated by the base station 102 . those skilled in the art will recognize that there are numerous ways to conduct this analysis . some of these methods include correlated envelope energy analysis , ( harmonic ) frequency energy comparison , and straight correlation analysis . if in step 506 the analysis shows that the representative signal is not similar to the reference signal , then in step 508 , the base station 102 removes the remote device 104 from a communication list stored in memory 210 ( fig2 ) and stops processing conference data from / for this particular remote device 104 . additionally , a signal may be sent to the non co - located remote device to shut down . alternatively , if the reference and representative signals are comparable , then the base station maintains communications with the remote device in step 510 . should co - location discrimination analysis continue either periodically or continuously , then in step 512 a subsequent acoustic signal will be perceived , and the discrimination analysis will proceed through another cycle . alternatively , if the conference concludes , then there will not be a subsequent acoustic signal and the co - location discrimination analysis ends . fig6 is a flowchart 600 illustrating another method for co - location discrimination analysis wherein each remote device performs the co - location discrimination analysis . initially in step 602 , a remote device 310 ( fig3 ) and a base station 300 ( fig3 ) sample an acoustic signal , and process the samples into digital signals that are representative of the acoustic signal . since the remote device 310 performs the discrimination analysis , the digital signal of the remote device 310 is the reference signal . in step 604 , the base station 300 transmits its representative signal to each remote device 310 . each remote device 310 , upon receipt of the representative signal , forwards the representative signal to an sap 318 ( fig3 ). in step 606 , the sap 318 compares the representative signal to the reference signal generated by each remote device 310 . the discrimination analysis may include such methods as correlated envelope energy , ( harmonic ) frequency energy , and straight correlation analysis . if in step 606 the analysis shows the reference and representative signals are dissimilar , then in step 608 , the remote device 310 stops communicating with the base station 300 . furthermore , the remote device 310 may shut itself down . alternatively , if the reference and representative signals are comparable , then the remote device 310 maintains communications with the base station 300 in step 610 . should the conference continue , then in step 612 , a subsequent acoustic signal is generated and the discrimination analysis will proceed through another cycle . the invention has been explained above with reference to particular embodiments . other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure . for example , a separate , dedicated device may contain an sap for performing the co - location discrimination analysis . alternatively , reference signals may be generated by a third device known to be within the communication system . any device that contains an sap can then utilize this reference signal . therefore , these and other variations upon the specific embodiments are intended to be covered by the present invention , which is limited only by the appended claims .	7
referring to the accompanying drawings in which like reference numbers indicate like elements , fig1 - 4 show views of an embodiment of a hinged knee . turning now to fig1 , fig1 is an isometric view of an embodiment of a hinged knee 10 . the hinged knee 10 includes a femoral component 14 , a tibial component 16 , a pin sleeve 18 and a pin 20 . the tibial component 16 includes a tibial insert 24 and a tibial base 26 . the femoral component 14 includes a medial condyle 30 and a lateral condyle 32 . the pin 20 connects the condyles 30 and 32 to the sleeve 18 . the sleeve 18 connects to the tibial component through a sleeved post ( discussed below ). as the knee flexes , the femoral component 14 rotates relative to the tibial component 16 . the femoral component 14 rotates about the pin 20 . axial rotation and anterior / posterior ( a / p ) translation of the femoral component 14 is urged by the shape of the tibial insert 24 and the condyles 30 and 32 . the axial rotation and anterior / posterior ( a / p ) translation of the femoral component 14 may occur because the pin 20 is able to axial rotate and be axially translated relative to the post and sleeve of the hinged knee 10 . the femoral component 14 and the tibial component 16 are connected to the femur and tibia , respectively . stems 36 are inserted into the femur and tibia to fix the femoral component and tibial component to the bones . the length and thickness of these stems may be adjusted based upon required fixation , size of the bones , and size of the intramedullary canals in the bones . turning now to fig2 , fig2 is a cutaway view of the embodiment of fig1 . the cutaway is taken in a sagittal plane between the femoral condyles . fig2 shows the pin 20 in the sleeve 18 . the sleeve 18 is attached to a post sleeve 40 which surrounds a post 42 . the post 42 is attached to the tibial base 26 , and may be attached asymmetrically to the tibial base 26 . the post sleeve 40 may be axially rotated and axially translated relative to the post 42 . the sleeve 18 ( and thus the pin 20 ) may rotate axially and translate axially relative to the tibial component 16 . the rotation and translation allow for the femoral component 14 to axially rotate and to translate in the a / p direction . the a / p translation may be accomplished by the condyle surface having a curvature with a center of rotation outside the pin 20 . as the femoral component 14 rotates , a bushing 46 stops hyper extension so that the knee may not over extend . turning now to fig3 , fig3 is a side view of the embodiment of fig1 . the pin 20 is located posterior to the center of the knee 10 . the curve 50 of the condyle 32 is eccentric with respect to the center of rotation of the femoral component 14 , which is the pin 20 . with respect to the tibial component 16 , the pin 20 axially rotates and axially translates as the knee flexes . turning now to fig4 , fig4 is a cutaway view of the embodiment of fig3 . the cutaway is taken along the same sagittal plane of the cutaway in fig2 . the cutaway shows the post sleeve 40 and post 42 of the hinged knee 10 . a screw 56 fixes a post receiver 58 to the post to lock the post sleeve 40 on the post 42 . the post sleeve 40 and pin sleeve 18 then may rotate and translate axially without pulling off the post 42 . turning now to fig5 - 8 , these figs . show views of another embodiment of a hinged knee 70 . turning now to fig5 , fig5 is an isometric view of an embodiment of the hinged knee 70 . the hinged knee 70 includes a femoral component 74 , a tibial component 76 , a pin sleeve 78 and a pin 80 . the tibial component 76 includes a tibial insert 84 and a tibial base 86 . the femoral component 74 includes a medial condyle 90 and a lateral condyle 92 . the pin 80 connects the condyles 90 and 92 to the sleeve 78 . the sleeve 78 connects to the tibial component through a sleeved post . as the knee flexes , the femoral component 74 rotates relative to the tibial component 76 . the femoral component 74 rotates about the pin 80 . axial rotation and anterior / posterior ( a / p ) translation of the femoral component 74 is urged by the shape of the tibial insert 84 and the condyles 90 and 92 . the axial rotation and anterior / posterior ( a / p ) translation of the femoral component 74 may occur because the pin 80 is able to axially rotate and be axially translated relative to the post and sleeve of the hinged knee 70 . the femoral component 74 and the tibial component 76 are connected to the femur and tibia , respectively . stems 96 are inserted into the femur and tibia to fix the femoral component and tibial component to the bones . the length and thickness of these stems may be adjusted based upon required fixation , size of the bones , and size of the intramedullary canals in the bones . turning now to fig6 , fig6 is a cutaway view of the embodiment of fig5 . the cutaway is taken in a sagittal plane between the femoral condyles . fig6 shows the pin 80 in the sleeve 78 . the sleeve 78 is attached to a post 100 which is inserted into a post sleeve 102 . the post sleeve 102 is attached to the tibial base 86 . the post 100 may be axially rotated and axially translated relative to the post sleeve 102 . the pin sleeve 78 ( and thus the pin 80 ) may rotate axially and translate axially relative to the tibial component 76 . the rotation and translation allow for the femoral component 74 to axially rotate and to translate in the a / p direction . the a / p translation may be accomplished by the condyle surface having a curvature with a center of rotation outside the pin 80 . as the femoral component 74 rotates , a bushing 106 stops hyper extension so that the knee may not over extend . turning now to fig7 , fig7 is a side view of the embodiment of fig5 . the pin 80 is located posterior to the center of the knee 70 . the curve 110 of the condyle 92 is eccentric with respect to the center of rotation of the femoral component 74 , which is the pin 80 . with respect to the tibial component 76 , the pin 80 axially rotates and axially translates as the knee flexes . turning now to fig8 , fig8 is a cutaway view of the embodiment of fig7 . the cutaway is taken along the same sagittal plane of the cutaway in fig6 . the cutaway shows the post 100 and post sleeve 102 of the hinged knee 70 . an enlarged portion 106 of the post 100 fixes the post 100 to the femoral component 74 so that when the post 100 is inserted in the post sleeve 102 , the femoral component 74 is aligned and held in place relative to the tibial component 76 . the post 100 and pin sleeve 78 then may rotate and translate axially without pulling the femoral component 74 off the tibial base 76 . turning now to fig9 and 10 , these figs . show views of a tibial insert 120 . fig9 is an isometric view of an embodiment of a tibial insert 120 and fig1 is a top view of the tibial insert 120 of fig9 . the tibial insert 120 includes a post hole 124 for receiving the post from either the tibial base or the femoral component . direction lines 126 on a bearing surface 128 show the lines the femoral component articulates on the tibial insert 120 . as the femoral component rotates on the insert 120 , the position on the line 126 travels posteriorly . the posterior portion of the tibial insert 120 slopes to axially rotate and translate the femoral component posteriorly . together in conjunction with the curvature of the condyles , the tibial insert 120 cause a / p translation and axial rotation of the femoral component . turning now to fig1 , fig1 is a side view of an embodiment of femoral component 130 of a hinged knee . the curvature of a condyle 131 includes a first distal portion 132 having a first center of rotation 134 , a second posterior portion 136 having a second center of rotation 138 concentric with a pin hole 140 , and a third proximal portion 142 having a third center of rotation 144 . the centers of rotation 134 and 144 are eccentric to the pin hole 140 . as the knee rotates , the contact point between the femoral component 130 and the tibial insert produces a force normal to the femoral component 130 and aligned with the center of rotation for that section of the curvature . while the contact point is within the distal portion of the curvature , the normal force points toward the center of rotation 134 . at the interface between the distal portion 132 and the posterior portion 136 , the normal force is collinear with the centers of rotation 134 and 138 . similarly , at the interface between the posterior portion 136 and the proximal portion 142 , the normal force is collinear with the centers of rotation 138 and 144 . thus , the contact points do not jump during rotation but smoothly move . the eccentricity of the curvatures allows for the lateral forces at the contact points to control axial rotation and a / p translation . because the forces are normal to the tibial and femoral surfaces , reactive forces at the contact points induce a / p motion and axial rotation . the pins , sleeves , and posts of the hinged knee allow for the translation and rotation of the femoral component 130 with respect to the tibial component . turning now to fig1 - 23 , the figs . show side views and isometric views of an embodiment of a hinged knee in different angles of flexion . fig1 and 13 are a side view and an isometric view , respectively , of an embodiment of a hinged knee at extension . a contact point 150 anterior to the pin axis is the contact point between a femoral component 152 and a tibial component 154 . the tibial component is posteriorly distal sloped at the contact point 150 so there is a reactive contact force attempting to push the femoral component backwards . fig1 shows the position of the femoral component 152 at extension . turning now to fig1 and 15 , fig1 and 15 are a side view and an isometric view , respectively , of the hinged knee of fig1 at 20 degrees flexion . as the knee flexes , the contact point 150 moves posteriorly . additionally , as shown in fig1 , the femoral component 152 has rotated relative to the tibial component 154 . the axial rotation is urged by a differential between the moments created by the reactive forces at the medial and lateral condyles . turning now to fig1 and 17 , fig1 and 17 are a side view and an isometric view , respectively , of the hinged knee of fig1 at 40 degrees flexion . the contact point 150 has shifted posteriorly and the femoral component has continued to rotate axially . this change in contact point shows the a / p translation of the femoral component as the knee rotates . while most of the motion during early knee flexion is axial rotation , some a / p translation occurs . this “ rollback ” and rotation is similar to normal joint kinematics . these movements are urged by the shapes of the tibial and femoral component . this minimizes shear forces on the patella which may otherwise try to force these movements of the femoral components . generation of the shear forces in the patella may cause pain or prosthetic failure . the contact force 150 is directed through the center of the pin hole as the curvature of the condyle transitions from the distal eccentric portion to the posterior concentric portion discussed with reference to fig1 . turning now to fig1 and 19 , fig1 and 19 are a side view and an isometric view , respectively , of the hinged knee of fig1 at 90 degrees flexion . while flexion continues through the concentric portion , the a / p translation and axial rotation stops . the distance to the center of the pin hole remains constant as the center of curvature for the posterior portion of the condyle is concentric with the pin hole . turning now to fig2 and 21 , fig2 and 21 are a side view and an isometric view , respectively , of the hinged knee of fig1 at 120 degrees flexion . the contact force 150 is directed through the center of the pin hole as the curvature of the condyle transitions from the posterior concentric portion of the curvature to the proximal eccentric portion discussed with reference to fig1 . as the contact force 150 moves posterior the center of the pin hole , the distance from the contact point to the center of the pinhole lessens . turning now to fig2 and 23 , fig2 and 23 are a side view and an isometric view , respectively , of the hinged knee of fig1 at 150 degrees flexion . as the hinged knee continues to rotate , the contact force generally creates a / p translation , and little axial rotation . again , this is generally consistent with normal knee kinematics . while this embodiment has described a / p translation and axial rotation by surface characteristics of the tibial and femoral components 154 and 152 , other embodiments may accomplish these motions in other ways . the additional embodiments generally try to control lateral forces between the femoral and tibial components . for example , differences in the lateral forces between condyles may create motion . additionally keeping lateral forces on one side small or zero while controlling the forces on the other side can control axial rotation . for more rotation , forces may be opposite in direction to increase axial rotation . because rotation is controlled by moments , another method of controlling rotation is to control the moment arms . another embodiment may create contact points with corresponding tibial articulation of the femoral articulating surfaces to vary from a plane perpendicular to the transverse axle hinge pin . generally , the plane would extend through a medial / lateral and / or lateral / medial direction . as the knee moves through the range of motion of the knee , the corresponding insert articulating geometry remains parallel or varies from the same plane creating an axial rotation through whole , in part , and / or various ranges of the range of motion of the joint . in another embodiment , a concentric sagittal curvature of the medial or lateral femoral condyle &# 39 ; s articular surface relative to the transverse hinge pin location and the opposite femoral condyle &# 39 ; s articular surface may have eccentric curvature sagittally to the hinge pin location . this shifts the contact with the tibial articulation medial / lateral or lateral / medial at least in part through a range of motion . the tibial articulating surfaces correspond to femoral curvatures and induce axial rotation through whole , in part , and / or various ranges of the range of motion of the joint . alternatively , a concentric sagittal curvature of the medial or lateral condyle &# 39 ; s articular surface relative to the transverse hinge pin location and the opposite condyle &# 39 ; s articular surface having eccentric curvature sagittally to the hinge pin location may create the motion . the tibial articulating surfaces corresponds to femoral curvatures where the corresponding eccentric medial or lateral compartment follows a predetermined path relative to multiple angles of flexion and its corresponding contact points movement . the radial translation of these contact points around the axial rotation around the tibial post / sleeve axis and the corresponding concentric medial or lateral compartment follows a predetermined path relative to multiple angles of flexion and its corresponding contact point &# 39 ; s movement around the axial rotation around the tibial post / sleeve axis . this induces an axial rotation through whole , in part , and / or various ranges of the range of motion of the joint . another embodiment includes a femoral prosthesis with eccentric sagittal curvature for both of the medial and lateral articulating condylar portions of the femoral prosthesis relative to the transverse axle pin position . a tibial insert with the corresponding articulating geometry , either inclining and / or declining as the eccentric contact points of the femoral articulation translates , shift in a medial / lateral and / or lateral / medial direction to induce an axial rotation through whole , in part , and / or various ranges of the range of motion of the joint . in another embodiment , a concentric sagittal curvature of the medial or lateral condyle &# 39 ; s articular surface relative to the transverse hinge pin location and the opposite condyle &# 39 ; s articular surface having eccentric curvature sagittally to the hinge pin location . the tibial articulating surfaces correspond to femoral curvatures where the corresponding eccentric medial or lateral compartment follows a predetermined path relative to multiple angles of flexion and its corresponding contact points movement and the radial translation of these contact points around the axial rotation around the tibial post / sleeve axis . the corresponding concentric medial or lateral compartment follows a predetermined inclining and / or declining path relative to multiple angles of flexion and its corresponding contact points movement around the axial rotation around the tibial post / sleeve axis which induces an axial rotation through whole , in part , and / or various ranges of the range of motion of the joint . alternatively , a femoral prosthesis with concentric sagital curvature for both of the medial and lateral articulating condylar portions of the femoral prosthesis relative to the transverse pin position . a tibial insert with the corresponding articulating geometry , either inclining and / or declining , form an axial rotating path relative to the femoral articulating surfaces . translational / rotational freedom allows the transverse pin to rotate and translate the femoral prosthesis . turning now to fig2 - 41 , the figs . show side views , isometric views , and top views of an embodiment of a hinged knee in different angles of flexion . fig2 - 26 are a side view , an isometric view , and a top view , respectively , of an embodiment of a hinged knee at extension . a femoral component 180 rotates about a pin 182 relative to a tibial component 184 . contact areas 200 show the area in which a tibial insert 186 may contact the femoral component 180 . the contact areas 200 in fig2 - 41 show how the femoral component 180 rotates and translates along the tibial insert 186 . turning now to fig2 - 29 , fig2 - 29 are a side view , an isometric view , and a top view , respectively , of the hinged knee of fig2 at 20 degrees flexion . the femoral component 180 continues to rotate about the pin 182 relative to the tibial component 184 . the contact areas 200 , particularly the lateral contact area , have rolled back . the roll back of the lateral contact area corresponds to axial rotation of the femoral component 180 relative to the tibial component 184 . turning now to fig3 - 32 , fig3 - 32 are a side view , an isometric view , and a top view , respectively , of the hinged knee of fig2 at 40 degrees flexion . the femoral component 180 continues to rotate about the pin 182 relative to the tibial component 184 . the contact areas 200 have continued to roll back , and again the lateral contact area has translated farther posteriorly compared to the medial condyle . this corresponds to more axial rotation . turning now to fig3 - 35 , fig3 - 35 are a side view , an isometric view , and a top view , respectively , of the hinged knee of fig2 at 90 degrees flexion . the femoral component 180 continues to rotate about the pin 182 relative to the tibial component 184 . from 40 degrees to 90 degrees of flexion , the rotation and translation are minimized as the rotation continues through the concentric portion of the curvature . turning now to fig3 - 38 , fig3 - 38 are a side view , an isometric view , and a top view , respectively , of the hinged knee of fig2 at 120 degrees flexion . the femoral component 180 continues to rotate about the pin 182 relative to the tibial component 184 . similar to the flexion between 40 and 90 degrees , from 90 degrees to 120 degrees of flexion , the rotation and translation are minimized as the rotation continues through the concentric portion of the curvature . turning now to fig3 - 41 , fig3 - 41 are a side view , an isometric view , and a top view , respectively , of the hinged knee of fig2 at 150 degrees flexion . the femoral component 180 continues to rotate about the pin 182 relative to the tibial component 184 . as the flexion continues from 120 to 150 degrees , the contact areas 200 translate and have little axial rotation . thus , as the knee flexes , the rotation allows for the patella to slide along the patellar groove without generating forces in the patella . additionally , with movement approximating the natural movement , the hinged knee does not generate forces in the soft tissue . this may help preserve soft tissue that is initially damaged by surgery . moreover , some soft tissue is removed during surgery , and thus the remaining soft tissue must work harder to complete tasks . reducing the forces on soft tissue can reduce swelling , pain and additional stresses on the soft tissue after surgery . in view of the foregoing , it will be seen that the several advantages of the invention are achieved and attained . the embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . as various modifications could be made in the constructions and methods herein described and illustrated without departing from the scope of the invention , it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting . thus , the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above - described exemplary embodiments , but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents .	0
the present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments . it is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for purpose of illustration and description only ; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed . the preparation procedure of n -( 2 - benzamidoethyl )- 2 - hydroxy - 5 - nitrobenzamide is represented by the following formula ii . 1 - chloro - 4 - nitro - 2 -( trifluoromethyl ) benzene ( 2 . 0 ml , 13 . 3 mmole ) was dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide ( dmso , 12 ml ), naoh ( 1 . 6 g ) was batchwise added at a temperature lower than 25 ° c ., and the reaction solution was reacted at room temperature ( rt ) for 8 hours . after the reaction was terminated , the ph of the reaction solution was adjusted to 1 . 0 using concentrated hcl , and then the reaction solution was poured into the separatory funnel and extracted with ch 2 cl 2 for five times ( each for 20 ml ). the obtained ch 2 cl 2 solution was hydrated over mgso 4 and concentrated under vacuum . the obtained concentrate was subjected to the purification of silica gel column ( 50 g ) and eluted with the system of chcl 3 / n - hexane ( 2 : 1 ) to afford compound 1 ( 1 . 85 g ), yield of about 67 %. compound 1 : 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 8 . 48 ( 1h , d , j = 2 . 4 hz ), 8 . 32 ( 1h , dd , j = 8 . 8 , 2 . 4 hz ), 7 . 14 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 hz ). next , compound 1 ( 500 mg , 2 . 4 mmole ) and tert - butyl 2 - aminoethylcarbamate ( 769 mg , 4 . 8 mmole ) were transferred in a reaction bottle , 1 m aqueous naoh solution ( 7 . 2 mmole ) and dioxane ( 10 ml ) were added , and then the mixture solution were heated to 100 ° c . and reacted for 24 hours . after the reaction was terminated , the ph of the reaction solution was adjusted to 1 . 0 using 1 n hcl solution , and then the reaction solution was poured into the separatory funnel and extracted with ch 2 cl 2 for five times ( each for 20 ml ). the obtained ch 2 cl 2 solution was hydrated over mgso 4 and concentrated under vacuum . the obtained concentrate was subjected to the purification of silica gel column ( 50 g ) and eluted with the system of chcl 3 / n - hexane ( 19 : 1 ) to afford compound 2 ( 600 . 0 mg ), yield of about 77 %. compound 2 : 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , acetone - d6 ): δ 8 . 96 ( 1h , s ), 8 . 74 ( 1h , d , j = 2 . 4 hz ), 8 . 30 ( 1h , dd , j = 8 . 8 , 2 . 4 hz ), 7 . 10 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 8 , 2 . 4 hz ), 6 . 32 ( 1h , s ), 3 . 58 ( 2h , m ), 3 . 39 ( 2h , m ). next , compound 2 ( 600 mg ) was installed in the reaction bottle , the ch 2 cl 2 solution containing 20 % tfa was added , and the reaction solution was reacted at rt for 2 hours to form the reaction mixture . after the reaction was terminated , the reaction mixture was concentrated under vacuum . the obtained concentrate was subjected to the purification on silica gel column ( 45 g ) and eluted using the system of chcl 3 / n - hexane ( 4 : 1 ) to afford compound 3 ( 390 mg ), yield of about 95 %. compound 3 : 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , cd 3 od ): δ 8 . 79 ( 1h , d , j = 1 . 6 hz ), 8 . 21 ( 1h , dd , j = 9 . 2 , 1 . 6 hz ), 7 . 01 ( 1h , d , j = 9 . 2 hz ), 3 . 72 ( 2h , m ), 3 . 21 ( 2h , m ). subsequently , compound 3 ( 390 mg ) was dissolved in 2 n naoh solution ( 10 ml ) and reacted with benzoyl chloride at rt for 16 hours , and then the mixture concentrated under vacuum after the reaction was terminated . the residue was subjected to the purification on silica gel column ( 50 g ) and eluted using the system of chcl 3 / n - hexane ( 30 : 1 ) to afford compound 4 ( 325 mg ), yield of about 57 %. compound 4 : 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , c 5 d 5 n ): δ 12 . 65 ( 1h , s ), 10 . 14 ( 1h , s ), 9 . 48 ( 1h , s ), 9 . 09 ( 1h , s ), 8 . 11 ( 3h , m ), 7 . 40 ( 3h , m ), 7 . 05 ( 1h , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 3 . 95 ( 4h , m ). esi - ms m / z 330 ( 100 ) [ m + h ] + , 352 ( 32 ) [ m + na ] + . hresi - ms m / z 352 . 0911 ( calc : 352 . 0909 ; c 16 h 15 n 3 o 5 na ). for affording other 5 - nitrobenzoate derivatives , compound 3 may be reacted with benzoyl chlorides bound with a various of substituted groups , such as mono - substituted benzoyl chloride , di - substituted benzoyl chloride or tri - substituted benzoyl chloride respectively ), and each of r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 and r 6 may be fluoride , chloride , bromide , iodide or methyl group , and r 1 to r 6 may be bound to the para -, meta - or ortho - position of the benzoyl moiety . that is , the benzoyl moiety of the prepared compound 4 may be substituted as mono - substituted benzoyl moiety , di - substituted benzoyl moiety or tri - substituted benzoyl moeity trans - 4 - hydroxyl 3 - methoxyl - β - nitrostyrene and benzoyl chloride , were dissolved in a mixture solution of pyridine ( 1 ml ) and ch 2 cl 2 ( 10 ml ), and reacted at rt for 24 hours . after the removal of solvent , the obtained concentrate was subjected to the purification of silica gel column ( 90 g ) and eluted with the system of n - hexane / acetone ( 3 : 1 ) to afford 4 - o - benzoyl - 3 - methoxy - β - nitrostyrene ( compound 5 ; as represented by formula iii ). compound 5 : 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 8 . 25 ( 1h , s ), 8 . 24 ( 1h , s ), 8 . 02 ( 1h , d , j = 13 . 6 hz ), 7 . 68 ( 1h , d , j = 7 . 6 hz ), 7 . 61 ( 1h , d , j = 13 . 6 hz ), 7 . 56 ( 1h , d , j = 7 . 6 hz ), 7 . 55 ( 1h , d , j = 7 . 6 hz ), 7 . 28 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 2 hz ), 7 . 24 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 2 hz ), 7 . 17 ( 1h , d , j = 1 . 2 hz ), 3 . 88 ( 3h , s ). esi - ms m / z 322 ( 100 ) [ m + na ] + . trans - 4 - hydroxyl 3 - methoxyl - β - nitrostyrene and nicotinoyl chloride hydrochloride , were dissolved in a mixture solution of pyridine ( 1 ml ) and ch 2 cl 2 ( 10 ml ), and reacted at rt for 16 hours . after the removal of solvent , the residue was subjected to the purification of silica gel column ( 60 g ) and eluted with the system of n - hexane / chcl 3 ( 1 : 3 ) to afford 4 - o - nicotinoyl - 3 - methoxy - β - nitrostyrene ( compound 6 ; as represented by formula iv ). compound 6 : 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 9 . 40 ( 1h , br . s ), 8 . 87 ( 1h , d , j = 4 . 8 hz ), 8 . 45 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 4 hz ), 8 . 00 ( 1h , d , j = 13 . 6 hz ), 7 . 59 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 0 , 2 . 0 hz ), 7 . 49 ( 1h , dd , j = 4 . 8 , 8 . 0 hz ), 7 . 24 ( 2h , m ), 7 . 15 ( 1h , s ), 3 . 88 ( 3h , s ). trans - 4 - hydroxyl 3 - methoxyl - β - nitrostyrene and 2 , 4 - dichlorobenzoyl chloride , were dissolved in a mixture solution of pyridine ( 1 ml ) and ch 2 cl 2 ( 10 ml ), and reacted at rt for 24 hours . after the removal of solvent , the residue was subjected to the purification of ( a ) silica gel column ( 100 g ) and eluted with the system of n - hexane / chcl 3 ( 1 : 2 ) and ( b ) silica gel column ( 60 g ) and eluted with the system of n - hexane / acetone ( 4 : 1 ) twice to afford 4 - o -( 2 , 4 - dichlorobenzoyl )- 3 - methoxy - β - nitrostyrene ( compound 7 ; as represented by formula v ). compound 7 : 1 h nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 8 . 07 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 0 hz ), 7 . 98 ( 1h , d , j = 13 . 6 hz ), 7 . 57 ( 1h , d , j = 13 . 6 hz ), 7 . 55 ( 1h , d , j = 2 . 0 hz ), 7 . 39 ( 1h , dd , j = 8 . 0 , 2 . 0 hz ), 7 . 25 ( 1h , d , j = 8 . 0 hz ), 7 . 20 ( 1h , dd , j = 8 . 0 , 1 . 2 hz ), 7 . 14 ( 1h , d , j = 1 . 2 hz ), 3 . 88 ( 3h , s ). the venous blood was collected from 18 to 35 year - old healthy volunteer donors ( who didn &# 39 ; t take any anti - platelet medicine or other anti - inflammation medicine within two weeks before blood draw ), sufficiently mixed with anticoagulant ( venous blood : anticoagulant = 9 : 1 ), and then centrifuged at 200 g at rt for 15 minutes . the upper layered platelet - rich plasma ( prp ) was collected , and centrifuged at 1000 g for 10 minutes after mixing with anticoagulant ( the final concentration : 0 . 5 μm prostacyclin and 10 u / ml heparin ). the supernatant was removed , and the platelet pellets were resuspended in tyrode &# 39 ; s solution and further centrifuged at 1000 g for 10 minutes . finally , the wash platelets without plasma proteins were resuspended in the tyrode &# 39 ; s solution containing calcium and magnesium ions ( this sample is wash platelets ). the number of platelets were calculated using the coulter counter before use , and the density of platelets was adjusted to 3 × 10 8 cells / ml and stored at rt for use . experiment 2 was performed to determine the variations of light transmission upon the aggregation of platelets ( the platelet - rich plasma sample and the wash platelet sample ) by using platelet aggregometer ( model 570vs , chrono - log corp ., u . s .). firstly , the platelets ( 3 × 10 8 cells / ml ) prepared in experiment 1 was pre - heated with stir at 900 rpm at 37 ° c . for 1 minute , and the prepared 5 - nitrobenzoate derivative ( compound 4 or other control compounds 5 , 6 and 7 ) was added to react for 3 minutes . the separate platelet activation stimulator ( includes but not limit to adp , collagen , u46619 , thrombin and a23187 ) was added to observe the effect of 5 - nitrobenzoate derivative on the platelet aggregation activation . please refer to fig1 ( a ), 1 ( b ), 1 ( c ), 1 ( d ) and 1 ( e ) , which respectively depict the effect of compound 4 or control compound 5 on ( a ) adp -, ( b ) collagen -, ( c ) u46619 -, ( d ) thrombin — and ( e ) a23187 - induced wash platelet aggregation test . compound 4 did not inhibit or interfere adp -, collagen -, u46619 -, thrombin - or a23187 - induced platelet aggregation along with the increased dosage of compound 4 . please refer to fig2 ( a ) , which depicts the effect of compound 4 and control compounds 5 to 7 on the adp - induced platelet - rich plasma aggregation test . the measured light transmission of platelet aggregation was enhanced depending on the increased reaction time ( after 300 seconds ) of compound 4 ( group 2 ), indicating that compound 4 did not inhibit or interfere adp - induced platelet - rich plasma aggregation . please refer to fig2 ( b ) , similarly , the measure light transmission of platelet - rich plasma aggregation test was enhanced depending on the increased reaction time ( after 300 seconds ) of compound 4 ( group 2 ), indicating that compound 4 did not inhibit or interfere collagen - induced platelet aggregation . the purified platelets ( 1 × 10 9 cells / ml ) was preheated with stir at 900 rpm at 37 ° c . for 1 minute , and 5 - nitrobenzoate derivative of the invention was added . after a 3 - minute reaction , c6 tumor cells “ c6 - lung ” and “ c6 - lg ” ( 1 × 10 6 cells / ml , respectively ) with different levels of podoplanin was added to react with platelets for 15 minutes , and the variations of light transmission upon the platelet aggregation were measured by using platelet aggregometer , to analyze the tcipa effect . please refer to the immunoblotting pattern in fig3 ( a ) , which depicts that c6 - lung tumor cells had the higher expression level of podoplanin relative to c6 - lg or c6 - blood cells . β - actin is the control for immunoblotting test . please refer to fig3 ( b ), which depicts that compound 4 ( 20 μm ) can effectively inhibit c6 - lung tumor cell ( with high expression level of podoplanin )- induced platelet aggregation along with the increased reaction time . experiment 4 : platelet aggregation induced by the recombinant podoplanin / fc fusion protein the purified wash platelets ( 1 × 10 9 cells / ml ) were preheated with stir at 1000 rpm at 37 ° c . for 1 minute , and 5 - nitrobenzoate derivative of formula i of the invention was added . after a 3 - minute reaction , the genetically engineering recombinant podoplanin / fc fusion protein ( abbreviated hereinafter “ pdpn / fc ”, 2 μg , sino biological inc ., beijing , people &# 39 ; s republic of china ) was added to react with platelets for 15 minutes , and the variations of light transmission upon the platelet aggregation were measured by using platelet aggregometer , to analyze the effect of 5 - nitrobenzoate derivative on the recombinant pdpn / fc - induced platelet aggregation . please refer to fig4 , which depicts that compound 4 can effectively inhibit the pdpn / fc - induced platelet aggregation along with the increased reaction time . the recombinant fc is the genetically engineering antibody fc fragment and acts as the control . in concluding the above experimental results , 5 - nitrobenzoate derivatives or compounds of formula i with mono - substituted benzoyl chloride , di - substituted benzoyl chloride or tri - substituted benzoyl chloride , of the invention do not influence platelet aggregation , can efficiently inhibit tumor cell - induced platelet aggregation ( tcipa ) and the tcipa pathway , can specifically inhibit podoplanin - induced platelet aggregation and its pathway , in particular inhibit the recombinant podoplanin / fc fusion protein - induced platelet aggregation since podoplanin of tumor cells would be combined with clec - 2 of platelets and 5 - nitrobenzoate derivatives of the invention would inhibit tcipa induced by podoplanin - expressing tumor cells , 5 - nitrobenzoate derivatives of the invention can be used to block the interaction between clec - 2 and podoplanin and can be applied as the targeted therapy medicine for inhibiting metastasis of tumor cells . while the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiments . on the contrary , it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims , which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures .	2
in the figures referred to in the description to follow , such figures are far from being scaled figures , but instead are drawn with certain dimensions relatively exaggerated and others relatively compressed so as to better illustrate the fabrication process . in most cases , suitable dimensions will be obvious to those skilled in the art , and in other cases where important or unique to the present invention , representative dimensions will be given . now referring to fig2 , a schematic illustration of an inductor formed by the methods of the present invention may be seen . the inductor is formed by the interconnection of vertical members 28 and horizontal members 30 and 32 to form a continuous coil - like structure between contacts 34 . obviously the number of turns may be increased or decreased as desired . also , one of the contacts 34 may be brought out at the lower level of the coil by adding or subtracting half a turn , or both contacts might be brought out at the lower level by simply turning over the structure illustrated . the process for fabricating the coil as described below is illustrated by representative cross sections taken along the view plane of fig2 for specificity in the description . that specificity however is not a limitation of the invention . now referring to fig3 , a silicon substrate 36 may be seen . the substrate has a backside oxide layer 38 and integrated circuit devices formed on the top surface thereof with interconnect metal layers schematically illustrated as interconnect metal layer 40 , all within various oxide layers 42 . this structure would be formed by typical integrated circuit fabrication techniques and may comprise any of a wide variety of circuits , depending on the application . preferably the substrate is a wafer size substrate , i . e ., with which multiple devices will be formed and later diced to separate the multiple devices . the structure of fig3 is then coated with a hard mask layer 44 and patterned as shown in fig4 using a conventional photomask and etching process . thereafter , a silicon trench type etch using a standard commercial process is made , as shown in fig5 . then the photoresist is stripped as shown in fig6 and an oxide layer 46 is deposited as shown in fig7 . that layer is then coated with a barrier seed layer 48 as shown in fig8 and a layer of copper 50 is electroplated to fill the holes in the silicon substrate 36 , at least to a level above the top of the oxide layers 40 , as shown in fig9 . then a chemical mechanical polishing ( cmp ) process is used to remove the copper layer 50 , the oxide layer 48 and barrier seed layer 46 between the holes in the substrate 36 that are now filled with copper , as shown in fig1 . the next step in the exemplary process is to deposit a stop layer 52 as shown in fig1 , then apply and pattern a photoresist layer 54 as shown in fig1 and etch down to the interconnect layer 40 as shown in fig1 . then the photoresist layer 54 is stripped as shown in fig1 , a metal layer is deposited to fill the opening created by the etch , and a further cmp is used to remove stop layer 52 and the excess metal , leaving metal 56 contacting interconnect 40 as shown in fig1 . then an oxide layer 58 is deposited as shown in fig1 and a photoresist layer 60 is then spun on the wafer in a standard manner and patterned as shown in fig1 . the oxide layer 58 is then etched through the photoresist ( fig1 ) and the photoresist removed as shown in fig1 . thereafter a metal barrier seed layer 62 is deposited as shown in fig2 , followed by a copper layer 64 sufficiently thick to fill the etched regions in the oxide layer 58 , as shown in fig2 . this is followed by another cmp to remove the copper and the metal barrier seed layer between filled regions 64 as shown in fig2 . this forms regions 34 and 32 in the coil of fig2 ( as can be seen in fig2 , the region 32 of fig2 angles out of the view plane of this cross section ). thereafter a passivation oxide layer 66 is deposited as shown in fig2 , a photoresist layer 68 is applied and patterned as shown in fig2 , openings are etched to allow contact to one or both regions 34 and other integrated circuit contacts as needed ( fig2 ) and the photoresist layer is removed ( fig2 ). note that in fig2 , region 34 is electrically accessible from the top of the wafer and is also electrically connected to the ic metal interconnect layer 40 . depending on the circuit design , either one of these connections may not be present . by way of example , if the coil is in series with an output terminal and this end of the coil is to form the output terminal , connection of region 34 to the metal interconnect layer 40 would not be present , and if the coil is connected entirely to internal circuitry , the access through the passivation layer would not be provided . now a temporary glue layer 70 is deposited ( fig2 ) and the wafer is temporarily bonded to a carrier 72 as shown in fig2 . then the opposite side of the substrate of wafer 36 is thinned by a coarse grind ( fig2 ) and then given a fine polish using cmp ( fig3 ). a silicon plasma etch is then used to expose the ends of copper 50 ( vertical members 28 in fig2 ) as shown in fig3 , and then the lower end of copper vertical members 50 are thermo - compression bonded to copper horizontal members 30 ( see also fig2 ) accessible through a passivation oxide layer 74 on another integrated circuit wafer 76 ( fig3 ). the copper horizontal members 30 are separated by a photo - defined polymer , layer 77 in fig3 . this layer 77 serves two main purposes . primarily , it serves as a strong adhesive layer between the top wafer and the bottom wafer . it also serves as a stress - distribution level during thermo - compression bonding . the left copper layer 64 is a region 34 of fig2 and the right copper layer 64 is a region 32 of fig2 . thereafter the temporary carrier 72 and the glue layer 70 are removed to provide the structure of fig3 wherein the two silicon wafers are physically and electrically interconnected , both of which wafers may include integrated circuits with an inductor coil being formed by the combination of conductors extending entirely through the upper silicon wafer ( as thinned ) and interconnected at the top and bottom of the upper wafer to form the inductor coil , in the embodiment described being interconnected at the bottom by the pattern of copper regions on the lower substrate . alternatively the lower interconnection of the copper vertical members 28 could be made by depositing and patterning a copper layer on the bottom of the first wafer by a photoresist process or cmp , though it is preferred to interconnect the copper vertical members 28 using a patterned layer of copper on the second wafer , as a patterned copper layer is needed on the second wafer anyway for thermo - compression bonding of the two wafers together . now referring to fig3 , an alternate embodiment of the inductor coil of the present invention may be seen . in the embodiment previously described one ( or both ) coil leads is accessible through the top of the upper wafer . in the embodiment of fig3 , the inductor coil is not externally accessible but rather is flipped so that potentially both inductor leads 34 ( see also fig2 ) are internally connected to the integrated circuit 76 . thus one , both or none of the inductor leads may be made externally accessible , depending on the circuit being fabricated . fig3 illustrates , at the left side thereof , how connections to the integrated circuit on the lower wafer are made accessible through the top of the upper wafer , and on the right thereof , how interconnections are made to the integrated circuits on the two wafers . in both cases , copper members 78 form vias through the upper substrate to connect copper member 80 and 82 to interconnect copper member 80 with the integrated circuit metal interconnect 84 , and at the right , to interconnect copper members 86 and 88 to interconnect integrated circuit metal interconnects 90 and 92 . thus using the methods of the present invention , all required externally accessible connections to the integrated circuits on both wafers are accessible through the top of the upper wafer , and are ready for solder bumping or wire bonding and dicing . simultaneously , all required interconnection between wafers and connections to the inductor leads are made through the same process . in a preferred embodiment , the final thickness of the upper wafer is approximately 100 microns , with the vertical members 28 ( fig2 ) having a diameter of approximately 5 microns , thus providing an aspect ratio of approximately 20 to 1 . however such dimensions and aspect ratio are not limitations of the invention . also the upper wafer , if silicon , should be substantially pure silicon which has a very high resistivity at ordinary operating temperatures . of course doped regions may be formed in other parts of the upper wafer for providing other integrated circuit components therein . as a further alternative , substrate 36 in fig3 through 28 may be silicon with a thick oxide layer thereon , with the silicon subsequently being removed to leave the substrate in fig3 and subsequent figures as a silicon oxide substrate . other starting substrates might also potentially be used , such as by way of example , glass or ceramic . in any case , the resulting inductor coil , having an axis parallel to the plane of the substrate and coils extending all the way through the substrate , can have a substantial length in comparison to the prior art , yet still occupy a very small substrate area , allowing the realization of one or more inductors along with other passive or active elements on the upper substrate within an area consistent with the area of a typical integrated circuit in the lower substrate , allowing wafer to wafer bonding without significant wafer area waste as described , followed by solder bumping at the top of the upper wafer for making all connections to circuitry on both wafers , after which the pair of wafers may be diced to separate the multiple devices or integrated circuits on the wafers , and packaged . thus the present invention has a number of aspects , which aspects may be practiced alone or in various combinations or sub - combinations , as desired . while preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed and described herein for purposes of illustration and not for purposes of limitation , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the full breadth of the following claims .	7
compounds of the formula i may be prepared according to the following reaction schemes and discussion . unless otherwise indicated r 1 through r 7 in the reaction schemes and discussion that follows are as defined above . scheme 1 refers to the preparation of compounds of the formula v . compounds of the formula vi can be prepared from compounds of formula i by reaction with a compound of the formula vii in the presence of base , wherein l is a suitable leaving group , such as chloro , bromo , iodo tosylate or mesylate . suitable bases include , but are not limited to , triethylamine , polymer supported bemp , cesium carbonate , potassium carbonate , and sodium hydride , where cesium carbonate is preferred . the aforesaid reaction can be performed at temperatures ranging from 0 ° c . to 100 ° c . in the presence of a polar solvent including but not limited to dimethylsulfoxide , dimethylformamide , equal amounts of dimethylsulfoxide and acetone , or equal amounts of dimethylformamide and acetone , generally for a period of 2 hours to 72 hours , where the preferred conditions are dimethylsulfoxide at ambient temperature for 18 hours . compounds of the formula v may also be prepared from compounds of the formula i by reaction of an appropriately substituted epoxide of the formula viii either neat or in the presence of a polar solvent including but not limited to dimethylformamide , dimethylsulfoxide , and tetrahydrofuran . the aforesaid reaction can be performed at temperatures ranging from 0 ° c . to 100 ° c . for a period of 2 to 72 hours , where the preferred conditions are dimethylforamide at 60 ° c . for 24 hours . scheme 2 refers to the preparation of compounds of the formula v . compounds of the formula v can be prepared from compounds of formula ix by reacting with a compound of formula xiv , h 2 n — r 1 , in the presence of a coupling reagent such as 1 -[ 3 -( dimethylamino ) propyl ]- 3 - ethylcarbodiimide ( edci ), dicyclohexylcarbodiimide ( dcc ), 1 , 1 ′- carbonyldiimidazole ( cdi ) and a base such as dimethylaminopyridine ( dmap ) or triethylamine in an aprotic solvent , such as methylene chloride , dimethylformamide , or dimethylsulfoxide , preferably 1 -[ 3 -( dimethylamino ) propyl ]- 3 - ethylcarbodiimide and dimethylaminopyridine in dimethyl formamide . the aforesaid reaction may be run at a temperature from 22 ° c . to 60 ° c ., for a period of 1 hour to 20 hours , preferably 22 ° c . for 18 hours . compounds of the formula v may also be prepared from compounds of the formula x by reaction by reacting with a compound of formula xiv in the presence of a base including but not limited to dimethylaminopyridine ( dmap ), triethylamine , aqueous sodium hydroxide or aqueous potassium hydroxide in an aprotic solvent , such as methylene chloride , ethyl acetate , dichloroethane , dimethylformamide , or dimethylsulfoxide , preferably aqueous sodium hydroxide and dichloroethane . the aforesaid reaction may be run at a temperature from 22 ° c . to 60 ° c ., for a period of 1 hour to 24 hours , preferably at ambient temperature for 3 hours . compound x can be prepared from compound ix by reaction with a reagent capable of generating an acid chloride such as thionyl chloride or oxalyl chloride in the presence of a polar aprotic solvent such as ethyl acetate , methylene chloride , or dichloroethane at a temperature of 22 ° c . to 60 ° c ., for a period of 1 hour to 24 hours , preferably oxalyl chloride in methylene chloride at ambient temperature for 16 hours . scheme 3 refers to the preparation of compounds of the formula ix , which can be converted into compounds of formula v by the methods described in scheme 2 . compounds of formula ix can be prepared from compounds of formula xi using decarboxylation conditions , preferably mercaptoacetic acid in water containing a base such as sodium hydroxide at a temperature from 22 ° c . to 160 ° c . for a period of 1 hour to 24 hours , preferably 100 ° c . for 18 hours . scheme 4 refers to the preparation of compounds of the formula xiii and xi , compounds of the formula xi can be converted into compounds of the formula ix by the methods described in scheme 3 . a compound of formula xi can be prepared from a compound of formula xiii , wherein r 8 is a suitable alkyl ( c 1 - c 2 ), by reaction with an acid such as 50 % sulfuric acid at a temperature between 60 ° c . and 120 ° c ., generally for a period between 30 minutes and 6 hours , preferably 2 hours at 120 ° c . a compound of the formula xiii , wherein r 8 is a suitable alkyl ( c 1 - c 2 ), can be prepared from the diazonium intermediate derived from a compound of formula xii . the diazonium intermediate is prepared by reaction of a compound of the formula xiii with an acid such as hydrochloric acid and / or glacial acetic acid , followed by treatment with sodium nitrite in a solvent such as water at a temperature from 0 ° c . to 25 ° c ., and the reaction is generally run from a period of 30 minutes to about 2 hours , preferably 10 ° c . for 30 minutes . a compound of the formula xiii is prepared by the reaction of the above diazonium intermediate with a compound of the formula xvii : r 8 o ( c ═ o ) n ( c ═ o ) ch 2 ( c ═ o ) n ( c ═ o ) or 8 , under basic conditions . the reaction is typically carried out with sodium acetate as the base at a temperature from 0 ° c . to 120 ° c ., preferably 10 ° c ., then warmed to 120 ° c ., and the reaction is generally run for a period of 1 hour to 24 hours , preferably 4 hours ( carrool , r . d . ; et . al . ; j . med . chem ., 1983 , 26 , 96 - 100 ). the activity of the compounds of the invention for the various disorders described above can be determined according to one or more of the following assays . all of the compounds of the invention that were tested had an ic 50 of less than 10 μm in the in vitro assay described below . preferably , the compounds of the invention have an ic 50 in the in vitro assays described below of less than 100 nm , more preferably less than 50 nm , and most preferably less than 10 nm . still further , the compounds of the invention preferably have an ic 50 in the range of 0 . 01 nm - 100 nm , more preferably between 0 . 05 nm - 50 nm , and most preferably between 0 . 10 nm - 10 nm . certain compounds such as benzoylbenzoyl adenosine triphosphate ( bbatp ) are known to be agonists of the p2x 7 receptor , effecting the formation of pores in the plasma membrane ( drug development research ( 1996 ), 37 ( 3 ), p . 126 ). consequently , when the receptor is activated using bbatp in the presence of ethidium bromide ( a fluorescent dna probe ), an increase in the fluorescence of intracellular dna - bound ethidium bromide is observed . alternatively , the propidium dye yopro - 1 can be substituted for ethidium bromide so as to detect uptake of the dye . the increase in fluorescence can be used as a measure of p2x 7 receptor activation and therefore to quantify the effect of a compound on the p2x 7 receptor . in this manner , the compounds of the invention can be tested for antagonist activity at the p2x 7 receptor . 96 - well flat bottomed microtitre plates are filled with 250 μl of test solution comprising 200 μl of a suspension of thp - 1 cells ( 2 . 5 × 10 6 cells / ml , more preferably prestimulated as described in the literature with a combination of lps and tnf to promote receptor expression ) containing 10 − 4 m ethidium bromide , 25 μl of a high potassium , low sodium buffer solution ( 10 mm , hepes , 150 mm kcl , 5 mm d - glucose and 1 . 0 % fbs at ph 7 . 5 ) containing 10 − 5 m bbatp , and 25 μl of the high potassium buffer solution containing 3 × 10 − 5 m test compound ( more preferably 5 × 10 − 4 m , more preferably 1 × 10 − 4 m . more preferably 1 × 10 − 3 m ). the plate is covered with a plastic sheet and incubated at 37 ° c . for one hour . the plate is then read in a perkin - elmer fluorescent plate reader , excitation 520 nm , emission 595 nm , slit widths : ex 15 nm , em 20 nm . for the purposes of comparison , bbatp ( a p2x 7 receptor agonist ) and pyridoxal 5 - phosphate ( a p2x 7 receptor antagonist ) can be used separately in the test as controls . from the readings obtained , a pic 50 figure can be calculated for each test compound , this figure being the negative logarithm of the concentration of test compound necessary to reduce the bbatp agonist activity by 50 %. in like manner , the compounds of the invention can be tested for antagonist activity at the p2x 7 receptor using the cytokine il - 1β as the readout . blood collected from normal volunteers in the presence of heparin is fractionated using lymphocyte separation medium obtained from organon technica ( westchester , pa .). the region of the resulting gradient containing banded mononuclear cells is harvested , diluted with 10 ml of maintenance medium ( rpmi 1640 , 5 % fbs , 25 mm hepes , ph 7 . 2 , 1 % penicillin / streptomycin ), and cells are collected by centrifugation . the resulting cell pellet was suspended in 10 ml of maintenance medium and a cell count was performed . in an average experiment , 2 × 10 5 mononuclear cells are seeded into each well of 96 - well plates in a total volume of 0 . 1 ml . monocytes are allowed to adhere for 2 hours , after which the supernatants are discarded and the attached cells are rinsed twice and then incubated in maintenance medium overnight at 37 ° c . in a 5 % co 2 environment . the cultured monocytes can be activated with 10 ng / ml lps ( e . coli serotype 055 : b5 ; sigma chemicals , st . louis , mo .). following a 2 - hour incubation , the activation medium is removed , the cells are rinsed twice with 0 . 1 ml of chase medium ( rpmi 1640 , 1 % fbs , 20 mm hepes , 5 mm nahco 3 , ph 6 . 9 ), and then 0 . 1 ml of chase medium containing a test agent is added and the plate is incubated for 30 minutes ; each test agent concentration can be evaluated in triplicate wells . atp then is introduced ( from a 100 mm stock solution , ph 7 ) to achieve a final concentration of 2 mm and the plate is incubated at 37 ° c . for an additional 3 hours . media were harvested and clarified by centrifugation , and their il - 1β content was determined by elisa ( r & amp ; d systems ; minneapolis , minn .). the compositions of the present invention may be formulated in a conventional manner using one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers . thus , the active compounds of the invention may be formulated for oral , buccal , intranasal , parenteral ( e . g ., intravenous , intramuscular or subcutaneous ), topical or rectal administration or in a form suitable for administration by inhalation or insufflation . for oral administration , the pharmaceutical compositions may take the form of , for example , tablets or capsules prepared by conventional means with pharmaceutically acceptable excipients such as binding agents ( e . g ., pregelatinized maize starch , polyvinylpyrrolidone or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose ); fillers ( e . g ., lactose , microcrystalline cellulose or calcium phosphate ); lubricants ( e . g ., magnesium stearate , talc or silica ); disintegrants ( e . g ., potato starch or sodium starch glycolate ); or wetting agents ( e . g ., sodium lauryl sulphate ). the tablets may be coated by methods well known in the art . liquid preparations for oral administration may take the form of , for example , solutions , syrups or suspensions , or they may be presented as a dry product for constitution with water or other suitable vehicle before use . such liquid preparations may be prepared by conventional means with pharmaceutically acceptable additives such as suspending agents ( e . g ., sorbitol syrup , methyl cellulose or hydrogenated edible fats ); emulsifying agents ( e . g ., lecithin or acacia ); non - aqueous vehicles ( e . g ., almond oil , oily esters or ethyl alcohol ); and preservatives ( e . g ., methyl or propyl p - hydroxybenzoates or sorbic acid ). for buccal administration , the composition may take the form of tablets or lozenges formulated in conventional manner . the compounds of formula i can also be formulated for sustained delivery according to methods well known to those of ordinary skill in the art . examples of such formulations can be found in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 538 , 214 , 4 , 060 , 598 , 4 , 173 , 626 , 3 , 119 , 742 , and 3 , 492 , 397 , which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety . the active compounds of the invention may be formulated for parenteral administration by injection , including using conventional catheterization techniques or infusion . formulations for injection may be presented in unit dosage form , e . g ., in ampules or in multi - dose containers , with an added preservative . the compositions may take such forms as suspensions , solutions or emulsions in oily or aqueous vehicles , and may contain formulating agents such as suspending , stabilizing and / or dispersing agents . alternatively , the active ingredient may be in powder form for reconstitution with a suitable vehicle , e . g ., sterile pyrogen - free water , before use . the active compounds of the invention may also be formulated in rectal compositions such as suppositories or retention enemas , e . g ., containing conventional suppository bases such as cocoa butter or other glycerides . for intranasal administration or administration by inhalation , the active compounds of the invention are conveniently delivered in the form of a solution , dry powder formulation or suspension from a pump spray container that is squeezed or pumped by the patient or as an aerosol spray presentation from a pressurized container or a nebulizer , with the use of a suitable propellant , e . g ., dichlorodifluoromethane , trichlorofluoromethane , dichlorotetrafluoroethane , heptafluoroalkanes , carbon dioxide or other suitable gas . in the case of a pressurized aerosol , the dosage unit may be determined by providing a valve to deliver a metered amount . the pressurized container or nebulizer may contain a solution or suspension of the active compound . capsules and cartridges ( made , for example , from gelatin ) for use in an inhaler or insufflator may be formulated containing a powder mix of a compound of the invention and a suitable powder base such as lactose or starch . a proposed dose of the active compounds of the invention for oral , parenteral or buccal administration to the average adult human for the treatment of the conditions referred to above ( inflammation ) is 0 . 1 to 200 mg of the active ingredient per unit dose which could be administered , for example , 1 to 4 times per day . the compound of formula ( i ) and pharmaceutically acceptable salts and solvates thereof may be used on their own but will generally be administered in the form of a pharmaceutical composition in which the formula ( i ) compound / salt / solvate ( active ingredient ) is in association with a pharmaceutically acceptable adjuvant , diluent or carrier . depending on the mode of administration , the pharmaceutical composition will preferably comprise from 0 . 05 to 99 % w ( percent by weight ), more preferably from 0 . 10 to 70 % w , of active ingredient , and , from 1 to 99 . 95 % w , more preferably from 30 to 99 . 90 % w , of a pharmaceutically acceptable adjuvant , diluent or carrier , all percentages by weight being based on total composition . aerosol formulations for treatment of the conditions referred to above in the average adult human are preferably arranged so that each metered dose or “ puff ” of aerosol contains 20 μg to 1000 μg of the compound of the invention . the overall daily dose with an aerosol will be within the range 100 μg to 10 mg . administration may be several times daily , for example 2 , 3 , 4 or 8 times , giving for example , 1 , 2 or 3 doses each time . aerosol combination formulations for treatment of the conditions referred to above ( e . g . adult respiratory distress syndrome ) in the average adult human are preferably arranged so that each metered dose or “ puff ” of aerosol contains from about 1 μg to 1000 μg of the compound of the invention . the overall daily dose with an aerosol will be within the range 100 μg to 10 mg . administration may be several times daily , for example 2 , 3 , 4 or 8 times , giving for example , 1 , 2 or 3 doses each time . aerosol formulations for treatment of the conditions referred to above ( e . g ., adult respiratory distress syndrome ) in the average adult human are preferably arranged so that each metered dose or “ puff ” of aerosol contains from about 20 μg to 1000 μg of the compound of the invention . the overall daily dose with an aerosol will be within the range 100 μg to 10 mg of the p2x 7 receptor inhibitor . administration may be several times daily , for example 2 , 3 , 4 or 8 times , giving for example , 1 , 2 or 3 doses each time . this invention also encompasses pharmaceutical compositions containing and methods of treating or preventing comprising administering prodrugs of compounds of the formula i . compounds of formula i having free amino , amido , hydroxy or carboxylic groups can be converted into prodrugs . prodrugs include compounds wherein an amino acid residue , or a polypeptide chain of two or more ( e . g ., two , three or four ) amino acid residues which are covalently joined through peptide bonds to free amino , hydroxy or carboxylic acid groups of compounds of formula i . the amino acid residues include the 20 naturally occurring amino acids commonly designated by three letter symbols and also include , 4 - hydroxyproline , hydroxylysine , demosine , isodemosine , 3 - methylhistidine , norvalin , beta - alanine , gamma - aminobutyric acid , citrulline homocysteine , homoserine , ornithine and methionine sulfone . prodrugs also include compounds wherein carbonates , carbamates , amides and alkyl esters which are covalently bonded to the above substituents of formula i through the carbonyl carbon prodrug sidechain . the following examples illustrate the preparation of the compounds of the present invention . melting points are uncorrected . nmr data are reported in parts per million ( d ) and are referenced to the deuterium lock signal from the sample solvent ( deuteriochloroform unless otherwise specified ). mass spectral data were obtained using a micromass zmd apci mass spectrometer equipped with a gilson gradient high performance liquid chromatograph . the following solvents and gradients were used for the analysis . solvent a ; 98 % water / 2 % acetonirile / 0 . 01 % formic acid and solvent b ; acetonitrile containing 0 . 005 % formic acid . typically , a gradient was run over a period of about 4 minutes starting at 95 % solvent a and ending with 100 % solvent b . the mass spectrum of the major eluting component was then obtained in positive or negative ion mode scanning a molecular weight range from 165 amu to 1100 amu . specific rotations were measured at room temperature using the sodium d line ( 589 nm ). commercial reagents were utilized without further purification . thf refers to tetrahydrofuran . dmf refers to n , n - dimethylformamide . chromatography refers to column chromatography performed using 32 - 63 mm silica gel and executed under nitrogen pressure ( flash chromatography ) conditions . room or ambient temperature refers to 20 - 25 ° c . all non - aqueous reactions were run under a nitrogen atmosphere for convenience and to maximize yields . concentration at reduced pressure means that a rotary evaporator was used . one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that in some cases protecting groups may be required during preparation . after the target molecule is made , the protecting group can be removed by methods well known to those of ordinary skill in the art , such as described in greene and wuts , “ protective groups in organic synthesis ” ( 3rd ed , john wiley & amp ; sons 1999 ). a slurry of 5 - nitro - 2 - methyl - benzoic acid ( 17 . 1 g , 94 . 4 mmol ) and 10 % pd / c ( 500 mg ) in etoh ( 500 ml ) was shaken under 40 psi h 2 at ambient temperature for 4 hours . hcl was added and the solution filtered through a pad of celite . the filtrate was concentrated in vacuo to give the title compound ( 17 . 2 g ). to a solution of 5 - amino - 2 - methyl - benzoic acid hydrochloride salt ( 15 . 2 g , 81 . 2 mmol ) in acetic acid ( 300 ml ) was added concentrated hcl ( 21 . 0 ml ). the resulting slurry was stirred at ambient temperature for 30 minutes . the reaction was then cooled to 10 ° c ., and a solution of sodium nitrite ( 6 . 17 g , 89 . 4 mmol ) in water ( 15 ml ) was added dropwise . the reaction was stirred at 10 ° c . for 30 minutes , when sodium acetate ( 14 . 7 g , 179 . 0 mmol ) and ( 3 - ethoxycarbonylamino - 3 - oxo - propionyl )- carbamic acid ethyl ester ( j . chem . soc . perkins trans . i , 1991 , 2317 ) ( 22 . 0 g , 89 . 4 mmol ) were added . the reaction was let stir at 10 ° c . for 20 minutes , then warmed to room temperature and stirred for 1 hour . sodium acetate ( 6 . 7 g , 81 . 2 mmol ) was then added and the reaction refluxed for 14 hours . a 50 % aqueous solution of h 2 so 4 ( 88 . 0 ml ) was added and the reaction refluxed for 2 hours . the reaction was cooled , then water ( 50 ml ) added . the resulting tan precipitate was filtered , washed with water , and dried to give the title compound ( 17 . 8 g ). 2 -( 3 - carboxy - 4 - methyl - phenyl )- 3 , 5 - dioxo - 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 - tetrahydro -[ 1 , 2 , 4 ] triazine - 6 - carboxylic acid ( 110 gm ) was added to 8 volumes of water with 2 . 4 equivalents of sodium hydroxide and 1 . 1 equivalents of mercaptoacetic acid . the reaction mixture was heated to reflux ( 100 - 105 ° c .) for approximately 18 hours at which point the reaction was complete by hplc . 30 % sodium hydroxide and toluene were added and the resulting mixture was stirred . upon settling a large interface was noted . more water , toluene and some ethyl acetate were added . the interface was minimized . the water layer was separated and treated with 2n hcl . at ph 2 solids precipitated out and the slurry was cooled to & lt ; 10 ° c . the solids were filtered off in a slow filtration and dried in a vacuum oven to give 69 gm of the title compound . a slurry of 5 -( 3 , 5 - dioxo - 4 , 5 - dihydro - 3h -[ 1 , 2 , 4 ] triazin - 2 - yl )- 2 - methyl - benzoic acid ( 5 . 0 g , 20 . 2 mmol ), 1 - aminomethyl - cycloheptanol hcl ( 5 . 4 g , 30 . 3 mmol ), edcl ( 5 . 8 g ), and dmap ( 7 . 4 g , 60 . 6 mmol ) in dmf ( 67 . 3 ml ) was stirred at ambient temperature for 14 hours . the reaction was then poured into 1n hcl ( 50 ml ) and diluted with water ( 15 fold ). the aqueous was extracted with ch 2 cl 2 ( 3 ×). the organics were combined , washed with brine , dried over sodium sulfate , and concentrated in vacuo to give a tan solid . the crude was recrystallized from ch 2 cl 2 to give the title compound as an off - white solid ( 3 . 1 g ). a slurry of 5 -( 3 , 5 - dioxo - 4 , 5 - dihydro - 3h -[ 1 , 2 , 4 ] triazin - 2 - yl )- n -( 1 - hydroxy - cycloheptylmethyl )- 2 - methyl - benzamide ( 200 . 0 mg , 0 . 537 mmol ) and cs 2 co 3 ( 290 . 3 mg , 0 . 891 mmol ) were stirred in dmso ( 1 . 79 ml , 0 . 3 m ) at ambient temperature for 15 minutes . 2 - bromoacetamide ( 74 . 1 mg , 0 . 537 mmol ) was added and the reaction stirred at ambient temperature for 14 hours . the reaction was diluted with water ( 15 - fold ) and the aqueous extracted with ch 2 cl 2 ( 3 ×). the organics were dried over sodium sulfate , and concentrated in vacuo to a tan oil . the crude was triterated from ipe / et 2 o / ch 2 cl 2 to give the title compound as a tan solid ( 105 mg ). lcms ( m / z ) 430 . 5 m + 1 . the compounds of examples 2 - 43 , identified in table 1 below , can be prepared according to the method of example 1 . a solution of example 34 ( 358 mg , 0 . 69 mmol ) and tfa ( 1 ml ) was stirred at ambient temperature for 18 hours . the solvent was removed in vacuo , and excess tfa azeotroped using ch 2 cl 2 ( 3 ×). the crude pale brown solid was triterated in hexane to give the title compound ( 295 mg ). a slurry of ( 2 -{ 4 - chloro - 3 -[ 2 -( 2 - chloro - phenyl )- ethylcarbamoyl ]- phenyl }- 3 , 5 - dioxo - 2 , 5 - dihydro - 3h -[ 1 , 2 , 4 ] triazin - 4 - yl )- acetic acid ( 71 . 4 mg , 0 . 154 mmol ), methylamine hcl ( 15 . 6 mg , 0 . 231 mmol ), edci ( 44 . 4 mg , 0 . 231 mmol ), and dmap ( 75 . 5 mg , 0 . 616 mmol ) in dmf ( 1 . 0 ml ) were stirred at ambient temperature for 20 hours . the reaction was diluted with 1n hcl , and let stir for 5 hours . the crude was filtered and triterated from hexane to give the title compound ( 20 mg ). lcms ( m / z ) 476 . 1 m + 1 . the compounds of examples 46 - 60 , identified in table 2 below , can be prepared according to the method of example 45 . 5 -( 3 , 5 - dioxo - 4 , 5 - dihydro - 3h -[ 1 , 2 , 4 ] triazin - 2 - yl )- n -( 1 - hydroxy - cycloheptylmethyl )- 2 - methyl - benzamide ( 1 . 77 g , 4 . 5 mmol ) and r -(−)- glycidyl methyl ether ( 2 . 5 ml , 27 . 8 mmol ) in dmf ( 4 . 5 ml ) were heated at 60 ° c . for 18 hours . the reaction was cooled , diluted with 1n hcl , and extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the organics were combined , washed with sat &# 39 ; d sodium bicarbonate , dried over sodium sulfate and charcoal , filtered , and concentrated in vacuo . the crude was purified by silica gel flash chromatography ( elution with etoac ), then recrystallized from ethyl acetate / hexane to give the title compound ( 1 . 62 g ). lcms ( m / z ) 479 . 5 m − 1 . the compounds of examples 62 - 99 , identified in table 3 below , can be prepared according to the method of example 61 . the present invention is not to be limited in scope by the specific embodiments described herein . indeed , various modifications of the invention in addition to those described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description and the accompanying figures . such modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims . all patents , applications , publications , test methods , literature , and other materials cited herein are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties .	2
having generally described the present invention , a further understanding can be obtained by reference to the specific preferred embodiments which are provided herein for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims . first preferred embodiments of the present invention , e . g ., example nos . 1 through 7 , will be hereinafter described with reference to tables 1 and 2 below and fig1 and 2 , along with comparative example nos . 1 through 12 . molten metals having compositions set forth in table 1 were pulverized by atomizing process , and the resulting powders were classified with a minus 100 mesh sieve , respectively . heat resistant aluminum alloy powders of example nos . 1 through 7 and comparative example nos . 1 through 12 were thus prepared . the resulting heat resistant aluminum alloy powders were charged in a tube which was bottomed with pure aluminum , and they are cold - formed preliminarily into a preform having a diameter of 20 mm and a length of 80 mm , respectively , with a surface pressure of 3 ton / cm 2 in vacuum . the preforms were heated at 450 ° c . for 30 minutes , and they are hot - extruded at a relatively large extrusion ratio of 10 . heat resistant aluminum alloys of example nos . 1 through 7 and comparative example nos . 1 through 12 were thus prepared in a rod having a diameter of 10 mm . table 1__________________________________________________________________________composition r . t . 150 ° c . 300 ° c . (%) t . s . y . s . δ t . s . y . s . δ t . s . y . s . δ__________________________________________________________________________ex . 1al - 14ni - 8si - 1zr - 3cu 629 530 1 . 2 486 405 3 . 4 225 179 9 . 6ex . 1al - 14ni - 8si - 1zr - 3cu 561 546 0 . 8 486 395 3 . 0 217 169 10 . 0ex . 2al - 11ni - 8si - 3fe - 1zr - 3cu 676 586 0 . 7 546 457 1 . 8 244 182 7 . 8ex . 2al - 11ni - 8si - 3fe - 1zr - 3cu 665 572 0 . 5 515 468 0 . 8 240 177 6 . 8ex . 3al - 13ni - 8si - 1mo - 1zr - 3cu 603 577 0 . 4 502 431 1 . 4 229 185 8 . 8ex . 3al - 13ni - 8si - 1mo - 1zr - 3cu 577 551 0 . 5 486 426 1 . 0 227 187 9 . 2ex . 4al - 13ni - 8si - 2ti - 3cu 616 603 0 . 4 514 442 1 . 4 248 195 7 . 4ex . 5al - 10ni - 8si - 3fe - 2ti - 3cu 653 612 0 . 4 531 470 0 . 9 286 208 5 . 6ex . 6al - 14ni - 12si - 3cu - 1zr 556 531 0 . 5 471 437 1 . 2 231 180 5 . 5ex . 7al - 12ni - 12si - 2ti - 1zr 530 503 0 . 6 468 434 1 . 3 251 198 5 . 8c . e . 1al - 25ni - 8si - 1cu 507 -- -- 431 -- -- 291 231 0 . 8c . e . 2al - 20ni - 15si - 1fe 534 -- -- 449 -- -- 303 206 2 . 1c . e . 3al - 15ni - 25si 457 -- -- 415 -- -- 288 196 1 . 6c . e . 4al - 15ni - 20si 460 -- -- 418 -- -- 288 188 2 . 0c . e . 5al - 15ni - 20si - 3cu 569 -- -- 484 472 0 . 3 250 164 4 . 0c . e . 6al - 15ni - 15si - 3cu 554 -- -- 486 486 0 . 2 294 191 3 . 2c . e . 7al - 15ni - 15si - 3cu - 2mg 536 -- -- 473 -- -- 265 180 2 . 4c . e . 8al - 10ni - 25si - 1cu 514 -- - 445 -- -- 290 233 0 . 9c . e . 9al - 10ni - 12si - 7fe 585 -- -- 514 -- -- 255 226 1 . 0c . e . 10al - 10ni - 20si 468 432 0 . 5 196 152 6 . 0c . e . 11al - 10ni - 15si 496 404 1 . 5 177 148 9 . 6c . e . 12al - 10ni - 10si 469 354 2 . 6 160 133 12 . 9__________________________________________________________________________ ( note ) r . t . : room temperature , t . s . : tensile strength ( mpa ), y . s . : yield strengt ( mpa ), & amp ; δ : elongation (%) example nos . 1 through 7 and comparative example nos . 1 through 12 were examined for the strength characteristics , e . g ., the tensile strength , the yield strength and the elongations , and the results of the examinations are set forth in table 1 together with the compositions . as can be appreciated from table 1 , all of example nos . 1 through 7 exhibited a tensile strength of more than 500 mpa at room temperature , and they were thus superb in the room temperature strength . further , all of example nos . 1 through 7 exhibited a tensile strength of more than 200 mpa at 300 ° c ., and they were thus superior in the high temperature strength , too . furthermore , in spite of these excellent strength characteristics , all of example nos . 1 through 7 exhibited an elongation of 0 . 4 % or more and more than 5 . 0 %, respectively , at room temperature and at 300 ° c ., and they had a fuller toughness which had not been expected from the conventional aluminum sintered alloys . in addition , the heat resistant aluminum alloy of example no . 7 including zr and ti exhibited a yield strength of 200 mpa approximately and an elongation of 6 . 0 % approximately at 300 ° c . thus , one can expect that it is utilized as a heat resistant aluminum alloy having an excellent forgeability . the following 9 sintered heat resistant aluminum alloys were machined to a test piece &# 34 ; t / p &# 34 ; having a diameter of 10 mm and a length of 15 mm , respectively , in a quantity of from 5 to 8 : example nos . 1 through 5 and comparative example nos . 13 through 16 whose compositions are set forth in table 2 below and which were prepared as described above . then , as illustrated in fig2 the test pieces &# 34 ; t / p &# 34 ; were held between dies , and they were subjected to an upsetting test in a temperature range of from 400 ° to 500 ° c . for examining the critical upsetting factor ( ε hc in %). the upsetting test was carried out at an upsetting speed of 70 mm / second while varying the upsetting factor . here , the critical upsetting factor ( ε hc in %) was calculated in accordance with the following equation : the results of the upsetting test are illustrated in fig1 and the critical upsetting factors at 450 ° c . are set forth in table 2 together with the compositions of the 9 sintered heat resistance aluminum alloys . here , please note that the sum of ni , fe , mo , zr and ti was adapted to 15 % in all of the compositions of examples nos . 1 through 5 . table 2______________________________________ composition c . u . f . (%) (%) ______________________________________ex . 1 al - 14ni - 8si - 1zr - 3cu 80 . 2ex . 2 al - 11ni - 8si - 3fe - 1zr - 3cu 68 . 3ex . 3 al - 13ni - 8si - 1mo - 1zr - 3cu 75 . 5ex . 4 al - 13ni - 8si - 2ti - 3cu 79 . 4ex . 5 al - 10ni - 8si - 3fe - 2ti - 3cu 71 . 5c . e . 13 al - 15ni - 15si - 1fe - 3cu 63 . 2c . e . 14 al - 17si - 7fe - 3cu 59 . 5c . e . 15 al - 17si - 15ni - 1fe - 3cu 54 . 0c . e . 16 al - 20si - 15ni - 1fe 52 . 1______________________________________ ( note ) c . u . f . : critical upsetting factor (%) as can be seen from fig1 and table 2 , example nos . 1 through 5 substantially exhibited a critical upsetting factor of more than 70 % approximately , and they were thus superior in the forgeability . as can be appreciated from fig1 the forgeability depended on the si content greatly . turning now to table 2 , from the comparisons between example nos . 1 and 2 , example nos . 4 and 5 , and comparative example nos . 14 and 15 , it also depended on the fe content considerably . as having been detailed so far , since example nos . 1 through 7 of the present heat resistant aluminum alloys included ni , si , and zr and / or ti in the predetermined amount , not only they were light - weight , but also they exhibited the superb toughness and the improved forgeability which were optimum for product materials . in particular , in addition to the aforementioned advantageous effects , example nos . 1 through 6 including fe and / or cu in the predetermined amount exhibited further enhanced wear resistance and room and high temperature strengths . second preferred embodiments of the present invention , e . g ., example nos . 8 through 20 , will be hereinafter described with reference to tables 3 and 4 , along with comparative example nos . 17 through 24 . example nos . 8 through 20 and comparative example nos . 17 through 24 were prepared in the same manner as set forth in the &# 34 ; first preferred embodiment &# 34 ; section , and they were subjected to the following 5 evaluations , e . g ., evaluation nos . 3 through 7 . example nos . 8 through 20 and comparative example nos . 17 through 24 were examined for the strength characteristics , e . g ., the tensile strength , the yield strength and the elongations , and the results of the examinations are set forth in table 3 together with the compositions . as can be appreciated from table 3 , all of example nos . 8 through 20 exhibited a tensile strength of more than 550 mpa and more than 450 mpa , respectively , at room temperature and at 150 ° c ., and they were thus superb in the room and high temperature strength . in particular , example nos . 8 through 11 substantially exhibited a tensile strength of more than 600 mpa and more than 500 mpa , respectively , at room temperature and at 150 ° c ., and they were thus especially superior in the room and high temperature strength . table 3__________________________________________________________________________composition r . t . 150 ° c . 300 ° c . (%) t . s . t . s . y . s . δ t . s . y . s . δ__________________________________________________________________________ex . 8al - 10ni - 8si - 3fe - 3cu - 1zr - 1ti 634 530 468 1 . 4 220 174 3 . 6ex . 8al - 10ni - 8si - 3fe - 3cu - 1zr - 1ti 621 509 442 1 . 2 218 169 3 . 8ex . 9al - 10ni - 8si - 3fe - 3cu - 2ti 683 533 473 0 . 8 286 208 5 . 6ex . 9al - 10ni - 8si - 3fe - 3cu - 2ti 535 528 468 0 . 8 278 208 5 . 4ex . 10al - 11ni - 8si - 3fe - 3cu - 1zr 676 546 457 1 . 8 244 182 6 . 8ex . 10al - 11ni - 8si - 3fe - 3cu - 1zr 665 515 468 0 . 8 240 177 5 . 8ex . 11al - 12ni - 8si - 3fe - 3cu 681 556 499 1 . 4 282 192 6 . 8ex . 11al - 12ni - 8si - 3fe - 3cu 650 533 483 0 . 6 265 185 5 . 8ex . 12al - 12ni - 3si - 3fe - 3cu - 1zr - 1ti 631 530 437 1 . 6 213 172 3 . 4ex . 12al - 12ni - 3si - 3fe - 3cu - 1zr - 1ti 613 517 431 2 . 0 200 161 3 . 0ex . 13al - 10ni - 3si - 3fe - 3cu - 1zr - 1ti 598 476 390 4 . 4 208 169 3 . 8ex . 13al - 10ni - 3si - 3fe - 3cu - 1zr - 1ti 585 473 405 5 . 4 194 156 4 . 0ex . 14al - 12ni - 0 . 5si - 3fe - 3cu - 1zr - 1ti 702 520 416 4 . 2 200 156 5 . 4ex . 14al - 12ni - 0 . 5si - 3fe - 3cu - 1zr - 1ti 657 520 411 5 . 4 195 151 5 . 2ex . 15al - 10ni - 0 . 5si - 3fe - 3cu - 1zr - 1ti 668 496 411 5 . 4 192 156 4 . 4ex . 15al - 10ni - 0 . 5si - 3fe - 3cu - 1zr - 1ti 644 481 400 3 . 6 172 148 3 . 8ex . 16al - 11ni - 8si - 3fe - 1cu - 1zr 624 489 405 3 . 0 199 151 6 . 4ex . 16al - 11ni - 8si - 3fe - 1cu - 1zr 613 470 426 1 . 2 191 143 5 . 6ex . 17al - 12ni - 8si - 2fe - 2cu - 1zr 587 489 437 1 . 2 205 151 4 . 4ex . 17al - 12ni - 8si - 2fe - 2cu - 1zr 585 478 426 1 . 2 204 153 4 . 4ex . 18al - 12 . 5ni - 8si - 1 . 5fe - 1cu - 1zr 590 476 419 0 . 8 237 185 4 . 0ex . 18al - 12 . 5ni - 8si - 1 . 5fe - 1cu - 1zr 563 464 421 0 . 8 176 135 3 . 4ex . 19al - 10ni - 12si - 7fe 616 520 -- -- 294 213 1 . 2ex . 19al - 10ni - 12si - 7fe 554 507 -- -- 296 239 0 . 8ex . 20al - 12ni - 12si - 3fe - 2cu - 1zr 564 486 -- -- 281 223 2 . 0c . e . 17al - 15ni - 25si 457 415 -- -- 288 196 1 . 6c . e . 17al - 15ni - 25si 454 368 -- -- -- -- -- c . e . 18al - 15ni - 20si 460 418 -- -- 288 188 2 . 0c . e . 18al - 15ni - 20si 505 469 469 0 . 2 274 181 2 . 9c . e . 19al - 10ni - 20si 475 432 397 2 . 4 199 155 5 . 0c . e . 19al - 10ni - 20si 457 -- -- -- 192 148 6 . 9c . e . 20al - 12ni - 15si - 3fe 535 499 -- -- 320 281 0 . 8c . e . 20al - 12ni - 15si - 3fe 486 478 -- -- 307 249 1 . 0c . e . 21al - 10ni - 15si 500 462 415 3 . 7 186 158 9 . 4c . e . 21al - 10ni - 15si 491 -- -- -- 168 138 9 . 8c . e . 22al - 10ni - 10si 473 429 393 4 . 5 164 135 12 . 8c . e . 22al - 10ni - 10si 465 -- -- -- 156 131 13 . 0c . e . 23al - 25ni - 8si - 1cu 507 473 -- -- 278 239 0 . 6c . e . 23al - 25ni - 8si - 1cu 507 447 -- -- 304 223 1 . 0c . e . 24al - 12ni - 12si - 2ti - 1zr 530 468 434 1 . 3 251 198 5 . 8c . e . 24al - 12ni - 12si - 2ti - 1zr 494 473 437 0 . 4 249 192 2 . 8__________________________________________________________________________ ( note ) r . t . : room temperature , t . s . : tensile strength ( mpa ), y . s . : yield strengt ( mpa ), & amp ; δ : elongation on the other hand , all of comparative example nos . 17 through 24 , which did not include either at least of one of fe and cu or at least one of zr and ti , exhibited a tensile strength of less than 550 mpa at room temperature , and they were inferior to those of examples 8 through 20 in the tensile strength at room temperature . moreover , example nos . 13 through 15 , which included si in the relatively small amount , exhibited an exceptionally good tensile strength and elongation , respectively , at room temperature and at 150 ° c . the following 2 heat resistant aluminum alloys , e . g ., example nos . 9 and 11 , which were made from al -- 10ni -- 8si -- 3fe3cu -- 2ti and al -- 12ni -- 8si -- 3fe -- 3cu aluminum alloy powders , respectively , as set forth in the &# 34 ; first preferred embodiment &# 34 ; section , were subjected to a rotary flexure test , and they are examined for the fatigue resistances ( in mpa ) at room temperature and at 150 ° c . the results of the rotary flexure test are set forth in table 4 below . table 4______________________________________test fatigue resistance ( mpa ) specimen at room temperature at 150 ° c . ______________________________________ex . no . 9 270 196ex . no . 11 267 206______________________________________ as can be apparent from table 4 , both of example nos . 9 and 11 exhibited a fatigue resistance of 196 mpa or more , and they were thus satisfactory in the fatigue resistance as well . in certain production processes , sintered aluminum alloys are left at high temperatures for a long period of time . in such production processes , one might afraid that the grains become coarse so as to degrade the strength . therefore , example nos . 8 through 11 were examined for the strength and the reduction rate after they were left at high temperatures for a long period of time . namely , example nos . 8 through 11 were heated to 450 ° c . for 10 hours , and they were left at the temperature for 2 hours . the results of the evaluation are set forth in table 5 below . example nos . 8 through 10 , which included at least one of zr and ti , exhibited the reduction rate of from 3 . 4 to 5 . 4 % at room temperature or at 150 ° c . example no . 11 , which were free from zr and ti , exhibited the slightly higher reduction rate of 7 . 5 % and 8 . 6 %, respectively , at room temperature and at 150 ° c ., but it still exhibited an exceptionally good strength of 498 mpa even after it was left at the high temperatures . table 5______________________________________strength & amp ; reduction rate after left at high temperaturesexs . 8 - 11 were heated to 450 ° c . for 10 hours and leftat the temperature for 2 hours . strength reduc . composition ( after , mpa ) rate (%)(%) r . t . 150 ° c . r . t . 150 ° c . ______________________________________ex . 8 al - 10ni - 8si - 3fe - 603 , 587 494 , 489 5 . 3 5 . 4 3cu - 1zr - 1ti χ : 595 χ : 492ex . 9 al - 10ni - 8si - 3fe - 603 , 561 520 , 499 4 . 4 4 . 0 3cu - 2ti χ : 582 χ : 510ex . 10 al - 11ni - 8si - 3fe - 647 , 629 512 , 496 3 . 4 5 . 1 3cu - 1zr χ : 638 χ : 504ex . 11 al - 12ni - 8si - 3fe - 624 , 608 504 , 491 7 . 5 8 . 6 3cu χ : 616 χ : 498______________________________________ ( note ) r . t . : room temperature table 5 summarizes variations before and after the heat treatment . example nos . 8 through 11 were examined for the rigidity , e . g ., the young &# 39 ; s modulus . here , please note that the sum of ni , zr and ti was adapted to 12 % in all of the compositions of examples nos . 8 through 11 . with this composition arrangements , the young &# 39 ; s modulus exhibited by example nos . 8 through 11 fluctuated less , for instance , it fell in a range of from 110 to 115 gpa . thus , example nos . 8 through 11 exhibited the far better young &# 39 ; s modulus than that of the cast products made from the conventional aluminum alloys , e . g ., jis1060 through jis2040 , a390 , and the like , which falls in a lower range of from 70 to 90 gpa . the heat resistance aluminum alloys of example nos . 8 through 15 were examined for the thermal expansion coefficient . example nos . 8 through 11 exhibited a thermal expansion coefficient of 16 × 10 - 6 /° c ., and example nos . 12 through 15 , which included si in the lesser amount , exhibited a slightly higher thermal expansion coefficient of 17 . 5 × 10 - 6 /° c . thus , example nos . 8 through 15 exhibited the less thermal expansion coefficient than that of the cast products made from the conventional aluminum alloys , e . g ., jis 1060 through jis2040 , a390 and the like , which falls in a range of from 19 × 10 - 6 to 22 × 10 - 6 /° c ., and they were thus superb in the thermal expansion characteristic as well . as having been detailed so far , since example nos . 8 through 20 of the present heat resistant aluminum alloys included ni , si , and fe and / or cu in the predetermined amount , not only they were light - weight but also they were superior in the wear resistance and the tensile strengths at room temperature and at high temperatures . for instance , they exhibited the tensile strengths of 550 mpa or more and 450 mpa or more , respectively , at room temperature and at 150 ° c . in particular , in addition to the aforementioned advantageous effects , example nos . 8 through 10 , 12 through 18 and 20 including zr and / or ti in the predetermined amount were further improved in the toughness and the yield strength , and they were less likely to suffer from the strength deterioration even after they were left at the high temperatures for a long period of time . additionally , when the sum of ni , zr and ti fell in the range of from 8 . 0 to 18 %, e . g ., in example nos . 8 through 18 and 20 , especially example nos . 8 thorough 11 , the advantageous characteristics fluctuated less . third preferred embodiments of the present invention , e . g ., example nos . 21 through 30 , will be hereinafter described with reference to tables 6 and 7 and fig3 along with comparative example nos . 25 through 30 . example nos . 21 through 30 and comparative example nos . 25 through 30 were prepared in the same manner as set forth in the &# 34 ; first preferred embodiment &# 34 ; section , and they were subjected to the following 5 evaluations , e . g ., evaluation nos . 8 through 12 . example nos . 21 through 30 and comparative example nos . 25 through 30 were examined for the strength characteristics , e . g . , the tensile strength , the yield strength and the elongations , at room temperature , 150 ° c . and 300 ° c ., and the results of the examinations are set forth in table 6 together with the compositions . as can be appreciated from table 6 , all of example nos . 21 through 30 exhibited a tensile strength of more than 550 mpa and more than 200 mpa , respectively , at room temperature and at 300 ° c ., and they were thus superb in the room and high temperature strength . table 6__________________________________________________________________________composition r . t . 150 ° c . 300 ° c . (%) t . s . t . s . y . s . δ t . s . y . s . δ__________________________________________________________________________ex . 21al - 20ni - 15si - 1fe 534 449 303 206 2 . 1ex . 22al - 15ni - 20si - 3cu 569 484 472 0 . 3 250 164 4 . 0ex . 23al - 15ni - 15si - 3cu 554 486 486 0 . 2 294 191 3 . 2ex . 23al - 15ni - 15si - 3cu 613 274 177 3 . 6ex . 24al - 10ni - 20si - 3cu 526 243 156 6 . 2ex . 25al - 12ni - 8si - 3fe - 3cu 681 556 499 1 . 4 282 192 6 . 8ex . 25al - 12ni - 8si - 3fe - 3cu 650 533 483 0 . 6 265 185 5 . 8ex . 26al - 11ni - 8si - 3fe - 1zr - 3cu 676 546 457 1 . 8 244 182 7 . 8ex . 26al - 11ni - 8si - 3fe - 1zr - 3cu 665 515 468 0 . 8 240 177 6 . 8ex . 27al - 10ni - 8si - 3fe - 2ti - 3cu 683 533 473 0 . 8 286 208 5 . 6ex . 27al - 10ni - 8si - 3fe - 2ti - 3cu 535 528 468 0 . 8 278 208 5 . 4ex . 28al - 12ni - 15si - 3fe 535 489 314 265 0 . 9ex . 29al - 10ni - 12si - 7fe 585 514 295 226 1 . 0ex . 30al - 10ni - 25si - 3fe - 1cu 514 415 290 233 0 . 9c . e . 25al - 15ni - 25si 457 415 288 196 1 . 6c . e . 26al - 15ni - 20si 460 418 288 188 2 . 0c . e . 27al - 10ni - 20si 468 196 152 6 . 0c . e . 28al - 10ni - 15si 496 177 148 9 . 6c . e . 29al - 10ni - 10si 469 160 133 12 . 9c . e . 30al - 15ni - 15si - 3cu - 1mg 536 478 263 178 3 . 1c . e . 30al - 15ni - 15si - 3cu - 1mg 480 457 256 181 1 . 6__________________________________________________________________________ ( note ) r . t . : room temperature , t . s . : tensile strength ( mpa ), y . s . : yield strength , & amp ; δ : elongation (%) on the other hand , all of comparative example nos . 25 through 29 , which did not include either cu or fe , exhibited a tensile strength of less than 500 mpa at room temperature , and they were inferior to those of examples 21 through 30 in the tensile strength at room temperature . further , when the strength characteristics of example no . 23 free from mg are compared with those of comparative example no . 30 including mg , the tensile strengths of example no . 23 at room temperature and at 300 ° c . were remarkably increased , respectively , by 133 mpa and 38 mpa with respect to those of comparative example no . 30 at the largest . furthermore , even when the contents of ni , fe and cu were varied in example nos . 28 , 29 and 30 , they were superb in the yield strength at 300 ° c ., and they were superior in the heat resistance . moreover , example no 26 including zr was especially good in the elongation at 300 ° c . example no . 27 including ti was particularly good in the yield strength at 300 ° c . example nos . 21 through 30 were examined for the rigidity , e . g ., the young &# 39 ; s modulus . the young &# 39 ; s modulus exhibited by example nos . 21 through 30 fell in a range of from 110 to 130 gpa . on the other hand , young &# 39 ; s modulus exhibited by the cast products made form the conventional aluminum alloys , e . g ., jis1060 through jis2040 , a390 falls in a lower range of from 70 to 90 gpa . thus , example nos . 21 through 30 were remarkably good in the rigidity . example nos . 21 through 30 were examined for the thermal expansion coefficient . example nos . 21 through 30 exhibited a thermal expansion coefficient of from 12 . 0 × 10 - 6 to 15 . 0 × 10 31 6 /° c . thus , example nos . 21 through 30 exhibited a less thermal expansion coefficient than that of the cast products made from the conventional aluminum alloys , e . g . , jis1060 through jis2040 , a390 and the like , which falls in a range of from 19 × 10 - 6 to 22 × 10 - 6 /° c ., and they were thus superb in the thermal expansion characteristic as well . according to the results of evaluations nos . 8 through 10 described above , example nos . 21 through 30 prepared by powder metallurgy process or sintering process were not only light - weight but also excellent in the wear resistance , the rigidity , the thermal expansion characteristic and the tensile strength at room temperature . in particular , they exhibited a tensile strength of 200 mpa or more and a yield strength of 180 mpa or more at a high temperature of 300 ° c . especially , among example nos . 21 through 30 , example no . 26 including zr in the predetermined amount exhibited a high elongation of 0 . 5 % or more and 5 . 0 % or more , respectively , at room temperature and at 300 ° c ., in addition to the aforementioned excellent characteristics . example no . 27 including ti in the predetermined amount exhibited a high yield strength of 200 mpa or more at 300 ° c ., in addition to the aforementioned excellent characteristics . the following 3 heat resistant aluminum alloys were prepared in order evaluate the wear resistance : example no . 31 having the composition identical with that of example no . 23 , and example no . 32 and 33 , which were made from al -- 10ni -- 8si -- 3fe -- 2ti and al -- 12ni -- 8si -- 3fe -- 1zr aluminum alloy powders , respectively . further , the following 3 comparative examples were prepared in order to compare the wear resistance with those of example nos . 31 through 33 : comparative example no . 31 , i . e . , an aluminum alloy cast product made from a390 aluminum alloy by casting , comparative example no . 32 , i . e . , an al alloy - based mmc cast product made from jis2024 aluminum alloy and including sic whiskers dispersed therein in an amount of 20 %, and comparative example no . 33 , i . e ., an aluminum alloy made from jis2024 aluminum alloy powder and including sic particles added thereto in an amount of 30 %. example nos . 31 through 33 and comparative example nos . 31 through 33 were subjected to a wear test using an &# 34 ; ohkoshi &# 34 ; type wear tester . the wear test was carried out under the following 2 conditions in order to examine the worn area ( in mm 2 ) and the specific wear amount (× 10 - 6 mm 3 / kgf · mm ). fig3 illustrates the results of the wear test . condition &# 34 ; a &# 34 ;: a speed of 0 . 31 m / s , a load of 6 . 3 kgf , and a travel of 100 m ; and condition &# 34 ; b &# 34 ;: a speed of 0 . 91 m / s , a load of 12 . 6 kgf , and a travel of 100 m . an fe sintered alloy made from fe -- 0 . 8c -- 5mo -- 2 . 5co alloy was used for a mating member in both of the conditions . as illustrated in fig3 all of example nos . 31 through 33 exhibited a less worn area and a less specific wear amount than comparative example nos . 31 through 33 did , and they thus were superior in the wear resistance as well . example nos . 34 and 35 were prepared as follows : the present heat resistant aluminum powders , which were pulverized by atomizing process in air and classified with a minus 100 mesh sieve , were subjected to cold isostatic pressing ( hereinafter simply referred to as &# 34 ; cip &# 34 ;) process , e . g ., cold hydrostatic pressing , and the resulting green compacts were heated and extruded in air , respectively . the compositions of example nos . 34 and 35 are set forth in table 7 below together with the oxygen contents . example nos . 36 and 37 were prepared as follows : the present heat resistant aluminum powders , which were pulverized by nitrogen - atomizing process with nitrogen as an atomizing medium in air and classified with a minus 100 mesh sieve , were subjected to cip process , e . g ., cold hydrostatic pressing , and the resulting green compacts were heated and extruded in air , respectively . the compositions of example nos . 36 and 37 are set forth in table 7 below together with the oxygen contents . comparative example nos . 34 and 35 were prepared as follows : the conventional heat resistant aluminum powders , which were pulverized by nitrogen - atomizing process in nitrogen atmosphere and classified with a minus 100 mesh sieve , were canned in a bottomed can which was made from pure aluminum , respectively . the cans were then vacuumed , degassed and sealed . after carrying out hot isostatic pressing ( hereinafter simply referred to as &# 34 ; hip &# 34 ;) process , e . g ., hot hydrostatic pressing , the cans were heated and extruded , respectively . the compositions of comparative example nos . 34 and 35 are set forth in table 7 below together with the oxygen contents . table 7______________________________________ production compo - oxygenno . process sition content (%) ______________________________________ex . 34 1 ) air - atomizing in air ; al - 15ni - 0 . 26 2 ) minus 100 mesh sieve 15si - 3cu classifying ; 3 ) cip ; and 4 ) heated extrusion in airex . 35 1 ) air - atomizing in air ; al - 15ni - 0 . 33 2 ) minus 100 mesh sieve 20si - 3cu classifying ; 3 ) cip ; and 4 ) heated extrusion in airex . 36 1 ) n . sub . 2 - atomizing in air ; al - 15ni - 0 . 12 2 ) minus 100 mesh sieve 15si - 3cu classifying ; 3 ) cip ; and 4 ) heated extrusion in airex . 37 1 ) n . sub . 2 - atomizing in air ; al - 15ni - 0 . 08 2 ) minus 100 mesh sieve 20si - 3cu classifying ; 3 ) cip ; and 4 ) heated extrusion in aircomp . 1 ) n . sub . 2 - atomizing in n . sub . 2 ; al - 15ni - 0 . 04ex . 34 2 ) minus 100 mesh sieve 15si - 3cu classifying ; 3 ) vacuuming ; 4 ) degassing 5 ) sealing in can ; 6 ) hip ; and 7 ) heated extrusion in can in aircomp . 1 ) n . sub . 2 - atomizing in n . sub . 2 ; al - 15ni - 0 . 03ex . 35 2 ) minus 100 mesh sieve 20si - 3cu classifying ; 3 ) vacuuming ; 4 ) degassing 5 ) sealing in can ; 6 ) hip ; and 7 ) heated extrusion in can in air______________________________________ generally speaking , oxygen damages the strengths , the elongations , and the like of heat resistant aluminum alloys . however , example nos . 34 and 35 verified that the present heat resistant aluminum alloys exhibiting the wear resistance , the rigidity , the thermal expansion characteristic , the room temperature strength and the high temperature strength similar to those exhibited by example nos . 21 through 30 can be produced without carrying out the vacuuming , degassing and sealing operations as done in the preparation of comparative example nos . 34 and 35 . thus , it is appreciated from table 7 that the physical properties of the present heat resistant aluminum alloys are not adversely affected substantially by including o therein in an amount of 0 . 40 % or less . in particular , even when the oxygen content fell in a range of from 0 . 05 to 0 . 40 %, the resulting heat resistant aluminum alloys exhibited the excellent characteristics similarly to example nos . 21 through 30 . accordingly , the production process of the present heat resistant aluminum alloys can be simplified , and the production cost can be reduced . as having been described in detail so far , since example nos . 21 through 30 of the present heat resistant aluminum alloys included ni , si , fe and cu in the predetermined amount and they were free from mg , not only they were light - weight , but also they were superb in the wear resistance , the room temperature strength and the high temperature strength . for instance , they exhibited a high tensile strength and a high yield strength of 200 mpa or more and 180 mpa or more , respectively , at 300 ° c . further , when the present heat resistant aluminum alloys , e . g ., example nos . 26 and 27 , included at least one of zr and ti in the predetermined amount , not only they had the aforementioned superb characteristics , but also they exhibited an exceptionally good toughness . for instance , they exhibited elongations of 0 . 4 % or more and 2 . 5 % or more , respectively , at room temperature and 300 ° c . furthermore , when the present heat resistant aluminum alloys , e . g ., example nos . 34 and 35 , included oxygen in the relatively large amount , they maintained the high strength at room temperature and the high temperature . accordingly , the production process of the present heat resistant aluminum alloys can be simplified , and the production cost can be reduced . fourth preferred embodiments of the present invention , e . g ., example nos . 38 through 40 , will be hereinafter described with reference to tables 8 and 9 along with comparative example nos . 36 through 39 . in table 8 , please not that the numbers before the elements specify the content of the elements in % by weight with respect to the matrix taken as 100 % by weight , and the numbers before the additives , e . g ., nitride particles , boride particles , etc ., specify the content of the additives in % by weight with respect to the sum of the matrix and the additives , i . e ., the whole al alloy - based mmcs , taken as 100 % by weight . example nos . 38 through 40 were prepared in the same manner as set forth in the &# 34 ; first preferred embodiment &# 34 ; section except that either nitride or boride particles having a particle diameter of from 1 to 20 micrometers were mixed with the resulting powders after the minus 100 mesh sieving operation . comparative example nos . 36 and 37 , i . e ., the simple present heat resistant aluminum alloys , were prepared in the same manner as set forth in the &# 34 ; first preferred embodiment &# 34 ; section . comparative example nos . 38 and 39 , i . e ., the conventional al alloy - based mmcs , were prepared in the same manner as set forth in the &# 34 ; first preferred embodiment &# 34 ; section except that sic fine particles having an average particle diameter of 2 . 6 micrometers were mixed with the resulting powders after the minus 100 mesh sieving operation . the matrix compositions of comparative example nos . 38 and 39 were those of jis2024 and jis 6061 aluminum alloys , respectively . example nos . 38 through 40 and comparative example nos . 36 through 39 were subjected to the following 3 evaluations , e . g ., evaluation nos . 13 through 15 . table 8______________________________________matrixcomposition (%) n . p . b . p . others______________________________________ex . 38 al - 10ni - 0 . 5si - 3fe - 3cu - 1zr - 1ti 3aln -- -- ex . 39 al - 10ni - 0 . 5si - 3fe - 3cu - 1zr - 1ti -- 3tib . sub . 2 -- ex . 40 al - 10ni - 8si - 3fe - 3cu - 1zr - 1ti 3aln -- -- c . e . al - 10ni - 0 . 5si - 3fe - 3cu - 1zr - 1ti -- -- -- 36c . e . al - 10ni - 8si - 3fe - 3cu - 1zr - 1ti -- -- -- 37c . e . al - 4 . 5cu - 1 . 6mg - 0 . 5mn -- -- 20sic38c . e . al - 1 . 0mg - 0 . 6si - 0 . 3cu -- -- 20sic39______________________________________ ( note ) n . p . : nitride particles , & amp ; b . p . : boride particles example nos . 38 through 40 and comparative example nos . 36 through 39 were examined for the tensile strengths at room temperature and at 150 ° c ., and they are examined for the yield strength and the elongation at 150 ° c . as well , and the results of the examinations are set forth in table 9 . as can be appreciated from table 9 , all of example nos . 38 through 40 exhibited tensile strengths of more than 600 mpa and more than 450 mpa , respectively , at room temperature and at 150 ° c . as comparative example nos . 36 and 37 which included the matrix free from the nitride and boride particles did , and they were thus superb in the room and high temperature strength . hence , in view of the strength characteristics , the advantageous effect of the simple present heat resistant aluminum alloys were not adversely affected by including the nitride or boride particles in the matrices . on the other hand , comparative example nos . 38 and 39 , whose matrix did not include either cu or fe , exhibited a low tensile strength of around 300 mpa . table 9______________________________________ r . t . 150 ° c . specific t . s . t . s . y . s . δ wear amount______________________________________ex . 38 616 473 422 2 . 0 7 . 9 × 10 . sup .- 8ex . 39 608 467 420 2 . 1 6 . 5 × 10 . sup .- 8ex . 40 610 488 441 0 . 8 4 . 1 × 10 . sup .- 8c . e . 36 668 496 411 5 . 4 7 . 3 × 10 . sup .- 7c . e . 37 614 510 446 1 . 3 5 . 8 × 10 . sup .- 7c . e . 38 450 320 -- -- 1 . 9 × 10 . sup .- 7c . e . 39 526 286 -- -- 2 . 0 × 10 . sup .- 7______________________________________ ( note ) r . t . : room temperature , t . s . : tensile strength ( mpa ) y . s . : yield strength ( mpa ), δ : elongation (%), & amp ; unit of specific wear amount : mm . sup . 3 / kgf . mm example nos . 38 through 40 and comparative example nos . 36 through 39 were subjected to a wear test in order to examine the wear amount . the wear amount was examined by an &# 34 ; lfw &# 34 ; testing machine . each of example nos . 38 through 40 and comparative example nos . 36 through 39 was formed in a plate - shaped test piece having a width of 10 mm and a length of 15 . 7 mm and a thickness of 6 . 35 mm . during the wear test , the test pieces were immersed into an oil , it was pressed against a ring - shaped mating member made of suj2 ( as per jis ) at load of 150 n and at a sliding speed of 18 m / minute . the wear test was carried out for 15 minutes . the results of this wear test are also set forth in table 9 . comparing the wear resistances in terms of the specific wear amount , example nos . 38 through 40 exhibited a specific wear amount which was reduced by one digit with respect to those of comparative example nos . 36 and 37 . thus , it is apparent that the presence of the nitride or boride particles in the matrices reduced the wear amounts . especially , in example nos . 38 and 40 in which the nitride particles were added , the aluminum elements did not migrate to the mating member made of suj2 , the friction coefficients were low , and thereby they exhibited a good sliding characteristic . generally speaking , in the friction between al member and fe member , the aluminum elements of the al member are likely to migrate to the fe member , and thereby the wear resistance is degraded . in example no . 39 in which the boride particles were added , the boron elements of the boride particles were oxidized to b 2 o 3 ( mp . 450 ° c .) in part during the friction , b 2 o 3 was melted to produce the liquid phase which resulted in the fluid lubrication . thus , it is believed that example no . 39 was improved in the wear resistance . on the other hand , comparative example nos . 38 and 39 , whose matrix did not include ni and fe , exhibited a lower strength . although the sic fine particles were included therein , they did not contribute to the wear resistance improvement . fig4 is a photomicrograph of the metallographic structure of example no . 38 ( magnification × 100 ). as can be seen from fig4 the aln additives were finely dispersed in the matrix . fig5 is a photomicrograph which enlarges fig4 by a magnification of 400 . as can be seen from fig5 the boundary surfaces of the aln additives were well adhered to the matrix , and there were no porosities at all in the boundaries . according to evaluation nos . 13 through 15 , not only example nos . 38 through 40 of the present heat and wear resistant al alloy - based mmcs were light - weight , but also they were superb in the wear resistance , the rigidity and the room temperature strength . as having been detailed so far , since example nos . 38 through 40 of the present heat and wear resistant al alloy - based mmcs included ni , si , fe and cu in the matrix in the predetermined amount , and since they included the nitride or boride particles dispersed in the matrix , not only they were light - weight and wear resistant , but also they exhibited the advantageous strength characteristics similar to those exhibited by the simple present heat resistant aluminum alloys , e . g ., example nos . 1 through 37 . further , when the present heat and wear resistant al alloy - based mmcs , e . g ., example nos . 38 through 40 , included zr and ti in the predetermined amount , not only they were improved in the toughness and the yield strength , but also they were less degraded in the strengths even after they were left at high temperatures for a long period of time . furthermore , when the sum of ni , zr and ti fell in the range of from 8 . 0 to 18 %, the advantageous characteristics were were less likely to fluctuate . moreover , since the matrix of example nos . 38 through 40 was superior in the high temperature strength and the elongation , the resulting present heat and wear resistant al alloy - based mmcs were also improved in the forgeability and the wear resistance . fifth preferred embodiments of the present invention , e . g ., example nos . 41 through 44 , will be hereinafter described with reference to tables 10 and 11 along with comparative example nos . 40 through 43 . in table 10 , please not that the numbers before the elements specify the content of the elements in % by weight with respect to the matrix taken as 100 % by weight , and the numbers before the additives , e . g ., nitride particles , boride particles , etc ., specify the content of the additives in % by weight with respect to the sum of the matrix and the additives , i . e ., the whole al alloy - based mmcs , taken as 100 % by weight . table 10______________________________________matrix composition (%) n . p . b . p . others______________________________________ex . 41 al - 11ni - 8si - 1zr - 3cu - 3fe 3aln -- -- ex . 42 al - 14ni - 15si - 3cu - 1ti -- 3tib . sub . 2 -- ex . 43 al - 11ni - 8si - 3fe - 1zr - 3cu 3tin -- -- ex . 44 al - 14ni - 15si - 3cu - 1ti -- 3mgb . sub . 2 -- c . e . al - 11ni - 8si - 1zr - 3cu - 3fe -- -- -- 40c . e . al - 14ni - 15si - 3cu - 1ti -- -- -- 41c . e . al - 4 . 5cu - 1 . 6mg - 0 . 5mn -- -- 20sic42c . e . al - 1 . 0mg - 0 . 6si - 0 . 3cu -- -- 20sic43______________________________________ ( note ) n . p . : nitride particles , & amp ; b . p . : boride particles example nos . 41 through 44 were prepared in the same manner as those of example nos . 38 through 40 of the fourth preferred embodiment . comparative example nos . 40 and 41 , i . e ., the simple present heat resistant aluminum alloys , were prepared in the same manner as set forth in the &# 34 ; first preferred embodiment &# 34 ; section . comparative example nos . 42 and 43 were identical with comparative example nos . 38 and 39 set forth in the &# 34 ; fourth preferred embodiment &# 34 ; section . example nos . 41 through 44 and comparative example nos . 40 through 43 were subjected to the following 3 evaluations , e . g ., evaluation nos . 16 through 18 . example nos . 41 through 44 and comparative example nos . 40 through 43 were examined fox the tensile strengths at room temperature , at 150 ° c . and at 300 ° c ., and they are examined for the yield strengths and the elongations at 150 ° c . and at 300 ° c . as well , and the results of the examinations are set forth in table 11 . table 11__________________________________________________________________________r . t . 150 ° c . 300 ° c . specifict . s . t . s . y . s . δ t . s . y . s . δ wear amount__________________________________________________________________________ex . 41625 505 416 0 . 8 215 153 6 . 3 2 . 5 × 10 . sup .- 8ex . 42502 416 403 0 . 3 206 165 2 . 0 3 . 6 × 10 . sup .- 8ex . 43605 523 445 1 . 5 237 168 4 . 8 1 . 3 × 10 . sup .- 7ex . 44515 438 400 0 . 3 205 172 1 . 8 2 . 1 × 10 . sup .- 8c . e . 40676 546 457 1 . 8 244 182 7 . 8 5 . 9 × 10 . sup .- 7c . e . 41548 486 473 0 . 3 237 171 2 . 3 7 . 5 × 10 . sup .- 7c . e . 42450 320 -- ˜ 0 105 -- ˜ 0 1 . 9 × 10 . sup .- 7c . e . 43520 286 -- ˜ 0 88 -- ˜ 0 2 . 0 × 10 . sup .- 7__________________________________________________________________________ ( note ) r . t . : room temperature , t . s . : tensile strength ( mpa ), y . s . : yield strengt ( mpa ), δ : elongation (%), & amp ; unit of specific wear amount : mm . sup . 3 / kgf . mm as can be appreciated from table 11 , example nos . 41 through 44 as well as comparative example nos . 40 and 41 exhibited tensile strengths of more than 500 mpa and more than 200 mpa , respectively , at room temperature and at 300 ° c ., and they were thus superb in the room and high temperature strength . here , the matrix of comparative example no . 40 was identical with those of example nos . 41 and 43 , the matrix of comparative example no . 41 was identical with those of example nos . 42 and 44 . hence , the advantageous effect of the simple present heat resistant aluminum alloys were not adversely affected by including the nitride or boride particles in the matrices . on the other hand , comparative example nos . 42 and 43 exhibited a tensile strength of around 500 mpa at room temperature , but they exhibited a degraded tensile strength of around 100 mpa at 300 ° c . this resulted from the fact that the matrices , i . e ., the conventional aluminum alloys , of comparative example nos . 42 and 43 inherently exhibited a low strength at high temperatures . further , since the sic fine particles did not conform to the matrices , the cracks occurred in the grain boundaries and they were likely to propagate . as a result , comparative example nos . 42 and 43 were hardly elongated , and thereby it was impossible to evaluate their yield strengths . example nos . 41 through 44 and comparative example nos . 40 through 43 were also subjected to the wear resistance test in order to examine the wear amount as set forth in evaluation no . 14 of the &# 34 ; fourth preferred embodiment &# 34 ; section , and the results of this wear test are also set forth in table 11 . as can be appreciated from table 11 , all of example nos . 41 through 44 exhibited a less specific wear amount than comparative example nos . 40 and 41 did , and they were thus superb in the wear resistance as well . comparative example nos . 42 and 43 were remarkably good in the wear resistance , but they exhibited a sharply deteriorated tensile strength at 300 ° c . especially , in example nos . 41 and 43 in which the nitride particles were added , the aluminum elements were less likely to migrate to the suj2 mating member during the wear test using the &# 34 ; lfw ⃡ tester , and thereby they exhibited a good sliding characteristic . in example nos . 42 and 44 in which the boride particles were added , the boron elements of the boride particles were oxidized to b 2 o 3 ( mp . 450 ° c .) in part during the friction , b 2 o 3 was melted to produce the liquid phase which resulted in the fluid lubrication . thus , it is believed that example nos . 42 and 44 were remarkably improved in the wear resistance . fig6 is a photomicrograph of the metallographic structure of example no . 41 ( magnification × 800 ). as can be seen from fig6 the aln additives were dispersed in the matrix , and they were in close contact with the boundaries of the matrix without forming the porosities in the boundaries . fig7 is a photomicrograph of the metallographic structure of comparative example no . 40 ( magnification × 800 ), and it shows that the metallographic structure was uniform . according to evaluation nos . 16 through 18 , not only example nos . 41 through 44 of the present heat and wear resistant al alloy - based mmcs were light - weight , but also they were superb in the wear resistance , the rigidity , the thermal expansion characteristic , and the room temperature strength . in particular , they exhibited a tensile strength of 200 mpa or more . as having been detailed so far , since example nos . 41 through 44 of the present heat and wear resistant al alloy - based mmcs included ni , si , fe and cu in the matrix in the predetermined amount , and since they included the nitride or boride particles dispersed in the matrix , not only they were light - weight and wear resistant , but also they exhibited the advantageous strength characteristics similar to those exhibited by the simple present heat resistant aluminum alloys , e . g ., example nos . 1 through 37 . sixth preferred embodiments of the present invention , e . g ., example nos . 45through 49 , will be hereinafter described with reference to table 12 and fig2 along with comparative example nos . 44 through 48 . in table 12 , please not that the numbers before the elements specify the content of the elements in % by weight with respect to the matrix taken as 100 % by weight , and the numbers before the additives , e . g ., nitride particles , boride particles , etc ., specify the content of the additives in % by weight with respect to the sum of the matrix and the additives , i . e ., the whole al alloy - based mmcs , taken as 100 % by weight . example nos . 45 through 49 and comparative example nos . 44 through 48 were prepared in the same manner as those of example nos . 38 through 40 of the fourth preferred embodiment . in the preparation of example nos . 45 through 49 and comparative example nos . 44 through 48 , the aln particles ( d 50 = 7 . 3 micrometers ) made by toyo aluminium co ., ltd . were used , the tib 2 particles ( d 50 = 2 . 3 micrometers ) made by idemitsu sekiyu kagaku co ., ltd . were used , and the sic whiskers ( from 0 . 2 to 1 . 0 micrometer in diameter and from 10 to 30 micrometers in length ) made by tokai carbon co ., ltd . were used . example nos . 45 through 49 and comparative example nos . 44 through 48 were subjected to the following 4 evaluations , e . g ., evaluation nos . 19 through 22 . example nos . 45 through 49 and comparative example nos . 44 through 48 were examined for the tensile strengths , the yield strengths and the elongations at room temperature , at 150 ° c . and at 300 ° c ., and the results of the examinations are set forth in table 12 . as can be appreciated from table 12 , all of example nos . 45 through 49 exhibited a tensile strength of more than 500 mpa at room temperature , and they were thus superb in the room temperature strength . further , all of example nos . 45 through 49 exhibited a tensile strength of more than 200 mpa at 300 ° c ., and they were thus splendid in the high temperature strength . furthermore , in spite of these excellent strength characteristics , example nos . 45 through 49 exhibited elongations of from 0 . 2 to 0 . 5 % and 5 % or more , respectively , at room temperature and at 300 ° c . thus , they had a fuller toughness which had not been expected from the sintered conventional aluminum alloys , and they were thus superior in the forgeability . table 12__________________________________________________________________________ r . t . 150 ° c . 300 ° c . c . u . f . specificcomposition (%) t . s . y . s . δ t . s . y . s . δ t . s . y . s . δ 450 ° c . wear__________________________________________________________________________ amountex . 45al - 11ni - 8si - 3fe - 1zr - 3cu + 3aln 633 580 0 . 5 503 452 1 . 1 247 181 5 . 9 60 . 8 4ex . 46al - 13ni - 8si - 2ti - 3cu + 3aln 555 546 0 . 2 487 468 1 . 0 239 193 6 . 8 67 . 5 3ex . 47al - 10ni - 8si - 3fe - 2ti - 3cu + 3aln 601 557 0 . 2 494 435 0 . 7 269 210 6 . 1 70 . 9 6ex . 48al - 10ni - 8si - 3fe - 2ti - 3cu + 3tib . sub . 2 625 550 0 . 3 505 448 0 . 6 275 205 5 . 1 70 . 0 4ex . 49al - 12ni - 12si - 2ti - 2zr + 3aln 518 465 0 . 4 458 399 0 . 9 248 186 5 . 3 57 . 4 3c . e . 44al - 15ni - 20si + 3aln 480 -- -- 438 -- -- 288 204 2 . 0 40 . 5 2c . e . 45al - 15ni - 20si + 3tib . sub . 2 493 -- -- 445 -- -- 274 195 2 . 4 45 . 0 3c . e . 46al - 10ni - 25si - 3cu + 3aln 486 -- -- 430 -- -- 288 283 0 . 2 -- -- c . e . 47al - 0 . 6si - 0 . 3cu - 1 . 1mg + 15sic 385 265 2 . 5 330 305 3 . 8 153 129 8 . 0 75 . 2 -- c . e . 48al - 10ni - 8si - 3fe - 2ti - 3cu + 15aln 568 -- -- 479 -- -- 230 205 0 . 9 -- 0 . 5__________________________________________________________________________ ( note ) r . t . : room temperature , t . s . : tensile strength ( mpa ), y . s . : yield strengt ( mpa ), δ : elongation (%), c . u . f . : critical upsetting factors , & amp ; unit of specific wear amount : mm . sup . 3 / kgf . mm on the other hand , comparative example nos . 44 through 46 and 48 had a low elongation at 300 ° c ., and they were thus inferior in the forgeability . the metallographic structures of example no . 47 and comparative example no . 48 were photographed with a microscope . fig8 is a photomicrograph of the metallographic structure of example no . 47 ( magnification × 400 ), and fig9 is a photomicrograph of the metallographic structure of comparative example no . 48 ( magnification × 400 ). as can be seen from fig8 and 9 , even when the compositions of the matrices were identical in example no . 47 and comparative example no . 48 , the cracks were less likely to develop in example no . 47 which included the aln particles in an appropriate amount of 3 %, but the cracks were likely to occur along the aln particles in comparative example no . 48 which included the aln particles in a large amount of 15 %. thus , when the sum of nitride and / or boride particles dispersed in the matrix exceeds 10 %, the resulting mmcs were found to exhibit a sharply deteriorated tensile strength , elongation and machinability . example nos . 45 through 49 and comparative example nos . 44 through 48 were machined to the test piece &# 34 ; t / p &# 34 ; illustrated in fig2 and described in evaluation no . 2 of the &# 34 ; first preferred section &# 34 ; in a quantity of from 5 to 8 , respectively . the test pieces &# 34 ; t / p &# 34 ; were examined for the critical upsetting factor as set forth in evaluation no . 2 of the &# 34 ; first preferred embodiment &# 34 ; section , and the results of the examination are also set forth in table12 . as can be seen appreciated from table 12 , example nos . 45 through 449 substantially exhibited a critical upsetting factor of more than 70 % approximately . thus , in addition to the splendid strength characteristics , they effected the superior forgeability . on the other hand , comparative example nos . 44 and 45 exhibited a low critical upsetting factor because they included si in a large amount . thus , they were inferior in the forgeability , and comparative example no . 46 is believed to be inferior as well . namely , the conventional wear resistant al alloy - based mmcs are associated with the degraded forgeability . further , since comparative example no . 47 included the matrix equivalent to jis6061 aluminum alloy , and it exhibited a high critical upsetting factor , and it was superior in the forgeability . however , it exhibited remarkably low strengths . hence , the greater comparative example nos . 44 through 48 exhibited a high temperature strength , the lower they exhibited an elongation . in other words , the lower they exhibited a high temperature strength , the better they were in the forgeability . example nos . 45 through 49 and comparative example nos . 44 through 48 were examined for the wear amount by the wear test as set forth in evaluation no . 14 of the &# 34 ; fourth preferred embodiment &# 34 ; section , and the results of the wear test are also set forth in table 12 . as can be appreciated from table 12 , all of example nos . 45 through 49 exhibited a relatively small specific wear amount , and they were thus superb in the wear resistance . this resulted from the fact that the aln particles and the tib 2 particles were dispersed in the matrix , i . e ., the present heat resistant aluminum alloy , so that the aluminum elements were not adhered to the mating member . accordingly , in example nos . 44 through 48 , the adhesion wear associated with aluminum was less likely to occur . on the other hand , comparative example nos . 44 and 45 also exhibited a relatively less small specific wear amount , and they were also superb in the wear resistance . however , according to evaluation no . 20 , they suffered from the bad forgeability . an al - based mmc was prepared as follows : al 2 o 3 particles having an average particle diameter of 0 . 5 micrometers were added to an aluminum powder having an average particle diameter of 33 micrometers in an amount of 3 %, and the mixture was made into an al - based mmc by powder metallurgy process . the metallographic structure of the resulting al - based mmc was photographed with a microscope . fig1 is a photomicrograph of the metallographic structure of the al - based mmc ( magnification × 400 ). as can be seen from fig1 , the al 2 o 3 particles were segregated in the boundaries between the aluminum grains when the additives dispersed in the aluminum matrix had a particle diameter of less than 1 micrometer . thus , the additive having an average particle diameter of less than 1 micrometer might affect the tensile strength and the elongation so that the resulting mmcs could not be adapted to certain applications . as having been detailed so far , since example nos . 45 through 49 of the present heat and wear resistant al alloy - based mmcs included ni , si , and zr and / or ti in the matrix in the predetermined amount , and since they included the nitride or boride particles dispersed in the matrix , not only they exhibited the superb toughness and the improved forgeability , but also they exhibited the superior wear resistance and strength at the high temperatures . in particular , example nos . 45 through 48 including fe and / or cu in the predetermined amount resulted in the present heat and wear resistant al alloy - based mmcs which exhibited further enhanced room and high temperature strengths . having now fully described the present invention , it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many changes and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as set forth herein including the appended claims .	2
cellulose pulp suitable for the embodiments disclosed herein may be made using conventional kraft , sulfite , or other well known processes . the furnish can be from any of various cellulose containing raw materials . usually , these are deciduous hardwoods , coniferous species ( usually termed softwoods ), or mixtures of these materials , but this disclosure is not so limited . due to its suitability for use in absorbent cores of diapers and like products , a bleached softwood kraft pulp that would normally be produced for ultimate use as absorbent fluff may be used . for example , suitable cellulosic fibers produced from southern pine that are usable with the present invention are available from weyerhaeuser company under the designations cf416 , nf405 , pl416 , fr416 , nb416 , and so forth . so - called “ dissolving pulps ” may be used , but may not be optimal due to their low process yield and resultant greater cost . the present disclosure includes all of such raw materials and mixtures thereof . a cellulose pulp sheet may be produced in a “ wet laying ” process , a preparation of the sheet or web from a suspension of pulp fibers in water by conventional papermaking techniques causing the fibers to hydrogen bond together . in an example process , wood chips are digested with chemicals to form cellulosic wood pulp fibers which can then be washed and bleached if desired . the fibers are then formed into an aqueous slurry which is delivered from a headbox to a wire screen . water is drawn from the deposited pulp by a vacuum system , leaving a deposited pulp sheet that is further dewatered by pressure rolls . the pulp sheet is then dried and then wound into a roll for shipment . rolls produced in this fashion typically have a moisture content of 10 % or less ( and in many cases no more than about 8 % or 6 %) by weight of the fibers . to form an absorbent core for an absorbent article , and in particular a disposable absorbent article such as a diaper , adult incontinent product , feminine hygiene product , and so forth , the rolls may then be fiberized , such as by feeding the rolls into a hammermill , to produce fiberized cellulose in a form referred to as “ fluff .” the fluff is then formed into pads , such as via an airlaid process or otherwise , for inclusion in the absorbent article . u . s . pat . no . 3 , 975 , 222 to mesek is representative of such a process . as noted above , such articles may have a top sheet through which fluid will flow , the absorbent core , and a fluid impermeable back sheet . the absorbent core may have one or more layers . for example , the absorbent core may have a storage layer adapted to retain fluid , as well as one or more layers that are , individually or collectively , adapted to acquire and / or distribute fluid received through the top sheet . such layers are sometimes referred to as acquisition and / or distribution layers . the different layers may have different amounts and types of cellulose fibers as appropriate to the intended function . each layer may incorporate individualized pulp fibers along with other material , such as cross - linked cellulose fibers , superabsorbent particles and / or other fluid retention agents , and so forth . for example , storage layers for incorporation into diapers typically include superabsorbent particles . an example disposable diaper structure is disclosed , for example , in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 436 , 418 to sheldon . the components of the binary odor control system according to the present disclosure , and / or any other additives ( such as to facilitate retention of the components on the fibers , etc . ), may be applied to the cellulose fibers in any suitable manner , for example at the wet end by addition of one or more of the components into the headbox before formation of the pulp sheet in order to incorporate the components into the pulp sheet , by application to the formed pulp sheet before or after drying , by application to the fiberized pulp , etc . however , one challenge in application is that the binary odor control system components will react with each other in an aqueous medium , and therefore methods according to the present disclosure incorporate the components into the cellulosic pulp structure in a manner that provides sufficient amounts of unreacted components to produce hydrogen peroxide upon the structure receiving a fluid insult . in an example method , the inorganic peroxide is added upstream of the forming section of a pulp drying machine , such as to the pulp slurry . alternatively ( or additionally ), the inorganic peroxide is added to the formed sheet in a size press . after drying , a solution of the destabilizing acid is drizzled onto the sheet in discrete lines . the amounts of the reagents are optimized toward the intended effect , e . g . the duration and / or amount of hydrogen peroxide production upon receiving a fluid insult , and take into account the application process . for example , the amount of peroxide applied to the sheet accounts for the portion consumed upon the subsequent application of the acid , and the acid strength and / or quantity is sufficient so that it is not depleted after neutralizing the peroxide where the components overlap . in another example method , both components may be separately drizzled onto the pulp sheet after drying , such as in discrete , alternating lines . yet another example method incorporates the components in separate manufacturing steps , such as may be the case in settings in which the cellulosic pulp structure is formed at a facility or on a machine separate from the production of the pulp sheet . in such a method , one component ( such as the acid , such as citric acid ) is added to the pulp sheet , whereas the other component ( such as the peroxide , such as calcium peroxide ) is added to the pulp after fiberization and / or during formation of the cellulosic pulp matrix . this approach may be suitable when the cellulosic pulp matrix is ( or includes , or forms a part of ) an airlaid pad to which sap particles are added , for example by adding calcium peroxide in powder form along with the sap . such a method may be particularly suitable to the nature of one or more of the components . for example , calcium peroxide is insoluble in water , which may practically limit ( and / or increase the cost of ) available application methods . an example method of incorporating calcium peroxide into the cellulose fibers in sheet form is to form the peroxide in situ , for example by adding calcium hydroxide to the pulp at some point prior to drying , then treating the dried pulp sheet with hydrogen peroxide to yield calcium peroxide . in yet another example method , the components may be incorporated in separate layers of a multi - layer absorbent core structure . for example , in embodiments in which the cellulosic pulp structure forms , includes , or is included in one or more of multiple layers of the absorbent core , such as a storage layer as well as an additional layer ( e . g ., an acquisition and / or distribution layer ) interposed between the storage layer and the top sheet , the storage layer may incorporates the peroxide , whereas the additional layer may incorporate the destabilizing acid . optionally , the storage layer may include the treated ( i . e . with both components ) cellulosic pulp structure . the aforementioned example application methods are illustrative of any number of suitable application methods , as well as combinations thereof , all of which are understood to be encompassed by the present disclosure . the following examples describe illustrative , non - limiting embodiments of methods of forming a cellulosic pulp structure incorporating a binary odor control system in accordance with the present disclosure . calcium peroxide is added upstream of the forming section of a pulp drying machine in sufficient quantity to ensure that from about 1 % to 10 % on a fiber loading basis ( i . e ., percentage by mass of fibers ) is retained in the dried sheet . for example , in some test runs , a quantity of calcium peroxide equivalent to 4 % of the mass of the fibers retained in the dried sheet was used . optionally , a retention aid ( such as nalco 7520 , available from nalco company of naperville , ill .) is added to the pulp slurry . upon drying and prior to rolling , parallel lines of an aqueous solution of citric acid is drizzled onto the dry sheet by means of a spray bar suspended above the sheet , with nozzles spaced about 0 . 75 ″ to 1 . 5 ″ apart , effective to dose about 50 % of the sheet surface area . the acid dosage is at a level such that about 0 . 45 % to about 3 % free acid remains on a fiber loading basis , which may be accomplished by determining a suitable acid concentration and delivery rate . the component concentrations , equipment configurations ( e . g . nozzle spacing , spray pattern ), delivery rate ( e . g . of the acid ), and so forth , may be varied within ranges suitable to leave desired unreacted amounts of the components in sufficient concentrations to effect the production of desired amounts of hydrogen peroxide in use — e . g ., when the treated pulp is formed into a cellulosic pulp matrix that is then contacted with an aqueous fluid . the pulp sheet is dried down to a moisture content of about 6 % and the water from the acid solution raises the moisture content back up to about 9 %. the treated sheet may then be formed into a cellulosic pulp structure defined by a matrix of treated cellulose fibers that is suitable for use in absorbent articles ( including , for example , diapers , adult incontinent products , feminine hygiene products , bandages , and so forth ), according to standard methods . bleached kraft pulp strips ( suitable examples include grades provided by the weyerhaeuser company under the designations fr416 , nb416 , cf416 , and so forth ) containing 6 % moisture , having a basis weight of 750 g / m 2 , a specific gravity of 0 . 54 , and measuring 18 ″ in the machine direction and 2 ″ in the cross direction , were treated using a syringe filled with a 20 % aqueous solution of citric acid ( acs reagent , 99 . 5 % obtained from sigma - aldrich ). the dosage of citric acid was 0 . 9 % of the weight of the pulp . pads were then produced from the acid - treated pulp . as noted below in the description of odor control efficacy testing , the pads may be formed to simulate absorbent cores found in diapers or other absorbent products . thus , pad characteristics such as the ratio of sap to fibers , basis weight , and so forth , may be adjusted accordingly . in this example , the acid - treated pulp strips were processed in a kamas hammer mill to substantially singulate the fibers . the fiberized pulp ( fluff ) was then mixed with hysorb 8600 superabsorbent polymer ( available from basf ) at a ratio of 60 : 40 sap to fluff . the sap / fluff blend was then airlaid to form a 6 ″ diameter pad having a basis weight of 300 g / m 2 . particles of ixper ® 75c ( 75 % calcium peroxide , available from solvay chemicals ) were sprinkled on top of the pad at a level of 3 % based on the fiber portion of the pad . the edges of the pad were then folded in to form a circle with a 3 ″ diameter . this smaller dimension / higher basis weight pad was then pressed in a wabash press to achieve a specific gravity of 0 . 2 . pads produced according to the method described in example 2 were used for odor control efficacy testing and rewet testing . the testing protocols and results are described below . the odor control efficacy testing protocol is modeled to simulate the conditions an end user would expect to find in an absorbent article during use . accordingly , the fiber - to - sap ratio and pad basis weight are adjusted to mimic that of a product into which the binary odor control system may be incorporated . two sets of 3 ″ diameter circular pads are formed , one set using untreated control fibers and the other using fibers treated with the odor control component ( s ). the pads are placed in 4 ″ tall , 3 ″ interior diameter jars , which are paired , each pair including an untreated pad and a treated pad . urine samples are collected from healthy adults and , because urine from healthy individuals is sterile and many odors associated with urine are due to microbial activity , the samples are inoculated with bacteria , agitated , and allowed to stand for several minutes to assure uniform distribution . suitable bacteria includes those present in human flora that would be reactive in a normal human body temperature range ( e . g ., about 96 °- 100 ° f .). for safety purposes this may be accomplished , for example , by each donor expectorating into the donor &# 39 ; s urine sample . alternately , a composite sample may be inoculated with a suitable bacteria . the pad in each jar is then dosed with an amount of inoculated urine equivalent to approximately 70 % of its absorbent capacity , as determined by an initial test . the sample jars are sealed and placed in an incubator at a temperature controlled to approximate normal human body temperature ( e . g ., about 96 °- 100 ° f .). at intervals of 4 and 12 hours total incubation time , the sample jars are removed for evaluation , which is performed by removing the sample jar lid and immediately smelling the head space . the evaluators rank the paired samples , indicating one as “ preferred ” and the other “ not preferred .” standard nonparametric statistical methods may be used to determine whether one formulation is preferred over another based on test results from a number of test participants . for example , for a trial size of 20 participants , at least 65 % must rate a sample as being “ preferred ” in order to establish a result that is statistically significantly different at 95 % confidence with 80 % power . results of a test panel consisting of 20 evaluators , evaluating three pairs of samples ( untreated vs . treated with citric acid only ; untreated vs . treated with calcium peroxide only ; and untreated vs . treated with both components ) are presented in the figure . the results indicate that when treated with citric acid alone , less than half of the test panel evaluated the treated pad as “ preferred ” ( with the remaining portion of the panel evaluating the untreated pad as “ preferred ”)— indeed , most of the test panel “ preferred ” the untreated pad to that treated with citric acid alone . when treated with calcium peroxide alone , slightly more than half of the test panel evaluated the treated pad as “ preferred .” however , when evaluating a sample pad treated with both components of the binary odor control system , 86 % of the test panel “ preferred ” the treated pad over the untreated control after 4 hours of incubation , and 93 % after 12 hours of incubation . acquisition rate and rewet tests are used in the absorbent product industry to measure the ability of an absorbent sample to accept and retain fluid ( synthetic urine is usually used ) under simulated in - use conditions of load and pressure . rewet , in particular , refers to the amount of wetness returned to the surface of the absorbent sample onto an absorbent filter paper . rectangular airlaid absorbent pads of dimensions about 4 ″× 4¾ ″, and weighing 8 . 45 g each , were produced from singulated citric acid treated fibers , to which ixper ® 70c calcium peroxide granules and hysorb 8600 sap particles were distributed through the pads during the formation process , following a procedure similar to that described in example 2 . the materials present and their relative amounts , in each pad , were 53 . 8 % pulp , 44 . 5 % sap , 1 . 1 % calcium peroxide , and 0 . 7 % citric acid . the pads were placed on a flat bench , and each was surmounted by an apertured adl ( acquisition distribution layer ) material available from tredegar film products , to form an absorbent sample simulating a multi - layer absorbent core structure . the adls had the dimensions 2⅞ ″× 4 ″. upon the adls were placed dosing rings 8 . 3 cm high having inside diameters of 5 . 4 cm . using a separatory funnel , each sample was dosed with 45 ml of 0 . 9 % saline solution , three times . the dosage amount is calculated to be appropriate to the fluid capacity per mass unit of the absorbent sample . the amount of time required for each dose to entirely enter the pad was recorded ( acquisition time ). after each dose , the dosing rings were removed and the samples were allowed to sit for 10 minutes , after which a weighed stack of filter papers rested upon them and under a 4 . 45 kg weight ( 8 . 9 cm diameter ) for 3 minutes . the filter papers were then re - weighed for weight gain to determine the amount of fluid yielded back from the dosed sample , i . e ., rewet . although not wishing to be bound by theory , it is believed that the comparatively low rewet exhibited by the tested samples is more due to the presence of the adl , the cellulosic matrix form of the absorbent pad , and the sap , than to the presence of the odor control system components . although the present invention has been shown and described with reference to the foregoing operational principles and illustrated examples and embodiments , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives , modifications and variances that fall within the scope of the appended claims .	0
as used herein “ furniture piece ” is meant to encompass a mattress , a chair , a sofa , a loveseat and other types of furniture upon which an individual sits , stands , lays on or otherwise occupies . it is contemplated by the inventor that the invention described herein is particularly useful with respect to infant bedding and the reduction of sids , and the invention will be specifically described with respect to infant bedding . however , it is also contemplated that the invention has other useful applications such as on adult bedding , as well as on other furniture items . one specific implementation of a mattress assembly 10 according to the invention is illustrated in fig1 . the mattress assembly 10 includes a base 12 , an inner spring 14 , an apertured cover 16 , bedding 18 and a bumper assembly 20 . the base 12 includes a bottom wall 22 and side walls 24 extending upward from the bottom wall 22 and defining therewith an open space 26 . the inner spring 14 is designed to fit in the open space 26 , and the apertured cover 16 attaches to the base 12 and covers the interior space 26 to form , with the base 12 , a plenum 28 ( see fig2 and 3 ). the apertured cover 16 forms a sleep surface upon which an infant or other individual ( s ) sleeps . the bedding 18 fits over the cover 16 and connects to the base 12 , and the bumper assembly 20 rests on the base 12 . as seen in fig1 - 3 , the apertured cover 16 includes a plurality of apertures 30 thereby placing the interior space 26 and the plenum 28 in flow communication with the exterior of the mattress assembly 10 . a low voltage fan 32 is positioned in one of the side walls 24 of the base 12 , and has a child resistant switch 34 for operation thereof . further details of the base 12 , inner spring 14 , apertured cover 16 , bedding 18 and bumper 20 can be found in applicants co - pending application ser . no . 08 / 782 , 249 , which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety . the mattress assembly 10 further includes a filter 40 comprising a layer of a filter media disposed directly underneath the apertured cover 16 . in the preferred embodiment , the filter 40 rests on top of the inner spring 14 underneath the cover 16 . the filter layer is oriented generally in a plane that is generally parallel to the plane of the cover 16 , whereby the air blown upwardly through the cover 16 by the fan 32 is filtered by the filter 40 before the air exits the apertures 30 and reaches the infant or other individual on the mattress assembly 10 . the filter 40 is preferably an electrostatic filter media of a type that is well known in the art . u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 344 , 776 and 5 , 846 , 308 , amongst others , describe electrostatic filter media . filtering the air removes aeroallergens such as pollen , dust , dust mites , tobacco smoke , mold spores , bacteria , and other air - borne particles , thereby conditioning the air before it reaches the individual and improving the sleep environment which provides health benefits and enhances sleep . in addition to conditioning the air , the filter 40 is believed to provide sound dampening of fan noise and noise created by the inner spring 14 . it is contemplated that the mattress assembly 10 could be used without the bumper assembly 20 . however , particularly beneficial results are obtained when the bumper assembly 20 and filter 40 are used together . in particular , applicant has discovered that the presence of the bumper assembly 20 improves the filtration efficiency of the filter 40 dramatically , compared to when no bumper assembly is present . for instance , the average filtration efficiency when no bumper is present was found to be approximately 83 . 4 %. with the bumper assembly 20 in place , the average filtration efficiency was found to be approximately 98 . 7 %. the filter 40 is illustrated as being disposed underneath the cover 16 . however , it is also contemplated that the filter 40 could be disposed on top of the cover 16 and underneath the bedding 18 . moreover , as illustrated in fig4 filter media 42 could be disposed over the fan inlet or outlet , either in addition to , or more preferably in place of , the filter 40 . however , placing the filter 40 either below or above the cover 16 is the preferred location , and depending upon the density of the filter media used , would not seriously impact the airflow rate from or through the cover 16 . fig2 and 3 illustrate an alternate means for conditioning the airflow , that can be used either separately from , or in combination with , the filter 40 . as illustrated , a manifold 44 is secured within the base 12 downstream from the fan 32 in the fan &# 39 ; s outlet . a supply pipe 46 runs from the manifold 44 to one of the side walls 24 , and connects to a fitting 48 disposed on the exterior of the side wall 24 . the fitting 48 permits connection with an external supply hose or the like in order to supply conditioning media to the manifold 44 . the conditioning media supplied to the manifold 44 through the supply hose , the fitting 48 and the supply pipe 46 includes oxygen and other beneficial gases , medications in vapor form , humidity , heat , scents such as eucalyptus and the like , and other conditioning media . a suitable control mechanism , such as a valve , will be provided on the supply hose or at the supply of condition media in order to control the supply of conditioning media . by placing the manifold 44 downstream of the fan 32 , the turbulent airflow from the fan 32 is used to uniformly distribute the conditioning media throughout the plenum 28 before it flows through the cover 16 and to the individual and the environment above the cover 16 . as illustrated in fig2 the manifold 44 includes a plurality of generally vertical pipes 50 and a horizontal pipe 52 interconnecting the pipes 50 . the manifold 44 is disposed over a relatively large area of the fan &# 39 ; s outlet so that the conditioning media exiting the manifold 44 is entrained in a large portion of the airflow . the above specification , examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention . since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended .	0
detailed embodiments of the claimed structures and methods are disclosed herein ; however , it may be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely illustrative of the claimed structures and methods that may be embodied in various forms . this invention may , however , be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein . rather , these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of this invention to those skilled in the art . in the following description , numerous specific details are set forth , such as particular structures , components , materials , dimensions , processing steps , and techniques , in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . however , it will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill of the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details . in other instances , well - known structures or processing steps have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the invention . it will be understood that when an element as a layer , region , or substrate is referred to as being “ on ” or “ over ” another element , it may be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present . in contrast , when an element is referred to as being “ directly on ” or “ directly over ” another element , there are no intervening elements present . it will also be understood that when an element is referred to as being “ beneath ,” “ below ,” or “ under ” another element , it may be directly beneath or under the other element , or intervening elements may be present . in contrast , when an element is referred to as being “ directly beneath ” or “ directly under ” another element , there are no intervening elements present . in the interest of not obscuring the presentation of embodiments of the present invention , in the following detailed description , some processing steps or operations that are known in the art may have been combined together for presentation and for illustration purposes and in some instances may have not been described in detail . in other instances , some processing steps or operations that are known in the art may not be described at all . it should be understood that the following description is rather focused on the distinctive features or elements of various embodiments of the present invention . in wafer - scale 3d integration technology , voids and other defects may form on or in the wafer surface during the wafer bonding process . the voids or defects may include un - bonded areas between the joined wafers . various atmospheric and operational conditions may cause these voids to form during the wafer bonding process . since voids may negatively impact device functionality , the presence of these un - bonded areas between the wafers may affect reliability and yield . poor reliability and yield may affect performance and cost , respectively . voids may form particularly on a periphery of the wafer during , for example , an oxide - oxide low - temperature fusion bonding process . the formation of voids may be caused by the condensation of pre - existing moisture in a gap located between the wafers to be bonded . the moisture present in this gap may generally come from the atmospheric humidity existent within the semiconductor fabrication plant . the present invention generally relates to semiconductor manufacturing and more particularly to wafer bonding techniques as part of three - dimensional ( 3d ) integration processes . moisture between the two wafers may be purged during bonding to produce a void free bond between the two wafers . one way to purge the moisture from between the two wafers may include purging the bonding tool with a gas . one way to purge the bonding tool with the gas is described in detail below by referring to the accompanying drawings fig1 - 7 . referring now to fig1 , 1 a and 1 b , a bonding structure 100 is shown . the bonding structure 100 may include a top platform 102 and a bottom platform 202 . fig1 a is a bottom view of the top platform 102 in fig1 and fig1 b is a top view of the bottom platform 202 in fig1 . the bonding structure 100 may alternatively be referred to as a bonding tool . the top platform 102 may include a top bonding framework 104 configured to hold or carry a top wafer 112 . the top bonding framework 104 may further include a pin structure 116 located at or near a center of the top bonding framework 104 . in addition , the top bonding framework 104 may also include a plurality of outlet holes 114 ( hereinafter “ outlet holes ”). the outlet holes 114 may be arranged near a perimeter 12 of the top bonding framework 104 . in some embodiments , the outlet holes 114 may be uniformly distributed between the perimeter 12 of the top bonding framework 104 and a perimeter 10 of the top wafer 112 . the outlet holes 114 may be spaced apart from each other by a distance ranging from of approximately 5 mm to approximately 50 mm . in the present embodiment , the bottom platform 202 may include a bottom bonding framework 204 , a bottom stage 206 , and a bottom bonding chuck 210 . in general , the bottom stage 206 may be recessed within an opening in a center of the bottom bonding framework 204 . stated differently , the bottom bonding framework 204 may generally have a ring shape which surrounds the bottom stage 206 . also , the bottom stage 206 may be movable in a vertical direction with respect to the bottom bonding framework 204 . the bottom bonding chuck 210 may be located on top of the bottom stage 206 to carry a bottom wafer 212 . the bottom bonding chuck 210 may be configured to hold or carry the bottom wafer 212 . similar to the top bonding framework 104 described above , the bottom bonding framework 204 may include a plurality of inlet holes 214 ( hereinafter “ inlet holes ”). the inlet holes 214 may be arranged near a perimeter 22 of the bottom bonding framework 204 . in some embodiments , the inlet holes 214 may be uniformly distributed between a perimeter 20 of the bottom stage 206 and the perimeter 22 of the bottom bonding framework 204 . the inlet holes 214 may be spaced apart from each other in a similar fashion to the outlet holes 114 described above . in general , the top platform 102 may be positioned above the bottom platform 202 , as illustrated . it should be noted that the relative position of the top platform 102 and the bottom platform 202 is merely one example and that other configurations may be considered and are expressly contemplated . furthermore , the top platform 102 may further include a configuration similar to the bottom bonding platform 202 , and vice versa . with continued reference to fig1 , the bonding structure 100 may be used to bond or join the top wafer 112 to the bottom wafer 212 . during a wafer bonding process using a structure similar to the bonding structure 100 , the top wafer 112 and the bottom wafer 212 may be brought into close physical contact with one another without the presence of any adhesion materials . the two wafers ( 112 , 212 ) may each have a hydrophilic surface with a substantially high density of oh − groups attached to the surface . first , the top wafer 112 may be positioned in and held by the top platform 102 , and the bottom wafer 212 may be positioned in and held by the bottom platform 202 . each of the top and bottom platforms 102 , 104 may use any known system to hold the wafers 112 , 212 , such as , for example , a pneumatic system which may create a vacuum to hold each of the wafers 112 , 212 . in general , the bonding process may commence by bringing either of the wafers ( 112 , 212 ) within a predetermine distance from the other such that a gap remains . next , the pin structure 116 of the top bonding platform 102 may rapidly force a center portion of the top wafer 112 to contact the bottom wafer 212 . as the top wafer 112 releases from the top platform 102 , contact between the two wafers ( 112 , 212 ) may continue to propagate from the center outwards towards the wafers edge . the progression of the contact between the top wafer 112 and the bottom wafer 212 may be referred to as a bonding wave . referring now to fig2 - 7 , exemplary process steps of bonding the top wafer 112 to the bottom wafer 212 using the boding structure 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention are shown . since cross - sectional views of the top platform 102 ( fig1 a ) and the bottom platform 202 ( fig1 b ) will be used to describe the processing steps , it should be understood that although only two outlet holes 114 and only two inlet holes 214 are shown , the following processing steps may equally apply to more than two outlet holes and more than two inlet holes . referring now to fig2 , an initial alignment step may be performed between the top platform 102 and the bottom platform 202 . in this initial step , electronic devices ( not shown ) on the top wafer 112 may be aligned with electronic devices ( not shown ) on the bottom wafer 212 . after aligning the top platform 102 and the bottom platform 202 , either of the top platform 102 or the bottom platform 202 may move toward the other until they contact each other . next , the bottom stage 206 may move within the bottom platform 202 bringing the bottom wafer 212 within a predetermined distance from the top wafer 112 , such that a wafer - wafer gap 302 ( hereinafter “ gap ”) remains between the two wafers ( 112 , 212 ). the gap 302 may have a height h ranging from approximately 0 . 01 mm to approximately 10 mm . in one embodiment , the height h of the gap 302 may vary between approximately 0 . 05 mm to approximately 0 . 3 mm . referring now to fig3 and 3a , a gas stream 310 may be introduced into the bonding structure 100 to purge excess moisture from between the top and bottom wafers 112 , 212 . the gas stream 310 may be used to purge any ambient moisture from the bonding structure 100 in an effort to create a void free bond between the wafers ( 112 , 212 ), as mentioned above . more specifically , the gas stream 310 may be supplied to the bonding structure 100 through the inlet holes 214 and exit the bonding structure 100 through the outlet holes 114 . the gas stream 310 may be distributed into and out of the bonding structure 100 in any fashion as long as it flows across the wafers ( 112 , 212 ) sufficiently to purge the gap 302 ( fig2 ) from any ambient moisture . as such , the gas stream 310 may be distributed through any number and / or combination of the inlet holes 214 and the outlet holes 114 . in one embodiment , the gap 302 ( fig2 ) may contain air having a relative humidity of approximately 30 % at room conditions . the gas stream 310 may circulate through the gap 302 ( fig2 ) until any ambient moisture has been purged from the bonding structure 100 . in one exemplary embodiment , the gas purging time may range from approximately 30 sec to approximately 300 sec . the gas stream 310 may include any dehumidified gas suitable for purging any ambient moisture from the gap 302 ( fig2 ). in one embodiment , the gas stream 310 may include dehumidified air . in another embodiment , the gas stream 310 may include nitrogen , argon , hydrogen , helium , neon or a mixture thereof with a negative joule - thomson coefficient . although gases with positive joule - thomson coefficients may also be considered . in other embodiments , the gas stream 310 may include a pre - heated or hot dry gas . the use of a hot dry gas may ensure substantial moisture removal from the gap 302 ( fig2 ) prior to bonding the top wafer 112 to the bottom wafer 212 . in embodiments where the outlet holes 114 may remain open , the hot dry gas may prevent back diffusion of moisture into the gap 302 ( fig2 ). in one exemplary embodiment , the hot dry gas may include dry nitrogen , argon , hydrogen , helium or a mixture thereof . the purging time for the hot dry gas may range from approximately 10 sec to approximately 300 sec . in one embodiment , a flow control device 306 may be inserted into one or more of the outlet holes 114 of the top platform 102 to control the flow characteristics of the gas stream 310 . the flow control device 306 may effectively prevent the gas stream 310 from exiting any outlet hole 114 in which it is located . more specifically , because the flow control device 306 may block one or more of the outlet holes 114 , the gas stream 310 may be directed towards other outlet holes 114 that remain unblocked . in one example , about half of the outlet holes 114 located on one side of the top bonding platform 102 , may be blocked with a flow control device 306 , as illustrated in fig3 a . doing so may improve the flow characteristics of the gas stream 302 to maximize flow across the wafers ( 112 , 212 ) and through the gap 302 . the flow control device 306 may include any suitable shutter or plug structure capable of preventing the gas stream 302 from exiting one or more outlet holes 114 . in one embodiment , the flow control device 306 may be capable of monitoring properties such as , for example , pressure and flow rate of the gas stream 310 . in such embodiments , the flow control devices 306 may include a flow meter and / or a pressure sensor . referring now to fig4 and 4a , and according to one embodiment of the present invention , a pumping device 308 may be coupled to one or more of the outlet holes 114 of the top platform 102 to control the flow characteristics of the gas stream 310 . the pumping device 308 may be designed to lower the pressure at one or more of the outlet holes 114 and cause the gas stream 310 to flow towards the pumping device 308 . in one example , a single pumping device ( 308 ) may be coupled to about half of the outlet holes 114 located on one side of the top boding platform 102 as illustrated in fig4 a . doing so may result in a pressure differential between opposite sides of the gap 302 which may improve the flow characteristics of the gas stream 302 and maximize flow across the wafers ( 112 , 212 ). the pumping device 308 may include , for example , a multi stage diaphragm pump , a molecular drag pump , a molecular screw pump , and / or a standard roots and claw dry pump . in one exemplary embodiment , the pumping device 308 may include a dry multi - stage vacuum pump . in addition to improving the flow characteristics of the gas stream 302 , the pumping device 308 may , among other things , reduce gas purging time , and prevent back diffusion of moisture into the gap 302 ( fig2 ) during the wafer bonding process . it should be noted that the flow control device 306 and the pumping device 308 are mutually exclusive . more specifically , the flow control device 306 may be used without the pumping device 308 and vice versa , or they may be used in combination to achieve the desired flow characteristics of the gas stream 310 . furthermore , the configuration of inlet holes 214 ( fig2 ) and outlet holes 114 may preferably maximize the flow of the gas stream 310 across the gap 302 . therefore , the configuration of inlet holes 214 ( fig2 ) and outlet holes 114 as depicted in the figures is intended to illustrate one particular configuration or one embodiment ; however alternative configurations which achieve the desired flow characteristics are expressly envisioned . referring now to fig5 , a trapping region 320 may be positioned in or near the outlet holes 114 ( fig2 ), according to one embodiment of the present invention . the trapping region 320 may further enable control of the flow characteristic of the gas stream 310 . more specifically , the trapping region 320 may further assist preventing back diffusion or back flow of the moisture removed from the gap 302 ( fig2 ) to the bonding area between the top wafer 112 and the bottom wafer 212 . the trapping region 320 may be used with or without either or both of the flow control device 306 and the pumping device 308 . in one exemplary embodiment , the trapping region 320 may include cryogenically cooled traps such as traps cooled by , for example , liquid nitrogen , and made of materials that may be easy to cool ( i . e ., metals ) in order to promote the trapping of water molecules , hydrocarbon molecules , and the like . referring now to fig6 , once the gas stream 310 ( fig3 ) has purged all or substantially all of the existing moisture of the gap 302 ( fig2 ), the bonding process may continue by reducing the amount of gas circulating within the gap 302 ( fig2 ). the flow rate of the gas stream 310 ( fig3 ) may be reduced to prevent misalignment between the wafers ( 112 , 212 ) during the bonding process . it should be noted that the gas stream may continue to circulate at a reduced rate to prevent any backflow of moisture into the bonding structure 100 , as mentioned above . the process continues by moving the bottom stage 206 within the bottom platform 202 to bring the bottom wafer 212 into contact with the top wafer 112 . in embodiment in which the pumping device 308 may be coupled to some of the outlet holes 114 ( fig4 ) of the top bonding framework 104 , the gas stream 310 may be completely stopped and the pumping device 308 ( fig4 ) may be used to maintain a vacuum during bonding . alternatively , the pumping device 308 ( fig4 ) may be used to apply a vacuum to the bonding structure 100 prior to bonding at which time all the inlet holes 214 and the outlet holes 114 may be sealed to maintain vacuum during bonding . after bonding , the top wafer 112 may then be released and pinned to the bottom wafer 212 by means of the pin structure 116 to initiate the propagation of the bonding wave between the top wafer 112 and the bottom wafer 212 . the bonding wave may rapidly propagate from the pinned area towards an edge region of the top wafer 112 and the bottom wafer 212 . formation of voids and other defects may be linked to the bonding wave propagation and to fluid dynamics between the wafers . a gas pressure drop may take place at the wafer edge described by a joule - thomson expansion . this adiabatic process may result in a gas temperature change which may lead to the condensation of small water droplets close to the wafer edge which may result in un - bonded areas such as voids . referring now to fig7 , once the top wafer 112 and the bottom wafer 212 are bonded together , the top bonding framework 104 and the bottom bonding framework 204 may return to their original positions . since void formation may be attributed to the condensation of moisture contained in the existing fluid within the gap 302 ( fig2 ), replacement of this fluid by a dehumidified gas may substantially reduce or eliminate any possible condensation of moisture occurring as a result of the adiabatic expansion that may take place during propagation of the bonding wave particularly in the edge region of the wafers . therefore , a wafer bonding structure that may allow for gas flow control between the top wafer 112 and the bottom wafer 212 may enhance moisture removal from the gap 302 before initiating the wafer bonding process thereby reducing the formation of voids particularly in the edge region of the wafers . gas flow conditions may be adjusted to maximize moisture removal from the gap and to minimize gas consumption in the system which may potentially increase device reliability and reduce device manufacturing costs . the bonding structure 100 may also be compatible with other existing bonding alignment processes . the descriptions of the various embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration , but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed . many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments . the terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiment , the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace , or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein .	7
examples of the present invention described below are intended only to exemplify the present invention rather than to limit the technical scope thereof . the technical scope of the present invention is limited only by the description in claims . ros include reactive oxygen species in the narrow sense comprising superoxide anion , hydroxyl radical , hydroperoxide and singlet oxygen , and reactive oxygen species in the broad sense comprising an alkoxy radical , hydroperoxyl radical , a peroxyl radical , hydroperoxide , and a transition metal - oxygen complex and the like . among the ros , hydroxyl radical has the most potent oxidizing activity , but has very short lifetime . as such , it oxidizes non - selectively body components like nucleic acids , proteins , and lipids that are present in the vicinity of their generation site . however , peroxyl radical has a weak oxidizing activity but is relatively stable . as such , it can diffuse and cause a cell membrane damage via free radical chain reactions of polyunsaturated fatty acids . meanwhile , hydroxyl radical generates a peroxyl radical but no hydroxyl radical is generated from a peroxyl radical . since the working mechanism is different between a hydroxyl radical and a peroxyl radical , an effective antioxidant may be also different for each of them . for such reasons , in the present examples , an antioxidant effect was evaluated for both hydrogen peroxide and 2 , 2 ′- azobis ( 2 - amidinopropane ) dihydrochloride salt ( herein below , referred to as “ aaph ”), that are the representative examples of a compound which can generate hydroxyl radical and a peroxyl radical , respectively . as a positive control , carnosine having a known antioxidant activity was used . for the evaluation of an antioxidant effect on hydrogen peroxide , human neonatal skin fibroblast cells ( trade name : cryo nhdf - neo , manufactured by sankyo junyaku co ., ltd .) were inoculated to a 24 - well plate to have 1 × 10 5 cells per well . the cells were then cultured for four hours in a medium for cell culture ( trade name : d - mem ( 1 g / l glucose ), manufactured by wako pure chemical industries ) supplemented with 10 % bovine fetal serum ( herein below , referred to as a “ standard medium ”) in a 5 % co 2 and saturated water vapor atmosphere at 37 ° c . ( degrees celsius ). for the evaluation of an antioxidant effect on aaph , antibiotics ( penicillin , streptomycin , and fungizone ) were supplemented to the standard medium and the cells were cultured for one day . subsequently , the culture medium was switched to a medium for cell culture ( trade name : d - mem ( 1 g / l glucose ), manufactured by wako pure chemicals industries ) supplemented with 0 . 5 % bovine fetal serum ( herein below , referred to as “ low - serum medium ”) to which 0 . 01 % or 0 . 05 % carnosine , or 0 . 1 μm ( micro - molar ) or 10 μm ( micro - molar ) d - or l - aspartic acid had been added , and the cells were cultured for two days under atmosphere of 5 % co 2 and saturated moisture at 37 ° c . ( degrees celsius ). for the experiment for the evaluation of oxidative damages on aaph , the culture medium was switched to the medium for cell culture to which 5 ppm or 100 ppm carnosine , or 10 μm ( micro - molar ) d - or l - aspartic acid had been further added , and the cells were cultured for two days . the low - serum medium described above to which neither carnosine nor aspartic acid had been added was employed as a negative control . after culturing for two days , 1 mm or 4 mm hydrogen peroxide , or 50 mm or 100 mm aaph was added to the medium for evaluating an antioxidant effect , and the antioxidant effect was evaluated for carnosine or aspartic acid . the low - serum medium described above to which neither hydrogen peroxide nor aaph had been added was employed as a control for evaluation of toxicity of an antioxidant when no oxidant was added . two hours after the addition of hydrogen peroxide or aaph , alarmarblue ( trade name : biosource , manufactured by biosource international inc .) was added to have final concentration of 10 %. two to three hours later , according to the methods by ahmed s . a . et al . ( j . immunol . method ., 170 , 211 - 224 ( 1994 )) and the instructions provided by the manufacturer , the fluorescent intensity of the supernatant was measured with an excitation wavelength of 544 nm , and an emission wavelength of 590 nm . fig1 shows the results of the experiment obtained by examining the antioxidant effect of carnosine on hydrogen peroxide in cryo nhdf - neo cells . the error bars for each experimental condition indicate the standard deviations of the experimentally measured values obtained by repeating the experiment three times under the identical condition . the asterisk () indicates that t is less than 5 % by bonferroni / dunn test . the ratio of viable cells for the control group for evaluating toxicity of the antioxidant without addition of an oxidant was 102 % when carnosine had not been added . when the concentration of carnosine was 0 . 01 %, it was 100 %. when the concentration of carnosine was 0 . 05 %, it was 97 %. the ratio of viable cells in the case of addition of 1 mm hydrogen peroxide was 45 % when carnosine had not been added . when the concentration of carnosine was 0 . 01 %, it was 51 %. when the concentration of carnosine was 0 . 05 %, it was 53 %. the ratio of viable cells in the case of 4 mm hydrogen peroxide was 14 % when carnosine had not been added . when the concentration of carnosine was 0 . 01 %, it was 21 %. when the concentration of carnosine was 0 . 05 %, it was 45 %. thus , when the concentration of hydrogen peroxide was 4 mm , a significant difference in the ratio of viable cells was observed for the case in which 0 . 05 % carnosine had been added compared to the ratio without addition of carnosine . based on the results above , the antioxidant effect of carnosine on hydrogen peroxide was confirmed in the experiment system of the present example . fig2 shows the results of the experiment obtained by examining the antioxidant effect of l - aspartic acid on hydrogen peroxide in cryo nhdf - neo cells . the error bars for each experimental condition indicate the standard deviations of experimentally measured values obtained by repeating the experiment three times under the identical condition . the ratio of viable cells for the control group for evaluating toxicity of an antioxidant without addition of an oxidant was 93 % when l - aspartic acid had not been added . when the concentration of l - aspartic acid was 0 . 1 μl ( micro - molar ), it was 88 %. when the concentration of l - aspartic acid was 10 μm ( micro - molar ), it was 97 %. the ratio of viable cells in the case of 1 mm hydrogen peroxide was 61 % when l - aspartic acid had not been added . when the concentration of l - aspartic acid was 0 . 1 μm ( micro - molar ), it was 62 %. when the concentration of l - aspartic acid was 10 μm ( micro - molar ), it was 62 %. the ratio of viable cells in the case of 4 mm hydrogen peroxide was 36 % when l - aspartic acid had not been added . when the concentration of l - aspartic acid was 0 . 1 μm ( micro - molar ), it was 33 %. when the concentration of l - aspartic acid was 10 μm ( micro - molar ), it was 32 %. based on the results above , a statistically significant antioxidant effect of l - aspartic acid on hydrogen peroxide was not observed . fig3 shows the results of the experiment obtained by examining the antioxidant effect of d - aspartic acid on oxidative damages induced by hydrogen peroxide in cryo nhdf - neo cells . the error bars for each experimental condition indicate the standard deviations of experimentally measured values obtained by repeating the experiment three times under the identical condition . the asterisk () indicates that p is less than 5 % by bonferroni / dunn test . the double asterisk () indicates that p is less than 1 % by bonferroni / dunn test . the ratio of viable cells for the control group for evaluating toxicity of an antioxidant without addition of an oxidant was 97 % when d - aspartic acid had not been added . when the concentration of d - aspartic acid was 0 . 1 μm ( micro - molar ), it was 86 %. when the concentration of d - aspartic acid was 10 μm ( micro - molar ), it was 97 %. in the case of 1 mm hydrogen peroxide , the ratio of viable cells was 55 % when d - aspartic acid had not been added . when the concentration of d - aspartic acid was 0 . 1 μm ( micro - molar ), it was 62 %. when the concentration of d - aspartic acid was 10 μm ( micro - molar ), it was 63 %. in the case of 4 mm hydrogen peroxide , the ratio of viable cells was 22 % when d - aspartic acid had not been added . when the concentration of d - aspartic acid was 0 . 1 μm ( micro - molar ), it was 29 %. when the concentration of d - aspartic acid was 10 μm ( micro - molar ), it was 34 %. thus , when the concentration of hydrogen peroxide was 4 mm , a significant difference in the ratio of viable cells was observed for the case in which 0 . 1 μm ( micro - molar ) or 10 μm ( micro - molar ) d - aspartic acid had been added compared to the ratio without addition of d - aspartic acid . based on the results above , the concentration - dependent antioxidant effect of d - aspartic acid on hydrogen peroxide was observed . 3 - 4 . antioxidant effect of carnosine in experiment for evaluating oxidative damages induced by aaph fig4 shows the experiment obtained by examining the antioxidant effect of carnosine in the experiment for evaluating oxidative damages induced by aaph in cryo nhdf - neo cells . the error bars for each experimental condition indicate the standard deviations of experimentally measured values obtained by repeating the experiment three times under the identical condition . the double asterisk () indicates that p is less than 1 % by bonferroni / dunn test . the ratio of viable cells for the control group for evaluating toxicity of an antioxidant without addition of an oxidant was 100 % when carnosine had not been added . when the concentration of carnosine was 5 ppm , it was 93 %. when the concentration of carnosine was 100 ppm , it was 103 %. the ratio of viable cells in the case of 100 mm aaph was 31 % when carnosine had not been added . when the concentration of carnosine was 5 ppm , it was 60 %. when the concentration of carnosine was 100 ppm , it was 85 %. when aaph had concentration of 100 mm , a significant difference was observed for the ratio of viable cells for the case in which carnosine had been added at the concentration of 100 ppm compared to the ratio without addition of carnosine . based on the results above , the antioxidant effect of carnosine on aaph was confirmed by the experiment system of the present example . 3 - 5 . antioxidant effect of l - and d - aspartic acids in experiment for evaluating oxidative damages induced by aaph fig5 shows the experiment obtained by examining the antioxidant effect of l - and d - aspartic acids in the experiment for evaluating oxidative damages induced by aaph in cryo nhdf - neo cells . the error bars for each experimental condition indicate the standard deviations of the experimentally measured values obtained by repeating the test three times under the identical condition . the asterisk () indicates that p is less than 5 % by bonferroni / dunn test . the triple asterisk (**) indicates that p is less than 0 . 1 % by bonferroni / dunn test . the ratio of viable cells for the control group for evaluating toxicity of an antioxidant without addition of the oxidant was 95 % when l - and d - aspartic acids had not been added . when the concentration of d - aspartic acid was 10 μm ( micro - molar ), it was 102 %. when the concentration of l - aspartic acid was 10 μm ( micro - molar ), it was 80 %. in the case of 100 mm aaph , the ratio of viable cells was 51 % when l - and d - aspartic acids had not been added . when the concentration of d - aspartic acid was 10 μm ( micro - molar ), it was 96 %. when the concentration of l - aspartic acid was 10 μm ( micro - molar ), it was 69 %. when aaph had concentration of 100 mm , a significant difference was observed for the ratio of viable cells for the case in which l - and d - aspartic acids had been added at concentration of 10 μm ( micro - molar ) compared to the ratio without addition of l - and d - aspartic acids . based on the results above , it was indicated that d - aspartic acid had more potent antioxidant effect on aaph compared to l - aspartic acid . based on the experimental results of the examples above , d - aspartic acid was found to have an antioxidant effect on both hydrogen peroxide and aaph . however , l - aspartic acid was found to have an antioxidant effect on aaph only . thus , it was indicated that d - aspartic acid is effective against both hydroxyl radical and a peroxyl radical , but l - aspartic acid is effective only against a peroxyl radical . formulation examples of a composition comprising aspartic acid according to the present invention , i . e ., an emulsion preparation , a patch , a tablet , a soft capsule , a granule , a beverage , a candy , a cookie , bean paste , a french dressing , a mayonnaise , a french bread , a soy sauce , yogurt , dried seasoning powder for rice , seasoning / sauce for natto , natto , unrefined black vinegar , cream , body cream , gel , a peel - off mask , a wet pack , an emulsion , a skin lotion , and an aerosol preparation , are given below . the aspartic acid in the formulation examples is either d - form and / or l - form . these formulation examples are all illustrative and not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention . ( composition ) content (% by weight ) weak flour 45 . 0 butter 17 . 5 granulated sugar 20 . 0 aspartic acid 4 . 0 egg 12 . 5 flavoring agent 1 . 0 100 . 0 granulated sugar is added in portions to butter while stirring , to which an egg , aspartic acid and a flavoring agent are added and stirred . after mixing thoroughly , uniformly sieved weak flour is added and stirred at a low speed , and allowed to stand as a bulk in a refrigerator . thereafter , it is molded and baked for 15 minutes at 170 ° c . ( degrees celsius ) to obtain a cookie . ( composition ) content ( g ) soybean 1000 malted rice 1000 salt 420 aspartic acid 16 . 8 water remainder 4000 malted rice is mixed thoroughly with a salt . washed soybeans are soaked overnight in three times its volumes of water , which are then drained off , and new water is added while boiling , and poured into a colander to collect the broth ( tanemizu fluid ), to which aspartic acid is dissolved at 10 % w / v . the boiled beans are minced immediately , combined with malted rice mixed with salt , to which the tanemizu fluid containing aspartic acid dissolved therein is added and kneaded evenly to obtain a clay - like hardness . dumplings are made and stuffed in a container compactly without forming any voids , and the surface of the content is smoothened and sealed with a plastic film . after three months , the content is transferred to a new container and the surface is smoothened and sealed with a plastic film . instead of adding aspartic acid to the tanemizu fluid , a malted rice producing a large amount of aspartic acid may be employed . such malted rice can be selected by quantifying aspartic acid by the method described in japanese patent unexamined publication no . 2008 - 185558 . alternatively , a commercially available bean paste can be supplemented with aspartic acid or a salt thereof . ( composition ) content ( g ) salad oil 27 . 4 vinegar 30 . 4 sodium chloride 0 . 9 aspartic acid 0 . 30 pepper 1 . 0 60 . 0 vinegar is combined with sodium chloride and aspartic acid , and then stirred thoroughly to be dissolved . salad oil is added to the mixture and the mixture is stirred thoroughly and then pepper is added . ( composition ) content ( g ) salad oil 134 . 0 vinegar 5 . 5 sodium chloride 0 . 9 aspartic acid 0 . 5 egg yolk 18 sugar 0 . 2 pepper 0 . 9 160 . 0 an egg yolk ( room temperature ) is combined with vinegar , sodium chloride , aspartic acid and pepper , and stirred thoroughly using a whipping apparatus . stirring is continued while adding salad oil in portions to form an emulsion . finally , sugar is added and the mixture is stirred . ( composition ) content ( g ) hard flour 140 weak flour 60 sodium chloride 3 sugar 6 aspartic acid 2 dry yeast 4 lukewarm water 128 343 lukewarm water is combined with 1 g of sugar and dry yeast , which is then allowed to undergo a pre - fermentation . hard flour , weak flour , sodium chloride , 5 g of sugar and aspartic acid are placed in a bowl , into which the pre - fermented yeast is placed . after kneading thoroughly into a ball - like dough , a primary fermentation is conducted at 30 ° c . ( degrees celsius ). the dough is kneaded again and allowed to stand , and then shaped into suitable forms , which are subjected to a final fermentation using an electronic fermentation machine . after forming coupes , baking is conducted for 30 minutes in an oven at 220 ° c . ( degrees celsius ). ( composition ) content ( g ) commercially available soy 995 . 8 sauce aspartic acid 4 . 2 1000 commercially available soy sauce is supplemented with aspartic acid , and stirred thoroughly . instead of adding aspartic acid or a salt thereof , malted rice producing a large amount of aspartic acid may be employed for fermenting soy sauce . such malted rice can be selected by quantifying aspartic acid by the method described in japanese patent unexamined publication no . 2008 - 185558 . further , aspartic acid or a salt thereof may be added to commercially available soy sauce . ( composition ) content ( g ) milk 880 l . bulgaricus 50 s . thermophilus 50 aspartic acid 20 1000 fermentation is conducted at 40 to 45 ° c . ( degrees celsius ). other commercially available fermentation seed organisms may be employed and commercially available yogurt may be supplemented with aspartic acid . instead of adding aspartic acid or a salt thereof , a seed organism producing a large amount of aspartic acid may be employed . such an organism can be selected by quantifying aspartic acid by the method described in japanese patent unexamined publication no . 2008 - 185558 . further , aspartic acid or a salt thereof may be added to commercially available yogurt . ( composition ) content ( g ) commercially available natto 19 . 9 aspartic acid 0 . 1 20 instead of adding aspartic acid or a salt thereof , an organism producing a large amount of aspartic acid may be employed for producing natto . such an organism can be selected by quantifying aspartic acid by the method described in japanese patent unexamined publication no . 2008 - 185558 . further , aspartic acid or a salt thereof may be added to commercially available natto . ( composition ) content ( g ) commercially available 995 . 8 unrefined black vinegar aspartic acid 4 . 2 1000 instead of adding aspartic acid or a salt thereof , an organism producing a large amount of aspartic acid may be employed for producing vinegar , black vinegar or unrefined vinegar . such an organism can be selected by quantifying aspartic acid by the method described in japanese patent unexamined publication no . 2008 - 185558 . further , aspartic acid or a salt thereof may be added to commercially available unrefined black vinegar . ( composition ) content (% by weight ) stock solution of aerosol urea 65 . 0 preparation for external use dimethyl ether 35 . 0 100 . 00 stock solution of an aerosol urea external preparation and dimethyl ether are filled in a pressure resistant aerosol aluminum can of which internal surface is coated with teflon ( registered trade mark ) to prepare an aerosol preparation .	0
an exemplary embodiment of the autonomous movable vehicle 1 is shown in fig1 on stable floor 2 adjacent a filling station 3 that is mounted to wall 4 . the vehicle as shown in the exemplary embodiment of fig1 and 2 is a vehicle for displacing manure across stable floor 2 and includes a frame 5 , a pair of driven wheels 6 and a manure slide 7 connected to the frame . the vehicle further includes wall following means 8 which include a wheel 9 which is freely rotatable about a vertical axis . the vehicle further includes a container ( not shown ) in which liquid can be stored , a fluid receiving means 10 by which the container can be ( re -) filled with liquid . the fluid receiving means 10 of the vehicle 1 as shown in fig1 and 2 includes a fluid conduit 11 which may be in the form of a hose or a pipe . the conduit 11 starts at a fixed point 12 where it is connected to an opening 13 in the cover 14 of the vehicle at which location the conduit penetrates to the interior and into the fluid container ( not shown ). the conduit 11 is supported to the vehicle by support 15 and hose clamp 16 . as can be seen in fig1 , the support 15 ensures that the conduit 11 , and in particular the free end 17 with a fluid inlet or fill opening 18 , is located at a height above the level of the wheels 6 and of the wall following means 8 . an elongated member or length 19 of the conduit 11 extends beyond hose clamp 16 and is stiff enough to remain in a general horizontal position . in order to achieve the desired stiffness , the length of the hose is surrounded by a coil spring 20 . at the free end 17 of the conduit 11 , a hose socket 21 connects the length 19 to a sealing means having the form of a rubber ball 22 . the ball 22 includes a central fluid passage 23 coaxial with that of the conduit 11 . the elongated member or length 19 of the conduit 11 is movable in two degrees of freedom in a plane of intersection that is substantially perpendicular to a central mirror plane of the vehicle when seen in the direction of travel . this freedom of movement is realized by intermediate fixed point in the conduit created by the hose clamp 16 , by which the elongated member or length 19 can move relative to this point . the range of movement is largest at the free end 17 of the length 19 of the conduit 11 where ball 22 is attached . as best seen in fig1 , fluid delivery or supply station 3 is mounted on wall 4 . the height at which the fluid supply station 3 is mounted is chosen so that the fluid receiving means 10 of the vehicle can be put in an interfacing position with the fluid delivery station 3 . these dimensions are chosen such that the vehicle body with at least the drive wheels 6 , the manure slide 7 and the wall following means 8 are below the fluid delivery station 3 . as best seen in fig3 , the filling station 3 includes a fluid delivery means 25 in the form of a delivery hose or delivery conduit 26 ending in a guiding means in the form of funnel 27 . the station also includes a supply conduit 28 and a valve 29 between the supply and the delivery conduit 26 , 28 respectively . valve 29 is actuated by lever 30 which in turn is connected to a four bar linkage system 31 . the four bar linkage 31 includes a base 32 of a fixed link , a pair of left and right upstanding parallel links 33 , 34 projecting perpendicular from the base and a top link 35 connecting the left and right links . the fluid delivery conduit 26 , and in particular the funnel 27 , is connected to top link 35 of the four bar linkage 31 . the base 32 of the linkage 31 is mounted to the wall 4 and a cover 36 surrounds the filling station 3 . the cover is provided with a cut - out portion for the funnel 27 which remains accessible to the fluid receiving means of the vehicle . the four bar linkage 31 is in the form of a parallelogram linkage which has two distinct positions , a first and second position . these positions , one of which is illustrated in fig1 and 3 , are a first position in which the valve 29 is closed and a second position in which the valve is open . as is best visible in fig3 , the ball valve 29 mounted in a tubular housing 37 is in closed position because the through bore 38 of the valve is not aligned with the respective fluid delivery and supply conduits 26 , 28 . a tension spring 39 is mounted diagonally between the left and right upstanding links 33 , 34 such that the four bar linkage 31 is biassed in the position where the valve is in a closed position . the valve actuating lever 30 is connected with one end 40 to valve handle 41 and with another end 42 to top link 35 . the funnel 27 is also connected to top link 35 . the supply conduit 28 of the fluid delivery station may be connected to water mains ( not shown ) and / or directly or indirectly to a storage container for used cleaning and / or flushing liquid stemming from a milking robot . used cleaning and / or flushing liquids stemming from a milking robot may be acidic and as such may have a lowering effect on the ph of the manure in the stable and thus on the ammonia nh3 / ammonium nh4 + ratio . as such , by using used flushing and / or cleaning liquids that were previously used by a robotic milking system , the ammonia emission by the manure may be reduced . alternatively , an additional line may be added to the fluid supply station 3 in order to add chemical or other types of additives to the fluid for the vehicle that enhance cleaning properties of the fluid and / or that have a lowering effect on the ph of the manure in the stable and thus on the ammonia emission . the vehicle may also be provided with a spray nozzle ( not visible ) through which liquid can be dispensed . by spraying a liquid , such as water based solution , on the floor , manure is easier to displace . the nozzle or nozzles are ideally located on the vehicle such that liquid can be sprayed onto the floor in front of the manure slide 7 . in a preferred embodiment , the nozzle ( s ) are located underneath the vehicle , in front of the manure slide with the fluid dispensing opening directed to the floor . the vehicle 1 may also provided with a control unit ( fig4 ) and a torque determining device ( not shown ) for determining the torques acting on the wheels 6 as well as the torque difference between the wheels . such a torque determining means is known per se . determining torque difference may be used for detecting skid of one of the wheels , after which detection it is possible to perform a correct action ( reduction of the number of revolutions , alarming an operator ) or for actively steering a vehicle to drive in a particular direction , make a turn , reverse or the like . fig4 illustrates a control unit 1201 . the control unit 1201 includes a bus 1202 or other communication mechanism for communicating information , and a processor 1203 coupled with the bus 1202 for processing the information . the control unit 1201 also includes a main memory 1204 , such as a random access memory ( ram ) or other dynamic storage device ( e . g ., dynamic ram ( dram ), static ram ( sram ), and synchronous dram ( sdram )), coupled to the bus 1202 for storing information and instructions to be executed by processor 1203 . in addition , the main memory 1204 may be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during the execution of instructions by the processor 1203 . the control unit 1201 further includes a read only memory ( rom ) 1205 or other static storage device ( e . g ., programmable rom ( prom ), erasable prom ( eprom ), and electrically erasable prom ( eeprom )) coupled to the bus 1202 for storing static information and instructions for the processor 1203 . the control unit 1201 also includes a disk controller 1206 coupled to the bus 1202 to control one or more storage devices for storing information and instructions , such as a magnetic hard disk 1207 , and a removable media drive 1208 ( e . g ., floppy disk drive , read - only compact disc drive , read / write compact disc drive , compact disc jukebox , tape drive , and removable magneto - optical drive ). the storage devices may be added to the control unit 1201 using an appropriate device interface ( e . g ., small computer system interface ( scsi ), integrated device electronics ( ide ), enhanced - ide ( e - ide ), direct memory access ( dma ), or ultra - dma ). the control unit 1201 may also include special purpose logic devices ( e . g ., application specific integrated circuits ( asics )) or configurable logic devices ( e . g ., simple programmable logic devices ( splds ), complex programmable logic devices ( cplds ), and field programmable gate arrays ( fpgas )). the control unit 1201 may also include a display controller 1209 coupled to the bus 1202 to control a display 1210 , such as a cathode ray tube ( crt ), for displaying information to a computer user . the computer system includes input devices , such as a keyboard 1211 and a pointing device 1212 , for interacting with a computer user and providing information to the processor 1203 . the pointing device 1212 , for example , may be a mouse , a trackball , or a pointing stick for communicating direction information and command selections to the processor 1203 and for controlling cursor movement on the display 1210 . in addition , a printer may provide printed listings of data stored and / or generated by the control unit 1201 . the control unit 1201 performs a portion or all of the processing steps of the invention in response to the processor 1203 executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in a memory , such as the main memory 1204 . such instructions may be read into the main memory 1204 from another computer readable medium , such as a hard disk 1207 or a removable media drive 1208 . one or more processors in a multi - processing arrangement may also be employed to execute the sequences of instructions contained in main memory 1204 . in alternative embodiments , hard - wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions . thus , embodiments are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software . as stated above , the control unit 1201 includes at least one computer readable medium or memory for holding instructions programmed according to the teachings of the invention and for containing data structures , tables , records , or other data described herein . examples of computer readable media are compact discs , hard disks , floppy disks , tape , magneto - optical disks , proms ( eprom , eeprom , flash eprom ), dram , sram , sdram , or any other magnetic medium , compact discs ( e . g ., cd - rom ), or any other optical medium , punch cards , paper tape , or other physical medium with patterns of holes , a carrier wave ( described below ), or any other medium from which a computer can read . stored on any one or on a combination of computer readable media , the present invention includes software for controlling the control unit 1201 , for driving a device or devices for implementing the invention , and for enabling the control unit 1201 to interact with a human user ( e . g ., print production personnel ). such software may include , but is not limited to , device drivers , operating systems , development tools , and applications software . such computer readable media further includes the computer program product of the present invention for performing all or a portion ( if processing is distributed ) of the processing performed in implementing the invention . the control unit controls the unmanned vehicle 1 to move in certain directions of travel . when the vehicle touches an obstacle , such as a cow &# 39 ; s leg , with the wall following means 8 , this results in a resultant force on the vehicle , which causes the vehicle to run around the obstacle . the wall following means 8 may also be used for following a wall . in that case the vehicle is constantly caused by the controller to run in a direction towards the wall . subsequently there is exerted by the wall a reactive force on the wall following means in the direction away from the wall . as a result thereof the vehicle runs in a straight line along the wall , while the wall following means 8 remain in contact with the wall . the vehicle &# 39 ; s navigation is further enhanced by programming the route the vehicle is to follow into the control unit . the route includes so - called bumping points . a bumping point is a point at which the vehicle drives into a fixed structure ( such as e . g . a wall , a filling station or the like ) and is unable to continue moving , which is detected by monitoring the wheel speed . the control unit will command the vehicle to execute a certain action at each programmed and detected bumping point . the action can be , e . g ., turn right , turn left , reverse , hold until the container is filled , hold until the battery is recharged , etc . in use , the vehicle travels a stable floor and displaces manure as it proceeds through the stable . the floor of such stables are generally so - called open floors and the manure falls through grooves or openings in the floor into a manure cellar . it is also possible to have so - called closed stable floors where the manure is pushed into the manure pit at the end of a stable aisle . the control unit may be programmed to spray liquid onto the floor of the stable . the desired number of predetermined times per day for the vehicle to use liquid to clean the floor in addition to sliding the manure , can be chosen by the user . a sensor will indicate when the container is empty or almost empty and the vehicle will be directed by the control unit to go to the fluid delivery station . the location of this station 3 is programmed into the control unit as a bumping point when the vehicle is first used in a particular stable . the vehicle is programmed to exert a certain predetermined force when connecting to the station 3 . this force is high enough to overcome the spring force of the tension spring 39 . the pushing force of the vehicle against the fluid delivery station can be regulated by the amount of current / power provided to the electric motors driving the wheels . more current / power results in more torque on the wheels , which translates to kgs or lbs of pushing force . an optimum pushing force is determined for the fluid delivery station . when the desired pushing force is reached , the vehicle stops pushing and is held in position by the wheel resisting rotation when they are not driven . the vehicle is thus not pushed away by the spring force of tension spring 39 of the fluid delivery station . other brakes are possible , but preferably braking and holding the vehicle in place is inherent to the way the wheels are connected to the electric motors . rotating the wheels by themselves , i . e . when they are not being driven , is resisted by the motor . in use , when the vehicle approaches the filling station 3 , the sealing means , i . e . rubber ball 22 of the fluid receiving means 10 of the vehicle 1 will first enter into contact with the guiding means , i . e . the walls of the funnel 27 . since the length 19 of the fluid receiving conduit 11 is movable , the rubber ball 22 will follow the walls of the funnel 27 even if the length 19 and the funnel 27 were not perfectly aligned . the length 19 of the fluid receiving conduit 11 will deflect from its original position in order to allow the rubber ball 22 to follow the walls of the funnel 27 . at the narrow end of the funnel 27 , the ball will deform and create a fluid tight seal . the forward movement of the vehicle continues but the ball 22 cannot move any further , thus the forward movement of the vehicle is transmitted to the funnel 27 . since the funnel 27 is connected to top link 35 , the movement is transmitted to the four bar linkage . the force of the forward movement of the vehicle at the location of the filling station is programmed to be enough to overcome the tension spring force of spring 39 . thus , the linkage is pushed from its first position to the second position . since lever 30 of valve 29 is connected to the top link when the four bar linkage switches position , this also acts on the lever 30 . the lever 30 is attached to the valve 29 such that the movement from the first to the second position moves the valve from a closed to an open position . thus , the valve 30 opens and fluid is allowed to stream from the supply conduit 28 through valve 30 into the delivery conduit 26 , into the fluid receiving conduit 11 and into the container of the vehicle only after the sealing means are in the position that a fluid tight seal is formed . when the container is full , the control system receives a signal that the container is full from a sensor and directs the vehicle to reverse out of contact with the fluid delivery station 3 . by this movement , the tension spring 39 pulls the linkage back into the first position and the lever closes the valve . further backward movement of the vehicle causes ball 22 to be pulled out of contact with the funnel walls and out of contact with the funnel . the vehicle may be programmed to drive a few meters back and make a small turn to subsequently drive in a forward direction around the fill station . in the routing of the vehicle , it may be programmed that the vehicle at certain times will be directed to drive to the fluid delivery station 3 approaching it from the opposite direction as the direction which it can connect to it . by passing the station from this direction , the fluid receiving means are at the side of the vehicle removed from the wall . the vehicle can pass and while passing the manure slide 7 cleans the floor area underneath the station 3 . it is thus believed that the assembly and construction of the present invention is apparent from the forgoing description . the invention is not limited to the single embodiment herein described and , with the purview of the skilled person ; modifications are possible which should be considered within the scope of the appended claims . in this regard , although the described embodiment of the vehicle only shows a vehicle for pushing manure the invention is not limited to such a vehicle . in particular the proposed fill means and filling station may also be used for other vehicles that have a container and that dispense liquid . for example a vehicle including liquid feed or colostrums for nursing suckling animals such as calves also falls within the scope of the invention . further , regarding the elongate member 19 of the conduit which is proposed as a length 19 of hose stiffened with a surrounding coil spring , this may be replaced by any other type of conduit that has the proposed stiffness but which may also deflect in the proposed degrees of freedom . for example , a stiff tube that is supported by a hinged connection to the vehicle is possible , in that it would allow the desired movements of the fill opening relative to the funnel of the spout . other types of stiffening means in place of the coil spring 20 such as , e . g ., an elongated stiffening member connected lengthwise to the conduit in stead of surrounding the conduit may also be used . regarding the guiding means 27 , although in the described embodiment the filling station is provided with a funnel and the length 14 of the conduit can deflect to be guided into the funnel , alternatively it is possible to program the control unit and add sensors so that the vehicle can follow a guiding surface on or adjacent to the filling station 3 and actively steer the vehicle into the proper interfacing position for filling the container . the sealing means have been describe as being a rubber ball 22 , but may be of different shape and / or material such as , e . g ., conical or annular , as long as the sealing properties are such that in the interfacing position a fluid tight seal is effectuated . although in the described embodiment the valve 29 of the fluid supply station 3 is a ball valve , other quarter turn valves such as butterfly valves or plug valves may also be used in the four bar linkage valve actuator . manure is used in the specification to indicate animal excrements also known as feces , dung or the like .	0
before explaining the disclosed embodiment of the present invention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the particular arrangement shown , since the invention is capable of other embodiments . also , the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation . as shown in fig1 a - 1c , the shield 100 of the present invention comprises a roughly rectangular shaped , slightly curved , protective outer panel 1 , fitted with a series of user - operable devices . the body of the shield 100 is made of an impact resistant material designed to minimize the impact of projectiles of many types . the shield 100 is lightweight and capable of being carried on one arm , either left or right . as shown in fig1 a - 1c and 2 a - 2 c , the devices capable of being deployed from the shield 100 include but are not limited to a high powered visible light 3 , audio / video recording capabilities , a weapon rest 15 , a pepper spray device 5 , a visible laser light 4 , a taser 12 , and a clipboard and information holding system 20 . the shield 100 also contains a speaker 7 capable of being used as a public address system , or for playing a pre - recorded message . the shield 100 comprises a rectangularly shaped impact resistant panel which contains on its outer surface an outer panel 1 . the outer panel 1 is made of a rigid , impact resistant material . from fig1 c it is apparent that the outer panel 1 has a slightly curved contour for the purposes of increasing its ability to deflect the force of a projectile . as shown in fig1 b - 1c , the outer panel 1 has permanently attached to its inner surface an inner panel 2 . the inner panel 2 is also made of an impact resistant material for the purposes of increasing the ability of the shield to stop a projectile , which may have entered one of the device ports on outer panel 1 . the inner panel 2 encloses an open area 204 between the inner surface of inner panel 2 and the inner surface of outer panel 1 . as shown in fig2 a - 2c , this open area 204 can contain a high output light 3 , laser light 4 , pepper spray 5 , video camera 6 , speaker port 7 , taser 12 , and a bionic ear 21 . the visible laser 4 will be of such a range and color as to allow it to be used to determine the distance to a target and a correct firing area . it is to be noted that this listing of devices is not meant to be comprehensive , so that other devices could be included within the present invention . also , various embodiments of the present invention may selectively omit some of these devices . the outer panel i also has on its exterior surface an identification location area 8 . this identification location area 8 is designed to have applied to its surface a reflective , high visibility decal for clearly identifying any person or agency carrying the shield . within various figures herein , the identification location area 8 shows the word “ police ”. however , other words and symbols are also contemplated within the spirit and scope of the present invention , so that the present invention should not be considered as limited exclusively thereto . also as shown in fig1 a , the outer panel 1 has located on its upper portion a safe viewing port 9 . the viewing port 9 is designed to allow an individual to view an area in front of the shield by looking through a clear impact resistant lens 9 , which is shaped to allow video 6 and laser 4 to operate through them while still retaining the maximum capability of safety . fig2 a shows the shield 100 as seen by the user from the interior . as shown in fig2 a , the inner surface of the inner panel 2 has a pivoting liquid crystal display 13 located on its upper portion . the liquid crystal display 13 allows viewing of the video camera 6 from the interior of the shield 100 , while still protecting the viewer . the back surface of the shield 100 has located at its approximate center a carrying arm - handle 14 and control mechanism 14 - c . the carrying arm - handle 14 and control mechanism 14 - c are designed to be easily changed from right to left hand carry , depending on the disposition of the user . as shown in fig5 b , this bi - dexterity is facilitated by a mount bar 14 - a which allows the movement of arm - handle 14 by either a right or left - handed position . the ability to rotate and lock in two possible positions allows the arm - handle 14 to be utilized by either a right or left handed individual . the arm - handle 14 can also have a variety of tilting positions . for example , a first position exists for the purposes of holding and controlling the shield 100 . separately , a second position allows that arm - handle 14 be pushed away from the user &# 39 ; s hand and allows that hand total freedom of movement while the shield 100 is still clamped to the forearm . as shown in fig8 a - 8e , hollow structures 14 - e are built into the interior of the shield 100 , so as to facilitate movement of the arm - handle 14 and the mount - bar 14 - a , yet maintain a secure attachment of the arm - handle 14 to the shield 100 . the effect of the shield 100 clamping to the forearm is achieved by the use of forearm clamps 14 - b . as shown in fig3 a - 3b , 4 a , 4 c , and 8 a - 8 e , these clamps 14 - b are permanently fixed in the depression 304 in the back of inner shield panel 2 . the clamps 14 - b are designed so that placing the forearm in the correct position and pressing toward the shield 100 or utilizing a control feature of control arm - handle 14 , these clamps may be closed so that they firmly encircle the larger portion of a user &# 39 ; s forearm . also , for increased security , the clamps 14 - b will grasp near the wrist area of a user . the amount of pressure applied by these clamps 14 - b and their position can be controlled by the control mechanism 14 - c . these clamps 14 - b are also designed to hold the shield 100 in a position most suitable for use , but still be capable of allowing a user to easily and very quickly disengage from the shield 100 if necessary . the arm - handle 14 and controls 14 - c also act as a control mechanism for most of the devices that the shield can deploy . the arm - handle 14 also has a weapons rest 15 ( fig2 a ) and a weapons laser site 15 - a ( fig1 a ). the weapons rest 15 is designed in such a way that it telescopes out of the mount bar 14 - a along the retractable slider ( fig7 d - 7e ), thereby giving it two positions . the first is a closed position in which it is retracted inside the visible area of the shield 100 , and the second is an extended position in which the weapons rest 15 extends outward past the edge of the shield 100 , as shown in fig2 a . the weapon rest 15 is designed in such a way that when a weapon is placed in its trough 15 - a , and the pressure sensor 15 - e activated , the laser light 4 will be illuminated that has been sighted in conjunction with the weapon platform being used . as shown in fig1 a , the weapon rest 15 is capable of rotary movement and has a ball type joint 15 - c at its end that allows for a maximum range of motion , yet still stabilizing the platform for the purposes of aiming . this will allow a person carrying a long firearm , for example an m - 16 , to be able to place the weapon in the weapon rest 15 actively supporting it during fire , while still maintaining the ability to hold the shield in a stable position . the weapon laser sight 15 - d also has the virtue of allowing an aiming point , but also allowing a user to activate the liquid crystal display and live active video feed 6 to aim and fire a weapon from an extremely defensive concealed position . this position can be achieved by holding the shield in such an area that video display 6 allows them to visibly see where the weapon system has been aimed , thereby allowing a user to operate a weapon system in an offensive or defensive manner from a concealed position . the pressure sensor at the base of the weapon rest 15 recognizes this action and closes by solenoid action a light gripper 15 - b against it , thereby placing the in a secure position for the purposes as shown in fig2 a , the inner side of the shield 100 has located on its upper centerline and lower centerline strap clips 11 - a and 11 - b . these strap clips 11 - a and 11 - b allow the attachment of the carrying strap 10 to the inner surface of the shield 100 , so as to allow the user to carry the shield 100 with their hands free or to place the shield in a protective position across their back . the strap 10 may also be useful for mounting purposes . the strap 10 may be designed in such a fashion that its length is controllable by a retractable device ( not shown ) that would allow for the concealment of the strap inside the shield itself and for the ability of the operator to quickly change the length of the strap or adjust the tension on the strap , for comfort and correct placement . the weapons rest 15 , in conjunction with laser sight 15 - a , may allow the user to fire a weapons system by viewing the laser sight 15 - a through the liquid crystal display 13 . as shown in fig6 a , a taser 12 is coupled to the taser laser sight 12 - a . this allows for aiming and firing of the taser 12 from arm - handle 14 and control mechanism 14 - c . pepper spray 5 is also coupled to the taser - laser site 12 - a and also controlled by arm - handle 14 and control mechanism 14 - c . the pepper spray container itself is a rechargeable unit or an interchangeable pressurized cartridge that can be inserted through a corresponding replacement opening on the inside of inner shield 2 for routine maintenance , checkup and replacement of the pepper spray canister . the arm - handle 14 and control mechanism 14 - c are electrically integrated with the various devices described herein in such a way that these devices can be controlled and deployed from the arm - handle 14 and control mechanism 14 - c . by virtue of the way they are attached to mount bar 14 - a allow for the handle during carrying of the shield to be placed in a first position angled slightly toward the operator in a slightly ergonomic position allowing maximum gripping ability , yet still allowing free movement of the thumb for the purpose of operating the pressure switches on the top of control mechanism 14 - c . when pivoted into a second position , the arm - handle 14 allows for the hand to be utilized for other purposes , while still allowing full control of the shield 100 and its secure placement on the arm . as shown in fig7 a - 7c , the control mechanism 14 - c will allow the thumb of the user &# 39 ; s hand to depress a series of recessed pressure switches designed to activate the various devices described herein . this control mechanism 14 - c will be developed in such a way that a series of safety measures and escalation protocols are designed to minimize the possibility of accidental deployment of devices . for example , pressing a switch on the control mechanism 14 - c could activate pepper spray 5 , and also activate a coupled laser 5 - a . however , the arm - handle 14 and control mechanism 14 - c can also incorporate a safety protocol . for example , pressing a button once might remove a safety mechanism . pressing a button twice might light one of the visible lasers or other devices . a third press of a button could for example activate the pepper spray 5 , and also keep the pepper spray 5 in a position in which the solenoid could be cycled on or off according to the needs of the operator . this would effectively be the same safety protocol set up for any other active system on the shield 100 . for example , the taser 12 could operate similarly . as shown in fig6 a , battery power packs 19 are located on the inner surface of the shield 100 , and designed to allow quick interchange or charging of the dc power supplies that power the shield &# 39 ; s electrical systems . these and other devices within the shield 100 can be accessed through a removable panel 24 ( fig6 a , 9 ). as shown in fig2 a - 2c , a clipboard information system 20 is located on the interior surface of the shield 100 and allows the carrier to take notes or place reference materials nearby , by temporarily attaching it to this surface . as shown at least in fig2 a - 6a , in the area 204 between outer panel 1 and inner panel 2 a bionic ear application 21 is located . the bionic ear 21 is an amplified listening system which contains various audio sensors that are placed on the external surface of the shield 100 and are connected to a sound amplification module located in the space 204 between 1 and 2 . the information and amplified sound is relayed to item 21 - a , which is an ear - fitting piece capable of fitting on the ear of a user . by receiving an amplified signal from 21 , a user of the shield 100 can listen at a higher level than is capable with normal hearing . the shield 100 may also be removed from a user &# 39 ; s arm , placed in a strategic position , and left alone , thereby allowing a user to listen from a remote location that may be more safe . the arm - handle 14 and control mechanism 14 - c have a locking and unlocking system which automatically engages when the shield 100 is removed by a user , and needs to be reset when the shield 100 is re - engaged upon the operator &# 39 ; s arm . for example , the depressing of some of the basic control buttons on the control mechanism 14 - c in a given pattern can unlock that mechanism , and allow the systems on it to be activated . this will ultimately be designed to prevent anyone but the qualified user from being able to activate any of the active systems on the shield as a safety measure . it is anticipated that various changes may be made in the arrangement and operation of the system of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , as defined by the following claims .	5
an object of embodiments of the present invention is to substantially improve the treating of domestic , industrial and agricultural wastewater as well as aqua - culture farming water stored in large bodies of water such as lagoons and ponds . the water treatment device in accordance with embodiments of the present invention comprises a surface - floating and submerged floating biomass - carrier system , kept afloat by a flotation system , and an aeration device , deployed in close association to the biomass carrier system and kept afloat by a flotation system . the biomass - carrier system and water aeration device are either in close association where the biomass - carrier system and water aeration device each float independently with its own flotation system or , alternatively , in close association where the biomass - carrier system and water aeration device are connected to each other , thus , floating with the aid of a single flotation system and forming a self contained water treatment device . dissolved oxygen - containing ( aerated ) water , which contains dissolved organic compounds , comes into contact with the biomass carrier elements and enables the continual development of the biomass in the biomass carrying system . in aerobic conditions , imparted by the aeration device , the biomass in the biomass - carrier system may also transform ammonia compounds into nitrates . when a water aeration device in accordance with embodiments of the present invention is deployed as a water agitation device in the vicinity of the biomass carrying system , the set - in - motion water comes into contact with the biomass carrying system . in the anoxic and or anaerobic water environment the biomass in the biomass carrying system metabolizes water dissolved organic substances in anaerobic metabolism and transforms nitrate compounds to nitrogen . the biological aerobic transformation of ammonia compounds to nitrate compounds and the biological anaerobic transformation of nitrate compounds to nitrogen are of especial significance in the treatment of water in aqua - culture farming facilities . the water treatment device in accordance with embodiments of the present invention is simple to deploy and simple to remove from a water location for maintenance and redeployment . the positioning and removal of the water treatment device to and from the body of water can be carried out by the use of a mobile - crane . the choice of the number water treatment device units to be deployed and the location of the units in the treatment of a given body of water will vary in accordance with treatment requirements . the floating water treatment device , in accordance with embodiments of the present invention , can be secured to remain in a desired location - position in a given body of water by connecting the device to an anchor or anchors . in order to deploy the water treatment device , in accordance with embodiments of the present invention , no infrastructure in the body of the water to - be - treated is required . for deployment of the water treatment device only an electricity supply source is required . in alternative configurations of the water treatment device , a supply of compressed air is required . in yet other alternative configuration , both an electricity source and a compressed - air supply are required . typically , electricity is supplied by an electricity cable that stretches from the water treatment device ( s ) to an electricity distribution source on the bank of the water body . in a water treatment device , in accordance with embodiments of the present invention , where the aeration device comprises diffuser elements , compressed air for the diffusers is generated by either an air - blower or an air compressor that is an integral part of the aeration device and is part of the structure of the water treatment device . alternatively , when the aeration device comprises diffuser elements and the aeration device does not include an air - blower or an air compressor , compressed air is supplied to the diffuser elements via a gas feed line ( supplying air / or oxygen ) that may float on the water , as described in wo 2009 / 053975 ( magen h . et al .). if a given bio - carrier system deployed in a given water treatment device does not require electricity for functioning , and compressed air for the aeration device is supplied via a gas feed line , than no electricity source is required to be connected to the operating water treatment device . the choice of the bio - carrier elements , their construction material and their formation - shape as well as the spatial configuration in which they are positioned in the bio - carrier system which is deployed in the water treatment device is an integration of choices from a large number of possible configurations . the figures illustrating preferred embodiments of the water treatment device in accordance with the present invention present sheet - like rigid - material structure biomass carriers . the figures illustrate a few examples of many possible bio - carrier system configurations . fig5 a and fig5 b illustrates preferred embodiments of the present invention in which the bio - carrier system comprises mono - filament knit fabric sheets in accordance to the description given in wo2009 / 004612 ( gavrieli et al .). in the course of the treatment of water the knit - fabric sheets are mechanically stretched and relaxed , causing the removal of excess biomass that forms on the knit - fabrics to the surrounding water . the removal of the excess biomass enables the biomass that remains on the knit fabrics to continue to proliferate rapidly on the surfaces that were cleared by the stretching - relaxing movements . the mechanism for stretching and relaxing of the knit - fabrics , done via the motion of pneumatic or hydraulic pistons or directly by a motor via mechanical gears , is integrated into the biomass carrier system in the water treatment device . when operating of pneumatic pistons for the stretching - relaxing , deployment of the pistons can be obtained by the feeding of compressed air to the pistons via a pipe that runs from a compressed air source on the bank of the water body to the pistons on the water treatment device . each of the different water aeration devices ( previously described hereinabove ) when integrated into a water treatment device in accordance with the present invention , can be in a variety of mechanical configurations . the configuration of an aeration device of choice deployed in a given water treatment device “ supplies ” to - be - treated water “ loaded ” with dissolved oxygen together with dissolved organic compounds and / or ammonia - containing compounds to the biomass in the bio - carrier system in the device . alternatively , when an aeration device is deployed as a water agitation device , water with low oxygen concentration and “ loaded ” with dissolved organic compounds and / or nitrate - containing compounds is supplied to the biomass in the bio - carrier system . the mechanical configuration of a biomass - carrier system , the aeration device , and the flotation system deployed in a given water treatment device , in accordance with the present invention , are chosen from a large selection of possible mechanical configurations of systems . the figures are divided into embodiments of the current invention in which the biomass carrier system and the aeration device are in close association and are connected ( fig1 to fig6 ) and where the biomass carrier system and the aeration device are in close association but are not connected physically by a common floatation system . while not being connected physically by a common floatation system , the biomass carrier system and the aeration device may , in other embodiments , be connected by a connection that is either a fix - in - place , “ permanent ” mechanical connection - fixtures or , alternatively , a reversibly connected mechanical connection - fixture that is simple to connect and disconnect ( fig7 and fig8 ): fig1 shows a general side view of a water treatment device 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the water treatment device floats on a to - be - treated body of water 12 with a diffuser aeration device 14 bubbling air in the vicinity of the biomass - carrying system 16 of the water treatment device . water treatment device 10 is floats with the aid of a floatation system 18 comprising cylinder - shaped floating elements 20 . aeration device 14 is fed with compressed air generated by an air - blower 22 . compressed air is delivered to aeration device 14 via a tube 24 which is fixed in its position by a cable 26 extending between the water treatment device 10 and the dry bank 28 surrounding the body of water 12 . cable 26 is shown connected to stabilizing pole 76 through which tube 24 reaches aeration device 14 . fig2 shows an isometric and a partially cross sectional view of floating water treatment device 10 in , accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the water treatment device 10 shown in the figure comprises : an aeration device 14 constructed of diffuser elements 32 , a bio - carrier system 16 constructed of sheet - form bio - carrying elements 30 and a floatation system 18 comprising cylinder - shaped floating elements 20 . the aeration device 14 , the bio - carrier system 16 and the floatation system 18 are connected and fixed in place to a structural - frame 11 . diffuser aeration elements 32 are shown bubbling air bubbles between the sheet - form bio - carrier elements 30 of the water treatment device . in traveling vertically between the bio - carrier elements , the bubbles form an air - lift effect that causes turbulence in the water , thus , the bubbles enrich the water with dissolved oxygen and drive the to - be - treated water to contact with the bio - carrier elements . compressed air is supplied to diffuser elements 32 by an air - blower 34 , positioned on the upper section ( that is not submerged ) of structural - frame 11 of water treatment device 10 on platform 13 . from platform 13 extends stabilizing pole 76 . an electricity cord 28 supplies the electrical power to air - blower 34 from an electricity source external to water treatment device 10 . cable 26 which , extends between and an anchoring position ( not shown ) on the bank of the water body stabilizes treatment device 10 in the water and ( also ) supports electricity cord 28 . cylinder - shaped floating elements 20 are connected to the upper section of structural - frame 11 . fig3 is an isometric view of another embodiment of the floating water treatment device 10 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . water treatment device 10 comprises : an aeration device 14 constructed of paddle wheels 34 , a bio - carrier system 16 constructed of sheet - form bio - carrying elements 30 and a floatation system 18 , comprising cylinder - shaped floating elements 20 . the aeration device 14 , the bio - carrier system 16 and the floatation system 18 are connected and fixed - in - place to a structural - frame 11 . an electrical gear - motor 36 rotates paddle wheels 34 and is fixed - in - position on bridge 38 . bridge 38 is fixed - in - position to floating elements 20 . protective cover structure 40 is ( also ) fixed - in - place on bridge 38 and protects motor 36 from the environment . in rotating , paddle wheels 34 cause turbulence in the water and by so dissolve oxygen in the water as well as guide oxygen enriched to - be - treated water towards the bio - carrier elements . cable 26 stabilizes treatment device 10 in the water and has electricity cord 28 connected to it . cable 26 extends between water treatment device 10 and an anchoring position ( not shown ) on the bank of the water body . cylinder - shaped floating elements 20 are connected to the upper section of structural - frame 11 . fig4 is an isometric and a partially cross sectional view of the floating water treatment device , in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention . water treatment device 10 comprises : an aeration device 14 constructed of propeller 42 , a bio - carrier system 16 , constructed of sheet - form bio - carrying elements 30 and a floatation system 18 , comprising cylinder - shaped floating elements 20 . aeration device 14 , bio - carrier system 16 and floatation system 18 are connected and fixed - in - place to a structural - frame 11 . propeller 42 is rotated by a shaft 44 , driven by an electric motor 46 , positioned and fixed - in - place on the upper section of partially submerged structural - frame 1 , on platform 13 . propeller 42 is rotated , preferably in the direction that steers water from the surface of the body of the water towards the propeller , at rotational speed that causes oxygen enriched water to stream through the spaces between bio - carrier elements 30 . alternatively , propeller 46 ( serving as an “ agitation device ”) is rotated , preferably in the direction that the water is directed upwards , towards the surface of the water body , at a rotational speed that steers water with relatively small concentrations of dissolved oxygen to stream through the spaces between bio - carrier elements 30 . in water “ loaded ” with dissolved organic compounds and nitrate - compounds and with relatively low oxygen concentration , the environmental conditions surrounding the biomass - carrying elements become anoxic or anaerobic and denitrification takes place . cable 26 stabilizes treatment device 10 in the water and supports electricity cord 28 . cable 26 extends between stabilizing pole 76 that extends from platform 13 and an anchoring position ( not shown ) on the bank of the water body . cylinder - shaped floating elements 20 are connected to the upper section of structural - frame 11 . fig5 a is an isometric view of yet another embodiment of the floating water treatment device 10 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . water treatment device 10 comprises : a structural - frame 48 to which a floatation system 18 , comprising cylinder - shaped floating elements 20 are connected and fixed - in - place . in addition , device 10 comprises a bio - carrier system 16 sub - divided to three independent units , each sub - bio - carrier - system unit is numbered in the figure as 16 a . the floating water treatment device 10 in the figure also comprises an aeration device 14 which is sub - divided to three independent units ; each sub - aeration - device unit is numbered in the figure as 14 a . sub - bio - carrier - system units 16 a , sub - aeration - device units 14 a and floatation system 18 are connected and fixed - in - place to structural - frame 48 . each sub - bio - carrier - system units 16 a comprises an assembly of mono - filament knit fabric sheets 50 that are positioned in parallel , as described in wo2009 / 004612 ( gavrieli et al .). a unit of sub - aeration - device 14 a is fixed - in - place under each unit of bio - carrier - system 16 a . each unit of sub - aeration - device 14 a comprises diffuser elements 32 . compressed air is provided to each of the sub - aeration - devices 14 a from a central - distribution air pipe 52 that obtains compressed air from an air - compressor or an air - blower ( not shown ). each sub - bio - carrier - system units 16 a and sub - aeration - device 14 a are positioned and fixed - in - place to structural - frame 48 a ( see fig6 for elaboration ). the compressed air is delivered to air pipe 52 ( of which only an external , protective tube shown ) via a tube 24 which is fixed - in - its - position to a cable 26 , extending between water treatment device 10 and the dry bank surrounding the body of water ( not shown ), as illustrated in fig1 . cable 26 also supports electricity supplying cable 28 . electricity is provided via cable 28 to the electrical gear motors 54 that operate in stretching and relaxing the assembly of mono - filament knit fabric sheets 50 in each sub - bio - carrier - system units 16 a . fig6 explains in detail the modus operandi of sub - bio - carrier - system units 16 a in conjunction with sub - aeration - devices 14 a . cable 26 extends between water treatment device 10 and an anchoring position ( not shown ) on the bank of the water body and serves to stabilize treatment device 10 in the water . fig5 b is an isometric view of a variant of the embodiment of the floating water treatment device 10 shown in fig5 a . in the embodiment compressed air for the bubbling sub - aeration - devices 14 a is generated by an air blower 56 positioned on platform 50 positioned at the upper and central section of structural - frame 11 in water treatment device 10 and is distributed via a central - distribution air pipe ( not shown ). cable 26 supports electricity supplying cable 28 , with no need for a compressed air feed - pipe . fig6 is an isometric detailed view of a section of fig5 a and fig5 b . fig6 shows a single sub - bio - carrier - system unit 16 a comprising an assembly of mono - filament knit fabric sheets 50 positioned in parallel . fig5 a and fig5 b are shown with each water treatment device comprising three sub - bio - carrier - system units 16 a . positioned beneath sub - bio - carrier - system unit 16 a is sub - aeration - device 14 a which comprises of diffuser elements 32 . sub - aeration - device 14 a if fed with compressed air through pip 53 that obtains air from pipe 52 shown in fig5 a . diffuser elements 32 discharge air bubbles and / or oxygen between knit fabric sheets 50 . electric motor 54 , via a gear and chains system 60 , pulls frame 62 axially . in moving , frame 62 stretches mono - filament knit fabric sheets 50 which are connected on one side to frame 62 and on the other side to frame 64 . frame 64 is part of structural - frame 48 a ( see fig5 a for a broad view of the position of 48 a within frames 48 ). following the pulling movement , motor 54 via gear and chains system 60 , moves frame 62 in the direction of frame 64 , thus relaxing the stretched mono - filament knit fabric sheets 50 . by repeated stretching and relaxing some of the biomass that builds on the knit fabric sheets 50 is removed to the surrounding water , enabling renewed biomass development on the surfaces cleared from excess biomass . the stretching - relaxing movements are timed to occur by a programmed logic controller ( plc , not shown in the fig .) that controls motor 54 . the stretching - relaxing timing is set in accordance with the development of biomass on knit fabric sheets 50 . fig7 shows a side view of water treatment device 10 floating on a to - be - treated body of water 12 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the device comprises a propeller aeration device 14 and a biomass - carrying system 16 , each having a separate floatation system . the two flotation systems are designated 16 a and 16 b , respectively . bio - carrier system 16 is constructed of sheet - form bio - carrying elements 30 and connected to floatation system 18 b , comprising cylinder - shaped floating elements 20 . propeller aeration device 14 is connected to floatation system 18 a , comprising cylinder - shaped floating elements 20 . propeller 42 is rotated by a shaft 44 , driven by an electric motor 46 , positioned and fixed - in - place on partially submerged structural - frame 13 . propeller 42 is rotated in the direction that steers water from the surface of the body of the water towards the propeller , at rotational speed that causes oxygen enriched water to stream through the spaces between bio - carrier elements 30 . the stream of water with air bubbles is indicated by flow - arrows , numbered collectively 66 . two cables 26 stabilize treatment device 10 in the water by being connected to an anchoring position 68 on the bank of the water body . one of two cables 26 supports electricity cord 28 that extends between motor 46 and an electricity source on the bank of water body 12 . flotation systems 18 a and 18 b are closely associated and are connected together by either a fixed - in - place , connection - fixtures 70 , or alternatively , by reversibly connected connection - fixtures 70 that can be easily connected and disconnected at will . flotation systems 18 a and 18 b are shown anchored by anchors 72 to the bottom of water body 12 fig8 shows a side view of water treatment device 10 floating on a to - be - treated body of water 12 , in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention . the device comprises : an aeration device 14 constructed of diffuser elements 32 , a bio - carrier system 16 constructed of sheet - form bio - carrying elements 30 and two floatation systems , designated 18 a and 18 b . the floatation systems comprises cylinder - shaped floating elements 20 . aeration device 14 is kept afloat by being connected to floatation system 18 a . submerged biomass - carrying system 16 is kept afloat by being connected to flotation system 18 b . flotation systems 18 a and 18 b are closely associated and are connected together by either a fixed - in - place connection - fixtures 70 , or alternatively , by reversibly connected connection fixtures 70 that can be easily connected and disconnected , at will . flotation systems 18 a and 18 b are shown anchored by anchors 72 to the bottom of water body 12 . the two cables 26 stabilize treatment device 10 in the water by being connected to an anchoring position 68 on the bank of the water body . one of two cables 26 supports air tube 24 which extends between aeration device 14 and an air - blower or air compressor 22 , positioned on dry land and supplies aeration device 14 with compressed air . the second cable 26 is shown connected to stabilizing pole 76 in the biomass - carrier system 16 . aeration device 14 is shown with two branched sets of diffuser elements 32 extending from a central - distribution air pipe 52 . taps 74 enables the shutting and regulating the flow of air through diffuser elements 32 . biomass - carrier system 16 is deployed in conjunction with aeration device 14 , having air bubbles from diffuser elements 32 that are positioned below the biomass - carrier system 16 rise towards the surface of the water through the gaps between sheet - form bio - carrying elements 30 . when the two branched sets of diffuser elements are deployed aeration device 14 can supply aeration simultaneously to two biomass - carrier systems . it should be clear that the description of the embodiments and attached figures set forth in this specification serves only for a better understanding of the invention , without limiting its scope . it should also be clear that a person skilled in the art , after reading the present specification could make adjustments or amendments to the attached figures and above described embodiments that would still be covered by the present invention .	8
throughout this description , equivalent parts as illustrated in the figures will be identified only once in each figure . furthermore , in the present description only the essential and innovative components of the machine will be detailed , since other components , structures and features are generally already known in the art , from the above mentioned references or from classical mechanical projects for machine building in general . in fig1 and 2 , one can notice that the modulating machine for extraction and recovery of oil object of this invention consists of a basic or chassis structure ( 1 ), in which lower portion there is an installed transmission set formed by pulleys ( 2 ) and serrated chains or belts ( 3 ) operated by a motor ( 4 ). that set transmits by means of axis ( 5 ) movement to a range of pulleys and chains ( which are illustrated and described below ), which re - transmit such movement to other pulleys providing for movement to the supporting axes ( 8 ). over said supporting axes ( 8 ), there areserrated disks ( 9 ) responsible for the extraction of citrus oil from fruit . besides the rotational movement , said supporting axes ( 8 ) are provided with alternated axial movement , by means of an operation set ( 10 ) interconnected to a motor reducing set . said sets are connected to the piston rods ( 11 ) which transmit alternated movement to the handles ( 12 ), which are alternatively connected to the ends ( 13 ) of said supporting axes ( 8 ). details of that connection are better viewed on fig1 , as described below . all pulleys and chains mentioned above can be substituted with similar elements to perform the same function , such as serrated wheels , serrated belts or similar . the whole set of supporting axes ( 8 ) with disks ( 9 ) is located over the emulsion tank ( 15 ), laterally equipped with collectors ( 16 ) for eventual emulsion leakage through the bearings ( 40 ) of said supporting axes ( 8 ). it must be stressed that said rotation - bearing means ( 40 ), in contrast with the machines known in the art , are located outside the emulsion tank ( 15 ), thus avoiding any kind of contamination of the citrus oil extracted by the machine . fig3 shows an upper view of the emulsion tank ( 15 ), which consists of two contiguous cells ( 15 a ) and ( 15 b ) provided with inclination towards their corresponding longitudinal axes ( 15 c ) and ( 15 d ), alongside which sets of spraying nozzles ( 17 ) are appropriately positioned . said tank is surrounded by side walls to form a kind of tub to retain the collected water - citrus oil mix inside it and keep the discharge feeding outlets ( 15 g ) and ( 15 h ). on its side , lateral collectors for emulsion leakage ( 16 ) and ( 16 ′) can be seen , and the spillway ( 30 ) on the rear side . on fig4 , one can observe that said emulsion tank ( 15 ) has a slight inclination “ α ” towards the spillway ( 30 ) and the water - citrus oil emulsion collector . fig5 shows the emulsion tank ( 15 ), stressing the supporting axis ( 8 ). it can be seen that said emulsion tank ( 15 ) is supported on its center over a structure ( 19 ) and has a bottom with inclination “ β ” towards its longitudinal axis and cleaning discharge ( 15 g ). the sealing set ( 20 ) of said supporting axes ( 8 ) is separate for each axis and allows for quick substitution with no need to disassemble the bearing . this is done thanks to its structure incorporating , as detailed on fig6 on the internal side , a squeezing flange ( 21 ) on the base of the valve gland ( 22 ) and , on the external side , a sealing gasket ( 23 ) followed by a support plate ( 24 ) sandwiched between two restriction plates ( 25 ) and ( 25 ′) and two lateral closing joints ( 26 ) and ( 26 ′). these elements are rigidly fixed face to face by means of sets of bolts , screws and gaskets ( 27 ) and ( 27 ′) located on their ends . said valve gland is fixed by its most external end by means of a screw ( 28 ). on fig5 , it is shown that mentioned collector ( 16 ) has a pipe ( 18 ) on its bottom to transfer emulsion eventually leaking through said sealing set ( 20 ). fig7 shows the spillway ( 30 ) equipped with “ v ”- shaped cut - outs ( 31 ) through which the water - citrus oil emulsion will drop towards the collecting and transfer box . dimensions and quantity of cut - outs on the spillway will depend on specific characteristics of the machine project , such as capacity and flow . fig8 shows a section view of a bearing ( 40 ) of the supporting axes ( 8 ) of disks ( 9 ), representing rotation - bearing means . said bearing ( 40 ) is of the linear - rotatory kind and comprises a chuck ( 41 ), eventually made of bronze , equipped with graphite blades ( 42 ), internally mounted over a self - aligning roll ( 43 ) located inside the base ( 44 ). fig9 shows the set for rotational movement of the supporting axes ( 8 ), including a series of modules ( 50 ) comprising a pair of pulleys ( 51 ) and ( 52 ) assembled over the corresponding supporting axes ( 8 ) and ( 8 ′), which are operated by means of a chain or belt ( 53 ). said supporting axes ( 8 ) and ( 8 ′) are axially operated by means of handles ( 54 ) and ( 55 ) mounted over a lateral axis ( 56 ). the quantity of modules ( 50 ) existing in the machine object of the invention will only depend on the dimensional characteristics of the project . fig1 shows in further detail the handle ( 12 ) rod ( 11 ) set for axial operation of the supporting axis ( 8 ), where it can be seen that the connection with said elements is made by the end ( 13 ) of said supporting axis ( 8 ). the set is moved by a motor reductor ( 14 ) and an operation device consisting of a pulley ( 10 ) to which a pair of rods ( 11 ) is connected . fig1 and 12 show the disk cleaning set ( 9 ). such set consists of a transversal structure ( 60 ) laterally supported by pulleys ( 61 ) and ( 62 ), with a fruit removal bar ( 63 ) articulated therewith in a suspended fashion . said structure ( 60 ) supports a series of spraying nozzles ( 64 ) used to clean said disks ( 9 ). the cleaning set is located above the disk ( 9 ) axes ( 8 ) and is provided with lengthwise movement , following the natural flow of fruit . this set has the purpose to remove the remaining fruit over the disks ( 9 ), when the fruit feed is interrupted , and simultaneously promotes the displacement of the spraying nozzle set ( 64 ), simultaneously cleaning the mentioned disks ( 9 ) by the action both of water jet pressure from the nozzles and the disk rotation . the cleaning water feed can be made by means of a flexible hose with high - pressure joint and provided with a degree of liberty for rotation . fig1 a , 13 b and 13 c show the fruit washing and cleaning unit . such washer / drier is mounted over a supporting structure ( 70 ) and consists of a feeding slope ( 71 ) for fruit which just passed by the disks ( 9 ), which are thrown over a first set of grooved rolls ( 72 ), over which a structure ( 73 ) supporting a set of spraying nozzle set ( 74 ) is located . the purpose of this first set of grooved rolls ( 72 ) is to provide for washing of the fruit from which the essential oil has been extracted , removing the still remaining oil over its surface . by means of a sequence of said grooved rolls ( 72 ), a second set of flat rolls ( 76 ), which have the purpose to dry the fruit surface immediately upon washing by the first set of rolls . the fruit then dried are discharged over the slope ( 77 ). both the first ( 72 ) and the second ( 76 ) sets of rolls are located inside a collecting tub ( 78 ) provided with emulsion discharge pipes ( 79 ). also , both the first ( 72 ) and second ( 76 ) roll sets are provided with rotational movement as offered by a motor reductor set ( 100 ) and chains ( 81 ). fig1 shows the scheme of the automatic lubrication system of the machine . the lubrication system developed for the machine has the main purpose of providing for the application of oil and grease at specific points , with flow and time intervals duly regulated to guarantee the machine operation within ideal lubrication standards . the lubrication system includes therefore a lubricant command / pumping / tank frame ( 80 ). from that frame ( 80 ), specifically from the lubricant tanks , two pumps send oil and grease , respectively , to a central distributor ( 81 ). a timer circuit operates said oil and grease pumps , while the lubricant level in the tanks is sensed for replenishment . through appropriate sets of pipes ( 82 ), ( 83 ) and ( 84 ), oil and grease are sent to a number of controlled flow distributors ( 85 ), ( 86 ), ( 87 ) and ( 88 ), from which they are sent to the application points , such as bearings , chains and others . said distributors have holes with calibrated diameter for flow control in as many lubrication points . it can be seen that said controlled flow distributors ( 85 ), ( 86 ), ( 87 ) and ( 88 ) are strategically located around the emulsion tank ( 15 ). it can also be seen that each controlled flow distributor for the sets ( 85 ), ( 86 ), ( 87 ) and ( 88 ) has a specific connection to the central distributor ( 81 ) through the corresponding pipes ( 82 ), ( 83 ) and ( 84 ). however , special pipes ( 89 ) equipped with derivation blocks ( 89 ′) and ( 89 ″) feed a controlled flow distributor ( 90 ) installed to make the lubrication of elements from the fruit washing and drying unit ( 78 ). this lubrication system therefore allows increasing the working life of the machine object of the invention , while reducing the frequency of maintenance and lubricant consumption .	2
as previously discussed , the present subject matter is particularly concerned with sensing magnetic fields in the proximity of a utility meter . the magnetic field sensing technology is adjustable to allow fine tuning of the sensing technology to compensate for variations in the level of ambient electromagnetic energy surrounding utility meters installed in different electromagnetic environments . it should be noted that each of the exemplary embodiments presented and discussed herein should not insinuate limitations of the present subject matter . features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used in combination with aspects of another embodiment to yield yet further embodiments . additionally , certain features may be interchanged with similar devices or features not expressly mentioned which perform the same or similar function . reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the subject interactive utility system . referring now to the drawings , fig1 provides a block diagram illustration of an exemplary magnetic field sensing apparatus 10 wherein the sensitivity of the magnetic field sensor 12 is adjustable . one example of a magnetic field sensor in accordance with the present subject matter is a hall cell device . the magnetic field sensor may be connected to a processor 14 . for solid state or hybrid utility meters , processor 14 may be the microprocessor that controls the meter operation . alternatively , in either solid state , electromechanical , or solid state / electromechanical hybrid ( hereafter referred to as a hybrid utility meter ) utility meters , processor 14 may be an application specific processor dedicated to monitoring and communicating with a magnetic field sensor . processor 14 may also be connected to transmitter / receiver technology 16 for communicating with a remote location . communications among utility meters and other devices in a utility system can be implemented using various technologies that are well known in the art . both processor 14 and transmitter / receiver technology 16 may be incorporated within a utility meter 17 . utility meter 17 may be either a solid state meter , electromechanical meter , or hybrid utility meter . in one preferred embodiment of the present magnetic field sensing technology , the sensitivity of the magnetic field sensor 12 may be either locally or remotely adjusted . local adjustments would preferably be implemented using a hand held computing device capable of wired or wireless communication with a utility meter . for example , wired communications could be conducted over an optical port . optical ports and related communication protocols are common to utility meters and such technology is well known in the art . in an exemplary embodiment , commands may be sent over the optical port to processor 14 and processor 14 would adjust the sensitivity of the magnetic field sensor . in the alternative , local magnetic field sensor sensitivity adjustments may be performed manually . such adjustment , for example , may involve manually changing a magnetic field sensor sensitivity adjustment mechanism . the magnetic field sensor sensitivity may also be adjusted remotely via a computing device at a remote location . in such embodiment of the present technology , magnetic field sensor adjustment commands are sent to the processor ( 14 ) from a remote location . the processor ( 14 ) would then make the necessary magnetic field sensitivity adjustments . in this embodiment of the present technology , when a magnetic field sensor is subjected to a magnetic field of sufficient strength , depending on the sensitivity setting , the magnetic sensor activates . notably , if a plurality of magnetic field sensors are used , each magnetic field sensor may have a unique sensitivity setting . for example , if four magnetic field sensors are used , then the first sensor may have a sensitivity of x , the second sensor a sensitivity of 2x , a third sensor a sensitivity of 3x and a fourth sensor a sensitivity of 4x . now suppose two magnetic field events are recorded , call them event one and event two . during event one , only the first sensor and second sensor are activated . during event two , assume all four sensors were activated . under these conditions , it is likely that the magnetic field detected during event two was at least twice as strong as the magnetic field detected during event one . another advantage of using a plurality of magnetic field sensors would be enhancing the ability of detecting magnetic fields in three - dimensions . for example , consider the commonly known representation for three - dimensional space configured by respective x , y , and z axes . a first magnetic field sensor could be orientated in a manner to optimize detecting magnetic fields along the x axis , a second magnetic field sensor could be orientated in a manner to optimize detecting magnetic fields along the y axis , and a third magnetic sensor could be orientated in a manner to optimize detecting magnetic fields along the z axis . referring still to the exemplary embodiment of fig1 , processor 14 , monitors the output of each magnetic field sensor 12 , detects the magnetic field sensor activation event and records magnetic field sensor activation related data . magnetic field sensor activation related data may include the time , date , field strength , duration in time of magnetic field sensor activation , to name only a few . once a magnetic field sensor activation event is detected and related data is recorded , the processor 14 may initiate communication with a computer at a remote location to report the event . alternatively , processor 14 could report the magnetic field sensor activation related data during normally scheduled communications , such as would be common among amr equipped utility meters . with reference to another exemplary embodiment of the disclosed technology , fig2 provides a block diagram of a magnetic field sensing apparatus 18 with an adjustable threshold circuit . in this embodiment , the output of magnetic field sensor 20 , such as a hall cell , is connected to the input of an adjustable threshold circuit 22 . the output of the adjustable threshold circuit 22 is connected to processor 14 . the processor 14 is also connected to an adjustable threshold circuit adjustment mechanism 26 . in addition , the processor 14 is also connected to transmitter / receiver technology 16 . as described above , the transmitter / receiver technology is well known in the art . it will be appreciated that fig2 shows only one exemplary magnetic field sensor and one exemplary adjustable threshold circuit . a plurality of magnetic field sensors could be used and connected into a single adjustable threshold circuit without departing from the scope of this technology . likewise , a plurality of magnetic field sensors may be connected to a plurality of adjustable threshold circuits . preferably , the output level of the magnetic field sensor 20 would be a function of the magnetic field being sensed . for example , the stronger the magnetic field around the magnetic field sensor 20 , the greater the output voltage 30 of the magnetic field sensor 20 . for this exemplary embodiment , when the output voltage 30 of a magnetic field sensor 20 exceeds the threshold voltage 32 inputted to comparator 34 , the comparator output 36 would change states generating a magnetic event signal . it will be appreciated that other embodiments of the adjustable threshold circuit ( such as logic devices other than comparators ) may be used without departing from the scope of this technology . processor 14 may also be connected to transmitter / receiver technology 16 for communicating with a remote location . communications among utility meters and other devices in a utility system can be implemented using various technologies that are well known in the art . the processor 14 , preferably monitors the output of each adjustable threshold circuit . when a magnetic event signal is detected , the processor 14 records magnetic event signal related data . magnetic event signal related data may include the time , date , field strength , duration in time of magnetic field sensor activation , and the threshold level , to name only a few . once a magnetic event signal is detected and related data recorded , the processor 14 may initiate communication with a computer at a remote location to report the event . alternatively , the processor 14 may report the magnetic event related data during normally scheduled communications , such as would be common among amr equipped utility meters . in one preferred embodiment of the present magnetic field sensing technology , the sensitivity of adjustable threshold circuit 22 may be either locally or remotely adjusted . local adjustments would preferably be implemented using a hand held computing device wired or wirelessly interfaced to a utility meter port , such as an optical port . optical ports and related communication protocols are common to utility meters and such technology is well known in the art . in an exemplary embodiment , commands may be sent over the optical port to the processor 14 and the processor 14 would adjust the sensitivity of adjustable threshold circuit 22 . an exemplary adjustable threshold circuit 22 shown in fig2 comprises a comparator with a programmable power source ( the threshold voltage ) connected to the inverting input of a comparator 34 . a sensor output 30 is connected to the non - inverting input of the comparator 34 . when the sensor 30 output voltage exceeds the threshold voltage , the comparator output 36 changes states , signaling the detection of a magnetic event . in the alternative , local adjustable threshold circuit adjustments may be performed manually . such adjustments , for example , may involve manually changing a threshold adjustment mechanism , such as turning a potentiometer . the sensitivity of adjustable threshold circuit 22 may also be adjusted remotely via a computing device at a remote location . in this embodiment of the present technology , adjustable threshold circuit adjustment commands are sent to the processor 14 from a remote location . the processor 14 would then make the necessary threshold adjustments . when a plurality of magnetic field sensors are used , each sensor may have a unique threshold adjustment . as stated above with regards to fig1 , an advantage of using a plurality of magnetic field sensors would be enhancing the ability of detecting magnetic fields in three - dimensions . with further references to the exemplary embodiments of the disclosed technology , fig3 a and fig3 b provide an illustration of the front view 40 and side view 44 of a utility meter with a plurality of magnetic field sensors ( 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 ) located a various exemplary points within a utility meter . referring now to fig4 , an exemplary magnetic field detecting apparatus 50 with a sensor output monitor 52 that may be used to adjust the selectivity of magnetic field detecting apparatus 50 . for such embodiment of the disclosed technology , the sensitivity of magnetic field sensors 46 - 49 , respectively , may or may not be adjustable . preferably , the outputs 56 a - 56 d , respectively , of each magnetic field sensor is connected to a sensor output monitor 52 . the sensor output monitor is preferably connected to a processor 14 , which may be connected to transmitter / receiver technology 16 . output monitor 52 may also be incorporated within processor 14 . the sensor output monitor 52 monitors the output of each magnetic field sensor 56 a - 56 d . when a minimum number of magnetic field sensors have been activated , the sensor output monitor 52 generates a magnetic event signal 58 . for example , as is well known by those of ordinary skill in the art , some meter designs allow activation of alternate modes of operation via activation of a magnetic switch . a technician may uses a hand - held magnetic to activate such alternate modes of meter operation . such technician related activities do not represent a magnetic field meter tamper event . now suppose four magnetic field sensors ( 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 ) are positioned inside utility meter 17 ( as shown in fig3 a ) and that activation of magnetic field sensor 46 evokes an alternative mode of operation . the sensor output monitor 52 may be programmed so that a magnetic event signal is generated only when the magnetic field sensors activated include sensor 49 and sensor 47 . thus , a magnetic field that activates only magnetic field sensor 46 would not result in a magnetic event signal being generated . a magnetic field that activates sensor 46 , sensor 47 and sensor 49 would result in a magnetic event signal being generated . that is , such a signal is generated when a programmable number of substantially simultaneously magnetic field sensor device activations is detected from , for example , sensors 46 , 47 , and 49 . preferably , the processor 14 detects when the sensor output monitor 52 generates a magnetic event signal . when a magnetic event signal is detected , the processor 14 records magnetic event signal related data . magnetic event signal related data may include the time , date , field strength , duration in time of magnetic field sensor activation , the threshold level ( if any ), to name only a few . once a magnetic event signal is detected and related data recorded , the processor 14 may initiate communications with a computer at a remote location to report the event . alternatively , the processor 14 may report the magnetic event related data during normally scheduled communications , such as would be common among amr equipped utility meters . in one preferred embodiment of the present magnetic field sensing technology , the sensor output monitor 52 is programmable or adjustable to facilitate changes in the selectivity parameter of the present technology . such selectivity adjustments / reprogramming may be performed either locally or remotely . local adjustments would preferably be implemented using a hand held computing device capable of communicating with a utility meter , such as communications over an optical port . optical ports and related communication protocols are common to utility meters and such technology is well known in the art . in an exemplary embodiment , commands may be sent over the optical port to the processor 14 and the processor 14 would adjust or reprogram the selectivity of the sensor output monitor 52 . alternatively , local hardware selectivity adjustments may be performed manually . such adjustments , for example , may involve changing the states of a hardware switch . the the selectivity of sensor output monitor 52 may also be adjusted remotely via a computing device at a remote location . in such embodiment of the present technology , adjustment / reprogramming commands for sensor output monitor 52 are sent to the processor 14 within the utility meter from a remote location . the processor 14 would then make the necessary adjustments or implement the necessary reprogramming steps . as before , a plurality of magnetic field sensors may be used , each sensor having a unique threshold adjustment . for example , magnetic field sensor 46 , shown in fig3 a , could be a plurality of magnetic field sensors . this cluster of magnetic field sensors could be in the general location of magnetic field sensor 46 shown in fig3 a . while the present subject matter has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments thereof , it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art , upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing may readily produce alterations to , variations of , and equivalents to such embodiments . accordingly , the scope of the present disclosure is by way of example rather than by way of limitation , and the subject disclosure does not preclude inclusion of such modifications , variations and / or additions to the present subject matter as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art .	6
referring to fig1 through 5 of the drawings , the endless belt seed - sorting apparatus of the present invention is referenced generally as 10 and such is essentially situated within overall welded box - type suspension frame assembly 12 . the assembly endless belt conveyor sub - assembly 14 has an inlet end 16 adjacent to feed hopper 18 and a first discharge chute 20 positioned adjacent to conveyor trash discharge end 22 the apparatus endless belt is designated 24 . endless belt 24 is supported by end rollers 26 and 28 each mounted in a pair of opposed pillow blocks 30 attached to and carried by conveyor sub - assembly spaced - apart support beams 32 . a shield or guard 34 extends along the rear longitudinal edge of conveyor sub - assembly 14 to prevent seed and other materials from falling off the rear side of the conveyor . a second discharge chute 36 is mounted adjacent the front edge of conveyor 14 to receive seed that have been sorted out for subsequent delivery to a customer or customers . a plurality of separator or cut - out blocks 38 divide second discharge chute 36 into sections to enable the sorted seeds to be graded according to different degrees of quality , if desired . receiving containers ( not shown ) are positioned beneath second discharge chute 36 . referring particularly to fig2 and 3 , conveyor sub - assembly 14 is driven by an electric motor 42 connected to a drive pulley 44 by belt 46 . a small pulley 48 is mounted on the same shaft as pulley 44 which acts as a speed reducer . pulley 48 drives a pulley 50 that is driven by belt 52 . pulley 50 is affixed to the shaft of conveyor discharge - end roller 26 . during normal operation of apparatus 10 the back longitudinal edge of conveyor assembly 12 adjacent to shield 34 is elevated with respect to the front longitudinal edge of endless belt 24 adjacent to second discharge chute 36 . a manually - operated transverse ( lateral ) tilt adjustment mechanism 60 is provided for operation to accomplish changing the elevation of the conveyor sub - assembly back edge relative to the uppermost edge of second discharge chute 36 . referring to fig3 through 5 , conveyor beam members 32 are joined to transverse frame element 62 , 64 , and a pair of parallel bars 66 . bars 66 extend between the bottom surfaces of conveyor frame beams 32 to just above the transverse frame members 62 , 64 . transverse frame members 62 , 64 are pivotally attached to an upper longitudinal frame member 70 by pivot connections 72 and 74 , respectively . upper longitudinal frame member 70 is pivotally connected to bottom longitudinal frame member 76 through a pivot connection 78 to enable the discharge end 22 of conveyor sub - assembly 14 to be adjustably elevated with respect to the inlet end 16 as will be described in detail below . transverse tilt adjustment mechanism 60 incorporates an adjustment wheel 82 which when rotated drives threaded shaft 84 by means of a chain and sprocket assembly 86 . threaded shaft 84 is mounted within a threaded bore of a cross member 88 which extends beneath and engages the parallel bars 66 which extend between conveyor frame members 30 , 32 as stated above . a pair of transverse elevation links 90 , 92 are pivotally attached at one end to cross member 88 and are pivotally attached at the other end to the upper longitudinal frame member 70 . rotation of manually - operated adjustment wheel 82 and threaded shaft 84 cause cross member 88 to slide along the bottom of bars 66 to thereby elevate or lower the back longitudinal edge of conveyor sub - assembly 14 with respect to the opposite front longitudinal edge . as mentioned previously , in normal operation of seed sorting apparatus assembly 10 the back longitudinal edge of conveyor sub - assembly 14 is elevated with respect to the front longitudinal edge . it may be observed that the load carried by cross member 88 is primarily transferred to transverse elevation links 90 , 92 which in turn carry the load to upper longitudinal frame member 70 . the degree of elevation inputted to the rear longitudinal edge of conveyor sub - assembly 14 relative to the front longitudinal edge is determined by the nature of the food - stuff seed material to be sorted . as previously noted , normal operation of seed sorting apparatus 10 also involves elevating discharge end 22 of conveyor sub - assembly 14 relative to inlet end 16 . elevation adjustment of discharge end 22 is accomplished by a horizontal adjustment mechanism 100 . longitudinal tilt adjustment mechanism 100 utilizes a manually - operated longitudinal tilt adjustment wheel 102 to drive a longitudinally extending threaded screw 104 through a chain and sprocket mechanism 106 . threaded screw 104 is connected to a transverse cross member 108 having guide pins 110 , 112 mounted at opposite ends thereof . guide pins 110 , 112 are captured in guide rails 114 , 116 mounted on opposite sides at the discharge end of lower longitudinal elevation frame member 76 . a pair of longitudinal elevation links 118 , 119 are pivotally connected at one end to transverse cross member 108 , and are pivotally connected at the other end to opposite sides of upper longitudinal frame member 70 adjacent discharge end 22 . thus , as longitudinal tilt adjustment wheel 102 and screw 104 are rotated , transverse cross member 108 is reciprocated within guide rails 114 , 116 to thereby extend or retract longitudinal elevation links 118 , 119 . movement of longitudinal elevation links 118 , 119 causes the discharge end of upper longitudinal frame member 70 to be raised or lowered as the case may be . as mentioned above , during conventional operation of sorting machine 10 the discharge end 22 of conveyor sub - assembly 14 must be elevated relative to inlet end 16 . the degree of elevation inputted to the discharge end of conveyor sub - assembly 14 relative to the inlet end is determined by the nature of the seed material to be sorted . lower longitudinal frame member 76 rests upon a pair of spaced - apart parallel lateral suspension frame elements 120 , 122 . each end of the transverse suspension frame element 120 , 122 is connected to one end of a pair of upper transverse suspension frame members 124 , 126 by cable elements 128 through 134 attached to a u - bolt at one end thereof and to an s - hook mounted in a u - bolt at the opposite end thereof . in this manner , upper and lower longitudinal frame members 70 , 76 which support conveyor sub - assembly 14 including transverse tilt adjustment mechanism 60 and longitudinal adjustment mechanism 100 are freely suspended to allow limited , generally lateral planar movement of those components . an orbital platform drive mechanism 140 is attached to the lower extreme of box frame 12 to cause limited orbital ( i . e ., circular , elliptical , etc .) movement of lower longitudinal frame member 76 and the many apparatus component parts that it supports . orbital drive mechanism 140 utilizes an electric gear reduction motor assembly 142 which drives a beveled gear assembly 144 . beveled gear assembly 144 has a vertical output shaft 146 which is rigidly connected to a weighted plate element 148 . ( see fig5 ). a slidable orbit adjustment mechanism 150 movable within a slot 152 formed in weighted plate 148 and another slot 154 within plate element 156 rigidly affixed to the lower surface of lower longitudinal frame member 76 serves to connect the two elements . sliding adjustment mechanism 150 with the slot elements 152 and 154 changes the radial distance from vertical output shaft 146 of beveled gear assembly 144 and the connection to longitudinal frame member 76 . by changing this distance , movement in a desired orbital path may be imposed to upper and lower longitudinal frame members 70 , 76 and to conveyor sub - assembly 14 and its longitudinally moving endless belt 24 when electric gear reduction motor 142 is operated . preparation of seed sorting apparatus assembly 10 for operation commences with operating transverse tilt adjustment mechanism 60 by manually rotating adjustment wheel 82 and threaded shaft 84 to thereby properly set the height of rear longitudinal edge of conveyor sub - assembly 14 relative to the conveyor front longitudinal edge . for the purpose of sorting out “ premium ” soy beans from a conventional food - stuff supply of harvested soy beans i prefer utilization of a conveyor belt transverse angle of downward tilt of approximately 3½ °. thereafter , longitudinal tilt adjustment mechanism 100 is manually operated by rotating adjustment wheel 102 and screw element 104 to thereby properly adjust the height of the discharge end 22 of conveyor sub - assembly 14 relative to inlet end 16 . again , and for the purpose of sorting out “ premium ” soy beans from a conventional food - stuff supply of harvested soy beans , i prefer utilization of a conveyor belt longitudinal argle of upward tilt of approximately 4¼ °. referring to fig1 , after making the desired transverse and longitudinal tilt adjustments , the rear longitudinal edge of conveyor sub - assembly 14 will be at a higher level than the conveyor front longitudinal edge adjacent second discharge ramp 36 . additionally , the discharge end of conveyor sub - assembly 14 will be raised relative to inlet end 16 and feed hopper 18 . also , and with respect to the sorting out of “ premium ” soy beans from a conventional supply of harvested soy bean feed - stuff , i prefer a sorting apparatus orbital movement diameter of approximately 3 % inches , an orbital speed of rotation of approximately 70 to 80 revolutions per minute , and an endless belt longitudinal velocity of approximately 85 feet per minute . under these operating conditions , and utilizing an endless conveyor belt that is approximately 7 . 5 feet end to end , the rate of product throughput for apparatus 10 was approximately 3 , 000 pounds of dry soy bean food - stuff per hour . with respect to sorting out other types of beans of larger size than soy beans , i prefer to utilize smaller angles of endless belt transverse tilt , larger orbital movement diameters , and lower orbital speeds of rotation . in fig6 i schematically illustrate an alternate embodiment of the invention seed sorting endless belt conveyor apparatus . the alternate embodiment is identified generally by reference number 200 . elements corresponding to those of the preferred embodiment are identified by the previously utilized reference numerals . the principal difference between apparatus assembly 10 and apparatus assembly 200 resides in the design of the suspension which facilitates orbital movement of upper and lower longitudinal frame members 70 , 76 as a result of operating platform drive mechanism 140 . sorting apparatus 200 utilizes a plurality ( i . e ., 3 or more ) of extended coil springs 202 that are mounted on a weldment - type base frame 204 and that support resiliently mounted , co - operating cross members 206 and 208 . such coil springs have sufficient stiffness in toto to adequately support the apparatus structure carried by cross member 206 and 208 , yet are not so rigid as to as to be lacking columnar flexibility that facilitates orbital displacement of the uppermost ends of the coil springs . operation of the transverse tilt adjustment mechanism 60 and longitudinal tilt adjustment mechanism 100 is identical to the operation of those elements in machine preferred embodiment 10 . similarly , the connection of orbital drive mechanism 140 to the lower longitudinal frame member 76 is the same as in apparatus embodiment 10 . additionally , when orbital drive mechanism 140 is operated both longitudinal frame members 70 and 76 as well as conveyor sub - assembly 14 orbit laterally in the same manner as the like elements of the seed sorting endless belt conveyor apparatus 10 of fig1 through 5 . overall , during operation of the invention apparatus “ visually ” truly spherical soy beans of the preferred premium grade when dumped from feed hopper 18 onto endless conveyor belt 24 quickly roll to the front longitudinal edge of conveyor sub - assembly 14 and onto discharge ramp 36 at the discharge ramp first cut - out zone . soy beans with less sphericity roll less rapidly toward the conveyor sub - assembly front longitudinal edge and as a result roll into one of the ramp element subsequent cut - out zones thus indicating that they are of less than a “ premium ” grade . the majority of separate bean elements which do not roll onto second discharge ramp 36 will be carried by endless belt 24 along with other trash to conveyor discharge end 22 and onto first discharge chute 20 . the purpose of superimposing an orbital movement upon the longitudinal movement of endless belt 24 is to quickly insure that all surfaces of the beans or other materials being sorted are more thoroughly examined both for sphericity and for the lack of it as by the presence of flat spots , indentations , etc . imparting an additional orbital movement too the examined items in addition to the conveyor endless belt longitudinal movement ensures that virtually all surfaces of the items being sorted will be checked . also , i have discovered that the imposition of orbital motion upon the conveyor endless belt longitudinal motion significantly facilitates the efficient operation of equipment 10 at higher rates of product throughput . various changes may be made to the size , shape , and relative proportions of the invention elements described herein without departing from the meaning , scope , or intent of the claims which follow .	1
referring now to fig1 and 2 there is shown a laser imaging system incorporating the present invention . as shown , laser imaging system 10 is a subsystem of a laser imager such as a laser imager for producing medical images on photothermographic film . in such a laser imager , a digital medical image is reproduced on heat developable photothermographic film fed onto a curved platen . after exposure , the exposed film is brought into contact with a rotating heated drum which thermally develops the exposed film . the film is then cooled and output to a user for diagnostic applications . laser imaging system 10 includes a rectangular frame 12 , an internal drum laser scanner assembly including concave , curved platen 14 , translation assembly 16 and optics assembly 18 . optics assembly 18 is mounted by translation assembly 16 which is mounted on platen 14 . platen 14 and assemblies 16 and 18 are supported by cables 22 from frame 12 . in operation , unexposed film is fed onto platen 14 , and once properly positioned on platen 14 , the film is exposed in a raster pattern by a rotating laser beam produced by optics assembly 18 which scans the film in consecutive lines as the optics assembly 18 is translated along the length of the film by translation assembly 16 . translation assembly 16 is moved in the direction of arrow 20 . [ 0027 ] fig2 shows the cable 22 connections to frame 12 as being presented in greater detail in fig5 and 6 . [ 0028 ] fig3 is an isometric view of the frame 12 and platen 14 without assemblies 16 and 18 to more clearly show the isolation system of the present invention . as shown , frame 12 is in the form of an open rectangular box - like configuration including upper members 24 , 26 , 28 , 30 , side members 32 , 34 , 36 , 38 and bottom members 40 , 42 , ( and others not shown ). platen 14 is suspended from frame 12 by cables 22 . ( see fig4 ). as shown more clearly in fig5 each cable 22 is connected to platen 14 by a compression spring 50 , coiled about support 52 on the bottom end 54 of cable 22 . platen tab 56 , grommet 58 and cable button 60 complete the connection system . when platen 14 is supported , spring 50 is compressed between tab 56 and button 60 as a function of the compressibility of the spring and the weight of the platen and other assemblies supported by the individual cable 22 . as shown in fig6 the upper end 62 of cable 22 is supported from a frame member , such as , member 28 , by button 64 secured to the end of cable 22 . button 64 is threaded through keyhole 66 in member 28 . the purpose of the isolation system according to the present invention is to protect the imaging assembly from external vibration sources during the imaging process . variation in the placement of the scan lines must be controlled very tightly to avoid banding artifacts . vibration sources can effectively produce these same artifacts by exciting natural frequencies of the systems within the imaging assembly . more abrupt or short term sources , such as shock , can cause more visible artifacts at a given location on the film . therefore to effectively manage the performance of the imaging assembly , vibration sources must be controlled . there are three options to controlling shock and vibration which include reducing the magnitude of the source , isolating either the source or the equipment where the response is measured , or by reducing the magnitude of the response . numerous methods can be used to achieve these goals according to the invention there is used a combination of isolation along with alteration of the response frequencies . isolating involves building a system between the source and the sensitive equipment to protect the system while the magnitude of the response is altered by adjusting the natural frequency of the system or various components . in particular this last methodology was used in the design of the platen 14 to stiffen the platen structure and drive its natural frequency as high as possible given the material and geometry constraints . as described , the isolation system design according to the invention is composed of suspension cables 22 and springs 50 to isolate the assembly in the x , y , and z axes . the goal is to lower the natural frequency of the isolation system as much as possible so that the system will effectively be protected from frequencies above that level . since frequencies up to the natural frequency of the system effectively transmit directly into it , the lower the system natural frequency the better because there are less low frequency sources available . for example driving the natural frequency down to a level of 1 hz ( typical of air suspension type systems ) means that the system is isolated from frequencies above approximately 3 hz . since there are very few sources from which signals of 3 hz and below are generated , the probability for success is high . on the other hand if the natural frequency of the system is designed to be 10 hz , any sources from approximately 30 hz and below can cause problems , therefore the system is susceptible to a much broader range of sources . from the absolute transmissibility curves fig7 it is evident that significant attenuation of the input does not occur until approximately a factor of 3ω n , where ω n is the natural frequency of the isolation system . at that point the response magnitude is about one - tenth the level of the input . of course , depending on the sensitivity of the systems involved , further attenuation levels may be required . depending on the magnitude of the input , perhaps an attenuation level of one one - hundredth may be required based on the sensitivity of the system . in that case the natural frequency and damping characteristics would have to be adjusted to account for these magnitudes . in the case of the imaging assembly where even low magnitudes of vibration can present an artifact , image testing must be performed to ensure that the system is sufficiently protected . an alternate method would be to fully characterize the threshold magnitude of the imaging assembly at each frequency and evaluate that against the known input frequency and magnitudes . given this information , the level of isolation could be calculated . this is a bit idealistic given the numerous input levels that would have to be quantified , therefore the target is to design an isolation system with as low a natural frequency as possible and verify the performance through testing . potential external sources of shock or vibration during the imaging process can include the following : structure borne signals ( either in buildings or mobile vans ), inputs from air conditioners , fans , elevators , patient access doors opening and closing , hydraulic lifts , general workflow traffic levels , or from operators impacting the imager . internal vibration sources include fans , electronic noise , and any mechanical sources from equipment operating during imaging like the pick - up assembly , the processor , and the sorter . shipping is also a significant source of shock and vibration but it is handled separately ( such as through lock - downs ) as this is not a source while the machine is imaging . for the in plane isolation , the cable suspension system essentially acts as a pendulum for which the natural frequency is defined by where g is the acceleration of gravity and l is the length of the pendulum or in this case , the cable length . the effective pivot length for this design is approximately 225 mm , therefore ω n = 9 . 806   ( m s 2 ) 0 . 255   ( m ) = 6 . 60  rad s or 6 . 60  rad s * cycle 2   π   ( rad ) = 1 . 0  cycles s = 1 . 0   hz as there are different cable lengths used to balance the center of gravity of the imaging assembly , the shortest effective pivot length was used for this calculation to determine a conservative value for ω n . the balance of the imaging assembly is critical as the system must be positioned such that the feed rollers from the platen are square to the rollers leading to the vertical transport system . therefore different cable lengths were selected such that this was achieved with the carriage at the front of the translation system as this is when the film exits the platen . for the vertical direction , springs 50 are used to isolate the system . for a mass - spring system , the governing equation is where k is the stiffness of the spring , and m is the mass it supports . coupling the spring force equation , with the common mass - acceleration - force equation , f = ma , a relationship for the natural frequency of the system as a function of the spring displacement can be derived as follows : ω n = k m = f / δ   x m = ma / δ   x m = α δ   x = g δ   x thus the natural frequency of the system is primarily dependent on the amount of spring deflection . the deflection for the springs 50 used in the present invention are slightly different due to an uneven weight distribution within the imaging assembly . since the left side is much heavier due to the location of stepper motors and all the transport equipment , the springs on the left - hand side are compressed more than those on the right - hand side . in order for the platen to sit level , the cables on the left - hand side are actually shorter than those on the right hand side ( this will probably be handled differently for designs after fm2 ). as an example , assume the weight of the imaging assembly is 82 lbs . with approximately a 5 . 75 lbs . difference between the left - hand side and the right hand side . the commercial springs used for this application have a free length of 2 . 25 inches , and a spring rate of 24 . 24 lbs ./ in . for the stainless steel material ( p / n 7e8491 ). the nominal deflection of all four springs is : δ spring = ( w imaging 4 ) k spring = ( 82   lbs 4 ) 24 . 24   lbs in = 0 . 846   in = 21 . 5   mm where 4 is the total number of springs supporting the weight of the imaging assembly . to balance off the 5 . 75 lbs . side - to - side difference , the following difference in cable lengths is used : δ cable = offsetweight k spring = 5 . 75   lbs 24 . 24   lbs in = 0 . 237   in = 6   mm therefore the cables on the left - hand side are shortened from nominal by 3 mm while the cables on the right - hand side are lengthened by 3 mm . the actual spring deflections are then calculated as : note that implicit to these calculations of spring deflection is the fact that the imaging assembly will remain level when placed into the machine . the assembly must be robust enough to operate within ± 1 ° however as this is the levelness specification called out in the prs . in terms of limiting the travel , the over - travel grommets will also account for this variability . knowing the spring deflection is the smallest on the right - hand side one can calculate the natural frequency in the vertical direction to give us the most conservative estimate . the deflection at that location is approximately 18 . 5 mm so the natural frequency is : ω n = g δ   x = 9 . 806   ( m s 2 ) 0 . 0185   m = 23 . 02  rad s = 3 . 7   hz again this is the natural frequency of the isolation system in the vertical direction . if it should be proven that this level is not sufficient under simulated vibration conditions , the natural frequency must be driven lower by choosing springs that deflect further than 18 . 5 mm . note that to drive the natural frequency down to a level of either 2 hz or even 1 hz , a spring deflection of approximately 2 . 5 inches and nearly 10 inches would be required , respectively . as shown from the transmissibility curves in fig7 the roll - off or decay of the curve after the natural frequency greatly depends on the amount of damping ξ in the system . with zero damping the absolute transmissibility reaches extreme magnitudes at the natural frequency , but the roll - off after that point is very steep . in contrast a system that is critically damped can be held under more control at resonance but has a very flat roll - off curve after that point . therefore there is a trade off between how much motion can be withstood at resonance and what level of isolation is required beyond that point . as shown in fig3 a foam material 80 with certain damping properties is used to impart a low level of damping to the system . the goal is to minimize the impact of damping on the system ( in order to maintain a steep roll - off curve ) but still damp out oscillations of the imaging assembly within one or two cycles . dampers 80 are placed in the front and back of the isolation system between frame 12 and platen 14 to achieve the desired effect . the axial direction of the assembly is the most important as that is the same direction as the translation system and can cause the carriage and optics module to rock . the same thing can be done in the vertical direction if required , but again this direction is not as critical . to vary the level of damping ξ , the geometry of the foam dampers 80 are varied and the system can in effect be tuned to a specific level . optimal levels of damping must be determined under various levels of external vibration while making images to quantify the results . preliminary testing was done to determine that four dampers ( two in the front , two in the back ) of approx . 1 in . 2 under 25 % compression are required to effectively damp out external vibration sources . the invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof , but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention .	7
those skilled in the art will gain an appreciation of the present invention from a reading of the following description when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of fig1 to 5d , inclusive . the individual reference characters designate the same or similar elements throughout the several views . referring now to fig1 , there is shown a horizontal view of an example embodiment of a three - piece sport bar 10 according to the present invention ( hereafter referred to as “ sport bar ”). sport bar 10 includes left and right outer bar elements 12 , 14 which may be tubular , and which may be composed of metallic material and formed into appropriate shape and size according to hydroforming techniques whereby sections may be formed into shape from a single tubular member . each outer bar element 12 , 14 includes an expanded anchor section 22 , 24 towards the bottom having , e . g ., an approximately 20 percent larger tubular width ( and 44 % larger cross - sectional area ) than upper respective left and right non - expanded sections 26 , 28 . the expanded cross - area gives the anchor sections 22 , 24 greater structural tensile strength in comparison to the upper sections 26 , 28 . seat belt anchors 25 , 27 attached to the left and right anchor sections 22 , 24 include threaded sleeves for receiving a seat belt bolt . thus , when a high degree of tension is applied to a seat belt , the load is transferred to the seat belt anchors 25 , 27 and borne at the expanded anchor sections 22 , 24 , which have been expanded to improve their respective load - bearing capacities . each upper section 26 , 28 curves inwardly until their respective upper ends face in a horizontal direction toward each other . fig2 illustrates an expanded view of area b in fig1 where the left outer bar element 12 is coupled to the inner bar tubular element 16 . it is to be understood that the illustrations of fig2 apply equally to the coupling between the inner bar element 16 and the right outer bar element 14 . as shown in fig2 , the inner bar element 16 has a smaller cross - sectional area than the upper section 26 of the outer bar element 12 , and therefore the inner bar element may slide into the end of the outer bar element . fig4 shows a perspective view of the right end of outer bar element 12 and the left end of inner bar element 16 . as shown , the top of the inner bar element 16 is provided with a hole 38 . in addition , the top of the outer bar element 12 includes a narrow lateral adjustment slot 42 . as the end of the inner bar element 16 penetrates into the ends of the outer bar element 12 , the hole 38 at the top of the inner bar element aligns with the lateral adjustment slot 42 at the top of the outer bar element 12 . a bolt 35 may be received through both the hole 38 and the slot 42 and then fastened with a stationary nut 37 , such as a rivet nut , to affix the top of the inner bar element to the tops of the outer bar elements 12 ( the same features are included on the right outer bar element 14 and the right side of the inner bar element 16 ). the location of the fastening may be adjusted longitudinally along the slot 42 to account for different body build variations . since vehicle body dimensions will vary to some extent due to variability in the installation and assembly process , it is important to be able to adjust the width of the sport bar to accurately fit into a particular vehicle body . thus , according to the present invention , the outer bar elements 12 , 14 may be moved rightward and leftward with respect to the inner element 16 to expand or contract the entire width of the sport bar to fit precisely into a particular vehicle . after an appropriate adjustment has been made , and the outer bar 12 element has been fastened to the inner bar 12 element with the bolt 35 and nut 37 coupling , a weld 39 , e . g ., a structural mig weld may be applied at the interface between the outer bar element 12 and the inner bar element 16 to permanently adjoin the elements in an integrated structure . since the inner 16 and outer bar elements 12 , 14 are coupled at their respective top portions , there is a bottom gap 30 between the bottom of the outer bar elements 12 , 14 and the inner bar element 16 in coupling region c where the inner bar element 16 penetrates the outer bar element 12 . the bottom gap 30 is also illustrated in fig3 which shows a cross - section taken along line a — a of fig1 that illustrates the inner bar element 16 within the left outer bar element 14 with the bottom clearance gap 30 . the length of the inner bar element 16 is designed so that the region of coupling c ( of fig2 ) is situated in the vehicle directly over where a passengers head would normally be positioned in a driving situation . region c is therefore the most likely area a head impact is likely to occur . the upper sections of the outer bar elements in this area 26 , 28 , having relatively smaller cross - section relative to more robust bottom sections 22 , 24 , have correspondingly reduced structural compressive strengths and thus absorb impact energy and deflect to some extent under compressive forces , softening any head impacts that might occur in this area . the gap 30 between the outer 12 , 14 and inner 16 bar elements provides space to allow the outer bar elements to deflect inwardly against the inner bar element during impact to reduce the intensity of head impacts , without having the resulting deformation to the outer bar elements affect their attachment to the inner bar element . the structural integrity of the sport bar may thus be safeguarded despite any damage to the outer bar elements that might occur during impacts . fig5 a to 5d illustrate a production sequence for producing the three bar elements 12 , 14 , 16 from a single starter tube . fig5 a illustrates the starter tube having a uniform diameter and cross - section . fig5 b illustrates the shape of the tube after it has been bent into an arcuate shape using a tube bender . the bent tube is then placed into a hydroform die in which water is introduced into the interior of the tube at high pressure , expanding portions of the tube according to the shape of the die . as shown in fig5 c , during the hydroforming , the diameters of the outer bottom sections of the tube are expanded , and the diameter of the middle section is unchanged , with transitional sections s 1 and s 2 showing a gradual expansion between the middle and outer sections . the transitional sections are then cut out and removed from the tube , dividing the tube into the three bar elements 12 , 14 , 16 . while the inner bar element 16 has been described above as having a smaller outer diameter than the inner diameter of the outer bar elements 12 , 14 is should be appreciated that the outer diameter of the outer bar elements 12 , 14 may be smaller than the inner diameter of the inner bar element 16 so that the ends of the outer bar elements 12 , 14 are insertable into the ends of the inner bar element . alternatively , the outer diameter of one of the outer bar elements 12 , 14 may be smaller than the inner diameter of the inner bar element 16 and the inner diameter of the other one of the outer bar elements 12 , 14 may be greater than the outer diameter of the inner bar element 16 , so that one end of the inner bar element 16 is inserted into one of the outer bar elements 12 , 14 and the other end of the inner bar element 16 receives the other one of the outer bar elements 12 , 14 . thus , the several aforementioned objects and advantages of the present invention are most effectively attained . those skilled in the art will appreciated that many modifications of the preferred embodiments described hereinabove may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . although several preferred embodiments of the invention have been described and disclosed in detail herein , it should be understood that this invention is in no sense limited thereby and that its scope is to be determined by that of the appended claims .	1
referring now more particularly to the drawings , there is shown a fuel pump 10 for pumping gasoline or other fuel at high pressure to the combustion chambers or cylinders 12 of an internal combustion engine 14 through a common fuel rail 16 and separate fuel injectors 18 . the injectors 18 open in a predetermined sequence for injecting a fine mist of fuel directly into the combustion chambers 12 . a cylindrical input shaft 22 is mounted for rotation within a cylindrical pump housing 24 by a ball bearing unit 26 . the pump housing is supported in a stationary position by support structure ( not shown ) of the engine . a pulley 32 is mounted on the outer end of the input shaft 22 . a belt 36 driven by the engine extends over the pulley 32 to rotate the pulley and the shaft 22 . a gear train or other suitable drive mechanism could be employed to rotate the shaft 22 . the inner end of the shaft has a central extended portion 40 of reduced diameter . the portion 40 extends through a central opening in an annular seal 42 disposed within the housing 24 . a swash plate assembly 44 is mounted on the portion 40 of the shaft 22 . more specifically , the swash plate assembly has a swash plate member 46 secured to the portion 40 of the input shaft 22 by a fastener 48 . the swash plate member 46 produces axially directed forces for pumping fuel by means of an annular working face or surface 50 . the surface 50 is in a plane which is at predetermined angle or axis of inclination with respect to the rotational axis 52 of the shaft 22 . the swash plate assembly also includes a creeper plate or wobble plate 58 which is positioned adjacent to the working face 50 of the swash plate member 46 . a roller bearing unit 60 is provided between the working face 50 of the swash plate member 46 and an opposed surface 62 of the wobble plate 58 , the two surfaces being maintained in a parallel relationship by the roller bearing unit . the roller bearing unit 60 includes a race member 64 engaging the working face 50 of the swash plate member 46 and a race member 66 engaging the opposed face 62 of the wobble plate , with rollers 68 between the two race members . the arrangement is such that the surface 62 of the wobble plate 58 will always remain parallel to the working surface 50 of the swash plate member 46 so that as the swash plate member rotates the wobble plate will have an oscillatory motion . the wobble plate 58 does not rotate as will be understood from the description to follow . pistons 74 in the form of elongated tubular members are reciprocated in parallel , circumferentially spaced cylinder bores 76 in a barrel 78 . the barrel 78 is secured in a fixed position on an end cap 80 within the pump housing 24 . the pistons 74 have extended end portions which extend outwardly of the cylinder bores and on which piston heads 82 are formed . the piston heads 82 are swivelled in sockets in the slipper members 86 carried by the wobble plate 58 . oscillatory motion of the wobble plate 58 produces reciprocatory movement of the pistons . ports 88 in the extended end portions of the pistons open into the hollow interior of the pistons . a bellows 90 surrounds the extended end portions of the pistons . the bellows 90 preferably is in the form of a thin - walled flexible metal tube and has a sinuous side wall . one end 92 of the bellows is secured in a sealed relationship to the periphery of the wobble plate 58 . the opposite end 94 of the bellows is secured in a sealed relationship to a ring 96 which is inside the housing in contact with the end cap 80 . the bellows thus provides a sealed , closed interior space 100 between the wobble plate and the ring 96 which surrounds and encloses the extended end portions of the pistons . the barrel 78 , end cap 80 and ring 90 together form a fixed base 102 with the pump housing . o - ring seals 104 , 106 and 108 are provided between the housing 24 and end cap 80 , between the housing and the ring 96 , and between the end cap and barrel 78 . fuel from a tank 112 enters the pump housing 24 through an inlet port 114 . the fuel passes from the inlet port 114 through an annular passage 116 between the end cap 80 and the ring 96 , and through a passage 118 in the barrel to the space 100 enclosed by the bellows . from the space 100 , the fuel passes through the ports 88 in the pistons into the cylinder bores 78 . during the pumping stroke of each piston , fuel is moved at high pressure past outlet reed 120 between the barrel 78 and the end cap 80 and through an outlet 122 , into the fuel rail 16 . the closed interior space 100 provided by the bellows 90 thus prevents the escape of fuel from the fuel pump .	5
in some aspects , the invention regards transgenic fish . methods of making transgenic fish are described in , for example , u . s . pat . nos . 7 , 135 , 613 ; 7 , 700 , 825 ; 7 , 834 , 239 , each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety . it is preferred that fish belonging to species and varieties of fish of commercial value , particularly commercial value within the ornamental fish industry , be used . such fish include but are not limited to catfish , zebrafish , medaka , carp , tilapia , goldfish , tetras , barbs , sharks ( family cyprinidae ), angelfish , loach , koi , glassfish , catfish , discus , eel , tetra , goby , gourami , guppy , xiphophorus , hatchet fish , molly fish , or pangasius . a particular fish for use in the context of the invention is zebrafish , danio rerio . zebrafish are increasingly popular ornamental animals and would be of added commercial value in various colors . zebrafish embryos are easily accessible and nearly transparent . a fish that is of particular use with the disclosed constructs and methods is the golden zebrafish . zebrafish skin color is determined by pigment cells in their skin , which contain pigment granules called melanosomes . the number , size , and density of the melanosomes per pigment cell influence the color of the fish skin . golden zebrafish have diminished number , size , and density of melanosomes and hence have lighter skin when compared to the wild type zebrafish . golden zebrafish have a mutation in the slc24a5 gene , which codes for a putative cation exchanger localized to intracellular membrane , thus rendering the fish skin lighter or less pigmented ( lamason et al ., 2005 ). fish sperm freezing methods are well - known in the art ; see , e . g ., walker and streisinger ( 1983 ) and draper and moens ( 2007 ), both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties . to obtain transgenic fish disclosed herein , frozen zebrafish sperm may be used to fertilize eggs , as described in draper and moens ( 2007 ). eggs are collected as described in draper and moens ( 2007 ). briefly , two females are placed in tricaine solution at 16 mg / 100 ml water . after gill movement has slowed , one of the fish is removed and rinsed in water . the fish is placed on a paper towel to dry briefly and then transferred to a small plastic dish . with slightly damp fingers , one finger is placed on the dorsal side of the fish . the eggs are removed by gently pressing on the ventral side of the fish , starting just behind the pectoral fins and moving toward the tail . the eggs from the female zebrafish are squeezed into a 35 mm plastic petri dish . the sperm are thawed at 33 ° c . in a water bath for 8 - 10 sec . 70 μl room temperature hanks solution is added to the vial and mixed . the eggs are then immediately added to the vial and gently mixed . the sperm and eggs are activated by adding 750 μl of fish water and mixing . the mixture is incubated for 5 min at room temperature . the dish is then filled with fish water and incubated at 28 ° c . after 2 - 3 hrs , fertile embryos are transferred to small dishes where they are further cultured . parichy and johnson , 2001 , which is incorporated by reference in its entirety , provides additional examples regarding in vitro fertilization . the invention further encompasses progeny of a transgenic fish containing the purple zebrafish 1 integration event , as well as such transgenic fish derived from a transgenic fish egg , sperm cell , embryo , or other cell containing a genomically integrated transgenic construct . “ progeny ,” as the term is used herein , can result from breeding two transgenic fish of the invention , or from breeding a first transgenic fish of the invention to a second fish that is not a transgenic fish of the invention . in the latter case , the second fish can , for example , be a wild - type fish , a specialized strain of fish , a mutant fish , or another transgenic fish . the hybrid progeny of these matings have the benefits of the transgene for fluorescence combined with the benefits derived from these other lineages . the simplest way to identify fish containing the purple zebrafish 1 transformation event is by visual inspection , as the fish in question would be purple colored and immediately distinguishable from non - transgenic fish . the invention will now be further described with reference to the following examples . these examples are intended to be merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit or restrict the scope of the invention in any way and should not be construed as providing conditions , parameters , reagents , or starting materials that must be utilized exclusively in order to practice the art of the present invention . transgenic fish exhibiting a purple color are provided . the fp635 fluorescent protein open reading frame was acquired from evrogen , jsc as the pturbofp635 - n plasmid , which is commercially available ( cat . no . fp722 ). this protein was derived from turborfp , which is a modified version of the red fluorescent protein eqfp578 from entacmaea quadricolor . the fp635 protein was introduced into an expression cassette . the expression cassette sequence was verified using restriction endonucleases and by sequencing of the completed cassette . to make the transgenic fish , the constructs were purified by conventional methods and introduced into founder fish . the specific transgenic events embodied in these fish are designated purple zebrafish 1 . sperm from these fish may be used to fertilize zebrafish eggs , using methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art and methods described herein , and thereby breed transgenic zebrafish that comprise these specific transgenic integration events . sperm from this line is deposited at the european collection of cell cultures ( ecacc ), porton down , salisbury , sp4 ojg , united kingdom , on jan . 28 , 2011 , under the provisions of the budapest treaty as “ purple zebrafish 1 ” ( accession no . 11012801 ; cell line zebrafish 2011 . 1 pzf001 ). the fluorescent transgenic fish have use as ornamental fish in the market . stably expressing transgenic lines can be developed by breeding a transgenic individual with a wild - type fish , mutant fish , or another transgenic fish . the desired transgenic fish can be distinguished from non - transgenic fish by observing the fish in white light , sunlight , ultraviolet light , blue light , or any other useful lighting condition that allows visualization of the purple color of the transgenic fish . the fluorescent transgenic fish should also be valuable in the market for scientific research tools because they can be used for embryonic studies such as tracing cell lineage and cell migration . additionally , these fish can be used to mark cells in genetic mosaic experiments and in fish cancer models . all of the compositions and / or methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure . while the compositions and methods of this invention have been described in terms of preferred embodiments , it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the compositions and / or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the methods described herein without departing from the concept , spirit and scope of the invention . more specifically , it will be apparent that certain agents that are both chemically and physiologically related may be substituted for the agents described herein while the same or similar results would be achieved . all such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit , scope , and concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims . the following references , to the extent that they provide exemplary procedural or other details supplementary to those set forth herein , are specifically incorporated herein by reference . u . s . pat . no . 7 , 135 , 613 u . s . pat . no . 7 , 700 , 825 u . s . pat . no . 7 , 834 , 239 barolo et al ., biotechniques , 36 ( 3 ): 436 - 440 ; 442 , 2004 . bourett et al ., fungal genet . biol ., 37 ( 3 ): 211 - 220 , 2002 . brem et al ., aquaculture , 68 : 209 - 219 , 1988 . chen et al ., j . virol ., 62 : 3883 - 3887 , 1988 . cho et al ., insect . biochem . mol . biol ., 36 ( 4 ): 273 - 281 , 2006 . chourrout et al ., aquaculture , 51 : 143 - 150 , 1986 . cozzi and white , nat . med ., 1 ( 9 ): 964 - 966 , 1995 . delvin et al ., can . j . fisheries aqua . sci ., 52 : 1376 - 1384 , 1995 . delvin et al ., nature , 371 : 209 - 210 , 1994 . draper and moens , in : the zebrafish book , 5 th ed ., eugene , university of oregon press , 2007 . du et al ., bio / technology , 10 : 176 - 181 , 1992 . eckert et al ., fems microbiol . lett ., 253 ( 1 ): 67 - 74 , 2005 . finley et al ., biotechniques , 31 ( 1 ): 66 - 70 ; 72 , 2001 . gong et al ., biochem . biophys . res . commun ., 308 ( 1 ): 58 - 63 , 2003 . gordon et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . usa , 77 : 7380 - 7384 , 1980 . gross et al ., aquaculature , 103 : 253 - 273 , 1992 . hadjantonakis et al ., nat . rev . genet ., 4 ( 8 ): 613 - 625 , 2003 . handler and harrell , biotechniques , 31 ( 4 ): 820 ; 824 - 828 , 2001 . horn et al ., insect . biochem . mol . biol ., 32 ( 10 ): 1221 - 1235 , 2002 . khoo et al ., aquaculture , 107 : 1 - 19 , 1992 . lamason et al ., science , 310 ( 5755 ): 1782 - 1786 , 2005 . lathe and mullins , transgenic res ., 2 ( 5 ): 286 - 299 , 1993 . long et al ., bmc biotechnol ., 5 : 20 , 2005 . maga and murray , biotechnology , 13 ( 13 ): 1452 - 1457 , 1995 . matz et al ., nat . biotechnol ., 17 : 969 - 973 , 1999 . mikkelsen et al ., fems microbiol . lett ., 223 ( 1 ): 135 - 139 , 2003 . miyawaki , cell struct . funct ., 27 ( 5 ): 343 - 347 , 2002 . palmiter et al ., nature , 300 : 611 - 615 , 1982 . parichy and johnson , dev . gene evol ., 211 : 319 - 328 , 2001 . penman et al ., aquaculture , 85 : 35 - 50 , 1990 . powers et al ., mol . marine biol . biotechnol ., 1 : 301 - 308 , 1992 . royer et al ., transfenic res ., 14 ( 4 ): 463 - 472 , 2005 . sarkar et al ., bmc biotechnol ., 6 ( 1 ): 27 , 2006 . sato et al ., biochem . biophys . res . commun ., 311 ( 2 ): 478 - 481 , 2003 . schmid et al ., glia ., 53 ( 4 ): 345 - 351 , 2006 . shcherbo et al ., nature methods , 4 ( 9 ): 77 , 2007 . sin et al ., aquaculature , 117 : 57 - 69 , 1993 . szelei et al ., transgenic res ., 3 : 116 - 119 , 1994 . tolar et al ., mol . ther ., 12 ( 1 ): 42 - 48 , 2005 . tsai et al ., can . j . fish aquat . sci ., 52 : 776 - 787 , 1995 . vintersten et al ., genesis , 40 ( 4 ): 241 - 246 , 2004 . walker and streisinger , genetics 103 : 125 - 136 , 1983 . wall et al ., nat . struct . biol ., 7 ( 12 ): 1133 - 1138 , 2000 . wenck et al ., plant cell rep ., 22 ( 4 ): 244 - 251 , 2003 . werdien et al ., nucleic acids res ., 29 ( 11 ): e53 - 3 , 2001 . wouters et al ., physiol . genomics , 2 ( 3 ): 412 - 421 , 2005 . wright et al ., biotechnology , 9 : 830 - 834 , 1991 . xu et al ., dna cell biol ., 18 , 85 - 95 , 1999 . zelenin et al ., febs lett ., 287 ( 1 - 2 ): 118 - 120 , 1991 . zeller et al ., dev . dyn ., 235 ( 2 ): 456 - 467 , 2006 . zhu and zon , methods cell biol ., 76 : 3 - 12 , 2004 . zhu et al ., dev . biol ., 281 ( 2 ): 256 - 269 , 2005 . zhu et al ., z . angew . ichthyol ., 1 : 31 - 34 , 1985 .	0
hereinafter , the process cartridge ( which hereafter will be referred to simply as a cartridge ) and electrophotographic color image forming apparatus ( which hereafter will be referred to simply as an image forming apparatus ), in the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the appended drawings . first , referring to fig1 , the general structure of the image forming apparatus will be described . the image forming apparatus 100 shown in fig1 has four cartridge compartments ( 22 a - 22 d ) ( fig3 ), into which four cartridges are mounted , one for one . the four cartridge compartments ( 22 a - 22 d ) are juxtaposed in tandem , in a straight line which is slanted relative to the horizontal direction . the cartridges 7 ( 7 a - 7 d ), which are to be mounted into the four cartridge compartments ( 22 a - 22 d ), one for one , are provided with electrophotographic photosensitive members 1 ( 1 a , 1 b , 1 c , and 1 d ), respectively ; each cartridge 7 is provided with a single photosensitive drum 1 . the abovementioned electrophotographic photosensitive drum 1 ( which hereafter will be referred to as a photosensitive drum 1 ) is rotationally driven in the clockwise direction of the drawing by a driving member ( unshown ). each process cartridge 7 is provided with multiple processing means , more specifically , a cleaning member 6 ( 6 a , 6 b , 6 c , or 6 d ) and a charge roller 2 ( 2 a , 2 b , 2 c , or 2 d ), which process the photosensitive drum 1 . the processing means are arranged in the adjacencies of the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 in the same order as the order in which they are listed above . the cleaning member 6 cleans the developer ( which here after may be referred to as developer ) remaining on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 after the image transfer from the photosensitive drum 1 . the charge roller 2 uniformly charges the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 . the process cartridge 7 is also provided with a development unit 4 ( 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , or 4 d ) which develops the abovementioned electrostatic latent image with the use of toner . also arranged in the adjacencies of the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 are a scanner unit 3 , and an intermediary transfer belt 5 . the scanner unit 3 forms an electrostatic latent image on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 by projecting a beam of laser light upon the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 while modulating the laser beam according to the information regarding the image to be formed . the intermediary transfer belt 5 is a belt onto which four toner images , different in color , formed on the photosensitive drums 1 are sequentially transferred in layers . the photosensitive drum 1 , the cleaning member 6 , and the charge roller 2 are integrated as a drum unit 26 . the drum unit 26 and the development unit 4 are joined , making up a process cartridge 7 ( which hereafter will be referred to simply as cartridge 7 ), which is removably mountable in the main assembly 100 a of the image forming apparatus 100 by a user . the intermediary transfer belt 5 is stretched around a driver roller 10 and a tension roller 11 , being thereby suspended by the two rollers 10 and 11 . there are four primary transfer rollers 12 ( 12 a - 12 d ), which are inside the loop which the intermediary transfer belt 5 forms . the primary transfer rollers 12 a - 12 d are positioned so that they oppose the photosensitive drums 1 a - 1 d , with the intermediary transfer belt 5 sandwiched between the primary transfer rollers 12 a - 12 d and photosensitive drums 1 a - 1 d , respectively . to the transfer belt 5 , a transfer bias is applied by a bias applying means ( unshown ). as a toner image is formed on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 , which is being moved in the direction indicated by an arrow mark q , it is transferred ( primary transfer ), by applying a positive bias to the primary transfer roller 12 , onto the intermediary transfer belt 5 , which is being circularly moved in the direction indicated by an arrow mark r . the same image forming operations , except for the toner used by the developing unit , are sequentially carried out in the four process cartridges . as a result , four toner images , different in color , are deposited in layers on the intermediary transfer belt 5 , and are conveyed to the secondary transfer portion 15 . in synchronism with the abovementioned image forming operation carried out in each process cartridge , a sheet of a recording medium s ( which hereafter will be referred to simply as a recording medium s ) is fed into , and conveyed in , the apparatus main assembly 100 a by a recording medium conveying means made up of a sheet feeding apparatus 13 , a pair of registration rollers 17 , etc . the sheet feeding apparatus 13 has a sheet feeder cassette 24 , a sheet feeding and conveying roller 8 , and a pair of sheet conveyance rollers 16 . the sheet feeder cassette 24 stores multiple sheets of the recording medium s . the sheet feeding and conveying roller 8 feeds a sheet of the recording medium s into the apparatus main assembly 100 a , and conveys the recording medium s in the apparatus main assembly 100 a , or feeds in succession multiple recording media s into the apparatus main assembly 100 a , and conveys the recording media s in the apparatus main assembly 100 a . the sheet feeder cassette 24 can be pulled out of the apparatus main assembly 100 a in the frontward direction . as a recording medium s is fed into the apparatus main assembly 100 a by the sheet feeding and conveying roller 8 , it is pressed upon the roller 8 by a separation pad 9 . thus , if two or more recording media s are pulled out together from the sheet feeder cassette 24 , only the recording medium which is in contact with the roller 8 is conveyed into the apparatus main assembly 100 a while being separated from the rest by the combination of the roller 8 and pad 9 ( one - sided sheet separating method based on friction ). as the sheet s is conveyed inward of the apparatus main assembly 100 a by the sheet feeding apparatus 13 , it is conveyed to the secondary transfer portion 15 by the pair of registration rollers 17 . in the secondary transfer portion 15 , the positive bias is applied to the secondary transfer roller 18 . as a result , the four toner images , different in color , on the intermediary transfer belt 5 are transferred together ( secondary transfer ) onto the sheet s which is being conveyed through the secondary transfer portion 15 . a fixing portion 14 , is a fixing means of the apparatus main assembly . it is a portion of the apparatus main assembly 100 a which fixes the toner images on the sheet s , and onto the sheet s by applying heat and pressure to the sheet s and toner images thereon . a fixation belt 14 a is cylindrical . it is guided by a belt guiding member ( unshown ) provided with a heat generating means , such as a heater , which is bonded to the belt guiding member . the fixation belt 14 a is kept pressed upon the pressure roller 14 b , forming a fixation nip , so that a preset amount of contact pressure is maintained between the fixation belt 14 a and pressure roller 14 b . after the unfixed toner images are sequentially transferred onto the sheet s through the four image forming portions , the sheet s is conveyed to the fixing portion 14 , and is conveyed through the fixation nip , that is , the interface between the fixation belt 14 a and pressure roller 14 b , while being subjected heat and pressure . as a result , the unfixed toner images on the sheet s become fixed to the sheet s . after the fixation of the toner images to the sheet s , the sheet s is discharged into a delivery tray 20 by a pair of discharge rollers 19 . the toner remaining on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 after the toner image transfer is removed by the cleaning member 6 . the removed toner is recovered into the removed toner chamber in the photosensitive member unit 26 ( 26 a - 26 d ). the toner remaining on the intermediary transfer belt 5 after the second transfer , that is , the transfer of the toner images onto the sheet s from the intermediary transfer belt 5 , is removed by a transfer belt cleaning apparatus 23 . the removed toner is conveyed through a waste toner conveyance passage ( unshown ), and is recovered into a waste toner recovery bin ( unshown ) located in the rear end portion of the apparatus main assembly 100 a . next , referring to fig2 , the cartridge in this embodiment will be described . fig2 is a sectional view of the cartridge 7 in the first embodiment , at a plane parallel to the front panel of the image forming apparatus 100 . there is a toner t in the cartridge 7 . incidentally , the cartridges 7 a , 7 b , 7 c , and 7 d , which correspond to yellow , magenta , cyan , and black toners t , respectively , are the same in structure . each cartridge 7 is made up of a drum unit 26 and a development unit 4 . the drum unit 26 has the photosensitive drum 1 , a charge roller 2 ( charging means ), and a cleaning member 6 ( cleaning means ). the development unit 4 has a development roller 25 ( developing means ). the photosensitive drum 1 is rotatably supported by the frame 27 of the drum unit 26 , with a pair of bearings interposed between the drum unit frame 27 and photosensitive drum 1 . the bearings will be described later . the photosensitive drum 1 is rotationally driven in synchronism with the progression of an image forming operation , by the driving force transmitted from a motor ( unshown ) to the drum unit 26 . the charge roller 2 and the cleaning member 6 are positioned in the adjacencies of the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drum 1 as described previously . as the residual toner , that is , the toner remaining on the peripheral surface of the photosensitive drums 1 , is removed by the cleaning member 6 , it falls into the toner chamber 27 a for the removed residual toner . the drum unit frame 27 is fitted with a pair of charge roller bearings 28 , which are movable in the direction indicated by an arrow mark d , which coincides with the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 and the axial line of the charge roller 2 . the axle 2 j of the charge roller 2 is rotatably supported by the pair of charge roller bearings 28 . further , the bearings 28 are kept pressed toward the photosensitive drum 1 by a pair of charge roller pressing members 49 . the development unit 4 has the development roller 25 and a development unit frame 31 . the development roller 25 rotates in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 , in the direction indicated by an arrow mark b . the end walls of the development unit frame 31 , in terms of the lengthwise direction of the cartridge 7 , are fitted with a pair of development roller bearing members ( 32 r and 32 f ), one for one . the development roller 25 is rotatably supported by the development unit frame 31 ( bearings members 32 r , 32 f ). the development unit 4 is also provided with a toner supply roller 34 and a development blade 35 , which are positioned in the adjacencies of the peripheral surface of the development roller 25 . the toner supply roller 34 rotates in contact with the development roller 25 in the direction indicated by an arrow mark c . the development blade 35 is for regulating in thickness the toner layer on the development roller 25 . further , the development unit 4 is provided with a toner conveying member 36 , which is in the toner storage portion 31 a of the development unit frame 31 , and conveys the toner in the toner storage portion 31 a to the toner supply roller 34 while stirring the toner . the development roller bearing members 32 r and 32 f ( which hereafter will be referred to simply as bearing members 32 r and 32 f ) of the development unit 4 are provided with holes 32 rb and 32 fb , respectively . the development unit 4 is connected to the photosensitive member unit 26 , with a pair of shafts ( connective pins ) 37 ( 37 r and 37 f ) fitted in the abovementioned holes 32 rb and 32 fb of the bearing members 32 rb and 32 fb , in such manner that the development unit 4 is rotationally movable about the shafts ( connective pins ) 37 in the direction indicated by an arrow mark a . the development unit 4 is kept pressured by a pair of compression springs 38 . thus , during an image forming operation , the development roller 25 is kept in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 by the compression springs 38 . ( structural arrangement for mounting cartridge into image forming apparatus main assembly ) next , referring to fig3 , the portions of the apparatus main assembly , which make it possible to removably mount the cartridge 7 into the apparatus main assembly 100 a , will be described . fig3 is a perspective view of the apparatus main assembly 100 a when the cartridge 7 a is about to be inserted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a . incidentally , the direction in which the cartridge 7 is mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a in this embodiment is the direction indicated by an arrow mark f , which is parallel to the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 . that is , the apparatus main assembly 100 a is structured so that the cartridge 7 is to be inserted from the front side of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , in the front - to - rear direction in fig1 , and also , so that the cartridge 7 is removably mountable in the apparatus main assembly 100 a . referring to fig3 , the apparatus main assembly 100 a is provided with a front cover 21 , which is attached to the front panel of the apparatus main assembly 100 a and can rotatably opened frontward . as the front cover 21 is opened , the four cartridge compartments ( 22 a - 22 d ), which accommodate the four cartridges 7 ( 7 a - 7 d ), respectively , are exposed . the four cartridge compartments ( 22 a - 22 d ) are juxtaposed in tandem , in a straight line which is slanted relative to the horizontal direction . each cartridge compartment ( 22 a - 22 d ) is provided with a first cartridge guide ( 80 a - 80 d ) and a second cartridge guide ( 81 a - 81 d ). the first and second cartridge guides 80 a - 80 d and 81 a - 81 d are at the top and bottom ends , respectively , of the compartment ( 22 a - 22 d ), and extend from the front end of the compartment 22 to the rear end of the compartment ( 22 a - 22 d ). correspondingly , the cartridge 7 is provided with a cartridge guiding projection 29 ( first portion of cartridge 7 by which cartridge is guided into or out of cartridge compartment ( 22 a - 22 d )) and a cartridge guiding rib 30 ( second portion of cartridge by which cartridge is guided into or out of cartridge compartment ( 22 a - 22 d )). if it is necessary to mount the cartridge 7 into the cartridge compartment ( 22 a - 22 d ), the cartridge 7 is to be pushed in the direction indicated by the arrow mark f , with the cartridge guiding portions 29 and rib 30 of the cartridge 7 aligned with the first and second cartridge guides 80 a - 80 d and 81 a - 81 d of the cartridge compartment ( 22 a - 22 d ) ( apparatus main assembly 100 a ). in terms of the direction in which the cartridge 7 is inserted into the cartridge compartment ( 22 a - 22 d ), the abovementioned cartridge guiding first portion 29 ( projection ) of the cartridge 7 is at the leading end of the cartridge 7 . in terms of the vertical direction , it is at the top of the cartridge 7 . the cartridge guiding second portion 30 ( rib ) of the cartridge 7 is at the bottom of the cartridge 7 , and extends from the leading end of the cartridge 7 to the trailing end . as the cartridge 7 is inserted into the cartridge compartment ( 22 a - 22 d ) far enough for the leading end of the cartridge 7 to reach a preset point in the compartment ( 22 a - 22 d ), the main assembly contacting portions 40 a and 50 a of the cartridge 7 , which are at the leading and trailing ends , respectively , of the cartridge 7 , are positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a , positioning thereby the cartridge 7 relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a . this ends the mounting of the cartridge 7 . as the rotational force for rotating the photosensitive drum 1 , development roller 25 , etc ., in the cartridge 7 is transmitted to the cartridge 7 , it tends to rotationally move the cartridge 7 . thus , in order to prevent the cartridge 7 from being rotationally moved by this force , the cartridge 7 is provided with a projection 27 b ( cartridge rotation regulating portion ) ( fig4 ) and a groove 27 c ( fig1 and 16 ) ( second cartridge rotation regulating portion ). the projection 27 b is on the outward surface of the leading end wall of the cartridge 7 , in terms of the cartridge mounting direction f , and extends downstream in the direction parallel to the cartridge mounting direction f ( cartridge advancement direction ). the groove 27 c is in the front end portion of the bottom surface of the cartridge 7 . it is u - shaped in cross section . further , the apparatus main assembly 100 a is provided with a projection 92 c ( fig5 ) and a hole 82 b ( cartridge rotation regulating first portion of apparatus main assembly 100 a ) ( fig5 ). the projection 92 c is on the inward surface of the front wall of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , and perpendicularly projects inward of the apparatus main assembly 100 a . the hole 82 b is a part of the rear wall of the apparatus main assembly 100 a and is elongated in cross section . as the cartridge 7 is moved into the image forming position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the projection 27 b of the cartridge 7 fits into the hole 82 b of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , and the projection 92 c of the apparatus main assembly 100 a fits into the groove 27 c of the cartridge 7 . how the cartridge 7 is prevented from rotationally moving as the driving force is transmitted to the cartridge 7 , will be described later in detail . as described above , the cartridge guiding projection 29 of the cartridge 7 is on the top surface of the cartridge 7 , and is at the leading end , in terms of the direction in which the cartridge 7 is advanced in to the apparatus main assembly 100 a when the cartridge 7 is mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a . the cartridge guiding rib 30 of the cartridge 7 is on the bottom surface of the cartridge 7 , and extends from leading end to the trailing end of the cartridge 7 . further , in terms of the direction perpendicular to the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 , the projection 29 and rib 30 are on the same side of the photosensitive drum 1 . thus , the cartridge 7 remains stable while it is advanced into the apparatus main assembly 100 a . the portions of the cartridge 7 , and the portions of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , which are involved in the accurate positioning of the cartridge 7 relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a , will be described later in detail regarding their structure . ( structural arrangement for positioning cartridge relative to image forming apparatus main assembly , and structural arrangement for keeping cartridge pressed ) next , referring to fig4 - 7 , and 14 , the structural arrangement for accurately positioning the cartridge 7 relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a , and the structural arrangement for pressing the cartridge 7 upon the cartridge positioning portions of the apparatus main assembly 100 a and keeping the cartridge pressed thereupon , will be described . fig4 is an external perspective view of the cartridge 7 , and fig1 is a top plan view of the cartridge 7 . referring to fig4 , which is an external perspective view of the cartridge 7 , the photosensitive drum 1 which the cartridge 7 has is rotatably supported at the lengthwise ends of its rotational axle ( unshown ), by a pair of bearings 40 and 50 , one for one , which are solidly attached to the front and rear walls of the drum unit frame 27 , one for one . referring to fig4 and 14 , the bearing 40 of the cartridge 7 , which is at the rear end of the cartridge 7 , that is , the leading end of the cartridge 7 in terms of the direction in which the cartridge 7 advances in the apparatus main assembly 100 a when it is mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a , has the main assembly contacting first portion 40 a ( which has portions 40 a 1 and 40 a 2 ), which is a part of the top surface of the bearing 40 . more specifically the main assembly contacting first portion 40 a ( having portions 40 a 1 and 40 a 2 ), that is , the first portion of the bearing 40 , which is for accurately positioning the rear side of the cartridge 7 relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a , is a part of the upwardly facing portion of the peripheral surface of the bearing 40 which is arcuate in cross section . the bearing 40 is the drum shaft bearing first member , and supports the photosensitive drum 1 at one of the lengthwise ends of the drum 1 in terms of the axial direction of the photosensitive drum 1 . in terms of the cartridge advancement direction in the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the bearing 40 is at the downstream end of the cartridge 7 . the bearing 40 is also provided with a bearing pressing member catching portion 40 b , which is pressed by a bearing pressing member 83 ( pressuring member , upwardly pushing member ) ( fig5 ), which will be described later . the portion 40 b of the bearing 40 is below the main assembly contacting portion 40 a . incidentally , the abovementioned cartridge advancement direction means the direction in which the cartridge 7 advances into the apparatus main assembly 100 a when a user mounts the cartridge 7 into the apparatus main assembly 100 a . that is , the cartridge advancement direction is the same as the abovementioned cartridge mounting direction f . the main assembly contacting portion 40 a is made up of two portions , that is , the main assembly contacting portion 40 a 1 and main assembly contacting portion 40 a 2 , which are on the one side of the axial line i of the photosensitive drum 1 and the other ( fig1 ), one for one . the axial line i is the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 , which is parallel to the lengthwise direction of the photosensitive drum 1 . that is , the axial line i is parallel to the lengthwise direction of the cartridge 7 . in other words , the cartridge 7 is provided with the main assembly contacting first portion 40 a 1 and main assembly contacting second portion 40 a 2 , which are on one side of the axial line i and the other , respectively . further , the main assembly contacting first and second portions 40 a 1 and 40 a 2 ( which position the leading end of cartridge relative to apparatus main assembly 100 a ) oppose each other across the axial line i ( fig1 ). the bearing pressing member catching portion 40 b of the bearing 40 is on the downstream side of the photosensitive drum 1 in terms of the abovementioned cartridge advancement direction . as seen from the direction , ( fig9 ( c )), in which the bearing pressing member 83 ( pressure applying first member , upwardly pressing member of apparatus main assembly 100 a ), presses on the bearing 40 , the bearing pressing member catching portion 40 b is between the main assembly contacting first portion 40 a 1 and the main assembly contacting second portion 40 a 2 ( roughly at the mid point between portions 40 a 1 and 40 a 2 ). this structural arrangement ensures that as the bearing pressing member catching portion 40 b is pressed by the bearing pressing member 83 , the main assembly contacting portion 40 a is placed in contact with a bearing catching portion 82 a ( cartridge positioning first portion of apparatus main assembly 100 a ), being thereby accurately positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a . in this embodiment , the cartridge 7 is provided with the main assembly contacting first portion 40 a 1 and main assembly contacting second portion 40 a 2 , in order to ensure that the leading end of the cartridge 7 is accurately positioned , and is kept accurately positioned , relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a . however , the number of the cartridge positioning portions at the leading end of the cartridge 7 in terms of the cartridge mounting direction , may be only one . referring again to fig4 , the rear bearing 40 is provided with a bearing pressing member pressing portion 40 c ( bearing pressing member pressing first portion ) for causing the bearing pressing member 83 to move back into its retreat position . in terms of the direction which is horizontal and perpendicular to the cartridge advancement direction , the bearing pressing member pressing portion 40 c ( which hereafter may be referred to simply as pressing portion 40 c ) is located farther from the center of the cartridge 7 than the abovementioned bearing pressing member catching portion 40 b is . in terms of the cartridge advancement direction , the bearing pressing member pressing portion 40 c is on the downstream end wall of the cartridge 7 , and perpendicularly projects downstream from the end wall . the tip portion of the pressing portion 40 c is provided with a projection 40 d , which projects downward . the projection 40 d is triangular in cross section . that is , it has gently slanted surfaces 40 e and 40 f , which are on the downstream side and upstream side , respectively , of the apex of the projection 40 d , in terms of the cartridge advancement direction . also referring to fig4 , the top portion of the peripheral surface of the rear bearing 40 has a main assembly contacting first portion ( surface ) 40 h ( cartridge rotation regulating first portion of cartridge 7 ), which is positioned higher than the main assembly contacting portion 40 a . the main assembly contacting first surface 40 h is flat and is between the main assembly contacting first portion 40 a 1 and main assembly contacting second portion 40 a 2 . further , the rear bearing 40 is provided with a surface 40 g , which is positioned lower than the main assembly contacting first portion 40 h . further , the rear bearing 40 is provided with a main assembly contacting surface 40 i , which is another surface of the bearing 40 , which positions the cartridge 7 relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a in terms of the lengthwise direction of the cartridge 7 . as the cartridge 7 is moved into the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the main assembly contacting surface 40 i comes into contact with the inward surface of the rear wall of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , and remains in contact therewith , ensuring that the cartridge 7 is accurately positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a in terms of the lengthwise direction of the cartridge 7 , and also , that the cartridge 7 remains accurately positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a in terms of the lengthwise direction of the cartridge 7 after the mounting of the cartridge 7 into the apparatus main assembly 100 a . next , the front bearing 50 ( photosensitive drum axle bearing second bearing which is at the other end , in terms of direction parallel to axial line of photosensitive drum 1 , from the end supported by rear bearing 40 ), that is , the photosensitive drum axle bearing member located at the trailing end of the cartridge 7 in terms of the cartridge advancement direction , will be described . the front bearing 50 has a cartridge positioning second portion 50 a of the cartridge 7 ( which has portions 50 a 1 and 50 a 2 ) ( fig4 and 14 ), which is for positioning the front side of the cartridge 7 relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a in terms of the direction perpendicular to the abovementioned cartridge advancement direction . the cartridge positioning portion 50 a is a top portion of the peripheral surface of the arcuate portion of the bearing 50 , being therefore accurate , as seen from the direction parallel to the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 . the front bearing 50 is also provided with a bearing pressing member catching portion 50 b , which comes into contact with the apparatus main assembly 100 a as upward force is applied to the front bearing 50 by a cartridge lifting member 93 ( fig5 ), which will be described later . the bearing pressing member catching portion 50 b is positioned higher than the cartridge positioning portion 50 a . like the main assembly contacting portion 40 a , the above mentioned cartridge positioning front portion 50 a has a cartridge positioning portion 50 a 1 ( third cartridge positioning portion ) and a cartridge positioning portion 50 a 2 ( fourth cartridge positioning portion ), which are on one side the axial line i of the photosensitive drum 1 and the other side , respectively . that is , the cartridge positioning third portion 50 a 1 and cartridge positioning fourth portion 50 a 2 opposes each other across the axial line i ( fig4 ). in terms of the cartridge advancement direction , the bearing pressing member catching portion 50 b is on the downstream side of the photosensitive drum 1 . further , as seen from the direction , indicated by a arrow mark k ( fig1 ( c )), in which the cartridge 7 is lifted by the cartridge lifting member 93 ( cartridge pressing second member of main assembly 100 a ), the bearing pressing member catching portion 50 b is between the cartridge positioning third portion 50 a 1 and cartridge positioning fourth portion 50 a 2 ( roughly at mid point between portions 50 a 1 and 50 a 2 ). this structural arrangement ensures that as upward force is applied to the bearing pressing member catching portion 50 b , the cartridge positioning portion 50 a is placed in contact with the cartridge contacting portion 92 a of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , accurately positioning the cartridge 7 relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a . in this embodiment , the front bearing 50 has the cartridge positioning third portion 50 a 1 and cartridge positioning fourth portion 50 a 2 as the portions for accurately positioning the rear side of the cartridge 7 relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a . therefore , it is ensured that the cartridge 7 is more reliably pressed , and kept pressed , upon the cartridge contacting portion 92 a of the apparatus main assembly 100 a . however , the number of the cartridge positioning portion for positioning the rear side of the cartridge 7 may be only one . also referring to fig4 , the front bearing 50 is provided with a bearing pressing member pressing portion 50 c ( pressing member pressing second portion ) for causing the cartridge lifting member 93 to move back into its retreat position . in terms of the direction , which is horizontal , and perpendicular to the cartridge advancement direction , the bearing pressing member pressing portion 50 c ( which hereafter may be referred to simply as the contacting portion 50 c ) is located farther from the center of the cartridge 7 than the abovementioned bearing pressing member catching portion 50 b is . in terms of the cartridge advancement direction , the bearing pressing member pressing portion 50 c is on the downstream end wall of the cartridge 7 , and perpendicularly projects downstream . the tip portion of the bearing pressing member pressing portion 50 c is provided with a projection 50 d , which projects downward . the projection 50 d is triangular in cross section . that is , it has gently slanted surfaces 50 e and 50 f , which are on the downstream side and upstream side , respectively , of the apex of the projection 50 d , in terms of the cartridge advancement direction . referring again to fig4 , the front bearing 50 also has a main assembly contacting surface ( portion ) 50 h ( cartridge contacting second portion : cartridge positioning second portion of bearing 50 ), which is a part of the top surface of the front bearing 50 . the main assembly contacting portion 50 h is positioned higher than the cartridge positioning portion 50 a is . the main assembly contacting second portion 50 h is flat and is between the cartridge positioning third portion cartridge 50 a 1 and cartridge positioning fourth portion cartridge 50 a 2 . further , the front bearing 50 is provided with a surface 50 g , which is positioned lower than the main assembly contacting second portion 50 h . next , the portions of the structure of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , which are for accurately positioning the cartridge 7 and keeping the cartridge 7 pressed upon the cartridge positioning portions of the apparatus main assembly 100 a will be described . fig5 is a schematic drawing for describing the portions of the image forming apparatus main assembly , which are for accurately positioning the cartridge 7 and keeping the cartridge 7 pressed upon the cartridge positioning portions of the apparatus main assembly 100 a . fig6 is a detailed drawing for describing the rear portions of the image forming apparatus main assembly 100 a , which are for accurately positioning the cartridge 7 and keeping the cartridge 7 pressed upon the cartridge positioning portions of the apparatus main assembly 100 a . fig7 is a detailed drawing for describing the front portions of the image forming apparatus main assembly , which are for accurately positioning the cartridge 7 and keeping the cartridge 7 pressed upon the cartridge positioning portions of the apparatus main assembly 100 a . referring to fig5 , the apparatus main assembly 100 a is provided with lateral plates 82 and 92 , which are at the rear and front ends of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , in terms of the cartridge mounting direction . the lateral plate 92 is provided with an opening 92 b , which makes it possible for the cartridge 7 to be removable mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a . that is , it is through the opening 92 b that the cartridge 7 is inserted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a . more specifically , as the cartridge 7 is inserted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a through the opening 92 b , the cartridge 7 is guided into the apparatus main assembly 100 a by the above described top cartridge guide 80 a - 80 d and bottom cartridge guide 81 a - 81 d ( fig3 ) in the direction indicated by the arrow mark f . it is also through the opening 92 b that the cartridge 7 is removed from the apparatus main assembly 100 a . these operations are to be carried out by a user . referring to fig6 , the lateral plate 82 is has the abovementioned bearing catching portion 82 a ( which has portions 82 a 1 and 82 a 2 ), that is , the bearing 40 positioning first portion of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , which is for accurately positioning the bearing 40 ( cartridge 7 ) relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a in terms of the direction perpendicular to the cartridge mounting direction ( cartridge advancement direction ). the lateral plate 82 is also provided with the bearing pressing member 83 ( bearing pressing first member of apparatus main assembly 100 a ) for pressing the bearing 40 toward the bearing catching portion 82 a by being under the pressure ( elastic force ) generated by a compression spring 85 . this bearing pressing member 83 functions as a member for keeping the bearing 40 ( cartridge 7 ) pressed upward by being under the pressure from the compression spring 85 . the bearing pressing member 83 will be described later in detail . the bearing pressing member 83 is on the opposite side of the bearing 40 accommodating hole of the lateral plate 82 from the bearing catching portion 82 a . it has a hole 83 a , in which a shaft 84 fixed to the lateral plate 82 is fitted . more specifically , the bearing pressing member 83 is structured , and is attached to the lateral plate 82 , so that it is allowed to take a bearing pressing position , a retreat position , and a standby position . the bearing pressing position is the position for keeping the bearing 40 ( cartridge 7 ) pressed upon the cartridge contacting portion 82 a . the retreat position is the position into which it is moved to eliminate the pressure it applies to the bearing 40 ( cartridge 7 ). the standby position is a position which corresponds to a preset point in the cartridge passage . further , the bearing pressing member 83 is provided with a cartridge ( bearing ) pressing portion 83 b , which presses on the bearing 40 ( cartridge 7 ) when the bearing pressing member 83 is in the bearing ( cartridge ) pressing position ; the bearing ( cartridge ) pressing portion 83 b corresponds in position to the bearing pressing member catching portion 40 b of the bearing 40 of the cartridge 7 . the bearing pressing member 83 is also provided with a bearing contacting first portion 83 c for moving the bearing pressing member 83 into the retreat position . the bearing contacting first portion 83 c corresponds in position to the bearing pressing member pressing portion 40 c . the bearing contacting first portion 83 c is provided with a projection 83 d , which projects upward . the projection 83 d is triangular in cross section . that is , it has gently sloped surfaces 83 e and 83 f , which are on the downstream side and upstream side , respectively , of the apex of the projection 83 d , in terms of the cartridge advancement direction . in terms of the direction perpendicular to the cartridge mounting direction f , the bearing contacting first portion 83 c is located farther from the axial line of the hole 83 a than the bearing ( cartridge ) pressing portion 83 b is . that is , in terms of the lengthwise direction of the bearing pressing member 83 , the axial line of the hole 83 a , bearing pressing portion 83 b , and bearing contacting first portion 83 c are arranged in the listed order . further , the lateral plate 82 is provided with a cartridge position regulating portion 86 ( cartridge position regulating first portion of apparatus main assembly 100 a ) for regulating the upward movement of the cartridge 7 attributable to the reactive force generated when the bearing pressing member 83 is moved into its retreat position . the cartridge movement regulating portion 86 is formed of a resin , and is between the two portions 82 a 1 and 82 a 2 of the bearing catching portion 82 a of the lateral plate 82 . next , referring to fig7 , the lateral plate 92 has the abovementioned cartridge insertion opening 92 b . further , the lateral plate 92 is provided with a cartridge catching portion 92 a ( which has portions 92 a 1 and 92 a 2 ), that is , the cartridge positioning second portion of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , which is for accurately positioning the cartridge 7 ( bearing 50 ) relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a in terms of the direction perpendicular to the cartridge mounting direction . the two portions 92 a 1 and 92 a 2 of the bearing catching portion 92 a are at the top of the cartridge insertion opening 92 b . further , the lateral plate 92 is provided with the cartridge lifting member 93 ( bearing pressing second member of apparatus main assembly 100 a ) for pressing the cartridge 7 ( bearing 50 ) toward the bearing catching portion 92 a by being under the force ( tension ) generated by a tensile spring 95 . the cartridge lifting member 93 is positioned higher than the bearing catching portion 92 a . further , the lateral plate 92 is provided with a shaft 94 , which is solidly fixed to the lateral plate 92 , and the cartridge lifting member 93 is provided with a hole 93 a ( second hole of 93 a ). the shaft 94 is fitted in the hole 93 a . the cartridge lifting member 93 is structured , and attached to the lateral plate 92 , so that it is allowed to take a bearing pressing position ( bearing pressing position ), a retreat position , and a standby position . the bearing pressing position is the position for keeping the bearing 50 pressed upon the bearing catching portion 92 a . the retreat position is the position into which the cartridge lifting member 93 is moved to eliminate the pressure it applied to the bearing 50 . the standby position is a position which corresponds to a preset point in the cartridge passage . further , the cartridge lifting member 93 is provided with a bearing pressing portion 93 b , which presses the bearing 50 upward when the cartridge lifting member 93 is in the bearing pressing position ; the bearing pressing portion 93 b corresponds in position to the bearing pressing member catching portion 50 b of the cartridge 7 . the cartridge lifting member 93 is also provided with a bearing contacting second portion 93 c for moving the cartridge lifting member 93 into the retreat position . the bearing contacting second portion 93 c corresponds in position to the bearing pressing member pressing portion 50 c . the cartridge lifting member 93 is provided with a projection 93 d , which projects upward . the projection 93 d is triangular in cross section . that is , it has gently sloped surfaces 93 e and 93 f , which are on the downstream side and upstream side , respectively , of the apex of the projection 93 d , in terms of the cartridge advancement direction ( fig1 ). in terms of the direction perpendicular to the cartridge mounting direction , the bearing contacting second portion 93 c is located farther from the axial line of the hole 93 a than the bearing pressing portion 93 b . that is , in terms of the lengthwise direction of the cartridge lifting member 93 , the axial line of the hole 93 a , bearing pressing member 93 b , and bearing contacting second portion 93 c are arranged in the listed order . further , the cartridge lifting member 93 is provided with a bearing position regulating portion 96 ( cartridge position regulating second portion of apparatus main assembly 100 a ) for regulating the upward movement of the bearing 50 attributable to the reactive force generated when the cartridge lifting member 93 is moved into the retreat position . the bearing position regulating portion 96 is formed of a resin , and is between the two portions 92 a 1 and 92 a 2 of the bearing catching portion 92 a of the lateral plate 92 . in this embodiment , the leading end portion of the cartridge 7 in terms of the cartridge mounting direction is pressed upward by the bearing pressing member 83 ( bearing pressing member , cartridge lifting member ) on the opposite side of the bearing accommodating hole of the lateral plate 82 from the bearing catching portion 82 a so that the leading end portion of the cartridge 7 ( bearing 40 ) is placed in contact with the bearing catching portion 82 a , which is on the opposite side of the bearing accommodating hole of the lateral plate 82 from the bearing pressing member 83 . on the trailing side of the cartridge 7 in terms of the cartridge mounting direction , the trailing end portion of the cartridge 7 ( bearing 50 ) is pulled upward by the cartridge lifting member 93 ( cartridge pulling member ), which is positioned so that it will be above the trailing portion ( bearing 50 ) of the cartridge 7 , to place the bearing 50 in contact with the bearing catching portion 92 a of the lateral plate 92 , which is the top portion of the edge of the cartridge insertion opening 92 b . that is , while the cartridge 7 is in its image forming position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the bearing 40 is pressed upon the bearing catching portion 82 a ( bearing contacting portion ) by the bearing pressing member 83 . therefore , the main assembly contacting first portion 40 a 1 and main assembly contacting second portion 40 a 2 ( cartridge positioning portions at leading end of cartridge 7 ) are accurately positioned relative to the bearing catching portion 82 a ( cartridge positioning first portion of apparatus main assembly 100 a ). further , the bearing 50 is pressed upward by the upward force applied thereto by the cartridge lifting member 93 . therefore , the cartridge positioning third portion 50 a 1 and cartridge positioning fourth portion 50 a 2 ( portions for positioning trailing end portion of cartridge ) are placed in contact with the bearing catching portion 92 a ( having portions 92 a 1 and 92 a 2 ) ( cartridge positioning second portion of apparatus main assembly 100 a ), respectively . the above described structural arrangement makes it possible to provide the lateral plate 92 with the cartridge insertion opening 92 b through which the cartridge 7 is removably mountable into the cartridge spaces ( cartridge compartments 22 ) in the apparatus main assembly 100 a . therefore , the bearing 50 , which is the adjacencies of the cartridge positioning portion of the cartridge 7 , can be directly pressed by the bearing pressing member 92 , in the image forming apparatus 100 structured so that the cartridge 7 is to be mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a in the direction parallel to the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 . in other words , the above described structural arrangement makes it possible to directly press both the rear bearing 40 and front bearing 50 . that is , the above described structural arrangement stabilizes the force by which the cartridge 7 ( rear and front bearings 40 and 50 ) is pressed , and is kept pressed , upon the cartridge positioning portions of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , ensuring that the cartridge 7 is accurately positioned , and remains accurately positioned , relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a . therefore , it is ensured that the photosensitive drum 1 is accurately positioned , and remains accurately positioned , in contact with the intermediary transfer belt 5 . as described above , the cartridge 7 is provided with the photosensitive drum axle bearing first member 40 , that is , the bearing which supports one end of the photosensitive drum 1 in terms of the direction parallel to the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 . further , the main assembly contacting first surface 40 h and main assembly contacting portion 40 a ( having portions 40 a 1 and 40 a 2 ) are portions of the peripheral surface of the drum axle bearing first member 40 . in addition , the cartridge 7 is provided with the photosensitive drum axle bearing second member 50 , that is , the bearing which supports the other end of the drum 1 . the main assembly contacting second portion 50 h and main assembly contacting portion 50 a ( cartridge positioning portion ) ( cartridge positioning third portion 50 a 1 and cartridge positioning fourth portion 50 a 2 ) are portions of the peripheral surface of the drum axle bearing second member 50 . therefore , it is ensured that the cartridge 7 is accurately positioned , and remains accurately positioned , relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a . further , in terms of the direction perpendicular to the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 , the main assembly contacting surface 40 h , that is , the main assembly contacting first portion ( cartridge movement regulating first portion of cartridge 7 ), is rendered different in position from the main assembly contacting first portion 40 a ( having portions 40 a 1 and 40 a 2 ). also in terms of the direction perpendicular to the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 , the main assembly contacting surface 50 h , that is , the main assembly contacting second portion ( cartridge movement regulating second portion ), is different in position from the bearing positioning second portion 50 a ( having portion 50 a 1 and 50 a 2 ) ( cartridge positioning second portion ). further , in terms of the cartridge mounting direction , the main assembly contacting first surface 40 h is at the leading end of the cartridge 7 , whereas the main assembly contacting second surface 50 h is at the trailing end of the cartridge 7 . therefore , it does not occur that the main assembly contacting portions 40 a and 50 a ( cartridge positioning portions ) rub against the apparatus main assembly 100 a while the cartridge 7 is mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a . therefore , the cartridge 7 is accurately positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a . the summary of the description of the cartridge 7 and apparatus main assembly 100 a in the first embodiment of the present invention is as follows : the apparatus main assembly 100 a is provided with the bearing catching portion 82 a ( having portions 82 a 1 and 82 a 2 : cartridge positioning first portions ) and bearing catching portion 92 a ( having portions 92 a 1 and 92 a 2 ): cartridge positioning second portions ). the apparatus main assembly 100 a is also provided with the lateral plate 82 ( bearing pressing first member , cartridge raising ( bearing raising ) first member ) for pressing the cartridge 7 ( bearing 40 ) upward , and the cartridge lifting member 93 ( cartridge ( bearing ) pressing second member ) for pressing the cartridge 7 ( bearing 50 ) upward . more specifically , the bearing pressing member 83 presses the cartridge 7 ( bearing 40 ) from under the cartridge 7 ( bearing 40 ), whereas the cartridge lifting member 93 presses the cartridge 7 ( bearing 50 ) upward by pulling the cartridge 7 ( bearing 50 ) from above . it should be noted here that this embodiment is not intended to limit the present invention in the structure of the cartridge 7 and apparatus main assembly 100 a . that is , in terms of the cartridge mounting direction , the bearing pressing member 93 and 83 , that is , the members for pressing the cartridge 7 ( bearing 50 ) upward , and keeping it pressed upward , may be positioned at the rear and front ends of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , respectively , instead of the front and rear of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , respectively , as they are in this embodiment . however , it is by the structural arrangement employed in this embodiment that the above described effects of this embodiment are obtained . ( operation of cartridge ( bearing ) pressing mechanism during moving and removing of cartridge ) next , referring to fig8 - 11 , the operation of the bearing pressing mechanism during the mounting of the cartridge into the image forming apparatus and the removing of the cartridge from the image forming apparatus 100 will be described . ( a ) rear end : operation of bearing pressing mechanism during mounting and removing of cartridge fig8 is a schematic drawing of the bearing pressing mechanism ( assembly ) on the rear side , as seen from the right side of the main assembly of the image forming apparatus , and shows the operation of the bearing pressing member . fig9 is a schematic drawing of the bearing pressing mechanism on the rear side , as seen from the downstream side in terms of the direction in which the cartridge is mounted , and shows the bearing pressing operation of the mechanism . the cartridge 7 is mounted in the direction indicated by the arrow mark f , as described above . referring to fig8 ( a ) and 9 ( a ), as the cartridge 7 is inserted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the sloped surface 40 e of the bearing pressing member pressing portion 40 c comes into contact with the slanted surface 83 e of the bearing contacting first portion 83 c ( standby position ). then , as the cartridge 7 is inserted further , the bearing pressing member 83 is gradually moved downward by the bearing pressing member pressing portion 40 c . as a result , the projection 40 d of the bearing pressing member pressing portion 40 c comes into contact with the projection 83 d of the bearing contacting first portion 83 c , and then , causes the bearing pressing member 83 to retreat in the direction indicated by an arrow mark x ( retreat position ), as shown in fig8 ( b ). more specifically , the bearing pressing member 83 is made to retreat into the position in which its does not contact the bearing pressing member catching portion 40 b of the bearing 40 ( fig9 ( b )). therefore , while the cartridge 7 is mounted , the bearing pressing member catching portion 40 b is not pressed by the bearing pressing portion 83 b . the pressure which the bearing 40 receives when the cartridge 7 is mounted is cancelled by the bearing pressing member pressing portion 40 c , which is positioned farther from the axial line of the hole 83 a than the bearing catching portion 82 a . that is , the force necessary to move the bearing 40 downward against the upward force ( pressure ) applied to the bearing 40 is reduced by the amount proportional to the ratio between the distance from the axial line of the hole 83 a to the bearing pressing member catching portion 40 b ( 83 b ), and the distance from the axial line of the hole 83 a to the bearing pressing member pressing portion 40 c ( 83 c ). therefore , the amount of load to which the cartridge 7 is subjected when the cartridge 7 is mounted is sufficiently small relative to the amount of pressure applied to the cartridge 7 by the bearing pressing member 83 . that is , this embodiment can reduce the amount of force necessary to mount the cartridge 7 . at the same time , the bearing 40 is pressed upward by the reactive force generated by the bearing pressing member 83 as the bearing pressing member 83 is moved downward into its retreat position by the bearing pressing member pressing portion 40 c . however , the main assembly contacting surface 40 h comes into contact with the cartridge movement regulating portion 86 of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , that is , the bearing contacting first portion of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , thereby regulating the upward movement of bearing 40 . the positional relationship between the bearing position regulating portion 86 and main assembly contacting surface 40 h is such that they remain in contact with each other until immediately before the main assembly contacting portions 40 a comes into contact with the bearing catching portion 82 a , that is , immediately before the main assembly contacting portions 40 a is positioned by the bearing catching portion 82 a . therefore , during the mounting of the cartridge 7 , the cartridge movement regulating portion 86 , which is formed of a resin , and the main assembly contacting surface 40 h continuously rub against each other from the moment the cartridge 7 begins to be pressed upward by the bearing pressing member 83 until immediately before the cartridge 7 is accurately positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a , whereas the main assembly contacting portions 40 a does not contact the bearing catching portion of the lateral plate 82 of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , which is formed of thin steel plate or the like . therefore , the main assembly contacting portions 40 a and bearing catching portion 82 a do not shave each other . as the cartridge 7 is inserted even further , the bearing pressing member pressing portion 40 c gradually disengages from the bearing contacting first portion 83 c , allowing the bearing pressing member 83 to gradually move back from the retreat position to the bearing pressing position . the cartridge 7 is inserted until the rear lateral plate contacting portion 40 i of the cartridge 7 , which is the portion for positioning the cartridge 7 in terms of the lengthwise direction of the cartridge 7 , comes into contact with the rear lateral plate 82 of the apparatus main assembly 100 a . as the cartridge 7 is inserted as far as the rear lateral plate 82 , the bearing pressing member catching portion 40 b comes into contact with the bearing ( cartridge ) pressing portion 83 b , causing the bearing 40 to be pressed in the bearing pressing direction , as shown in fig9 in the bearing pressing position , as shown in fig8 ( c ) and 9 ( c ). as a result , the main assembly contacting portions 40 a is placed in contact with the bearing catching portion 82 a of the rear lateral plate 82 of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , accurately positioning the bearing 40 ( rear end portion of cartridge 7 ) relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a in terms of the direction perpendicular to the cartridge mounting direction . also during this movement of the cartridge 7 , the main assembly contacting surface 40 h becomes disengaged from the cartridge movement regulating portion 86 of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , creating a preset amount of gap between the cartridge movement regulating portion 86 and surface 40 g . at the same time , bearing pressing member pressing portion 40 c rides past the apex of projection 83 d of the bearing contacting first portion 83 c , creating a preset amount of gap between the surface 40 j and bearing pressing member 83 . as descried above , the bearing pressing member 83 is capable of taking the standby position , the bearing pressing position ( cartridge pressing position ), and the retreat position . to describe in more detail , listing from the top , the standby position , bearing pressing position , and retreat position of the bearing pressing member 83 are positioned in the stated order . therefore , the bearing pressing member 83 can apply a sufficient amount of pressure upon the cartridge 7 while the cartridge 7 is in its image forming position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a . next , when it is necessary to take the cartridge 7 out of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the above described operation for mounting the cartridge 7 is to be carried in reverse . the pressure from the bearing pressing member 83 , applied to the bearing 40 is , cancelled , as it is when the cartridge 7 is mounted , by the bearing pressing member pressing portion 40 c , which is located farther from the axial line of the hole 83 a than is the bearing pressing member catching portion 40 b . therefore , the amount of force necessary to remove the cartridge 7 is just as smaller as the amount of force necessary to mount the cartridge 7 . whether it is when the cartridge 7 is mounted into , or removed from , the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the bearing pressing member 83 must be moved in the direction perpendicular to the cartridge mounting direction f . in this embodiment , however , the projection 83 d with which the bearing contacting first portion 83 c is provided , is provided with gently slanted surfaces , which are on the downstream and upstream sides in terms of the cartridge mounting direction , whereas the projection 40 d of the bearing pressing member pressing portion 40 c is provided with gently slanted surfaces , which are on the downstream and upstream sides in terms of the cartridge mounting direction . thus , when the cartridge 7 is mounted , the slanted surface 40 e of the bearing pressing member pressing portion 40 c comes into contact with the slanted surface 83 e of the bearing contacting first portion 83 c , whereas when the cartridge 7 is removed , the slanted surface 40 f of the bearing pressing member pressing portion 40 c comes into contact with the slanted surface 83 f of the bearing contacting first portion 83 c . thus , as the cartridge 7 is moved , the bearing pressing member 83 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow mark x . because the cartridge 7 and apparatus main assembly 100 a are structured so that the bearing pressing member 83 is moved by the interaction between the abovementioned gently slanted surfaces , the cartridge 7 can be smoothly mounted or removed . ( b ) front side : operation of bearing pressing mechanism during mounting or removing of cartridge fig1 is a schematic drawing of the bearing pressing mechanism on the front side , as seen from the left side of the main assembly , and shows the operation of the mechanism . fig1 is a schematic drawing of the bearing pressing mechanism on the upstream side in terms of the cartridge mounting direction , as seen from the downstream side in terms of the direction in which the cartridge is mounted , and shows the operation of the mechanism . referring to fig1 ( a ) and 11 ( a ), as the cartridge 7 is inserted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the slanted surface 50 e of the bearing pressing member pressing portion 50 c of the front bearing 50 comes into contact with the slanted surface 93 e of the cartridge lifting member 93 ( standby position ). then , as the cartridge 7 is inserted further , the cartridge lifting member 93 is gradually moved downward by the bearing pressing member pressing portion 50 c . that is , as the cartridge 7 is inserted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the projection 50 d of the bearing pressing member pressing portion 50 c comes into contact with the projection 93 d of the cartridge lifting member 93 , and then , causes the cartridge lifting member 93 to retreat in the direction indicated by an arrow mark y ( retreat position ), as shown in fig1 ( b ). during this movement of the cartridge lifting member 93 , the cartridge lifting member 93 retreats into the position in which its bearing pressing portion 93 b does not contact the bearing pressing member catching portion 50 b , as shown in fig1 ( b ). therefore , while the cartridge 7 is mounted , the bearing pressing member catching portion 50 b is not subjected to any pressure . the pressure which the bearing 50 receives from the cartridge lifting member 93 when the cartridge 7 is mounted is removed by the bearing pressing member pressing portion 50 c , which is positioned farther from the axial line of the hole 93 a than the bearing pressing member catching portion 50 b is . thus , the force necessary to move the cartridge lifting member 93 downward against the force ( pressure ) which presses the bearing 50 ( cartridge 7 ) upward is reduced by the amount proportional to the ratio between the distance from the axial line of the hole 93 a to the bearing pressing member catching portion 50 b ( 93 b ), and the distance from the axial line of the hole 93 a to the bearing pressing member pressing portion 50 c ( 93 ). therefore , the amount of load to which the bearing 50 ( cartridge 7 ) is subjected when the cartridge 7 is mounted is sufficiently smaller than the amount of pressure which the bearing 50 ( cartridge 7 ) receives from the cartridge lifting member 93 . thus , this embodiment can reduce the amount of force necessary for the operation for mounting the cartridge 7 . also during this movement of the cartridge 7 , the bearing 50 is pressed upward by the reactive force generated by the cartridge lifting member 93 as the cartridge lifting member 93 is moved downward into its retreat position . however , the main assembly contacting second portion 50 h comes into contact with the cartridge movement regulating portion 96 of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , that is , the cartridge contacting second portion of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , regulating thereby the upward movement of the bearing 50 ( cartridge 7 ). the positional relationship between the cartridge movement regulating portion 96 and the main assembly contacting second portion 50 h is such that they remain in contact with each other until immediately before the main assembly contacting portion 50 a ( cartridge positioning portion ) comes into contact with the bearing catching portion 92 a , that is , until immediately before the main assembly contacting portion 50 a ( cartridge positioning portion ) is positioned by the bearing catching portion 92 a . therefore , during the mounting of the cartridge 7 , the cartridge movement regulating portion 96 of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , which is formed of a resin , and the main assembly contacting second portion 50 h continuously rub against ( slide upon ) each other from the moment the cartridge 7 begins to be pressed upward by the cartridge lifting member 93 until immediately before the cartridge 7 is positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a , whereas the main assembly contacting portion 50 a ( cartridge positioning portion ) does not rub against the bearing catching portion 92 a of the lateral plate 92 of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , which is formed of thin steel plate or the like . therefore , the main assembly contacting portion 50 a ( cartridge positioning portion ) and the bearing catching portion 92 a do not shave each other . as the cartridge 7 is inserted even further , the bearing pressing member pressing portion 50 c gradually disengages from the cartridge lifting member 93 , allowing the cartridge lifting member 93 to gradually move back from its retreat position to the bearing pressing position . the cartridge 7 is to be inserted until the rear lateral plate contacting portion 40 i of the cartridge 7 , which is the portion for positioning the cartridge 7 relative to the apparatus main assembly in terms of the lengthwise direction of the cartridge 7 , comes into contact with the rear lateral plate 82 of the apparatus main assembly 100 a . as the cartridge 7 is inserted far enough for the rear lateral plate contacting portion 40 i to come into contact with the rear lateral plate 82 , the bearing pressing member catching portion 50 b comes into contact with the bearing pressing portion 93 b , causing the bearing 50 ( cartridge 7 ) to be pressed in the direction indicated by the arrow mark k ( cartridge lifting direction , fig1 ) ( cartridge pressing position ), as shown in fig1 ( c ) and 11 ( c ). as a result , the main assembly contacting portion 50 a ( cartridge positioning portion ) is placed in contact with the bearing catching portion 92 a of the rear lateral plate 92 of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , accurately positioning the bearing 50 ( cartridge 7 ) relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a in terms of the direction perpendicular to the cartridge mounting direction . also during this movement of the cartridge 7 , the main assembly contacting second portion 50 h becomes disengaged from the cartridge movement regulating portion 96 of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , creating a preset amount of gap between the cartridge movement regulating portion 96 and surface 50 g . at the same time , the bearing pressing member pressing portion 50 c moves past the bearing catching portion 93 c of the cartridge lifting member 93 , creating a preset amount of gap between the surface 50 j and bearing catching portion 93 c . as described above , the cartridge lifting member 93 is capable of taking the standby position , the bearing pressing position ( cartridge pressing position ), and the retreat position . to describe in more detail , listing from the top , the standby position , the bearing pressing position , and the retreat position of the cartridge lifting member 93 are positioned in the stated order . therefore , the cartridge lifting member 93 can apply to the bearing 50 ( cartridge 7 ) a sufficient amount of pressure necessary to keep the bearing 50 ( cartridge 7 ) accurately positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a after the amounting of the cartridge 7 . next , when it is necessary to take the cartridge 7 out of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the above described operation for mounting the cartridge 7 is to be carried in reverse . the pressure from the cartridge lifting member 93 , under which the bearing 50 ( cartridge 7 ) is located , is cancelled , as it is when the cartridge 7 is mounted , by the bearing pressing member pressing portion 50 c , which is located farther from the axial line of the cartridge lifting member 93 than is the bearing pressing member catching portion 50 b . therefore , the amount of force necessary to remove the cartridge 7 is just as small as the amount of force necessary to mount the cartridge 7 . whether it is when the cartridge 7 is mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a , or removed from the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the cartridge lifting member 93 must be moved in the direction perpendicular to the cartridge mounting direction . in this embodiment , however , the projection 93 d of the cartridge lifting member 93 is provided with gently slanted surfaces , which are on the downstream and upstream sides in terms of the cartridge mounting direction , whereas the projection 50 d of the bearing pressing member pressing portion 50 c is provided with gently slanted surfaces , which are on the downstream and upstream sides in terms of the cartridge mounting direction . when the cartridge 7 is mounted , the slanted surface 50 e of the bearing pressing member pressing portion 50 c comes into contact with the slanted surface 93 e of the cartridge lifting member 93 , whereas when the cartridge 7 is removed , the slanted surface 50 f of the bearing pressing member pressing portion 50 c comes into contact with the slanted surface 93 f of the cartridge lifting member 93 . thus , as the cartridge 7 is moved , the cartridge lifting member 93 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow mark y . because the cartridge 7 and the apparatus main assembly 100 a are structured so that the cartridge lifting member 93 is moved by the interaction between the abovementioned gently slanted surfaces , the cartridge 7 can be smoothly mounted or removed . it should be noted here that it is roughly at the same time that the bearing pressing ( positioning ) front and rear mechanisms press upon the bearings ( cartridge 7 ), or release the bearings ( cartridge 7 ), when the cartridge 7 is mounted or removed , respectively . further , the rotational direction of the bearing pressing member 83 is opposite from the rotational direction of the cartridge lifting member 93 . to describe in more detail , referring to fig1 ( a ) and 12 ( b ), in terms of the direction perpendicular to the cartridge mounting direction , the hole 83 a , that is , the hole of the cartridge pressing rear member 83 of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , is on the left side of a line l which coincides with the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 and extends in the direction in which the cartridge 7 is moved to be positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a , whereas the bearing contacting first portion 83 c is on the right side of the line l . on the other hand , the hole 93 a , that is , the hole of the cartridge pressing front member 93 of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , is on the right side of the line l , and the bearing catching portion 93 c is on the left side of the line l . that is , the bearing pressing member 83 , which is on the rear side , moves into its retreat position by being rotated in the direction indicated by an arrow mark m , whereas the cartridge lifting member 93 , which is on the front side , moves into its retreat position by being rotated in the direction indicated by an arrow mark n . thus , as the cartridge 7 is mounted or removed , the bearing member pressing member pressing portions 40 c and 50 c are pressed in the directions indicated by arrow marks p 1 and p 2 , by the bearing pressing members 83 and 93 , respectively , as shown in fig1 ( a ) and 12 ( b ). the direction indicated by the arrow mark p , that is , the direction in which the bearing pressing member pressing portion 40 c is pressed , and the direction indicated by the arrow mark p 2 , that is , the direction in which the bearing member pressing member pressing portion 50 c is pressed holds a preset angle relative to the line l , which is parallel to the direction in which the bearings 40 and 50 ( cartridge 7 ) are pushed up . further , referring to fig1 ( c ), the theoretical extension of the arrow mark p 1 and that of the p 2 are roughly symmetrically positioned with respect to the line l . therefore , the cartridge 7 remains stable in attitude when it is mounted or removed . therefore , the image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment is superior to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus in accordance with the prior art , in terms of the operation for mounting or removing a process cartridge . further , during the mounting of the cartridge 7 , the cartridge movement regulating portions 86 and 96 of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , which are formed of a resin , continuously rub against ( slide upon ) the main assembly contacting surface 40 h and main assembly contacting portion 50 h , respectively , from the moment the cartridge 7 begins to be pressed upward by the bearing pressing member 83 and 93 until immediately before the bearings 40 and 50 ( cartridge 7 ) are accurately positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a , whereas the main assembly contacting portions 40 a and 50 a do not rub against the bearing catching portion 82 a and 92 a of the lateral plate 82 and 92 of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , which are formed of thin steel plate or the like . therefore , the main assembly contacting portions 40 a and bearing catching portion 82 a do not shave each other , and the main assembly contacting portion 50 a ( cartridge positioning portion ) and bearing catching portion 92 a do not shave each other . as described above , the cartridge 7 and apparatus main assembly 100 a in this embodiment are structured so that when the cartridge 7 is mounted or removed , the pressure applied to the cartridge 7 ( bearings 40 and 50 ) by the bearing pressing portions of the bearing pressing members ( cartridge positioning member ), is cancelled by the combination of the bearing pressing member pressing portions of the cartridge 7 ( bearing 40 and 50 ), and the bearing catching portions of the bearing pressing members , which are located farther from the rotational axes of the bearing pressing members than the bearing pressing portions of the bearing pressing member . therefore , the amount of force necessary to mount or remove the cartridge 7 is sufficiently smaller than the amount of load to which the cartridge 7 is subjected by the bearing pressing members of the apparatus main assembly 100 a when the cartridge 7 is mounted or removed . in other words , this embodiment can significantly reduce the amount of force necessary for the operation to mount or removed the cartridge 7 , making it possible to provide an electrophotographic image forming apparatus which is significantly superior to a conventional electrophotographic image forming apparatus , in terms of the cartridge mounting or removing operation . further , the main assembly contacting portions of the bearings ( cartridge 7 ) and the cartridge contacting portion of the apparatus main assembly 100 a are prevented from being shaved by their counterparts when the cartridge 7 is mounted into , or removed from , the apparatus main assembly 100 a . therefore , it is ensured that the cartridge 7 is accurately positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a throughout its service life . further , the image forming apparatus in this embodiment is structured so that the cartridge compartments are horizontally juxtaposed in tandem , and the intermediary transfer unit is placed above the space for the cartridge compartments , in order to make it possible to press the cartridges from below by the bearing pressing members to accurately position the cartridges relative to the main assembly of the image forming apparatus . however , this embodiment is not intended to limit the present invention in terms of the structure of an image forming apparatus . that is , the present invention is also applicable to an image forming apparatus in which its intermediary transfer unit is under its cartridge compartments so that the cartridges are to be pressed downward by the bearing pressing members . in the case of this structural arrangement , the photosensitive drums 1 are placed in contact with the intermediary transfer belt 5 by pressing the cartridges 7 downward . in the case of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus , such as the one in this embodiment , which is structured so that the cartridges are pressed from below , the amount of force necessary to accurately position the cartridges must be set in consideration of the weight of each cartridge . thus , in terms of the amount of force necessary to accurately position the cartridges , an electrophotographic image forming apparatus structured as the one in this embodiment is greater than an image forming apparatus structured so that the cartridges are pressed downward for positioning . that is , the former is greater than the latter , in the amount of force necessary to press the bearing pressing members . therefore , the effects of the present invention can be enhanced by structuring an electrophotographic image forming apparatus , like the one in this embodiment , so that when a cartridge is mounted or removed , the pressure ( pressing force ) applied to the cartridge by the bearing pressing portions ( cartridge pressing portions ) of the bearing pressing members is cancelled by the combination of the bearing pressing member pressing portions of the bearings of the cartridge , and the bearing catching portions of the bearing pressing members , which are located farther from the rotational axis of the bearing pressing member than the bearing pressing portions of the bearing pressing members . further , in this embodiment , it is at both the front and rear ends of the apparatus main assembly 100 a in terms of the cartridge mounting direction that when the cartridge is mounted or removed , the pressure applied to a cartridge by the bearing pressing portion of the bearing pressing member is cancelled by the combination of the bearing pressing member pressing portion of the bearing of the cartridge , and the bearing catching portion of the bearing pressing member , which is located farther from the rotational axis of the bearing pressing member than the bearing pressing portion of the bearing pressing member is . however , this embodiment is not intended to limit the present invention in terms of the structure of an image forming apparatus . that is , the present invention is also applicable to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus having only one bearing pressing member ( cartridge pressing member ), which is located at the front or rear end of the apparatus in terms of the cartridge mounting direction . however , providing both the front and rear ends of the main assembly of an image forming apparatus with a bearing pressing member ( portion ) can reduce the total amount of load to which the cartridge is subjected when it is mounted or removed . further , providing both the front and rear ends of each cartridge compartment of an image forming apparatus with a bearing pressing member , and structuring the image forming apparatus so that the direction in which the cartridge is pressed upward by the bearing pressing member on the front end of the apparatus is symmetrical to the direction in which the cartridge is pressed upward by the bearing pressing member on the rear end of the apparatus , with respect to the axial line of the photosensitive drum , make it possible to keep the cartridge 7 stable in attitude when the cartridge 7 is mounted or removed . ( mechanism for keeping development roller separated from photosensitive drum when cartridge is in apparatus main assembly ) next , referring to fig1 , 15 , and 16 , the mechanism for keeping separated the photosensitive drum 1 and development roller 25 in the cartridge 7 in accordance with the present invention , will be described . fig1 is an external perspective view of the cartridge , and fig1 is a schematic sectional view of the cartridge in the first embodiment , which has been accurately positioned in the main assembly of the image forming apparatus , and the development roller of which is in contact with photosensitive drum of the cartridge 7 . fig1 is a schematic sectional view of the cartridge 7 in the first embodiment , which has been accurately positioned in the main assembly of the image forming apparatus , and the development roller of which has been separated from the photosensitive drum of the cartridge . in the first embodiment described above , the development roller 25 develops an electrostatic latent image , with the use of developer , while remaining in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 . further , when the development roller 25 is not used for development , it is kept separated from the photosensitive drum 1 as necessary . thus , the image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment is structured so that the development roller 25 can be separated from the photosensitive drum 1 . more specifically , the apparatus main assembly 100 a is provided with a development roller separating member 111 ( development roller separating force applying portion ), which is located in a preset position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a , in terms of the direction in which the cartridge 7 is inserted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a ( fig1 and 15 ). the development roller separating member 111 is movable between a cartridge pressing position and a retreat position . the cartridge pressing position is the position in which the development roller separating member 111 presses on the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b ( which will be described later ) of the cartridge 7 . the retreat position is a preset distance away from the cartridge pressing position . the development roller separating member 111 separates the development roller 25 from the photosensitive drum 1 against the pressure applied to the development unit 4 . the development roller separating member 111 is a part of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , and is moved between the abovementioned cartridge pressing position ( fig1 ) and retreat position ( fig1 ), by a cam ( unshown ) rotated by the rotational force from a motor ( unshown ) which rotates in response to a separation signal . the above - mentioned pressure is the combination of the force generated by the compression springs 38 ( elastic member ) ( fig2 , 15 , and 16 ) and the force generated by the tension springs ( elastic members ) ( unshown ). in terms of the cartridge mounting direction f , the compression spring 38 is at the downstream end of the cartridge 7 , remaining compressed between the development unit 4 and the drum unit 26 , and the tension spring is at the upstream end of the cartridge 7 , remaining stretched by the development unit 4 and drum unit 26 . both the resiliency of the compression spring 38 and the resiliency of the tension spring generate force in the direction to keep the two units 4 and 26 pressed toward each other . one development roller separating member 111 is provided for each of the four cartridges 7 ( 7 a - 7 d ), which use yellow , magenta , cyan , and black toners , respectively . the development unit 4 is provided with the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b ( development roller separation force receiving portion ), which the development roller separating member 111 presses when it separates the development roller 25 from the photosensitive drum 1 . the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b is on the bottom surface of the development unit frame 31 . on the other hand , the drum unit 26 is provided with a pair of shafts 27 b and a pair of holes 27 c , which are for regulating the rotational movement of the cartridge 7 , which occurs as the cartridge 7 receives the force for rotating the photosensitive drum 1 , the development roller 25 , etc ., from the apparatus main assembly 100 a , and also , as the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b is pressed by the development roller separating member 111 . that is , each of the end walls of the drum unit 26 in terms of the cartridge mounting direction f is provided with the shaft 27 b and groove 27 c . the shaft 27 b is the cartridge rotation regulating first portion of the cartridge 7 , and the groove 27 c is the cartridge rotation regulating second portion of the cartridge 7 . as the cartridge 7 is mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the shaft 27 b engages into the cross - sectionally elongated hole 82 b ( cartridge rotation regulating first portion ) ( fig5 ) of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , and the shaft 92 c ( cartridge rotation regulating second portion ) ( fig5 ) of the apparatus main assembly 100 a engages into the groove 27 c of the cartridge 7 . the above described structural arrangement makes it possible to accurately position the front and rear sides of the cartridge 7 relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a , and also , to cause the cartridge rotation regulating portions of the cartridge 7 to engage with the cartridge rotation regulating portions of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , simply by mounting the cartridge 7 into the apparatus main assembly 100 a , even in the case of an image forming apparatus structured so that the cartridge 7 is to be mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a in the direction parallel to the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 . that is , the above described structural arrangement ensures that the cartridge 7 is accurately positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a , in spite of its simplicity . also in this embodiment , the portions of the cartridge 7 , which are for regulating the rotation of the cartridge 7 , which occurs as the cartridge 7 receives the force for rotating the photosensitive drum 1 and the development roller 25 from the apparatus main assembly 100 a , are the same as the portions of the cartridge 7 , which are for regulating the rotation of the cartridge 7 , which occurs as the cartridge 7 receives the force for separating the development roller 25 from the photosensitive drum 1 . that is , the cartridge rotation regulating portions of the cartridge 7 are the shaft 27 b and the groove 27 c , whereas the cartridge rotation regulating portions of the apparatus main assembly 100 a are the cross - sectionally elongated hole 82 b , and the shaft 92 c . referring to fig1 , when the apparatus main assembly 100 a is not in action , the development roller separating member 111 is in the cartridge pressing portion . more specifically , as the apparatus main assembly 100 a is stopped , the motor ( unshown ) is rotated in response to the development roller separation signal , moving the development roller separating member 111 in the direction indicated by an arrow mark g . thus , the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b of the development unit 4 is pressed in the direction indicated by the arrow mark g by the development roller separating member 111 . at this point of the operation , the shaft 27 b of the drum unit 26 is in the cross - sectionally elongated hole 82 b of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , and the shaft 92 c of the apparatus main assembly 100 a is in the groove 27 c of the drum unit 26 . therefore , when the development unit 4 is pressed by the development roller separating member 111 in the direction indicated by the arrow mark g , the drum unit 26 does not move in the direction indicated by the arrow mark g . therefore , the development unit 4 rotates about the shafts 37 ( 37 r and 37 f ), that is , the shafts which connect the development unit 4 and drum unit 26 . as a result , the development roller 25 is separated from the photosensitive drum 1 by a distance v , shown in fig1 , and remains separated by the distance v ( fig1 ). therefore , even if the cartridge 7 is left unused for a long time in the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the elastic layer of the development roller 25 does not deform . therefore , the problem that the deformation of the elastic layer of the development roller 25 results in the formation of an image which is nonuniform in density does not occur . as described previously , the development roller 25 is made up of a core and a cylindrical rubber layer ( elastic layer ) fitted around the core ( fig1 ). therefore , if the development roller 25 is left in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 for a long time , the cylindrical rubber layer is liable to sustain a compressional scar . the shafts 37 r and 37 f are at one of the lengthwise end of the cartridge 7 and the other , respectively . also referring to fig1 , the cartridge 7 is designed so that after it is properly mounted in the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the photosensitive drum 1 and the development roller 25 are above the horizontal plane which coincides with the axial line of the shaft 37 , and the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b is below the same plane , and also , so that the shaft 27 b is at the bottom end of one of the lengthwise end of the drum unit 26 , and the groove 27 c is in the bottom end portion of the other ( rear ) lengthwise end of the drum unit 26 . therefore , it is ensured that when the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b is pressed by the development roller separating member 111 , the movement of the drum unit 26 is regulated by the cross - sectionally elongated hole 82 , and the shaft 92 c . further , the cartridge 7 is designed so that after the proper mounting of the cartridge 7 into the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b projects downward of the development unit 4 ( fig1 ). therefore , there is a substantial distance between the point at which the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b receives the pressure from the development roller separating member 111 , and the shaft 27 b , enhancing the force ( pressure ) applied to the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b . further , in terms of the cartridge mounting direction f , the shaft 27 b is at the leading end of the cartridge 7 , and the groove 27 c is at the trailing end , being in the portion of the development unit 4 , which protrudes downward ( fig1 and 16 ). therefore , when the cartridge 7 is mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a so that its lengthwise direction is parallel to its mounting direction , the cross - sectionally elongated hole 82 b and the shaft 92 c of the apparatus main assembly 100 a do not interfere with the mounting of the cartridge 7 . incidentally , the groove 27 c is not shown in fig2 , but , is shown in fig5 and 13 . as seen from the rear end of the cartridge 7 in terms of its lengthwise direction , the rotational direction of the photosensitive drum 1 is clockwise ( indicated by arrow mark q ), and the rotational direction of the development roller 25 is counterclockwise ( indicted by arrow mark b ). further , the rotational direction of the toner supply roller 34 is counterclockwise ( indicated by arrow mark c ) ( fig2 ). as an image forming operation is initiated by a print start signal , the abovementioned motor rotates in synchronism with the development operation starting timing , and the development roller separating member 111 moves into the retreat position ( fig1 ), creating a distance u between the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b and the development roller separating member 111 . thus , the development roller 25 is placed in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 , being readied for image formation , by a preset amount of pressure , that is , the combination of the force ( pressure ) applied by the compression spring 38 and the force ( pressure ) applied by the tension spring ( unshown ). in this embodiment , the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b is on the bottom surface of the development unit frame 31 , and is on the opposite side from the development roller 25 with respect to the shafts 37 ( 37 r and 37 f ), the axial line of which coincides with the rotational axis of the development unit 4 . further , the distance between the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b and the shaft 37 is greater than the distance between the development roller 25 and the shaft 37 . it should be noted here that the positioning of the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b does not need to be limited to the one in this embodiment . however , positioning the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b on the opposite side from the development roller 25 with respect to the shaft 37 , and farther from the shaft 37 than the development roller 25 , makes it possible to reduce the amount of force necessary to separate the development roller 25 from the photosensitive drum 1 . therefore , positioning the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b on the opposite side from the development roller 25 with respect to the shaft 37 , and farther from the shaft 37 than the development roller 25 , can reduce the amount of load to which the development roller separating member 111 is subjected when the development roller 25 is separated . ( structural arrangement for inputting driving force into cartridge in apparatus main assembly ) next , referring to fig1 - 21 , the portion of the structure of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , which is for inputting a driving force into the cartridge 7 in the apparatus main assembly 100 a will be described . fig1 is a schematic drawing of one end ( rear end ) of the development roller 25 in terms of the lengthwise direction of the development roller 25 . referring to fig1 , the shaft 25 j of the development roller 25 is rotatably fitted in the center hole of the bearing 32 r , being in contact with the bearing 32 r . there is a spacer roller 47 between the rubber roller portion 25 g of the development roller 25 and the bearing 32 r , being rotatably fitted around the shaft 25 j . the spacer roller 47 is for regulating in size the area of contact between the development roller 25 and photosensitive drum 1 . although described above is the development roller supporting structure of the rear end portion of the cartridge 7 in terms of the lengthwise direction of the development roller 25 , the development roller supporting structure on the front end portion is the same as that of the rear end portion . that is , the other end portion of the shaft 25 j is rotatably fitted in the center hole of the development roller bearing portion , which is an integral part of the development roller bearing member 32 l . in this embodiment , an oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 , one of various couplings compatible with this embodiment , is used as the coupling ( development roller coupling of cartridge , development roller rotating force receiving portion of cartridge ) of the mechanism for inputting a development roller driving force into the cartridge 7 . next , referring to fig1 and 19 , the structure of oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 will be described . in order to make it easier to describe the structure of the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling , fig1 and 19 do not show the development roller bearing member 32 r . referring to fig1 , the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 has an engaging portion 42 on the development roller side , a middle engaging portion 43 , and an engaging portion 44 on the apparatus main assembly side . the engaging portion 42 is solidly attached to the end of the shaft 25 j . as a means for solidly attaching the engaging portion 42 , a spring pin , a parallel pin , etc ., are available . however , the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 may be attached with the use of the method shown in fig1 . that is , the peripheral surface of the end portion of the shaft 25 j is shaved flat ( flattened portion 25 c ), and the engaging portion 42 is provided with a center hole , the cross section of which matches that of the flattened portion 25 c so that the flatten portion 25 c perfectly fits into the center hole of the engaging portion 42 . the shaft portion 44 b of the engaging portion 44 is fitted in the hole 45 a of the development roller coupling ( oldham &# 39 ; s coupling ) bearing member 45 ( which hereafter will be referred to simply as bearing 45 ), being rotatably supported by the bearing 45 . further , the engaging portion 44 is provided with multiple projections 44 c 1 - 44 c 4 , which engage with the development roller coupling 53 ( development roller rotating force transmitting portion ) of the main assembly 100 a , which is the driving force transmitting second member of the apparatus main assembly 100 a . the projections 44 c 1 - 44 c 4 are integral parts of the engaging portion 44 . the coupling 53 belongs to the apparatus main assembly 100 a . the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 can transmit the development roller driving force ( second driving force ) from the apparatus main assembly 100 a to the development roller 25 while tolerating the misalignment between the axial lines of the coupling 53 and the axial line of the development roller 25 . further , the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 can transmit the rotational force ( second driving force ) from the apparatus main assembly 100 a to the development roller 25 whether the development roller 25 is in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 or not . next , referring to fig1 , the structure of the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 will be described in detail . fig1 ( a ) is a sectional view of the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 , at a plane which is parallel to the direction indicated by an arrow mark h ( fig1 ) and coincides with the axial line of the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 . fig1 ( b ) is a sectional view of the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 , at a plane which is parallel to the direction indicated by an arrow mark i ( fig1 ) and coincides with the axial line of the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 . referring to fig1 ( a ), the engaging portion 42 is provided with a tongue 42 a , which is an integrally formed part of the engaging portion 42 . the engaging portion 43 is provided with a groove 43 a . the tongue 42 a is fitted in the groove 43 a so that the former can moved in the direction indicated by the arrow mark h ( fig1 ) . next , referring to fig1 ( b ), the engaging portion 44 is provided with a tongue 44 a , which is an integral part of the engaging portion 44 . the engaging portion 43 is provided with a groove 43 b . the tongue 44 a is fitted in the groove 43 b so that the former can be moved in the direction indicated by the arrow mark i ( fig1 ) . fig2 is a drawing for showing the structure of the couplings with which the cartridge 7 is provided . the end surface of the engaging portion 44 of the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 of the development unit 4 is provided with multiple projections 44 c 1 - 44 c 3 , which project in parallel to the axial line of the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 . it is also provided with a centering boss 44 c 4 for aligning the axial line ( rotational axis ) of the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 with the axial line of the coupling 53 . the centering boss 44 c 4 projects from the end surface of the engaging portion 44 in the direction parallel to the axial line of the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 . on the other hand , one end of the photosensitive drum 1 in terms of the direction of its axial line has a drum coupling 1 b ( drum coupling of cartridge ), which is in the form of a twisted triangular prism . further , the guide portion 45 b of the bearing 45 is fitted in the groove 48 a of a side cover 48 , and is guided by the groove 48 a . the direction in which the guide portion 45 b is guided is perpendicular to the axial line of the development roller 25 . the side cover 48 is fixed to the development unit 4 with the use of small screws or the like ( unshown ). thus , the engaging portion 44 is allowed to move in the direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the development unit 4 . fig2 is a perspective view of the driving force transmitting couplings with which the apparatus main assembly 100 a is provided , and shows the structure of the couplings . referring to fig2 , a coupling 66 ( drum driving force transmitting coupling of apparatus main assembly , drum rotating force transmitting portion ), which is for transmitting the rotational force from the apparatus main assembly 100 a to the photosensitive drum 1 , has a hole 66 a , which is roughly triangular in cross section . more specifically , the hole 66 a of the coupling 66 is roughly in the form of a triangular prism having multiple apexes ( in cross section ). further , the coupling 53 ( development roller driving force transmitting coupling of the main assembly , development roller driving force transmitting portion ), which is for transmitting the rotational force ( second rotationally driving force ) from the apparatus main assembly 100 a to the development roller 25 , is provided with multiple holes 53 a - 53 c ( recesses ). the coupling 66 is kept pressed toward the cartridge 7 by a pressing member 77 , such as a compression spring . the coupling 66 is allowed to move in the direction parallel to the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 . if the coupling 1 b is not in alignment with the hole 66 a of the coupling 66 when the coupling 1 b comes into contact with the coupling 66 , the coupling 66 retreats by being pushed by the coupling 1 b . then , as the coupling 66 is rotated , the coupling 1 b becomes aligned with the hole 66 a of the coupling 66 , and therefore , is allowed to engage with the coupling 66 . as a result , the rotational force is transmitted to the photosensitive drum 1 from the apparatus main assembly 100 a through the couplings 66 and 1 b . the coupling 53 is kept pressed toward the cartridge 7 by a pressing member 73 , such as a compression spring , in the direction parallel to the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 . however , the coupling 53 is attached to the apparatus main assembly 100 a in such a manner that no play is provided for the coupling 53 in terms of the direction perpendicular to the axial line of the development roller 25 . that is , the only direction in which the coupling 53 is allowed to move , besides the direction in which it is rotatable , is the direction parallel to its axial line . as the cartridge 7 is inserted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the engaging portion 44 comes into contact with the coupling 53 . sometimes , however , the projections 44 c 1 - 44 c 3 are not in alignment with the holes 53 a - 53 c ( recesses ). in such a case , the ends of the projections 44 c 1 - 44 c 3 contact the portions of the coupling 53 other than the holes 53 a - 53 c ( recesses ). thus , the coupling 53 retreats against the pressure ( elastic force ) applied thereto by the pressing member 73 , in the direction parallel to the axial line of the coupling 53 . however , as the projections 44 c 1 - 44 c 3 become aligned with the holes 53 a - 53 c ( recesses ) due to the rotation of the coupling 53 , the coupling 53 advances by being under the pressure applied thereto by the pressing member 73 , causing the projections 44 c 1 - 44 c 3 to engage into the holes 53 a - 53 c , and also , causing the centering boss 44 c 4 ( rotational force receiving member positioning portion ) to fit into the centering hole 53 e ( rotational force transmitting member positioning portion ). as a result , the axial line ( rotational axis ) of the engaging portion 44 and that of the coupling 53 align with each other , and the rotational force is transmitted to the development roller 25 from the coupling 53 . while the rotational force ( first and second rotational forces ) is transmitted to the cartridge 7 , the shaft 27 b ( fig4 ) of the drum unit 26 is in the cross - sectionally elongated hole 82 b ( fig5 ) of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , and the shaft 92 c ( fig5 ) of the apparatus main assembly 100 a is in the groove 27 c ( fig3 ) of the drum unit 26 , which is u - shaped in cross section . thus , the rotational movement of the cartridge 7 , which occurs as the rotational force is transmitted from the apparatus main assembly 100 a to the cartridge 7 is regulated . the rotational force , which is transmitted to the cartridge 7 through the couplings 66 and 53 , is provided by a motor , or motors , located in the apparatus main assembly 100 a ; the apparatus main assembly 100 a may be provided with four motors so that each cartridge 7 is driven by the motor dedicated thereto , or only a single motor so that the four cartridges 7 are driven by the same motor . next , referring to fig2 - 25 , the action of the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 , which occurs when the development roller 25 of the cartridge 7 in the first embodiment of the present invention is separated from the photosensitive drum 1 , will be described . fig2 is a side view of the cartridge 7 when there is a preset amount of a gap between the development roller 25 and the photosensitive drum 1 . fig2 is a sectional view of the lengthwise end portion of the cartridge 7 having the coupler 44 , when there is a preset amount of a gap between the development roller 25 and the photosensitive drum 1 , at a plane which coincides with the axial line of the development roller 25 and photosensitive drum 1 . referring to fig2 , when the apparatus main assembly 100 a is not in operation , the development roller 25 ( outlined with a broken line ) remains separated from the photosensitive drum 1 ( outlined with a broken line ). when the cartridge 7 is in the condition shown in fig2 , the arm portion 46 a of the torsional coil spring 46 ( pressure applying member ) located in the side cover 48 is in contact with the engaging portion 45 c of the coupling bearing 45 , and keeps the engaging portion 45 c pressed . therefore , the engaging portion 44 remains pressed in the direction ( indicated by arrow mark w in fig2 ) perpendicular to the axial line of the development roller 25 , and the contacting portion 45 d of the coupling bearing 45 remains in contact with the contacting portion 40 k ( holding portion ) of the drum bearing 40 , that is , the photosensitive drum bearing rear member . therefore , the coupling bearing 45 is kept accurately positioned . that is , the engaging portion 44 is kept in a preset position . the contacting portion 40 k of the drum bearing 40 is v - shaped is cross section ; it has two surfaces which are parallel to the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 . the coupling bearing 45 is placed in contact with the contacting portion 40 k , whereby the coupling bearing 45 is held so that its axial line remains parallel to the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 . the drum bearing 40 is provided with the aforementioned main assembly contacting portion 40 a , which is formed as an integral part of the drum bearing 40 . therefore , the engaging portion 44 , which is rotatably supported by the coupling bearing 45 , is accurately positioned relative to the lateral plate 82 , relative to which the main assembly contacting portion 40 a is positioned . the lateral plate 82 is a part of the apparatus main assembly 100 a . therefore , the engaging portion 44 is accurately positioned also relative to the axial line 53 d of the coupling 53 . the engaging portion 44 of the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 is rotatably borne by the coupling bearing 45 . in this state , therefore , the axial line 44 c 5 of the engaging portion 44 is not in alignment with the axial line 53 d of the development roller 25 . further , the axial line 44 c 5 is closer to the axial line 53 d than the axial line 25 k of the development roller 25 is . that is , where the engaging portion 44 is positioned is where the engaging portion 44 can smoothly engage with the coupling 53 as the cartridge 7 is inserted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a . in this embodiment , the torsional coil spring 46 ( pressure applying member ) is used as the member for applying pressure to the coupling bearing 45 . however , the member for applying pressure does not need to be in the form of a torsional coil spring . for example , the coupling bearing 45 may be provided with an elastically deformable portion , which is integral with the coupling bearing 45 so that the coupling bearing 45 is kept pressed upon the contacting portion 40 k . next , referring to fig2 , the action of the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling will be described in more detail . the image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment is structured so that as the engaging portion 44 is rotated by the coupling 53 by becoming engaged with the coupling 53 , it is positioned by the coupling 53 , as will be described later . in other words , when the cartridge 7 is mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the contacting portion 45 d is not in contact with the contacting portion 40 k . therefore , when the advancement of the cartridge 7 into the apparatus main assembly 100 a begins to cause the engaging portion 44 to engage with the coupling 53 , the axial line 44 c 5 of the engaging portion 44 is offset relative to the axial line of the coupling 53 by a distance d 3 toward the photosensitive drum 1 . thus , as the cartridge 7 is advanced further into the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the chamfered portion 44 c 6 ( fig2 ) of the centering boss 44 c 4 comes into contact with the chamfered edge 53 f ( fig2 ) of the hole 53 e . therefore , the coupling 53 and 44 engage with each other while compensating for the misalignment between their axial lines . when the coupling 53 and engaging portion 44 are in the state shown in fig2 , there is a gap between the development roller 25 and photosensitive drum 1 . in this state , the axial line of the engaging portion 44 is not in alignment with the axial line 25 k of the development roller 25 , as described above . that is , the distance d 1 between the axial line 1 c ( rotational axis ) of photosensitive drum 1 and the axial line 44 c 5 of the engaging portion 44 is smaller than a distance d 2 between the axial line 1 c of the photosensitive drum 1 and the axial line 25 k of the development roller 25 . therefore , the engaging portion 44 is closer to the photosensitive drum 1 than to the development roller 25 . further , even when there is a gap between the development roller 25 and the photosensitive drum 1 , the engaging portion 43 is in engagement with the engaging portion 44 and 42 . therefore , even while the development roller 25 moves between the position in which it is in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 and the position in which it is held a preset distance from the photosensitive drum 1 , the engaging portion 43 is allowed to move while remaining in engagement with the engaging portion 44 and 42 . also when the coupling 53 and engaging portion 44 are in the state shown in fig2 , the engaging portion 44 is kept accurately positioned relative to the coupling 53 by the contacting portion 40 k . therefore , the chamfered portions 44 c 6 and 53 f do not need to be very large , making it possible to reduce the engaging portion 44 and coupling 53 in size . next , referring to fig2 , as the rotation of the coupling 53 causes the projections 44 c 1 - 44 c 3 to align with the holes 53 a - 53 c ( recesses ) of the coupling 53 , the boss 44 c 4 fits into the hole 53 e , causing thereby the axial line 44 c 5 of the engaging portion 44 to align with the axial line 53 d of the coupling 53 . that is , the engaging portion 44 is positioned by the coupling 53 . as a result , the coupling bearing 45 becomes separated from the drum bearing 40 . at this point , the distance between the axial line 1 c of the photosensitive drum 1 and the axial line 44 c 5 of the engaging portion 44 is a distance d 4 , which is larger by a distance d 3 than the distance d 1 shown in fig2 ; the axial line 44 c 5 of the engaging portion 44 is farther from the axial line 1 c of the photosensitive drum 1 by d 3 than when the coupling 53 and engaging portion 44 are in the state shown in fig2 . however , the distance between the engaging portion 44 and the photosensitive drum 1 is smaller than that between the engaging portion 44 and development roller 25 . fig2 is a side view of the cartridge 7 when its development roller 25 is in contact with its photosensitive drum 1 . fig2 is a sectional view of the driving force receiving end portion of the cartridge 7 when the development roller 25 is in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 . as an image forming operation is initiated , the development roller separating member 111 retreats to its preset position ( retreat position ), allowing the development unit 4 to rotationally move about the shaft 37 , which supports the development roller supporting rear bearing 32 r of the drum unit frame 27 . thus , the development roller 25 comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 1 . at this point , the engaging portion 44 and the coupling 53 have already engaged with each other . therefore , even when the development unit 4 rotationally moves , the engaging portion 44 of the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 remains in the same position while remaining engaged with the coupling 53 . that is , the engaging portion 44 does not rotationally move . further , the engaging portion 44 and the coupling 53 are in engagement with each other , with a gap remaining between the coupling bearing 45 and the drum bearing 40 , as shown in fig2 . further , the axial line 25 k of the development roller 25 , the axial line 44 c 5 of the engaging portion 44 , and the axial line 53 d of the coupling 53 are roughly in alignment . the distances from the axial lines 25 k , 44 c 5 , and 53 d to the axial line 1 c of the photosensitive drum 1 are the same , being the distance d 4 . as described above , in this embodiment , the couplings 53 and 66 rotate independently from each other . the coupling 66 inputs a rotational force into the photosensitive drum 1 , and the coupling 53 directly inputs the rotational force into the development roller 25 through the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 . therefore , not only is the rotation of the development roller 25 not affected by the rotation of the photosensitive drum 1 , but also , the development roller 25 can be rotated more accurately . therefore , it is possible to yield an image which is significantly superior in quality than an image formed by a conventional image forming apparatus . further , the engaging portion 44 is positioned relative to the cartridge 7 so that a preset positional relationship is realized between the engaging portion 44 and the cartridge 7 , and also , so that the engaging portion 44 is allowed to move in the direction perpendicular to the axial line 25 k of the development roller 25 . therefore , a large guide or the like , which a conventional image forming apparatus requires to make the coupling 53 and the engaging portion 44 engage with each other is unnecessary , making it possible to eliminate the space for the large guide or the like . therefore , this embodiment can reduce an image forming apparatus in size , and also , can improve an image forming apparatus in terms of the operation for mounting a process cartridge into the main assembly of the image forming apparatus . further , the engaging portion 44 can be kept in the preset position even though the development roller 25 remains separated from the photosensitive drum 1 when the cartridge 7 is mounted . therefore , the image forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment is superior to a conventional image forming apparatus in terms of the operation for mounting a process cartridge into the main assembly of the image forming apparatus . further , the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 is used as the means for transmitting the rotational force from the apparatus main assembly 100 a to the development roller 25 . therefore , a rotational force can be transmitted to the development roller 25 even when the development roller 25 is not in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 . therefore , it is possible to start rotating the development roller 25 before the development roller 25 is placed in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 . therefore , it is possible to give the toner on the development roller 25 a sufficient amount of triboelectric charge by the development blade 35 before the development roller 25 is placed in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 . therefore , it is possible to prevent the problem that because it is impossible to give the toner on the development roller 25 a sufficient amount of triboelectric charge , the toner is transferred from the photosensitive drum 1 onto the secondary transfer roller 18 ( fig1 ) by way of the intermediary transfer belt 5 , and then , soils the back surface of a recording medium ( for example , paper ). therefore , it is possible to prevent the problem that because the toner on the development roller 25 is not sufficiently charged before the development roller 25 is placed in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 , the waste toner storage bin of the belt cleaning apparatus 23 has be frequently replaced . further , the employment of the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 makes it possible to continue to rotate the development roller 25 even while the development roller 25 is moved from the separation position to the contact position . therefore , it is possible to place the development roller 25 in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 while rotating both the development roller 25 and the photosensitive drum 1 . therefore , it is possible to minimize the impact to which the photosensitive drum 1 is subjected when the development roller 25 comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 1 . in this embodiment , the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 is used as the means for transmitting a rotational force from the apparatus main assembly 100 a to the development roller 25 . however , the means for transmitting the rotational force from the apparatus main assembly 100 a to the development roller 25 does not need to be limited to the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 . that is , any coupling ( for example , a lateral coupling ) may be employed , as long as the coupling is capable of sufficiently absorbing ( compensating for ) the rotational anomalies which occur if the axial line of the coupling on the rotational transmitting side and that on the rotational force receiving side are not in alignment with each other . as described above , the structure of the cartridge 7 in this embodiment is as follows : the cartridge 7 comprises the drum unit 26 , which supports the photosensitive drum 1 . it has the development roller 25 for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 1 . the development roller 25 develops the electrostatic latent image while remaining in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 . the development roller 25 is supported by the development unit 4 . the development unit 4 is connected to the drum unit 26 in such a manner that it is allowed to rotationally move relative to the drum unit 26 . further , the cartridge 7 is provided with the drum coupling 1 b ( drum driving force receiving portion ) for receiving the rotational force for rotating the photosensitive drum 1 , from the drum driving force transmitting coupling 66 ( drum rotating force transmitting portion ), when the cartridge 7 is in its image forming position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a . in terms of the direction indicated by the arrow mark f , in which the cartridge 7 is mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the drum coupling 1 b is at the leading end of the drum unit 26 . also , the cartridge 7 has the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 ( development roller driving force receiving portion ) for receiving the rotational force for rotating the development roller 25 , from the development roller driving force transmitting coupling 53 ( development roller rotating force transmitting portion ), when the cartridge 7 is in its image forming position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a . in terms of the cartridge mounting direction f , the coupling 41 is at the leading end of the development unit 4 . further , the cartridge 7 has the main assembly contacting first portion ( cartridge positioning first portion ) 40 a ( having portions 40 a 1 and 40 a 2 ), which is positioned by the bearing catching portion 82 a ( 82 a 1 and 82 a 2 ) when the cartridge 7 is mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a , and also , remains positioned by the bearing catching portion 82 a ( having portions 82 a 1 and 82 a 2 ) while the cartridge 7 is in its image forming position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a . the main assembly contacting portion 40 a ( cartridge positioning portion ) is positioned by the bearing catching portion portion 82 a by being placed in contact with the cartridge contacting portions 82 a by the pressure ( force ) applied by the bearing pressing member 83 . in terms of the cartridge mounting direction f , the main assembly contacting portion 40 a ( cartridge positioning portion ) is at the downstream end of the drum unit 26 . the bearing pressing member 83 is a member of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , which is for keeping pressed , or pushing up , the main assembly contacting portion 40 a ( cartridge positioning portion ). further , the bearing catching portion 82 a is the cartridge positioning first portion of the apparatus main assembly 100 a . the main assembly contacting portion 40 a ( having portions 40 a 1 and 40 a 2 ) is at one of the lengthwise ends of the photosensitive drum 1 . the portions 40 a 1 and 40 a 2 are two portions of the peripheral surface of the drum bearing 40 , which will face upward when the cartridge 7 is in its image forming position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a . they are located close to each other . further , the cartridge 7 has the drum bearing 40 ( drum shaft bearing first member ), which supports one of the lengthwise ends of the photosensitive drum 1 . the portions 40 a 1 and 40 a 2 of the main assembly contacting portion 40 a ( cartridge positioning portion ) are the two portions of the peripheral surface of the drum bearing 40 . further , the cartridge 7 has the main assembly contacting portion 50 a ( cartridge positioning portion ) ( having cartridge positioning third portion 50 a 1 and cartridge positioning fourth portion 50 a 2 ), that is , the main assembly contacting second portion ( cartridge positioning second portions ) of the cartridge , which is positioned by the bearing catching portion 92 a ( having portions 92 a 1 and 92 a 2 ), when the cartridge 7 is mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a , and while the cartridge 7 is in its image forming position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a . the main assembly contacting portion 50 a is accurately positioned relative to the bearing catching portions 92 a by being placed in contact with the bearing pressing portions 92 a by the pressure applied by the bearing ( cartridge ) lifting member 93 . in terms of the cartridge mounting direction , the main assembly contacting portion 50 a ( having cartridge positioning third portion 50 a 1 and cartridge positioning fourth portion 50 a 2 ) is on the upstream side of the drum unit 26 . the bearing ( cartridge ) lifting member 93 is the bearing pressing second member of the apparatus main assembly 100 a . the bearing catching portion 92 a is the bearing ( cartridge ) positioning second portion of the apparatus main assembly 100 a . the main assembly contacting portion 50 a ( bearing positioning portion ) ( having cartridge positioning third portion 50 a 1 and cartridge positioning fourth portion 50 a 2 ) is at the other lengthwise end of the cartridge 7 . the main assembly contacting portion 50 a ( cartridge positioning portion ) is made up of the cartridge positioning third portion 50 a 1 and cartridge positioning fourth portion 50 a 2 of the peripheral surface of the rear bearing 50 of the photosensitive drum , which face upward when the cartridge 7 is in its image forming portion in the apparatus main assembly 100 a . therefore , in terms of the lengthwise direction of the cartridge 7 , one end of the cartridge 7 and the other are positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a by coming into contact with the bearing catching portions 82 a and 92 a , respectively . therefore , it is ensured that the cartridge 7 is accurately positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a when it is mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a , and also , so that the cartridge 7 remains accurately positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a while it is in the apparatus main assembly 100 a . the portions 40 a 1 and 40 a 2 of the main assembly contacting portions 40 a are the two portions of the peripheral surface of the drum bearing 40 , which face upward when the cartridge 7 is in its image forming position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a . the portions 40 a 1 and 40 a 2 are located close to each other . further , the cartridge positioning third portion 50 a 1 and cartridge positioning fourth portion 50 a 2 of the main assembly contacting portion 50 a ( cartridge positioning portion ) are the two portions of the peripheral surface of the drum bearing 50 , which face upward when the cartridge 7 is in its image forming position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a . the cartridge positioning third portion 50 a 1 and cartridge positioning fourth portion 50 a 2 are located close each other . this structural arrangement also ensures that the cartridge 7 is accurately positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a when it is mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a , and also , that the cartridge 7 remains accurately positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a while it is in the apparatus main assembly 100 a . further , the cartridge 7 has the drum bearing 50 ( photosensitive drum shaft bearing second member ), which supports the opposite end from the end supported by the drum bearing 40 . the cartridge positioning third portion 50 a 1 and the cartridge positioning fourth portion 50 a 2 of the main assembly contacting portion 50 a are the two portions of the peripheral surface of the drum bearing 50 . further , the main assembly contacting portions 40 a ( which has portions 40 a 1 and 40 a 2 ) is a part of the peripheral surface of the arcuate portion of the drum bearing 40 , being therefore arcuate in cross section . it is a preset distance apart from the axial line of the drum bearing 40 . the main assembly contacting portion 50 a ( cartridge positioning portion ) ( which has cartridge positioning third portion 50 a 1 and cartridge positioning fourth portion 50 a 2 ) is a part of the peripheral surface of the arcuate portion of the drum bearing 50 . it is a preset distance apart from the axial line of the drum bearing 50 . therefore , it is ensured that the main assembly contacting portions 40 a and 50 a are accurately positioned relative to the bearing catching portions 82 a and 92 a , each of which has two slanted surfaces . as described above , the main assembly contacting portions 40 a ( which has portions 40 a 1 and 40 a 2 ) is a part of the drum bearing 40 , and the main assembly contacting portion 50 a ( cartridge positioning portion ) ( which has portions 50 a 1 and 50 a 2 ) is a part of the drum bearing 50 . therefore , the cartridge 7 is accurately positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a so that the photosensitive drum 1 is accurately positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a . further , the cartridge 7 has the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b ( development roller separating force receiving portion ) for receiving from the development roller separating member 111 ( development roller separating force applying portion ), the pressure ( force ) for separating the development roller 25 from the photosensitive drum 1 . the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b belongs to the development unit 4 . the roller separating member catching portion 31 b , which is in the form of a rib , perpendicularly protrudes from the surface of the development unit 4 , which faces downward when the cartridge 7 is in its image forming position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a . it extends in the lengthwise direction of the photosensitive drum 1 . further , the cartridge 7 has the shaft 27 b . the shaft 27 b regulates the rotational movement of the drum unit 26 , which rotation is liable to occur as the couplings 41 and 66 receive the rotational force from the apparatus main assembly 100 a , and also , when the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b is pressed by the apparatus main assembly 100 a , by engaging into the cross - sectionally elongated hole 82 b , while the cartridge 7 is in the image forming position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a . in terms of the cartridge mounting direction , the shaft 27 b is at the downstream end of the drum unit 26 . the cross - sectionally elongated hole 82 b is the cartridge rotation regulating first portion of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , and the shaft 27 b is the cartridge rotation regulating first portion of the cartridge 7 . in terms of the cartridge mounting direction f , the shaft 27 b is at the downstream end of the cartridge 7 , and projects downstream . further , when the cartridge 7 is in its image forming position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the shaft 27 b is in the cross - sectionally elongated hole 82 b , preventing thereby the drum unit 26 from rotating , by being in contact with the internal surface of the hole 82 b . further , the cartridge 7 has the groove 27 c , in which the shaft 92 c fits to prevent the unit 26 from rotating , when the couplings 41 and 66 receive the rotational force from the apparatus main assembly 100 a while the cartridge 7 is in its image forming position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a , and also , when the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b receives pressure from the apparatus main assembly 100 a . in terms of the cartridge mounting direction , the groove 27 c is at the upstream ( rear ) end of the drum unit 26 . the groove 27 c is the drum unit rotation preventing second portion of the cartridge 7 , whereas the shaft 92 c is the drum unit rotation preventing second portion of the apparatus main assembly 100 a . the coupling 66 is the drum rotating force receiving portion . the groove 27 c belongs to the portion of the drum unit 26 , which projects downward when the cartridge 7 is in its image forming position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a . the groove 27 c is the groove in which the shaft 92 c of the lateral plate 92 fits when the cartridge 7 is in its image forming position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a . that is , the drum unit 26 is prevented from rotating , by the contact between the shaft 92 c of the lateral plate 92 and the internal wall of the groove 27 c . in terms of the lengthwise direction of the photosensitive drum 1 , the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 ( development roller rotating force receiving portion ) is on the inward side of the coupling 66 ( drum rotating force receiving portion ). the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 is attached to the development unit 4 in such a manner that it is allowed to move in the direction perpendicular to the abovementioned lengthwise direction . as the development roller 25 receives the rotational force from the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 , the development unit 4 tends to rotate in the counterclockwise direction ( indicated by arrow mark b ) as seen from the rear of the cartridge 7 in terms of the lengthwise direction of the cartridge 7 ( fig2 ). on the other hand , the development unit 4 and the drum unit 26 are pressured by the resiliency of the spring 38 in the direction to cause the development roller 25 to contact the photosensitive drum 1 . in addition , the drum unit 26 is prevented from rotating , by the abovementioned structural arrangement . therefore , the counterclockwise movement of the development unit 4 is regulated by the resiliency of the spring 38 . therefore , it is ensured that the development roller 25 flawlessly receives the rotational force from the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 . it is a part of the rotational force which the development roller 25 receives from the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 that is transmitted to the toner supply roller 34 . as described above , according to this embodiment , when the cartridge 7 is mounted into , or removed from , the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the pressure applied to the cartridge 7 by the bearing pressing portion of the pressing member 83 is cancelled by the portion of the bearing pressing member 83 , which is located farther from the rotational axis of the bearing pressing member 83 than the bearing pressing portion is . further , the portions of the surface of the cartridge 7 , which directly contact the apparatus main assembly 100 a when the cartridge 7 is mounted or removed , are rendered different from the cartridge positioning portions of the cartridge 7 . in addition , when the cartridge 7 is in its image forming position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the drum unit 26 is kept accurately positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a by the cartridge positioning portion and the cartridge rotation regulating portion . thus , as the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b is pressed by the development roller separating member 111 , the development roller 25 separates from the photosensitive drum 1 . also in this embodiment , the rotational force for rotating the development roller 25 is transmitted directly from the power source to the development roller 25 by way of the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 , that is , independently from the route through which the rotational force is transmitted to the photosensitive drum 1 . further , the engaging portion 44 of the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling 41 , which is the engaging portion of the oldham &# 39 ; s coupling located on the main assembly side , is positioned relative to the cartridge 7 so that a preset positional relationship is realized between the engaging portion 44 and cartridge 7 . as described above , in this embodiment , the cartridge 7 is positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a by pressing the cartridge 7 upward with the use of the above described structural arrangement . therefore , the amount of load to which the cartridge 7 is subjected by the bearing pressing members 83 and 93 when the cartridge 7 is mounted into the apparatus main assembly 100 a is significantly smaller than the amount of load to which a conventional process cartridge is subjected when it is mounted into the main assembly of a conventional image forming apparatus . therefore , the amount of force necessary to mount the cartridge 7 is significantly smaller than the amount of force necessary to mount a conventional process cartridge . further , the main assembly contacting portions 40 a does not rub against the apparatus main assembly 100 a . therefore , the main assembly contacting portions 40 a is not shaved by the apparatus main assembly 100 a . therefore , it is ensured that the cartridge 7 is accurately positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a throughout its service life . further , the cartridge 7 is provided with two cartridge rotation regulating portions , which are at one of the lengthwise ends of the cartridge 7 and the other , respectively , more specifically , at the rear and front ends of the drum unit 26 , respectively . therefore , it is ensured that the cartridge 7 remains accurately positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a when the development roller 25 and the photosensitive drum 1 receive the rotational force from the apparatus main assembly 100 a , and when the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b is pressed by the apparatus main assembly 100 a . further , it is possible to position the engaging portion 44 relative to the cartridge 7 so that a preset positional relationship is realized between the engaging portion 44 and cartridge 7 . therefore , when the cartridge 7 is in its image forming portion in the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the engaging portion 44 is smoothly engaged with the rotational force transmitting means , with which the apparatus main assembly 100 a is provided . therefore , the cartridge 7 is significantly superior to a conventional process cartridge , in term of the cartridge mounting operation , and can be positioned relative to the apparatus main assembly 100 a at a higher level of accuracy than the conventional process cartridge can be positioned relative to the main assembly of an image forming apparatus usable therewith , throughout its service life . next , referring to fig2 , the structure of the image forming apparatus in the second embodiment of the present invention will be described . the basic structure of the image forming apparatus in this embodiment is the same as that of the image forming apparatus in the first embodiment . the portions of the image forming apparatus in this embodiment , which are similar in structure to the counterparts of the image forming apparatus in the first embodiment will not be described . that is , only the portions of the image forming apparatus in this embodiment , which are different from the counterparts of the image forming apparatus in the first embodiment , will be described . further , the components of the image forming apparatus in this embodiment , which are the same in function as the counterparts of the image forming apparatus in the first embodiment are given the same reference symbols as those given to their counterparts . this practice will also be applied to the description of the third embodiment of the present invention . in the first embodiment , the cartridge 7 is provided with a single development roller separating member catching portion 31 b , which the development roller separating member 111 contacts and presses to separate the development roller 25 from the photosensitive drum 1 . further , the development roller separating member catching portion 31 b is on the surface of the development unit frame 31 of the development unit 4 , which faces downward when the cartridge 7 is in its image forming position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a . however , the cartridge 7 may be provided with multiple ( two in this embodiment : 31 b and 31 c ) development roller separating member catching portions , which are distributed in the lengthwise direction of the cartridge 7 , as shown in fig2 , and which the development roller separating members 111 contact and press , one for one , to separate the development roller 25 from the photosensitive drum 1 . fig2 is an external perspective view of the cartridge 7 in this embodiment . the apparatus main assembly 100 a is provided with a development roller separating first member 112 and a development roller separating second member 113 , which are the means for separating the development roller 25 from the photosensitive drum 1 . in terms of the direction in which the cartridge 7 is inserted , the development roller separating first member 112 is in a preset position at the front ( leading ) end of the cartridge 7 , and the development roller separating second member 113 is in the preset position at the rear ( trailing end ). the development roller separating first and second members 112 and 113 are movable between the position in which they contact cartridge 7 , that is , the position in which they keep the development roller 25 separated from the photosensitive drum 1 , and the positions into which they retreat to maintain a preset amount of distance from the cartridge 7 . further , it is at the same time that the development roller separating member 112 and 113 move into their positions in which they keep the development roller 25 separated from the photosensitive drum 1 , or retreat into their positions in which they allow the development roller 25 to remain in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 . on the other hand , the cartridge 7 is provided with a development roller separating member caching first portion 31 b and a development roller separating member catching portion second member 31 c , which are on the surface of the development unit frame 31 , which faces downward when the cartridge 7 is in its image forming position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a . further , the development roller separating member catching first and second portions 31 b and 31 c are positioned so that when the cartridge 7 is in its image forming position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a , they oppose the development roller separating first and second members 112 and 113 , respectively . when the apparatus main assembly 100 a is not in action , the development roller separating member catching first and second portions 31 b and 31 c of the development unit 4 remains under the pressure from the development roller separating first member 112 and the pressure from the development roller separating second member 113 , respectively . also when the apparatus main assembly 100 a is not in action , the shaft 27 b projecting from one of end surfaces of the drum unit 26 is in the cross - sectionally elongated hole 82 b of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , and the shaft 92 c of the lateral plate 92 of the apparatus main assembly 100 a is in the groove 27 c of the same end surface of the drum unit 26 . therefore , the drum unit 26 is prevented from moving in the direction from which the development roller separating member catching first and second portions 31 b and 31 c are pressed by the development roller separating first and second members 112 and 113 . therefore , the development unit 4 rotationally moves about the shafts 37 ( 37 r and 37 f ) ( connective pins ), by which the development unit 4 is connected with the drum unit 26 , causing the development roller 25 to be separated , and remain separated , from the photosensitive drum 1 . therefore , even if the cartridge 7 is left unused for a long time in its image forming position in the apparatus main assembly 100 a , the elastic layer of the development roller 25 does not deform . therefore , it does not occur that an image , which is nonuniform in density , and the nonuniformity of which is attributable to the deformation of the elastic layer of the development roller 25 , which will occur if a conventional process cartridge is left unused in the apparatus main assembly 100 a for a long time , is formed . in other words , the second embodiment can also provide the same effects as those provided by the first embodiment . as will be evident from the description of the second embodiment given above , providing the development unit 4 with multiple development roller separating member catching portions , which are distributed across the development unit 4 in terms of the lengthwise direction of the cartridge 7 is particularly useful for a process cartridge , such as a process cartridge for forming an image on a large sheet of a recording medium , which is substantially longer than an ordinary process cartridge . it is also useful for a process cartridge which is substantially greater in capacity , that is , a process cartridge which is substantially greater in the amount of the pressure which the weight of the development roller 25 applies to the photosensitive drum 1 . that is , it can evenly distribute the force to which the development roller separating member catching portions , and the development roller separating force applying member , are subjected . therefore , it can minimize the deformation of the development roller separating member and development roller separating member catching portion . next , referring to fig2 , the structure of the image forming apparatus in the third embodiment will be described . in the first embodiment , the image forming apparatus was structured so that the development roller bearing member 45 is pressed upon the bearing 40 of the photosensitive drum 1 . however , it is feasible to provide a drum unit frame 27 with a development roller bearing member supporting portion ( bearing member holding portion ) as shown in fig2 . fig2 is a plan view of the lengthwise end of the cartridge 7 in the third embodiment , as seen from the side having the couplers , when the development roller 25 is holding the preset amount of gap from the photosensitive drum 1 . the development unit 4 is in its preset position ( outlined with broken line in fig2 ) in which its development roller 25 holds the preset amount of gap from the photosensitive drum 1 , and into which it has been moved by the development roller separating member 111 of the apparatus main assembly 100 a , as it is in the first embodiment . when the development unit 4 is in the above described position , the arm portion 46 a of the spring 46 ( pressure applying member ) located inside the side cover 48 is in contact with the engaging portion 45 c of the coupling bearing 45 . thus , the engaging portion 44 is kept pressed in the direction intersecting the axial line of the development roller 25 . therefore , the contacting portion 45 d of the coupling bearing 45 comes into contact with the contacting portion 27 f with which the drum unit frame 27 . the contacting portion 27 f of the drum unit frame 27 is a groove which is v - shaped in cross section ; it has two surfaces parallel to the axial line of the photosensitive drum 1 . further , the drum unit frame 27 is provided with the drum bearing 40 , which has the main assembly contacting portions 40 a , which is an integrally formed part of the drum bearing 40 . thus , also in this embodiment , the engaging portion 44 , rotatably supported by the coupling bearing 45 , is accurately positioned relative to the axial line 53 d of the coupling 53 . according to each of the preceding embodiments described above , it is ensured that even a process cartridge designed to be positioned relative to the main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus by being pressed upward in the main assembly is reliably positioned relative to the main assembly . also according to each of the preceding embodiments described above , it is possible to improve even a process cartridge designed to be accurately positioned relative to the main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus by being pressed upward in the main assembly , in terms of the level of accuracy at which it is positioned relative to the main assembly . further , according to each of the preceding embodiments described above , a process cartridge can be reliably positioned relative to the main assembly even when it is receiving the rotational force for rotating the development roller and the photosensitive drum from the apparatus main assembly . further , according to each of the preceding embodiments described above , a process cartridge can reliably positioned relative to the main assembly even when it is receiving the force for separating the development roller from the photosensitive drum from the apparatus main assembly . further , according to each of the preceding embodiments described above , it is ensured that a process cartridge , designed to be accurately positioned relative to the main assembly of an image forming apparatus by being pressed upward in the main assembly , is reliably positioned relative to the main assembly , even when it is receiving the rotational force for rotating the development roller and photosensitive drum from the apparatus main assembly . further , according to each of the preceding embodiments described above , it is ensured that a process cartridge , designed to be accurately positioned relative to the main assembly of an image forming apparatus by being pressed upward in the main assembly , is reliably positioned relative to the main assembly even when it is receiving the force for separating the development roller from the photosensitive drum from the apparatus main assembly . further , according to each of the preceding embodiments described above , a process cartridge , designed to be accurately positioned relative to the main assembly of an image forming apparatus by being pressed upward in the main assembly , can be accurately positioned relative to the main assembly , even when it is receiving the rotational force for rotating the development roller and photosensitive drum from the apparatus main assembly . while the invention has been described with reference to the structures disclosed herein , it is not confined to the details set forth , and this application is intended to cover such modifications or changes as may come within the purposes of the improvements or the scope of the following claims . this application claims priority from japanese patent application no . 138045 / 2008 filed may 27 , 2008 which is hereby incorporated by reference .	6
‘ merced ’ is typical of short - day strawberry cultivars and produces fruit over an extended period when treated appropriately in arid , subtropical climates . the production pattern for ‘ merced ’ is similar to that for ‘ camarosa ’ ( u . s . plant pat . no . 8 , 708 ), although it is somewhat later to initiate fruiting with most cultural treatments . ‘ merced ’ initiates fruiting substantially later than ‘ ventana ’ ( u . s . plant pat . no . 13 , 469 ) and ‘ benicia ’ ( u . s . plant pat . no . 22 , 542 ) when established in very early fall . ‘ merced ’ will be of special interest for winter plantings , where ‘ camarosa ’, ‘ ventana ’, and ‘ benicia ’ have been successful , and in summer plantings where ‘ chandler ’ ( u . s . plant pat . no . 5 , 262 ) and ‘ camino real ’ ( u . s . plant pat . no . 13 , 079 ) have been successful . plants and foliage : with most cultural treatments , fruiting plants of ‘ merced ’ are more open and erect that any of the comparison cultivars , and somewhat smaller than ‘ ventana ’ and ‘ benicia ’ throughout most of the production season . ‘ merced ’ plants are similar in size to ‘ camarosa ’ in most production environments . comparative statistics of foliar characteristics near mid - season are given for ‘ merced ’ and three comparison cultivars in table 1 . individual leaflets for ‘ merced ’ are smaller than any of the comparison cultivars , and are less elongated than ‘ camarosa ’ and ‘ ventana ’. further , leaves ( including petioles ) for ‘ merced ’ are slightly shorter than for ‘ ventana ’ and ‘ camarosa ’, and substantially shorter than for ‘ benicia ’. petioles for ‘ merced ’ are generally longer and thinner than those of the comparison cultivars . the adaxial ( upper ) and abaxial ( lower ) surfaces of leaves for ‘ merced ’ are similar in color to ‘ camarosa ’ and ‘ benicia ’, and darker and less yellow than ‘ ventana ’ leaves at mid - season . leaves of ‘ merced ’ have consistently more concavity than ‘ camarosa ’, and are similar to those for ‘ ventana ’. serrations at mid - season are more pointed than for ‘ benicia ’, but similar in shape and number to ‘ ventana ’ and ‘ camarosa ’. disease and pest reaction : ‘ merced ’ is moderately resistant to powdery mildew ( sphaerotheca macularis ), but is moderately susceptible to anthracnose crown rot ( colletotrichum acutatum ), and susceptible to verticillium wilt ( verticillium dahliae ). it is resistant to phytophthora crown rot ( phytophthora cactorum ) and common leaf spot ( ramularia tulasnei ) ( table 2 ). when treated properly , it has tolerance to two - spotted spider mites ( tetranychus urticae ) equal to that of the comparison cultivars . ‘ merced ’ is tolerant to strawberry viruses encountered in california . flowering , fruiting , fruit , and production characteristics : ‘ merced ’ is similar to other california short - day strawberry cultivars ( e . g . ‘ ventana ’, ‘ camarosa ’, and ‘ benicia ’) in that it will flower over an extended period and into spring or summer , given appropriate local temperature and horticultural conditions . with most planting treatments ‘ merced ’ produces fruit later than ‘ ventana ’ and ‘ benicia ’ but earlier than ‘ camarosa ’. comparative statistics for flower and fruit characters near mid - season are given for the four cultivars in table 4 . the primary flowers for ‘ merced ’ are similar in size to ‘ camarosa ’, with a calyx that is distinctly larger than the corolla on primary fruit . the flowers are smaller than for ‘ benicia ’ and ‘ ventana ’. the calyx for ‘ merced ’ varies in position but frequently has a slight indent early in the season . each primary flower has 6 - 7 petals , similar to the comparison cultivars on average . the fruit shape for ‘ merced ’ can vary but is typically medium to long conic , which is rarely flattened or slightly obovate . it is easily distinguished by fruit shape from ‘ camarosa ’ ( shortened and flattened conic ), or ‘ ventana ’ ( medium symmetrical conic ), and ‘ benicia ’ ( often flattened ). external and internal fruit color for ‘ merced ’ is lighter than that of ‘ camarosa ’ and ‘ benicia ’, and similar to that of ‘ ventana ’ ( table 3 ). achenes vary from yellow to dark red , and are even with the fruit surface or slightly extruded . ‘ merced ’ has been tested under a variety of cultural regimes , and optimal performance is obtained when nursery treatments and nutritional programs similar to those of ‘ camarosa ’, ‘ ventana ’, and ‘ benicia ’ are used . in general , plants of ‘ merced ’ are similar in vigor to ‘ camarosa ’, and less vigorous than ‘ ventana ’ with very early season planting . ‘ merced ’ retains excellent fruit quality in summer planting systems . when treated with appropriate planting regimes , ‘ merced ’ has larger fruit and produces individual - plant yields greater than any of the comparison cultivars ( table 5 ). commercial appearance ratings have also been better than those for all of the comparison cultivars , especially in comparison with ‘ camarosa ’. fruit from ‘ merced ’ is substantially firmer than fruit from ‘ ventana ’, but similar in firmness to the other comparison cultivars . subjectively , ‘ merced ’ has outstanding flavor . the fruit will be exceptional for both fresh market and processing , and will be useful for home gardening purposes .	0
referring now to the drawings in detail , wherein like numerals indicate the same elements throughout the views , fig1 shows an embodiment of the projectile 2 having a loop - threaded fastening surface 4 . the projectile 2 can be any shape , size or color . preferably , a familiar shape , size , and color variant is used for the projectile , for example : football , basketball , soccer ball , tennis ball , or hockey puck . the projectile 2 in this embodiment imitates a baseball . preferably , the ball 2 looks like its real counterpart in terms of color , size , shape , and stitching . the ball 2 is preferably soft and pliable enough to promote safety , but rigid enough to bounce a distance from the wall , when it does not hit the hook - threaded target 6 . the ball 2 can be made of any material that would be removably attachable to at least a portion of the mural 8 . examples of materials from which the projectile can be made are : a sponge material which would , by its own porous physical configuration , adhere to the attachment means on the mural material ; a sponge such as that known as nerf ™ material covered with the loop - threaded material 4 which would matingly correspond to hook - threaded material 6 on the mural 8 ; and appropriate toy stuffing 10 with the surface covered by loop - threaded material 4 , as shown in fig4 . as shown in fig1 , and 3 , the projectile 2 can be sewn from appropriately cut material 12 and then stitched 14 to imitate its real counterpart , such as a baseball , though it does not have to be sewn . the ball can be assembled in any way that will further the objects of the invention . for example , the outer material can be adhered on to the inner ball material by gluing or by using sticky - back loop - threaded material . fig6 illustrates an embodiment of the mural 8 . the mural material 16 can be any flexible material that could accept an adhesive back surface for adhering to a vertical surface , such as a wall . preferably , the mural material 16 is a clear vinyl sheet . the sheet 16 may be made of materials other than clear vinyl , though a flexible plasticized material is preferable . some examples of materials that could be used are paper , cloth fabric , polyester , plastic , rubber , and vinyl . the flexibility of the sheet 16 allows for easy roll - up storage . on the back side , the sheet 16 has low - pressure adhesive ( not shown ) to allow for mounting onto a wall without the need for additional fasteners . once removed , the sheet 16 can reapplied or repositioned on the same or a different wall . preferably , there is attached to the sheet 16 a backing ( not shown ), such as paper , for covering the adhesive to reduce the amount of dust and debris that could collect on the adhesive material while the interactive wall art is not in use . on the front of the sheet 16 is an illustration 18 which forms the mural 8 . in the embodiment shown in fig6 the illustration 18 depicts human uniformed characters playing baseball . generally , it is preferable that the illustration 18 depict figures playing some sport , to enhance the fanciful aspect of the invention . one character 20 behind home plate ( not shown ) is the catcher wearing a baseball mitt 22 . attached to the baseball mitt 22 is hook - threaded material 6 , preferably matching the brown color of the mitt 22 . fig7 a and 7b show the catcher 20 with his hook - threaded 6 fabric - covered mitt 22 . the hook - threaded material 6 , enlarged in fig5 mates with the loop - threaded material 4 covering the ball 2 . the mural 8 can be any size , but is preferably large to heighten the imaginative aspects of the game . for example , the mural 8 can be approximately four feet from top to bottom , estimating life - sized children . alternatively , the mural 8 can be as large or as small as the wall upon which it is placed . for a child &# 39 ; s room , that size might be smaller than , for example , a nursery school wall or a playyard wall . for the sake of enhancing the make - believe aspects , it is preferable that the mural have an area of at least four square feet . the invention plays to both the imaginative and physical nature of children . imagine a child in his bedroom or in his playroom . on the walls are the murals of near life - size figures . these figures appear to be playing a sport , such as baseball , basketball , or soccer . the figures are printed on a low - pressure adhesive clear vinyl that can be attached or removed from the wall without harming the surface of the wall . the child is a participant in an imaginary game that he is playing with these figures . the child is using a ball 2 , similar in color , size and shape to the ball representing a sport . this ball 2 is preferably soft so that it can be thrown indoors with little risk of breaking household items . more importantly , the ball is preferably made of a loop - threaded fabric 4 like velcro ™ and the hook - threaded mate 6 to the velcro ™ system is on the wall mural 8 in the mitt 22 . it may be any sport , but for this description , these figures will be playing baseball . in this game , the child is the pitcher . he pitches the baseball made of loop fabric 4 to at figure or group of three figures found at home plate : the batter , the catcher and the umpire . the batter is in mid - swing , the catcher 20 is holding his glove 22 ready to catch an incoming pitch and the umpire is in position to observe the pitch . the catcher &# 39 ; s glove 22 has a piece of hook - threaded fabric 6 attached to its catching area . in this imaginary baseball game , the pitcher ( child ) will attempt to strike out the batter by throwing the ball 2 into the glove 22 so that the loop ball 2 sticks to the hook glove 22 . now let your imagination run . to the pitcher &# 39 ; s ( child ) left is first base . a mural with the first baseman is on the appropriate wall , a runner can be seen approaching first base . a picture of the first baseman with his foot on the bag and his glove , with hook fabric in place , is ready to catch the throw . the picture of the center fielder has his glove , with hook fabric , ready to catch the fly ball . the child throws the ball . if it hits the wall , missing the center fielders glove , then the child can pretend to transform into the right fielder who swiftly throws the ball to the first baseman &# 39 ; s glove , with hook fabric in place , to tag the runner out . the entire outfield team can be illustrated on the sheet murals on the walls of this room in their appropriate positions . each glove contains the hook fabric to catch balls . also on the walls are the opposite team &# 39 ; s base runners . for example , one player can be shown sliding into second base and another runner can be heading to third base . the invention can be expanded to include other sports . further , the invention can include a three - dimensional accessory attached or attachable to the wall or the mural material . the ideas are not limited to the following examples which are provided to demonstrate versatility . to simulate a game of basketball , the basket can be created by either a three - dimensional basket that is attached to the mural with or without the hook and loop lock system or a two - dimensional illustration of the basket with the hook fabric covering the opening . the opening can be almost round in shape creating the illusion that the child is either looking up into it from the bottom or looking down into it from the top . players wearing two opposing team uniforms , can be placed about the room walls . some of the players can have hook fabric on their hands in order to catch the ball . the ball made of loop fabric will be larger than the baseball and look like a basketball . in sports that use a net , such as soccer or hockey , the lines that form the netting could be covered with the hook fabric . the posts that support the netting preferably would not have hook fabric on them because the ball would bounce off the metal frame . the , perspective used to create the illusion of a three - dimensional goal would produce a trapezoid space representing the ground inside the goal area . this trapezoid space could also be covered with portions of hook fabric . the goalie standing in front of the goal could have hook fabric on his gloves to catch the ball . the soccer ball would preferably be made of the loop fabric and look like a real soccer ball , but soft for indoor play . the hockey idea would be ideal in a large playroom or indoor yard where the child could roller blade and play with a plastic stick and soft puck made of loop fabric . football does not use a net but does have field goals kicked between the goal uprights . so , the space between the uprights could be covered with the hook fabric . in the end zone area , an illustration of a member of the child &# 39 ; s team could be ready to catch the ball . the child could be the quarterback or the kicker , depending on the play . these are examples of some applications of the present invention , but in no way is the invention intended to be limited to the described illustrations . the projectile or ball 2 can be made from a variety of materials , and in a variety of ways . preferably , the ball could be sewn from fabric made of the loop component 4 of the hook and loop locking system . it is also preferable to have the loop - threaded fabric 4 for the ball and mating hook - threaded fabric 6 on the mural sheets against the wall , because the ball 2 , being mobile , is more likely to collect lint if it is covered by hook fabric 6 . however , having hook fabric 6 on the ball and loop fabric 4 on the wall is within the scope of this invention , as well . the ball 2 can be stuffed with shredded filling material 10 similar to that used in stuffed toys or stuffed with a solid filling material , such as a sponge or rubber form . alternatively , the ball 2 can be made from a single material with an appropriate outer surface , such as a sponge . the hook component 6 of the locking system preferably has pressure sensitive backing that can stick to the material that the mural is made from , such as vinyl , particularly , plasticized vinyl . the color of the hook fabric 6 preferably matches the color of the object that serves as a goal or catching part in the illustration on the vinyl mural 8 . the ball 2 is preferably soft enough that it is unlikely to break household objects when thrown indoors and firm enough to bounce a short distance off a hard surface . the mural 8 is preferably printed from original art work illustrating action players 18 of a particular sport . the art work is transferred to the mural material 16 , which is preferably a sheet of low pressure sensitive removable clear vinyl . this can be massed produced . the mural material 16 is capable of attaching to a wall without additional fasteners . the mural material 16 can be removed and if desired , put up on another wall . the murals should serve to enhance the appearance of the walls . the hook fabric 6 is preferably attached to the mural material 16 before the product is sold , to facilitate ease of use and minimize children &# 39 ; s safety hazards which could occur due to improper application of the hook fabric 6 onto the mural 8 . the hook fabric 6 preferably has a pressure sensitive adhesive backing that will stick to the mural material 16 . such a backing is known in the art and is manufactured by the makers of velcro ™. famous sports figures and actual team uniforms can be used in the illustrations . the art work can be realistic figures , cartoon figures or caricature figures . additional art work could include , but is not limited to , the faces of the fans watching the game . this could become a border design for the room , for example . obvious applications for the present invention are in a child &# 39 ; s bedroom or playroom . the game may also be used in locations such as nursery schools , recreation centers , camps , day care settings or other indoor environments for children . the game allows children to be physically active with less chance of getting hurt because the ball is soft and there are no objects to swing , such as baseball bats . it also gives a child the opportunity to improve throwing or kicking skills used in play of the real sport illustrated . to practice throwing or kicking a ball that is the actual size of the ball used in the real play of that sport , at a near life size target , year round , day or night , may benefit the child in the play of the actual sport . the mural 8 is beautiful and will enhance the appearance of the room . it can stand alone as a work of art . this is important to commercial establishments , as well as homeowners . many target games are bulky , taking up valuable space and are not attractive art that enhance the room decor . this mural becomes part of the wall , taking up no floor space . the ball 2 can be stored attached to the mural or put away with the other toys . if the ball is made of the loop fabric it will not stick to other regular toys . if the mural is to be removed , it will not damage the wall to remove it , no holes will be left , and the mural with the original protective paper backing attached can be rolled up for storage . in summary , numerous benefits have been described which result form employing the concepts of the invention . the foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed . obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best illustrate the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto .	8
hereinafter , a structure of an rf cable connection device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . an identical reference numeral denotes the same structural element . the structure of a coaxial rf cable connection device ( hereinafter , referred to as a connection device ) according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig1 to 4 . as shown in fig1 to 4 , the connection device is one for electrically and mechanically connecting the coaxial rf cable c to a ground 13 and / or a signal transmission pattern 12 of a printed circuit board 10 employed to a communication system , and means a device for use in a stable transmission of signals without passive intermodulation distortion ( pimd ). the connection device includes the printed circuit board 10 and a solder block 20 . the printed circuit board 10 has a signal transmission pattern 12 at one surface 10 a thereof and a ground 13 at the other surface 10 b thereof . the printed circuit board 10 includes a cutout portion 14 in which apart of an edge is cut out , and a pair of thru - holes 16 and 18 formed at both sides of the cutout portion 14 . the cutout portion 14 is formed at a predetermined position of a periphery of the printed circuit board 10 and is an opening which opens outwardly , and the thru - holes 16 and 18 are closed openings with a circular shape . the cutout portion 14 means a space in which a central body 21 of the solder block , which is described later , and the coaxial rf cable c are disposed and soldered , and the thru - holes mean spaces in which auxiliary bodies 22 and 23 of the solder block 20 described later are inserted and soldered . the thru - holes 16 and 18 are paired to include two openings , and the thru - holes 16 and 18 are symmetrically disposed around the cutout portion 14 and opposite to each other . the coaxial rf cable c includes a central line g 1 , and a grounding coating g 2 for providing the central line g 1 with a grounding force . the grounding coating g 2 surrounds and protects the central line g 1 , and contributes to a connection of the central line g 1 to the signal transmission pattern 12 prepared to the one surface 10 a of the printed circuit board and / or the ground surface 13 prepared to the other surface 10 b of the printed circuit board . accordingly , the solder block 20 described later electrically connects the central line g 1 and the grounding coating g 2 of the coaxial rf cable to the signal transmission pattern 12 and / or the ground 13 ( shown in fig4 ) of the printed circuit board by soldering . as shown in fig1 and 2 , the solder block 20 is a connection terminal which moves from a downward direction to an upward direction around the printed circuit board 10 and is inserted into the cutout portion 14 and the thru - holes 16 and 18 before being soldered to the signal transmission pattern 12 and / or the ground 13 of the printed circuit board , and includes a central body 21 and a pair of auxiliary bodies 22 and 23 . the central body 21 has a shape of protruding upwardly and is disposed to extend through the cutout portion 14 , which has a supporting opening 24 in which the coaxial rf cable c is inserted . the supporting opening 24 has a diameter large enough to allow the coaxial rf cable c to be inserted in . the auxiliary bodies 22 and 23 have at least one pair which are stepped and extend upwardly from both sides of the central body 21 , and penetrate the thru - holes 16 and 18 , respectively . further , the central body 21 extends upwardly rather than the auxiliary bodies 22 and 23 . the reason is because the solder block 20 has the opening 24 for supporting the coaxial rf cable c so that the coaxial rf cable c contacts the signal transmission pattern 12 of the printed circuit board . the central body 21 and the auxiliary bodies 22 and 23 have a stepped portion d 1 therebetween , and the stepped portion d 1 has a depth in which the center line g 1 of the coaxial rf cable extending through the opening 24 for supporting the central body which protrudes through the cutout portion 14 comes in contact with the signal transmission pattern 12 of the printed circuit board . further , the central body 21 and the auxiliary bodies 22 and 23 are integrally manufactured , and have a curved upper end to be easily inserted into the cutout portion 14 and the thru - holes 16 and 18 . the stepped portion d 1 between the central body 20 and the auxiliary body has a depth in which a sectional surface of the grounding coating g 2 coated on a peripheral surface of the center line of the coaxial rf cable which extends through the opening 24 for supporting the central body protruding through the cutout portion 14 comes in contact with a surface 15 of the cutout portion in an insertion direction of the coaxial rf cable . in other words , when the solder block 20 is inserted into the cutout portion 14 , and the coaxial rf cable c comes in close contact with the supporting opening 24 , the sectional surface of the grounding coating g 2 keeps in contact with and is latched by the surface 15 of the cutout portion . accordingly , it is possible to block a movement of the coaxial rf cable c in the insertion direction . in this state , a soldering process is performed . as described above , a structure in which the coaxial rf cable c keeps in close contact with the cutout portion 14 and the opening 24 for supporting the solder block 20 which is inserted into the thru - holes 16 and 18 will be identically applied to a construction in which the solder block and the coaxial rf cable of the connection device to be described below in various embodiments are arranged . further , the solder block 20 may be manufactured by pressing or etching a brass plate in a predetermined shape . since the solder block 20 is manufactured in this process , it is possible to freely design parts and to easily change a shape . when the solder block 20 having the above - mentioned structure is inserted in the cutout portion 14 and the thru - holes 16 and 18 of the printed circuit board 10 , and then the coaxial rf cable c is soldered to the solder block 20 in a state that the coaxial rf cable c is inserted into the supporting opening 24 , the central line g 1 of the coaxial rf cable extending through the supporting opening 23 comes in contact with the signal transmission pattern 12 , and the upper ends of the auxiliary bodies 22 and 23 extending through the thru - holes 16 and 18 protrude over and are fixed to the printed circuit board 10 by soldering . in addition , the connection device has a structure in that the central body 21 firstly supports the coaxial rf cable c and the auxiliary bodies 22 and 23 supports the central body 21 . therefore , the coaxial rf cable c comes in stable contact with the signal transmission pattern 12 . when the solder block 20 is soldered , the solder block 20 keeps in contact with the signal transmission pattern 12 and / or the ground 13 . the connection device is preferably soldered to the printed circuit board at positions where the coaxial rf cable central line g 1 is adjacent to or in contact with the signal transmission pattern 12 , and the auxiliary bodies 22 and 23 are inserted into the thru - holes 16 and 18 respectively , in order to keep a stability of a connection state . reference symbols s shown in fig3 and 4 denote soldered portions . a structure of the connection device according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig5 and 6 . as shown in fig5 and 6 , the connection device according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes two openings 44 and 45 for supporting two coaxial rf cables c 1 and c 2 , in comparison with the connection device shown in fig1 . the structure of the connection device will be described with reference to fig5 and 6 . the connection device includes the printed circuit board 30 and a solder block 40 . the printed circuit board 30 includes first and second signal transmission patterns 31 and 32 on one surface 30 a thereof , first and second grounds ( not shown ) on the other surface thereof , a cutout portion 34 , and a pair of thru - holes 36 and 38 formed at both sides of the cutout portion 34 . the cutout portion 34 means a space in which a central body 41 of the solder block 40 , which is described later , and the first and second coaxial rf cables c 1 and c 2 are disposed and soldered , and the thru - holes 36 and 38 mean spaces in which auxiliary bodies 42 and 43 of the solder block 40 described later are inserted and soldered . the thru - holes 36 and 38 are paired to include two openings , and the thru - holes 16 and 18 are symmetrically disposed around the cutout portion 34 and opposite to each other . the solder block 40 includes a central body 41 and auxiliary bodies 42 and 43 , and is a terminal which moves from a bottom surface to an upper surface of the printed circuit board 30 and extends through the cutout portion 34 and the thru - holes 36 and 38 , so as to be soldered to the printed circuit board . the central body 41 of the solder block 40 has first and second supporting openings 44 and 45 in which the first and second coaxial rf cables c 1 and c 2 are inserted and which have a circular shape . the first and second supporting openings 44 and 45 have an identical shape , and are formed in parallel in the central body 41 . the auxiliary bodies 42 and 43 protrude upwardly from both sides of the central body 41 , and extend through the thru - holes 36 and 38 , respectively . further , the central body 41 extends upwardly rather than the auxiliary bodies 42 and 43 . the reason is because the central body 41 has the first and second supporting openings 44 and 45 in order that the central lines of the first and second coaxial rf cables c 1 and c 2 are disposed on the first and second signal transmission patterns 31 and 32 , respectively . further , the central body 41 and the auxiliary bodies 42 and 43 are integrally manufactured , and have curved upper ends thereof to be easily inserted into the cutout portion 34 and the thru - holes 36 and 38 . further , the solder block 40 may be manufactured by pressing or etching a brass plate in a predetermined shape . since the solder block 40 is manufactured in this process , it is possible to freely design parts and to easily change a shape . when the solder block 40 constructed as described above is inserted into the cutout portion 34 and the auxiliary openings 36 and 38 of the printed circuit board , and then the central lines of the first and second rf cables c 1 and c 2 are in contact with the first and second signal patterns 31 and 32 , the central body 41 firstly supports the solder block 40 , and the auxiliary bodies 42 and 43 secondly support the central body 41 . the solder block 40 having the structure as described above keeps in contact with the first and second signal transmission patterns 31 and 32 and / or the first and second grounds ( not shown ). reference symbols s shown in fig6 denote soldered portions . a structure of the connection device according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig7 and 8 . as shown in fig7 and 8 , the connection device according to the third embodiment of the present invention has two identical solder blocks integrally formed , in comparison with the connection device shown in fig1 . the structure of the connection device will be described with reference to fig7 and 8 . the connection device includes the printed circuit board 50 and a solder block 60 . the printed circuit board 50 includes first and second patterns 51 and 52 on one surface 50 a thereof , first and second grounds on the other surface thereof , first and second cutout portions 53 and 54 , and two pairs of first and second thru - holes 55 , 56 , 57 and 58 which are formed at both sides of the first and second cutout portions 53 and 54 . the first and second cutout portions 53 and 54 mean spaces in which first and second central bodies 61 and 65 of the solder block 60 , which is described later , and the first and second coaxial rf cables c 1 and c 2 are inserted and soldered , and the first and second thru - holes 55 , 56 , 57 and 58 mean spaces in which first and second auxiliary bodies 62 , 63 , 66 and 67 of the solder block described later are inserted and soldered , respectively . the solder block 60 is a terminal which moves from a bottom surface to an upper surface of the printed circuit board 50 and is inserted into the first and second cutout portions 53 and 54 , and the first and second thru - holes 55 , 56 , 57 and 58 so as to be soldered to the first and second signal transmission patterns 51 and 52 , and which stably connects the central line of the coaxial rf cables c 1 and c 2 to the first and second signal transmission patterns 51 and 52 . the solder block 60 includes the first and second central bodies 61 and 65 , and two pairs of first and second auxiliary bodies 62 , 63 , 66 and 67 . the first and second central bodies 61 and 65 have an upwardly protruding shape and extend through the first and second cutout portions 53 and 54 . the first and second central bodies 61 and 65 include first and second supporting opening 64 and 68 in which the first and second axial rf cables c 1 and c 2 are inserted . the first and second supporting openings 64 and 68 have an identical shape , and are formed at a distance in the first and second central bodies 61 and 65 . the first and second auxiliary bodies 62 , 63 , 66 and 67 are formed at both sides of each of the first and second bodies 61 and 65 in an upwardly protruding shape , and extend through the first and second thru - holes 55 , 56 , 57 and 58 , respectively . further , the first and second central bodies 61 and 65 extend upwardly rather than the auxiliary bodies 62 , 63 , 66 and 67 . the first and second central bodies 61 and 65 and the first and second auxiliary bodies 62 , 63 , 66 and 67 are integrally manufactured . further , the solder block 60 may be manufactured by pressing or etching a brass plate in a predetermined shape . since the solder block 60 is manufactured in this process , it is possible to freely design parts and to easily change a shape . when the solder block 60 having the structure as described above is inserted in the first and second cutout portions 53 and 54 , and the first and second thru - holes 55 , 56 , 57 and 58 of the printed circuit board , and the central lines of the first and second coaxial rf cables c 1 and c 2 are connected to the first and second signal transmission patterns 51 and 52 by soldering , the first and second coaxial rf cables c 1 and c 2 extending through the first and second supporting openings 64 and 68 are rigidly connected to the first and second signal transmission patterns 51 and 52 disposed on the printed circuit board 50 , and upper portions of the first and second auxiliary bodies 62 , 63 , 66 and 67 extending through the first and second thru - holes protrude over and are fixed to the printed circuit board 50 by soldering . that is , the connection device has a structure in that the first and second bodies 61 and 65 firstly support the first and second coaxial rf cables c 1 and c 2 , and the first and second auxiliary bodies 62 , 63 , 66 and 67 secondly support the first and second central bodies 61 and 65 . therefore , the connection device stably connects the first and second coaxial rf cables c 1 and c 2 to the first and second grounds 51 and 52 . preferably , the connection device is soldered to the printed circuit board at positions where the central line of the first and second coaxial rf cables c 1 and c 2 are adjacent to the first and second patterns 51 and 52 , respectively , and where the first and second auxiliary bodies are inserted in the first and second thru - holes 55 , 56 , 57 and 58 , in order to maintain a stability of a connection state . in the structure as described above , the solder block 60 keeps in contact with the first and second signal transmission patterns 51 and 52 and / or the first and second grounds ( not shown ). reference symbols s shown in fig8 denote soldered portions . a structure of the connection device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig9 and 10 . as shown in fig9 and 10 , the solder block 80 employed to the connection device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention has a mixed shape of the solder block 40 shown in fig5 and the solder block 60 shown in fig7 . the connection device includes the printed circuit board 70 and a solder block 80 . the printed circuit board 70 includes first , second , third and fourth signal transmission patterns 70 a , 70 b , 70 c and 70 d on one surface 70 a thereof , first , second and third cutout portions 71 , 72 and 73 , and two pairs of first and second thru - holes 74 , 75 , 76 , and 77 formed at both sides of the first and third cutout portions 71 and 73 . the first , second and third cutout portions 71 , 72 and 73 mean spaces in which first , second and third central bodies 81 , 82 and 83 of the solder block , which is described later , and the first , second , third and fourth coaxial rf cables c 1 , c 2 , c 3 and c 4 are inserted and soldered , and the first and second thru - holes 74 , 75 , 76 and 77 mean spaces in which auxiliary bodies 84 , 85 , 86 and 87 of the solder block described later are inserted and soldered , respectively . the first and second thru - holes 74 , 75 , 76 and 77 are paired to include two openings . the solder block 80 includes first , second and third central bodies and first and second thru - holes , and moves from a bottom surface to an upper surface of the printed circuit board so as to be inserted in the first , second and third cutout portions 71 , 72 and 73 and the first and second thru - holes 74 , 75 , 76 and 77 . then , the solder block 80 is soldered to the first , second , third and fourth patterns 70 a , 70 b , 70 c and 70 d , and electrically connects the central line of the first , second , third and fourth coaxial rf cables c 1 , c 2 , c 3 and c 4 to the first , second , third and fourth signal transmission patterns . of course , the coaxial rf cables are configured so that the solder block 80 is electrically connected to the first , second , third and fourth grounds ( not shown ) on the other surface of the printed circuit board . the first and second auxiliary bodies 84 , 85 , 86 and 87 are formed at both sides of each of the first , second and third central bodies 81 , 82 and 83 in an upwardly protruding shape , and extend through the first and second thru - holes 74 , 75 , 76 and 77 , respectively . further , the first , second and third central bodies 82 , 81 and 83 extend upwardly over the auxiliary bodies 84 , 85 , 86 and 87 . the reason is because the first , second and third central bodies 82 , 81 and 83 include first , second , third and fourth supporting openings 82 a , 81 a , 81 b and 83 a in order to connect the first , second , third and fourth coaxial rf cables c 1 , c 2 , c 3 and c 4 to the first , second , third and fourth signal transmission patterns 70 a , 70 b , 70 c and 70 d of the printed circuit board . the first , second and third central bodies 82 , 81 and 83 are integrally formed with the first and second auxiliary bodies 84 , 85 , 86 and 87 , and the solder block 70 may be manufactured by pressing or etching a brass plate in a predetermined shape . since the solder block is manufactured in this process , it is possible to freely design parts and to easily change a shape . when the solder block 80 having the structure as described above is inserted into the first , second and third cutout portions 71 , 72 and 73 , and the first and second thru - holes 74 , 75 , 76 and 77 , and the first , second , third and fourth coaxial rf cables c 1 , c 2 , c 3 and c 4 are soldered to the first , second , third and fourth signal transmission patterns 70 a , 70 b , 70 c and 70 d , the central lines of the first , second , third and fourth coaxial rf cables c 1 , c 2 , c 3 and c 4 are rigidly connected to the first , second , third and fourth signal transmission patterns 70 a , 70 b , 70 c and 70 d , and upper ends of the first and second auxiliary bodies 84 , 85 , 86 and 87 extending through the first and second thru - holes 74 , 75 , 76 and 77 are fixed to the printed circuit board by soldering . that is , the connection device has the structure in that the first , second , third and fourth coaxial rf cables c 1 , c 2 , c 3 and c 4 firstly support the first , second and third central bodies 82 , 81 and 83 , and the first and second auxiliary bodies 84 , 85 , 86 and 87 secondly support first , second and third central bodies 82 , 81 and 83 . therefore , the connection device stably connects the central lines of the first , second , third and fourth coaxial rf cables c 1 , c 2 , c 3 and c 4 to the first , second , third and fourth 70 a , 70 b , 70 c and 70 d . preferably , the connection device is soldered to the printed circuit board at positions where the central lines of the first , second , third and fourth coaxial rf cables c 1 , c 2 , c 3 and c 4 are adjacent to or is in contact with the first , second , third and fourth patterns 70 a , 70 b , 70 c and 70 d respectively , and where the first and second auxiliary bodies are inserted in the first and second thru - holes 74 , 75 , 76 and 77 , in order to maintain a stability of a connection state . in the structure as described above , the solder block 80 keeps in contact with the first and second signal transmission patterns 70 a , 70 b , 70 c and 70 d and / or the first , second , third and fourth grounds ( not shown ). reference symbols s shown in fig1 denote soldered portions . a structure of a connection device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig1 to 13 . as shown in fig1 to 13 , in the connection device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention , a central body 101 and auxiliary bodies 102 and 103 of the solder block 100 have a downwardly protruding shape and extend from an upper surface to a bottom surface of the printed circuit board so as to be connected to one surface and / or the other surface of the printed circuit board , in comparison with the connection device shown in fig1 . the structure of the connection device will be described with reference to fig1 to 13 . the connection device includes the printed circuit board 90 and a solder block 100 . the printed circuit board 90 has a signal transmission pattern 92 on one surface thereof and aground ( not shown ) on the other surface thereof , and includes a cutout portion 94 and a pair of thru - holes 96 and 98 formed at both sides of the cutout portion 94 . the cutout portion 94 means a space in which a central body 101 of the solder block 100 , which is described later , and the coaxial rf cable c are inserted and soldered , and the thru - holes 96 and 98 mean spaces in which auxiliary bodies 102 and 103 of the solder block 100 described later are inserted and soldered . the thru - holes 96 and 98 are paired to include two openings , and the thru - holes are symmetrically disposed around the cutout portion 94 and opposite to each other . the solder block 100 is a terminal which extends from an upper surface to a bottom surface of the printed circuit board 90 and is inserted into the cutout portion 94 and the thru - holes 96 and 98 and which in turn is soldered to the signal transmission pattern 92 to stably connect the central line of the coaxial rf cable c to the signal transmission pattern 92 . the solder block 100 includes a central body 101 and a pair of auxiliary bodies 102 and 103 . the central body 101 has an upwardly protruding shape and is disposed to extend through the cutout portion 94 , which has a supporting opening 104 in which the coaxial rf cable c is inserted . the auxiliary bodies 102 and 103 protrude downwardly from both sides of the central body 101 , and extend through the thru - holes 96 and 98 , respectively . the central body 101 is integrally formed with the auxiliary bodies 102 and 103 , and the solder block 100 may be manufactured by pressing or etching a brass plate in a predetermined shape . since the solder block 100 is manufactured in this process , it is possible to freely design parts and to easily change a shape . when the solder block 100 having the structure as described above is inserted in the cutout portion 94 and the thru - holes 96 and 98 , and the central line of the coaxial rf cable c is connected to the pattern 92 by soldering , the coaxial rf cable c is rigidly connected to the signal transmission pattern 92 and upper ends of the auxiliary bodies 102 and 103 extending through the thru - holes 96 and 98 are fixed to the printed circuit board 90 by soldering . that is , the connection device has a structure in that the central body 101 firstly supports the coaxial rf cable c and the auxiliary bodies 102 and 103 supports the central body 101 . therefore , the central line of the coaxial rf cable c comes in stable contact with the signal transmission pattern 92 . the connection device is preferably soldered to the printed circuit board at positions where the central line of the coaxial rf cable c is adjacent to the pattern 92 and where the auxiliary bodies extend through the thru - holes 96 and 98 , in order to maintain a stability of the connection . in the structure as described above , the solder block 100 keeps in contact with the signal transmission pattern 92 and / or the ground surface ( not shown ). reference symbols s shown in fig1 denote soldered portions . a structure of a connection device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig1 and 15 . as shown in fig1 and 15 , the solder block 120 employed to the connection device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention has two supporting openings 124 and 125 in the central body 121 , in comparison with the solder block 100 shown in fig1 . the structure of the connection device will be described with reference to fig1 and 15 . the connection device includes the printed circuit board 110 and the solder block 120 . the printed circuit board 110 has first and second signal transmission patterns 111 and 112 on one surface 110 a thereof and first and second grounds ( not shown ) on the other surface thereof , and includes a cutout portion 113 and a pair of thru - holes 114 and 115 formed at both sides of the cutout portion 113 . the cutout portion 113 means a space in which a central body 121 of the solder block 40 , which is described later , and the first and second coaxial rf cables c 1 and c 2 are inserted and soldered , and the thru - holes 114 and 115 mean spaces in which auxiliary bodies 122 and 123 of the solder block described later are inserted and soldered . the thru - holes 114 and 115 are paired to include two openings , and the thru - holes are symmetrically disposed around the cutout portion 113 and opposite to each other . the solder block 120 is a terminal which extends from an upper surface to a bottom surface of the printed circuit board 110 and is inserted into the cutout portion 113 and the thru - holes 114 and 115 and which in turn is soldered to the signal transmission patterns 111 and 112 to stably connect the central lines of the first and second coaxial rf cables c 1 and c 2 to the signal transmission patterns 111 and 112 . the solder block 121 includes a central body 121 and a pair of auxiliary bodies 122 and 123 . the central body 121 has an upwardly protruding shape and is disposed to extend through the cutout portion 113 , which has first and second supporting openings 124 and 125 in which the coaxial rf cables c 1 and c 2 are inserted . the first and second supporting openings 124 and 125 have an identical shape , and are formed in parallel in the central body 121 . the auxiliary bodies 121 and 123 protrude downwardly from both sides of the central body 121 , and extend through the thru - holes 114 and 115 , respectively . further , the central bodies 122 and 123 extend downwardly rather than the auxiliary bodies 122 and 123 . further , the solder block 120 may be manufactured by pressing or etching a brass plate in a predetermined shape . since the solder block 120 is manufactured in this process , it is possible to freely design parts and to easily change a shape . when the solder block 120 having the structure as described above is inserted in the cutout portion 113 and the thru - holes 114 and 115 , and the center line of the first and second coaxial rf cables c 1 and c 2 are soldered to the first and second patterns , it is preferable to solder positions where the central lines of the coaxial rf cables c 1 and c 2 are adjacent to or in contact with the signal transmission patterns , and the thru - holes 114 and 115 in which the auxiliary bodies are inserted , in order to maintain a stability of the connection . at this time , the solder block 120 keeps in contact with the first and second signal transmission patterns 31 and 32 , and / or the first and second grounds ( not shown , provided on a bottom surface of the printed circuit board ). reference symbols s shown in fig1 denote soldered portions . a structure of a connection device according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig1 and 17 . as shown in fig1 and 17 , the connection device according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention includes a printed circuit board 130 and a solder block 140 . the printed circuit board 130 includes first , second , third and fourth signal transmission patterns 130 a , 130 b , 130 c and 130 d on one surface 130 a thereof , and a pair of thru - holes 134 and 135 formed among the first , second and third cutout portions 131 , 132 and 133 . the first , second and third cutout portions 131 , 132 and 133 mean spaces in which first , second and third central bodies 142 , 141 and 143 of the solder block , which is described later , and the first , second , third and fourth coaxial rf cables c 1 , c 2 , c 3 and c 4 are inserted and soldered , and the first and second thru - holes 134 and 135 mean spaces in which auxiliary bodies 144 and 145 of the solder block described later are inserted and soldered , respectively . the thru - holes 134 and 135 are paired to include two openings . the solder block 140 is a terminal which extends from an upper surface to a bottom surface of the printed circuit board 130 and is inserted into the first , second and third cutout portions 131 , 132 and 133 and the thru - holes 135 and 136 and which in turn is soldered to the first , second , third and fourth signal transmission patterns 130 a , 130 b , 130 c and 130 d to stably connect the central lines of the first , second , third and fourth coaxial rf cables c 1 , c 2 , c 3 and c 4 to the first , second , third and fourth signal transmission patterns 130 a , 130 b , 130 b and 130 d . the solder block 140 includes the first , second and third central bodies 142 , 141 and 143 and a pair of auxiliary bodies 144 and 145 . the first , second and third central bodies 142 , 141 and 143 have a downwardly protruding shape . the second central body 141 includes first and second openings 147 and 148 , the first central body 142 includes a third supporting opening 146 , and the third central body 143 includes a fourth supporting opening 149 . the first , second , third and fourth openings 147 , 148 , 146 and 149 are formed in parallel . the first and second supporting openings 146 and 147 have an identical shape , and are symmetrically formed in the second central body 141 in parallel . in addition , the third and fourth supporting openings 146 and 149 are symmetric around the first and second supporting openings 147 and 148 and opposite to each other . the auxiliary bodies 144 and 145 extend downwardly through the thru - holes 134 and 135 between the first and second central bodies 142 and 141 , and between the first and third central bodies 141 and 143 , respectively , and have a downwardly protruding shape . further , the auxiliary bodies 144 and 145 extend downwardly rather than the first , second and third central bodies 142 , 141 and 143 . the first , second and third central bodies 142 , 141 and 143 and the auxiliary bodies 144 and 145 are integrally manufactured . further , the solder block 140 may be manufactured by pressing or etching a brass plate in a predetermined shape . since the solder block 140 is manufactured in this process , it is possible to freely design parts and to easily change a shape . when the solder block 140 having the structure as described above is inserted into the first , second and third cutout portions 131 , 132 and 133 and the thru - holes 134 and 135 , and the central lines of the first , second , third and fourth coaxial rf cables c 1 , c 2 , c 3 and c 4 are soldered to the first , second , third and fourth signal transmission patterns 130 a , 130 b , 130 c and 130 d , the first , second , third and fourth rf cables c 1 , c 2 , c 3 and c 4 are maintained by the solder block in a rigid connection state . preferably , the connection device is soldered to the printed circuit board at positions where the central lines of the first , second , third and fourth coaxial rf cables c 1 , c 2 , c 3 and c 4 are adjacent to or in connect with the first , second , third and fourth patterns 130 a , 130 b , 130 c and 130 d respectively , and where the auxiliary bodies are inserted in the thru - holes 134 and 135 , in order to maintain a stability of a connection state . reference symbols s shown in fig1 denote soldered portions . additionally , the solder block may be in contact with the first , second , third and fourth signal transmission patterns 130 a , 130 b , 130 c and 130 d and / or the first , second , third and fourth grounds ( not shown , provided on a bottom surface of the printed circuit board ). in addition , the solder block 20 , 40 , 60 , 80 , 100 , 120 or 140 employed to the connection device according to the various embodiments of the present invention is preferably soldered to the printed circuit board in an upright position , and more preferably is simultaneously connected to one surface ( signal transmission pattern ) and / or the other surface ( ground ).	7
the following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention . furthermore , there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field , background , brief summary or the following detailed description . the abbreviations “ led ” and leds ” are used for “ light emitting diode ( s )” singular and plural respectively , and the abbreviation “ lcd ” and “ lcds ” are used for “ liquid crystal display ( s )” singular and plural respectively . the suffixes “ r ”, “ g ” and “ b ” are used herein with various reference numbers to identify elements , connections and signals relating to one or the other of the three primary colors red ( r ), green ( g ) and blue ( b ), respectively , and the suffix “ w ” is similarly used in connection with elements , connections and signals relating to white ( w ) light . the subscript or suffix “ i ” is used to stand for any of the colors r , g , b or w , that is , i can take on the values r , g , b , and / or w . fig1 is a simplified side view of backlit display 10 according to the present invention , with the near side portion removed to illustrate interior construction and light or light rays 12 , 14 . display 10 comprises backlight 16 , diffuser 18 and lcd 20 emitting patterned light signal 22 toward observer 25 according to whatever character or graphic has been sent to lcd 20 . diffuser 18 is located between backlight 16 and lcd 20 . as is well understood in the art , lcd 20 receives electrical signals that locally alter the polarization of light passing through the lcd so that light is either emitted , for example as patterned image 22 , or not . backlight 16 desirably contains multiple leds 24 that emit light or light rays 12 toward diffuser 18 . leds 24 preferably comprise red leds 24 r , green leds 24 g , blue leds 24 b and ( optionally ) white leds 24 w . diffuser 18 scatters light rays 12 received from leds 24 into multiple light rays 14 that are the optical sum of the various colored ( or white ) light rays received from leds 24 . light 14 impinges upon rear face 19 of lcd 20 . lcd 20 selectively transmits portions of light 14 to form character or graphic light pattern 22 according to the drive signals that it has received from its associated character generator ( not shown ). as will be subsequently explained in more detail , by varying the light output from different color leds 24 ( e . g ., 24 r , 24 g , 24 b and / or ( optionally 24 w ) light 14 , 22 which is the sum of light 12 emitted by backlight 16 can be varied in color ( chrominance ) and intensity ( luminence ). while leds 24 are illustrated herein as including red , green , blue and ( optionally ) white leds 24 r , 24 g , 24 b and 24 w respectively , this is merely for convenience of explanation and not intended to be limiting . any combination of led colors capable of collectively producing the desired color for display image 22 may be used . display 10 also desirably includes one or more light detectors 30 , 30 ′ mounted on or in optical proximity to backlight 16 so as to receive light emitted from one or more leds 24 . inward facing surfaces 13 , 15 , 17 of display 10 are desirably reflective and / or reflective - diffusive rather than absorptive so as to enhance forward propagation of light 12 , 14 toward backside 19 of lcd 20 . fig2 is a simplified plan view of backlight 16 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention , looking toward interior surface 17 . backlight 16 is composed of n × m matrix 36 of leds 24 . in the example of fig2 , n = 10 and m = 15 , but this is merely for convenience of explanation and not intended to be limiting . any number of leds 24 can be used according to the resolution and size of the lcd display and desired backlight uniformity . in the example of fig2 , leds 24 comprise approximately ( n × m )/ 3 red leds 24 r , ( n × m )/ 3 green leds 24 g and ( n × m )/ 3 blue leds 24 b randomly distributed in n × m matrix 36 , but this is not essential . some white leds may also be included , as for example white led 24 w . any arrangement of leds 24 that provides the desired degree of light and color uniformity may be used . for example and not intended to be limiting , matrix 36 can be square , triangular , concentric circles , spiral , and so forth . light sensors 30 are conveniently disposed over corresponding leds located , for example and not intended to be limiting , in the corners of the n × m led array , but this is not essential . in the preferred embodiment , each light sensor 30 is conveniently associated with led 24 of a particular color . for example , light sensor 30 r conveniently overlies one of red leds 24 r , light sensor 30 g conveniently overlies one of green leds 24 g , light sensor 30 b , conveniently overlies one of blue leds 24 b and optional light sensor 30 w conveniently overlies one of ( optional ) white leds 24 w . thus , sensor 30 r provides signal s r proportional to overall red light emission , sensor 30 g provides signal s g proportional to overall green light emission , sensor 30 b provides signal s b proportional to overall blue light emission and sensor 30 w provides signal s w proportional to the intensity of light emitted by white leds 24 w . as noted earlier , inward facing surface 17 of backlight 16 as well as inward facing surfaces 13 and 15 shown in fig1 are desirably reflective or reflective - diffusive , that is , not significantly absorptive . this helps to maximize the amount of light reaching diffuser 18 . light reflected or back - scattered from diffuser 18 is desirably redirected back toward diffuser 18 . optional light sensor 30 ′ located within optical cavities 21 or 23 or both of display 10 can also be used . sensor 30 ′ detects a light signal related to the combined output of all leds 24 of backlight 16 . sensors 30 , 30 ′ are described in greater detail in connection with fig6 a - b . fig3 shows simplified electrical schematic block diagram 40 of feedback control system 42 for leds 24 of backlight 16 according to a first embodiment of the present invention utilizing , for example , red , green and blue leds . as noted above , the suffixes “ r ”, “ g ”, “ b ” indicate elements , signals and connection related respectively to red , green , and blue emitters . control system 42 comprises sensors 30 , controller 48 and led drivers 44 . driver 44 r is coupled to output 47 r of controller 48 via lead 45 r and supplies a controlled current to series - coupled red leds 24 r in response to control signals received from controller 48 . driver 44 g is coupled to output 47 g of controller 48 via lead 45 g and supplies a controlled current to series - coupled green leds 24 g in response to control signals received from controller 48 . driver 44 b is coupled to output 47 b of controller 48 via lead 45 b and supplies a controlled current to series coupled blue leds 24 b in response to control signals received from controller 48 . sensors 30 i are conveniently positioned within housings 32 i so that sensor 30 r receives portion 12 r ′ of red light 12 r from red leds 24 r , sensor 30 g receives portion 12 g ′ of green light 12 g from green leds 24 g , and sensor 30 b receives portion 12 b ′ of blue light 12 b from leds 24 b . sensor 30 r is coupled via lead 31 r to input 33 r of controller 48 and provides to controller 48 a measure of red light output 12 r from red leds 24 r of backlight 16 . sensor 30 g is coupled via lead 31 g to input 33 g of controller 48 and provides to controller 48 a measure of green light output 12 g from green leds 24 g of backlight 16 . sensor 30 b is coupled via lead 31 b to input 33 b of controller 48 and provides to controller 48 a measure of blue light output 12 b from blue leds 24 b of backlight 16 . controller 48 also has input 56 for setting the overall luminance level of backlight 16 and chrominance control inputs 58 for setting the color mix . inputs 58 desirably include one or more separate inputs 58 r , 58 g , 58 b for varying the amount of one or more of the colors making up light 12 . the following equations describe the led drive function provided by system 42 : d r = red led drive control signal , d g = green led drive control signal , d b = blue led drive control signal , l c = luminescence command signal , k r = red led color calibration coefficient , k g = green led color calibration coefficient , k b = blue led color calibration coefficient , s r = red color sensor output , s g = green color sensor output , and s b = blue color sensor output . these equations are implemented by system 42 of fig3 , as explained in more detail in connection with fig4 . fig4 shows simplified electrical schematic block diagram 60 providing further details of controller 48 of system 42 of fig3 , according to a preferred embodiment . controller 48 conveniently comprises three channels , one for each primary color ; channel 62 r controls red leds 24 r , channel 62 g controls green leds 24 g and channel 62 b controls blue leds 24 b . the three channels are substantially identical and will be discussed together without use of suffixes “ r ”, “ g ” and “ b ”, which will be understood as applied to the individual channels . controller 48 is a feedback controller , that is , it receives signals 35 ( e . g ., s i ) from sensors 30 and , ( a ) optionally adjusts signals 35 according to chromaticity reference signals 59 ( e . g ., k i ) on inputs 58 to produce chrominance adjusted feedback signals 65 ( e . g ., k i * s i ), and ( b ) compares chrominance adjusted feedback signals 65 ( e . g ., k i * s i ) to reference or luminance commanded signal 57 ( e . g ., l c ) to produce led driver control signals 70 ( e . g ., d i ). signals 70 are sent to drivers 44 thereby causing leds 24 to produce the color mix ( chromaticity ) and brightness ( luminance ) that will reduce the difference between chrominance adjusted feedback signals 65 and luminance signal 70 to be substantially zero . persons of skill in the art will understand that a small offset is always present in such a differential feedback system . for convenience of explanation it is neglected here . each channels 62 has first variable gain amplifier or level shifter 64 and second differential amplifier 66 , wherein amplifiers 64 , 66 are series coupled between control input 33 and output 47 leading to driver 44 . first input 33 of amplifier 64 receives feedback signal 35 ( e . g ., si ) from corresponding photo - sensor 30 . second input 58 of amplifier 64 receives optional chromaticity adjustment signal 59 . in a preferred embodiment signal 59 conveniently adjusts the gain of amplifier or level shifter 64 , that is , has the effect of multiplying the signal s i received from sensor 30 by an adjustable constant k i that may be different for each group of leds ( each value of “ i ”). thus , output signal 65 from amplifier 64 is k i * s i . channels 62 r , 62 g , 62 b generate intermediate feedback signals 65 r , 65 g , 65 b given by k r * s r , k g * s g , k b * s b respectively , where subscripts r , g , b identify the individual colors being handled in the present example and where k r , k g and k b are determined by the value of chrominance adjustment signals 59 r , 59 g , 59 b at inputs 58 r , 58 g , 58 b respectively . individual chromaticity adjustment signals 59 r , 59 g , 59 b going to channels 62 r , 62 g , 62 b respectively , are optional and may be the same or different for each channel 62 r , 62 g , 62 b , or may be supplied to only one channel or to only two channels or to all three channels , depending upon the range of colors desired for light 12 . signals 59 allow the color provided by backlight 16 to be varied to meet the needs of the system designer or user . this is explained more fully in connection with fig5 . output signal 65 of first amplifier 64 is fed to first input 67 of second amplifier 66 . second amplifier 66 has second input 69 that receives luminance command ( l c ) signal 57 from external input 56 of controller 48 . in the preferred embodiment , l c signal 57 is common to all three channels 62 r , 62 g . 62 b , but this is not essential and not intended to be limiting . command luminance signal ( cls ) 57 allows the designer or user to set the overall light output ( luminance ) of backlight 16 by varying the overall drive levels provided by controller 48 to drivers 44 and thence to leds 24 . in the preferred embodiment , changing signal 57 causes more or less current to flow through all leds 24 . in general , light output from an led tracks the current through the device so that increasing the current substantially uniformly through all leds causes a change in luminance without a significant change in color . if leds of different colors have different current - luminance responses , this can be taken into account either in controller 48 or drivers 44 or both , so that signal 57 can control overall luminance without a significant change in color . second amplifier 66 is desirably a difference amplifier that causes output 70 to increase ( or decrease ) until resulting adjusted feedback signal 65 ( i . e ., k i * s i ) appearing at input 67 of amplifier 66 substantially equals l c signal 57 at input 69 of amplifier 66 . it will be appreciated based on the description herein , that the present invention can compensate for aging effects , so as to maintain the predetermined luminance and chrominance . this is a particular feature of the present invention . fig5 shows 1976 u ′, v ′ cie chromaticity diagram 80 illustrating the color variations available from led backlight 16 according to the present invention . such chromaticity diagrams are well known in the art and are described , for example by g . j . and d . g . chamberlin in color : its measurement , computation and application , heyden and sons press ltd , 1980 , pages 60 ff . the human visible color spectrum is contained within outline 88 . region 81 is the approximate locus of primary red ( r ), region 82 the approximate locus of primary green and region 83 the approximate locus of primary blue . white regions 84 is at about u ′˜ 0 . 22 and v ′˜ 0 . 48 . intermediate colors have other u ′, v ′ values . arrows 85 , 86 , 87 illustrate respectively the effect on color of varying chrominance parameters k r , k g , and k b in equations [ 1 ] through [ 3 ]. thus , by varying k r , k g , and k b , most colors within chromaticity diagram 80 can be obtained . this is a particular feature of the present invention . fig6 a - b are simplified schematic diagrams 90 , 91 illustrating light sensors 30 , 30 ′ coupled to led backlight 16 to measure light emission therefrom according to different embodiments of the present invention . referring now to fig6 a , diagram 90 illustrates the arrangement utilized in fig3 , where individual sensor 30 i is mounted within housing 32 i coupled to and desirably enclosing one of leds 24 i , where i identifies the leds of the same color . sensor 30 i receives light 12 i 40 from the single led within housing 32 i , which is proportional to light 12 i emitted by series connected same color leds 24 i . this arrangement is simple and rugged and provides chrominance signal s i for each color i = r , g , b , w , etc . a disadvantage is that one led for each color is used to obtain chrominance signal s i and therefore does not contribute to light output 12 of backlight 16 directed toward lcd 20 . where a large number of leds 24 are used in backlight 16 , this is not a significant penalty . schematic diagram 91 of fig6 b illustrates an alternate arrangement whereby sensor 30 ′ is provided in optical cavity 21 or 23 or both of display 10 ( see fig1 ) and receives a portion of light 12 emitted from substantially all of leds 24 rather than from just one or two or three , etc . sensor 30 ′ comprises housing 92 with opening 93 oriented so as to receive light 12 from backlight 16 if placed in cavity 21 or receive light 14 if placed in cavity 23 . for purposes of explanation and not intended to be limiting , it is assumed in the discussion that follows that sensor 30 ′ is located in cavity 23 and receives light 14 . located within housing 92 are three sensors 94 having thereon color filters 95 . thus , red color filter 95 r overlies sensor 94 r so that sensor 94 r provides on output 31 r , signal s r proportional to the red content of light 14 . similarly , green color filter 95 g overlies sensor 94 g and blue filter 95 b overlies sensor 94 b so that signals s g and s b appear on output leads 31 g , 31 b associated with sensors 94 g , 94 b respectively . advantages of the arrangement of fig6 b are that all of leds 24 contribute to light output 12 , 14 and only one triple - sensor pickup is needed . a potential disadvantage is that if stray light from outside display 10 is coupled into cavity 21 or 23 it may be detected by sensor 30 ′ thereby potentially causing a measuring error . however , the stray light must be significant compared to the light being emitted by backlight 16 for this to be troublesome . therefore , the arrangement of either fig6 a or 6 b is useful . fig7 a - b are simplified flow diagrams of method 100 , 100 ′ of the present invention for providing backlight of a predetermined luminance and chrominance . fig7 a shows method 100 and fig7 b shows method 100 ′ which differ in detail . the same reference numbers are used for analogous steps in both method 100 and 100 ′. method 100 , 100 ′ begins with start 102 that desirably occurs on system power - up , that is , when display 10 is energized , or at least backlight 16 is energized . in step 104 , sensors 30 , 30 ′ are interrogated to provide chromaticity outputs s i , where i corresponds to one or the other of the led colors ( e . g ., r , b , g , w , etc .). signals s i are fed , for example , to inputs 33 i of controller 48 . in step 106 of method 100 , the k i values needed to obtain the desired backlight chrominance are set , as for example , via inputs 58 i of controller 48 ( e . g ., see fig4 ). in step 108 the resulting values k i * s i are compared with luminance command signal l c , and in step 110 led drive control signals d i supplied to led drivers 44 i ( see fig4 ) are adjusted so that k i * s i and l c are approximately equal ( abbreviated as l c − k i * s i ˜ 0 in fig7 a - b ). once substantial equality has been achieved so that backlight 16 is emitting the correct color and luminance , method 100 proceeds to end 112 . however , persons of skill in the art will understand based on the description herein that method 100 , 100 ′ may continually loop back to start 102 as shown by path 113 as long as power is applied to display 10 and / or backlight 16 so as to maintain light emission therefrom at the desired intensity and color and respond to led aging or any adjustments that may , from time to time , be made by the user . the method of fig7 a is conveniently implemented using an analog type controller such as is illustrated in fig3 - 4 . fig7 b differs from fig7 a in how steps 106 and 110 are carried out . method 100 ′ of fig7 b is convenient for digital control of display 10 and backlight 16 wherein queries may be performed to determine whether the adjustable parameters l c and k i are currently at the desired values or not . for example , step 106 of method 100 is replaced in method 100 ′ by query 106 - 1 wherein it is determined whether or not the current values of k i correspond to the backlight color desired by the user . if the outcome of query 106 - 1 is yes ( true ) then the current value of k i is used in step 108 where k i * s i is compared to l c . if the outcome of query 106 - 1 is no ( false ) then method 100 ′ proceeds to step 106 - 2 where k i is adjusted to the correct value for the color desired by the user , and this modified value of k i is used in step 108 . similarly , in method 100 ′ step 110 is divided into sub - steps 110 - 1 , 110 - 2 and 110 - 3 . in step 110 - 1 the led drive is adjusted up or down depending upon the sign of the difference obtained in compare step 108 . in subsequent step 110 - 2 , sensors 30 , 30 ′ are re - interrogated to obtain the resulting new value of si . this value of s i is used in query 110 - 3 to determined whether or not the condition l c − k i * s i ˜ 0 is now satisfied . if the outcome of query 110 - 3 is no ( false ) then method 100 ′ loops back as shown by path 111 until the outcome of query 110 - 3 is yes ( true ), whereupon method 100 ′ proceeds to end 112 or loops back to start 102 as shown by optional path 113 as previously discussed . persons of skill in the art will understand based on the description herein how to implement method 100 , 100 ′ while at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description , it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist . for example , and not intended to be limiting , while fig3 and 4 are illustrated for three colors r , g , b persons of skill in the art will understand based on the description herein that white leds 24 w may also be used and , for example , additional white channel 62 w provided in controller 48 responsive to sensors 30 w coupled to white leds 24 w . such white channel may respond to luminance signal 57 and / or to an independent luminance signal 57 ′ coupled only to white channel 62 w , depending upon the needs of the user . while the present invention has been described in terms of using primary color leds , e . g ., red ( r ), green ( g ) and blue ( b ) and , optionally , white ( w ), the present invention is not limited merely to leds of those colors . any color leds can be used that are capable when their light output is combined of achieving the desired color for the display . thus , r , g , b and w leds are merely preferred examples and not limitations of the present invention . further , while three so - called primary colored groups of leds are used in the preferred embodiment this is not essential . less than three groups of different colored leds may be used and still achieve user variable luminance although with more limited user variable chrominance , provided that the available chrominance range can achieve the desired color for the display . for example , if a particular display requires only blends of red and greed colors , there is no need to include blue leds , or if the display only requires white and red blends , there is no need to include green and blue leds since red and while leds are sufficient . it should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples , and are not intended to limit the scope , applicability , or configuration of the invention in any way . rather , the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments . it should be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and the legal equivalents thereof .	6
fig1 a and 1 b show a first embodiment of spigot end 100 which is the subject of the invention . spigot end 100 comprises an outer shell 101 which is cylindrical overall and defines the main body of spigot end 100 . also , this shell 101 ends with a shoulder 120 which is used as an axial limit stop when the spigot end is in position in a matching socket end integral with or attached to a functional part . the external profile of shoulder 120 is determined depending on the constraints for gripping spigot end 100 and the aesthetic constraints associated with the connection of the volumes of the various parts . spigot end 100 comprises an axial housing 102 which here opens out at both ends of spigot end 100 . nevertheless and as required , axial housing 102 can be closed at one end . axial housing 102 is designed to accommodate the wire rope ( not shown ) which is intended to be attached to spigot end 100 . to obtain this attachment of the wire rope inside housing 102 , shell 101 has four openings 117 , 118 , etc . which are diametrically opposite relative to the axis of revolution of shell 101 . thus , the four openings are opposite each other two by two as shown in fig1 b . openings 117 and 118 thus face two openings drilled in the wall of the shell opposite the axis of revolution . this way , it is possible to insert a rope fastener 116 through openings 117 and 118 and then reclose this rope fastener 116 at the outlet of the two opposite openings . rope fastener 116 thus makes it possible to attach a wire rope in housing 102 of spigot end 100 and hence maintain their cohesion when the wire rope is subjected to tensile stress . according to one advantageous aspect of the invention , a recess 115 is made in each of fins 111 , 112 so as to fit the tip and the bases of rope fastener 116 . thus , no protrusion exceeds fins 111 and 112 and this facilitates cooperation of spigot end 100 with the matching socket end and avoids any protruding parts potentially capable of causing injury . recess 115 here consists of a groove made by milling or molding in the middle of each fin 111 and 112 . in the example shown in the figures , spigot end 100 is a plastic part but it can also be made of metal . spigot end 100 can be obtained by machining or by molding operations and re - machining . the dimensions of spigot end 100 , in particular the thickness of the walls that form its outer shell , are determined by the mechanical stresses likely to be exerted on spigot end 100 through the wire rope under tension . thus the dimensions can be adapted to suit the intended application . fig2 shows spigot end 200 in accordance with the variation in fig1 . equivalent elements have the same reference numbers plus 100 . thus , spigot end 200 has outer shell 201 which is cylindrical overall and axial housing 202 which is open at both ends . the term “ cylindrical ” here denotes the shape of a straight cylinder . similarly , spigot end 200 has shoulder 220 similar to shoulder 120 of spigot end 100 . in contrast , spigot end 200 has four rather than two fins 211 - 214 in the form of crown segments having a rectangular cross - section . these four fins 211 - 214 are , according to the invention , diametrically opposite , two by two , relative to the axis of revolution of shell 201 . in fact , increasing the number of fins makes it possible to improve retention of spigot end 200 in the matching socket end . also , the through - openings here are not machined in fins 211 - 214 but in outer shell 201 . nevertheless , they are also made at the level of recess or flat 215 which is capable of accommodating the protruding parts of the means of attaching the wire rope to spigot end 200 . fig3 shows a spigot end 300 which has a structure similar to the two previous end fittings . this end fitting also has an overall cylindrical outer shell 301 . in the example described , said spigot end has two fins 311 designed , as already described , to cooperate with corresponding recesses or housings made in the socket unit . these fins 311 are also provided with an opening 317 designed to let through a rope fastener for fastening the wire rope at this level . the spigot end has a shoulder 320 similar to shoulder 120 of spigot end 100 . in this embodiment , end 321 of the spigot end opposite shoulder 320 comprises a bump 322 which protrudes relative to the plane which bounds said end . this bump 322 is , in this case , in the form of a crown segment . it is designed to cooperate with the bottom of the socket end with which the spigot end is designed to cooperate as described more precisely in relation to fig6 a to 6 c . in addition , shell 301 of said spigot end has , in the vicinity of the end in question 321 , a cut - out 323 which extends over part of its circumference . this cut - out 323 is designed to give the spigot end a certain degree of elasticity in this area despite the fact that said end fitting is made of a relatively rigid plastic material ( polyoxymethylene or polyamide ). because of this cut - out 323 , spigot end 300 is capable of bending slightly when bump or protrusion 322 cooperates with the bottom of the corresponding socket end and , in particular , makes it possible to force reversible locking of the spigot unit in the socket unit as described below in greater detail . fig4 a and 4 b show an assembly in accordance with the present invention consisting of spigot end 400 and a functional part , in this case hook 450 , which incorporates socket end 451 , the geometry of which matches the geometry of spigot end 400 . spigot end 400 is in accordance with one or other of the embodiments shown in fig1 or 2 . it is represented here in its secured position , i . e . fully inserted into socket end 451 and swiveled on itself in a position where its fins line up with the corresponding hollow housings of socket end 451 so as to form an axial limit stop which resists any tensile stress . fig4 c shows an attachment means 470 consisting of a nail or pin which can also be seen in fig4 b . besides this , cross - sectional view 4 d shows two axial grooves 460 and 461 made in the lower part of socket end 451 in order to accommodate the fins of spigot end 400 when the latter is initially inserted translationally before the locking phase by swiveling . obviously , the dimensions of each of the grooves 460 and 461 match the dimension of the fins of spigot end 400 including guidance clearance . thus , once the spigot end is in its final locked position as shown in fig4 c , tensile stresses exerted on the wire rope are transmitted by nail 470 to spigot end 400 and then , via the fins , to socket end 451 and hence finally to functional part 450 consisting here of a hook . also , the axial limit stop of socket end 451 is provided with a spike 471 which makes it possible to repel spigot end 400 when the latter reaches the end of its axial and radial travel . the wire rope is thus slightly compressed by spike 471 when spigot end 400 is in the process of swiveling on itself and is then released when spigot end 400 “ drops back ” into the housings provided for this effect for the fins . to achieve this , these housings are slightly axially offset relative to the intermediate position in which the spigot end swivels on itself . this produces a non - return function which prevents , without any external action , detachment of the spigot end from the functional part . however , unlike assemblies according to the prior art , it is easy to detach spigot end 400 from socket end 451 in order to attach the wire rope to another matching socket end attached to another functional part . fig5 shows another embodiment of the socket unit in accordance with the invention , more especially designed to cooperate with spigot end 300 described in fig3 . this socket end is built into functional part 550 which once again consists of a hook . as already described in relation to fig4 a to 4 d , the geometry of this socket unit matches that of spigot end 300 . more specifically , said socket end is pierced by two holes 580 which may or may not pass through it and are designed to cooperate with fins 311 , 312 of spigot unit 300 . these holes 580 have , at the level of their base , a step or discontinuity 581 which defines an area 582 for stably accommodating said fins . although only one hole is shown in fig5 , the other hole diametrically opposite is symmetrical with the hole shown relative to the axis of revolution of the socket end . said discontinuity 581 actually continues inside the socket end as far as the grooves similar to grooves 460 , 461 of the socket end described in relation to fig4 a to 4 d which are also present in this embodiment in order to make it possible to insert the spigot end complete with its fins into said socket end . in order to force the lock consisting of said discontinuities 581 , one must exert pressure on said spigot end in the direction of the bottom of the socket end , thus allowing the base of the fins to pass over said discontinuities , until , still due to cooperation of the spigot end with the socket end , said fins are naturally accommodated in stable reception areas 582 and are maintained there . in other words , once one has overcome the opposing resistance due to cooperation of axial limit stop or bottom 583 of the socket end with bump 322 of the spigot end whilst exerting a rotational force on the latter , said cooperation exerts a spring effect and causes positioning and retention of said fins in this stable position 582 , thereby constituting a non - return mechanism and preventing any risk of inopportune detachment of the spigot end from the functional part . detaching the spigot end from the socket end uses the same principle , only the direction in which the spigot end is rotated is reversed . fig6 a to 6 c show , in greater detail , cooperation of spigot end 300 with functional part 550 . the cooperation of bump or protrusion 322 of the spigot end with the axial limit stop or bottom 583 of the socket end of functional part 550 is illustrated in particular . fig7 a to 7 c show examples of various functional parts such as a hook with an elastic catch ( fig7 a ), a screwed plate ( fig7 b ) and an adjustable end fitting ( fig7 c ). other embodiments of the invention are possible without extending beyond the scope of the invention .	5
before the invention is explained in detail , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings . the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways . also , it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting . fig1 illustrates a system 10 embodying the invention . the system 10 includes two servers ( maintenance and commerce ) 11 and 12 that create and maintain user lists , perform inventory , account , ordering functions , and monitoring functions , such as microwarehouse status , monitoring temperature and other faults . servers 11 and 12 may communicate with a client ( discussed below ) using standard protocols such as tcp / ip , or other protocols over a network 13 . the network 13 may be the internet , a telephone network , a wireless network , power line carrier (“ plc ”) network , or combinations thereof . servers 11 and 12 include standard hardware and operating system software ( not shown ). running on top of the hardware and operating system software is a micro - warehouse (“ mwv ”) enterprise application 14 . the mw enterprise application 14 accesses a profile database 15 that includes a registration module 16 , an order history module 18 , an account set - up module 20 , and a stock request module 22 . each of the modules 16 - 22 is maintained for each client coupled to the server 12 . the modules may be configured with web content designed to be accessible using protocols for the world wide web section of the internet . as best seen by reference to fig2 , the mw enterprise application 14 performs numerous functions . broadly , the mw enterprise application 14 controls the arrangement of the rfid user badges ( discussed below ), manages communication sessions with clients connected to the server 12 , maintains an inventory of products for each client connected to the servers 11 and 12 , checks inventory of the mw and other local mws before ordering a product , manages security of communications , provides system administration functionality , and monitors and maintains the health of clients connected to the servers . the registration module 16 provides part of the inventory functionality of the server 12 by providing access to information regarding the location of clients connected to the server 12 . in the invention , the clients take the form of mws . the registration module also provides access to information regarding sales persons assigned to a particular mw and identification numbers for each mw . the registration module 16 may access a mw database 24 . the order history module 18 provides a history of orders for each mw and product preferences for each mw . the account set - up module provides administrative screens for payment authorization , user information , and similar information . the stock request module 22 controls inventory replenishment based on usage and on specific customer requests and similar information . the server 12 also accesses a commerce engine 30 that uses information received from the client to generate orders that are delivered to the manufacturing infrastructure ( not shown ) that produces products to be distributed using the system and method of the invention . the information may be used by marketing , customer relation management (“ crm ”), billing , and other systems and functions . for example , the invention may be used in the distribution of life science research products such as enzymes , assays , cloning vectors , component cells , and the like . ( of course , a wide variety of non - biological products could be distributed using the invention .) the information provided by the server 12 is used in the manufacturing infrastructure to ensure proper production of products according to the demand for such products . as noted above , the server 12 may be coupled to a plurality of clients . an exemplary client in the form of a mw 35 is shown in fig1 and 2 . while only one client is shown , the number of clients connected to the server 12 is limited only by the server &# 39 ; s internal capacity and the capacity of the network 13 . the mw 35 may take the form of a refrigerated cabinet , a freezer , or other storage container . a secured storeroom , similar location , or other defined area could also be outfitted with a client controller and other components , as described herein , and be used to store products . as shown , the mw 35 includes a door 37 , an electric actuated lock 39 and / or a proximity sensor 40 , and an output device that may take the form of audio device or light 41 . other output devices such as a voice synthesis device , a display screen , and the like may also be used . the mw 35 is configured with an antenna array 43 . the antenna array 43 is coupled to a client controller 45 . in one embodiment , the invention may include an antenna with two vertically polarized array antennas . the antenna 43 is an rf receive and transmit device which communicates with a transponder device or tag ( discussed in greater detail below ). in one embodiment , the tag is a passive tag and powered by energy from the antenna . the mw 35 may include a specialized card reader 47 in the form of a magnetic card swipe device , an antenna , a fingerprint reader , or similar device . the specialized card reader 47 is coupled to the client controller 45 via a communication link 49 . the mw 35 may also include an internal and ambient temperature sensor 55 . if included , the temperature sensor 55 is preferably positioned such that it can sense the temperature of the interior of the mw 35 . the temperature sensor 55 is coupled to the client controller 45 to provide temperature information to the client controller . additional information may be provided to the client controller through optional input devices . the location of the mw 35 may be monitored by a global positioning system ( gps ) device ( not shown ) plus inertial frame recognition for fine measurement and for interpolation between gps satellite acquisitions . the voltage , frequency , and other characteristics of electrical supply lines may be monitored and provided to the client controller 45 by a power line monitoring device ( also not shown ). additional input devices , such as cameras , microphones , sensors , etc ., could be coupled to the client controller to monitor environmental and other conditions . the client controller 45 includes software to carry out several functions . the software included on the client controller 45 may be better understood by reference to fig2 . as shown , the client controller 45 includes an operating system 60 . the operating system 60 is dependent on the type of processor used in the client controller . preferably , the client controller 45 is an x86 single chip computer controller with a compatible operating system . if desired , the client controller 45 may be a consumer grade device such as a palm pilot personal digital assistant or packet pc device , and modified according to the teachings herein . depending on the hardware used , the client controller 45 may be configured with a graphical user interface (“ gui ”) to facilitate interaction between the system 10 and its users . the client controller 45 also includes an i / o interface 62 , which may take the form of an analogue - digital , digital - analogue converter , digital input / output ( adc , dac , and dio ) interface . the interface 62 handles input from the electric actuated lock 39 , input from the temperature sensor 55 , output to the electric actuated lock 39 , and input from optional monitoring devices such as the gps and power line monitoring devices . in addition to the interface 62 , the client controller 45 may have two other modules : an rfid user sensing subsystem 64 and a radio frequency data collector (“ rfdc ”) inventory interface 66 . the rfid user sensing subsystem 64 handles input and output to and from the specialized card reader 47 . the rfdc inventory interface 66 handles input and output from the antenna 43 and handles links or sessions between the mw 35 and servers 11 and 12 . the client controller 45 includes software ( not shown ) which may incorporate the rfdc inventory interface 66 that reads the rfid signatures from tagged products ( discussed below ) placed inside the mw 35 . the software may be implemented according to algorithms disclosed in international publication no . wo99 / 45495 and international publication no . wo99 / 45494 , the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein . the referenced publications teach identification systems that can identify a plurality of rfid tagged items using an interrogator . the interrogator sends signals from antennas and cooperates with passive , transponder rfid tags in such a way as to eliminate or reduce interference problems that are typically associated with reading rf signals from multiple devices . the system 10 could also be implemented with active tags , although presently available active tags need to be improved so as to perform in the temperatures that the system is expected to operate within and at roughly the same cost and power consumption . before the system 10 may be implemented , one or more rfid access badges 75 must be generated . preferably , the rfid badges 75 , as well as the other rfid tags ( discussed below ) are passive transponder tags such as the tags disclosed in the above - referenced international applications . preferably , the rfid badges 75 are encoded with information from the account set - up module 20 based on digital signatures . in addition , it is preferred that the digital signatures encoded on the rfid badges 75 used by restocking services provide one - time access to a specific mw , and thereafter expire . the rfid access badges may be fixed on a carton of products 80 . alternatively , they may be delivered separately to the facility where the mw of interest is located . the carton of products 80 includes a plurality of individual products 90 each with an identification tag 95 . each identification tag 95 may be the same as an rfid badge 75 , except that the digital signature on tag 95 will generally not expire . in one form of the invention , each tag 95 has a 16 - bit identification code and a 72 - bit item identification code . the 16 - bit identification tag may be programmed with information such as the manufacturer of the product . the 72 - bit item identification code is used to provide descriptive information regarding the product such as serial number , product type , date , lot number , and similar information . once all the products 90 have been fitted with unique rfid tags 95 , the products may be shipped in the carton 80 to a designated mw such as the mw 35 . as shown in fig3 , the carton 80 is packed according to a fulfillment request that is based on either an initial order from a customer ( not shown ) or mw specific business rules followed by the server 12 . the carton 80 may be fitted with rfid access badge 75 or the rfd access badge 75 may be shipped separately to the location of the mw of interest . if fitted with an rfid access badge 75 , the carton 80 may be shipped by a delivery service contracted to deliver the package to the mw 35 . once the carton is delivered , the recipient or user may use the rfid access badge 75 to open the door 37 of the mw 35 by passing rfid access badge 75 in front of the reader 47 . client controller 45 reads the digital signature of the rfid access badge 75 and confirms reading of the code by actuating a user feedback device such as a voice synthesis module or the light 41 . since , the server 12 provides a locally based user list to the client controller 45 , the client controller 45 oversees authentication of the digital code read from the rfid access badge 75 . client controller 45 checks the authenticity of the read code by matching the code to the user list . client controller 45 may then optionally read the temperature sensors 55 and transmit temperature information to the server 11 . preferably , the temperature sensor is also read on a periodic basis , with the temperature information being transmitted to the server each time the temperature is read . client controller 45 can also be programmed to transmit temperature data if the temperature falls beneath or above a predetermined range . in many instances , it will be important to ensure that the temperature of the mw is within an appropriate range to store the products 90 . if the temperature of the mw 35 is within an appropriate range , and the user is authenticated , the client controller 45 then actuates the lock 39 to open the door 37 ( of course , the mw need not be equipped with the lock 39 ). if the temperature of the mw 35 is not within an appropriate range , then access to the mw may be prevented by maintaining the lock 39 in a closed state . this would allow a refrigerated unit associated with the mw to cool the interior space of the mw to a desired temperature before ambient air was allowed into the mw by opening of the door . this also provides for product integrity during power failure . once the door 37 opens ( which may be sensed by the proximity sensor 40 ), a communication session between the mw 35 and servers 12 , which may be segmented based on appropriate events to optimize user response and network usage , begins . having full access to the mw 35 , the employee of a carrier or logistic service who delivered the carton 80 now proceeds to place the individual items 90 into the mw 35 . once the carton of products 80 is empty , the delivery employee then closes the door 37 , and removes the carton , if necessary . the proximity sensor 40 senses the closing of the door 37 . the client controller 45 senses the status of the sensor . preferably , the lock 39 ( if used ) resets automatically after being unlocked for a predetermined time , for example five ( 5 ) seconds . the user has that predetermined time to open the door . the rfdc inventory interface 66 is disabled once the door 37 opens . when the door 37 closes , the rfdc inventory interface 66 is enabled and initiates a scan of the products placed within the mw 35 . upon completing the scan , the client controller 45 sends a change - in - inventory message 100 to the commerce server 12 . to ensure integrity of the inventory change billed to the customer , the client controller 45 employs an integrity algorithm when the rfdc inventory interface 66 scans the mw 35 . the algorithm is based on statistical information , historical information , and other factors including rf algorithms ( frequency - hopping , etc .) and delay data . the mw 35 may be accessed by a customer at the mw location using a separate rfid badge 75 shipped directly to that customer . alternatively , and as noted above , the reader 47 may be configured as a magnetic card swipe device , barcode , a fingerprint reader , or some similar device that controls access to the mw 35 . regardless of its exact configuration , the reader 47 reads the input from the customer and acknowledges reading of that input by lighting the light 41 . the client controller 45 then sends an input signal to the server 12 . the server 12 then conducts an authenticity review of the input . if an authorized input is received , the server 12 sends an okay message to the mw 35 . the client controller 45 may have the capability to authenticate the review as well . once authentication takes place , the client controller 45 then opens the door 37 allowing the customer access to the interior of the mw 35 . the customer then removes one or more products 90 from the interior of the mw and then closes the door 37 . once the door is closed , client controller 45 scans the remaining products in the mw 35 and sends a message containing the missing products to the server 12 . identifying which products have been taken , the server 12 compares the previous inventory prior to opening , to the inventory of the missing items . from the comparison , the server 12 determines the missing items in the mw 35 . the inventory information is then communicated to the commerce engine 30 , which stores the information for future use for both marketing and inventory functions . receipts for the used products can then be emailed or printed and shipped via regular mail to the customer at the mw location . invoicing can also occur using electronic and standard mechanisms . the inventory message can be used for other purposes as well . for example , the inventory message includes information regarding individual products . therefore , the amount of time a particular product spends in any mw may be recorded by the server , as well as the product &# 39 ; s temperature history . if this time is recorded , it is also possible to compare the amount of time any particular product spends in a mw to a shelf life for that product . temperature history can also be stored and compared to other data . if the shelf life is passed , then an expiration message , such as a pick list , may be generated and sent to the mw or an e - mail address of a user of the system to inform users of products that should be removed from the mw and not used . in addition , the inventory message may be used to determine the type of products in the mw 35 . if any of the products present within the mw 35 are subject to a recall , the mw 35 may be placed in a “ lock down ” condition , whereby access to the mw is denied until an administrator or other authorized individual removes the recalled product or otherwise addresses the situation . fig4 a and 4 b are flow charts of the software used in the invention . once the client controller 45 is turned on in fig4 a at step 138 , it executes a standard boot up routine at step 140 . part of the standard boot up process enables the software to automatically update itself . at step 142 , a message is sent to the maintenance server 11 to query the current version of the controller software . if the version on the server 11 is the same as the version on the client controller 45 , the client controller 45 establishes a wait state as shown in step 152 . if the version on the server 11 is newer than the version on the client controller 45 , then the newer version is downloaded over the internet , as shown at step 144 . the newer version is loaded into the alternative pocket or partition and written to flash memory , as shown at step 146 . then the software is booted , as shown at step 148 . a garbage collection routine clears the old version . a message packet accompanies each boot to the maintenance server , including version status and operating status . each boot then requests a reload of the list of authorized users from the server 11 at step 150 . the list is then reloaded at step 151 . as shown in fig4 b at step 152 , the client controller 45 then establishes the wait state of the system by initializing various variables or objects such as a user , msg 1 , msg 2 , cnt 1 , temp 1 , temp 2 , and solenoids . in addition , the client controller 45 initializes variables or objects switches , power , and light . once initialization is complete , the unit is ready for user access . during this wait state , the client controller 45 performs periodic checks on the status of the mw 35 . when a customer approaches the mw and presents an rfid badge , the client controller 45 reads the user rfid badge at step 154 and checks the validity of the identification code read from the badge at step 158 . if the code does not match a valid code , an invalid user message is generated at step 162 . the message may be displayed on an output device ( not shown ). if an optional lock is installed on the door of the mw 35 , the client controller 45 then opens the solenoids in the lock on the mw 35 , as shown at step 166 , if the code is valid . an internal timer is then started , as shown at step 170 . in one embodiment of the invention , the proximity sensor 40 is used to detect opening of the door 37 and the status of the door . once the door opens , the proximity sensor 40 switches its status . at step 174 , the client controller 45 checks to see if the door has been opened by reading the status of the proximity sensor 40 . if the proximity sensor 40 has not changed status , the client controller 45 will continue to check for a predetermined amount of time , as shown at step 178 . if the predetermined amount of time is exceeded , the solenoids are closed ( step 182 ), which locks the lock 39 , a timeout error message is generated ( step 184 ), and the client controller 45 returns to the initial state , as shown at step 186 . if the door 37 is opened within the predetermined amount of time ( currently set through practice at five ( 5 ) seconds ), a second timer is started , as shown at step 190 . the client controller 45 then records the internal temperature of the mw 35 at step 194 and then checks to see if the door 37 has been closed at step 200 . the client controller 45 continues to check for closing of the door for a predetermined amount of time , as shown at step 204 . if the predetermined amount of time expires , a close door message is generated as shown at step 208 and steps 190 - 204 are re - executed . once the door 37 is closed , the client controller 45 closes the solenoids , as shown at step 212 . the client controller 45 then confirms that the door 37 is closed at step 216 and performs an inventory scan at step 220 . the data from the inventory scan is then sent to the server 12 , as shown at step 224 . the client controller 45 then returns to the initial state ( step 186 ). in another embodiment , the system utilizes a defined area to enclose the tagged products rather than a cabinet . the defined area uses an access point to serve as its entryway . the products within the area are fitted with identification tags and specifically positioned in the area to be recognized by the rfdc inventory interface . product scans begin when a sensor senses a user passing through the access point . the access point is controlled by a processor , such as the client controller 45 , and is able to restrict access to the area and products , if necessary . as can be seen from the above , the invention provides a method and system for distributing products . various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims .	6
an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings . fig1 is a diagram showing a construction of a t . d . i . operation type solid - state imager in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention . in fig1 the same reference numerals designate the same or corresponding parts as those shown in fig3 . numeral 6 designates a background signal removing part which is provided at an appropriate position of the ccd . in the figure , the arrow m designates a direction in which the observed image which is focused on the imaging device moves . reference characters a to e designate regions where a part of the observed image is focused . fig2 shows a detailed construction of the background signal charge removing part 6 shown in fig1 . in fig2 vertical ccd gate electrodes 10 to 13 are provided for controlling signal charge transfer in the vertical ccd 2 . an n type region 14 is provided for transferring signal charges in the vertical ccds 10 to 13 . a storage gate electrode 21 is provided for storing signal charges transferred to the background signal charge removing part 6 . a charge removal control gate electrode 23 is provided for removing background signal charges from the signal charges transferred from the vertical ccd . a drain region ( n type region ) 24 is provided for transferring signal charges removed by the control gate electrode 23 . fig4 ( a ) and 4 ( b ) show cross - sections along lines i - ii , x - y of fig2 respectively . numeral 31 designates a gate oxide film and numeral 32 designates a vertical ccd . numeral 33 designates a p type semiconductor substrate and numeral 34 designates a separating oxide film . now it is supposed that a part of the observed image is focused on the region a . when the part of the observed image is assumed to be o 1 , charges in accordance with the observed image o 1 are stored at the light - to - electricity conversion part 1 of the region a . these stored charges are read out to the vertical ccd 2 when the transfer gate 4 is turned on while the observed image o 1 is moving to the region b from the region a . the read out signal charges are transferred in the vertical ccd 2 in the vertical direction . the transfer speed then is equal to the moving speed of the observed image . subsequently thereto , when the observed image o 1 reaches the region b , signal charges in accordance with the observed image o 1 are stored at the light - to - electricity conversion part 1 of the region b . then , the next observed image o 2 is focused on the region a . the signal charges stored at the light - to - electricity conversion part 1 of the region b are read out to the vertical ccd 2 from the light - to - electricity conversion part 1 when the transfer gate is turned on at a time when signal charges read out from the region a , while the observed image o 1 moves from the region b to the region c , are transferred to a part of the vertical ccd 2 corresponding to the light - to - electricity conversion part 1 of the region b , and added to the signal charges read out at the region a . thereby , the signal charge amount corresponding to the observed image o 1 is doubled . an operation similar to that in the region b occurs at the region c , and signal charges in accordance with the observed image o 1 are added at the part of the vertical ccd 2 in accordance with the light - to - electricity conversion part 1 of the region c , amounting to three times the original charge amount . these signal charges are transferred in the vertical ccd 2 in the vertical direction at the same speed as that of the moving speed of the observed image o 1 while the observed image o 1 moves from the region c to the region d , and extra signal charges are removed by the background signal charge removing part 6 . a description is given of the operation of the background signal charge removing part 6 with reference to fig5 and 6 . fig5 shows the timing at which clock pulses are applied to respective gate electrodes in fig2 . the clock pulse φ 1 is applied to the gate electrodes 10 and 12 , the clock pulse φ 2 is applied to the gate electrodes 11 and 13 , the clock pulse φ 3 is applied to the storage electrode 21 , the clock pulse φ 4 is applied to the charge transfer control electrode 22 , and the clock pulse φ 5 is applied to the charge removal control gate electrode 23 . fig6 shows a potential diagram in accordance with fig2 . in fig6 reference characters t 1 to t 7 correspond to times t 1 to t 7 in fig5 . reference characters a , b , and c designate signal charges and a represents signal charges which have increased by the t . d . i . operation , b represents background signal charges , and c represents signal charges after the background signal charges b are removed . at time t 1 , the clock pulses φ 1 and φ 2 applied to the gate electrodes 10 and 11 are high voltages and a potential well is produced at and below these gate electrodes . signal charges which are transferred by the vertical ccd 2 are stored at the well . during the period from time t 1 to time t 2 , the voltage of the clock pulse φ 1 is lowered and the voltage of the clock pulse φ 3 is raised and accompanying therewith the potential below the gate electrode 10 is raised and the potential below the storage gate electrode 21 is lowered . thereby , the potential well changes as shown in the figure and as a result , the signal charges move to below the gate electrodes 11 and 21 from below the gate electrodes 10 and 11 . during the period from time t 2 to timing t 3 , the voltage of the clock pulse φ 2 is lowered and the voltage of the clock pulse φ 4 is raised . accompanying therewith , the potential wells change as shown in the drawing . then , the voltage of the clock pulse φ 4 is controlled such that the potential below the charge transfer control gate electrode 22 becomes higher than that below the storage gate electrode 21 . the background signal charges are removed by utilizing this potential difference . that is , during the period from time t 3 to time t 4 , the voltage of the clock pulse φ 1 is raised and a potential well is produced below the gate electrode 12 and a part c of signal charges stored below the storage gate electrode 21 and below the charge transfer control gate electrode 22 move to below the gate electrode 12 . then , the potential below the storage gate electrode 21 and that below the charge transfer control gate electrode 22 have a difference in their depth and therefore , signal charges b , in accordance with the potential , remain below the storage gate electrode 21 . during the period from time t 4 to time t 5 , the voltage of the clock pulse φ 5 is raised and the voltage of the clock pulse φ 4 is lowered . accompanying therewith , the potential below the charge removing control gate electrode 23 is lowered and the potential below the charge transfer control gate electrode 22 is raised . as a result , signal charges b remaining below the storage gate electrode 21 are drained through the drain 24 . during the period from time t 5 to time t 6 , the voltage of the clock pulse φ 3 is lowered and the potential below the storage gate electrode 21 is raised . as a result , the signal charges below the storage gate electrode 21 are completely drained . further , the voltage of the clock pulse φ 2 is raised and a potential well is produced below the gate electrode 13 . as a result , signal charges stored at and below the gate electrode 12 move also to and below the gate electrode 13 . during the period from time t 6 to time t 7 , the voltage of the clock pulse φ 5 is lowered and the charge removal control gate electrode 23 is raised . thereby , the gate for draining the background signals is closed , i . e ., off . in this way , by controlling the voltage of the clock pulse φ 4 applied to the charge transfer control gate electrode 22 , it is possible to remove the background signal charges . next , a description is given of the control of the voltage of the clock pulse φ 4 . at first , the front face of the photodetector is covered by a piece of black paper . next , while the photodetector is usually operated , the voltage of the clock pulse φ 4 is changed and the output of the horizontal ccd is output slightly . the value of the voltage of the clock pulse φ 4 is a value to be applied to the charge transfer control gate electrode in order to remove the background signals . the signal charges from which the background signal charges are removed are transferred to the horizontal ccd 3 in the vertical direction signal charges which are obtained by repeating the above - described operation are transferred to the horizontal ccd 3 from the vertical ccd 2 and transferred on the horizontal ccd 3 to the output part 4 . in this embodiment the removal of background signal charges is carried out by the charge removal control gate electrode 23 . the operation will be described with reference to fig7 to 10 . in this case , the background signal charge removing part is a region shown by 6 &# 39 ; and at time t 1 , the clock pulses φ 1 and φ 2 applied to the gate electrodes 10 and 11 are both at high voltages and a potential well is produced at and below the gate electrodes 10 and 11 and signal charges transferred by the vertical ccd 2 are stored thereat . in addition , a predetermined voltage is always applied to the charge removal control gate electrode 23 and the potential below the gate electrode is lowered by a voltage corresponding to the voltage applied . during the period from time t 1 to time t 2 , the voltage of the clock pulse φ 1 is lowered and the voltage of the clock pulse φ 3 applied to the storage gate electrode 21 is lowered . accompanying therewith , the potential well produced at and below the gate electrodes 10 and 11 change as shown by t 2 . as a result , the signal charges a move to below the gate electrodes 11 and 21 . during the period from time t 2 to time t 3 , the voltage of the clock pulse φ 2 is lowered and signal charges a at and below the gate electrode 11 move to and below the storage gate electrode 21 . then , the potential of the charge removal control gate electrode 23 is a little lowered and the part of signal charges collected at the storage gate electrode 21 exceeding the potential of the charge removal control gate electrode 23 pour out of the drain 24 . the poured signal charges b are drained through the drain 24 . accordingly , as similarly in the above - embodiment , by controlling the voltage applied to the charge removal control gate electrode 23 , it is possible to remove a part of the signal charges a stored at and below the storage gate electrode 21 . the signal charge amount to be removed is made to coincide with the background signal charge amount by a method similar to that described in the above - embodiment . here in this embodiment , in order to control the output , it is enough to control the voltage applied to the charge removal control gate electrode 23 . in this way , signal charges c from which a part of signal charges are removed are stored at and below the storage gate electrode 21 as shown by t 3 - 4 of fig1 . then during the period from time t 3 to time t 4 , the voltage of the clock pulse φ 4 applied to the charge transfer control gate electrode 22 is raised and as shown by time t 4 of fig1 , the signal charges at and below the storage gate electrode 21 move and signal charges are also stored at and below the charge transfer control gate electrode 22 . during the period from time t 4 to time t 5 , the voltage of the clock pulse φ 3 is lowered and the voltage of the clock pulse φ 1 applied to the gate electrode 12 is raised . accompanying therewith , the potential below the gate electrode 12 changes as shown by time t 5 of fig5 and as a result , the signal charges move to and below the gate electrodes 22 and 12 . during the period from time t 5 to time t 6 , the voltage of the clock pulse φ 4 applied to the charge transfer control gate electrode 22 is lowered . as a result , the potential changes as shown by time t 6 of fig1 and the movement of signal charges are carried out . the processing of signal charges thereafter is the same as that in the above - described embodiment . in the above - illustrated embodiment a one - dimensional solid - state imager of one column is described , but in order to broaden the view field , a one - dimensional solid - state imager in which a plurarity of sets of light - to - electricity conversion part 1 , vertical ccd 2 , transfer gate 4 , and charge removing part 6 are arranged can be also constructed . in this case , however , the region in which the observed image is focused on the apparatus is lengthened in the row direction as shown in fig1 . furthermore , the reading out , transfer , and removal of background signal charges are carried out at the sam time for all sets , and the signal charges read out from the respective vertical ccd 2 to the horizontal ccd 3 are sequentially output in the horizontal ccd from those close to the output part . thereby , a wide view one - dimensional solid - state imager of high sensitivity is realized . furthermore , the background signal charge removal part 6 can be provided in an arbitrary number at arbitrary locations in the vertical ccd . the sizes of the elements which are actually used are a pixel size of 30 microns × 20 microns , the pixel pitch in horizontal direction is about 60 microns , and the pixel pitch in the vertical direction is about 30 microns . as is evident from the foregoing description , according to the present invention , a region for removing background signals is provided at a vertical ccd between pixels and therefore a solid - state imager effectively suppressing blooming without increasing the capacitance of the vertical ccd and thereby lowering the numerical aperture , and carrying out a high sensitivity operation is obtained .	7
a first embodiment of the invention is depicted in fig1 to 8 . the steering column comprises a jacket unit 2 which bearing supports a steering shaft 1 rotatably about the longitudinal axis 4 of the steering shaft 1 , which comprises a steering wheel - side end 3 serving for the connection of a steering wheel , not shown in the figures . the jacket unit 2 is connected with a retaining part 5 across a break - away connection and energy absorption connection , which will be more precisely described later . up to a limit value of a force acting between the jacket unit and the retaining part 5 parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 , the retaining part 5 is connected with the jacket unit 2 such that it is nondisplaceable relative to the direction of the longitudinal axis 4 . the limit value can herein be identical or different for the two directions parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 and be set during the construction of the system . a force f ( or the corresponding force component parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 ), exerted in the event of a crash through the secondary collision of the driver onto the jacket unit 2 , is directed toward the vehicle front , as is illustrated in fig1 , and accordingly is absorbed through a counter - force on the bracket unit 6 . a bracket unit 6 supporting the jacket unit 2 in the operating state of the steering column is rigidly connected with the chassis of the motor vehicle . in the opened state of a securement device 7 the steering column can be adjusted in length and in height or inclination . the jacket unit 2 is herein displaceable with respect to the bracket unit 6 parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 (= length adjustment direction 8 ) and into a height or inclination adjustment direction 9 , at right angles thereto , with respect to the bracket unit 6 . in the closed state of the securement device 7 a securement force , for the securement of the jacket unit 2 relative to a displacement taking place parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 with respect to the bracket unit 6 , is applied , wherein the securement force is , at least relative to a displacement parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 in the direction toward the vehicle front , higher than the limit value of the force up to which the jacket unit 2 is held nondisplaceably with respect to the retaining part 5 . further , by the securement device 7 , a securement force for the securement of the jacket unit 2 is applied against a displacement with respect to the bracket unit 6 in the height or inclination adjustment direction 9 . in the depicted embodiment , the jacket unit 2 is located between side jaws 10 , 11 of the bracket unit 6 . between the side jaws 10 , 11 of the bracket unit 6 and the jacket unit 2 are located side flanks 12 , 13 of an intermediate unit 14 which encompasses the jacket unit 2 at least over a large portion of its circumference . in the opened state of the securement device 7 the intermediate unit 14 is displaceable with respect to the bracket unit 6 in the height or inclination adjustment direction 9 . for this purpose , it is swivellable about a swivel axis 15 with respect to the bracket unit 6 . the intermediate unit 14 is connected with the bracket unit 6 nondisplaceably , relative to the direction of the longitudinal axis 4 , for example ( also ) via the development of this swivel axis 15 . the jacket unit 2 in the opened state of the securement device 7 is displaceable with respect to the intermediate unit 14 , displaceably guiding the jacket unit 2 , parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 and , in the closed state of the securement device 7 , is held nondisplaceably with respect to the intermediate unit 14 through the securement force applied by the securement device 7 in the direction of the longitudinal axis 4 . the securement device 7 comprises a clamp bolt 16 extending at right angles to the longitudinal axis 4 which penetrates through openings 17 , 18 ( cf . fig2 ) in the side jaws 10 , 11 , which are implemented as elongated holes extending in the direction of the height or inclination adjustment 9 and in which the clamp bolt 16 shifts during the height or inclination adjustment of the steering column . the clamp bolt 16 is held by the margins of these openings 17 , 18 nondisplaceably , relative to the direction of the longitudinal axis 4 , with respect to the bracket unit 6 . the clamp bolt 16 , further , penetrates openings in the side flanks 12 , 13 of the intermediate unit 11 whose diameter , apart from a sliding clearance , correspond to that of the clamp bolt 16 . on the clamp bolt 16 securement parts 19 , 20 are disposed on both sides of the side jaws 10 , 11 of bracket unit 6 , through which parts penetrates the clamp bolt 16 through openings and which are axially displaceable in the direction of the axis of the clamp bolt 16 . the one securement part 19 includes a section in which it is penetrated by clamp bolt 16 and a section 22 connected therewith across a connection section 21 , in which section 22 the part 19 cooperates , as will be described below , with the retaining part 5 . the securement part 20 and the securement part 19 , in the proximity of its section penetrated by clamp bolt 16 , in the closed state of the securement device are pressed onto the side jaws 10 , 11 of the bracket unit 6 in order to secure in position the adjustment of the steering column in the height or inclination adjustment direction . this securement in position can take place through frictional closure . elements cooperating under form closure , for example toothings , can also be provided . for tightening the securement parts 19 , 20 with the side jaws 10 , 11 and securement part 19 with the retaining part 5 , the securement device 7 can be implemented in the conventional manner . for example , a clamping lever 23 serving for opening and closing the securement device 7 is connected with a cam disk 24 , which it entrains upon a turning about the axis of the clamp bolt 16 and which cooperates with a link disk . the link disk is here implemented as integral with the securement part 19 , but a separate link disk could also be provided . configurations with rolling bodies or other implementations of clamping mechanisms are also applicable . the section 22 of the securement part 19 penetrates an opening in the side jaw 10 ( the side jaw 10 could also terminate above the section 22 of the securement part 19 ) and an opening in side flank 12 of the intermediate unit 14 . in the closed state of the securement device , section 22 is pressed with a toothing 25 disposed thereon onto a toothing 26 of the retaining part 5 . depending on the length positioning of the steering column , the toothings 25 , 26 come into mutual contact in different positions . section 22 of securement part 19 , which in its entirety is located on one side of clamp bolt 16 , is held nondisplaceably against a shift with respect to the bracket unit 6 in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 by the margins of the penetrated opening in side jaw 10 and / or by the margins of the penetrated opening in side flank 12 of the intermediate unit 14 . through the cooperating toothings 25 , 26 the retaining part 5 in the closed state of the securement device 7 is secured in position against a displacement with respect to securement part 19 in the direction of the longitudinal axis 4 . if , during the closing of the securement device 7 , these two toothings come into mutual contact in a tooth - on - tooth position , at least after a minimal initial shift ( which is less than the tooth spacing of the toothing ) a further shifting of the retaining part 5 with respect to the securement part 19 is blocked . other form - closure connections between the securement part 19 and the retaining part 5 are also feasible , for example via bolts engaging into holes . in the opened state of the securement device 7 the securement part 19 is retracted from the retaining part 5 and these two parts are brought out of engagement , wherein the jacket unit 2 , together with the retaining part 5 , is displaceable in the length adjustment direction 8 . apart from the type of implementation of the connection between the jacket unit 2 and the retaining part 5 , which will be described more precisely in the following , the elements of the steering column described above can be implemented in a manner known from prior art , in particular according to de 10 2008 034 807 b3 cited in the introduction to the description . the retaining part 5 is guided displaceably with respect to the jacket unit 2 parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 and is connected with the jacket unit 2 , for one , across a break - away connection and , for another , across an energy absorption connection . the break - away connection can be realized , for example , via a shear bolt 27 . in the depicted embodiment example , the shear bolt 27 is set , on the one hand , into an opening 28 in the retaining part 5 , for example into an opening 29 ( cf . fig3 ). the jacket unit 2 comprises in this embodiment example a jacket tube 30 and a rail 31 with u - shaped cross section rigidly connected therewith , for example by welding , and extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis 4 . the opening 29 is here implemented in the rail 31 . for developing the energy absorption connection serves a bending wire or strip 32 , which is connected , on the one hand , with the retaining part 5 , on the other hand , with the jacket unit 2 . in the depicted embodiment , the bending wire or strip 32 is developed in the shape of a u , wherein the one u - leg is connected with the retaining part 5 and the other u - leg with the jacket unit 2 , specifically with the rail 31 . the connections of the u - legs are each such that they act in both directions parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 , preferably under form closure . the two u - legs preferably extend , at least substantially , parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 . to connect the one u - leg with the retaining part 5 , this part can comprise , for example , a pin 33 projecting through a slot 34 extending parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 in the rail 31 and engaging into an eyelet 35 in the bending wire or strip 32 . the connection of the other u - leg with the jacket unit 2 can be developed , for example , by placing the end of the u - leg in contact on a stop 36 of the rail and through extensions 37 of the rail engaging into indentations in the u - leg . in the embodiment , the bending wire or strip 32 is enclosed in an inner chamber of a housing formed by the rail 31 and the section of the jacket tube 30 terminating it . in this housing , the bending of the bending wire or strip 32 takes place freely , thus not about a pin . during assembly of the steering column , the bending wire or strip is elastically deformed , e . g . it is deformed with respect to a neutral position which it assumes without external forces , wherein it exerts a reset force in the direction of the neutral position . for this purpose the bending wire or strip 32 is comprised of an adequately elastic material , for example a spring - elastic steel . through this elastic prestress of the bending wire or strip 32 , the jacket unit 2 is prestressed with respect to the retaining part 5 relative to a displacement parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 in the direction toward the motor vehicle front . the implementation of this prestress is depicted schematically in fig7 a and 7 b . in fig7 a , the bending wire or strip has its non - prestressed neutral position which it assumes without action of an external force , wherein it is connected with the jacket unit 2 and the retaining part 5 . as indicated in fig7 a , in this production step the opening 28 in the retaining part 5 ( shown above the longitudinal axis 4 ) and the opening 29 in rail 31 ( shown beneath the longitudinal axis 4 ) are offset with respect to one another in the direction of the longitudinal axis 4 . the retaining part 5 is subsequently displaced ( toward the left in fig7 b ) with respect to the jacket unit 2 parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 by a distance d in the direction toward the vehicle front , wherein the pin 33 elastically prestresses the bending wire or strip . in this prestressed position according to fig7 b , the opening 28 in the retaining part 5 ( shown above the longitudinal axis 4 ) and the opening 29 in the rail 31 ( shown beneath the longitudinal axis 4 ) overlap one another and the shear bolt 27 is now inserted ( illustrated by the arrow in fig7 b ) whereby the break - way connection is implemented . if in the event of a crash at least a force acting parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 in the direction toward the vehicle front is exerted onto the steering wheel - side end 3 of the steering shaft 1 , in particular through the secondary collision of the driver , this force is transmitted from the steering shaft 1 onto the jacket unit 2 and is added to the prestress force exerted by bending wire or strip 32 , and , if the sum of these forces exceeds a limit value , the break - away connection is released through the shearing - off or breaking - off of the shear bolt 27 . therewith , the dislocation of the jacket unit 2 parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 in the direction toward the vehicle front can commence , thus into the direction away from the steering wheel - side end 3 of the steering shaft 1 , wherein the jacket unit 2 is dislocated with respect to the retaining part firmly secured by the securement part 19 . after a first partial segment of this displacement path , which is preferably smaller than one tenth of the entire displacement path between the jacket unit 2 and the retaining part 5 , the bending wire or strip 32 starts to counteract the further dislocation with a force as soon as the neutral position of the bending wire or strip 32 has been reached or has been exceeded . during the further dislocation , the bending wire or strip 32 is deformed with the absorption of energy , wherein this deformation , after a further segment of the displacement path which is preferably smaller than a tenth of the entire displacement path , transitions into a plastic deformation . the state after the vehicle crash in shown in fig8 . for the layout of the energy absorption , in particular with respect to magnitude and course , the cross section and the cross section course of the bending strip 32 can be dimensioned appropriately . further , essential for the energy absorption behavior are the strength of the connection between the rail 31 with the jacket unit 2 and the metal sheet thickness of the rail 31 as well as the course of the width of the slot 34 in the rail 31 . additionally , the radius of curvature of the rail 31 in the direction of the tabs , with which the rail 31 is secured on the jacket unit 2 , is a parameter affecting the determination of the energy absorption behavior . the securement device can hold the jacket unit 2 , even additionally to the mounting through the engagement between the securement part 19 and the retaining part 5 , for example under frictional closure , against a displacement parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 , for example , so that during the closing of the securement device 7 , the intermediate unit 14 is tightened against the jacket unit 2 . such an additional holding force exerted by the securement device 7 directly onto the jacket unit 2 is taken into account in the limit value of that force above which , in the event of a crash , a dislocation of the jacket unit 2 with respect to the bracket unit 6 occurs . a second embodiment form of the invention is depicted in fig9 to 11 . the distinction from the previously described embodiment lies in the energy absorption connection between the jacket unit 2 and the retaining part 5 . the break - away connection is implemented by a shear bolt 27 as in the previously described embodiments . the one u - leg of the bending wire or strip 32 is secured with the rail 31 against a displacement in both directions parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 through prominences 38 of the bending wire or strip 32 , which engage into a cutout 39 of the rail 31 . however , only one prominence 38 engaging into a cutout 39 could also be provided . the other u - leg includes at the end side a bend - off with a thickened end 40 . this is retained in an interspace between projections 41 , 42 disposed on the retaining part 5 , which penetrate the slot 34 in the rail 31 . this leg of the bending wire or strip is thereby held nondisplaceably in both directions of the longitudinal axis 4 with respect to the retaining part 5 . during the assembly , the unstressed bending wire or strip 32 is inserted and connected with both of its legs with the retaining part 5 and the rail 31 . the retaining part 5 is subsequently first displaced parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 by a distance c in the direction away from the vehicle front , thus in the direction toward the steering wheel - side end 3 of the steering shaft 1 ( toward the left in fig1 b ), see the position evident in fig1 b in comparison to fig1 a . during this displacement , a plastic deformation of the bending wire or strip 32 occurs . manufacturing tolerances can thereby be compensated such that in this manner a defined starting state is attained . subsequently , there results a displacement of the retaining part 5 by a distance d parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 in the direction toward the vehicle front , thus away from the steering wheel - side end 3 of the steering shaft 1 ( toward the right in fig1 c ), wherein the bending wire or strip 32 is elastically prestressed , see fig1 c in comparison to fig1 b . in this position , the openings 28 , 29 in the retaining part 5 and in the rail 31 overlap and the shear bolt 27 is inserted , which is illustrated by the arrow in fig1 c . the described plastic deformation before the elastic prestress could also be carried out in the case of the first described embodiment . in addition to the already listed advantages , the solution according to the invention has an advantageous effect on the noise behavior of the steering column . through the prestress a dampening effect is achieved . the break - away connection between the retaining part 5 and the jacket unit 2 could also be implemented in a manner other than in the first and second embodiment , e . g ., a nose tapering the slot 34 could also be provided , over which the pin 33 or the projection 41 would need to drive for the release of the break - away connection . the break - away connection secures the jacket unit 2 with respect to the retaining part 5 and in normal operation thus prevents shaking of the jacket unit 4 with respect to the retaining part 5 . an implementation with more than one bending wire or strip 32 is also conceivable and feasible . one of the bending wires or strips or more than one of the bending wires or strips could here be elastically prestressed in the described manner . for example , on both sides of the jacket unit 2 retaining parts 5 could be provided which cooperate with securement parts , for example in the manner described in connection with the securement part 19 . both retaining parts 5 could herein be connected with the jacket unit 5 across an energy absorption connection comprising at least one bending wire or strip 32 and across a break - away connection . a connection of only one of the retaining parts with the jacket unit through an energy absorption connection or through a break - away connection is also feasible . although the implementation with side jaws 10 , 11 of the bracket unit 6 disposed on both sides of the jacket unit 2 is preferred , against which , in the closed state of the securement device 7 , parts of the securement device are tightened , implementations are also conceivable and feasible in which the bracket unit comprises only one side jaw located on one side of the jacket unit 2 . a steering column according to the invention could , for example , also be implemented such that it is adjustable only in the length adjustment direction 8 . in such an embodiment , the intermediate unit 14 could be omitted and the opening 17 , 18 through which penetrates clamp bolt 16 could be implemented in the shape of a circle in each side jaw 10 , 11 of the bracket unit . a steering column adjustable in the length adjustment direction 8 as well as also in the height or inclination adjustment direction 9 can also be implemented without an intermediate unit 14 . herein in the jacket unit 2 elongated holes could be provided , penetrated by clamp bolt 16 , which extend in the length adjustment direction 8 of the steering column . for example , for this purpose on the jacket tube 30 at least one upwardly or downwardly projecting part could be disposed in which these elongated holes are disposed . the jacket unit 2 can also , at least over a portion of its longitudinal extent , be implemented such that it is circumferentially open . if , through a frictional closure connection a sufficiently high desired securement force in the direction of the length adjustment 8 between the retaining part 5 and a securement part 19 is attainable , a frictional closure engagement between these two parts could also be provided . to increase the securement force could herein also be provided additional cooperating friction faces , for example in the form of cooperating lamellae . such cooperating lamellae could also be provided for the additional securement in the height or inclination adjustment direction 9 . as is known , the bracket unit 6 could also be connected , dislocatably in the direction parallel to the longitudinal axis 4 in the event of a crash under energy absorption , with a mounting part connected stationarily on the vehicle . for the case that an energy absorption is required in a direction that does not coincide with the longitudinal direction of the steering column (= direction of the longitudinal axis 4 ), the device according to the invention can also be oriented in this direction . the prestress would in that case be introduced in this direction into the one or the several bending wires or strips 32 . according to the illustrated examples , the rail 31 would be accordingly secured on the jacket unit oriented in this direction .	8
in describing preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings , specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity . however , the disclosure of this patent specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner . referring now to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views , particularly to fig1 , an image forming apparatus 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is explained . the image forming apparatus 1 of fig1 includes a scanner unit 2 , an image forming unit 3 , a transfer unit 4 , a transfer belt 5 , a fixing unit 6 , an ejection unit 7 , a duplex unit 8 , a sheet feed unit 9 , and a heat radiation unit 10 . the scanner 2 is arranged at an upper position of the image forming apparatus 1 , and the image forming unit 3 is arranged under the scanner 2 . the transfer unit 4 , the transfer belt 5 , the fixing unit 6 , the ejection unit 7 , the duplex unit 8 , the sheet feed unit 9 , and the heat radiation unit 10 are arranged under the image forming unit 3 in a way as illustrated in fig1 . more specifically , the sheet feed unit 9 , the transfer unit 4 , the transfer belt 5 , the fixing unit 6 , and the ejection unit 7 are arranged in this order from right side in the drawing under the image forming unit 3 . the duplex unit 8 is placed at a position under the transfer unit 4 , the transfer belt 5 , the fixing unit 6 , and the ejection unit 7 and adjacent to the sheet feed unit 9 . the image forming unit 3 includes an image carrying member ( i . e ., a photosensitive member ) and a development unit , which are not shown , to carry out an operation of electrophotographic image forming in collaboration with the associated units mentioned above . in some image forming apparatuses , the image forming apparatus may be provided with an intermediate transfer member for intermediately transferring toner images . with the above - described structure , the image forming apparatus 1 conduct an image forming operation . in the image forming operation , the image forming unit 3 forms a toner image according to the electrophotographic image forming process and conveys it to the image transfer region formed between the image forming unit 3 and the transfer unit 4 . in synchronism with the insertion of the toner image into the image transfer region , a recording sheet is also fed to the image transfer region from a sheet cassette ( not shown ) via the sheet feed unit 9 which is disposed upstream relative to the transfer unit 4 . the toner image is transferred from the image forming unit 3 to the recording sheet during the time the recording sheet passes through the image transfer region . the recording sheet having the transferred toner image is further fed to the fixing unit 6 by the transfer belt 5 . the recording sheet sent from the fixing unit 6 can be transferred to either one of the ejection unit 7 which ejects the recording sheet outside the apparatus and the duplex unit 8 to print also on the back side of the recording sheet . the duplex unit 8 receives the recording sheet from the ejection unit 7 , reverses it and transfers the reversed recording sheet to the sheet feed unit 9 so that the reversed recording sheet is fed to the image transfer region . fig2 illustrates a structure of the heat radiation unit 10 . as illustrated in fig2 , the heat radiation unit 10 includes a heat pipe unit 11 , a heat sink board 12 , a heat receiving plate 13 , and a heat radiation plate 14 . the heat receiving plate 13 includes a first surface 13 a ( see fig1 ) which is arranged to face the fixing unit 6 to receive heat directly from an upper surface 6 a of the fixing unit 6 . the heat pipe unit 11 includes a plurality of heat pipes , each of which includes a heat conductive material and is configured to transfer heat . with this structure , the heat generated by the fixing unit 6 is conducted to the heat sink board 12 via the heat receiving plate 13 , the heat pipe unit 11 , and the heat radiation plate 14 . as also illustrated in fig2 , the heat radiation unit 10 is provided with an air - ejection fan unit 15 and a cooling fan unit 16 at positions close to the side edges of the heat sink board 12 and in a heat discharging passage which is indicated by white arrows in fig2 . it may alternatively be possible to eliminate one of these fans and to use simply a single fan for discharging the heated air . the heat radiation unit 10 is , as illustrated in fig1 , arranged at a place along a lower side of the image forming unit 3 such that the heat receiving plate 13 is disposed between the image forming unit 3 and the fixing unit 6 , that is , the first surface 13 a of the heat receiving plate 13 faces the upper surface 6 a of the fixing unit 6 . with this structure , heat generated by the fixing unit 6 is discharged from the fixing unit 6 to the heat sink board 12 via the heat pipe unit 11 and the heat radiation plate 14 . the surface of the heat sink board 12 is subjected to an air flow generated by the cooling fan unit 16 so that the surface of the heat sink board 12 is cool down and the heat of the heat sink board 12 is transferred by the air flow towards the air - ejection fan unit 15 . as a consequence , the heat conveyed from the heat sink board 12 by the air flow is ejected outside the apparatus by the air - ejection fan unit 15 . the heat pipe unit 11 is a unit for conducting heat by using latent heat of liquid vaporization and condensation and is capable of rapidly transferring a large amount of thermal energy in response to a relatively small difference of temperature . fig3 illustrates a heat radiation unit 10 a , as an alternative to the heat radiation unit 10 of fig2 , according to another embodiment . the heat radiation unit 10 a of fig3 is similar to the heat radiation unit 10 of fig2 , except for a heat pipe unit 21 which replaces the heat pipe unit 11 . the heat pipe unit 21 is similar to the heat pipe unit 11 , except for a plurality of heat insulators 22 . that is , each of the plurality of heat pipes is covered by one of the plurality of heat insulators 22 . the plurality of heat insulators 22 protect heat application to the plurality of heat pipes from other heat source than the fixing unit 6 . fig4 illustrates a heat radiation unit 10 b , as another alternative to the heat radiation unit 10 of fig2 , according to another embodiment . the heat radiation unit 10 b of fig4 is similar to the heat radiation unit 10 of fig2 , except for a heat insulator 31 for increasing heat conduction efficiency of the heat receiving plate 13 that receives heat from the fixing unit 6 and transmits the heat to the heat pipe unit 11 . as illustrated in fig4 , the heat insulator 31 is disposed to a second surface of the heat receiving plate 13 opposite to the first surface thereof . the heat insulator 31 avoids heat conduction to the heat receiving plate 13 from other heat source than the fixing unit 6 . the heat insulator 31 also avoids heat radiation to other places than to the heat pipe unit 11 . fig5 illustrates an image forming apparatus 1 a according to another embodiment of the present invention . the image forming apparatus 1 a of fig5 is similar to the image forming apparatus 1 of fig1 , except for a vapor duct 40 . as illustrated in fig5 , the vapor duct 40 is arranged above the ejection unit 7 and next to the heat radiation unit 10 . more specifically , the vapor duct 40 has a wall 40 a and is arranged such that the wall 40 a is disposed at a place below and adjacent to the heat pipe unit 11 of the heat radiation unit 10 . in addition , the vapor duct 40 includes an opening 40 b which is arranged above the ejection unit 7 and a vapor ejection fan 41 which is arranged at an outer end of the vapor duct 40 . this structure with the vapor duct 40 absorbs the water vapor generated during the time the recording sheet with a toner image passes through the fixing unit 6 and caused to ascend after the fixing process , thereby avoiding exposure of the heat pipe unit 11 to the heat air and the water vapor . in this way , the heat pipe unit 11 is protected from a heat application from other heat sources than the heat receiving plate 13 of the heat radiation unit 10 . numerous additional modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims , the disclosure of this patent specification may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein . this patent specification is based on japanese patent application , no . jpap2004 - 121415 filed on apr . 16 , 2004 , in the japanese patent office , the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein .	6
in the following description , for purposes of explanation , details are set forth , such as a system diagram and a process flowchart , in order to provide an understanding of one or more embodiments of the present invention . however , it is and will be apparent to one skilled in the art that these specific details may not be the only configuration in order to practice the present invention . an embodiment of the present invention introduces a registry website into the traditional newspaper advertising system with other three parties involved : the sellers , publishers , and the buyers . fig1 illustrates the registry website in relationship to the other parties . a particular seller 120 connects to the registry website 110 via an internet link 121 ; registers an ad with details ; obtains a web address specifically associated with the ad (“ the ad &# 39 ; s registry web address ” or “ the ad &# 39 ; s web address ”); and contacts a particular newspaper publisher 140 for placing a classified ad with the web address inclusion . the link 122 represents , typically , a phone call communication , but can be one of other communication types such as fax , email , etc . the publisher delivers the newspaper to a particular buyer 130 as indicated by arrow 141 , which typically represents a mechanical delivery , but can also be other electronic means . the buyer reads the newspaper classified ad ; connects , with the ad &# 39 ; s registry web address , to the registry website 110 via an internet link 131 for viewing the ad details ; and optionally buys the ad item directly on the website . according to one embodiment of the present invention , fig2 illustrates the registry server system 210 that forms the registry website 110 ( in fig1 ). the server system includes a server engine 212 , various web pages 211 , a customer database 213 , an ad order database 214 , an ad item buy / bid database 215 , an ad order id table 216 , and an ad id table 217 . the server engine performs such tasks as retrieving data from databases , generating web pages , and saving user data to databases etc . a particular seller browser computer 220 connects to the server system via an internet link 221 . a particular buyer browser computer 230 connects to the server system via an internet link 231 . the server system may connect to a particular publisher server 240 via link 241 , which may be an internet or intranet link . fig3 presents a flow diagram of steps performed by a seller who uses the registry website 110 ( in fig1 ) for enhancing a newspaper classified ad . in step 301 , a seller 120 ( in fig1 ) uses a web browser computer 220 ( in fig2 ) to visit the registry website . in step 302 , the seller logs in by entering a username and a password ( or creates an account with username and password if not done so before ). in step 303 , the seller registers an ad and specifies ad details ( such as description , pictures for upload , ad duration , item price and phone number etc ) by filling out web pages provided by the server system 210 ( in fig2 ). on one of the web pages , the seller may select whether or not he or she also wants to sell the ad item on the registry website . in step 304 , the seller submits the filled - out ad information to the server system . in step 305 , the seller obtains the ad &# 39 ; s registry web address . in step 306 , the seller selects whether or not to manually submit the ad to a publisher 140 ( in fig1 ). if yes , the seller submits the ad along with the ad &# 39 ; s registry web address to the publisher by conventional means ( typically by phone call ) in step 307 . otherwise , the server system automatically submits the ad and its registry web address to the publisher &# 39 ; s web server 240 ( in fig2 ) via standard web service in step 308 . then , the process may end in step 309 . the account information in step 302 may be saved to the customer database 213 ( in fig2 ). the information entered in step 303 may be saved to the ad order database 214 ( in fig2 ). after receiving the information submitted by the seller in step 304 , the server engine assigns a unique ad order identifier ( ad order id ) to the ad , and stores the ad order id ( together with other ad identifying information such as phone number and username ) in the ad order id table 216 ( in fig2 ). the ad order id may be used to form the web address for the ad . but , as more ads get registered over time , the ad order id can become very long . therefore , another unique ad identifier ( ad id ) is also used to temporarily represent the ad during its duration . after the ad expires , the ad id may be recycled and used for another new ad . the server engine assigns , updates and stores the ad id in the ad id table 217 ( in fig2 ). internally , the server system may use the ad order id to permanently and uniquely identify a registered ad and its other associated parameters such as ad id , phone number , and username . fig4 illustrates an example of a web page presented to the seller after step 304 . the web page 410 contains a registry web address 430 for the ad : whyad . com / 23 . in the example , the domain name of the registry website is whyad . com , and the ad id for the ad is 23 . optionally , the seller &# 39 ; s phone number may also be used to form the ad &# 39 ; s registry web address 431 . the server engine may use the phone number to find all ads registered by the seller from the ad order database . fig5 illustrates an example of the corresponding newspaper classified ad with its registry web address . the newspaper ad 510 has its registry web address 511 , which is whyad . com / 23 . fig6 shows a flow diagram of steps performed by a buyer who reads newspaper classified ads that have been registered on the registry website . in step 601 , a buyer 130 ( in fig1 ) obtains newspaper . in step 602 , the buyer reads through classified ads in the newspaper . in step 603 , the buyer decides whether or not to see details of a particular ad with its registry web address ( refer to fig5 for example ). if no , the buyer proceeds to step 604 . if yes , in step 605 , the buyer uses a web browser computer 230 ( in fig2 ) and the ad &# 39 ; s registry web address ( refer to fig5 and fig7 ) to view the ad details via a web page ( refer to fig8 ) provided by the server system 210 ( in fig2 ). in step 606 , the buyer decides whether or not to buy or bid the ad item . if no , the buyer proceeds to step 604 . if yes , in step 607 , the buyer logs in by entering a username and a password ( or creates an account if not done so before ). in step 608 , the buyer buys or bids the ad item ( refer to the buy or bid button 831 in fig8 ). then , the buyer proceeds to step 604 where the buyer decides to end in step 609 or continue to the next ad by going back to step 602 . the buy / bid information in step 608 may be saved to the ad item buy / bid database 215 ( in fig2 ). fig7 illustrates a registry web address 703 for a newspaper classified ad being entered into the address box 702 of a web browser 701 to view the extended ad details in step 605 ( in fig6 ). fig8 illustrates an example of a web page with extended information for a newspaper classified ad that has been registered on the registry website . the ad detail web page 801 for the registered newspaper ad may include full text description 832 and picture display 833 . on the same web page , a buyer can directly press a button 831 ( which may link to another web page ) to buy or bid the ad item . the web page may have a view ad section 820 , which contains a label 821 , a text box 822 and a button 823 . the view ad section allows a buyer to conveniently view other registered ads from the newspaper by simply entering an ad id into the text box 822 without the registry website domain name . for instance , to view the ad details for the newspaper ad 510 ( in fig5 ), a buyer can simply enter 23 ( the ad id ) into the text box 822 instead of using whyad . com / 23 ( the ad &# 39 ; s full registry web address ) illustrated in fig7 . therefore , in step 605 ( in fig6 ), by keeping the ad detail web page 801 open after viewing a registered newspaper ad , the buyer can conveniently type the next ad id and view the next registered ad from the newspaper in the loop formed by step 604 and step 602 ( in fig6 ). optionally , a buyer may enter a seller &# 39 ; s phone number into the text box 822 to find out all ads available from a particular seller . the view ad section can also be provided on other web pages ( see fig4 for example ) so that its convenience is accessible throughout the website . according to one embodiment of the present invention , fig9 shows a block diagram of steps performed by the server system . in step 901 , the server system lets a server client ( typically a buyer or a seller ) to enter the registry website . in step 920 , the server system provides to the client the option of viewing ad in step 902 or registering ad in step 908 , which leads to step 909 for account login . if the client goes to step 902 , the server system provides to the client the option of viewing ad by ad id in step 903 or viewing ad by phone number in step 905 . if the client goes to step 903 , the server system displays the ad item to the client via a web page in step 904 . if the client goes to step 905 , the server system displays a list of ad items to the client via a web page in step 906 . the server system lets the client to select an item in the list and view the item in step 904 . the server system may skip step 906 and go to step 904 if there is only one item associated with the phone number entered in step 905 . after step 904 , in step 922 , the server system provides to the client the option of going back to step 920 , buying / biding the item in step 907 , or exiting in step 912 . step 907 also leads to step 909 for account login . in step 909 , the server system allows the client to log in by entering a username and a password ( or create an account if not done so before ). after step 909 , in step 923 , the server system determines whether the account login is for registering ad or for buying / biding ad item . if the account login is for registering ad , the server system allows the client to submit the ad registering information to the server system in step 911 . otherwise , the server system allows the client to submit the buy / bid information to the server system in step 910 . step 910 or setup 911 leads to step 924 where the server system provides to the client the option of exiting in step 912 or going back to step 920 . it is noted that although discussion has been given to classified ads on newspaper , the method and system can be applied to ads on other paper - based media such as magazines , fliers , coupons , and bulletin boards etc . for instance , in fig1 , a particular seller 120 may register an ad ; place the ad &# 39 ; s registry web address on a flyer ; and hand the flyer out to a particular buyer 130 without using newspaper from a publisher 140 . then , the diagram block 140 for publisher may be substituted with flyer . the registry website can also act as a one - stop - shop center for a seller . for instance , in fig1 , after a particular seller 120 registers an ad on the registry website 110 , the registry website can automatically submit the ad to a particular publisher 140 for publication in newspaper without the need of the seller contacting the publisher . in this case , fig1 then becomes fig1 . for convenience , the web address for a registered ad formed by the registry website domain name and the ad id is defined as “ ad id registry address ”; and the web address for a registered ad formed by the registry website domain name and the seller &# 39 ; s phone number is defined as “ phone number registry address ”. fig1 illustrates the structure for the ad id registry address 1101 , and the structure of the phone number registry address 1102 . as an example , for the ad id registry address 430 ( whyad . com / 23 ) in fig4 , registrywebsitedomainname is whyad . com , and the adid is 23 ; and for the phone number registry address 431 ( whyad . com / 415 - 555 - 1212 ) in fig4 , registrywebsitedomainname is whyad . com , and phonenumber is 415 - 555 - 1212 . it is noted that a newspaper classified ad usually has the seller &# 39 ; s phone number printed on the same ad . according to one embodiment of the present invention , the phone number can be used more cleverly . it can form a phone number registry address for use in a newspaper classified ad . fig1 illustrates a newspaper classified ad with a phone number registry address . in the example , the registry website domain name is whyad . com . the phone number 415 - 555 - 1212 is part of the web address ( whyad . com / 415 - 555 - 1212 ) for the ad . the phone number registry address has several advantages . first , it is short . second , it tells the website name ( whyad . com ) for obtaining more information . third , it tells the phone number ( 415 - 555 - 1212 ) for contacting the seller . fourth , it is a qualified web address by itself and can be directly typed into a web browser address box ( type whyad . com / 415 - 555 - 1212 into the box 702 in fig7 for example ). fifth , it allows the seller to place a newspaper classified ad with the phone number registry address first and register the ad on the registry website later . sixth , it enables the seller to generate sales lead for other unadvertised items with a single ad , as described next . if a seller has multiple items to sell , the seller may register the multiple items one by one with a single phone number on the registry website . for each registered item , the seller obtains a unique ad id registry address and the same phone number registry address . if the seller places one newspaper classified ad with the phone number registry address for one item , the item advertised on the newspaper will appear along with the other unadvertised items for a buyer who uses the phone number registry to view the ad on the registry website . a seller can use either the ad id registry address or the phone number registry address in a classified ad , depending on individual preference and specific need . it is noted that for displaying ad details , the registry website provides a uniformed web page style and layout that are consistent across different ads and different newspapers from different publishers . it is further noted that although registered ads may be for classified ads on different newspapers , they are centrally stored in the ad order database on the server system and therefore can be searched . this allows a buyer to search and compare newspaper classified ads across newspapers from different publishers . thus , the method and system have been provided for enhancing paper - based classified ads . although the invention has been described in detail with reference to certain embodiments thereof , other embodiments are possible . for instance , although one embodiment may contain components as shown in fig2 or steps as shown in fig9 , more or less components or steps may be provided for a similar overall functionality . therefore , the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred embodiments contained herein .	6
hereinafter , embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . descriptions of details and functions unnecessary for the present invention will be omitted to avoid confusion in understanding of the present invention . in the following descriptions , the same apparatus or equipment will be assigned the same reference numerals among different drawings . fig5 shows an image illustrating how an snr ratio according to the present invention is introduced as a weight value of leak power . hereinafter , a specific example where an snr ratio is introduced as a weight value of leak power according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig5 . the situation shown in fig5 is an example shown only to describe the present invention . the present invention is not limited to this particular example , but the basic thought and concept thereof are also applicable to other situations . as shown in fig5 , base station 1 ( enb 1 ) communicates with user station 1 ( ue 1 ) via communication link 11 and base station 2 ( enb 2 ) communicates with user station 2 ( ue 2 ) via communication link 22 . furthermore , a signal transmitted by base station 1 to user station 1 in the subject cell causes interference with user station 2 in the neighboring cell via interference link 12 . here , assuming that user station ( ue ) 1 is located at an edge in cell 1 far from cell 2 , interference of base station 2 ( enb 2 ) with user station 1 can be drastically reduced compared to the signal transmitted by base station 1 to user station 1 . base station 2 need not suppress a leak to user station 1 , but base station 1 needs to suppress interference with user station 2 . to solve the problem that the quality of a communication link deteriorates and the performance deteriorates by suppressing a leak of the appropriate base station even when the snr of the leak link is small , the present invention provides an slnr signal transmission method through weighting of the snr ratio . the present invention allows one weighting coefficient to be added to leak power . since this weighting coefficient reflects relative intensity between a leak link and an interfered link , it is possible to control whether or not to suppress inter - cell interference of the base station in the neighboring cell with the appropriate user station in the subject cell through the weighting coefficient . to be more specific , when the leak link is by far weaker than the interfered link , this weighting coefficient decreases and the appropriate slnr optimization never suppresses the leak . on the other hand , when the leak link is stronger than the interfered link , this weighting coefficient increases and the appropriate slnr optimization tries to reduce the leak to a minimum . for this reason , as a specific example , the ratio between the snr of the leak link and the snr of the interfered link can be selected as a possible weighting coefficient and equation 5 expressing the modified slnr is obtained . in equation 5 , snr12 represents the snr of the leak link , snr22 represents the snr of the interfered link , and the same reference numerals in other equations 1 to 4 represent the same parameters . when this weighting coefficient is applied , it is possible to solve the conventional problem with slnrs by determining whether or not it is necessary to suppress corresponding leak power based on the optimization of this improved slnr and according to the link qualities of the leak link and interfered link . to be more specific , as shown in equation 1 above , \| h12h →· w1 →\| 2 · p1 in equation 5 is leak power that produces interference of base station 1 with user station 2 . snr12 / snr22 becomes a weighting coefficient of the leak interference and reflects relative intensity of the leak link and the interfered link . when the leak link is by far weaker than the interfered link , the value of ratio snr12 / snr22 is small and there is no attempt to suppress the leak by ignoring the leak link , and therefore when the leak is taken into consideration , optimizing the precoding vector of the slnr makes it possible to avoid the problem that quality of the communication link deteriorates . on the other hand , when the leak link is stronger than the interfered link , the value of ratio snr12 / snr22 cannot be ignored . in such a case , it is necessary to optimize the precoding vector of the slnr by taking leak interference \| h12h →· w1 →\| 2 · p1 of base station 1 with user station 2 into consideration and reduce inter - cell leak interference . an equation is derived with a weighting coefficient added to the leak link by taking the above slnr of base station 1 as an example . similarly , the slnr for base station 2 can be expressed by equation 6 below . weighting coefficients of leak interference snr12 / snr22 and snr21 / snr11 can be obtained using the method shown in the following embodiment . fig6 is a flowchart of embodiment 1 relating to a signaling flow of the present invention . for simplicity of explanation , a signaling flow performed by the base station and the user station will be shown by taking two neighboring base stations and two user stations to which the two base stations provide their respective services as an example . as shown in fig6 , in step s 601 , base station 1 ( may also be called “ enb 1 ” or “ first base station ”) transmits a signal to user station 1 ( may also be called “ ue 1 ” or “ first user station ”) and user station 2 ( may also be called “ ue 2 ” or “ second user station ”). user station 1 and user station 2 receive the signal transmitted from base station 1 , and user station 1 and user station 2 can measure snr11 which is the snr of the data link from base station 1 to user station 1 and snr12 which is the snr of the leak link up to user station 2 from , for example , a preamble signal transmitted by the base station . similarly , base station 2 ( may also be called “ enb 2 ” or “ second base station ”) transmits a signal to user station 2 ( ue 2 ) and user station 1 ( ue 1 ). user station 2 and user station 1 receive the signal transmitted from base station 2 , and user station 2 and user station 1 can measure snr22 which is the snr of the data link from base station 2 to user station 2 and snr21 which is the snr of the leak link up to user station 1 from , for example , a preamble signal transmitted by base station 2 . user station 1 and user station 2 obtain parameters w , p and σ based on the signal received from the base stations . the root mean square deviation of noise of the user station represented by parameter σ is obtained by one of the following two types of methods . method 1 : in view of the fact that the root mean square deviation of noise is a characteristic of the user station and assuming that this characteristic has not been basically changed after shipment of the equipment , the user station is assumed to already know this information . when entering a network ( connection with the base station is established ), the user station can report this information to the base station . method 2 : assuming that the root mean square deviation of noise may change , the user station can measure the received power when the base station transmits no signal and this power becomes the square of the root mean square deviation of noise . p represents transmission power of the base station . the maximum transmission power is known to the base station . the substantial transmission power is normally equivalent to the maximum transmission power . depending on the situation , the substantial transmission power is determined by a scheduler of the base station . the term w represents a precoding vector that needs to be optimized . this vector is identified by the data transmission parameter calculation apparatus of the base station . in step s 602 , user station 1 measures data channel coefficient h11 → of the data channel from base station 1 to user station 1 and leak channel coefficient h21 → of the leak channel from base station 2 to user station 1 according to , for example , reference signals received from base station 1 and base station 2 respectively . user station 2 measures data channel coefficient h22 → of the data channel from base station 2 to user station 2 and leak channel coefficient h12 → of the leak channel from base station 1 to user station 2 according to , for example , reference signals received from base station 2 and base station 1 respectively . in step s 603 , user station 1 feeds back leak channel coefficient h21 → and data channel coefficient h11 → obtained , and weighting coefficient snr21 / snr11 of leak power of base station 2 with respect to user station 1 to base station 1 . similarly , user station 2 feeds back leak channel coefficient h12 → and data channel coefficient h22 → obtained , and weighting coefficient snr12 / snr22 of leak power of base station 1 with respect to user station 2 to base station 2 . in step s 604 , base station 1 reports h21 → and ratio snr21 / snr11 to base station 2 via a backhaul link . similarly , base station 2 reports h12 → and ratio snr12 / snr22 to base station 1 via the backhaul link . in step s 605 , base station 1 and base station 2 calculate their respective precoding vectors based on the principle of optimizing the slnrs expressed by equation 5 and equation 6 and transmit data to user station 1 and user station 2 respectively based on the calculated precoding vectors . in the signaling flow in the above embodiment , the base station calculates the precoding vector transmit , and therefore the base station collects necessary information . however , the present invention is not limited to this , but the user station may calculate a precoding vector and feed back the precoding vector to the base station . embodiment 2 shows such a signaling flow that a user station calculates a precoding vector and the user station feeds back the calculated precoding vector to a base station . fig7 shows a flowchart of embodiment 2 relating to a signaling flow of the present invention . in embodiment 2 , user station 1 determines a precoding vector of base station 1 , feeds back the precoding vector to base station 1 and user station 2 determines a precoding vector of base station 2 and feeds back the precoding vector to base station 2 . as shown in fig7 , the flow in step s 701 and step s 702 in embodiment 2 is the same as the flow in step s 601 and step s 602 in embodiment 1 , and therefore descriptions thereof will be omitted here . in step s 703 , user 1 reports measured leak channel coefficient h21 → of base station 2 with respect to user station 1 to base station 1 . similarly , user station 2 reports measured leak channel coefficient h12 → of base station 1 with respect to user station 2 to base station 2 . in step s 704 , base station 1 reports h21 → to base station 2 via a backhaul link and base station 2 likewise reports h12 → to base station 1 via the backhaul link . in step s 705 , base station 1 reports leak channel coefficient h12 → of base station 1 with respect to user station 2 reported from base station 2 to user station 1 and base station 2 reports leak channel coefficient h21 → of base station 2 with respect to user station 1 reported from base station 1 to user station 2 . in step s 706 , user station 1 calculates a precoding vector of base station 1 based on snr11 and snr21 which are the snrs obtained in step s 701 and leak channel coefficient h12 → of base station 1 with respect to user station 2 transmitted from base station 1 and according to the principle of maximizing the slnr equation 5 . similarly , user station 2 calculates a precoding vector of base station 2 based on snr12 and snr22 which are the snrs obtained in step s 701 and leak channel coefficient h21 → of base station 2 with respect to user station 1 transmitted from base station 2 and according to the principle of maximizing the slnr ( equation 6 ). user station 1 then reports the calculated precoding vector of base station 1 to base station 1 and user station 2 reports the calculated precoding vector of base station 2 to base station 2 . in step s 707 , base station 1 and base station 2 transmit data to the respective user stations based on the precoding vectors reported from user station 1 and user station 2 . in embodiment 1 , all channel information needs to be reported through an uplink channel in the conventional flow . on the other hand , in embodiment 2 , half the channel information needs to be reported through a downlink channel and the other half of the channel information needs to be reported through an uplink channel in the signaling flow . in the majority of communication systems , embodiment 2 can be implemented more easily taking account of the fact that the capacity of a downlink channel is greater than that of an uplink channel . a situation has been described in embodiment 2 in which the user station calculates a precoding vector and then feeds back the precoding vector to the base station . in embodiment 2 , user station 1 and user station 2 calculate precoding vectors of the base stations in the respective cells . in embodiment 3 below , user station 1 and user station 2 calculate precoding vectors of the base stations in their respective neighboring cells . fig8 shows a flowchart of embodiment 3 relating to a signaling flow of the present invention . in embodiment 3 , user station 1 determines a precoding vector of base station 2 and feeds back the precoding vector to base station 1 and user station 2 determines a precoding vector of base station 1 and feeds back the precoding vector to base station 2 . as shown in fig8 , the flow in step s 801 and step s 802 of embodiment 3 is the same as the flow in step s 701 and step s 702 of embodiment 2 ( that is , step s 601 and step s 602 in embodiment 1 ), and therefore descriptions thereof will be omitted here . in step s 803 , user 1 reports measured data channel coefficient h11 → of base station 1 with respect to user station 1 to base station 1 . similarly , user 2 reports measured data channel coefficient h22 → of base station 2 with respect to user station 2 to base station 2 . in step s 804 , base station 1 and base station 2 exchange channel information h11 → and h22 → via a backhaul link , that is , base station 1 reports h11 → to base station 2 via the backhaul link and base station 2 likewise reports h22 → to base station 1 via the backhaul link . in step s 805 , base station 1 provides h22 → reported from base station 2 to user station 1 and base station 2 provides h11 → reported from base station 1 to user station 2 . in step s 806 , user station 1 calculates a precoding vector of base station 2 based on snr11 and snr21 which are the snrs obtained in step s 801 and h22 → transmitted from base station 1 and according to the principle of maximizing the slnr ( equation 6 ). similarly , user station 2 calculates a precoding vector of base station 2 based on snr12 and snr22 which are the snrs obtained in step s 801 and h11 → transmitted from base station 2 and according to the principle of maximizing the slnr ( equation 5 ). user station 1 then reports the calculated precoding vector of base station 2 to base station 1 and user station 2 reports the calculated precoding vector of base station 1 to base station 2 . in step s 807 , base station 1 reports the precoding vector of base station 2 calculated by user station 1 to base station 2 via a backhaul link and base station 2 reports the precoding vector of base station 1 calculated by user station 2 to base station 1 via the backhaul link . in step s 808 , base station 1 and base station 2 transmit data to the respective user stations based on the precoding vectors calculated by user station 2 and user station 1 . in the signaling flow in embodiment 3 , it is not until data is exchanged twice in the backhaul that data transmission can be started , and therefore the delay thereof is greater than those of the other two methods . in the signaling flows in embodiment 1 to embodiment 3 , the respective steps can have different implementation methods , and , for example , in embodiment 1 , the user station needs to report ratio snr12 / snr22 to the base station . since the link bandwidth is limited , this ratio can be quantized . when this ratio is expressed by one bit , the value of 0 indicates that suppression of the leak is unnecessary and the value of 1 indicates that suppression of the leak is necessary . when this ratio is expressed by two bits , the value of 00 indicates that suppression of the leak is unnecessary , the value of 01 indicates that suppression of the leak is a little necessary , the value of 10 indicates that the leak needs to be taken into consideration and the value of 11 indicates that the leak link is quite strong and the leak needs to be suppressed by all means . when the rate of change of the snr is assumed to be very low , this value can also be expressed by more bits . when , for example , this ratio is expressed by one bit , if the ratio is smaller than 0 . 5 , this bit can be set to 0 and set to 1 otherwise . when this ratio is expressed by two bits , if , for example , the ratio is smaller than 0 . 25 , the feedback information can be set to 00 , if the ratio is 0 . 25 to 0 . 5 , the feedback information can be set to 01 , if the ratio is 0 . 5 to 1 , the feedback information can be set to 10 and if the ratio is greater than 1 , the feedback information can be set to 11 . the above described numbers are merely some examples shown for convenience . the present invention is not limited to this , but other numerical values can be set according to specific situations within the scope of the present invention . depending on the situation , snr22 may have already been acquired by other methods ( e . g . movement detection ). in such a case , user station 2 needs to transmit , not snr ratio snr12 / snr22 , but snr12 which is the quantized snr to base station 2 . this is because when the ratio is transmitted , for example , in the case of one bit , the snr ratio may have two types of values : 0 or 1 . however , when the snr itself is transmitted , the snr ratio may have three types of values : 0 / 1 ( leak need not be suppressed ), 0 / 0 or 1 / 1 ( leak needs to be suppressed ), 1 / 0 ( leak needs to be suppressed by all means ). therefore , the last situation may allow the performance of the precoding vector to be better optimized . furthermore , channel information exchanged is not limited to instantaneous channel information ( e . g . h11 →), but may be statistic characteristics ( e . g . e [ h11h → h11 →]) of channel information . since a change of statistic characteristics of a channel is by far slower than that of channel characteristics at the instant , it is possible to effectively reduce the amount of data exchanged through the backhaul link . when channel correlation is high , the statistic characteristics also effectively represent the user &# 39 ; s directivity , and can thereby suppress inter - cell interference and enhance the necessary channel . in this case , taking account of the fact that a certain channel coefficient in the equation of the slnr becomes a statistic variable , the method of optimizing the slnr needs to be changed to a mathematical expected value that optimizes the slnr . furthermore , a case has been described above where the base station has a plurality of antennas and the user station has one antenna . the present invention is not limited to this , and is also applicable to a case where the user station has a plurality of antennas . in such a case , following equation 7 can be used to express a spread slnr . in equation 7 , the precoding vector and channel vector are changed to precoding matrix ( t1 ) and channel matrix ( h11 and h12 ) respectively . definitions of other variables are the same as those described above . furthermore , a situation has been described above in which a precoding vector of an appropriate base station is identified based on an slnr by taking inter - cell interference between two base stations and two user stations as an example . the present invention is not limited to this , and is also applicable to a case with a plurality of base stations and a plurality of users . fig9 shows a case with three base stations and three user stations . in fig9 , base station 2 and base station 3 produce leak interference with user station 1 and base station 1 produces leak interference with user station 2 and user station 3 . in such a case , by adding an appropriate weighting coefficient , it is possible to show an optimized precoding vector of the appropriate base station . the equation is expressed as shown in equation 8 below . the meaning of each variable in equation 8 is the same as the meaning of the variable in the equation of the slnr described above . in the above embodiment , the snr ratio between the leak link and interfered link is used as a weighting coefficient . however , the present invention is not limited to this , and the snr of the leak link may be used as a weighting coefficient . for example , as shown in equation 9 below , the snr of the leak link is used as a weighting coefficient . furthermore , the square root of the ratio between the snr of the leak link and the snr of the interfered link is used as a weighting coefficient and expressed as shown in equation 10 below . hereinafter , the structures and operations of the base station and user station according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig1 and fig1 . fig1 shows an image of the structure of the base station according to the present invention . as shown in fig1 , the base station side is provided with user signal receiving apparatus 1001 , subject cell channel feedback information extraction apparatus 1002 , neighboring cell channel feedback information extraction apparatus 1003 , subject cell user snr ratio extraction apparatus 1004 , uplink data extraction base station apparatus 1005 , backhaul link 1006 , base station signal receiving apparatus 1007 , subject cell versus neighboring cell interference channel feedback information extraction apparatus 1008 , neighboring cell user snr ratio extraction apparatus 1009 , backhaul link 1010 , reference signal parameter setting apparatus 1011 , data transmission parameter calculation apparatus 1012 and base station signal transmitting apparatus 1013 . hereinafter , operations of the base station side apparatus that reduces interference between base stations according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig1 . user signal receiving apparatus 1001 receives a signal transmitted from the user of the subject cell , performs channel synchronization and channel equalization based on the received signal and demodulates and samples the received signal . the output of the user signal receiving apparatus 1001 is provided to subject cell channel feedback information extraction apparatus 1002 , neighboring cell channel feedback information extraction apparatus 1003 , subject cell user snr ratio extraction apparatus 1004 and uplink data extraction base station apparatus 1005 . subject cell channel feedback information extraction apparatus 1002 extracts downlink channel information of the subject cell ( fed back to the base station from the user ) from the received user signal and provides the downlink channel information to data transmission parameter calculation apparatus 1012 . neighboring cell channel feedback information extraction apparatus 1003 extracts downlink channel information of the neighboring cell ( fed back to the base station from the user ) from the received user signal and provides the downlink channel information to backhaul link 1006 . subject cell user snr ratio extraction apparatus 1004 extracts the snr ratio of the subject cell user ( fed back to the base station from the user ) from the received user signal and provides the snr ratio to backhaul link 1006 . uplink data base station extraction apparatus 1005 extracts uplink data transmitted from the user to the base station from the received user signal . backhaul link 1006 sends the received subject cell user information to a base station of another cell . base station signal receiving apparatus 1007 receives information from the backhaul link , that is , receives other cell user information sent from the base station of the other cell and provides the other cell user information to subject cell versus neighboring cell interference channel feedback information extraction apparatus 100 and neighboring cell user snr ratio extraction apparatus 1009 . subject cell versus neighboring cell interference channel feedback information extraction apparatus 1008 extracts interference channel information on interference of the subject cell with the neighboring cell from the received other cell user information and provides the interference information to data transmission parameter calculation apparatus 1012 . neighboring cell user snr ratio extraction apparatus 1009 receives the other cell user information from base station signal receiving apparatus 1007 , extracts the snr ratio of the neighboring cell user from the received other cell user information and provides the interference information to data transmission parameter calculation apparatus 1012 . backhaul link 1010 receives the user information transmitted by the base station and provides the user information to transmit to base station signal transmitting apparatus 1013 . reference signal parameter setting apparatus 1011 sets a reference signal parameter . the reference signal is used to estimate downlink information of the subject cell or interference channel information on interference of the subject cell with the neighboring cell . data transmission parameter calculation apparatus 1012 calculates a precoding matrix or precoding vector used for data transmission according to the received subject cell channel information , subject cell versus neighboring cell interference channel information and neighboring cell user snr ratio information and provides the calculated precoding matrix or precoding vector to base station signal transmitting apparatus 1013 . base station signal transmitting apparatus 1013 transmits the downlink user data , reference signal , m - ary modulation value , coding rate and other control signals as to whether or not to perform retransmission from the base station based on the received reference signal parameter , data transmission parameter and user data that needs to be transmitted . in the apparatus shown in fig1 , subject cell channel feedback information extraction apparatus 1002 , neighboring cell channel feedback information extraction apparatus 1003 , subject cell user snr ratio extraction apparatus 1004 , uplink data extraction base station apparatus 1005 , subject cell versus neighboring cell interference channel feedback information extraction apparatus 1008 and neighboring cell user snr ratio extraction apparatus 1009 can constitute an information extraction apparatus , and the information extraction apparatus extracts parameters necessary to calculate the slnr , precoding matrix or precoding vector or the like from the received user information and signals transferred between the base stations . examples thereof include a data channel coefficient and leak channel coefficient . backhaul link 1006 and backhaul link 1010 can constitute a base station information exchange apparatus for exchanging information between the base stations . fig1 shows an image of the structure of a user station side apparatus that reduces interference between base stations according to the present invention . as shown in fig1 , the user station side apparatus is provided with base station signal receiving apparatus 1101 , subject cell channel information estimation apparatus 1102 , neighboring cell channel information estimation apparatus 1103 , subject cell snr estimation apparatus 1104 , neighboring cell snr estimation apparatus 1105 , snr ratio calculation apparatus 1106 , downlink data extraction user apparatus 1107 , user downlink terminal 1108 , user uplink terminal 1109 , uplink data collection user apparatus 1110 and user signal transmitting apparatus 1111 . hereinafter , operations of the user station side apparatus that reduces interference between base stations according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig1 . base station signal receiving apparatus 1101 receives a signal transmitted from the base station of the subject cell and / or the base station of the neighboring cell , performs channel synchronization and channel equalization based on the received signal and demodulates and samples the received signal . the signal transmitted from the base station can include downlink user data , reference signal and other control signals or the like . base station signal receiving apparatus 1101 provides the received signal to subject cell channel information estimation apparatus 1102 , neighboring cell channel information estimation apparatus 1103 , subject cell snr estimation apparatus 1104 , neighboring cell snr estimation apparatus 1105 and downlink data extraction user apparatus 1107 . subject cell channel information estimation apparatus 1102 estimates downlink channel information such as the data channel coefficient of the subject cell and leak channel coefficient from the subject cell reference signal provided from base station signal receiving apparatus 1101 and transmits downlink channel information of the estimated subject cell to user signal transmitting apparatus 1111 . neighboring cell channel information estimation apparatus 1103 collects the downlink channel information of the neighboring cell from the neighboring cell reference signal provided from base station signal receiving apparatus 1101 and transmits the estimated downlink channel information of the neighboring cell to user signal transmitting apparatus 1111 . subject cell snr estimation apparatus 1104 estimates the snr of the subject cell signal from the signal of the subject cell base station provided by base station signal receiving apparatus 1101 and provides the estimated snr of the subject cell signal to snr ratio calculation apparatus 1106 . neighboring cell snr estimation apparatus 1105 estimates the snr of the neighboring cell signal from the signal of the neighboring cell base station provided by base station signal receiving apparatus 1101 and provides the estimated snr of the neighboring cell signal to snr ratio calculation apparatus 1106 . snr ratio calculation apparatus 1106 calculates the ratio of the snr of the received subject cell signal and the snr of the neighboring cell signal and provides the calculated ratio to user signal transmitting apparatus 1111 . downlink data extraction user apparatus 1107 extracts downlink data required by the user from the base station signal provided by base station signal receiving apparatus 1101 and transmits the downlink data to user downlink terminal 1108 . user downlink terminal 1108 sends downlink data to the user , for example , the user &# 39 ; s speaker and screen . user uplink terminal 1109 collects uplink data the user wants to transmit , for example , speech inputted from a microphone or data inputted from a keyboard and transmits the collected uplink data to uplink data collection user apparatus 1110 . uplink data collection user apparatus 1110 performs digitization such as analog / digital conversion , information source coding , data compression on the user uplink data and transmits the uplink data via user signal transmitting apparatus 1111 . in the user station side apparatus shown in fig1 , subject cell channel information estimation apparatus 1102 , neighboring cell channel information estimation apparatus 1103 , subject cell snr estimation apparatus 1104 , neighboring cell snr estimation apparatus 1105 and downlink data extraction user apparatus 1107 can constitute an information extraction and estimation apparatus , the information extraction and estimation apparatus extracts information of the data channel and interference channel such as a data channel coefficient and leak channel coefficient from the signal transmitted by the base station , estimates the subject cell snr and the neighboring cell snr and extracts the downlink data . as the information exchange , the snr ratio calculation apparatus calculates a precoding vector of the base station of the subject cell based on the calculated ratio or calculates a precoding vector of the base station of the neighboring cell based on the calculated ratio and user signal transmitting apparatus 1111 can transmit the calculated precoding vector to the base station of the subject cell . the present invention is applicable not only to the case with coordination of a plurality of base stations but also to the following cases . ( 1 ) case with not only interference suppression through coordination of a plurality of base stations but also joint processing through coordination of a plurality of base stations . ( 2 ) case with not only coordination of a plurality of base stations on homogeneous network but also coordination of a plurality of base stations on heterogeneous network on the homogeneous network , different base stations have the same type . on the heterogeneous network , different base stations do not always have the same type , but may be base stations of different types . examples of the types of base stations include 1 ) general base station ( enode b ), 2 ) relay station ( relay ), 3 ) remote radio head and 4 ) femto ( femto ) ( home enode b ), but the types of base stations are not limited to these types . ( 3 ) case with not only coordination of a plurality of base stations but also case with single base station and a plurality of users . the present invention has been described using the embodiments so far . those skilled in the art can make various changes , updates and additions on the premise of not departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . therefore , the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above described specific embodiments , but is limited by the attached “ claims .” although the present invention has been described as an antenna in the above described embodiments , the present invention is likewise applicable to an antenna port . the “ antenna port ” refers to a theoretical antenna made up of one or a plurality of physical antennas . that is , the antenna port does not always refer to one physical antenna , but may refer to an array antenna made up of a plurality of antennas . for example , lte does not define of how many physical antennas an antenna port is made up , but defines the antenna port as a minimum unit whereby a base station can transmit different reference signals . furthermore , the antenna port may be defined as a minimum unit whereby weighting of a precoding vector is multiplied . each function block employed in the description of the aforementioned embodiments may typically be implemented as an lsi constituted by an integrated circuit . each function block employed in the description of each of the aforementioned embodiments may typically be implemented as an lsi constituted by an integrated circuit . these may be individual chips or partially or totally contained on a single chip . “ lsi ” is adopted here but this may also be referred to as “ ic ,” “ system lsi ,” “ super lsi ,” or “ ultra lsi ” depending on differing extents of integration . further , the method of circuit integration is not limited to lsi &# 39 ; s , and implementation using dedicated circuitry or general purpose processors is also possible . after lsi manufacture , utilization of a programmable fpga ( field programmable gate array ) or a reconfigurable processor where connections and settings of circuit cells within an lsi can be reconfigured is also possible . further , if integrated circuit technology comes out to replace lsi &# 39 ; s as a result of the advancement of semiconductor technology or a derivative other technology , it is naturally also possible to carry out function block integration using this technology . application of biotechnology is also possible . the disclosure of chinese patent application no . 200910126854 . 3 , filed on mar . 20 , 2009 , including the specification , drawings and abstract , is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety .	7
as shown in fig1 the arrangement has a container with a rectangular shape in top view , the container having end and side walls 1 , 2 and a bottom 3 , said walls and bottom being made , for example , of reinforced concrete . as shown in fig2 and 3 , part separating spaces 5 and part activating spaces 6 are formed in this container by a system of couples of inserted parallel arranged partition walls 4 , extending longitudinally in the container . the partition walls which form this couple converge in a downward direction , whereby at least the lower edge of one partition wall 4 , forming a part of the couple , forms with the opposite part of the adjacent partition wall 4 of this couple a passage 7 which extends between the side walls 2 of the container and provides communication between part activating spaces 6 and part separating spaces 5 . below passage 7 there is a longitudinally extending channel 9 formed by the lower end of an inserted wall 8 , wall 8 extending vertically within wall 4 . spaces between inserted walls 8 and opposite parts of partition walls 4 are in their upper part connected with part activating spaces 6 through openings 80 . the partition walls 4 may be made of metal , possibly also of plastic material , and the container as a whole can be covered by a single or by a number of vaults or vaulted roofs 19 , which may also form a continuation of some of the partition walls 4 . the arrangement shown comprises three sections , each of which is provided with a supply 13 of raw water terminating into respective part activating spaces 6 , supplies 13 being connected to a distributor 14 with a main supply 15 of raw water . the part activating spaces 6 are provided with a known aeration system comprising aerating elements 16 connected to distributing conduits 17 which are again connected to blowers ( not shown ). the part activating spaces 6 are at their opposite ends interconnected by transistory passages 18 as shown in fig1 in the arrangement shown there being rectifying walls 20 , the free ends of which extend into part activating spaces 6 in a direction substantially opposite the direction of liquid flow . the transitory passages 18 are oriented in opposite directions at the respective side walls 2 , so that a horizontal flow with lines of flow which are relatively closed is also generated in the part activating spaces 6 . air lift pumps ( not shown ) can also be inserted in transitory passages 18 . a discharge part ( not shown ) is provided in the bottom 3 of the container . the part separating spaces 5 are provided above the passages 7 with bubble collectors 10 coaxial of and having a larger radius than passages 7 . known collecting troughs 11 ( fig2 ) connected to a common discharge channel 12 , through which the cleaned water is removed from the container , are provided at the top 21 in part separating spaces 5 . fig4 shows an advantageous arrangement wherein at least the couple of partition walls 4 , the lower edge of which forms a passage 7 with the opposite part of the second partition wall 4 of the same couple , has a suitably profiled cross section , for instance an undulated , zig - zag or similar cross section , forming a system of channels 40 oriented in direction downwards toward the passage 7 . an arrangement shown in fig5 is also advantageous wherein the inserted wall 8 is in contact with adjacent tops of profiled elements , for instance sheets . the described arrangement of the container comprises three sections , the sections being always formed by two adjacent part separating spaces 5 with part activating spaces 6 situated below of the former , whereby the part activating space 6 into which the supply 13 of raw water terminates communicates directly via passages 7 with part separating spaces 5 . the supply 13 of raw water can , however , as shown in fig1 also terminate into some part activating space other than the middle part activating space 6 . the described arrangement operates as follows : the raw water is supplied via the main supply 15 to the distributor 14 where it is uniformly distributed to individual sections of the arrangement . an odd number of sections 1 , 3 , 5 , for example , is advantageous . the raw water is thereafter supplied over supplies 13 to the middle part activating space 6 of each section . the possibility of supplying raw water to one piece of each section is provided by the forced circulation in part activating spaces 6 which is achieved by their interconnection by transitory passages 18 at the circumferential or side walls 2 , as already mentioned . the flow through transitory passages 18 is secured by the insertion of rectifying walls 20 in front of these transitory passages 18 in part activating spaces 6 . the transverse circulating flow in the part activating spaces 6 generated by aeration of the activating mixture is rectified by rectifying walls 20 to the transitory passages 18 . the required homogeneity of the activating mixture is secured even with large dimensions of the arrangement by the longitudinal flow in part activating spaces 6 , thus permitting the design of large arrangements of a length of several tens of meters with a large number of sections situated side - by - side . thus arrangements according to this invention even for high and highest capacities can be constructed . the supply of air over aeration elements 16 into the activating mixture causes both a transverse circulation in part activating spaces 6 and the supply of oxygen required for known biodegrading activating processes . the central part activating space 6 of each section is connected with separating spaces 5 by passages 7 , in front of which a channel 9 is provided to prevent any transmission of transverse circulation flow in the part activating space 6 to the part separating space 5 . due to removal of cleaned water from part separating spaces 5 through collecting troughs 11 and due to the flow of the activating mixture in the middle activating spaces 6 , the activating mixture enters the spaces between inserted walls 8 and opposite parts of partition walls 4 via openings 80 , wherefrom the activating mixture enters through passages 7 the part separating spaces 5 where it is subject to fluid filtration . the bubble collectors 10 collect fine bubbles which are separated on the lower edge of the partition walls 4 . the activated sludge retained in the fluid filter in the part separating spaces 5 automatically falls back through the passage 7 and the channel 9 into the part activating space 6 . in the construction shown in fig4 and 5 , where the outline of the passage 7 is divided into a system of channels 40 , an improvement of the efficiency of separation is obtained which is shown in the material surface load i . e . for each square meter of the surface of the activating space , in the amount of suspension retained within a time unit in the fluid filter , which has to be returned into the activating spaces . the flow of returning sludge from part separating spaces 5 is concentrated in recesses , i . e . into troughs 40 . the flow of the activating mixture through part channels 81 to the channel 9 and thereafter through passage 7 to the part separating space 5 in several streams , on the other hand is determined by the length of the troughs and the cross section of the openings 80 , the sludge returning to the part activating space 6 in streams between the mentioned streams of the activating mixture . thus an advantageous separation of rising and falling streams in the lower part of the fluid filter and a stabilization of their configuration is achieved . the result is an improvement of the hydraulic efficienty of separation . the increase of the material surface load may amount to as much as about 20 %. the cleaned water is collected by collecting troughs 11 and is directed to a common discharge channel 12 , which is removed to an outlet . the excess activated sludge is periodically discharged during a short time interruption of aeration through the already mentioned discharge part in the bottom 3 to a sludge bed for dewatering . the arcuate vaults 19 which cover the container can form an extension of some partition walls 4 or form a part of them . the space above the level 21 in the container below the arcuate vaults 19 can be utilized as an access for checking the arrangement . foot bridges ( not shown ) serve for this purpose . the arrangement can be completed , if required , by a denitrification layout ( not shown ), advantageously in a part of the middle part activating space 6 . in that case the supply of raw water has to be led to the beginning of the denitrification zone of the middle part of the activating space 6 without a supply of oxygen , and in this zone there is provided a sufficient movement of the liquid in order to prevent the settling of activated sludge , for instance by a pump or by other agitator . the covering of the whole container together with the application of pneumatic aeration enables a reduction of heat losses and the securing of the required temperature of the activating mixture of 10 ° to 13 ° c . even in the course of operation in winter . another advantage of the present invention is the possibility of a relatively easy reconstruction of existing activating containers and water cleaning stations , and thus achievement of a substantial improvement of so - called classical cleaning stations . although the invention is illustrated and described with reference to a plurality of embodiments thereof , it is to be expressly understood that it is in no way limited to the disclosure of such preferred embodiments but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims .	2
an exemplary energy conversion system 10 in a radial flux configuration is shown in fig1 and includes at least the following components : a rotor assembly including rotor 15 , magnets 20 , shaft 25 ; stator 30 ; upper plate 35 ( optional ); lower plate 40 ( optional ) and spacers 45 ( optional ). a top view of just the stator portion of the prior art system in shown in fig2 . the rotor and stator assembly could stand alone or , alternatively , be held together with an upper plate 35 , lower plate 40 and spacers 45 formed of non - conductive material , such as fiberglass . in order to avoid the need for metal bolts or screws , the plates can be machined with a groove that matched the circumference of the stator so that the stator fits snuggly within the groove . the groove may also have raised teeth or pins ( of nonconductive material ) that interlock with one or more stator slots to prevent rotation of the stator . referring to fig3 a through 3 c an alternative rotor design 15 ′ makes use of low cost metal and non - metal components to achieve cost savings . a circular steel plate 40 ′ has rectangular slots 50 cut around the periphery to accept brackets 55 that will hold magnets 60 . the brackets 55 are l - shaped with the smaller portion of the l passing through the top of the circular plate and tilted so that is rest flat against the bottom of the rotor plate . the bracket can then be riveted , welded , screwed or otherwise held in place 65 . the advantages of this design include cost reduction , strength and easy scalability . no complex shapes or expensive machining is required . with the design illustrated in fig3 a through 3 c , the magnet size , the number of magnets desired , and the diameter of the rotor then determine the number of magnets affixed to the rotor . referring to fig4 a and 4 b , an alternative stator for use with the rotor shown in fig3 a through 3 c , consists of individual stator blocks 70 that make up individual coils in the construction . more particularly , grooved rectangular blocks allow coil wire 75 to be readily and quickly wound around them . the individually wound blocks 70 are then affixed to non - conducting top and bottom plates ( only one plate 80 shown ) by pins , screws , adhesive or other mechanism ( see exemplary holes 78 ) for securing to form an alternative circular stator assembly 30 ′. the alternative rotor and stator designs may be used together to form an alternator or individually with other stator and rotor variations , such as those described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 12 / 778 , 586 entitled radial flux permanent magnet alternator with dielectric stator block which is incorporate herein by reference . the alternative designs reduce costs because there are no complicated shapes , no time - consuming machining , and no exotic materials required to build the alternator . assembly time is minimal and individual components , e . g ., magnets / brackets and / or stator blocks , can be replaced in the field if required . similar to fig1 , the alternative circular stator assembly would be mounted on non - conductive housing material with bearings inserted top and bottom for the rotor shaft . referring to fig5 a - 5 e , one or more of the alternator designs described herein or in u . s . patent application ser . no . 12 / 778 , 586 , may benefit from the addition of a rotating shell 100 having inside diameter 100 a and outside diameter 100 b . the thickness of the shell is determined by structural considerations ( larger units requiring more material for rigidity and strength ) and weight limitations . a practical lower limit is 16 gauge for smaller units . flux extension as a result of thickness has been determined to be adequate with 16 gauge material . the shell 100 rotates with the rotor so that there is no relative motion between the rotating shell and the rotor . the shell is formed of a ferro - magnetic material such as many alloys of steel , cobalt , chromium ( iv ) oxide , ferrite , iron , magnetite , neodymium , permalloy , and samarium - cobalt . the rotating shell functions to pull or extend the magnetic flux through the stator windings at a higher average flux than if the shell is absent . the rotating shell does not generate eddy current and associated lorentz losses since it is rotating with the rotor . accordingly , the addition of a rotating shell described herein increased the power density of the alternators . for optimum power efficiency , the shell is constructed such that it &# 39 ; s inside diameter 100 a is as close to the outside diameter 30 b of the stator as possible without contacting the stator . though the shell as illustrated in fig5 a - 5 c is shown as a continuous piece of material , it is also contemplated that the shell could alternatively be formed of individual strips of material 90 placed opposite of the locations of the magnets per fig5 e . or as a variation thereto , the shell could be formed so as to have cut - outs 105 in the locations thereon that are opposite non - magnet portions of the rotor as depicted in fig5 d . the alternatives to the continuous shell result in reduced weight and may advantageously take advantage of secondary electromagnetic phenomena such as smoothing field flux lines and breaking up eddy flows within larger diameter , high current conductors . in operation , the shell effectively shields the magnetic flux of the permanent magnets outside the alternator to a level that is near background noise . this is important for a number of reasons . many electronics are sensitive to strong magnetic fields and can be damaged , malfunction , or have skewed readings of sensors . as a result , the shell rotor allows more tightly packed integrated systems in which the buffer between the alternator and any sensitive electronics can effectively be eliminated . further the distance in which the alternator and its housing must be constructed of dielectric / non - conductive materials is reduced . this simplifies design and reduces cost . for example , without the shell , magnetic flux ½ an inch from the surface can be as high as 1000 gauss . with the shell , at the shell surface it is in the range of 10 - 15 gauss . the energy conversion systems described herein are based on the use of permanent magnets in what is known as a radial flux configuration . the configuration is brushless and results in much greater swept coil area in the same footprint as an axial - flux design and is well suited to low rotational speed applications as low as approximately 1 rpm . in a particular embodiment , various exemplary materials and configurations include neodymium magnets , steel rotor and shaft with an unbalanced mass . one skilled in the art recognizes that the number and spacing of magnets is changeable in accordance with optimization parameters . similarly , rotor material and configuration , e . g ., hollow , solid , unbalanced , can also be manipulated in accordance with end use requirements . these variations fall within the scope of the invention . the stators are preferably air - core with copper wiring and dielectric materials such as fiberglass . the use of dielectric material reduces or eliminates eddy current drag forces , which otherwise oppose rotation of the rotor even when the stator coil circuit is open ( no load ). examples of dielectric materials that are suitable include non - carbon composites such as fiberglass / eglass , phenolic resins , plastics , polycarbonate , wood , 3 - d printed plastics ( such as glass - reinforced nylon ), and glass . as suggested herein , there are various combinations of rotors ( 15 , 15 ′), stators ( 30 , 30 ′) and stator shell 100 configurations and material substitutions that may be implemented in accordance with size , power requirements , weight restrictions , material costs . for example , a smaller footprint alternator using the shell and smaller ( less expensive ) magnets could produce the same power output as a larger footprint alternator with no shell . one skilled in the art recognizes the trade - offs and advantages resulting from the configurations described herein . the exemplary configurations described above result from the identification and neutralization of detracting forces previously overlooked and insignificant in the generator field . specifically , for harvesting at low rotational speeds to produce relatively low power , e . g ., on the order of watts , the configurations described herein minimize sources of non - mechanical rotational resistance caused by , for example , the buildup of eddy currents and cogging forces in ferrous or conductive elements in motion - relative components of a permanent magnet alternator . in theory , the spin - down time for a dynamo should be governed by the friction in its bearings and with the air . a low - friction device should have a relatively long spin - down time . however , it can be readily shown that typical generators have very short spin - down times , even when no electrical load is applied . laboratory experiments and application of theory ( lenz , maxwell , and faraday ), led researchers to the conclusion that these excess forces are the result of eddy current drag , which is overlooked when a powerful prime mover such as an internal combustion engine is used . in fact , this eddy current drag is a significant source of “ friction ” and is released in the form of heat in the generator . utilizing the configurations described herein , the spin down time can be increased from several seconds to several minutes as a direct result of the application of these principles in the form of dielectric construction materials . this approach is distinctive from prior art configurations , even those identified as having a “ substantially ironless ” stator , as some steel is used to help direct the magnetic fields — resulting in some cogging . the exemplary embodiments described herein eliminate the presence of iron , conductive , or otherwise magnetically interactive materials from the vicinity of the stator or alternator housing . to that end , the configurations are constructed to utilize dielectric structural materials to prevent counter - electromagnetic field ( emf ) or eddy currents in certain structural components . this includes the materials use for the stator block , top and bottom plates , and structural elements such as legs , and outer housing . the exemplary configurations are able to produce useful voltages at very low rotational speeds , eliminating the requirements for step - up gearing from low - speed , high - torque input ( also known as break - out torque ), which is frequently encountered with various “ renewable ” energy harvesting technologies , including : wind turbines , both horizontal and vertical ( e . g ., savonius , darrius ); riverine and tidal current turbines and drogues ; and certain types wave energy conversion ( wec ) devices . operation at very low rotational speeds offers the following advantages : enables direct 1 : 1 rotational speed with wind turbines and kinetic reaction mass devices ( wave energy ); reduces or eliminates the requirement for transmissions and gearboxes , which reduces costs and complexity and scheduled maintenance requirements while increasing reliability and mean time to failure , which is important in remote marine applications ; reduces or eliminates the requirement for precision balancing of the rotor to manage vibration , with cost savings ; reduces wear on bearings ; relaxes structural considerations due to very high centrifugal forces of high - speed rotors ; generates less mechanical friction heating ; increases mechanical reliability ; reduces eddy current reaction in the permanent magnets , reducing heating in the magnets and improving performance and lifetime . the exemplary system described herein has unlimited applicability . while immediate applications for the technology include remote low power applications such as individual ocean buoys in the single digit watt power output range , the scalability of the technology would allow for power output up to an in excess of 100 kilowatts . other potential uses include unmanned maritime platforms and remote cellular communications power stations . the exemplary embodiment described above generates output power in the range of approximately 2 to 20 watts . the energy conversion system is intended to be a plug - and - play generator where output wires can be connected directly to a power supply , e . g ., such as the payload power supply on a buoy . the embodiments set forth herein are intended to be exemplary of the described inventive concepts and are in no way intended to limit the scope of the invention thereto . one skilled in the art recognizes the numerous variations that are inherently contemplated by the invention as described .	7
fig1 shows an apparatus 40 according to the invention which is used to carry out the method according to the invention . material is introduced into a material separation 4 in a substrate 1 or a layer 1 extending from a surface 2 in an electrolytic process at low temperatures , for example lower than 100 ° c . the substrate 1 with its material separation 4 is electrically connected to an electrode 7 , which together are arranged in an electrolyte 10 which is present in a vessel 46 . there is an electric voltage source 25 between the electrode 7 and the substrate 1 , so that an electric current can flow . the electrolyte 10 contains the material which is introduced into the material separation 4 . the solution of the electrolyte 10 may include constituents of the composition of the substrate 1 in the form of particles and / or ions . the process of the method according to the invention can take place at room temperature or low temperatures , which means that prior to use of the method according to the invention the substrate 1 can have a suitable mask ( waxes , polymers ) applied to it in a simple way at the locations at which coating is not desired , and can thus be protected against being coated . the use of a flow of current which varies over the course of time makes it possible to effect targeted deposition of the constituents , for example an alloy , from the electrolyte 10 into the material separation 4 of the component 1 . required materials properties can be set , for example , by a subsequent heat treatment , as is necessary , for example , for nickel - base and cobalt - base superalloys for turbine blades and vanes in order to obtain the desired γ - γ ′ precipitations or to achieve a phase change or phase adjustment . the deposition of material of the same or a similar type to the material of the substrate 1 , in the form of particles and / or ions , results in a significantly improved strength than with soldering or welding processes , since in the latter cases , constituents which are foreign to the substrate penetrate into the material separation 4 as a result of the soldering or welding additions . this is not the case when using electrolytic deposition . in this case , material of the substrate 1 or layer 1 or material which has similar properties can be used . the deposition process in the material separation 4 can optionally be improved by additional ultrasound excitation by means of at least one ultrasound probe 19 , which is operated by an ultrasound source 22 , in the electrolyte 10 . the ultrasound excitation inter alia effects continuous mixing of the electrolyte 10 , so that there are no inhomogeneities in the electrolyte 10 and its constituents . furthermore , porous parts of a layer formed by the filling material are cavitationally removed by the effect of the ultrasound waves . a further improvement of the method can preferably be achieved by the use of pulsed currents . furthermore , the method can be improved by an eddy - current probe 16 being arranged in the region of the material separation 4 , for example being placed on top of it , producing a corresponding interaction volume 28 in the substrate 1 around the material separation 4 , i . e . the interaction volume 28 is mechanically excited , i . e . generates oscillations in the substrate 1 . the eddy - current probe 16 surrounds , for example , the opening 43 of the material separation 4 at the surface 2 toward the electrolyte 10 , but does not cover this opening . the eddy - current probe 16 is operated by a controllable eddy - current generator 13 . the depth of penetration δ , i . e . the depth to which the interaction volume 28 extends into the substrate 1 from the surface 2 , is given by the following formula : in which f is the frequency of the eddy - current , σ is the conductivity of the substrate 1 and μ r is the permeability constant of the substrate / layer 1 . therefore , the depth of penetration δ and the interaction volume 28 can be set by means of the frequency f . fig2 shows how a first material separation 4 in a substrate 1 can be filled in an improved way . first of all , a region m 1 in the region of the end 34 of the crack is surrounded , by suitable selection of the frequency f 1 , so that the interaction volume 28 surrounds the region m 1 while m 1 is being filled . in a second step , a second region m 2 is filled with material , with the frequency f 2 being selected in such a way that the interaction volume 28 only extends as far as the region m 1 which has previously been filled or if appropriate only partially surrounds it . further regions m 3 , m 4 , . . . as far as a surface 2 are filled with material by continuously increasing the frequency ( f 3 , f 4 , . . . ) of course , it is also possible for the frequency f to be continuously matched to the remaining depth of the material separation . taking account of the altered conductivity in the interaction volume 28 , automatic control of the process is possible , since the filling material in the material separation 4 changes the conductivity of the substrate 1 in the interaction volume 28 , which is measured and used for control purposes . fig3 shows a time profile of the current of the voltage source 25 . this may be formed from currents which are pulsed or varied over the course of time and can be repeated periodically . the current is primarily composed of cathode components ( substrate 1 ) and anode components ( electrode 7 ). the pulse duration t on , during which a current i is flowing , the interpulse period t off between the pulses 40 and a maximum intensity of the current i max can be varied . it is also possible to alter the shape 37 of the current signal . all the parameters ( i max , t off , t on , . . . ) may be a function of time and can be repeated periodically in order to optimize the method . an alloy ( for example nial ) is deposited by the individual constituents alternately being deposited to an increased extent . by way of example , for each individual alloying constituent ni , al there are different optimum parameters ( i max , t off , t on , . . . ), which means that , for example , a first current pulse 40 is optimum for the element nickel ( ion in the electrolyte 10 ) and the second , subsequent current pulses 40 are optimum for aluminum . even during the current pulse which is matched to one element , the other element is still being deposited , albeit to a lesser extent . the pulses are constantly repeated , so that the constituents of the alloy are optimally mixed . the proportion by weight of one alloying constituent in the material separation can be set by means of the pulse duration . fig4 shows an example of a series of current pulses 40 which are repeated . a sequence 34 comprises at least two blocks 77 . each block 77 comprises at least one current pulse 40 . a current pulse 40 is characterized by its duration t on , the intensity i max off and its shape 37 ( square - wave , delta - wave , . . . ) . the interpulse periods between the individual current pulses 40 ( t off ) and the interpulse periods between the blocks 77 are equally important process parameters . the sequence 34 comprises , for example , a first block 77 of three current pulses 40 , between each of which there is an interpulse period . this is followed by a second block 77 , which has a higher current intensity and comprises six current pulses 40 . this is followed , after a further interpulse period , by four current pulses 40 in the reverse direction , i . e . with a changed polarity . the sequence 34 is concluded by a further block 77 of four current pulses . the sequence can be repeated a number of times . the individual pulse times ton are preferably of the order of magnitude of approximately 1 to 10 milliseconds . the total duration of the block 77 is of the order of magnitude of up to 10 seconds , which means that up to 500 pulses are emitted in one block 77 . it is optionally possible to apply a low potential ( base current ) both during the pulse sequences and during the interpulse periods . this prevents the electrodeposition from being interrupted , which can cause inhomogeneities . the parameters of a block 77 are matched to one constituent of an alloy which is to be deposited , for example in order to optimize the deposition of this constituent . these parameters can be determined in individual tests . by way of example , the level of the constituents of the alloy in the layer to be applied can be defined by the duration of the individual blocks 77 in order , for example , to produce gradients in the layer . this is done by correspondingly lengthening or shortening the duration of the block 77 which is optimally matched to one constituent of the alloy . to improve the deposition , the material separation 4 is widened before being filled . this can be done by drilling , edm or other methods in order , for example , to increase the diameter . the dashed line shows the material separation 4 prior to the widening .	2
reference will now be made in detail to a presently preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings . fig2 illustrates a ct imaging system 1 constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the ct imaging system includes x - ray source 10 ; x - ray detector 12 ; optical sensor 14 ; video selector 16 ; analog - to - digital ( a - to - d ) converter 18 ; buffer 20 ; computer 19 which includes cpu 22 , data storage device 23 , and memory device 25 ; and display 24 . memory device 25 stores software subprograms for retrieval and execution by cpu 22 , designated as a coordinate locator 27 , a curve fitter 29 , and a coefficient curve fitter 31 . optionally , the system 1 also includes collimator 26 . although buffer 20 is shown as a separate component , more typically buffer 20 constitutes a part of computer 19 . an object under test 28 is disposed between x - ray source 10 and x - ray detector 12 in accordance with conventional techniques . x - ray source 10 can be provided as any conventional source of x - rays suitable for use in a ct imaging system . source 10 emits a cone of x rays toward the object under test 28 . the x rays may be collimated by collimator 26 to select a slice width of the object under test 28 , or the entire cone of x rays may be permitted to pass through the object under test 28 to the front or &# 34 ; face &# 34 ; of the x - ray detector 12 . as embodied herein , x - ray detector 12 comprises an image intensifier 12 which converts x - ray photons to optical photons and then converts the photons to electrons . the electrons are focused and accelerated to a phosphor screen 30 contained in the image intensifier 12 . the phosphor screen 30 reconverts the electrons back to optical photons to form an image frame of the object under test 28 . preferably , this image frame comprises 525 lines of video information . the optical sensor 14 records the image information contained in the image frame on the phosphor screen 30 . as embodied herein , optical sensor 14 can comprise a camera , a charge coupled diode converter or some other solid state device suitable for recording the image frame from the phosphor screen 30 of the image intensifier 12 . in a preferred embodiment , the optical sensor 14 is provided as a vidicon camera such that the recorded image frame contains 525 lines of video information . video selector 16 , as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 111 , 490 issued on may 5 , 1992 to bruce m . drawert and commonly assigned to kabushiki kaisha toshiba , is provided to select pixels , lines , and frames of video information outputted by the optical sensor 14 for digitization in an a - to - d converter 18 . video selector 16 not only drives that a - to - d converter , but also provides the sampling 10 clock to the converter . with optical sensor 14 provided as a vidicon camera , the a - to - d converter 18 can digitize each of the 525 video lines into 512 pixels of video information . however , the video selector 16 can be controlled by cpu 22 to select the total number of frames of video information to be digitized , the specific frames out of the total number of frames generated during the scan to be converted , the specific lines in each frame to be converted , and the number of pixels in each line to be digitized by the a - to - d converter 18 to provide selected digitized image data . the selection of data reduces the data load on the computer 19 . moreover , in two - dimensional slice reconstruction most of the data in each frame does not need to be processed . if the scan is performed in a medical environment , the radiation dose to the patient is also a concern . while the radiation dose to the object under test is ultimately controlled by cpu 22 , the video selector 16 can also provide a control signal to the x - ray source 10 to provide control over the radiation dose received by the object under test 28 . this is particularly important if the object under test is a human being or an animal . the selected digitized image data outputted by the a - to - d converter 18 is transferred to the buffer 20 for temporary storage before being forwarded to the data computer storage device 23 or memory 25 associated with the cpu 22 . in order to increase the speed of data processing , it is preferable to forward the data to the memory 25 , if available , rather than to storage device 23 . the cpu 22 processes the digitized image data to correct the image data to substantially reduce or eliminate distortion , offsets , veiling glare and scatter in the image frame and to provide ct slice images , digital radiographs , and volumetric ct images which are displayed on display 24 . computer 19 , including cpu 22 , can comprise any analog or digital computer or computational device or devices having sufficient memory size and computational speed and ability to carry out the calibration and correcting techniques of the present invention . in a preferred embodiment , computer 19 comprises a personal computer , using an intel i80386 microprocessor , which may be modified to provide additional processing power as necessary , such as by addition of an intel i80387 math coprocessor . in the preferred embodiment and as illustrated herein , display 24 is provided with inputs from both the optical sensor 14 and the cpu 22 . a switching device 31 is connected to both the sensor 14 and the cpu 22 and can be switched to determine which source of video input will be displayed . alternatively , separate displays ( not shown ) can be provided for separately displaying output video information of the optical sensor 14 and the cpu 22 . circuitry , well known in the art , for driving display 24 with the applied video information is not shown . the correction of an image frame to substantially reduce or eliminate spatial distortion with apparatus and methods in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention is described next . the apparatus and methods of the first embodiment of the present invention provide for correction of distortion of an image frame in both the vertical and horizontal directions . in accordance with this embodiment , before generating image frames of the object under test , two scans are performed with the imaging system . in a first scan , an image frame of a distortion measuring object is generated to develop a representation of spatial distortions of the image frames . in a second scan , referred to herein as the background scan , an imaging frame of a background measuring object , a distortion measuring object without the radiopaque objects , is generated under identical conditions . the two resulting data sets are subtracted to produce a data set free of low - frequency intensity variations . fig3 illustrates a distortion measuring object 32 , which includes a grid of radiopaque objects 34 that are all the same size and are spaced uniformly in a block 36 of acrylic plastic . the background measuring object ( not shown ) is identical to the distortion measuring object 32 of fig3 except it does not contain the radiopaque objects 34 . as embodied herein , the radiopaque objects 34 can be provided as round metal spheres , such as ball bearings or bbs , or small round metal disks , or any other small objects having a small cross section that will attenuate or remove x rays from the x - ray beam of a ct imaging system . for example , the radiopaque objects 34 are distributed in an orthogonal arrangement of rows and columns , preferably in a common plane , and are contained within the block 36 of acrylic plastic , which is preferably 15 - 16 inches on each side and 1 / 2 inch thick for an image intensifier that is 14 inches in diameter . however , the dimensions of the distortion measuring object 32 and radiopaque objects 34 should be chosen to meet and accommodate the dimensions of the image intensifier 12 . also , the radiopaque objects 34 should be numerous enough and be spaced sufficiently close together to provide an adequate number of data points . for example , the distortion measuring object 32 when provided with block 36 having dimensions of 15 inches on each side , can preferably contain 25 rows and columns of 1 . 98 millimeter diameter radiopaque objects ( bbs ) spaced 1 / 2 inch apart in horizontal and vertical directions from center to center . as used herein , in the context of distortion measuring object 32 or data points of an image frame , horizontal means direction from left - to - right or from right - to - left as one views the image frame or object 32 and generally corresponds to a direction lying in a plane parallel to the ground . vertical means a direction from top - to - bottom or bottom - to - top as one views the image frame or object 32 and generally corresponds to a direction lying in a plane perpendicular to the ground . the present invention as illustrated and described herein , in accordance with the first embodiment , makes corrections for both horizontal and vertical distortions in an image frame , as can occur in ct imaging systems using either a rotating table ( i . e ., a turntable ) configuration or a rotating gantry configuration . in a turntable configuration , an object under test is rotated on a rotating table with respect to a stationary x - ray source and x - ray detector . in a rotating gantry configuration , the object under test remains stationary with respect to a rotating x - ray source and x - ray detector . in accordance with the first embodiment of the rotating table configuration , the distortion correction is effected by placing the distortion measuring object 32 on the face of the image intensifier 12 and carrying out the above - noted first scan to generate an image frame of the distortion measuring object 32 . the distortion measuring object is then replaced by the background measuring object and the process is repeated to generate an image frame of the background measuring object . the two data sets are subtracted to obtain a data set free of low - frequency intensity variations due to spatial x - ray flux variations , response variations in image intensifier ( shading and burn spots ) and the attenuation variations caused by the acrylic plastic . any offset due to scattered x - radiation , veiling glare , and detector system bias is also removed . alternatively , the distortion measuring object 32 and the background measuring object can be disposed on the turntable ( not shown ) or indeed anywhere between source and image intensifier . however , in this case , the translation technique utilized to generate the slice image or scan would have to be accommodated for the distance in between the turntable and the image intensifier 12 , in accordance with conventional techniques ( magnification factor ). in accordance with the second embodiment of the rotating gantry configuration , the procedure described above ideally is repeated for each x - ray source position . since the distortion is repeatable , in the absence of changing magnetic fields , this need be done only infrequently . in addition , changes during small angular rotations are expected to be small and the distortion correction can be made at fewer positions than the number required for a complete data set with corrections between calibration positions being interpolated from available data . with either the first or second embodiment , many frames ( preferably about 100 ) can be collected at measuring positions and averaged to improve the signal to noise ratio . fig4 illustrates an exemplary plot 50 of an image frame of the difference between the image of the distortion measuring object 32 and the image of the background measuring object , containing plotted images 52 respectively corresponding to the radiopaque objects 32 . the sampled image positions of this image , hereafter denoted as the distorted image , will be identified by the coordinates ( x , y ). ideally , if the image of the distortion measuring object 32 were not distorted , the rows of radiopaque objects plotted in images 52 would appear as parallel , horizontal straight lines across the plot 50 . additionally , the columns of radiopaque objects would appear as parallel , vertical straight lines in the plot 50 and the image frame . however , due to magnetic and geometric distortions , the rows and columns of radiopaque object plotted images 52 are distorted , as illustrated . the image that is corrected in accordance with the invention is referred to hereafter as the corrected image frame . in the corrected image frame , the sampled image positions are hereafter identified by the coordinates ( x , y ). sampled image positions in the horizontal rows of the corrected image all have the same coordinate y . sampled image positions in the vertical columns of the corrected image all have the same coordinate x . after a distorted image frame is generated and then digitized by an a - to - d converter 18 , it is stored in storage device 23 and read into memory device 25 . software subprograms stored in memory 25 include the coordinate locator 27 , the curve fitter 29 , the coefficient curve fitter 31 , and the distortion corrector 33 . the cpu 22 retrieves and executes these subprograms in order to further process the distorted image frame data . while these subprograms appear in the computer memory 25 in fig2 it would be obvious to one skilled in the art to have these programs loaded into the computer memory from a disk drive , tape drive , a chip , or in any other suitable manner . fig5 illustrates a flowchart 35 showing a method preferably performed by the cpu 22 during execution of the coordinate locater 27 , curve fitter 29 , coefficient curve fitter 31 and distortion corrector 33 subprograms to correct the distortions in a distorted image frame . as shown in flow chart 35 , at step 101 , the cpu generally retrieves the image data of the distorted image frame , previously processed to remove systematic biases and averaged to improve signal - to - noise ratio , for further processing as required during execution of the subprograms . next , at step 102 , the cpu 22 , preferably executing coordinate locator 27 , reads data from the disk into memory 25 and locates the approximate coordinates ( x , y ) of the representations of the radiopaque objects 34 in the distorted image frame data . the cpu 22 , executing curve fitter 29 , having the number of rows and columns of radiopaque objects , and having the numbers of columns and rows in the distorted image frame , determines how many rows and columns of pixels there should be in the corrected image . for example , if there are nc columns of radiopaque objects and lx columns of pixels in the distorted image , there are ncd columns of pixels in the corrected image where ncd is defined by equation ( 2 ). ## equ1 ## having determined that there are ncd columns of pixels in the corrected image , the curve fitter 29 determines which columns of pixels in the corrected image will contain the radiopaque objects and identifies these columns by their respective x coordinates . likewise , if there are nr rows of radiopaque objects and ly rows of pixels in the distorted image , there are nrd rows of pixels in the corrected image where nrd is defined by equation ( 3 ). ## equ2 ## having determined that there are nrd rows of pixels in the corrected image , the curve fitter 29 determines which rows of pixels in the corrected image will contain the radiopaque objects and identifies these rows by their respective y coordinates . next , in step 103 , the cpu 22 , preferably executing curve fitter 29 , using the approximate coordinates of the representations of the radiopaque objects 34 as determined when executing the coordinate locator 27 , fits a first plurality of curves to the representations of the radiopaque objects 34 in the image frame . the first plurality of curves is also referred to herein as a first set of curves . examples of equations that can be used to fit the first set of curves to each row and column of the representations of the radiopaque objects 34 , are given by the third - order polynomial curves in equations ( 4a ) and ( 4b ). however , one skilled in the art could use any analytic approximate curve method . here the coefficients of the polynomial terms are expressed as functions of the x and y coordinates of the rows and columns respectively of the radiopaque objects 34 in the corrected image . an exemplary first set of third - order polynomial curves are shown in fig6 a - 6e . the coefficients ( l ( x ), m ( x ), n ( x ), p ( x ), a ( y ), b ( y ), c ( y ), and d ( y )) of equations ( 2 ) and ( 3 ) for each row and column of radiopaque objects , as computed by the cpu 22 when executing the curve fitter 29 , are stored in the storage device 23 . the number of coefficients that are stored is 4 ( nc + nr ). at step 104 , the cpu 22 , by executing curve fitter 29 , then locates the nc nr intersections , in the coordinate form ( x , y ), of all of the nc column curves with all of the nr row curves fitted in step 103 . in the example given , where the curves are fit using third - order polynomials , the polynomial equation ( 5 ) given below , results from solving equations ( 4a ) and ( 4b ) simultaneously to eliminate the x coordinate as a variable . here , the x or y dependence of the coefficients is understood , but not explicitly stated . ## equ3 ## in accordance with step 104 , for the first set of curves , in order to find the intersection for a given column and row , the curve fitter 29 finds the root of the polynomial equation ( 5 ) that corresponds to the y value of the intersection in the distorted image . in a preferred embodiment , the curve fitter 29 is implemented using an iterative method for locating the intersection , such as the newton - raphson method , which is known to those skilled in the art . the approximate y coordinates for the radiopaque object representations found by the cpu 22 , executing the coordinate locator 27 in step 102 , are used as initial guesses in the equation . the x coordinate of the intersection is then determined by substituting in equation ( 4a ) the determined y coordinate and the same coefficients used in determining the y coordinate . the process is repeated to determine the nr * nc x and y coordinates of the intersections of the curves fit to the rows and columns of the radiopaque object representations in the distorted image . fig . ( 7 ) illustrates a plot of the coordinates of intersections , computed in step 104 , of the first set of curves for the respective rows and columns . these intersection points are referred to herein as the &# 34 ; new refined radiopaque object representation positions &# 34 ;, which are stored in the storage device 23 . with reference to fig5 the method proceeds next to step 105 of the flowchart 35 , in which the cpu 22 , preferably executing the coefficient curve fitter 31 , reads the coefficients of the first set of curves found by the curve fitter device 29 in step 103 . the cpu 22 is also provided with an input of the x or y coordinates of these coefficients . still with respect to step 105 , the cpu 22 , executing coefficient curve fitter 31 , then fits a second plurality of smooth curves , also referred to herein as a second set of curves , to the coefficients of the first set of curves , determined in step 103 when executing the curve fitter 29 , as functions of the coordinates x and y of the corrected image . examples of a second set of smooth curves that have been fit using fifth - order splines to the respective coefficients of a first set of curves described by row equations ( 4b ) are shown in fig8 a - 8d . fig8 a illustrates the zero - order coefficients a ( y ) for respective row equations ( 4b ) plotted as functions of y . the points on the curve represent zero - order &# 34 ; a ( y )&# 34 ; coefficients found by the curve fitter 19 for the first set of curves in step 103 of flowchart 35 . the lines between the points are the smooth curves fit by the cpu 22 using coefficient curve fitter 31 . fig8 b - 8d illustrate curves fitted to plots of the first - order , second - order and third - order coefficients ( b ( y ), c ( y ), and d ( y )), respectively . likewise , a second set of smooth curves is fit , using fifth - order splines in the preferred embodiment , to the respective coefficients ( l ( x ), m ( x ), n ( x ), and p ( x )) of a first set of curves described by column equations ( 4a ). by fitting a second set of curves to the coefficients of the first set of curves , a third plurality of curves can be generated for additional rows and columns in the distorted image that are intermediate between the respective coefficients of the first set of curves in the distorted image found by the curve fitter 29 in step 103 . the third plurality of curves is also referred to herein as a third set of curves . at step 106 of the flowchart 35 ( fig5 ), the third set of curves is defined by determining the coefficients of equations ( 4a ) and ( 4b ) for all integral values of the coordinates ( x , y ) of the corrected image . with the second set of curves having been fit as functions of x and y to the coefficients of the first set of curves , the cpu 22 is now able to determine two curves ( equations ( 4a ) and ( 4b )) for each pair of coordinates ( x , y ) in the corrected image frame , the intersection of which identifies the corresponding pair of coordinates ( x , y ) in the distorted image frame . using the appropriate coefficients in equations ( 4a ) and ( 4b ), the computer then solves the equations to find the intersection points that are interposed between the &# 34 ; new redefined positions &# 34 ; and thereby define a complete set of ncd * nrd dense points ( x , y ) in the distorted image that correspond to the ncd * nrd dense points ( x , y ) in the corrected image . as shown in step 107 in flowchart 35 ( fig5 ), the cpu 22 , executing coefficient curve fitter 31 , then generates a correction table consisting of coordinates , in the format ( x ( x , y ), y ( x , y )) from which the correct intensity value at each point ( x , y ) in the corrected image may be determined . a dense point data file is defined in storage device 23 to include ncd ( defined in equation 2 ) columns and nrd ( defined in equation 3 ) rows . the correction of an object under test 28 is then performed in step 108 of flowchart 35 ( fig5 ) by the cpu 22 , preferably executing distortion corrector 33 . in the preferred embodiment , the correction table contains coordinates in x ( x , y ) and y ( x , y ) format that indicate , for each of the pixels in the corrected image frame , where in the distorted image frame the correct image intensity value can be found . thus , for each pixel ( x , y ) in the corrected image frame , the cpu ( 22 ) looks up in the correction table the coordinates x ( x , y ) and y ( x , y ) that identify the appropriate image intensity value in the distorted image . in the preferred embodiment , the correction table contains only pairs of coordinates x ( x , y ) and y ( x , y ), and not image intensity values . the coordinate pairs need not be whole numbers , and are more likely to be fractional values ( e . g ., 94 . 3 , 102 . 6 , etc .). the data value corresponding to the coordinates in the correction table is determined by bilinear interpolation of the image intensity values in the original , distorted image . according to one embodiment , the value may be found according to equation ( 6 ). input ( ix , iy )= intensity value at column ix , row iy for original distorted image ; an example of the correction method is provided next and illustrated in fig9 . it is assumed that the correction table indicates that the correct intensity value for the pixel located in the corrected image frame 37 at ( x , y )=( 89 , 92 ) corresponds to the data value located at ( x , y )=( 94 . 3 , 102 . 6 ) of the distorted image . the distortion corrector 33 then sums the appropriately weighted values of the intensities of the distorted image input ( 94 , 102 ) ( 28 %), input ( 95 , 102 ) ( 12 %), input ( 94 , 103 ) ( 42 %), and input ( 95 , 103 ) ( 18 %), to determine the intensity value of the pixel at ( x , y )=( 89 , 92 ) in the corrected image . this process is repeated for each pixel at ( x , y ) in the area of interest in the corrected image frame . if the corrected image frame is to be used in single - slice ct , then only an area of interest need be corrected . if , however , the image frame is to be used for volume ct , then the entire image frame of ncd * nrd points is corrected . this correction process is repeated for each of the distorted image data frames used to compose a ct image . preferably , this process is performed in real time . the data values in the corrected image frame can be displayed as a sinogram . however , more typically , these data values are further processed in accordance with ct techniques to generate the images of the object under test . as embodied herein , the inverse radon transform implemented using the convolution - backprojection algorithm is utilized to transform the data values to image form for two - dimensional ct or a cone beam algorithm such as the feldkamp algorithm for three - dimensional ct . however , any conventional reconstruction technique may be utilized to transform the data to image form for display . ideally , in order to produce high quality ct images , the signals used for displaying an image of the object under test 28 should represent only the transmission of x rays through the scanned object along straight paths extending from the x - ray source 10 through the object under test 28 to the detector 12 . however , offsets , veiling glare , and scattered x rays ( hereinafter referred to as &# 34 ; extraneous signals &# 34 ;) handicap the ability to produce high quality ct images by contributing to the signals in a manner that degrades the ct image . ct systems normally produce a two - dimensional slice that is typically only several millimeters wide . therefore , the signals from only a thin band across the face of the image intensifier 12 are of interest in slice ct . the data values from the areas outside this thin band contain contributions due only to the extraneous signals , but , because of the collimator 26 , they contain no contributions due to the primary x - ray beam , i . e ., the undeflected beam , as shown in fig2 . in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention , relating to a two - dimensional slice , the image frame data values from the areas adjacent to the thin band are used to measure the effect of the extraneous signals on the image frame data values in the thin band across the face of the image intensifier where the primary beam impinges . then , the measured effect of the extraneous signals is effectively subtracted from the data values corresponding to the thin band of interest to provide a corrected image frame in which the effects of the extraneous signals is substantially reduced or eliminated . fig1 illustrates a flowchart 40 of steps in accordance with the second embodiment by which such a corrected image frame is produced . in accordance with the second embodiment of the invention and also with reference to fig1 , an image frame 37 is horizontally divided into three different zones , i . e ., zone 1 , zone 2 , zone 3 , at pixel row locations j 1 , j 2 , j 3 and j 4 , with the result that each zone is rectangular in shape ( step 120 in fig1 ). methods for defining row locations j 1 , j 2 , j 3 and j 4 to divide image frame 37 are described below . zone 1 extends from j 1 to j 2 - 1 , and zone 3 extends from j 3 to j 4 . zones 1 and 3 contain data corresponding only to the extraneous signals . zone 2 , which extends from j 2 to j 3 - 1 is defined to be wide enough to contain all video lines which include a region 39 containing data in the thin band of interest , i . e ., from the primary beam . x - ray slices may appear distorted because of the distortion effects described with respect to the first embodiment of the invention . next , at step 122 in fig1 , the computer 19 computes a sum of data values in each of the three zones on a column - by - column basis . more particularly , the computer 19 computes a sum of the data values contained in zone 1 , as defined in fig1 , according to equation ( 7 ): ## equ4 ## where s 1 ( i , k ) is sum of data values in zone 1 ; the computer 19 similarly computes sums s 2 ( i , k ) and s 3 ( i , k ) of the data values contained in zones 2 and 3 . according to the following equations ( 8 ) and ( 9 ), respectively : ## equ5 ## next at step 124 ( fig1 ), the computer 19 also computes a black signal average corresponding to the signal in the back porch of the video signal ( fig1 ) for each of zones 1 , 2 and 3 according to equation ( 10 ): ## equ6 ## where a and b span the back porch ; and m corresponds to the zone number , i . e ., m = 1 for zone 1 , m = 2 for zone 2 , and m = 3 for zone 3 . as shown in fig1 , and as used herein , the front porch region of the video signal corresponds to the time that the electron gun in the video display 24 is off and resets itself to make another sweep across the screen . the computer 19 then computes a correction of the raw video signal for zone 2 , as shown in step 126 of flowchart 40 , in order to eliminate the effect of the extraneous signals , by use of the following equation ( 11 ): ## equ7 ## where r &# 39 ; ( i , k ) is the corrected video signal in zone 2 . equation 11 , used for correcting two dimensional slice ct images , is a function of only video frame ( i ) and video column ( k ) because the region of interest , zone 2 , is reduced to a single row projection in the reconstruction algorithms . the black signal averages , s m °( i )&# 39 ; s , correct for offset drift in time of the video camera . in equation ( 11 ), the multiplier term immediately preceding the bracketed portion ensures that zones 1 - 3 are weighted properly . in order to find the divisions between the three zones , either of two methods is preferably used . in accordance with the first method , a test scan is performed to determine the width of the primary x - ray beam . the user then chooses the pixel rows of the image frame , i . e ., j 1 , j 2 , j 3 and j 4 , used to divide the image frame into zones 1 - 3 . subsequent scans and corrections of image frames of objects under test 28 are then performed using the row numbers chosen by the user . in accordance with the second method , the computer 19 , beginning with the row at the top of the image frame , checks the data values in each pixel ( i . e ., each column ) in each successive row , progressing toward the bottom of the image frame , until it locates a row in the image frame with a pixel value in any column of the image frame that exceeds a predetermined value set by the user . the number of that row , which would be the smallest row number above the predetermined value , in the image frame is stored as j 2 . the computer 19 then finds the last row in the image frame in which a data value exceeds the same predetermined value . the number of that row , which would be the largest row number above the predetermined value , is stored as j 3 . the computer 19 then uses the determined values of j 2 and j 3 to define rectangular zones 1 - 3 . zone 1 extends from row j 1 = 0 , or any row j 1 chosen by the user or computer between row 0 and j 2 , to the row j 2 which was determined by the computer to divide zones 1 and 2 . the location of row j 4 which defines the width of zone 3 along with row j 3 is determined in a similar manner . for example , the computer can define zone 3 to extend from j 3 to the last row in the image frame , i . e ., between j 3 and row j 4 = 512 , or any row j 4 between j 3 and row 512 . it is important to note that each of the zones may not be , and usually are not , the same width . in an alternative embodiment in which a solid state device is used as the optical sensor 14 to record the image frame rather than a video camera , the image data would not include a black signal component , i . e ., a back porch . therefore , the black signal average terms s m °( i ) would not be present in equation ( 11 ). the above - described spatial distortions , both magnetic and geometric , inherent in an image intensifier complicate the ability to correct an image frame for the effects of the extraneous signals . the spatial distortion in the image frame causes zone 2 to be larger than it would be if there were no spatial distortion . as a result , if spatial distortion is not corrected initially , the computer makes corrections for the extraneous signals , to a larger amount of data for distorted images than for undistorted images . therefore , in an alternate version of the second embodiment , the spatial distortions in the image frame , as described above , are first corrected before the extraneous signals are corrected . fig1 illustrates the division of the image frame 37 in accordance with such an alternative embodiment in which spatial corrections are initially made to the image frame , thus allowing the operator and / or the computer 19 to better define each of zones 1 - 3 in the image frame and makes it possible for the widths of all three zones to be smaller . the result of this process is that less data processing is required to correct the image frame 37 for the extraneous signals . fig1 illustrates the division of the image frame 37 in accordance with an alternate version of the second embodiment . in this alternate embodiment , the computer separately determines each edge of the primary beam , corresponding to the thin band of interest and zone 2 , in each column of the image frame by use of a predetermined value as discussed above . the computer then determines two zones which are of substantially constant width , on either side of the primary beam for zones 1 and 3 . therefore , in this embodiment , the zones used to determine the contributions of the extraneous signals , zones 1 and 3 , are directly adjacent to and are shaped similarly as zone 2 , which contains information from the primary beam and extraneous signals . moreover , the respective widths of zones 1 and 3 are independent of column . to achieve this result , the computer first finds the zone boundaries j 2 ( k ) and j 3 ( k ), which define zone 2 , before finding the zone boundaries j 1 ( k ) and j 4 ( k ), where k is the column number in the image frame . thus , the boundaries of the three regions are a function of the image frame column numbers , i . e ., j 1 ( k ), j 2 ( k ), j 3 ( k ) and j 4 ( k ). this method results in zones in which the image frame row number ( j m ( k )), that defines the top and bottom of the zone , is not the same for each column . for example , in fig1 , the row number of zone boundary j 1 ( k ), i . e ., the top of zone 1 , in column 12 may be 100 and in column 200 the row number would be 20 , but the width of each zone is the same independent of column , i . e ., j 2 ( k )- j 1 ( k ), j 3 ( k )- j 2 ( k ), etc . are constants . in accordance with the alternate embodiment illustrated in fig1 , the computer &# 39 ; s ability to determine boundaries as a function of columns and zones of a predetermined width reduces the amount of data that must be processed by the computer to better enable a real time correction of image data . in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention , the image frame produced by a ct imaging system is corrected for the effect of offsets . as noted above , in a preferred embodiment of the invention , optical sensor 14 is provided as a saticon camera , which is a form of video camera . when a video camera views a black scene , i . e ., one in which there is no light entering the camera , the video camera generates a signal that is not necessarily zero . the signals from a video camera viewing a black scene can vary from frame to frame , and from tv - line to tv - line even within a single frame . such video signals from a camera viewing a black scene are called &# 34 ; offsets .&# 34 ; in accordance with the third embodiment , two scans to collect image data are performed . in the first scan , which is referred to herein as an offset scan , data is collected with the x - ray source turned off . in the second scan , the object under test 28 is scanned with the x - ray source turned on . the digital data acquisition system ( ddas , and for the ease of reference , the ddas consists of the image intensifier 12 , the optical sensor ( camera ) 14 , the a - to - d converter 18 and buffer 20 ) samples the back porch of each tv - line in each frame in the offset scan and stores this information . the ddas also samples the video signal portion of each frame of the offset scan , i . e ., of the black scene . fig1 illustrates a flowchart 50 of a method for correcting an image frame for the effects of offset . at step 130 , the computer averages the video signal of a predetermined number , m &# 39 ;, of video frames of the offset scan according to equation ( 12 ): ## equ8 ## where ω ( j , k ) average signal of m &# 39 ; offset scans ; next , at step 132 , the computer 19 , in order to find the true black scene signal of the offset scan , averages the back porch for each tv line of the black scene according to the equation ( 13 ): ## equ9 ## where ω ° ( j ) is the black signal average of the back porch portion of the offset scan video signal for each video line in each frame ; and a and b define the width of the back porch . ( fig1 and 14 ). the computer then determines the average signal from the back porch of the scan of the object under test ( step 134 ) according to equation ( 14 ): ## equ10 ## where r ° ( i , j ) is black signal average of the raw video signal ; after the offset scan average ω ( j , k ) and the black signal averages of the offset scan ω °( j ) and raw video r °( i , j ) averages are respectively determined in accordance with equations ( 12 )-( 14 ), the computer then calculates a corrected video signal r &# 39 ;( i , j , k ) ( step 136 ) according to equation ( 15 ): in equation ( 15 ), the expression in the second set of brackets is the approximation of the offsets of the video camera serving as optical sensor 14 . the terms r ° and ω ° correct the respective video signals for offset drift - in - time of the video camera . thus , r &# 39 ;( i , j , k ) is the video signal corrected for offset bias and for any time dependence of the black level . the black level is a relative level because the camera is ac - coupled with the rest of the data acquisition electronics . the subtraction within each bracketed term on the right hand side of equation ( 15 ) in effect forces the black level to an absolute value of zero . in an alternative embodiment , the front porch or both the front and back porches of the video signal are averaged rather than just the back porch for the offset scan and / or the scan of the object under test . moreover , equation ( 13 ) can be calculated by the computer before equation ( 12 ), with obvious changes in notation . in an alternate version of the third embodiment , the subtraction within the brackets of equation ( 15 ) can be performed by the electronics of the ddas rather than by the computer . fig1 illustrates apparatus constructed for practicing this alternate version of the third embodiment . the video signal is bifurcated into two output lines 42 and 44 , with output line 44 further split into lines 44a and 44b . the sample and hold device 46 , such as burr brown shc5320kh , is controlled by a controller , such as national lm1881m , and samples the signal during the back porch region of the video signal only . the sample and hold device 46 averages the back porch signal and holds the average value . the output of the sample and hold device is connected to the negative side of a digital amplifier 48 . if the video signal is a composite video signal then the signal is passed via line 44a through a sync stripper 49 . the output of the sync stripper 49 , the burst , corresponds to the black level of the back porch and becomes the input for the sample and hold device 46 . if the signal is not a composite video signal , then the sync stripper 49 is bypassed and the burst signal is replaced by a delayed horizontal synchronization signal which is equivalent to the black level of the back porch and is sent , via line 44c , to the sample and hold device 46 . the other video line 42 is directly connected to the positive input of the digital amplifier 48 . as the video signal is fed into the positive input of the digital amplifier , the average value of the back porch is fed into the negative input of the digital amplifier . the digital amplifier 48 , such as burr brown opag76jg wideband op amp , subtracts the average value of the back porch , as determined by the sample and hold device , from the video region of the video signal ( fig1 ) for both the offset scan and the scan of the object under test . after the signals are digitized by the analog - to - digital converter 18 , both sets of data are stored in either memory 25 or in storage 23 after subtraction by the digital amplifier . the subtracted data for the offset scan are subtracted from the scan of the object under test by the computer at a later time giving the corrected video signal r &# 39 ;( i , j , k ). as an alternative embodiment , the correction for the effect of offsets precedes the corrections for the above - described spatial distortions , both magnetic and geometric . this invention has application in image intensified computed tomography as well as digital radiography ( dr ) and digital subtraction angiography ( dsa ). if a volume ct image , dr image or and dsa image is desired , then all lines digitized are corrected . if , however , only central slice ( two - dimensional ct ) or multi - slice ct is desired , then only those lines needed for image reconstruction are corrected .	6
fig1 shows a controller 10 connected between a source 11 of electrical energy and a load 12 such as an electric motor . controller 10 includes a first single - pole single - throw normally open switch 13 having a fixed contact 14 and a movable contact 15 , a second single - pole single - throw normally open switch 16 having a fixed contact 17 and a movable contact 20 , and a relay 21 having a winding 22 which actuates an armature 23 to displace a movable contact 24 into engagement with a fixed contact 25 . a first circuit may be traced in fig1 from source 11 through conductor 26 , contacts 14 and 15 of switch 13 , conductor 27 , junction point 30 , conductor 31 , contacts 17 and 20 of switch 16 , conductor 32 , junction point 33 , and conductor 34 to load 12 , the circuit being completed to source 11 through conductors 35 and 36 . a second circuit may be traced from source 11 through conductor 26 , switch contacts 14 and 15 , conductor 27 , junction point 30 , conductor 37 , relay contacts 24 and 25 , conductor 40 , junction point 33 , and conductor 41 to relay winding 22 , the circuit being completed to source 11 through conductors 42 and 36 . it will be evident that relay contacts 24 and 25 are connected in parallel to switch contacts 17 and 20 by conductor 31 , junction point 30 , and conductor 37 , and conductor 32 , junction point 33 , and conductor 40 . in the arrangement of fig1 switch 13 must be closed before switch 16 , and switch 16 must be opened before switch 13 : a mechanical connection 43 may be provided for this purpose if desired . switch 16 must be rated to carry the starting current of load 12 , and switch 13 must be rated to break the current of load 12 . fig2 shows an application of my invention where a mechanical interlock between first and second switches is unnecessary . here it is desired to maintain the level of liquid 50 in a chamber 51 within a range indicated by an upper level l 1 and a lower level l 2 . a pump 52 is connected to chamber 51 by a coupling 53 , and is driven through a mechanical connection 54 by a motor 55 energized through a cable 56 and plug 57 . the arrangement may be either to pump out liquid when the level reaches l 1 , or to pump in liquid when the level reaches l 2 : an appropriate pump 52 for the purpose is to be provided , and a conduit 60 acts in the one case as an outlet and in the other case as an inlet . if desired , elements 52 to 55 may be combined in a submerged pump located within chamber 51 , outlet pipe 60 then rising from the pump . electrical energy for motor 55 , which corresponds to the load 12 of fig1 is supplied at a conventional outlet box 61 , and a &# 34 ; piggyback &# 34 ; plug 62 described below is interposed between plug 57 and outlet 61 . plug 62 is connected by cables 63 , 64 and 65 to a pair of float switches 66 and 67 mounted at levels l 1 and l 2 respectively in chamber 51 , as by being secured to a suitable vertical member 70 by clamps 71 and 72 . if a submerged pump is used , member 70 may comprise the outlet pipe from the pump . fig3 is a circuit diagram of the system shown in fig2 when used to pump liquids from chamber 51 . here outlet 61 comprises source 11 of fig1 and switching means 16 and 13 of fig1 comprise a pair of normally open mercury switches 73 and 74 , the latter being contained in lower float switch 67 of fig2 and the former being contained , with relay 21 , in upper float switch 66 of fig2 . source 11 is shown to comprise a conventional three - wire source , and the common ground wire 75 extends through piggyback plug 62 without interruption or tapping . motor 55 is connected to a pump which draws liquid from chamber 51 and exhausts it at conduit 60 . fig4 is a circuit diagram of the system shown in fig2 when used to pump liquid into chamber 51 . here outlet 61 comprises source 11 of fig1 and switch means 16 and 13 of fig1 comprise a pair of normally - closed mercury switches 76 and 77 , the latter being contained in upper float member 66 of fig2 and the former being contained , with relay 21 , in lower float switch 67 of fig2 . source 11 is again shown to comprise a conventional three - wire source , and the common ground 75 extends through piggyback plug 62 without interruption or tapping . motor 55 is connected to a pump which draws liquid from conduit 60 and supplies it to chamber 51 . float switches usable in connection with fig3 and 4 are disclosed in my copending patent application filed may 2 , 1979 , ser . no . 35 , 221 , which disclosure is incorporated herein by reference . since the relay is incorporated in one of the float switches , it is desirable that this relay be as small as possible , so that use of a relay of decreased rating and therefore smaller size is decidedly advantageous . turning first to fig1 when switch 13 is closed the circuits to load 12 and relay winding 22 are interrupted at switch contacts 17 and 20 and relay contacts 24 and 25 . when switch means 16 is also closed , both the circuit to the relay winding and that to the load are completed , through switch means 16 : the load draws a starting current through the switch , and relay contacts 24 and 25 close after a brief delay , in parallel with switch means 16 . switch means 16 may then be opened , and system operation will continue through the relay contacts . when it is desired to deenergize load 12 , switch 13 is opened , breaking the circuit before relay contacts 24 and 25 have time to open . consider now fig2 and 3 . the rising liquid in chamber 51 is approaching level l 1 . float switch 67 has taken its solid line position , in which mercury switch 74 closes , but this did not energize motor 55 or relay 21 , as described above . however , when the liquid reaches level l 1 , float switch 66 has reached its solid line position , in which mercury switch 73 closes , energizing relay winding 22 and motor 55 : relay contacts 24 and 25 close after the initial starting current has passed . pump 52 is now driven to draw liquid from chamber 51 : as the level falls float switch 66 returns to its broken line position in which mercury switch 73 is opened , but the circuits to the relay and motor are maintained by relay contacts 24 and 25 . when the liquid reaches level l 2 , float switch 67 returns to its broken line position , mercury switch 74 breaks the circuit to the relay and the motor , and then relay contacts 24 and 25 open , after the circuit breaking is accomplished by switch 74 . operation is very similar in fig2 and 4 . the falling liquid in chamber 51 is approaching level l 2 . float switch 66 has taken its broken line position , in which mercury switch 77 closes , but that did not energize motor 55 or relay 21 , as described above . however , when the liquid reaches level l 2 , float switch 67 has reached its broken line position , in which mercury switch 76 closes , energizing relay winding 22 and motor 55 : relay contacts 24 and 25 close after the initial starting current has passed . pump 52 is now driven to supply liquid from conduit 60 to chamber 51 : as the level rises , float member 67 returns to its solid line position , in which mercury switch 76 is open , but the circuits to the relay and the motor are maintained by relay contacts 24 and 25 . when the liquid reaches level l 1 , float switch 66 returns to its solid line position , mercury switch 77 breaks the circuit to the relay and the motor , and then relay contacts 24 and 25 open , after the circuit breaking is accomplished . from the foregoing it will be evident that i have invented an arrangement whereby the contacts of a relay are relieved of circuit making and breaking functions and perform only a circuit maintaining function , in circuits where a pair of switch means are used to control the relay and the motor , as well as a liquid level control apparatus using the new arrangement .	6
this invention is not limited to the particular methodology , protocols , cell lines , vectors , and reagents described herein because they may vary . further , the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention . as used herein and in the appended claims , the singular forms “ a , ” “ an ,” and “ the ” include plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise , e . g ., reference to “ an antibody ” includes a plurality of such antibodies . unless defined otherwise , all technical and scientific terms and any acronyms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art in the field of the invention . although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice of the present invention , the methods , devices , and materials are described herein . all patents and publications mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference to the extent allowed by law for the purpose of describing and disclosing the proteins , enzymes , vectors , host cells , and methodologies reported therein that might be used with the present invention . however , nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the invention is not entitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior invention . as is well known in the art , ion exchangers may be based on various materials with respect to the matrix as well as to the attached charged groups . for example , the following matrices may be used , in which the materials mentioned may be more or less cross - linked : agarose based ( such as sepharose fast flow ® ( such as q - sepharose ff ), and sepharose high performance ®; cellulose based ( such as deae sephacel ®); silica based and synthetic polymer based , or resins such as superq - 650 ( from tosoh biosep ) and macro high q ( from bio - rad ). for the anion exchange resin , the charged groups which are covalently attached to the matrix may , e . g ., be diethylaminoethyl ( deae ), quaternary aminoethyl ( qae ), and / or quaternary ammonium ( q ). in a preferred embodiment of the present process , the anion exchange resin employed is q - sepharose ff ®, but other anion exchangers can be used . although any of these resins may be used for small scale purification of antibodies , only those resins of sufficient size and lower cost are amenable to manufacturing scale separation . if the size of the resin is too small , there is considerable back pressure generated in the system . in addition , the amount of antibody that can be purified is limited . if the resin is costly to make or purchase , it is not economically feasible / practical for use in large scale purification . thus , the resin used in the present invention must be of sufficient size to provide efficient scale - up without being prohibitively expensive . “ manufacturing level purification ” means purification of antibodies from a recombinant preparation on a scale sufficient to meet commercial scale production . the resin used in the predetermination step should be the same as that used in the final protocol for manufacturing level purification because one may not easily predict the variation in conditions necessary to separate the aggregates if the resin is changed . a particular resin that is useful in small scale or bench top purification may not be amenable to large scale purification . such resins useful for the present invention include , e . g ., q - sepharose ff ™. however , the skilled artisan would recognize other anion exchange resins useful for commercial scale production . the appropriate volume of resin used when packing an ion exchange chromatography column is reflected by the dimensions of the column , i . e . the diameter of the column and the height of the resin , and varies depending on , e . g ., the amount of antibody in the applied solution and the binding capacity of the resin used . before performing an ion exchange chromatography , the exchange resin may be equilibrated with a buffer . any of a variety of buffers are suitable for the equilibration of exchange resin , e . g . sodium acetate , sodium phosphate , tris ( hydroxymethyl ) amino - methane , tris , phosphate , bis - tris , and l - histidine . persons skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous other buffers may be used for the equilibration as long as the ph and conductivity are about the same as for the applied antibody solution . when performing the “ bind - washout ” process , the equilibration buffers and the wash buffers are the same . when performing the “ bind - elute ” process , the elution buffers may be made of one or more buffer substances to control the ph . the salt used is , e . g ., a highly soluble salt , such as sodium chloride or potassium phosphate , but any salt may be used that maintains the functionality of the antibody and allows removal of the antibody monomer from the resin . in performing the “ bind - elute ” process , the elution of the antibody monomers from the resin may be performed with a substantially non - denaturating buffer having a ph and ionic strength sufficient to efficiently elute the monomeric antibody , thereby recovering an antibody - containing eluate , while leaving the aggregates bound to the resin . in this context , efficient elution means that at least 75 %, or at least 80 %, or at least 85 %, or at least 90 %, or at least 95 % of the antibody loaded onto the resin is recovered . only about 1 . 0 %, preferably only 0 . 5 %, most preferably less than 0 . 1 % aggregates remain in the antibody preparation following ion exchange . the elution is advantageously carried out as a step gradient elution step . in the process of the present invention , the preferred buffer used is tris having a ph within the range of the pi value of the antibody monomers . it is preferred that the salt concentration of the eluting buffer is sufficiently high to displace the antibody monomers from the resin without displacing the aggregates . however , it is contemplated that an increase in ph and a lower salt concentration can be used to elute the antibody monomers from the resin . when performing the “ bind - washout ” process , the recovery of the antibody from the resin may be performed with a non - denaturing buffer having a ph and an ionic strength sufficient to enable the monomeric antibody to bind weakly to the resin and then to be displaced from the column during the wash step , thereby recovering an antibody monomer - containing pool , while leaving the majority of aggregate bound to the resin . the buffer used for the equilibration and wash steps is the same . the present invention allows the effective removal of aggregated antibody from an antibody monomer preparation by q - sepharose fast flow ® chromatography at ph ranges near , as well as higher than , the pi value of the antibody with varied salt concentrations . when the “ bind - elute ” process is used after an antibody sample is bound to the resin , the antibody monomer can be eluted by changing the salt concentration and / or ph of the elution buffer through a step gradient elution program , leaving the majority of the aggregates bound to the resin . when the “ bind - washout ” process is used , due to the heterogeneity of pi values of an antibody , the part ( s ) of the antibody monomer that has / have higher pi values can flow through the resin , and the part ( s ) of the antibody monomer that has / have lower pi values can bind weakly on the resin and can be eluted from the resin by a certain volume of equilibration buffer , after an antibody sample is loaded on the resin . the efficiency of aggregate removal by the optimized step gradient elution is generally 80 - 90 % in the “ bind - elute ” process . about 70 - 90 % of aggregate removal can be achieved in the “ bind - washout ” process . the antibody to be purified may be of any isotype , including igg1 , igg2 , igg3 , igg4 , igm , etc . a cell culture supernatant containing a desired antibody to be purified may be processed through an immobilized protein a column , e . g ., prosep a ( millipore ) or mabselect ( amersham biosciences ). the antibody sample may also be applied to a hydrophobic interaction column ( hic ), e . g ., phenyl sepharose fast flow ® ( amersham biosciences ), or cation exchange , e . g , cm - speharose fast flow ® ( amersham biosciences ). the antibody preparation may be stored under appropriate conditions at this stage . the present process for aggregate removal may also be performed prior to any purification steps . in this example , an anti - ige antibody , tnx - 901 , comprising an igg1 framework was used . prior to q - sepharose ff ® anion exchange chromatography , the monoclonal antibody sample was adjusted to the desired ph for loading the antibody onto a q - sepharose ff ® column with , e . g ., tris buffer . the salt concentration of the sample was adjusted , based upon the designed loading antibody condition . sample buffer exchange may be done using a variety of column resins , e . g ., sephadex g - 25 fine resin , or by direct conditioning without a column or filtration . the percentage of the aggregates in each prepared sample was determined , including the fractions collected through sample loading , washing and eluting steps . superdex 200 hr pre - packed analytical column may be used to determine percent aggregate level . fig1 depicts the antibody concentration and aggregate levels in each antibody fraction versus elution volume for the antibody tnx - 901 following anion exchange . the appropriate salt concentrations used for loading and eluting conditions at the various ph conditions were determined by applying a linear gradient of salt concentration increments under designed ph conditions . the ph range determined for loading the tnx - 901 antibody sample was 8 . 2 to 9 . 2 . at ph 8 . 2 the antibody monomers and aggregates both bind onto q - sepharose ff ® resin with loading buffer of 10 mm tris . however , the salt concentrations of the buffers for loading and eluting antibody sample may be simultaneously increased when the loading buffer ph is increased from 8 . 2 to 9 . 2 for tnx - 901 antibody . for example , a q - sepharose ff ® column ( 1 cm id × 9 cm height ) was equilibrated with 10 mm tris at ph 8 . 6 . the buffer - adjusted antibody sample prepped according to example 1 was then loaded onto the column . the antibody was loaded at − 17 mg / ml of resin . under these conditions the antibody monomers and aggregates bound to the column . the column was washed with 5 column volumes of equilibrating buffer ( 10 mm tris , ph 8 . 6 ) after loading the antibody . the bound antibody was eluted with 15 column volumes of the buffer containing 10 mm tris , ph 8 . 6 using a linear salt gradient from 0to 500 mm . fractions were collected over the course of the elution phase . antibody concentration and aggregate levels were measured in each antibody fraction . the salt concentration of each antibody fraction was also measured by determining its osmolarity . the results are shown in table 1 . from these results , it was determined that the salt concentration in the first antibody elution fraction was − 65 mm , and thus , the salt concentration that may be used at ph 8 . 6 to load antibody sample should be below 60 mm . the salt concentration that could be used to elute antibody with a step gradient would be between 65 mm and 135 mm based on the results shown in table 1 for fractions 1 and 2 . fig1 shows the antibody concentration and aggregate level in each antibody fraction versus eluate volume . retention time for aggregates is slightly longer than that for the antibody monomer . as one can observe , the differences in retention times for the antibody monomer and aggregates were not sufficient for adequate separation using a linear gradient elution program . therefore , using the present invention process , the buffers with various phs were tested with a step - salt gradient , in order to maximize the separation of tnx - 901 antibody monomer from its aggregates . the highest salt concentration for loading antibody sample at each ph condition was determined and the final salt concentration of the elution buffer for eluting antibody monomer at each ph condition was also optimized to achieve the maximal percentage of aggregate removal and the high yield of the antibody recovery . aggregate removal by q - sepharose ff ® resin in the “ bind - elute ” process was studied over a ph range from 8 . 2 to 9 . 2 . the amount of antibody loaded was in the range of 15 - 37 mg / ml of resin , and the amount of aggregate loaded was in the range of 0 . 1 - 0 . 25 mg / ml of resin . table 2 presents the results of aggregate removal and antibody monomer recovery over this ph range . it was determined from these results that a ph of 9 . 2 was optimal for the highest aggregate removal , while still recovering the majority of the antibody monomer in the eluate . table 3 shows the operating conditions for the separation of tnx901 on q - sepharose ff ® at ph 9 . 2 . the q - sepharose ff ® column was at 1 cm id × 9 cm bed height . the antibody recovery was over 95 % under these tested conditions . the antibody peak pool had about 6 column volumes and contained less than 0 . 1 % aggregates . the chromatogram is shown in fig2 . in this example , a different monoclonal antibody , tnx - 355 , was tested having an igg4 framework . the appropriate salt concentrations used for loading and eluting conditions at the various ph conditions were determined by applying linear gradient of salt concentration increment at the designed ph conditions . the ph range determined for loading tnx - 355 antibody sample was 6 . 5 to 8 . 2 . at the antibody loading condition of low conductivity , most of the antibody and its aggregates bind to the q - sepharose ff ® resin . for example , a q - sepharose ff ® column ( 1 cm id × 11 cm height ) was equilibrated with 10 mm tris , ph 8 . 0 , and 25 mm nacl . the buffer - adjusted antibody sample was then loaded onto the column . the buffer - adjusted antibody sample prepped according to example 1 was then loaded onto the column at − 11 mg / ml of resin . under these conditions the antibody and its aggregates bound to the column . the column was washed with 6 column volumes of equilibrating buffer ( 10 mm tris , 25 mm nacl , ph 8 . 0 ) after loading antibody . the bound antibody was eluted with 5 column volumes of a linear gradient from 25 mm nacl to 250 mm nacl at ph 8 . 0 , and then with 5 column volumes of 250 mm nacl at ph 8 . 0 . fractions were collected over the course of the elution phase . antibody concentration and aggregate levels were measured in each antibody fraction . the salt concentration of each antibody fraction was also determined by measuring the osmolarity . the results are shown in table 4 . as seen in the results from this table , the salt concentration may be between ˜ 40 mm ( 80 mosmo / kg ) and ˜ 90 mm ( 180 mosmo / kg ) based on the osmolarity of fractions 1 - 3 and the point where aggregate begins to elute from the column . fig3 shows the antibody concentration and aggregate levels in each fraction versus elution volume . at ph 8 . 0 , which was 0 . 8 ph units higher than the upper limit of tnx - 355 antibody pi range , both the antibody and its aggregates bound tightly to the q resin . by gradually increasing the salt concentration in the elution buffer , the antibody monomer and aggregates were eluted from the q column at different retention times . a small difference in retention time between the antibody monomer and its aggregates was also observed . an elution step with the optimized ph and salt concentration , which is close to the second fraction condition , in elution buffer can be used to elute the antibody monomer . the q - sepharose ff ® columns used for this study were at 1 cm id with 11 - 20 cm bed height . table 5 presents the results under loading and eluting conditions with working phs at 7 . 8 and 8 . 0 . the salt concentration in loading buffer was kept at 25 mm sodium chloride with 10 mm tris for every run . the amount of antibody loaded was in the range of 9 - 20 mg / ml of resin , and the amount of aggregate was in the range of 0 . 13 - 0 . 58 mg / ml of resin . the antibody recovery was over 88 % under these tested conditions . the antibody peak pool had about 6 - 7 column volumes and contained less than 0 . 4 % of aggregates . the results in table 5 show also that the aggregate removal on q - sepharose ® resin is more effective at ph 8 . 0 than 7 . 8 under the same salt concentration for eluting the antibody . since the pi range for the tnx - 355 antibody is between ph 6 . 4 and 7 . 2 , using a higher chromatographic ph that is above the pi range will result in the better separation of the antibody from its aggregate . based on the results shown in table 4 , selection of salt concentration between the fractions 1 - 3 can be applied in equilibration and washing buffer in the “ bind - washout ” process . fig4 shows the results of chromatographic runs at selected loading and washing conditions . the loading and washing salt concentrations of 70 - 90 mm sodium chloride , which were between the fractions of 2 - 3 listed in table 4 , were tested at ph 8 . 2 . more than 60 % of aggregate can be removed and over 80 % of the antibody can be recovered . the aggregate level in the purified product was less than 0 . 5 %. tnx - 355 antibody aggregate removal by q - sepharose ff ® resin using the “ bind - elute ” process was studied at a ph above 7 . 5 . the process from an example of the q - sepharose ff ® run at ph 8 . 0 is presented in table 7 , and its chromatogram is shown in fig5 . tnx - 355 antibody aggregate removal by q - sepharose ff ® resin using the “ bind - washout ” process was studied at a ph 8 . 2 . the process from an example of the q - sepharose ff ® run with a column of 5 cm internal diameter and 27 cm bed height is presented in table 8 , and its chromatogram is shown in fig6 . the preceding description has been presented only to illustrate and describe embodiments of the invention . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to any precise form disclosed . many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching . for example , although the process as outlined above describes in detail the process for monoclonal antibodies tnx901 and tnx355 , the process as described may be readily modified to suit any monoclonal antibody in any given recombinant antibody product .	2
referring now to fig1 , it will there be seen that an illustrative embodiment of the invention is denoted as a whole by the reference numeral 10 . the novel apparatus is known as a vacuum disk because it is not a conventional suction cup . the vacuum in a suction cup is small in magnitude and quickly dissipates . the vacuum in the novel vacuum disc , on the other hand , is a much greater vacuum and is not subject to quick dissipation . the novel vacuum disk will be known commercially as the vakudisk . apparatus 10 includes hollow base 12 , preferably having a disc shape although a shape of any predetermined geometrical configuration is within the scope of this invention . apparatus 10 further includes sealing member 13 and a central hub 14 that is formed integrally with hollow base 12 . annular step 16 is formed in said central hub 14 about mid - height thereof and has a downward slope . in this embodiment , sealing member 13 is provided in the form of a sealing ring but non - annular sealing members are within the scope of this invention . hub 14 defines an opening within which is received a valve member , the trailing end 18 of which is depicted in fig1 . cylindrical housing 20 includes flange 23 formed integrally therewith at its leading end . flange 23 has a downward slope that matches the downward slope of annular step 16 . housing 20 houses a plunger having a trailing end 22 that is depicted in fig1 . referring now to fig2 , it will there be seen that trailing end 22 is a handle adapted to be manually grasped . handle 22 is formed integrally with plunger rod 24 having a plunger head or piston 26 formed integrally therewith at a leading end thereof . annular grooves are formed in the periphery of piston head 26 to accommodate o - rings 28 a , 28 b . said o - rings perform a sealing function that substantially seals air in trailing space 30 a from air in leading space 30 b when the novel structure is used in the way disclosed hereinafter . valve member 32 includes trailing end 18 as aforesaid . it further includes base 34 formed integrally with said trailing end 18 , said base 34 having a diameter that is less than that of trailing end 18 . valve member 32 further includes neck 36 that is formed integrally with base 34 and which has a reduced diameter with respect thereto . retainer 38 of valve member 32 is formed integrally with neck 36 and has a diameter greater than that of neck 36 . the diameter of retainer 38 is less than that of base 34 in this illustrative embodiment but such dimension is not believed to be critical . hub 14 includes flat top wall 40 of annular configuration . flat top wall 40 supports trailing end 18 of valve 32 when valve 32 is in its position of repose as depicted in fig2 . hub 14 further includes an integrally formed , radially inwardly extending first step 42 that similarly supports base 34 when valve 32 is in repose . hub 14 further includes undercut 44 that provides a stop means for leading end 38 of valve 32 . the operation of apparatus 10 is best understood in connection with fig4 and 5 . fig4 depicts piston head 26 in a position where it is almost fully advanced within cylindrical housing 20 . when fully advanced , flat leading end 26 a of piston head 26 bears against trailing end 18 of valve 32 . this is the position the apparatus is placed into at the start of the vacuum - creating procedure . after positioning apparatus 10 in the position depicted in fig4 , with sealing member 13 bearing firmly against a suitable support surface such as a wall , handle 22 is abruptly retracted from cylindrical housing 20 as indicated by single - headed directional arrow 46 in fig5 . air in vacuum space 48 flows in the direction indicated by directional arrows 50 during the time said handle 22 is being retracted . trailing end 18 of valve 32 is transiently bent as depicted in fig5 so that air in said vacuum space 48 may flow therepast . when piston head 26 is fully retracted from cylindrical housing 20 , ambient air then rushes into said cylindrical housing as indicated by arrows 52 in fig6 , forcing flat trailing end 18 into sealing relation to top wall 40 and sealing a vacuum in vacuum space 48 . tests have shown that the vacuum thereby created can withstand an externally applied pulling force of nineteen ( 19 ) pounds , far in excess of all suction cups heretofore known . moreover , the vacuum is sustained at high levels for a very long period of time , far longer than heretofore achieved . cap 54 in fig6 is provided with novel apparatus 10 at the time of purchase and is used to seat trailing end 18 of valve 32 firmly against top wall 40 of hub 14 when apparatus 10 is in storage . a second embodiment is depicted in fig7 – 12c . the same reference numerals are applied to parts that clearly correspond to parts in the first embodiment , even if the second embodiment of said parts is not exactly the same as the first embodiment . handle 22 of this embodiment is provided in the form of a rectangle so that it is easier to use than the flat handle of the first embodiment . a user may place one or two fingers through the loop formed by the rectangle so that plunger rod 24 may be quickly and easily pulled out of cylindrical housing 20 . plunger rod 24 has a transverse cross - sectional shape of a plus (+) sign to save materials . annular raised ridges 29 a – 29 b are integrally formed with piston head 26 , in lieu of the o - rings of the first embodiment , but said raised ridges perform the same sealing function as said o - rings . fig7 indicates that plunger rod 24 and plunger head 26 are separate parts . plunger rod 24 is formed of a relatively stiff , high impact plastic but plunger head 26 and the piston rings formed integrally therewith are formed of a soft , flexible and resilient elastomer . said plunger head 26 is engaged to mounting disc 27 that is secured to plunger rod 24 . accordingly , plunger head 26 does not separate from plunger rod 24 when handle 22 is pulled . cylindrical housing 20 includes flat flange 19 at its trailing end but said flange is provided for aesthetic purposes . the leading end of cylindrical housing 20 is connected to a separate part 20 a . as best understood in connection with fig9 , said separate part 20 a slidingly receives the leading end of housing 20 and engages said leading end in the manner depicted . specifically , housing 20 has a radially - inwardly turned lip 21 a that is engaged by a radially outwardly turned catch 21 b . significantly , cylindrical housing 20 is made of a relatively stiff , high impact plastic like piston rod 24 , but separate part 20 a is formed of a soft , flexible and resilient elastomer like piston head 26 . elastomeric sealing member 13 is affixed to an underside of base 12 . in this second embodiment , sealing member 13 has a generally square shape but other predetermined geometrical configurations are within the scope of this invention . more particularly , a generally square channel having upstanding sidewalls is formed in the underside of base 12 and elastomeric sealing member 13 is press fit into said channel . accordingly , no adhesive is required to secure sealing member to the underside of base 12 . however , it is within the scope of this invention to secure sealing member 13 to the underside of base 12 by employing adhesives or other attachment means . the thickness of sealing member 13 is greater than the height of the sidewalls of base 12 as indicated in the drawings . this provides ample compression space before said sidewalls abut the support surface to which the novel vacuum disk is attached . hub 14 surmounts base 12 and arm 15 extends therefrom as shown . arm 15 may have a bend formed therein as depicted , or it may be hook - shaped , straight , or the like . an item to be supported by the novel vacuum disc is hung from said arm 15 in a well - known way . base 12 and hub 14 are both centrally apertured . the aperture formed in base 12 is denoted 12 a and the aperture formed in hub 14 is denoted 14 a . as best understood in connection with fig1 a and 12c , neck 36 of valve 32 extends through aperture 12 a . base 34 of said valve , which forms a “ t ” with said neck 36 , is positioned below the plane of base 12 in space 48 . a radially inwardly extending annular step 23 is formed in elastomeric part 20 a and said step 23 abuts the top of hub 14 when the leading end of elastomeric part 20 a abuts base 12 as depicted in fig1 . empty space 25 is thus defined between piston head 26 and hub 14 when the leading end of elastomeric part 20 a abuts base 12 . space 25 expands as piston head 26 is retracted from cylindrical housing 20 , thereby creating a vacuum within the hollow interior of cylindrical housing 20 . the air in sealed vacuum space 48 therefore momentarily lifts valve 32 so that air in vacuum space 48 may flow into expanding space 25 . base 34 of valve 32 limits the upward travel of valve 32 so that said valve 32 has a very short downward distance to travel when ambient air rushes into the hollow interior of cylindrical housing 20 . as in the first embodiment , with the leading end of elastomeric part 20 a disposed in abutting relation to base 12 so that hub 14 is snugly received within said elastomeric part 20 a as depicted in fig1 , withdrawal of plunger rod 24 from cylindrical housing 20 momentarily unseats valve 32 as air in vacuum space 48 is pulled into the hollow interior of cylindrical housing 20 . complete withdrawal of piston head 26 from cylindrical housing 20 allows ambient air to rush into said hollow interior , thereby quickly sealing valve 32 so that a strong vacuum is maintained in vacuum space 48 . a cap made of a soft , flexible and resilient material may then be placed over hub 14 for aesthetic purposes , i , e ., to conceal valve 32 . an alternative embodiment is depicted in fig1 a – 12c . instead of integrally forming arm 15 and base 12 , arm 15 is integrally formed with a separate piece that slidingly engages hub 14 . the separate piece is a hub cover 50 having external flange 52 and interior flange 54 that slidingly engages neck 14 b of hub 14 . in all embodiments , sealing member 13 provides a good seal not only on perfectly flat surfaces but also on slightly uneven surfaces and on textured surfaces as well . significantly , hollow cylinder 20 need not be positioned at a precise perpendicular relation to base 12 . this is because the leading end 20 a of said cylinder 20 is formed of a flexible and resilient material as aforesaid and therefore said cylinder may be tilted relative to its perpendicular position without substantially affecting its performance . to obtain a good seal on even surfaces as well as on textured surfaces , the material from which the sealing member or gasket is made must have certain properties . in the manufacturing process , the material must go into a plastic state when heat - treated and must change into an elastic state after cooling down . determining the ability of the material to seal on a rough surface is important , as is the modulus of the material . materials of the same hardness may have a different stiffness because the quality of hardness indicates resistance to deformation or indenture and the quality of stiffness relates to the ability of a material to bend or stretch . a low compression set must be achieved to provide a long - term lifetime to the material and to enable its re - use . any elastic material will lose its ability to return to its original thickness over time . the loss of resiliency may reduce , over time , the capability to perform of an elastomeric material in the form of a gasket , cushioning pad , sealing member , or the like . the resulting permanent set that a sealing member may attain may cause a leak . accordingly , the sealing material is preferably based on styrene - block - copolymers that are generally available as styrene - ethylenebutylene - styrene . additional components include oils , secondary polymers such as polypropylene , and additives that achieve specific goals . there is a wide choice of components . moreover , the proportions may be changed but it is important to attain the required degree of hardness to ensure that the sealing member or gasket will seal tightly on flat , uneven , and textured surfaces . those skilled in the chemical arts can therefore tailor the compounds to reach specific targets , and change certain properties while retaining other properties . the microstructure includes block - copolymers / oil phase in an interpenetrating network with a secondary copolymer . a fine interpenetration network is important and is achieved by choosing a secondary copolymer which has good miscibility with the block - copolymer , and with similar viscosity to the block - copolymer / oil mixture . when a good interpenetration network is achieved , then the properties of the secondary polymer and the block - copolymer / oil phase are synergistically enhanced . the desired properties of the sealing member include weathering resistance and ability to reach a low hardness . the sealing member should have high resistance against acids , bases , and alcohols . it should exhibit high ozone and uv - resistance . the durometer reading on the shore hardness a scale should be between 5 and 60 . the novel seal conforms to uneven surfaces very well as aforesaid . it was tested by nasa using helium instead of atmospheric air and found to have no leaks . it will thus be seen that the objects set forth above , and those made apparent from the foregoing description , are efficiently attained and since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention , it is intended that all matters contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . it is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described , and all statements of the scope of the invention which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall therebetween .	5
self - locking parcel delivery box 5 comprises : a vertical support plate 10 , a floating base plate 20 , a floating stanchion 30 , at least one spring 40 , a swing arm 50 , a striker plate 60 , a latch assembly 70 , and a container 80 . container 80 comprises : a container bottom 82 , at least one container side 84 , a hinged lid 86 , and a hinge 88 . container 80 is a secure hollow container in the shape of a rectangular cuboid , a cube , or a cylinder with an interior and an exterior . container 80 is impervious to water . in the cases of a rectangular cuboid shaped container 80 and a cube shaped container 80 , container 80 comprises four container sides 84 that are each rigid planar members that are impervious to water with a width , a height , an inner surface , an outer surface , an upper end , and a lower end . in the case of a cylindrical shaped container 80 , container 80 comprises one container side 84 that is a rigid cylindrical shaped member that is impervious to water with a circumference , a height , an inner surface , an outer surface , an upper end , and a lower end . container bottom 82 is a rigid planar member that is impervious to water with an upper surface and a lower surface . inner surfaces of container sides 84 face the interior of container 80 . exterior surfaces of container sides 84 face the exterior of container 80 . in the case of a rectangular cuboid shaped container 80 , container bottom 82 is rectangular shaped or square shaped . in the case of a cube shaped container 80 , container bottom 82 is square shaped . in the case of a cylindrical shaped container 80 , container bottom 82 is circular shaped . all outer edges of container bottom 82 are rigidly attached to container side ( s ) 84 to form a watertight connection or seam there between . watertight connection or seam must be sturdy , waterproof , weatherproof , and able to withstand attempts to pry the seam open in order to prevent someone from breaking into the container 80 . container bottom 82 and container side ( s ) 84 form an open - topped watertight receptacle . hinged lid 86 is a rigid planar member that is impervious to water with an outer edge , an upper surface , and a lower surface . in the case of a rectangular cuboid shaped container 80 , hinged lid 86 is rectangular shaped or square shaped . in the case of a cube shaped container 80 , hinged lid 86 is square shaped . in the case of a cylindrical shaped container 80 , hinged lid 86 is circular shaped . hinge 88 is a hinge or bearing member that pivotally attaches or connects hinged lid 88 to a container side 84 . hinge 88 is positioned vertically so that its axis of rotation is positioned horizontally . hinge 88 has an upper end and a lower end . the lower end of hinge 88 is rigidly attached to the upper end of a container side 84 . the upper end of hinge 88 is rigidly attached to the outer edge of hinged lid 86 . hinge 88 functions to allow the pivotal attachment of hinge 88 to a side 84 of container 80 to allow for the rotation of hinged lid 82 about hinge 88 . hinged lid 86 rotates upwards to open hinged lid 86 and rotates downwards to close hinged lid 86 . when hinged lid 86 is closed , it is positioned horizontally and forms a waterproof and weatherproof connection with the upper end ( s ) of all container side ( s ) 84 . when hinged lid 86 is closed and locked shut , it forms sturdy connection with the upper end ( s ) of all container side ( s ) 84 that is able to withstand attempts to pry hinged lid 86 open in order to prevent someone from breaking into container 80 when it is locked shut . in best mode , there are two hinges 88 . vertical support plate 10 is a rigid oblong planar member with an overall width , an overall height , a lower end , an upper end , an inner surface , and an outer surface . vertical support plate 10 is positioned vertically inside the interior of container 80 with its lower end rigidly affixed to the upper surface container bottom 82 with the longitudinal axis of vertical support plate 20 perpendicular to container bottom 80 . the inner surface of vertical support plate 10 faces the interior of container 80 . the outer surface of vertical support plate 10 faces the exterior of container 80 . vertical support plate 10 is positioned adjacent to a container side 84 so that there is about 0 . 125 to 2 . 0 inches of space between the outer surface of vertical support plate 10 and the inner surface of the adjacent container side 84 . floating stanchion 30 , at least one spring 40 , swing arm 50 , and rotating striker plate 6 are located and housed between the outer surface of vertical support plate 10 and the inner surface of the adjacent container side 84 as depicted . vertical support plate 10 is a sturdy vertical support member that solely supports floating base plate 20 , floating stanchion 30 , at least one spring 40 , swing arm 50 , rotating striker plate 60 , and the weight of a package or parcel 100 placed inside self - locking parcel delivery box 5 . floating base plate 20 , floating stanchion 30 , at least one spring 40 , swing arm 50 , rotating striker plate 60 , and package or parcel 100 move or float upwards and downwards relative to vertical support plate 10 , which is stationary and rigidly affixed to container bottom 82 . vertical support plate 10 also functions as a housing , firewall , or divider plate to separate floating stanchion 30 , at least one spring 40 , swing arm 50 , and rotating striker plate 6 , which are moving parts , from the interior of container 80 where a package or parcel 100 is placed , in order to all keep moving parts from physically contacting or touching package or parcel 100 . overall width of vertical support plate 10 must be less than the width or circumference of container side 84 and height of vertical support plate 10 must be less than that of container side 84 to allow vertical support plate 10 to fit inside container 80 . any know attachment means may be used to attach lower end of vertical support plate 10 to upper surface of container bottom 82 such as weld , glue , epoxy , bolts , screws , rivets , clips , or snaps . in best mode , vertical support plate 10 is rectangular . vertical support plate 10 further comprises a floating base plate window 12 . floating base plate window 12 is a rectangular shaped void or notch in the lower end of vertical support plate 10 as depicted . floating base plate window 12 has a width , a height , a left end , a right end and an upper end . floating base plate window 12 functions to provide clearance for floating base plate 20 to freely float or move vertically upwards and downwards . the width of floating base plate window 12 is slightly large than the width of floating base plate 20 . the height of floating base plate window 12 must be large enough to allow for sufficient vertical movement of floating base plate 20 to yield sufficient rotation of rotating striker plate 60 to allow successful locking and unlocking of latch assembly 70 . this mechanism is described in more detail below . vertical support plate 10 further comprises at least one spring attachment point 14 on its outer surface at its upper end . typically , there is one spring attachment point 14 for each spring 40 . spring attachment point 14 is a means to reversibly attach the upper end of a spring 40 thereto . spring attachment means could be any known means such as a hook , a ring , an eye , a hole , a connector , a fitting , fastener , screw , bolt , staple , nail , or any other known means . vertical support plate 10 further comprises a rotating striker plate pivotal attachment means 16 on its outer surface at its upper end . rotating striker plate pivotal attachment means 16 functions to pivotally attach rotating striker plate 60 to the outer surface of vertical support member 10 at a location just below rotating striker plate window 18 as depicted . rotating striker plate pivotal attachment means 16 is a means to pivotally attached rotating striker plate 60 to vertical support plate 10 , which could be accomplished by a hinge , a bearing , an axle , a hub , a spindle , a pin , a rivet , a screw , a bolt , or any other know means of pivotal attachment . vertical support plate 10 further comprises a striker plate window 18 . striker plate window 18 is a rectangular shaped or semi - rectangular shaped void or hole in the upper end of vertical support plate 10 that functions to receive a spring loaded latch 72 when hinged lid 86 is locked shut . striker plate window 18 must be sized slight larger than spring loaded latch 72 so that spring loaded latch 72 may penetrate through striker plate window in order to lock latch assembly 70 to striker plate window 18 . one end of rotating striker plate 60 , called the striker plate protrusion 66 , is inserted through striker plate window 18 as depicted . rotating striker plate 60 rotates back and forth within striker plate window 18 in order to either disallow hinged lid 86 from locking shut or to allow hinged lid to lock shut . as discussed below , rotating striker plate 60 rotates back and forth to block striker plate window 18 so that spring loaded latch 72 cannot penetrate into striker plate window 18 or to unblock striker plate window 18 to allow spring loaded latch 72 to penetrate striker plate window 18 and lock hinged lid 86 shut . floating base plate 20 is a rigid horizontal planar member with an upper surface and a lower surface . in the case of a rectangular cuboid shaped container 80 , floating base plate 20 is rectangular shaped or square shaped . in the case of a cube shaped container 80 , floating base plate 20 is square shaped . in the case of a cylindrical shaped container 80 , floating base plate 20 is circular shaped . the outer dimensions of floating base plate 20 are slightly smaller than the inner dimensions of container 80 so that floating base plate may freely slide upwards and downwards without its edges touching the inner surface of container side ( s ) 84 but also without leaving too much clearance to allow for a package or parcel 100 to fall there between . the upper surface of floating base plate 20 is rigidly attached to the lower end of floating stanchion 30 . floating base plate 20 further comprises at least one spring attachment point 22 on its upper surface . typically , there is one spring attachment point 22 for each spring 40 . spring attachment point 22 is a means to reversibly attached the lower end of spring 40 thereto . spring attachment means could be accomplished any known means such as a hook , a ring , an eye , a hole , a connector , a fitting , fastener , screw , bolt , staple , nail , or any other known means . floating stanchion 30 is a rigid oblong planar member with an overall width , an overall height , a lower end , an upper end , an inner surface , and an outer surface . floating stanchion 30 is a sturdy vertical support member . floating stanchion 30 is positioned vertically between the outer surface of vertical support plate 10 and the inner surface of the adjacent container side 84 as depicted . the lower end of floating stanchion 30 is rigidly affixed to the upper surface of floating base plate 20 with the longitudinal axis of floating stanchion 30 perpendicular to floating base plate 20 . floating stanchion 30 further comprises a slideable attachment means 32 . slideable attachment means 32 is a means to slideably attach floating stanchion 30 to the outer surface of vertical support plate 10 so that floating stanchion 30 may slide vertically upwards and downwards , but is prevented from movement in all other directions . slideable attachment means 32 may be accomplished by any know means such as : wheel and track , tongue and groove , guide , bearing , loop , collar , or any other known means . in best mode , slideable attachment means 32 is two horizontal collars or loops rigidly attached to the inner surface of vertical support member 10 , one at the upper end of floating stanchion 30 , one at the lower end of floating stanchion 30 , with floating stanchion 30 running vertically and inserted through each as depicted . with this mode the two collars or loops each have an inner dimension that is sized to make a slip fit with the outer dimension of the horizontal cross section of floating stanchion 30 so that floating stanchion 30 may freely slide upwards and downwards but is retained from moving in all other directions . at least one spring 40 is a vertical spring member with an upper end and a lower end . at least one spring 40 is a coil spring , flat spring , machined spring , compression spring , cantilever spring , leaf spring , v - spring , gas spring , torsion spring , hairspring , rubber band , elastic band , or any other type of spring . best mode at least one spring 40 is a coil spring . the upper end of at least one spring 40 is connected to spring attachment point 14 on vertical base plate 10 . the lower end of at least one spring 40 is connected to spring attachment point 22 on floating base plate 20 . at least one spring 40 must be of the proper length and tension to apply continuous upward tension on floating base plate 20 to pull the floating base plate 20 all the way upwards to contact and rest against upper end of floating base plate window 12 when there is no package or parcel 100 sitting on the upper surface of floating base plate 20 , but still allow the floating base plate 20 fall all the way downwards to rest on the upper surface of container bottom 82 when a package or parcel 100 sitting on the upper surface of floating base plate 20 . in best mode , there are two springs 40 , where one is positioned on each side of floating stanchion 30 to provide equal or balanced upward tension on each side of floating stanchion 30 . swing arm 50 is a rigid oblong member with an upper end and a lower end . swing arm 50 has a lower pivotal attachment means 52 at its lower end and an upper pivotal attachment means 54 at its upper end . lower pivotal attachment means 52 is a means to pivotally attach the lower end of swing arm 50 to the upper end of floating stanchion 30 . pivotal attachment is such that swing arm 50 may freely rotate around the point of pivotal attachment and remains connected to the upper end of floating stanchion 30 . pivotal attachment could be accomplished by a hinge , a bearing , an axle , a hub , a spindle , a pin , a rivet , a screw , a bolt , or any other know means of pivotal attachment . upper pivotal attachment means 54 is a means to pivotally attach the upper end of swing arm 50 to swing arm pivotal attachment point 63 on rotating striker plate 60 . pivotal attachment is such that swing arm 50 may freely rotate around the point of pivotal attachment and remains connected to the pivotal attachment point 63 on rotating striker plate 60 . pivotal attachment could be accomplished by a hinge , a bearing , an axle , a hub , a spindle , a pin , a rivet , a screw , a bolt , or any other know means of pivotal attachment . rotating striker plate 60 is a rigid tri - planar member wherein two parallel planar members are rigidly connected together by a third planar member perpendicular thereto . rotating striker plate 60 comprises a plane one , a plane two , and a plane three , each with a first and second end . planes one and two are parallel to each other and plane three is perpendicular to planes one and two . the first end of plane three rigidly attached to second end of plane one and the second end of plane three rigidly attached to first end of plane two to yield a rigid step - shaped structure with two steps . rotating striker plate 60 is positioned within rotating striker plate window 18 so that : plane one is adjacent to and parallel with the outer surface of vertical support plate 10 , plane two is adjacent to and parallel with the inner surface of vertical support plate 10 , and plane three is perpendicular to vertical support plate 10 and straddles rotating striker plate window 18 with its first end adjacent to the outer surface of vertical support plate 10 and its second end adjacent to the inner surface of vertical support plate 10 , as depicted . rotating striker plate 60 further comprises a swing arm pivotal attachment point 62 located on the first end of plane one . rotating striker plate 60 is pivotally attached to swing arm 50 by rotating striker plate pivotal attachment means 16 . as stated , pivotal attachment could be accomplished by a hinge , a bearing , an axle , a hub , a spindle , a pin , a rivet , a screw , a bolt , or any other known means of pivotal attachment . rotating striker plate 60 further comprises a swing arm pivotal attachment point 63 also located on plane one , at a location that is above vertical support plate pivotal attachment point 62 . as stated , rotating striker plate 60 is pivotally attached to the upper end of swing arm 50 by upper pivotal attachment means 52 . rotating striker plate 60 further comprises a striker plate protrusion 64 . striker plate protrusion 64 is plane two of striker plate 60 . striker plate protrusion 64 functions to either : block striker plate window 18 to prevent spring loaded latch 72 from penetrating through striker plate window 18 in order to keep hinged lid 86 from locking shut or unblock striker plate window 18 to allow spring loaded latch 72 to penetrate through striker plate window 18 in order to lock hinged lid 86 shut . as a result of its mechanical connection or linkage to floating base plate 20 , rotating striker plate 60 blocks striker plate window 10 when floating base plate 20 is in its upper most position and unblocks striker plate window 10 when floating base plate 20 is in its lower most position . latch assembly 70 comprises a housing , an internal lock mechanism ( not depicted ), a spring loaded latch 72 , a key 74 , and a keyhole 76 . internal lock mechanism is a lock mechanism that functions to retract spring loaded latch 72 in response to the turning of key 74 when positioned in keyhole 76 . internal lock mechanism is a standard lock mechanism that allows the user to retract spring loaded latch 72 with the rotation of key 74 when properly inserted into keyhole 76 . spring loaded latch 72 is a standard latch with bias pressure forcing the latch to extend outward , which can be overcome by pressing the spring loaded latch 72 inward with about 0 . 25 - 10 pounds of force . to use self - locking parcel delivery box 5 , self - locking parcel delivery box 5 is placed in empty unlocked condition at a location where packages or parcels are normally delivered . at the time of package or parcel 100 delivery , hinged lid 86 is lifted or opened , the package or parcel 100 is placed inside , where the weight of the package or parcel 100 pushes or forces floating base plate 20 downwards so that rotating striker plate 60 rotates downwards to unblock striker plate window 18 . hinged lid 86 is then closed and pushed shut so that spring loaded latch 72 penetrates through striker plate window 18 to effectuate the locking shut of hinged lid 86 on container 80 . at the time of package or parcel 100 retrieval from self - locking parcel delivery box 5 , key 74 is placed in keyhole 76 and rotated therein to cause spring loaded latch 72 to retract from penetrating through striker plate window 18 to allow for hinged lid 86 to unlock . hinged lid 86 is then lifted or opened and package or parcel 100 is lifted off of floating base plate 20 and retrieved from container 80 . the lifting of package or parcel 100 off of floating base plate 20 causes the floating base plate 20 to rise upwards to cause rotating striker plate 60 to rotate back upwards to block striker plate window 18 to allow for hinged lid to remain openable and unlocked until another package or parcel 100 is placed inside container 80 .	0
the objects , characteristics and effects of the present invention will become apparent with the detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the illustration of related drawings as follows . with reference to fig1 for a schematic block diagram of an overvoltage protection circuit in accordance with the first preferred embodiment of the present invention , the overvoltage protection circuit 10 is installed between an input voltage v in and a portable electronic device 2 , for performing an overvoltage protection ( ovp ). the internal circuit unit 4 of the portable electronic device 2 is configured with a maximum input voltage tolerable which is also called a rated voltage . therefore , the overvoltage protection circuit can be used for preventing the input voltage v in exceeding the rated voltage from being inputted to the portable electronic device 2 directly or resulting in damages to the internal circuit unit 4 . in addition , the rated voltage is further defined as the maximum operating voltage tolerable of the internal circuit unit 4 of the portable electronic device 2 . in other words , if the input voltage v in received by the portable electronic device 2 does not exceed the rated voltage , the internal circuit unit such as a rectifier circuit , a charge / discharge circuit or a display circuit of the portable electronic device 2 can be operated normally . on the other hand , if the input voltage v in received by the portable electronic device 2 exceeds the rated voltage , the portable electronic device 2 will damage the internal circuit unit , and the portable electronic device 2 may perform wrong operations or may even fail . in addition , the input voltage v in can be an ac voltage obtained from utility power or a rectified dc voltage . the overvoltage protection circuit 10 comprises an input unit 12 , a voltage limiting unit 14 , a voltage dividing module 16 , a comparing module 18 , a switch unit 20 and an output unit 22 . wherein , the input unit 12 is provided for receiving the input voltage v in , and the input voltage v in can be a dc voltage or an ac voltage . the voltage limiting unit 14 has two terminals , wherein one terminal is coupled to the input unit 12 , and the other terminal is coupled to a ground terminal gnd . the input voltage v in produces a corresponding reference voltage v ref through the voltage limiting unit 14 . wherein , the voltage limiting unit 14 is a two - terminal device with a temperature change resisting effect , so that the electric properties of the voltage limiting unit 14 such as a zener diode will not be affected by a change of temperature . in addition , the voltage limiting unit 14 has a default clamping voltage pv provided for the voltage limiting unit 14 to determine whether or not to be conducted according to the received input voltage v in . in other words , if the input voltage v in is applied to the voltage limiting unit 14 , and the input voltage v in is smaller than or equal to the clamping voltage pv , then the voltage limiting unit 14 will output the reference voltage v ref equal to zero voltage ( which represents an off state ); on the other hand , if the input voltage v in is greater than the clamping voltage pv , the voltage limiting unit 14 will output the reference voltage v ref equal to the clamping voltage pv ( which represents an on state ). the aforementioned off state is defined as a state of disconnecting the voltage limiting unit 14 , and the reference voltage v ref is equal to a zero potential ; and the aforementioned on state is defined as a state of the voltage limiting unit 14 constantly outputting the clamping voltage pv , or the reference voltage v ref is equal to the clamping voltage pv . in addition , the selection of the clamping voltage pv of the voltage limiting unit 14 is not related to the rated voltage of the portable electronic device 2 . with reference to fig2 , the zener diode is used as an example of the voltage limiting unit 14 to illustrate the invention . if the default clamping voltage pv of the zener diode is designed to be equal to 4 volts , and the input voltage v in applied to the two terminals of the zener diode is smaller than 4 volts , the reference voltage v ref will be a zero potential ; and if the input voltage v in applied to the two terminals of the zener diode is greater than 4 volts , the reference voltage v ref is equal to the clamping voltage pv . in other words , the output of the reference voltage v ref is equal to 4 volts . compared with a general diode , the zener diode is connected in a reverse direction , wherein an n - terminal of the zener diode is coupled to the input unit 12 , and a p - terminal of the zener diode is coupled to the ground terminal gnd . the voltage dividing module 16 is coupled to the input unit 12 , and the input voltage v in of the input unit 12 produces a partial voltage v vd through the voltage dividing module 12 . in a preferred embodiment , the voltage dividing module 16 includes a first resistor 122 and a second resistor 124 connected in series with each other , and the input voltage v in produces the partial voltage v vd at the second resistor 124 as shown in fig3 . in addition , the ratio of the resistance of the first resistor 122 to the resistance of the second resistor 124 can be adjusted to obtain a partial voltage v vd with a corresponding resistance ratio , and the relation between the partial voltage and the resistance ratio is given below : wherein , r 122 is the resistance of the first resistor 122 , and r 124 is the resistance of the second resistor 124 . in addition , the voltage dividing module 16 is used for setting the rated voltage by the resistance ratio of the first resistor 122 and the second resistor 124 to meet the voltage requirement of the portable electronic device . in other words , if the partial voltage v vd of the second resistor 124 is greater than or equal to ( which is not smaller than ) the reference voltage v ref , the following switch unit 20 is open circuited ( or the off state ). in other words , the input voltage v in cannot be transmitted to the internal circuit unit 4 , and details are described as follows . the comparing module 18 is coupled to the voltage limiting unit 14 and the voltage dividing module 16 , and the comparing module 18 compares the reference voltage v ref with the partial voltage v vd and uses a comparison result to output the corresponding switch signal ss . with reference to fig4 for a schematic view of the comparing module 18 , the comparing module 18 further comprises a first input terminal 182 , a second input terminal 184 , a first control unit 186 and a second control unit 188 . the first input terminal 182 is coupled to the voltage limiting unit 14 for receiving the reference voltage v ref ; and the second input terminal 184 is coupled to the voltage dividing module 16 for receiving the partial voltage v vd . the first control unit 186 is provided for receiving the reference voltage v ref and the partial voltage v vd . after the reference voltage v ref is compared with the partial voltage v vd , the control signal cs is generated and transmitted to the second control unit 184 , such that the control signal cs can control open - circuit and short - circuit conditions of the second control terminal 188 . for example , if the rated voltage of the internal circuit unit 4 is equal to 4 volts , the clamping voltage pv is also equal to 4 volts , and the first resistor 122 has a resistance of 90kω and the second resistor 124 has a resistance of 10kω . if the input voltage v in ( such as 3 volts ) is lower than the rated voltage , the voltage limiting unit 14 has the reference voltage v ref equal to an output voltage of 0 , and the partial voltage v vd is equal to 0 . 3 volts . the comparing module 18 compares the reference voltage v ref with the partial voltage v vd to obtain a comparison result that the partial voltage v vd is higher than the reference voltage v ref . since the input voltage v in is not higher than the rated voltage , therefore the comparing module 18 can control the switch unit 20 to output the input voltage vin to the output unit 22 . in another preferred embodiment , if the input voltage v in is equal to the rated voltage such as 4 volts , the voltage limiting unit 14 has the reference voltage v ref equal to the output voltage of 0 , and the partial voltage v vd is equal to 0 . 4 volts . the comparing module 18 compares the reference voltage v ref with the partial voltage v vd to obtain the same comparison result that the partial voltage v vd is higher than the reference voltage v ref . since the input voltage v in is equal to the rated voltage which still falls within the tolerable range of the internal circuit unit 4 , therefore the comparing module 18 can control the switch unit 20 to output the input voltage v in to the output unit 22 and supply the input voltage v in to the internal circuit unit 4 . in another preferred embodiment , if the input voltage vin exceeds the rated voltage such as 5 volts , the voltage limiting unit 14 outputs a constant voltage which is the clamping voltage pv equal to 4 volts as the reference voltage v ref , and the partial voltage v vd is equal to 0 . 5 volts . the comparing module 18 compares the reference voltage v ref with the partial voltage v vd to obtain a comparison result that the partial voltage v vd is lower than the reference voltage v ref . since the input voltage v in exceeds the tolerable range of the rated voltage of the internal circuit unit 4 , therefore the comparing module 18 controls the switch unit 20 according to the aforementioned comparison result , such that the input voltage vin cannot be supplied to the internal circuit unit 4 . in a preferred embodiment , the second control unit 188 is a three - terminal device , wherein one terminal is coupled to the first control unit 186 for receiving the control signal cs , the other terminal is coupled to the switch unit 20 , and the remaining terminal is coupled to a voltage v or a ground gnd . in other words , the control signal cs received by one terminal of the second control unit 188 can be used to form an open - circuit state or a short - circuit state of the other two terminals according to the control signal cs used in the two terminals . wherein , the second control unit 188 is a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor ( mosfet ). in fig1 , the switch unit 20 is coupled to the input unit 12 , the comparing module 18 and the output unit 22 , and the switch unit 20 drives the input unit 12 to be coupled to the portable electronic device 4 according to the switch signal ss . in a preferred embodiment as shown in fig5 , the switch unit 20 is a three - terminal device having an input terminal 202 , an output terminal 204 and a controlled terminal 206 , wherein the input terminal 202 is coupled to the input unit 12 , and the controlled terminal 206 is coupled to the second control unit 188 , and the controlled terminal 206 is selectively coupled to the input terminal 202 and the output terminal 204 according to the received switch signal ss , so that the input unit 12 can be coupled to the output unit 22 , and the input voltage vin can be supplied to the portable electronic device 4 through the output unit 22 . in a preferred embodiment , if the second control unit 188 is situated at a short - circuit state , the voltage v forms the switch signal ss directly by the switch terminal 188 and the switch signal ss is transmitted to the controlled terminal 206 to control the switch unit 20 , or the second control unit 188 makes use of the ground gnd and controls the switch unit 20 by using the switch signal ss through the controlled terminal 206 . wherein , the switch unit 20 is a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor ( mosfet ). with reference to fig6 for a schematic block diagram of an overvoltage protection circuit in accordance with the second preferred embodiment of the present invention , the overvoltage protection circuit 10 ′ further comprises a control interface module 24 , in addition to the input unit 12 , the voltage limiting unit 14 , the voltage dividing module 16 , the comparing module 18 , the switch unit 20 and the output unit 22 of the foregoing preferred embodiment . wherein , the control interface module 24 is coupled to the input unit 12 , the comparing module 14 and the switch unit 20 , and the comparing module 14 generates the corresponding switch signal ss through the control interface module 24 . with reference to fig7 for a schematic diagram of connecting the comparing module 18 , the control interface module 24 and the switch unit 20 as depicted in fig6 , the control interface module 24 is comprised of serial resistors r 1 , r 2 , and the input voltage v in of the input unit 12 generates the switch signal ss at a portion of the serial resistors r 1 , r 2 . the second control unit 188 of the comparing module 18 is a three - terminal device , wherein one terminal is coupled to the first control unit 186 for receiving the control signal cs , the other terminal is coupled to the control interface module 24 , and the remaining terminal is coupled to the ground terminal gnd . if the control signal cs drives the second control unit 188 to a short - circuit state , the input voltage v in generates the switch signal ss through the serial resistors r 1 , r 2 of the control interface module 24 , the second control unit 188 coupled to the ground terminal gnd , the voltage drops voltage v r1 , v r2 of the serial resistors r 1 , r 2 , and the use of the voltage drop v r2 of the serial resistors r 2 , and transmits the switch signal ss to the controlled terminal 206 to control the short circuit of the input terminal 202 and the output terminal 204 , such that the input voltage v in can be supplied to the output unit 22 . on the other hand , if the control signal cs drives the switch terminal 188 to an open - circuit state , the serial resistors r 1 , r 2 do not form an electric circuit , so that the input voltage v in cannot form a voltage drops v r1 , v r2 at the serial resistors r 1 , r 2 . in other words , the control interface module 24 cannot generate the switch signal ss for controlling the input terminal 202 and the output terminal 204 to be in the short - circuit state , and the input voltage v in cannot be supplied to the internal circuit unit 4 through the output unit 2 . with reference to fig8 for a schematic block diagram of an overvoltage protection circuit of a portable electronic device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention , the portable electronic device 2 ′ is provided for receiving an input voltage v in , and the portable electronic device 2 ′ comprises the input unit 12 , the voltage limiting unit 14 , the voltage dividing module 16 , the comparing module 18 , the switch unit 20 and the output unit 22 of the foregoing preferred embodiment . wherein , the internal circuit unit 4 is installed in the portable electronic device 2 . for example , the internal circuit unit 4 is a circuit of a rectification unit , a micro processing unit , a communication unit or a memory unit . the input unit 12 is provided for receiving the input voltage v in . the output unit 22 is coupled to the internal circuit unit 4 for outputting the input voltage v in to the internal circuit unit 4 . the voltage limiting unit 14 is coupled to the input unit 12 for receiving the input voltage v in and restrictively outputting a reference voltage v ref . the voltage dividing module 16 is coupled to the input unit 12 for receiving the input voltage v in and dividing the input voltage v in to produce a partial voltage v vd . the comparing module 16 is coupled to the voltage limiting unit 14 and the voltage dividing module 16 for comparing the reference voltage vref with the partial voltage v vd and generating a switch signal ss according to a comparison result . the switch unit 20 is coupled to the input unit 12 , the output unit 22 and the comparing module 18 for receiving the switch signal ss and the input voltage v in , and the switch signal ss is used for controlling the input voltage v in to be outputted to the output unit 22 through the switch unit 20 . therefore , the overvoltage protection circuit of the present invention can set the rated voltage tolerable for the internal circuit unit of the portable electronic device simply and easily through the voltage dividing module and operates together with voltage limiting unit while the operation is not affected by a change of temperature , so as to supply an input voltage lower than the rated voltage to the portable electronic device successfully , as well as precisely controlling and isolating the input voltage to be inputted to the portable electronic device before an input voltage exceeding the rated voltage ( or known as an over voltage ) is inputted , so as to prevent the internal circuit units of the portable electronic device from being damaged by the input voltage exceeding the rated voltage , and protect the internal circuit units of the portable electronic device from being damaged by a misuse of the input voltage . while the invention has been described by means of specific embodiments , numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims .	7
the present invention is a computer implemented method for aggregating the price of goods sold on a communications network ( such as the internet ). pricing data stored in a database , and a software application that takes this aggregated data and determines and assigns a fair market value that is shown to users and utilized within software applications . users are prospective buyers and sellers . a user of this system enters an identifying value , such as a upc code or textbook isbn , and then the software retrieves information about this item , that is stored within the application &# 39 ; s database , and is collected from other external sources ( i . e . through scraping , vendor application programmable interfaces ( api ) relationships , and other similar methods ). a processor within the central computer then inventories the collected prices . an algorithm is applied to this aggregated data that returns what we consider to be a fair market value of the good that was searched , based upon several key variables , and this is displayed either to the user , or used within the application for other purposes . referring now to the invention in more detail , in fig1 there is shown a detailed process flow for the invention . this process starts when a user decides buy an item from within community . the community is generally any peer - to - peer online or e - commerce marketplace . examples of e - commerce sites used in the realm of textbook sales include , but are not limited to amazon , ebay , bookrenter , campusbooks , collegebookrenter , and alibris . in fields other than books , the application would search suitable appropriate sites . the user inputs a uniquely identifying quality of an item or product into the system 100 ; this can be an isbn ( international standard book number ), upc ( universal product code ), or any other specific identifying characteristic , including a year , brand or make and model , or similar quality . the application then obtains information about the product . this is done by first searching an internal database where information concerning similar items is stored 110 . the application loops through each record in the database until a match is found 120 & amp ; 130 . if no match is found , the software then checks external sources 140 . a list of predefined external sources is entered into the database . the software looks at these sources to find a specific match for the item the user entered 150 . these external sources are other databases accessed by application programmable interfaces ( apis ), websites where information is scraped and the like . as used herein , the terms “ scraped ”, “ scraping ” or “ web scraping ” ( also called web harvesting or web data extraction ) mean a computer software technique of extracting information from websites . the application then cycles 180 through each source listed in the application until a record is found 170 . if a record is found , the process stops and the data is stored in the database 160 . if the application reaches the end of all of the records , then the process terminates , and the user is presented with an error message detailing that no information could be found concerning the upc , isbn or other information the user entered 190 . if records are found however , the search terminates as soon as a record is found within the internal system , since the specific item details are now known 160 . from here , the information found ( whether from the database or through the external searches ) is then sorted into specific categories set up in the application that have been defined ( for example , condition or edition of a textbook ), specific for the type of item that was searched . the application automatically takes these qualities and inserts them into the database with an identifier specific to the user that conducted the initial search 199 . once the information is stored , the system then displays the results to the user . here , the user inputs item - specific qualities , such as the overall condition of the item , the quantity of the item , the year , model , color , new or used status , and any other identifying variable that is established in advance for that specific category of item . once this is done , the process terminates , the item , and the item &# 39 ; s characteristics , are now stored in the application &# 39 ; s database . referring now to the detail in fig2 , this is the process whereby another user searches and retrieves the information about an item another user has previously entered , and then stores pricing information retrieved for calculation in a later step ( see fig3 ). this process starts when the application finds descriptive information concerning the item for which a user initially searched 200 . the application then takes this identifying quality ( upc , isbn or other unique characteristic of a specific item ) and searches through the application &# 39 ; s pricing database for that item 210 . the application then goes through each record in the database 220 , 250 and retrieves all of those that match the identifier entered by the user . the application stores each one of the records separately 240 . after it goes through all of the records 230 , if there are no records found , the application displays this to the user 295 . if records are found however , the application then looks to find the fair market value . the application then begins to parse a list of pre - defined websites that it will crawl , scrape and utilize apis to gather pricing data for the specific item queried 260 . as used herein , “ crawl ” refers to use of a web crawler , which is a computer program that browses the world wide web in a methodical , automated manner or in an orderly fashion . other terms for web crawlers are ants , automatic indexers , bots , web spiders , web robots , or web scutters . this process is called web crawling or spidering and many sites , in particular search engines , use it as a means of providing up - to - date data . web crawlers are mainly used to create a copy of all the visited pages for later processing by a search engine that will index the downloaded pages to provide fast searches . the application accesses this list , and starts processing the pricing , starting at the first record 270 . if a price is found , the price , along with specific information about the item , such as its quality , age , condition and so forth are recorded in the application &# 39 ; s temporary storage as search data 275 , 299 . once a price is found , the application goes back through the target site or api , and searches for another price 280 . if a price is not found , then the application moves on to the next website in the predefined list 285 . this process is repeated until all of the pre - defined sites , apis and other information has been depleted by the application . referring now to the detail in fig3 , the application retrieves previously stored data 300 , and then retrieves category information 310 . this information is checked to determine whether the record falls within the requisite category 320 , and if it does not , it is skipped 330 and the application continues searching records 340 . once all records in a category are exhausted , the application searches for additional categories 350 , and if any are found , repeats the above process . once the application reaches the end of the list , it then groups all of the pricing data together 360 . this is done by utilizing a series of pre - defined variables that are collected by the system from other user inputs , and previously defined and quantified by the application administrators , specific to the item being requested . for example , if the item is a textbook , the application will sort prices for new books in a different category than used books . after the information is sorted , the application will find the mean value of the prices for the specific category . the application will then take the mean value and multiply it by a series of predefined category weights 360 , which add to 100 %, that have been assigned that is specific for the type of good for which a price is being calculated . the category weights can be determined by manual research , or by allowing for the program to compute it through a looping procedure and some comparative logic . there will be one weight assigned to each category into which the item being priced can fit . finally , the application will add all of the weighted categories together to derive the fair market value of the good being queried 399 . the following example is a calculation we used that resulted in a price that we felt was a fair market price for a textbook : the 0 . 7 multiplier turned out to be a significant adjuster to predict a price that ended up giving the seller about 2 - 3 times the highest buyback price offered , but still let the seller purchase the book within about 5 - 10 % of the lowest cost that they could buy it online . referring now to the detail in fig4 , the application begins by parsing the database 400 and searching for any user , in this case a seller , that previously added a product for sale that matches the identifier or description that a searching party queried 410 . the application searches for records containing that identifier 415 , 420 . if no records are found , it ends the process and notifies the searching user that no records were found 425 . if a record is found , the application then stores it in temporary storage . while in temporary storage , the application then gathers other specific , predefined characteristics of the seller , including his or her rating within the community , the distance from the buyer , reliability , and other pre - defined , community - related traits 430 . once these are gathered and accumulated in temporary storage , the application repeats the search until all records in the database have been parsed . the application then parses the list of users 440 , 450 that was collected previously and begins adjusting the price . the application then takes the predefined list of community variables , and multiplies the previously obtained fair market value by the variable that was collected , which is then multiplied by either a negative or positive percent 460 that is assigned to the specific variable . examples of these community variables include the number of prior transactions in which the user has engaged , the user &# 39 ; s rating , a measure of his or her trustworthiness determined by feedback from other users in prior transactions . the application stores this value of the user trait 470 and searches for any additional traits 480 . once all traits have been searched , the application searches for any additional sellers 495 . the application then adds all of these individual values and adds it to the previously adjusted fair market value . the application then displays each user individually , the specifics of his or her item , and the adjusted fair market value for each specific good 499 . the display is typically via a computer screen , but could also include other means . as used herein , display means a visual report of the results , an audio report , or printed report , including a braille printout for the blind , or combinations thereof . the advantages of the present invention include , without limitation , that it is simple for a user to use and provides a clear picture of which prices are actually valid within a specific market . further , this invention applies specifically to books , but is applicable in almost any online commerce transaction where a user posts a product in a peer - to - peer online market . further , this model creates a simple , price - insensitive approach to a problem that has existed for a long time in the online peer - to - peer marketplace . further , this process allows pricing to be adjusted based upon condition and other tangible factors of both the user &# 39 ; s history and the item &# 39 ; s condition , and not an arbitrary pricing scheme that a user fabricates at random . in broad embodiment , the present invention is a method for aggregating and creating a fair market price for an item listed in a peer - to - peer online commerce transaction . while the present invention could conceivably be used in any ecommerce transaction , the following example using college textbooks is provided to offer some clarification . a user begins by entering the website , and searching by an isbn . the isbn does not need to be known . the user can initially perform a keyword search and then select the item that matches their results . the system then uses that item &# 39 ; s identifier ( isbn , upc code , etc .) to perform the other searches . while this is not the only item that can be compared with the software , it is indicative of providing a product that has a known trait to compare upon ( such as a upc , or a set selection of traits — i . e . an item that is of x brand that is of y color and z size ). when the user clicks search , the application queries various online resources ( websites , apis , and other sources where the product information is stored ), and retrieves price and other important variables for that product . these variables include such things as condition , edition , etc . internally previously saved information about that specific product — if it exists — is also retrieved . this information also consists of variables , specific to each product , that have been pre - defined based upon the specific product type being sought — if they exist . these variables ( like condition ) are then weighted . this is done based upon user feedback from the website about other identical products ( i . e . based on input of an isbn for a specific book ) or of a similar nature , and what that variable does to the product &# 39 ; s price ( i . e . poor condition lowers by a certain percent whereas excellent condition increases the price by a certain percent ). the software also calculates price adjustments based upon statistical averages of the changes in these variables that the application discovers online . these variables are then adjusted and assigned specific weights based upon either pre - defined measures , or other formulae that determine the weights . after these changes are made , the user is displayed a list of available products sorted by condition , or other characteristics that are deemed appropriate for that good . when the user picks a specific item condition , they then will see a list of users that are selling that item . the application then retrieves specific user data that the application archives ( and can also retrieve this from other sources ). this information is then assigned specific weights depending on the significance of the trait — for example , how many purchases the user completed , the user &# 39 ; s rating ( a measure of trustworthiness ), and so forth . these weights will provide a score for the user , and then the users that are selling that specific product are ranked . in another variation of this , the prices are further adjusted based upon the user &# 39 ; s weighted score , and the price is adjusted by a nominal percentage up and down based upon these specific traits and other social oriented variables . the application could be executed on a traditional computer or laptop , or it could be in the form of an application ( or “ app ”) for a smartphone ( such as an iphone or a droid / android phone ) or a tablet ( such as an ipad ) or the like . it could also be incorporated into a pda ( personal digital assistant ) or a stand - alone personal electronic device specifically designed to calculate the fair market value and facilitate such transactions . although the invention has been described in detail with reference to particular examples and embodiments , the examples and embodiments contained herein are merely illustrative and are not an exhaustive list . variations and modifications of the present invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art . the present invention includes all such modifications and equivalents . the claims alone are intended to set forth the limits of the present invention .	6
now the present invention will be clarified in detail by embodiments thereof shown in the attached drawings . fig1 is a block diagram of a color printer embodying the present invention . an external interface circuit 16 sends a vertical synchronization signal ( itop ) 8 and a horizontal synchronization signal ( hsync ) 8 generated in a synchronization signal processing unit 18 to external host equipment , and also receives an image section signal ( ve ) 7 and an image carrier signal ( vclk ) 6 sent from the host equipment , and a red component signal ( r ) 1 , a green component signal ( g ) 2 , a blue component signal ( b ) 3 , a black control signal ( kcntl ) 4 and a black area signal ( karea ) 5 sent in synchronization with said carrier signal . in the present embodiment these image signals are transferred four times corresponding to four image formations to be explained later . an image control signal ( comm ) 10 is used for exchanging various commands and status between the host equipment and a control unit 15 in the color printer , is composed for example of a format rs232c , and is utilized for example for setting the print mode . the image signals 1 - 5 synchronized with the timing signals 6 - 9 are sent from the external interface circuit 16 to an image processing circuit 17 . based on the red component signal 1 , green component signals 2 , blue component signal 3 , black control signal 4 and black area signal 5 , the image processing circuit 17 generates a yellow ( y ) component signal , a magenta ( m ) component signal , a cyan ( c ) component signal and a black ( bk ) component signal in frame sequential form corresponding to four image formations to be explained later , and sends said signal as an image forming signal ( vout ) 15 to a gradation control circuit 21 . the data adjusted in the gradation control circuit 21 to the color reproduction densities of the printer and subjected to correction of gradation with a look - up table ( lut ) are supplied to a laser driver 36 to effect image formation with a laser 23 . the control unit 25 is provided with a cpu 33 , a rom 34 and a ram 35 , and performs not only the communication with the external host equipment but also the control of various units of the color printer 40 . there are provided a potential sensor 26 for detecting the charge on a photosensitive member 29 , and a potential . measuring unit 27 for converting the output of the potential sensor 26 into a digital signal for supply to the control unit 25 . the potential data entered into the control unit 25 are read by the cpu 33 for use in the control . a driving motor 30 is used for driving a transfer drum 96 and other driven elements in the color printer . a signal 37 from an image top sensor 28 is supplied to the control unit 25 , and is utilized , in the synchronization signal processing unit 18 , for generating the vertical synchronization signal ( itop ) 9 . a signal 19 from a beam detector ( bd ) 20 is supplied to said synchronization signal processing unit 18 and utilized for generating the horizontal synchronization signal ( hsync ) 8 . also signals from a humidity sensor 31 and a temperature sensor for correcting the developing characteristics are supplied to the control unit 25 through an a / d converter 22 . fig2 is a cross - sectional view of the color printer of the present embodiment . the input color component signals ( r , g , b ) 1 - 3 , black control signal ( kcntl ) 4 and black area signal ( karea ) 5 supplied from the outside in parallel manner are converted by the image processing circuit 17 and the gradation control circuit 21 into frame sequential output color component signals vout 15 specific to the apparatus ( 1st frame y , 2nd frame m , 3rd frame c , and 4th frame k ), then subjected for example to pulse width modulation , and finally used for driving the laser . the laser beam modulated according to the image data is put into a scanning motion by a polygon mirror 99 rotating at a high speed , and is then reflected by a mirror 90 to provide dot exposures corresponding to the image on the surface of a photosensitive drum 91 . a horizontal scanning of the laser beam corresponds to a horizontal scanning line of the image , having a width of 1 / 16 mm in the present embodiment . the photosensitive drum 91 , being rotated at a constant speed in the direction indicated by an arrow , is exposed to the image , by main scanning achieved by the motion of said laser beam and sub scanning achieved by the rotation of the drum 91 . prior to exposure , the photosensitive drum 91 is given uniform change by a charger 97 , and such charged photosensitive member generates a latent image when subjected to exposure . a latent image corresponding to a particular color signal is rendered visible by one of developing units 92 - 95 corresponding to said color . for example , in the first image formation in which the yellow component signal is given from the image processing circuit 17 , the photosensitive drum 91 receives exposure of dot image of the yellow component of the original , and development is conducted with the yellow developing unit 92 . then the yellow image is transferred onto a sheet wound on a transfer drum 96 , at the contact point thereof with the photosensitive drum 91 , by means of a transfer charger 98 . in the 2nd , 3rd and 4th image formations , magenta , cyan and black tonet images are formed according to the magenta component signal , cyan component signal and black component signal released from the image processing circuit 17 , and said images are superposed on said sheet to obtain a color image consisting of four color toners . fig3 is a block diagram of the image processing circuit 17 shown in fig1 . the image data ( red component signal 8 , green component signal 9 , blue component signal 10 ) supplied from the external interface circuit 16 four times in parallel manner corresponding to four image formation are converted each time into yellow component data , magenta component data , cyan component data and black component data by a masking / ucr circuit 100 , and are supplied to a selector 102 and a gate 103 . the masking / ucr circuit 100 is utilized for converting plural input color component data into color component data corresponding to image forming materials specific to the printer , including black , and is detailed described in the japanese patent application 61 - 271448 . the output color component data from the masking / ucr circuit 100 is selected from yellow , magenta , cyan and black according to the value of a selection signal ( csel ) 24 - 2 given by the control unit 25 . in the present embodiment , yellow , magenta , cyan or black color component data are calculated and released respectively according to csel = 0 , 1 , 2 or 3 . said selection signal ( csel ) 24 - 2 is also supplied to a selector 104 to select either the output of the gate 103 when yellow , magenta or cyan color component data are released from the masking / ucr circuit 100 , or the output of a selector 102 when black color component data are released . the black area signal 5 is delayed in a delay circuit 106 by an amount same as the delay of the image data 6 - 10 in the masking / ucr circuit 100 , and is supplied to the gate circuit 103 . similarly the black control signal 5 is delayed by a delay circuit 105 and supplied to the gate circuit 103 and selector 102 . the gate circuit 103 releases an output of a value for not effecting the image formation , when at least either of the black control signal 110 and black area signal 111 is &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. ( in the present embodiment , the image forming signal indicates the toner density . and image formation is not conducted if said signal is zero ). the output 109 of the gate circuit 103 is selected by the selector 104 in case of yellow , magenta or cyan component image formation , and , such color component image is not formed if the black control signal 4 or the black area signal 5 is at the level &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; during such color component image formation . the selector 102 , receiving the black control signal 4 as the select signal , selects either the output of a latch 101 or the output of the masking / ucr circuit 100 respectively when said select signal is &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. an arbitrary value can be set in the latch 101 by means of a cpu - bus 24 - 1 . since the output of the selector 102 is selected by the selector 104 during the black component image formation , an image of a density corresponding to the value set in latch 101 by the cpu 33 is formed in a section in which the black control signal 4 is &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; during the formation of black component image . fig4 a is a timing chart indicating the vertical synchronization signal ( itop ) 9 and horizontal synchronization signal ( hsync ) 8 generated by the synchronization signal processing unit 18 ; the image section signal ( ve ) 7 , red component signal 1 , green component signal 2 , and blue component signal 3 supplied from the host equipment ; and the image forming signal ( vout ) 15 supplied from the image processing circuit 17 , and illustrating how four image formations are conducted . each image formation is conducted in synchronization with the vertical synchronization signal ( itop ) 9 , and , there is formed each time , from the red component data 121 , green component data 122 and blue component data 123 , the yellow image data 124 , magenta component data 125 , cyan component data 126 or black component data 127 as the image forming signal ( vout ) 15 . in combination with the horizontal synchronization signal ( hsync ) 8 , the image section signal ( ve ) 7 indicates the effective section of the image in the horizontal and vertical directions (( e ) indicating the image effective section in the vertical direction , while ( f ) indicating the image ineffective section in the vertical direction ). fig4 b is a timing chart of various signals in the periods ( a ), ( b ), ( c ) and ( d ) in fig4 a . these signals remain same in the periods ( a ), ( b ), ( c ) and ( d ) except for the image forming signal ( vout ) 15 . this timing chart indicates a period from a horizontal sync . signal ( hsync ) 8 to a next horizontal sync . signal , and indicates the timing of various signals in a horizontal scanning period . in correspondence with the horizontal sync . signal 8 , the image section signal ( ve ) 7 indicates the effective image section in a horizontal scanning line (( g ) being effective image section , and ( h ) being ineffective image section in the horizontal direction ). the image data 1 - 5 , and the output ( vout ) 15 of the image processing circuit are all synchronized with the image carrying clock signal ( vclk ) 6 . in fact the output ( vout ) 15 is delayed by several clocks from the image data 1 - 5 due to the delay in the masking / ucr circuit 100 , but this delay is considered as zero for the purpose of simplicity in fig4 b . as already explained in relation to fig3 during a period in which the black control signal ( cntl ) 4 is &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, the image forming signal for yellow , magenta or cyan component becomes &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, so that the image formation is not conducted . on the other hand , in a section ( d ), the image forming signal for the black component assumes a fixed value set by the cpu in the latch 101 . in this manner , in a period in which the black control signal ( kcntl ) is &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, the image formation is conducted with black component of fixed value only . also as explained in relation to fig3 during a period in which the black area signal ( karea ) is &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, the image forming signal for yellow , magenta or cyan component becomes &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, so that the image formation is not conducted . on the other hand , in a section ( d ), the image forming signal for the black component is the black component calculated from the input image signals 1 - 3 . in this manner , in a period in which the black area signal ( karea ) is &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, the image formation is conducted with the black component of the input image only . fig5 is a view showing an example of use of the black control signal and the black area signal at the host equipment , wherein ( k ) is a black character area ; ( l ) is a natural image read with a monochromic scanner ; and ( m ) is a natural image read with a color scanner . ( l ) can also be a black - and - white graph , chart or pattern , while ( m ) can also be a color graph , chart or pattern . fig5 can be considered as a representative example of layout in desktop publishing or the like . in case of reproducing this image with the image forming apparatus , it is desirable to form the image ( k ) with a uniform black density , and the image ( l ) in black and white tone . on the other hand , in the average host equipment , the image is generally maintained in an additive color system consisting of red , green and blue , while the image formation is conducted in a subtractive color system consisting of yellow , magenta , cyan and black . for this reason there is required a conversion from the rgb system to the cmybk system in the image processing circuit as explained in fig1 . consequently , even if r , g , b are made as same levels , the image does not necessarily appear in black and white , due to the masking or undercolor removal treatment . on the other hand , a desirable image formation is made possible by sending , from the host equipment to the image forming apparatus of the present embodiment , a black control signal ( kcntl ) which becomes &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; in the area ( k ) and a black area signal ( karea ) which becomes &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; in the area ( l ). in the present embodiment , as explained in the foregoing , the calculation of the black component signal and other color component signals is so controlled that the image is formed only with black of fixed value in an area designated by the value of the black control signal ( kcntl ), and that the image is formed only with the black component in the input image signals in an area designated by the value of the black area signal ( karea ). in the present embodiment the black component is treated separately , but it is possible to treat any other color component in a similar manner . also in the area in which the black control signal is &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, the image is formed only with black of fixed value , but it is also possible to form the image with an arbitrary combination of color components of a fixed value . fig6 is a block diagram of a color printer of this embodiment , wherein 230 is a pan - purpose digital interface such as gpib interface or centronics interface , and 200 is an interface circuit therefor . a control unit 206 communicates with an external host equipment through the external interface circuit 200 , thus exchanging various commands , status signals and image data . upon receiving an image transfer the control unit 206 transfers the image data thereafter transferred through the external interface circuit 200 to one of image data memories 201 - 205 , according to the kind of said command . the actual data transfer is conducted by dma transfer , by means of a direct memory access controller ( dmac ) 221 in the control unit 206 . the dma transfer is commonly employed in usual microcomputer systems . the r - data memory 201 , g - data memory 202 , b - data memory 203 , color control data memory 204 and area data memory 205 are respectively provided for storing read component image data , green component image data , blue component image data , color control data and area data , in the form transmitted from the host equipment . the image data stored in said memories 201 - 205 are read , at the printing operation , under the control by the synchronization signal processing unit , and are sent to the image processing circuit 207 . based on the red component signal 233 , green component signal 234 , blue component signal 235 , color control signal 236 and area signal 237 , the image processing circuit 207 generates the yellow ( y ) component signal , magenta ( m ) component signal , cyan ( c ) component signal and black ( bk ) component signal in frame sequential manner , respectively corresponding to four image formations as in the first embodiment , and sends thus generated signal as the image forming signal ( vout ) 243 to a gradation control circuit 208 . the data corrected in gradation in the gradation control circuit 208 so as to match the color reproduction density of the printer , for example with a look - up table , are supplied to a laser driver 209 for driving a laser 210 , thereby forming an image . the control unit 206 is provided with a cpu 218 , a rom 219 and ram 220 , and performs not only the communication with the external host equipment but also the control of various units of the color printer 250 . there are provided a potential sensor 214 for detecting the charge on a photosensitive member 216 , and a potential measuring unit 213 for converting the output of the potential sensor 214 into a digital signal for supply to the control unit 206 . the potential data entered into the control unit 206 are read by the cpu 218 for use in the control . a driving motor 223 is used for driving a transfer drum 217 and other driven elements in the color printer . a signal 248 from an image top sensor 215 is supplied to the control unit 206 , and is utilized , in the synchronization signal processing unit 211 , for generating the vertical synchronization signal ( itop ). a signal 242 from a beam detector ( bd ) 212 is supplied to said synchronization signal processing unit 211 and utilized for generating the horizontal synchronization signal ( hsync ). also signals from a humidity sensor 31 and a temperature sensor 32 for correcting the developing characteristics are supplied to the control unit 25 through an a / d converter 22 . in the present embodiment , the image forming means starting from the gradation control circuit 208 is same as that in the first embodiment , particularly as explained in relation to fig2 . fig7 is a block diagram of the image processing circuit of the present embodiment . the input color component data ( red component signal 233 , green component signal 234 , blue component signal 235 ) sent from the image memories 201 - 205 four times in parallel manner corresponding to four image formations are converted , in a masking / ucr circuit 300 each time into yellow component data , magenta component data , cyan component data and black component data for supply to a selector 305 . separately , said input color component data are converted into density by a density calculation circuit 301 thus same density data are supplied each time to a lut ( look - up table ) circuit 304 . said density can be a signal indicating the density of the color to be constructed from the input color components , for example a value : wherein ri , gi and bi are respectively red component , green component and blue component , and α 1 , α 2 , α 3 are coefficients . the output color component data from the masking / ucr circuit 300 is selected from yellow , magenta , cyan and black according to the value of a selection signal ( csel ) 241 - 2 given by the control unit 206 . in the present embodiment , yellow , magenta , cyan or black color component data are calculated and released respectively according to csel = 0 , 1 , 2 or 3 . the lut circuit 304 consists of n look - up tables . each look - up table has a sub table for each output color component , and one of said sub stables is selected by the value of the selection ( csel ) 241 - 2 . the selected sub table , in response to a density 309 entered from the density calculating circuit 301 , releases corresponding image data to a selector 305 . each lut is composed of a rom or a ram . in the latter the data can be rewritten by the cpu , through a cpu bus 241 - 1 . the area signal 237 , sent simultaneously with the image data 233 - 235 is delayed in a delay circuit 302 by an amount same as that of delay caused on the image data 233 - 235 in the masking / ucr circuit and in the density calculating circuit , and is supplied as a select signal to the selector 305 . said area signal 237 has a number of bits enough for selecting n + 1 signals , and is used for selecting one of the output signal ( vout ) of the masking / ucr circuit and the output signals 310 - 1 - 310 - n of the 1st to nth lut in the lut circuit 304 . in the present embodiment , the output of the masking / ucr circuit is selected when said signal is &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, and the outputs of the lut &# 39 ; s are selected otherwise , by means of the selector 305 . the output of the selector 305 is supplied to a selector 307 . a latch circuit 306 consists of m latches , each in turn consisting of sublatches corresponding to output color components , one of which is selected according to the value of the selection signal ( csel ) 241 - 2 . the output of thus selected sublatch in each latch is supplied to the selector 307 . each latch is used for holding the fixed value of each output component , set by the cpu through the cpu bus 241 - 1 . the color control signal 236 sent simultaneously with the image data 233 - 235 is delayed in the delay circuit as in the case of area signal 237 , and supplied as a select signal to the selector 307 . said signal has a number of bits enough for selecting m . 1 signals , and is used for selecting , as the image forming signal ( vout ) 243 , one of the output signal 311 of the selector 305 and the output signals 312 - 1 - 312 - m of the 1st to mth latches in the latch circuit 306 . in the present embodiment , the output of the selector 305 is selected when said signal is &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, and the outputs of the latch circuit 306 are selected otherwise . as explained above , if the color control signal ( cntl ) 236 is not &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, one of fixed color component data set in the 1st - nth latches in the latch circuit 306 is selected according to the value of said signal , and the image formation is conducted with said value . for example , if combinations of color components providing red , blue and green close to the ideal primary colors are stored in the 1st , 2nd and 3rd latches , the image formation is conducted unconditionally with red , blue and green whenever the color control signal ( cntl ) 236 is &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; 2 &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; 3 &# 34 ;. then , if the color control signal ( cntl ) 236 is &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; and the area signal ( area ) 237 is other than &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, one of the 1st - nth lut of the lut circuit 304 is selected according to the value of said signal , and the image formation is conducted with the output value of selected lut corresponding to the density data of the input image . as an example , it is assumed that five lut &# 39 ; s shown in fig8 a to 8e constitute 1st to 5th lut &# 39 ; s in the lut circuit , which are respectively selected by the values &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; to &# 34 ; 5 &# 34 ; of the area signal ( area ) 237 . thus , in response to the area signal ( area ) 237 &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, a lut shown in fig8 a is selected , in which output is zero for any yellow , magenta or cyan input component . on the other hand , for black component , there is provided output data proportional to the input density . thus the density information of the input image is formed with black . when said area signal is &# 34 ; 2 &# 34 ;, there is selected a table with the characteristics shown in fig8 b , whereby the density information of the image is reproduced with magenta and yellow components , or , with red color . when said area signal is &# 34 ; 3 &# 34 ;, the selected table has the characteristics shown in fig8 c , whereby the density information of the image is reproduced with color components of a ratio : yellow : magenta , cyan , black = 3 : 5 : 0 : 1 . when the area signal is &# 34 ; 4 &# 34 ;, there is selected a table with the characteristics shown in fig8 d , in which the image formation is not conducted for yellow , magenta or cyan component , and the image formation is conducted with the highest level of black only when the black density exceeds a certain value . when the area signal is &# 34 ; 5 &# 34 ;, there is selected a table of the characteristics shown in fig8 e , in which the image formation is conducted with a fixed value of yellow and magenta components with a ratio 1 : 2 only for the density value exceeding a certain level , but is not conducted otherwise . finally , if the color control signal ( cntl ) 236 and the area signal ( area ) 237 are both &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, the image formation is conducted with the output color component signals calculated from the input color component signals by the masking / ucr circuit . the timing of image signals or other signals is substantially same as that in the first embodiment , as already explained in relation to fig4 . the signal kcntl is expanded to correspond to several bits of the signal cntl , and the signal karea is expanded to correspond to several bits of the signal area , but the relation of these signals with the signal vout 243 is as already explained before the signals itop , hsync , ve and vclk are all generated in the synchronization signal processing unit 211 , in contrast to the first embodiment , but the timing of these signals is same as that in the first embodiment . fig9 is a flow chart outlining the control sequence by the cpu 218 in the control unit 206 . at first a step sp101 checks whether a command has been received from the external host equipment , and if received , a step sp102 discriminates said command , and the sequence branches to sp103 - sp109 according to the result of discrimination . if it is a command asking the status , the status of the apparatus is sent to the host equipment , and the sequence returns to the step sp101 . if it is a red data transfer command , a step sp104 transfers the transferred image data to the r - data memory 201 , and the sequence returns to the step sp101 . in case of other image data transfer commands , steps sp105 - sp108 transfer the image data to the corresponding image data memories 202 - 205 , and then the sequence returns to the steps sp101 if it is a print command , a step sp109 sets data in the look - up tables of the lut circuit 304 , for example as already shown in fig8 a - 8e . then a step sp110 sets data in the latches of the latch circuit 306 . as an example fixed values are set , respectively in the 1st to 3rd latches , for generating red , green and blue colors closest to the ideal primary colors . a step sp111 then sets the select signal ( csel ) 241 - 2 at &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, thereby conducting image formation with the yellow component then steps sp112 - sp114 similarly conduct formation of magenta image , cyan image and black image , and a color image is thus completed in the foregoing embodiments , the image development is conducted solely with softwares , but a part , for example font development , may be conducted by hardware . also in the foregoing embodiments , the image formation is achieved by an electrophotographic color printer , but there may be employed other processes , such as thermal transfer , silver halide - based photographic process or electrostatic process also there may be employed so - colled 4d electrophotographic process , utilizing photosensitive drums for respective color components . furthermore , in the foregoing embodiments , an external interface circuit 16 such as grib ( general purpose interface bus ) is employed as the input means , and the signals r , g , b , kcntl and karea are entered as the input and control signals . this may be replaced by a cpu bus such as vme bus , an off - line media such as magnetic tape or disk , or a local area network such as ethernet . also for entering an image there may be employed a video camera or a color scanner . also in the foregoing embodiments , an image processing circuit 17 detailedly shown in fig7 is employed as the processing means for obtaining plural output color components specific to the apparatus from the input color component signals , but such structure is not limitative . furthermore , the foregoing embodiments employ a bit map memory of a resolving power same as that of the image forming apparatus , but it is also possible to use a smaller frame memory and to conduct an enlarging process at the image formation . as detailedly explained in the foregoing , it is rendered possible to obtain an image matching the intention of the host equipment , by directly controlling the image signals for image formation through the output color component control signal . also the use of the black control signal ( cntl ) and the black area signal ( karea ) as the interface , in addition to the r , g , b input signals , enables image formation with the black component only , in a color image . in the foregoing embodiments , said control signal and area signal are utilized for the black component , but such signals may also be utilized for other colors .	7
to enable a proper and effective uplink power control in a tdd system , an embodiment of the invention provides a method for determining uplink transmission power in a tdd system , in which a base station selects , according to configuration information , a downlink sub - frame for transmitting a tpc command , a user equipment obtains the tpc command received through the downlink sub - frame according to the configuration information , and determines transmission power according to the tpc command . as shown in fig2 a , the method for determining the uplink transmission power in the tdd system according to an embodiment of the invention includes the following processes 10 - 14 . at process 10 , a base station determines the current uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode used for the data transmission , and obtains a sub - frame mapping corresponding to the uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode . the uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation modes used for the data transmission include but are not limited to the seven uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation modes as shown in fig1 , and each uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode corresponds to a set of sub - frame mappings . the sub - frame mapping may be obtained from the local configuration information or from other storage entities . at process 11 , the base station selects a downlink sub - frame according to the obtained sub - frame mapping to transmit to a user equipment a tpc command corresponding to an uplink sub - frame . the sub - frame mapping may be , for example , a mapping relationship between an identifier of the uplink sub - frame and an identifier of the downlink sub - frame , or a mapping in the case that the sub - frame mapping is the mapping relationship between an identifier of the uplink sub - frame and an identifier of the downlink sub - frame , the process in which the base station selects a downlink sub - frame according to the sub - frame mapping to transmit to the user equipment the tpc command corresponding to an uplink sub - frame includes : obtaining an identifier of the uplink sub - frame , determining a downlink sub - frame identifier corresponding to the identifier of the uplink sub - frame according to the mapping relationship , determining a downlink sub - frame corresponding to the downlink sub - frame identifier ahead of the uplink sub - frame as the sub - frame used for transmitting the tpc command to the ue , and transmitting the tpc command to the ue through the sub - frame used for transmitting the tpc command . in the case that the sub - frame mapping is a mapping relationship between the identifier of the uplink sub - frame and a value of a delay of tpc controlling , the process in which the base station selects a downlink sub - frame according to the sub - frame mapping to transmit to the user equipment the tpc command corresponding to an uplink sub - frame includes : obtaining an identifier of the uplink sub - frame , determining a value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the identifier of the uplink sub - frame according to the mapping relationship , determining a downlink sub - frame ahead of the uplink sub - frame by a time interval of a size of the determined value of the delay of tpc controlling as the sub - frame used for transmitting the tpc command to the ue , and transmitting the tpc command to the ue through the sub - frame used for transmitting the tpc command . at process 12 , the ue determines the current uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode used for data transmission before transmitting data using the uplink sub - frame , and obtains the sub - frame mapping corresponding to the uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode . the uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation modes used for the data transmission include but are not limited to the seven uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation modes as shown in fig1 , and each uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode corresponds to a set of sub - frame mappings . at process 13 , the ue determines the downlink sub - frame used for transmitting the tpc command corresponding to the uplink sub - frame according to the obtained sub - frame mapping . similarly , the sub - frame mapping may be , for example , a mapping relationship between an identifier of the uplink sub - frame and an identifier of the downlink sub - frame , or a mapping relationship between the identifier of the uplink sub - frame and a value of a delay of tpc controlling . in the case that the sub - frame mapping is the mapping relationship between an identifier of the uplink sub - frame and an identifier of the downlink sub - frame , the process in which the ue determines the downlink sub - frame used for transmitting the tpc command includes : obtaining an identifier of the uplink sub - frame , determining a downlink sub - frame identifier corresponding to the identifier of the uplink sub - frame according to the mapping relationship , and determining a downlink sub - frame corresponding to the downlink sub - frame identifier ahead of the uplink sub - frame as the sub - frame used for transmitting the tpc command . in the case that the sub - frame mapping is a mapping relationship between the identifier of the uplink sub - frame and a value of a delay of tpc controlling , the process in which the ue determines the downlink sub - frame used for transmitting the tpc command includes : obtaining an identifier of the uplink sub - frame , determining a value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the identifier of the uplink sub - frame according to the mapping relationship , and determining a downlink sub - frame ahead of the uplink sub - frame by a time interval of a size of the determined value of the delay of tpc controlling as the sub - frame used for transmitting the tpc command . at process 14 , the ue obtains the tpc command received through the determined downlink sub - frame , and determines the power for data transmission via the uplink sub - frame according to the tpc command . for example , the power for data transmission via the current uplink sub - frame may be determined as follows . the ue decodes the tpc command received through the downlink sub - frame , to obtain an adjustment correction value δ pusch . subsequently , the value of the current pusch power control adjustment state f ( i ) is determined using the accumulated adjustment mode or the absolute adjustment mode . that is , f ( i )= f ( i − 1 )+ δ pusch ( i − k pusch ) is applicable to the case of the accumulated adjustment mode , where f ( 0 )= 0 , δ pusch ( i − k pusch ) denotes the value δ pusch received through the ( i − k pusch ) th sub - frame which is ahead of the current ith uplink sub - frame by a number k pusch of sub - frames . the value of δ pusch ( i − k pusch ) is equal to the value δ pusch obtained from the above decoding . on the other hand , f ( i )= δ pusch ( i − k pusch ) is applicable to the case of the absolute adjustment mode , where δ pusch ( i − k pusch ) denotes the value δ pusch received through the ( i − k pusch ) th sub - frame which is ahead of the current ith uplink sub - frame by a number k pusch of sub - frames . the value of δ pusch ( i − k pusch ) is equal to the value δ pusch obtained from the above decoding . finally , the power for data transmission via the current uplink sub - frame is determined by the below existing formula : p pusch ( i )= min { p max , 10 log 10 ( m pusch ( i ))+ p o — pusch ( j )+ α · pl + δ tf ( tf ( i ))+ f ( i )}. the sub - frame mapping configured in the present invention needs to satisfy the requirement of the delay caused by the processing of the downlink control signaling by the ue , thus , in the case that the sub - frame mapping refers to the mapping relationship between an identifier of the uplink sub - frame and an identifier of the downlink sub - frame , the time interval between the uplink sub - frame and the corresponding downlink sub - frame within each mapping relationship needs to be more than or equal to the delay caused by the processing of the downlink control signaling by the ue . for example , if the delay caused by the processing of the downlink control signaling by the ue is within 3 ms , the time interval between the uplink sub - frame and the corresponding downlink sub - frame within each mapping relationship needs to be more than or equal to 3 ms , further , considering that a sub - frame has a length of 1 ms at present , the uplink sub - frame and the corresponding downlink sub - frame within each mapping relationship are separated from each other by at least 4 sub - frames . likewise , in the case that the sub - frame mapping is the mapping relationship between the identifier of the uplink sub - frame and a value of the delay of tpc controlling , the time interval between the downlink sub - frame determined according to the value of the delay of tpc controlling in the mapping relationship and the uplink sub - frame in the mapping relationship needs to be more than or equal to the delay caused by the processing of the downlink control signaling by the ue . the sub - frame mapping configured in the present invention is applicable to both a single frame schedule and the multiple frame schedule . the single frame schedule refers to the case where a control signaling command in one downlink sub - frame is used for scheduling one uplink sub - frame subsequent to the downlink sub - frame ; while the multiple frame schedule refers to the case where a control signaling command in one downlink sub - frame is used for scheduling multiple continuous uplink sub - frames subsequent to the downlink sub - frame , and the power used for the data transmission by all of the multiple uplink sub - frames is determined with the tpc command transmitted through the downlink sub - frame . due to the presence of both the single frame schedule and the multiple frame schedule and the fact that the uplink and downlink sub - frames in the tdd system are unsymmetrical , the mapping relationship between the identifier of the uplink sub - frame and the identifier of the downlink sub - frame may be one or more from a group consisting of a one - to - one mapping relationship , a one - to - multiple mapping relationship and a multiple - to - one mapping relationship ; and the mapping relationship between the identifier of the uplink sub - frame and a value of the delay of tpc controlling includes a one - to - one mapping relationship and / or a one - to - multiple mapping relationship . the method of the embodiment of the invention is described below with reference to a specific implementation . in the implementation , for example , the delay caused by the processing of the downlink control signaling by the ue is 3 ms , each sub - frame has a length of 1 ms . in the case of the uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode 0 , the multiple frame schedule is employed , and the sub - frame mapping is configured in such a way that a tpc command in one downlink sub - frame is used for scheduling the first two continuous uplink sub - frames subsequent to the one downlink sub - frame with a delay of 3 sub - frames . in the case of uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation modes 1 - 6 , the single frame schedule is employed , and the sub - frame mapping is configured in such a way that a tpc command in one downlink sub - frame is used for scheduling the first uplink sub - frame subsequent to the one downlink sub - frame with a delay of 3 sub - frames and the tpc command is distributed uniformly . the allocation of uplink and downlink sub - frames in the uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation modes 0 - 6 is shown in fig1 . with reference to fig2 b , a schematic diagram of the sub - frame mapping represented as a mapping relationship between the uplink sub - frame identifier and the downlink sub - frame identifier is shown , where a location tx indicates that a tpc command used for determining the data transmission power of the xth uplink sub - frame is transmitted over the downlink sub - frame indexed with the location tx , and a location txy indicates that a tpc command used for determining the data transmission power of the continuous two uplink sub - frames x and y is transmitted over the downlink sub - frame indexed with the location txy . for example , in the case of uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode 0 , the uplink sub - frame 2 corresponds to the downlink sub - frame 5 or the special sub - frame 6 , the uplink sub - frame 3 corresponds to the special sub - frame 6 , the uplink sub - frame 4 corresponds to the downlink sub - frame 0 , the uplink sub - frame 7 corresponds to the downlink sub - frame 0 or the special sub - frame 1 , the uplink sub - frame 8 corresponds to the special sub - frame 1 , and the uplink sub - frame 9 corresponds to the downlink sub - frame 5 . in the case of uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode 1 , the uplink sub - frame 2 corresponds to the special sub - frame 6 , the uplink sub - frame 3 corresponds to the downlink sub - frame 9 , the uplink sub - frame 7 corresponds to the special sub - frame 1 , and the uplink sub - frame 8 corresponds to the downlink sub - frame 4 . in the case of uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode 2 , the uplink sub - frame 2 corresponds to the downlink sub - frame 8 , and the uplink sub - frame 7 corresponds to the downlink sub - frame 3 . in the case of uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode 3 , the uplink sub - frame 2 corresponds to the downlink sub - frame 8 , the uplink sub - frame 3 corresponds to the downlink sub - frame 9 , and the uplink sub - frame 4 corresponds to the downlink sub - frame 0 . in the case of uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode 4 , the uplink sub - frame 2 corresponds to the downlink sub - frame 8 , and the uplink sub - frame 3 corresponds to the downlink sub - frame 9 . in the case of uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode 5 , the uplink sub - frame 2 corresponds to the downlink sub - frame 8 . in the case of uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode 6 , the uplink sub - frame 2 corresponds to the downlink sub - frame 5 , the uplink sub - frame 3 corresponds to the special sub - frame 6 , the uplink sub - frame 4 corresponds to the downlink sub - frame 9 , the uplink sub - frame 7 corresponds to the downlink sub - frame 0 , and the uplink sub - frame 8 corresponds to the special sub - frame 1 . for example , when the uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode 0 is employed , the ue determines , before transmitting data via the current uplink sub - frame 7 , that the uplink sub - frame 7 corresponds to the downlink sub - frame 0 and the special sub - frame 1 according to the provided mapping relationship between the uplink sub - frame identifier and the downlink sub - frame identifier , and then attempts to obtain a tpc command received through the downlink sub - frame 0 or the special sub - frame 1 and determines the power for the data transmission via the uplink sub - frame 7 according to the obtained tpc command . with reference to fig2 c , a schematic diagram of the sub - frame mapping represented as a mapping relationship between the uplink sub - frame identifier and a value of the delay of tpc controlling , where x / y means that the delay of tpc controlling k pusch = x in the case of the first uplink sub - frame in the multiple frame schedule and the delay of tpc controlling k pusch = y in the case of the second uplink sub - frame in the multiple frame schedule . for example , in the case of uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode 0 , the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 2 is 6 or 7 , the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 3 is 7 , the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 4 is 4 , the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 7 is 6 or 7 , the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 8 is 7 , and the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 9 is 4 . in the case of uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode 1 , the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 2 is 6 , the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 3 is 4 , the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 7 is 6 , and the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 8 is 4 . in the case of uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode 2 , the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 2 is 4 , and the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 7 is 4 . in the case of uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode 3 , the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 2 is 4 , the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 3 is 4 , and value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 4 is 4 . in the case of uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode 4 , the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 2 is 4 , and the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 3 is 4 . in the case of uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode 5 , the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 2 is 4 . in the case of uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode 6 , the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 2 is 7 , the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 3 is 7 , the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 4 is 5 , the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 7 is 7 , and the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the uplink sub - frame 8 is 7 . for example , when the uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode 0 is employed , the ue determines , before transmitting data via the current uplink sub - frame 7 , that the uplink sub - frame 7 corresponds to a value of a delay of tpc controlling which is 6 or 7 according to the provided mapping relationship between the uplink sub - frame identifier and the value of the delay of tpc controlling , and then determines that a special sub - frame 1 is ahead of the uplink sub - frame 7 by 6 sub - frames and a downlink sub - frame 0 is ahead of the uplink sub - frame 7 by 7 sub - frames , attempts to obtain a tpc command received through the downlink sub - frame 0 or the special sub - frame 1 , and determines the power for the data transmission via the uplink sub - frame 7 according to the obtained tpc command . as shown in fig3 , an embodiment of the invention further provides a time division duplex data transmission system including a base station 30 and a user equipment 31 . the base station 30 is configured to determine the current uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode used for the data transmission and obtain a sub - frame mapping corresponding to the uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode , and select a downlink sub - frame according to the sub - frame mapping to transmit to a user equipment a tpc command corresponding to an uplink sub - frame . the user equipment 31 is configured to determine the current uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode used for data transmission before transmitting data using the uplink sub - frame , obtain the sub - frame mapping corresponding to the uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode , determine the downlink sub - frame used for transmitting the tpc command corresponding to the uplink sub - frame according to the sub - frame mapping , obtain the tpc command received through the determined downlink sub - frame , and determine the power for data transmission via the uplink sub - frame according to the tpc command . for example , the base station 30 includes a structure unit , a selection unit and a transmission unit . the structure unit is configured to determine the current uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode used for data transmission , and obtain the sub - frame mapping corresponding to the uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode . the selection unit is configured to select , according to the sub - frame mapping , a downlink sub - frame to be used for transmitting a tpc command to the ue . the transmission unit is configured to transmit the tpc command to the ue via the selected downlink sub - frame . in an embodiment , the selection unit includes an identification unit and a first determination unit . the identification unit is configured to obtain an identifier of the uplink sub - frame when the sub - frame mapping is represented as the mapping relationship between the uplink sub - frame identifier and the downlink sub - frame identifier , and determine a downlink sub - frame identifier corresponding to the identifier of the uplink sub - frame according to the mapping relationship . the first determination unit is configured to determine a downlink sub - frame corresponding to the determined downlink sub - frame identifier ahead of the uplink sub - frame as the sub - frame used for transmitting the tpc command to the ue . in another embodiment , the selection unit includes a parameter unit and a second determination unit . the parameter unit is configured to obtain an identifier of the uplink sub - frame when the sub - frame mapping is represented as a mapping relationship between the uplink sub - frame identifier and a value of a delay of tpc controlling , and determine the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the identifier of the uplink sub - frame according to the mapping relationship . the second determination unit is configured to determine a downlink sub - frame ahead of the uplink sub - frame by a time interval of a size of the determined value of the delay of tpc controlling as the sub - frame used for transmitting the tpc command to the ue . the user equipment 31 includes an information unit , a sub - frame unit , an instruction unit and a power unit . the information unit is configured to determine the current uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode used for data transmission before transmitting data using the uplink sub - frame , and obtain a sub - frame mapping corresponding to the uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode . the sub - frame unit is configured to determine the downlink sub - frame used for transmitting the tpc command corresponding to the uplink sub - frame according to the sub - frame mapping . the instruction unit is configured to obtain the tpc command received through the determined downlink sub - frame . the power unit is configured to determine the power for data transmission via the uplink sub - frame according to the tpc command . in an embodiment , the sub - frame unit includes a first obtaining unit and a first result unit . the first obtaining unit is configured to obtain an identifier of the uplink sub - frame when the sub - frame mapping is represented as the mapping relationship between the uplink sub - frame identifier and the downlink sub - frame identifier , and determine a downlink sub - frame identifier corresponding to the identifier of the uplink sub - frame according to the mapping relationship . the first result unit is configured to determine a downlink sub - frame corresponding to the determined downlink sub - frame identifier ahead of the uplink sub - frame as the sub - frame used for transmitting the tpc command corresponding to the uplink sub - frame . in another embodiment , the sub - frame unit includes a second obtaining unit and a second result unit . the second obtaining unit is configured to obtain an identifier of the uplink sub - frame when the sub - frame mapping is represented as a mapping relationship between the uplink sub - frame identifier and a value of a delay of tpc controlling , and determine the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the identifier of the uplink sub - frame according to the mapping relationship . the second result unit is configured to determine a downlink sub - frame ahead of the uplink sub - frame by a time interval of a size of the determined value of the delay of tpc controlling as the sub - frame used for transmitting the tpc command corresponding to the uplink sub - frame . as shown in fig4 , an embodiment of the invention further provides a base station , which is applicable to a time division duplex data transmission system and includes a structure unit 40 , a selection unit 41 and a transmission unit 42 . the structure unit 40 is configured to determine the current uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode used for data transmission , and obtain a sub - frame mapping corresponding to the uplink and downlink sub - frame allocation mode . the selection unit 41 is configured to select a downlink sub - frame used for transmitting the tpc command to the ue according to the sub - frame mapping . the transmission unit 42 is configured to transmit the tpc command to the ue using the selected downlink sub - frame . in an embodiment , the selection unit 41 includes an identification unit 50 and a first determination unit 51 . the identification unit 50 is configured to obtain an identifier of the uplink sub - frame when the sub - frame mapping is represented as the mapping relationship between the uplink sub - frame identifier and the downlink sub - frame identifier , and determine a downlink sub - frame identifier corresponding to the identifier of the uplink sub - frame according to the mapping relationship . the first determination unit 51 is configured to determine a downlink sub - frame corresponding to the determined downlink sub - frame identifier ahead of the uplink sub - frame as the sub - frame used for transmitting the tpc command to the ue . in another embodiment , the selection unit 41 includes a parameter unit 52 and a second determination unit 53 . the parameter unit 52 is configured to obtain an identifier of the uplink sub - frame when the sub - frame mapping is represented as a mapping relationship between the uplink sub - frame identifier and a value of a delay of tpc controlling , and determine the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the identifier of the uplink sub - frame according to the mapping relationship . the second determination unit 53 is configured to determine a downlink sub - frame ahead of the uplink sub - frame by a time interval of a size of the determined value of the delay of tpc controlling as the sub - frame used for transmitting the tpc command to the ue . as shown in fig5 , an embodiment of the invention further provides a user equipment , which is applicable to a time division duplex data transmission system and includes an information unit 60 , a sub - frame unit 61 , an instruction unit 62 and a power unit 63 . the information unit 60 is configured to determine the current uplink and downlink the sub - frame unit 61 is configured to determine the downlink sub - frame used for transmitting the tpc command corresponding to the uplink sub - frame according to the sub - frame mapping . the instruction unit 62 is configured to obtain the tpc command received through the determined downlink sub - frame . the power unit 63 is configured to determine the power for data transmission via the uplink sub - frame according to the tpc command . in an embodiment , the sub - frame unit 61 includes a first obtaining unit 70 and a first result unit 71 . the first obtaining unit 70 is configured to obtain an identifier of the uplink sub - frame when the sub - frame mapping is represented as the mapping relationship between the uplink sub - frame identifier and the downlink sub - frame identifier , and determine a downlink sub - frame identifier corresponding to the identifier of the uplink sub - frame according to the mapping relationship . the first result unit 71 is configured to determine a downlink sub - frame corresponding to the determined downlink sub - frame identifier ahead of the uplink sub - frame as the sub - frame used for transmitting the tpc command corresponding to the uplink sub - frame . in another embodiment , the sub - frame unit 61 includes a second obtaining unit 72 and a second result unit 73 . the second obtaining unit 72 is configured to obtain an identifier of the uplink sub - frame when the sub - frame mapping is represented as a mapping relationship between the uplink sub - frame identifier and a value of a delay of tpc controlling , and determine the value of the delay of tpc controlling corresponding to the identifier of the uplink sub - frame according to the mapping relationship . the second result unit 73 is configured to determine a downlink sub - frame ahead of the uplink sub - frame by a time interval of a size of the determined value of the delay of tpc controlling as the sub - frame used for transmitting the tpc command corresponding to the uplink sub - frame . in the solutions of the embodiments of the present invention , the base station selects a downlink sub - frame for transmitting the tpc command according to the configured sub - frame . mapping , and the ue obtains the tpc command received through the corresponding downlink sub - frame according to the configured sub - frame mapping and determines the transmission power according to the tpc command . as a result , the tpc command can be transmitted and received according to the sub - frame mapping in the lte tdd system , thus enabling proper and effective uplink power control . it will be appreciated that various modifications and alternations may be made on the present invention by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention . all the modifications and alternations of the invention falling within the scope of the enclosed claims and equivalents thereof are intended to be included in the scope of the invention .	7
in fig1 a prior art handpiece is represented and includes a motor housing 4 from which extends a cylindrical connector member 20 for mating engagement within a handpiece attachment 50 . o - rings 22 , 23 and 24 around the cylindrical connector 20 form a sealing engagement between connector 20 and attachment 50 , and provide separate passages for the flow of water and chip air , along flow paths 10 and 12 respectively , from motor housing 4 to handpiece attachment 50 for discharge at the head end of the handpiece onto the work area . attachment 50 is swivelable relative to the motor housing 4 . the foregoing is a summary description of the prior art . fig2 - 7 in which the improvement of this invention is described , use the same reference numerals for like elements . in fig2 , 4 and 5 a handpiece motor is generally indicated at 2 and includes a motor housing 4 adapted at its right end for attachment to a supply hose , not shown . at the hose end of the motor housing 4 , are conduits or passages for turbine drive air 6 , turbine exhaust air 8 , water 10 , chip air 12 and electrical connections 14 , all of which mate with corresponding conduits in the supply hose . air passages 6 and 8 carry air respectively to and from a turbine motor 16 suitably mounted within the motor housing 4 . a drive spindle 18 extends axially from the turbine motor for connection to a drive assembly , transmission , and ultimately to the handpiece head for rotation of a tool , bur , or the like . a connector member 20 extends from the left end of the motor housing 4 , surrounding the drive spindle 18 , and is adapted for insertion into a handpiece attachment in sealing engagement therewith by means of o - rings 22 , 23 , and 24 . the water passage 10 extends through the motor housing 4 and the body of the connector member 20 , from which it discharges between o - rings 23 and 24 . similarly , the chip air passage 12 extends throught the motor housing 4 and the connector member 20 from which it discharges between o - rings 22 and 23 . electrical connections 14 lead through suitable wiring 26 within the motor housing 4 to an annular commutator ring 28 mounted at the left end of the motor housing and facing the handpiece attachment 50 . commutator 28 includes an insulative support ring 30 which supports an inner and an outer conductive ring 32 and 34 . inner ring 32 is electrically connected as by soldering to a connecting pin 36 and outer ring 34 is similarly electrically connected to connecting pin 38 . commutator 28 is detachably mounted to the motor housing 4 by the insertion of pins 36 and 38 into mating spring loaded conductive contacts 40 which are mounted on motor housing 4 by insulative bushings 42 . spring loaded contacts 40 are each connected to one of the wires 26 which in turn connect to electrical connections 14 . behind the commutator 28 is one or more assembly screws 44 holdng the motor housing 4 , connector 20 and turbine motor 16 together . these assembly screws are easily accessible for disassembly of the entire handpiece motor by the simple removal of the commutator 28 . as stated earlier , the handpiece motor assembly 2 , shown in fig2 is adapted for mating engagment with a handpiece attachment , generally indicated at 50 in fig6 . when these two components are joined , the o - rings 22 , 23 , and 24 in fig2 are located in the positions shown in phantom in fig6 . the handpiece attachment 50 in fig6 as is well - known , includes within it a drive assembly 52 and transmission 54 for delivery of rotary motion to the head 56 which is typically at right angles to the transmission and includes a chuck for the mounting of a working tool , bur or the like . the right end of the handpiece attachment 50 includes a generally cylindrical cavity into which is inserted the connector 20 for the connection of motor drive spindle 18 with the drive assembly 52 . the interior of the handpiece attachment 50 includes a pair of annular channels 58 , 59 . annular channel 58 , between o - rings 22 and 23 , communicates with the air passage 12 in the motor housing 4 and with its continuation in the handpiece attachment 50 through which it extends to its point of discharge near the working end of the handpiece . similarly , the other annular channel 59 , between o - rings 23 and 24 , communicates with water passage 10 in the motor housing and with its continuation in the handpiece attachment to a point of discharge at the head end of the handpiece adjacent that of the air passage . when the handpiece motor 2 is connected to the handpiece attachment 50 , that is when the connector 20 is placed inside the open end of the attachment 50 , it will be seen that the o - rings 22 , 23 and 24 form a seal with the interior of the attachment and isolate the air annular channel 58 and the water annular channel 59 and therefore create substantially fluid tight seals on each side of these annuli . handpiece attachment 50 includes a lamp cavity 60 into which a lamp 62 extends . lamp 62 is removably attached to a base 63 with commutator brushes 65 which are in turn positioned for contact with the commutator 28 when the handpiece motor and attachment are joined . lamp cavity 60 leads to the face of an optical fiber bundle 64 which extends from the lamp to the head end of the handpiece attachment where it terminates , adjacent the air and water outlets , for illumination of the work area . lamp base 63 and commutator 28 maintain electrical contact while the attachment 50 is swivelable relative to the motor housing 4 . an alternative arrangement omits the fiber bundle 64 , places the lamp 62 at the head end of the instrument , and extends electrical wires from the points of contact with commutator 28 to the lamp . the handpiece motor described herein is preferably of size and dimension such that any standard international standards organization ( iso ) handpiece attachment is usable with it , whether or not the attachment is provided with a lamp or flow passages . of course , all the benefits of chip air , water , and illumination will be realized only with attachments providing for the extension of these services . but for power transmission to the head , any iso handpiece attachment may be used . while the motor of this invention has been described as including an air turbine , it is also contemplated that an electric motor or vane motor may be used instead of the air turbine as the prime mover element .	0
the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to a few embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings . in the following description , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . it will be apparent , however , to one skilled in the art , that the present invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details . in other instances , well known process steps and / or structures have not been described in detail in order to not unnecessarily obscure the present invention . various embodiments are described herein below , including methods and techniques . it should be kept in mind that the invention might also cover articles of manufacture that includes a computer readable medium on which computer - readable instructions for carrying out embodiments of the inventive technique are stored . the computer readable medium may include , for example , semiconductor , magnetic , opto - magnetic , optical , or other forms of computer readable medium for storing computer readable code . further , the invention may also cover apparatuses for practicing embodiments of the invention . such apparatus may include circuits , dedicated and / or programmable , to carry out tasks pertaining to embodiments of the invention . examples of such apparatus include a general - purpose computer and / or a dedicated computing device when appropriately programmed and may include a combination of a computer / computing device and dedicated / programmable circuits adapted for the various tasks pertaining to embodiments of the invention . embodiments of the invention relate to techniques , methods , and systems for protecting data in mashup websites . as aforementioned , hackers have traditionally relied on several techniques to steal data from users that utilize a mashup website &# 39 ; s service . for example , hackers may employ malicious codes in one gadget to steal data / content associated with other gadgets . in one aspect of the invention , the inventor herein realized that by providing a cross - object access control policy and employing event detectors to detect event and by ascertaining whether an event initiated by an object comply with the cross - object access control policy before access to content is permitted , content security for all the users that utilize mashup websites would be enhanced . in one or more embodiments of the invention , after the third - party gadget ( s ) has / have been integrated as part of a mashup webpage , a hierarchical relationship representation among objects of the mashup webpage is created by performing a scan of the mashup page . as the term is employed herein , a hierarchical relationship representation is a conceptual representation of relationships among objects comprising a mashup webpage . generally speaking , these relationships include parent , child and / or sibling relationships . in an embodiment , this hierarchical relationship representation is represented by a dom tree . in one or more embodiments of the invention , there is provided a cross - object access control policy that is designed to control access by one object of the mashup webpage to content associated with another object of the webpage . for example , a dom traversal access control policy may be implemented to govern the access ( e . g ., reading and / or writing ) by one gadget of a mashup webpage to content associated with another gadget of that mashup webpage . once the hierarchical relationship representation has been generated for the mashup webpage , in an embodiment , event hooks may be implemented at various nodes of the hierarchical relationship representation in order to intercept events . the intercepted events are then analyzed to ascertain whether the intercepted event complies with the cross - object access control policy . for example , a javascript dom event executed by codes of a given gadget may be intercepted ( i . e . hooked ) in order to ascertain whether the javascript dom event complies with a dom traversal access control policy . in one or more embodiments , the cross - object access control policy may include three rules that govern that object &# 39 ; s access to 1 ) its parent objects , 2 ) its sibling objects , and 3 ) its child objects . in one or more embodiments , a cross - object access control policy in a mashup webpage may state that an object may not read / write its parent object &# 39 ; s content nor can the object read / write its sibling object &# 39 ; s content . however , it is possible for the object to read / write its child object &# 39 ; s content . in one or more embodiments , these rules have been found to work well in order to provide content security for the mashup webpages . these rules may be codified into the dom traversal access control policy , in an implementation . in an embodiment , if the javascript dom event attempts to access either a sibling or parent object , the javascript dom event may be detected and rejected as noncompliance with the dom traversal access control policy . in this case , a warning may be displayed on the user &# 39 ; s web browser to alert the user and to , for example , allow the user to remove the third - party object that is trying to access unauthorized parent or sibling object content . in this manner , the unauthorized access by one object to another object &# 39 ; s content is prevented . on the other hand , if the javascript dom event is attempting to access the content of a child object , access to read / write will be granted per the dom traversal access control policy . the features and advantages of the invention may be better understood with reference to the figures and discussions that follow . fig1 shows an example of a mashup webpage 102 as displayed on a user &# 39 ; s web browser . in fig1 , there is shown a gadget 104 , representing a “ to do ” task list gadget . there is also shown a gadget 106 , representing a gadget for searching an online encyclopedia ( e . g ., wikipedia ™ gadget ). each of these gadgets includes codes that implement the functionality as well as data / content ( such as the user &# 39 ; s personal to - do tasks ). a button 108 is shown , representing a button allowing the user to further customize mashup webpage 102 via additional gadgets . fig2 shows an example dom tree , representing the hierarchical relationship representation among objects of the mashup webpage of fig1 . such a dom tree may be generated from the objects programmatically using , for example , a commercially available tool such as by dom inspector ( domi ), available from joe hewitt and christopher aillon ( november 11 , 2003 revision ) and installed as part of the firefox ™ browser . ( http :// developer . mozilia . org / en / docs / dom_inspector ). “ to do ” gadget 104 of fig1 is represented by node 204 , while the wikipedia search gadget 106 of fig1 is represented by node 206 . in the example of fig2 , these two gadgets are sibling objects in the dom tree . with reference to fig2 , igoogle body area ( 210 ) is a parent object of node 204 (“ to do ” gadget ) and node 206 (“ wikipedia ”). fig3 shows , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention , the steps in implementing data security in mashup webpages . in step 302 , the gadget ( s ) are installed on the mashup webpage . at this point , gadgets may , in an embodiment , be allowed to be installed without regard to whether they contain malicious code . in another embodiment , scanning or detecting malicious codes / data may be attempted prior to permitting the installation to occur . in step 304 , the mashup webpage is then scanned to generate the hierarchical relationship representation . for example , a dom tree may be generated from the html mashup webpage in order to represent the relationships among the objects of the mashup webpage . in step 306 , a traversal access control policy , representing the cross - object access control policy , may be provided . this traversal access control policy is configured to govern whether access by one object to the content of another object would be allowable during run - time . fig4 shows , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention , the steps for implementing data security for mashup webpages . the steps of fig4 are executed during run - time based on the data security framework set up during set - up time ( as discussed in connection with fig3 ). in step 402 , a dom event is hooked or detected . hooking is a standard technology and is provided by , for example , microsoft corporation of redmond , wash . in step 404 , it is ascertained whether the hooked dom event complies with the provided dom traversal access control policy . as discussed , one such policy may state that , for example , an object may not read / write its parent object &# 39 ; s content nor can the object read / write its sibling object &# 39 ; s content . however , it is permitted for the object to read / write its children object &# 39 ; s content . if the hooked dom event complies with the dom traversal access control policy , the event is permitted ( 406 ). on the other hand , if the hooked dom event fails to comply with the dom traversal access control policy , the event is not permitted ( 408 ). in an embodiment , a warning or status message may be sent to the user to inform the user that a particular gadget has codes that violate the dom traversal access control policy . with the provided warning , the user may elect to uninstall the offending gadget , for example . as can be appreciated from the foregoing , embodiments of the invention provide security protection for the content for all gadgets in a mashup webpage . further , the protection can be readily implemented in a mashup webpage even if the individual gadgets themselves are not provided with content security mechanisms . in this manner , the paradigm of mixing or matching of gadgets are still allowed in the creation of a mashup webpage irrespective whether a given gadget is endowed with its own content security protection , and content security is provided for all gadgets without requiring gadget authors to re - program gadget codes . while this invention has been described in terms of several preferred embodiments , there are alterations , permutations , and equivalents , which fall within the scope of this invention . for example , although ajax technologies and dom technologies are discussed as examples of enabling technologies for rich internet applications ( ria ) or mashup webpages , other technologies such as flex ( by adobe inc . of san jose , calif .) or curl may also be employed . as another example , techniques herein may also be implemented as plug - ins that work with client internet browsers , thereby enabling protection for users when interacting or working with mashup websites . also , the title , summary , and abstract are provided herein for convenience and should not be used to construe the scope of the claims herein . it should also be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and apparatuses of the present invention . although various examples are provided herein , it is intended that these examples be illustrative and not limiting with respect to the invention . further , in this application , a set of “ n ” items refers zero or more items in the set , as the mathematical definition is intended to be interpreted . it is therefore intended that the following appended claims be interpreted as including all such alterations , permutations , and equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention .	6
fig1 is a rendition of the prior art three layer micro - strip antenna commonly employed for transmitting and receiving microwave radiation . this antenna is comprised of a first conductive patterned face layer 1 comprising a set of radiating patch antennas 2 and a set of feed lines 3 that carry energy from a connector means 6 to said patch antennas . while this is depicted as three different pieces ( 1 , 2 , 3 ), in reality the radiating patch layer is composed of a layer of copper that is either milled or acid etched to the desired shaped antenna patches and feed lines . this antenna layer is bonded to a dielectric spacer layer 7 , usually composed of teflon , and bonded to a third layer , the ground plane 8 . the conductive portions of this antenna are connected to a receiver or transmitter or transceiver by a connector means 6 . fig2 is a diagram of the current technology for a stripline antenna design which consists of a radiating layer 41 of antenna patches 2 , dielectric spacer layer 7 a feed layer 10 that supplies current through the dielectric spacer and an aperturated ground plane 9 a . a conventional ground plane 9 at the opposite end of the layers acts to contain the microwave energy . not shown in this diagram are feed slots or apertures to connect the various radiating layers of the stripline antenna . this detailed description will concern the construction of a three layer micro - strip antenna . fig3 shows a means of constructing a three layer micro - strip antenna where a molded or folded non - woven fabric is incorporated as an interdigitated ( corrugated ), molded , non - woven spacer fabric 19 . here , the antenna patches 2 and feedlines 3 are cut from a conductive fabric , shieldx 151 , 11 , and attached to a retainer non - woven fabric 5 . the non - woven dielectric spacer 7 in this three layer micro - strip antenna , is comprised of an interdigitated ( corrugated ), molded , non - woven spacer fabric 19 and the ground plane is constructed by bonding shieldx 151 , 11 , to another retainer non - woven fabric 5 . fig4 is another view showing the spacer 7 composed of an interdigitated ( corrugated ), molded , non - woven spacer fabric 19 bonded between retainer non - woven fabric 5 . this can provide greater distance between the antenna patches 2 and the ground plane 9 . fig5 is a rendition of a non - woven patch antenna where the microwave patch antennas 2 and feed lines are affixed to the non - woven retainer fabric 5 , which is attached to two corrugated non - woven fabric dielectric spacer plates 19 , to another non - woven retainer fabric 5 attached to a ground plane 9 . this process can be repeated several times to achieve the distance desired between the microwave patches 2 and the ground plane 9 . fig6 depicts a method of fabricating microwave feed lines and antennas by incorporating a conductive fabric such as shieldex 151 , 11 , or other conductive fabric , 11 , to an adhesive transfer paper 12 . shieldex 151 is coated on one side 11 a with a thermal setting adhesive during manufacture , allowing it to be attached to another fabric . shieldex 151 has a non - adhesive side , 11 b . the attachment is accomplished by applying heat and pressure using a platen press ( not shown ). the adhesive transfer paper 12 has one side coated with a tack adhesive 12 a , and is used for the temporary retention of the non - woven fabric components . note that the non - adhesive side 11 b of the shieldex 151 is attached to the temporary adhesive face 12 a of the transfer paper . fig7 shows the antenna pattern and / or feedline structure being cut from the conductive fabric 11 attached to the transfer paper 12 . the pattern is first digitized according to established art using software programs such as wilcom or coreldraw or other programs of equivalent functionality . the digitized pattern is then fed to an automated cutter such as a laser cutter 13 . the combined transfer paper 12 / conductive fabric material 11 is then fed into the laser cutter 13 with the conductive fabric 11 , adhesive side up 11 a , exposed to a laser beam 14 . the laser beam 14 is adjusted to cut through only the conductive fabric layer 11 leaving the transfer paper 12 intact . the laser cutter 13 is directed under computer control 15 to cut ( incise ) the boundaries 30 of the closed areas comprising the radiating microwave patch antenna 2 and / or feed patterns 3 through the conductive fabric 11 . thereafter , the conductive fabric 11 and transfer paper 12 are removed from the laser cutter 13 and those areas of conductive cloth not comprising a part of the antenna are removed by hand . the result is a pattern of conductive cloth representing the radiating patch antennas 2 and / or feeds 3 that remain attached to the transfer paper 12 . this next step is not shown . the conductive fabric 11 attached to the transfer paper 12 is then laid down on retainer non - woven fabric 5 such as avalon 170 or similar non - woven fabric so that the adhesive side of the conductive fabric is next to the retainer fabric . the cloth is then placed in a heat and pressure platen press ( not shown ) at the cure temperature of the conductive fabric adhesive for a time of 30 to 40 seconds . the heat and pressure attach the adhesive side 11 a of the conductive fabric 11 but not the transfer paper 12 to the non - woven carrier fabric 17 . the transfer paper 12 is then removed leaving the radiating patch antenna 2 and / or feed pattern 3 attached to the non - woven carrier fabric 17 . fig8 depicts a retention bar structure 20 which is used to bond interdigitated ( corrugated ), molded , non - woven fabric 19 ( not shown in this figure ) to the retainer non - woven fabric 5 . the retainer fabric 5 has been bonded to either the radiating patch antennas 2 and feed lines 3 or to the ground plane 9 . the retention arms 20 a slide between the folds of the corrugated non - woven spacer fabric 19 to provide support to said spacer fabric 19 for the bonding process . the corrugated non - woven spacer fabric 19 is left in the retention bar structure to bond the retainer non - woven fabric 5 to which either is bonded a ground plane 9 or radiating patch antennas and feedlines 3 are attached . a flat upper press plate 31 ( not shown in this figure ) together with the retention bar structure 20 sandwich the corrugated non - woven spacer fabric 19 and the retainer non - woven fabric 5 to provide heat and pressure to bond these two pieces together . fig9 , depicts the corrugated non - woven spacer fabric 19 as it is obtained from the manufacturer . the retention arms 20 a are designed to slide easily between the parallel folds to provide support for the heat and pressure of the bonding process . when the bonding process is complete , the retention structure 20 can be removed easily . fig1 depicts bonding the corrugated spacer 19 to the structure formed in fig7 comprising the retainer fabric 5 , patch antenna 2 , and feed lines 3 . in this diagram this retainer fabric / radiating patch antenna / feed line structure is represented as 50 with the exposed retention fabric 5 placed next to the ( interdigitated ) corrugated non - woven fabric 19 . the retention bars 20 a serve as a support for the corrugated non - woven spacer fabric 19 which is wrapped over and under the bars . while the corrugated spacer 19 is being supported , retainer fabric / radiating patch antenna / feed line structure 50 is bonded to the flat edges of the corrugated spacer 24 . a film adhesive 21 such as produced by bemis , is laid between the corrugated non - woven spacer fabric 19 and the non - woven retainer fabric 5 side of the structure 50 . the heat and pressure for the bonding / gluing step is provided by the upper portion of the platen press 31 , while the retention bars 20 a hold the constructed antenna structure and maintain the shape of the ( interdigitated ) corrugated non - woven spacer fabric 19 . the resulting cross section is shown in fig1 . heat of about 350 degrees fahrenheit for 30 to 45 seconds and pressure of 50 - 80 psi are used to permanently bond the layers together the non - woven spacer fabric . fig1 depicts the next step in the process where the spacer fabric and antenna face assembly is inverted and the retention bars 20 a are inserted through the ends and locked into position in the retention bar structure 20 . this assembly is then placed in a thermal pressure platen press ( not shown ) at 350 degrees fahrenheit and pressure from 50 - 80 pounds per square inch for 45 seconds . an adhesive glue 21 placed between the ground plane 9 and the face fabric 5 with the heat and pressure of the platen press causes the structure to bond together . the resulting completed microstrip antenna is then removed from the thermal bonding fixture . fig1 represents an alternative embodiment . in this instance , the molded non - woven spacer fabric is arranged between the fingers 20 a of the retention bar structure 20 . a layer of thermal setting adhesive 46 is then applied to the molded non - woven fabric opposite the retention bars . the antenna pattern layer comprising the antenna patches 2 , feedlines 3 bonded to retainer non - woven fabric 5 ( this structure is designated as 50 ), and the conductive ground plane fabric 9 / retainer non - woven fabric 5 layer ( this structure is designated as 90 ) are then located above and below the retention bar assembly . upper 31 and lower pressure plate 32 assemblies are applied above and below the face fabric layers . a light pressure , sufficient to hold the assembly in place , is applied until the contact cement cures . when the cure cycle is complete , the pressure plates are withdrawn and the retention bar assembly is also withdrawn leaving the finished microstrip antenna . dimpled non - woven fabric 60 may be used as a dielectric spacer layer . an example of this type of non - woven fabric is depicted in fig1 . the apex of each dimple 60 b is used to glue a face layer with either patch antennas 2 and feed lines 3 or a ground plane 9 . fig1 a shows how an antenna can be constructed while the dimpled fabric 60 is still in the lower half 70 of the mold that forms the dimples . thermal setting adhesive 46 can be applied to the apex of the dimple and the retainer fabric side of a radiating patch antenna / feed line structure 50 can be placed over the apex of the dimple 60 b . the bottom of the molded dimple press 70 and a flat platen press plate 31 placed on the top provide heat and pressure to glue the face layer 5 to the dimpled dielectric spacer 60 . fig1 b depicts a second step whereby the base side 60 a of the dimpled fabric is attached to the retainer non - woven fabric / radiating antenna / feed line structure or to a retainer non - woven fabric / ground plane structure . retention bars 20 a are placed between the parallel rows of dimples to provide support . thermal setting adhesive 46 is placed on the dimpled non - woven spacer fabric 60 on the side over and opposite the retention bars 20 a . the desired retainer fabric structure can then be placed on top of the thermal setting adhesive 46 and the resulting structure can be placed in a platen press ( not shown ) to provide heat and pressure . although specific features of the invention are shown in some drawings and not in others , this is for convenience only as each feature may be combined with any or all of the other features in accordance with the invention . the words “ including ”, “ comprising ”, “ having ”, and “ with ” as used herein are to be interpreted broadly and comprehensively and are not limited to any physical interconnection . moreover , any embodiments disclosed in the subject application are not to be taken as the only possible embodiments . other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art and are within the following claims . in addition , any amendment presented during the prosecution of the patent application for this patent is not a disclaimer of any claim element presented in the application as filed : those skilled in the art cannot reasonably be expected to draft a claim that would literally encompass all possible equivalents , many equivalents will be unforeseeable at the time of the amendment and are beyond a fair interpretation of what is to be surrendered ( if anything ), the rationale underlying the amendment may bear no more than a tangential relation to many equivalents , and / or there are many other reasons the applicant can not be expected to describe certain insubstantial substitutes for any claim element amended .	7
the following is a detailed description of the best mode presently contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention . modifications of and / or amplifications thereon may appear to those of reasonable skill in the art as the description proceeds . cellulose acetate resin compounds are available in a variety of formulations from eastman chemical company , kingsport , tenn ., under the trademark tenite . eastman &# 39 ; s literature states that : &# 34 ; tenite cellulosic plastics are produced from cellulose , a renewable resource obtained from wood pulp or cotton linters . &# 34 ; tenite acetate is formed by reacting cellulose with acetic acid and acetic anhydride , with sulfuric acid normally used as the catalyst . the ester is subsequently compounded with plasticizers , heat stabilizers , pigments , and other additives to produce the specific formulations . . . . &# 34 ; tenite acetate . . . [ is ] manufactured in a variety of formulas and flows , in 3 . 2 mm ( 1 / 8 in .) pellets for molding and extrusion .&# 34 ; these cellulose acetate resin compounds or blends 1 are formed into end products by conventional thermoforming processes , such as injection molding , slot casting and extrusion into films , sheets , tubes and profiles . depending on the formulation of the resin blend , the thermoformed end products may be transparent , translucent or opaque , and either clear or colored . applications are very extensive and include , for example , tool handles , ophthalmic frames , face and eye shields , tooth brushes and hair brushes , personal care items , pipes and tubes , medical devices , automotive steering wheels and trim , store fixtures and displays , appliance parts , toys and sporting goods , writing instruments , sheeting and furniture profiles . normally , products made from cellulose acetate are not compostable . prior to processing into end products , resin blend pellets obtained from eastman chemical , containing various additives such as plasticizers , processing aids and other additives , in proportions up to about 40 % by weight , exhibit a biodegradation factor in the order of about 7 % over a 45 day standard composting test period . extrapolation of the data indicates that little if any additional biodegradation of the resin pellets would occur over time . the modest degradation that does occur presumably is attributable to the additives . products made from the resins are not biodegradable and are not compostable . &# 34 ; a material which undergoes physical , chemical , thermal and / or biological degradation in a municipal solid waste composting facility such that it enters into and is physically indistinguishable from the finished compost ( humus ), and which ultimately mineralizes ( biodegrades to carbon dioxide , water and biomass ) in the environment at a rate equivalent to that of known compostable materials in municipal solid waste such as paper and yard waste .&# 34 ; a biodegradable material is defined as a material that is &# 34 ; capable of being broken down into innocuous products by the action of living beings ( i . e ., microorganisms ).&# 34 ; it is a material that degrades and mineralizes as a consequence of microbial enzymatic attack by microorganisms such as bacteria , fungus , algae and protozones . biodegradation occurs anaerobically as well as aerobically . ionization and / or oxidation is not required . when testing for biodegradability and compostability for organic waste systems , test laboratories utilize standard procedures for obtaining test and research results on an expedited basis . in the research and test programs about to be discussed , the test medium employed is a dry activated sewage sludge , the base comparison material is microcrystalline cellulose , and the test period is 45 days . the tests are carried out in accordance with astm standard d . 5338 - 92 . referring to fig1 curve a indicates the biodegradation characteristic of microcrystalline cellulose for the particular comparative test . as indicated , and as is conventional in such tests , microcrystalline cellulose has a biodegradation factor of about 80 % at about 35 days and then levels off with no further biodegradation . this is to be expected . even though cellulose is known to be 100 % biodegradable , 100 % disappearance of the material cannot be expected since all solids will have a certain amount of residue , i . e ., biomass , remaining , as is inherent in the definition of compostability . cellulose is fully compostable . curve b in fig1 indicates the biodegradation characteristic of a standard eastman chemical tenite brand of cellulose acetate resin pellets obtainable under the designation a036 . these resin pellets contain in the order of about 25 % by weight of diethyl phthalate plasticizer and other processing aids . as indicated , the biodegradation at about 35 days is in the order of about 7 % and thereafter remains essentially constant at this level indicating that little if any further biodegradation will occur . it is believed that such biodegradation as occurs in respect of the resin pellets is due to the presence of the plasticizer and other additives , inasmuch as the end products themselves are not biodegradable or compostable . curve c in fig1 indicates the biodegradation characteristic of the same tenite a036 cellulose acetate resin pellets following modification of the pellets in accordance with the present invention by passage of the same through an electron beam curtain to obtain a radiation exposure dosage of 2 megarads . as illustrated , the biodegradation characteristic is more than twice that of the untreated acetate pellets . indeed , both the rate and the degree of degradation are significantly increased . moreover , at the termination of the 45 day test period , biodegradation was continuing as is indicated by the continued upward inclination of curve c in contrast to the leveling off of curve b . extrapolation of the data points results in a projection of 65 % biodegradation over 180 days . manifestly , the electron beam radiation treatment drasticaly modified the structure of the resin compound . it is theorized that ether bonds were split or broken by the radiation treatment , resulting in a decrease in the acetate side group and a decrease in molecular weight , thereby permitting enzyme penetration and biodegradation of the compound . in any event , regardless of theory , the rate of biodegradation was nearly tripled by practice of the invention . the biodegradation studies above described were conducted by o . w . s . inc . of dayton , ohio and gent , belgium , an independent laboratory specializing in testing for biodegradability and compostability . the studies were conducted in accordance with recently adopted astm standard d . 5338 - 92 and are closely monitored to determine inherent degradability in active compost by calculation of the conversion of carbon to carbon dioxide . the controlled composting test is an optimized simulation of an intensive aerobic composting process where the degradability of a test substance under dry aerobic conditions is determined . the inoculum consists of stabilized and mature compost derived from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste . the test substances are mixed with the inoculum and introduced into static reactor vessels where they are intensively composted under controlled oxygen , temperature and moisture conditions . during the aerobic degradation of organic materials , a mixture of gases , principally carbon dioxide and water , are the final decomposition products while part of the organic material will be assimilated for cell growth . the carbon dioxide production is continuously monitored and integrated to determine the carbon dioxide production rate and the cumulative carbon dioxide production . after determining the carbon content of the test compound , the percentage of degradation can be calculated as the percentage of solid carbon of the test compound which has been converted to gaseous , mineral carbon ( c ) under the form of carbon dioxide ( co 2 ). also the kinetics of the degradation can be established . the test and reference substances are mixed with the inoculum in a ratio of roughly 1 to 1 . 5 parts of dry matter to 6 parts of dry matter and introduced into the reactors . the reactors are closed airtight and put into the incubators . the temperature of the reactors is continuously controlled and follows an evolution which is representative for a real composting temperature profile : pressurized dry air , free of co 2 and with a standard composition is sent over a gas flow controller which regulates very precisely the flow rate and blown into the composting vessel at the bottom through a porous plate . through biodegradation solid carbon of the test compound is converted and co 2 is produced . the gas leaving each individual reactor is continuously analyzed on regular intervals ( every 3 hours ) for co 2 and o 2 concentration . also the flow rate is measured regularly . likewise the cumulative co 2 production can be determined . the percentage of biodegradation is determined as the percentage of solid carbon of the test compound which is converted to gaseous , mineral c under the form of co 2 . for purposes of comparison with the present invention , the following table sets forth the results of a study conducted by o . w . s . inc . for the applicant to determine the biodegradability of various materials frequently introduced into landfills , most of which are assumed to be biodegradable . according to their percentage of carbon conversion after 45 days , the test substances were classified for biodegradability under controlled composting conditions as follows : ______________________________________cellulose : 76 . 2 % cellulose paper : 66 . 9 % ( 87 . 8 %) kraft paper : 62 . 2 % ( 81 . 6 %) cardboard : 48 . 1 % ( 63 . 1 %) magazines : 46 . 3 % ( 60 . 8 %) newspaper : 34 . 3 % ( 45 . 0 %) polyethylene : 0 . 4 % ( 0 . 5 %) ______________________________________ between the parentheses a percentage is given of the biodegradation of the test substance compared to the degradation of cellulose , which is known to be fully compostable . the study stated , in conclusion , that polyethylene showed no biodegradation . newspaper , cardboard and magazines showed a medium degradation , while cellulose paper and kraft paper showed a high biodegradation . these studies establish that biodegradation in the order of 60 - 70 % is very high . considering the inherent biomass of completely degradable cellulose , materials which have a test degradation of 60 to 70 % are in fact 80 to 90 % biodegradable and thus fully compostable . therefore , the irradiated cellulose acetate compounds of the invention are qualified for identification as fully compostable plastics . cellulose can have a degree of substitution ranging from 0 to 3 ; zero substitution being cellophane and a substitution of 3 being a triacetate . the cellulose acetates of particular interest here are those having a degree of substitution of from about 1 . 5 to about 2 . 5 . to enhance the rate and the degree of biodegradation , the processing aids employed in the cellulose acetate resin blends or compounds of the invention are comprised of plasticizers which will enhance biodegradation , namely , those selected from the group comprised of propylene glycol , polyethylene glycol , glycerin and glycerol triacetate . these additives are employed in percentages of from about 15 % to about 40 % by weight of the resin blend . if used , the polyethylene glycol should have a low molecular weight , e . g ., less than 20 , 000 and preferably in the order of about 5 , 000 weigth average molecular weight . the electron beam irradiated cellulose acetate a036 resin pellets used as samples in the above described tests were e - beam treated pursuant to the inventor &# 39 ; s instructions by e - beam services , inc . of plainview , new york and cranbury , n . j . electron beam radiation of cellulose acetate resin pellets is preferred because it is safe , clean , fast and economical , does not involve harmful rays , and does not require the use of radioactive materials . the e - beam radiation dosage may range from 0 . 5 to 10 megarads , but a dosage of at least 2 megarads and within a range of 2 to 5 megarads is preferred for purposes of efficiency , effectiveness and economy of treatment . also , while the end products could themselves be irradiated , it will generally prove more cost effective and more reliable to treat the resin in the form of the uniform sized pellets produced by eastman chemical . in a presently preferred practice , the resin pellets are distributed substantially uniformly onto a conveyor having a variable speed drive and a path of travel below the emitter window of an electron beam generator / accelerator . the conveyor speed and the energization level of the generator / accelerator are appropriately controlled to cause the resin pellets to pass through a high energy beam or curtain of electrons which penetrate the resin pellets and irradiate the same to a prescribed radiation dosage , e . g ., 2 to 5 megarads . this is not merely a surface treatment . penetration is essentially complete so that substantially the entire volume of the resin blend or compound is irradiated . such irradiation apparently decreases the molecular weight and increases the melt index of the treated compound . the untreated pellets produced by eastman have a melt index in the order of about 3 . 5 . when treated at a radiation dosage of 2 megarads , the pellets have a melt index of about 6 . 5 and are ideally suited for the formation of thin films , such for example as those used in blister packaging . when treated at a radiation dosage of about 3 megarads , the resin should have a melt index of about 7 . 5 and be ideally suited for the formation of sheets , particularly sheets about 15 mils thick which may be thermoformed into end products such as disposable plates , eating utensils and food containers , for example , clamshell containers for fast food restaurants . when treated at a radiation dosage of about 4 megarads the resin should have a melt index of about 8 . 5 and be ideally suited for the manufacture of injection molded products . a test run of tenite a036 resin pellets treated at an e - beam radiation dosage of 3 megarads was conducted in accordance with astm sheeting standard &# 34 ; mi &# 34 ;, test method a , using die no . d1238 , having a die orifice of 0 . 0148 inches , a die length of 0 . 8 inches , a die width of 42 inches , and a die temperature of about 190 ° c . the resin processed perfectly , as good as any cellulose acetate previously run by the test facility , and produced a 15 mil thick 40 inch wide sheet that was water clear transparent , like glass , and of a quality as good as any other cellulose acetate . the sheet was subsequently thermoformed into clamshell containers . the sheet processed perfectly and produced excellent , glass - like , transparent containers . for injection molded products , the radiation treated cellulose acetate resins of the invention process the same as untreated cellulose acetate resins and produce products of conventional characteristics , with the added advantage of compostability for products that are intended to be disposable . in particular , injection molding cycle times should be in the order of 15 seconds , as is conventional for cellulose acetate , in contrast to the 45 - 60 second cycle time required for other biodegradable resin blends . the objects and advantages of the invention have therefore been shown to be attained in a convenient , practical and economical manner . while certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been herein described , it is to be appreciated that various changes , rearrangements and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention , as defined by the appended claims .	2
in the following detailed description , a user shall mean and encompass a single user , a plurality of users or anyone of a plurality of users . the word “ user ” shall be used to mean anyone using an airport facility . also , a node shall be understood to mean an entry point into a network , a network element , server or other designated point of access . other similar connotations shall be obvious to those skilled in the art upon reference to this disclosure . in fig1 , the flight information network is shown and generally denoted as 5 . flight information network 5 is a network connected to a variety of flight information sources . the information enters through various nodes . the nodes consist of output monitors 10 , printers 15 , computerized reservation system ( crs ) 20 , and a file server 25 having a database 30 . the output monitors 10 are used to output information regarding flight arrivals and departures at various locations from around the world . the flight information is sent to crs 20 from various sources where it is stored and then transmitted out to the nodes . this information is received at an airport local area network lan 35 . the information stored in the crs 20 is delivered to the airport lan 35 where it is then disbursed to various nodes . these nodes may include the monitors 10 , the printers 15 and other output devices . the present invention is a part of , and accesses , the lan 35 to retrieve the information it needs to broadcast to the airport visitor . as previously mentioned , the lan 35 also has a database 30 as part of a file server 25 . the database 30 also captures the flight information received from the crs 20 and culls it out from the other information . the information is held here until it is called up by personal computer 45 . it is the role of personal computer 45 to receive flight information from the file server 25 . personal computer 45 takes the information retrieved from the file server 25 and converts it to an audio wave file . in the present invention , this is a typical audio wave file as developed by microsoft . in this process , the soundblaster is initialized . the core of this function is called playwave . it first initializes the soundblaster . then in the next step it allocates memory to receive the header information . it checks to make sure the digital signal processor is present and functioning properly . the playwave function calls all subsequent functions to the header file to read the wave . the timing loop is also set during this time . the time is set in the file server 25 from input from the crs 20 . in fig2 , a high level block diagram of the equipment that receives the data is shown . personal computer 45 is configured with a digital signal processor , dsp , which is 100 % soundblaster compatible 16 , version 4 . 0 or greater , with a 16 bit dma access . such a dsp is manufactured by creative labs . it is available royalty free over the internet and needs slight customization for use with the invention . the necessary modifications are obvious to one skilled in the art . the database 30 has a spelling disk 50 associated with it . each airport has a separate and distinct city code associated with it . for example , the airport located between dallas and fort worth is identified by the city code dfw . the city code of the airport at fresno is fat . the city code for chicago &# 39 ; s o &# 39 ; hare field is ord . accordingly , one of the things the program must do is to translate the airport name from the city code into an audio wave file the name of the city that is recognizable to the user . to do this a spelling disk 50 is associated with the local personal computer 45 . the spelling disk uses a routine that automatically translates from city code to user language . a separate routine is required for this because the system needs to be able to differentiate between similar city names . for example , when the city san jose is mentioned , one needs to know if this is san jose , calif . or san jose , costa rica . another example would be monterrey , calif . and monterrey , nuevo leon , mexico . the same logistics encountered with the real time automated voice response system for flight information occurs here with this system . a person having ordinary skill in the art would be familiar with the work necessary to handle all the nuances that are associated with changing city codes to audible city names . listed below is the table that is used to convert city code to audible city names . abe allentown - bethlehem abi abilene abq albuquerque aca acapulco ack nantucket , mass . act waco acv eureka arcata calif . aex alexandria la . afw alliance - afw agp malaga akl auckland , new zealand alb albany alo waterloo ama amarillo anc anchorage anu antigua apf naples fla . arn stockholm ase aspen asu asuncion atl atlanta aua aruba auh abu dhabi aus austin avl asheville axa anguilla azo kalamazoo bah bahrain , bahrain baq barranquilla bda bermuda bdl hartford - springfield bfl bakersfield bgi barbados bhm birmingham ala . bhx birmingham uk bjx leon mexico bmi bloomington ill . bna nashville bog bogota , colombia boi boise , idaho bos boston bpt beaumont - port arthur bqk brunswick ga . bqn aguadilla pr brl burlington iowa bru brussels , belgium btr baton rouge bud budapest , hungary buf buffalo bur burbank bwi baltimore - washington bze belize city , belize cae columbia s . c . cak akron - canton ccs caracas cgh sao paulo , brazil cha chattanooga chs charleston s . c . cic chico ca cid cedar rapids - iowa city ckb clarksburg w . va . cld carlsbad calif . cle cleveland cll college station clo cali , colombia clt charlotte n . c . cmh columbus ohio cmi champaign - urbana cnf belo horizonte brazil cos colorado springs cpt cape town crp corpus christi csg columbus ga . cun cancun cur curacao , netherland anti cuu chihuahua , mexico cvg cincinnati cwa wausau - stevens pt czm cozumel dab daytona beach day dayton dbq dubuque dca washington - national dec decatur ill . den denver dfw dallas - ft worth doh doha , qatar dom dominica dro durango colorado dsm des moines dtw detroit dus dusseldorf ege vail colo . eis tortola beef island elp el paso esf alexandria eug eugene oreg . evv evansville ind . ewn new bem n . c . ewr newark eyw key west eze buenos aires , argentina fai fairbanks far fargo fat fresno fay fayetteville n . c . fdf fort de france fll ft lauderdale flo florence s . c . fmn farmington n . mex . fmy fort myers fnt flint fpo freeport , bahamas fra frankfurt , germany fsd sioux falls fsm ft smith ftw fort worth fwa ft wayne fyv fayetteville ark . gcm grand cayman gdl guadalajara , mexico geo georgetown , guyana ggg longview - kilgore ggt george town ghb governors hrbr gig rio de janeiro gla glasgow uk gls galveston , tex . gnd grenada gpt gulfport biloxi grb green bay grr grand rapids gru sao paulo , brazil gso greensboro gsp greenville - spartanburg gsw ft . worth - great southwest gtr columbus - starkville gua guatemala city guc gunnison gye guayaquil , ecuador hdn steamboat springs hdq test city hel helsinki , finland hhh hilton head hky hickory n . c . hnl honolulu hou houston - hobby hpn westchester cty hrl harlingen hsv huntsville huf terre haute hux huatulco mx iad washington - dulles iah houston intercontinental ict wichita ida idaho falls ifp laughlin - bullhead city ile killeen ilm wilmington n . c . ind indianapolis int winston - salem isp long island macarthur iyk inyoke calif . jac jackson hole jan jackson miss . jax jacksonville jfk new york - jfk jnb johannesburg jxn jackson mich . kin kingston , jamaica laf lafayette ind . lan lansing las las vegas law lawton lax los angeles lbb lubbock lch lake charles lex lexington lft lafayette la . lga new york - lga lgb long beach lgw london - lgw lhr london - lhr lim lima , peru lit little rock lmt klamath falls lpb la paz , bolivia lrd laredo lrm casa de campo - lrm lse lacrosse - winona lyh lynchburga va mad madrid , spain maf midland - odessa man manchester uk mar maracaibo maz mayaguez , pr mbj montego bay , jamaica mbs saginaw mce merced calif . mci kansas city mco orlando mct muscat oman mdt harrisburg mdw chicago - midway mei meridian miss . mel melbourne , australia mem memphis mex mexico city mfe mcallen mfr medford oreg . mga managua , nicaragua mgm montgomery mhh marsh harbor , bahamas mia miami mie muncie mke milwaukee mkg muskegon mich . mlb melboume fla . mli moline ill . mlu monroe mob mobile mod modesto calif . mqt marquette mry monterey calif . msn madison wis . msp minneapolis - st paul msy new orleans mth marathon fla . mty monterrey , mexico muc munich , germany mvd montevideo , uruguay mwx mosstown bahamas mxp milan , italy myr myrtle beach nap naples fla . nas nassau , bahamas nrt tokyo - narita oaj jacksonville n . c . oak oakland ogg kahului maui okc oklahoma city oma omaha ont ontario calif . ord chicago orf norfolk ory paris , france owb owensboro ky . oxr oxnard pah paducah ky . pap port au prince pbi west palm beach pdx portland oreg . pgv greenville n . c . phf newport news phl philadelphia phx phoenix pia peoria pie st petersburg pit pittsburgh pls providenciales , turks pns pensacola pop puerto plata , dr pos port of spain , trinidad pou poughkeepsie prx paris , tex . pse ponce , pr psp palm springs ptp pointe a pitre pty panama city puj punta cana , dr pvd providence pvr puerto vallarta rdd redding rdm redmond oreg . rdu raleigh - durham rfd rockford ill . ric richmond rno reno roa roanoke roc rochester n . y . rst rochester minn . rsw fort myers sal san salvador san san diego sap san pedro sula sat san antonio sav savannah sba santa barbara sbn south bend sbp san luis obispo scc deadhorse - prudhoe bay ak . sck stockton ca scl santiago , chile scq sntiago d cmpst sdf louisville sdq santo domingo sea seattle - tacoma sel seoul , korea sfb sanford fla . sfo san francisco sgf springfield mo . shv shreveport sid cape verde is sin singapore sjc san jose , calif . sjd los cabos sjo san jose , costa rica sjt san angelo sju san juan skb st kitts slc salt lake city slu st lucia smf sacramento smx santa maria sna orange county spi springfield ill . sps wichita falls srq sarasota stl st louis sts santa rosa , calif . stt st thomas , usvi stx st croix , usvi sux sioux city iowa svd st vincent svo moscow , russia swf newburgh stewart sxm st maarten syd sydney , australia syr syracuse tam tampico tcb treasure cay tcl tuscaloosa tfs tenerife tgu tegucigalpa tlh tallahassee fla . tol toledo tpa tampa tpl temple tex . tss midtownmanhattan tul tulsa tus tucson tvc traverse city txk texarkana txl berlin tyr tyler tys knoxville uio quito , ecuador uvf st lucia vij virgin gorda vis visalia vln valencia vps ft walton beach vrb vero beach , fla . wi santa cruz , bolivia waw warsaw yeg edmonton yhm hamilton , canada yhz halifax yow ottawa yqb quebec city vps ft walton beach vrb vero beach , fla . wi santa cruz , bolivia waw warsaw yeg edmonton yhm hamilton , canada yhz halifax yow ottawa yqb quebec city yul montreal yvr vancouver bc ywg winnipeg mb yyc calgary yyz toronto zih zihuatanejo zrh zurich , switzerland zrk rockford ill . zsa san salvador bh the crs 20 retrieves , stores and dispatches information about every matter concerning a flight . this information includes all take offs and landings . they are reported through the crs 20 and then the information is dispensed throughout the system . the flight information is retrieved and stored into a database 30 . this information is , in turn , be called up for use by the file server 25 in response to periodic requests from personal computer 45 . because a large amount of information is received from the crs 20 , other information above and beyond arrival and departure times may also be retrieved . these enhancements would include other airline information . for example , the present invention may be used to identify not only the flight arrival time , but also the airline for which the craft is flying . in another embodiment the present invention may have a continuous loop that periodically repeats the identity of the airline for whom the flight information is being provided . all of this information is fed into the personal computer 45 where , as stated previously , a wave file is called up to translate the information from machine language into a user - friendly format . from the personal computer 45 , the information is transmitted to an audio plug 55 the audio plug 55 goes directly to a regular telephone circuit 60 . the audio plug connects personal computer 45 with the airport network . the circuit may be a dedicated line or part of a vertical network . in the preferred embodiment , it is a part of a dedicated line . the telephone circuit goes out to an airport lan 63 shown at fig2 . the airport lan 63 includes a radio transmitter 65 located at the airport . in the preferred embodiment the radio transmitter is a 60 watt transmitter with a broadcast radius of 10 miles . the broadcast is received on a user &# 39 ; s radio and the user then audibly hears pertinent information regarding flight arrival and departure . fig3 is a high level flow chart showing the steps of the software program . in general , the program first loads the software configuration . then it looks for and connects to the network . from the network , the software locates the file server and transfers flight information into half of a buffer . at the same time , it initializes the soundblaster and wave files and dma . next , it sets up the wave file and dsp . the information is then converted to an audio format and then sent to the airport lan 63 to be sent to an equalizer 70 . from the equalizer 70 , the information is sent to a transmitter 65 and from there out through airport antennaes 75 . a copy of the source code follows . it is an embodiment of the invention but the invention should not be limited to this code . it is provided as an example .	6
the problem is to supply a one - half inch ( 1 / 2 &# 34 ;) or larger diameter exothermic cutting rod that will burn consistently , safely and with improved cutting performance over conventional &# 34 ; burning bars &# 34 ; or lances . the present method of exothermic cutting using 1 / 2 &# 34 ; and larger diameter rods uses the &# 34 ; burning bar &# 34 ; lances constructed of pipe and filled with wires or bars of oxidizing materials . the problem with the burning bar is it is difficult to start and burns erratically and inconsistently . the present invention is a 1 / 2 &# 34 ; and larger size exothermic cutting rod constructed of an inner tube or cutting rod such as shown in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 697 , 791 with multiple layers of coiled wire coiled in alternating directions , i . e ., first coil would left hand , second coil wound right hand , third coil wound left hand , etc . sheathed in an outer tube . this invention solves the problem of constructing larger exothermic cutting electrodes as described in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 391 , 209 and 4 , 437 , 649 . for example ; a single heavy walled tube of oxidizable material as used in cutting electrode disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 835 , 288 will not burn exothermically because there is not enough area exposed to the oxygen flow to sustain continuous combustion . however , as surface area is increased ( e . g . by providing a coil of material or wires , bars , etc . ), exothermic combustion is achieved . therefore there is some transition point relative to the mass of material and its exposed area to oxygen for exothermic combustion to be sustained in a stable condition . providing multiple coils of oxidazable fuel rather than a single large cross sectional area material wound in a coil exposes more area and therefore provides a more stable and uniform exothermic burning electrode with greater cutting efficiency . this invention provides all the advantages of the exothermic cutting electrode described in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 437 , 649 and 4 , 391 , 209 while expanding its size into doing heavier work , i . e ., piercing larger holes and burning heavier cross sections of material . by alternating the direction of winding the coils allows for a precision occupancy of space within the electrode construction by not allowing the coils to interlace with each other , but to ride on the tops of the wires and allowing a secure mechanical retention and maximum exposure to the oxygen . an exothermic electrode or burning bar according to the present invention provides a mass of oxidizable metal that in the presence of an oxidizing gas ( e . g . oxygen ) and a source of ignition will produce a flame which can be directed against a workpiece which may be part of a fixed land structure or marine structure or similar object so that in the hands of the skilled operator a cutting , piercing or burning operation can take place . electrodes according to the present invention can be used to burn , cut or pierce structural materials in air or water such as cast iron , steel , concrete and rock , the latter being either natural or synthetic . one form of the invention is shown in fig1 and 2 , the electrode shown generally as 10 comprising as inner tube 12 the inner tube being a low carbon steel 171 / 2 inches ( 44 . 45 cm ) long having a 0 . 187 inches ( 4 . 75 mm ) outside diameter and a 0 . 028 inches thick wall . wrapped around tube 12 in a helical fashion is a first continuous length of low carbon steel wire 14 having a nominal diameter of 0 . 54 inches ( 13 . 7 mm ). the steel wire is wound in such a fashion as to define a tube having a 0 . 306 inches ( 7 . 7 mm ) outside diameter and a 0 . 187 inches ( 4 . 75 mm ) inside diameter with an overall length of 173 / 4 inches (= 45 . 09 cm ). wire 14 is wound so that it projects approximately 0 . 125 inches ( 3 . 18 mm ) over the ends of inner tube 12 . disposed around wire 14 is a second helically wound steel wire 15 having a nominal diameter of 0 . 54 inches ( 13 . 7 mm ). wire 15 is wound in the opposite direction to that of wire 14 to define a tube having a 0 . 420 inches ( 10 . 7 mm ) outside diameter and a 0 . 306 ( 7 . 7 mm ) inside diameter with an overall length of 171 / 2 inches ( 44 . 45 cm ). disposed around the wire 14 is an outer tube 16 having an outside diameter of 0 . 500 inches ( 12 . 7 mm ) with an overall length of 18 inches ( 45 . 72 cm ). as shown in the drawing on the torch end 24 of the electrode 10 the outer tube 16 projects beyond wire 15 and wire 15 beyond wire 14 and wire 14 inner tube 12 . on the burning end 20 the four components can be flush . as shown in fig1 the assembly is held together by a series of crimps or dimples 18 disposed around the circumference of the electrode or rod 10 proximate one the flame end 20 and a double row of crimps or dimples 21 , 27 proximate the other or torch end 24 of electrode 10 . the entire electrode 10 can then be coated with 0 . 015 - 0 . 020 inches ( 3 . 81 mm - 5 . 08 mm ) coating of an electrically insulating material such as vinyl sold by michigan chome and chemical company under the tradename micron 455 vinyl . in use a portion of one end of the plastic coating can can be stripped away so that the electrode can be clamped in a torch ( not shown ) such as desclosed in u . s . pat . no . des . 293 , 296 . alternatively the electrode 10 can be fabricated with a flux coating on the outer surface , one such coating being described and claimed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 544 , 139 . it is possible to coat electrodes according to the present invention by clamping the outer tube in a fixture which will prevent adherence of the coating as it is applied . set forth in table 1 is a series of comparative test of two one - half inch diameter electrodes , one fabricated in accord with fig1 of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 391 , 209 having an inner tube of 0 . 187 inches ( 4 . 75 mm ) outside diameter and a 0 . 028 inches ( 0 . 71 mm ) thick wall , a single helically wound wire coil disposed over inner tube fabricated from 0 . 1205 inches ( 3 . 06 mm ) diameter wire to a coil with a 0 . 433 inch ( 11 . 0 mm ) outside diameter and an outer tube having a 0 . 500 inch ( 12 . 7 mm ) outside diameter with a 0 . 032 inch ( 0 . 81 mm ) thick wall and the other electode in accord with the present invention these electrodes having the structure and dimensions noted above . the materials of construction of both electrodes was the same e . g . low carbon steel . all of the electrodes were 36 inches ( 91 . 4 cm ) long and were used to cut 1 inch ( 2 . 54 cm ) thick carbon steel plate using eighty ( 80 ) psi oxygen pressure at the torch . ignition of the electrodes was by means of an initial electric arc struck between the electrode and a striker using the equipment disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 573 , 665 . table i__________________________________________________________________________ length of cut / min length of rod used elapsed time cut / length elapsedrod no * cut ( in ) ( inches ) ( min ) of rod time__________________________________________________________________________1 8 . 000 21 . 2 0 . 714 0 . 376 11 . 2092 9 . 000 18 . 7 0 . 650 0 . 480 13 . 8493 9 . 500 21 . 1 0 . 723 0 . 450 13 . 1424 9 . 375 23 . 5 0 . 811 0 . 399 11 . 5665 9 . 500 21 . 1 0 . 730 0 . 450 13 . 022average -- -- -- 0 . 431 12 . 5586 12 . 87 22 . 5 0 . 947 0 . 572 13 . 6027 13 . 50 23 . 2 0 . 938 0 . 581 14 . 4008 13 . 62 21 . 7 0 . 823 0 . 626 16 . 5489 12 . 00 22 . 1 0 . 916 0 . 542 13 . 09510 13 . 50 23 . 6 1 . 000 0 . 571 13 . 504average -- -- -- 0 . 579 14 . 230__________________________________________________________________________ * rods 1 - 5 fabricated in accord with fig1 of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 391 , 209 rods 6 - 10 fabricated in accord with present invention from the foregoing table it is apparent that electrodes 6 - 10 performed better than electrodes 1 - 5 in both the amount of cut per inch of electrode or rod consumed and the amount of cut perminute of time . comparing the averages from these two parameters shown in the table shows that the electrodes of the invention ( 6 - 10 ) were 25 . 5 % better in cut per inch of rod and 11 . 7 % better in cut per minute of time than the prior art electrode . this attributed to the use of multiple coil or helically wound wires as opposed to a single coil of wire . as electrode diameters increase it will be beneficial to use multiple coils as long as they are wound in opposite directions for each layer ( e . g . right , left - right left , etc . or left - right - left - right etc .) during the cutting tests the operator reported electrodes 6 - 10 were easier to ignite and burned more consistently than electrodes 1 - 5 . having thus described our invention what is desired to be secured by letters patent of the united states is set forth in the appended claims .	4
in the drawings , 10 indicates a portion of a panel member , such as a shelf , which has been prepared for installation of a hinge unit according to the invention by routing therealong a channel 12 open to the surface along slot 13 . an elongate locking member 14 of the hinge unit is configured to slide into channel 12 leaving axial flexion means projecting outwardly through slot 13 and connecting . in the drawings , for different embodiments of the hinge system , analogous components will be identified by the same numerals , but differing alphabetic subscripts . in the embodiment of hinge unit illustrated in fig1 a to 2c ( the “ pin edge ” arrangement ) elongate locking member 14 is in the form of a circular dowel but , as will be noted below , other cross sections are possible and useful for particular applications . hinge leaf 16 is pivotably connected to member 14 by axial flexion means 18 which , in the embodiment illustrated , comprise aligned interfitting hinge eyes 19 for removably receiving a hinge pin 20 which holds the leaf 16 to the locking member 14 , and allows the leaf to swing smoothly and freely relative to the facing surface of panel member 10 . leaf 16 may be provided with apertures 17 through which screws or other fastening means can be inserted to interconnect a pair of panel members . the locking member 14 , hinge pin 20 , hinge eyes 19 and the leaf 16 may be made of any machinable metal or alloy such as brass or steel . a two - panel hinged interconnection according to the invention is illustrated in fig2 a to 2c . parallel panel members 10 a and 10 b are provided with opposed pairs of routed channels ( 12 a , 12 b ) and ( 12 c , 12 d ). hinge units as described in connection with fig1 a and 1b are fitted into the routed channels in the facing panel members . extending between opposed pairs of hinge units are cross pieces 22 a and 22 b , to which the leaves 16 a and 16 b of opposed hinges are attached to opposite surfaces of the cross piece . translation of parallel panels 10 a and 10 b in the opposite directions indicated by arrows a and b then collapses the four - member structure ( two panels / shelves and two cross pieces ) into the flat , stackable arrangement of fig2 c . the pin edge arrangement , employing metallic hinge components , is intended for heavy duty use . for smaller shelf - or storage space installations , a light plastic living hinge structure is useful . a hinge unit of that kind is illustrated in fig3 . the embodiment of hinge unit illustrated in fig3 is an integral hinge formed of an engineering plastic , in which flexion is afforded by a thinned portion or notch line 17 in the plastic material connecting leaf 16 a to a narrow ledge extension 20 extending diametrically away from the locking member portion 14 a and through the slot portion 13 of routed channel 12 in a panel member 10 . suitable materials for manufacturing this “ flex hinge ” version of the hinge unit of the invention include engineering grades of polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ) copolymers of polystyrene [ e . g . abs ], polyethylene , polypropylene and polyamides ( nylon ). with suitable materials , the entire hinge unit can be made in a single injection molding step . the flex hinge of fig3 can be used to form a collapsing shelf structure as in fig2 a to 2c , just as with the pin edge metallic hinge unit of fig1 . for added locking stability , the flex hinge can be made with locking dowels 24 integral with and perpendicular to leaf 16 a , for fitting into corresponding holes formed in the cross pieces of the structure ( not shown in fig3 ). fig4 a and 4b show a flex hinge unit like that of fig3 , but with the elongate locking member indicated by 14 b having a different , part - triangular cross - sectional shape . a mating slotted channel 12 b is shown routed into the surface of a panel 10 to be hingedly joined to cross piece 22 . flexion at the hinge is about notch line 17 a . again , leaf portion 16 a is provided with locking dowels 24 which fit within mating recesses 25 in cross piece 22 . fig5 shows a panel member 10 in which three different routed channel configurations 12 e , 12 f and 12 g have been formed , respectively square , triangular and circular and adapted to connect with hinge units 30 e , 30 f and 30 g . a second , reverse - side view is given of hinge unit 30 f to show the provision on these units of integral projections 31 which , in fully assembled configurations of the storage unit , fit into and engage corresponding recesses 32 on the panel ( shelf ) members for added stability of the erected structure . particular ease of manufacture of hinges according to the present invention is illustrated by the “ dovetail ” version of hinge unit indicated by 30 in fig6 a and 6b . the hinge 30 may be made in indefinite lengths by extrusion molding and cutting to fully formed hinges of the desired length . the hinge contour comprises two elongate locking members 14 c and 14 d at opposite sides of axial flexion means . these locking members respectively engage with corresponding routed channels 12 c which has been formed in the main panel member 10 and the cross pieces 22 , respectively . the fully connected panel member 10 and row piece 22 are illustrated in fig6 b , at two different angular spacings . fig7 illustrates three forms of router bit which have been developed to form slotted channels of different configurations . thus , routers of shapes a , b and c have the configurations 12 b in fig4 and 12 a in fig3 , respectively . while specific embodiments of the invention have been described , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure . accordingly , the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full benefit of all the claims appended and any and all equivalents .	8
fig2 is a circuit diagram showing a characteristic portion of a focusing and / or tracking control circuit applied to an optical information apparatus according to the present invention . in fig2 reference numeral 1 designates a focusing error signal ; 2 designates agc circuits for normalizing the focusing and tracking error signals , respectively ; 3 designates a tracking error signal ; 4 designates a summation signal ( total sum of outputs from photo - detectors ) corresponding to the light quantity of a light beam for detecting the error signals ; 5 designates a switch for selecting signals for controlling the agc circuits 2 ; 6 designates a peak hold circuit ; and 8 designates a signal for controlling the switch 5 . in fig2 when the apparatus is in a recording mode , the signal 8 sent from a system controller of the apparatus connects the switch to its terminal a to render the summation signal 4 sent from the photodetector ( not shown ) to a through condition . the agc circuits 2 normalize the error signals 1 and / or 3 in accordance with such a summation signal . on the other hand , when the apparatus is in a reproducing mode , the switch 5 is connected to its terminal b by the signal 8 to render the summation signal 4 to a peak hold condition . the aforementioned track seeking is effected in the reproducing mode , and even if the summation signal varies when the track is crossed , the output from the peak hold circuit 6 does not change as much . therefore , even in the tracking operation , a stable focusing control can be effected . further , the pull - in of the tracking using the tracking error signal can also be properly carried out . fig3 schematically shows another example of the focusing and tracking control circuit applied to the present invention . in fig3 elements corresponding to those of fig2 are indicated by the same reference numerals and the detailed explanation thereof will b omitted . the fig3 example differs from that of fig2 in that a switch 7 controlled by a signal 9 is provided before the peak hold circuit 6 . in the example of fig3 when the apparatus is in the reproducing mode , the switch 5 is connected to the side of the peak hold summation signal ( terminal b side ) by the agc control signal 8 and the switch 7 is closed by the agc control signal 9 . if the mode is changed to the erasing mode or the recording mode , the switch 5 is switched to the side of the through summation signal ( terminal a side ) by the agc control signal 8 and the switch 7 is opened by the agc control signal 9 . subsequently , if the erasing mode or the recording mode is changed to the reproducing mode , the agc control signals 8 and 9 are inputted to the switches 5 and 7 , respectively , with a predetermined delay time after the mode is changed . as a result , the switch 5 is switched to the terminal b and the switch 7 is closed . the above - mentioned delay time is selected to be a short time to the extent that the servo is not disconnected , in consideration of the setting - down time of the laser and the response time of the pre - amplifier for detecting the error signals . by providing such a delay time , it is possible to eliminate a danger of holding the summation signal before the laser power has been completely set down , thus obtaining a mode of stable at and af controls during the switching of the modes . in the illustrated circuit example , the switch 5 and switch 7 may be controlled by the same control signal . fig4 shows an example of a construction of the optical information processing apparatus incorporating the circuit of fig3 therein . in fig4 reference numeral 106 designates a spindle motor for rotating an optical disk 101 ; 107 designates a light source such as a semiconductor laser ; 108 designates a collimator lens for parallelizing light beams from the light source 107 ; 109 designates a beam slitter ; 110 designates an objective lens ; 111 designates a tracking coil ; 112 designates a focusing coil ; 113 designates a condenser lens ; 116 designates a photoelectric converter element ; 117 designates a tracking signal circuit for obtaining the tracking error signal from a plurality of light receiving surfaces of the photoelectric converter element 116 ; 118 designates a focusing signal circuit for obtaining the focusing error signal from a plurality of light receiving surfaces of the photoelectric converter element 116 ; and 115 designates a reproduced signal circuit for obtaining the aforementioned summation signal . further , reference numerals 124 and 125 designate phase compensating circuits , respectively ; and 126 and 127 designate amplifiers , respectively . furthermore , reference numeral 119 designates a system controller for controlling the recording and / or reproducing apparatus ; reference numerals 8 and 9 designate the aforementioned agc control signals , respectively ; and reference numeral 120 designates a group of various control signals outputted from the system controller 119 . incidentally , although signals other than the control signals 120 are outputted from the system controller 119 , such other signals are not shown herein . lastly , reference numeral 121 designates an optical head ; and 122 designates a driving motor for shifting the optical head 121 in a radial direction of the optical disk 101 . the light beams emitted from the light source 107 are changed to parallel beams by means of the collimator lens 108 and reach the beam splitter 109 . the light beams from the beam splitter are condensed on the recording track formed on the optical disk 101 by the objective lens 110 . the light beams reflected by the recording track are transmitted through the beam splitter 109 and then are condensed on the photoelectric converter element 116 through the condenser lens 113 . the signal obtained by the photoelectric converter element 116 are sent to the tracking signal circuit 117 and the focusing signal circuit 118 , respectively , so as to obtain the tracking error signal and the focusing error signal and these error signals are sent to the circuit shown in fig3 . the signals emitted from the circuit of fig3 are inputted to the tracking coil 111 and focusing coil 112 through the phase compensating circuits 124 , 125 for stabilizing the at servo , and af servo and through the amplifiers 126 , 127 , respectively . and , on the basis of these signals , the at and af controls are performed by moving the objective lens 110 in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis thereof and in the direction of the optical axis . the light receiving surface of the photodetector or photo - sensor 116 is divided into four , and each of the circuits in fig4 are embodied , for example , as shown in fig5 . such signal detecting techniques are fully described in the u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 079 , 247 and 4 , 410 , 969 . fig6 ( a ) through 6 ( g ) show wave forms of the signals emitted from various elements of the apparatus of fig4 . in those figures , fig6 ( a ) designates an erase control signal , fig6 ( b ) designates a record control signal , fig6 ( c ) designates the aforementioned delay signal , fig6 ( d ) designates a switch control signal , fig6 ( e ) designates a laser power , fig6 ( f ) designates a peak hold summation signal , and fig6 ( g ) designates an agc control signal . next , the operation of the optical information processing apparatus of fig4 will be explained in connection with fig6 ( a ) through 6 ( g ). at first , when the reproducing mode is changed to the erasing mode , the signal such as fig6 ( a ) is emitted from the system controller 119 and the laser power of the light source 107 is increased as shown in fig6 ( e ). further , the switch control signals 8 and 9 are changed to a low level as shown in fig6 ( d ) to render the agc control signal to the through condition . consequently , the signal inputted to the agc circuit 2 is also increased as shown in fig6 ( g ). next , when the erasing mode is changed to the reproducing mode , the erase control signal fig6 ( a ) is changed to a high level and the laser power is decreased as shown in fig6 ( e ). the switch control signal fig6 ( d ) is delayed with respect to the signal fig6 ( a ) by a time corresponding to the delay signal fig6 ( c ) and thereafter , is changed to a high level , by which the switch 5 is switched toward the terminal b and the switch 7 is closed . thus , the agc control signal is in the peak hold condition as shown in fig6 ( g ). a similar operation is effected when the reproducing mode is changed to the recording mode and when the recording mod is changed to the reproducing mode . fig7 schematically shows another embodiment of the optical information processing apparatus . in fig7 elements corresponding to those of fig4 are indicated by the same reference numerals and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted . this embodiment differs from that of fig4 that the apparatus further includes a switch 131 for turning the tracking servo on or off . the switch 131 is controlled by a signal 130 outputted from the system controller 119 . the record , reproduce and erase control signals are used as the control signal 9 . the switch 7 is controlled to close in the reproducing mode and to open in the recording and erasing modes . as the control signal 8 , the signal when the tracking servo is adequately stabilized is used . that is to say , the control signal 8 is sent to the switch 5 with the predetermined delay time after the switch 131 is closed , whereby the switch 5 is switched toward the peak hold condition ( terminal b ) when the tracking servo is turned off and when the tracking servo is pulled - in , and is switched toward the through condition ( terminal a ) when the tracking servo is stabilized . fig8 ( a )&# 39 ; through 8 ( g )&# 39 ; show wave forms of the signals emitted from various elements of the apparatus of fig7 . in those figures fig8 ( a )&# 39 ; designates a tracking servo , signal , fig8 ( b )&# 39 ; designates a record control , signal , fig8 ( c )&# 39 ; designates a delay signal , fig8 ( d )&# 39 ; designates a switch control signal fig8 ( e )&# 39 ; designates a switch control signal 9 , fig8 ( f )&# 39 ; designates laser power , and fig8 ( g )&# 39 ; designates an agc control signal . the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment , but can be modified or altered in various ways . for example , the quantity of light from the medium can be obtained by another detector , in place of the summation signal from the abovementioned error signal photo - detector . more concretely , a part of the reflected light beam directed from the medium to the error signal photo - detector may be divided so as to be received in a photoelectric converter element for detecting light quantity . further , when the recording medium is of the light transmitting type , all of the above - mentioned error signals and light quantity detecting signal can be detected from the light passed through the medium . the present invention includes all modifications and alterations such as the above , without departing from the scope of the appended claims .	6
hereinafter , a preferable embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . [ 0028 ] fig1 is a timing chart showing a waveform of a charge / discharge pulse current used in a method for activating a secondary battery according to an embodiment of the present invention . in fig1 η denotes a ratio of a discharge amount to a charge amount , and a value in the positive direction of the vertical axis denotes a current value in the charge direction while a value in the negative direction of the vertical axis denotes a current value in the discharge direction . the method for activating a secondary battery according to the present embodiment is based on a nickel - metal hydride secondary battery with a rated capacity of 7 ah . as shown in fig1 the charge / discharge pulse current has a cycle of 30 seconds . the current value in the charge direction is set to be 10 a while the current value in the discharge direction is set to be 10 × η a . a charging period and discharging period both are set to be 10 seconds . further , a quiescent period of 5 seconds is provided between the charging period and the discharging period . in fig1 when the ratio η is set to be 1 , the charge amount and the discharge amount due to the charge / discharge pulse current are made equal . however , since the nickel - metal hydride secondary battery has the charging efficiency of less than 1 , the battery can be activated without fear of overcharge . further , when the ratio η is set in the range of 0 . 9 to 0 . 9999 , the charge amount exceeds the discharge amount to achieve an excess amount of charging . this can bring about the following advantages as compared with the case where the charge amount and the discharge amount are set to be equal . that is , the charge level of the secondary battery settles at a certain value when the charge amount , which is set to achieve an excess amount of charging , is balanced against the charging efficiency so that the battery can be activated until it reaches a fully charged condition without fear of overcharge . also , the concern that the charging / discharging voltage curves may be deformed due to the memory effect can be eliminated . [ 0032 ] fig2 is a graph showing changes in a voltage per cell and in a charging capacity with respect to the number of cycles of the charge / discharge pulse current ( η = 0 . 95 ) shown in fig1 . as can be seen from fig2 when the number of pulse cycles of the charge / discharge pulse current exceeds 1200 , i . e ., after an elapse of at least 10 hours ( 30 - second cycle × 1200 times ), the battery is charged up to a capacity of about 6 . 5 ah while the rated capacity thereof is about 7 ah and the battery voltage increases almost to reach the predetermined value . [ 0033 ] fig3 is a graph showing the degrees of the decreases in dc - ir corresponding to the activity of the battery between the battery activated with the charge / discharge pulse current ( η = 0 . 95 ) shown in fig1 and that activated with a constant current or constant voltage according to the conventional example . it is to be noted that , in fig3 the charge / discharge rates with respect to the respective batteries are set to make the increases in internal pressure of the respective batteries equal in order to compare the present embodiment with the conventional example . as can be seen from fig3 the dc - ir ( represented by the solid line ) in the battery activated with the pulse cycles using the charge / discharge pulse current according to the present embodiment decreases in a shorter time as compared with the dc - ir ( represented by the dashed line ) in the battery activated with the conventional charge / discharge cycles using a constant current or constant voltage . from this fact , it is understood that the method according to the present embodiment can improve the activity of the battery in a shorter time . [ 0035 ] fig4 is a graph showing the changes in internal pressure with respect to a charging capacity between the battery activated with the charge / discharge pulse current ( η = 0 . 95 ) shown in fig1 and that activated with a constant current or constant voltage according to the conventional example . in fig4 pa denotes an internal pressure of the battery activated by the present embodiment , and pb denotes an internal pressure of the battery activated by the conventional example shown in fig5 using a constant current or constant voltage . to aid in the above comparison , in the conventional example , the charging is not finished when the capacity of the battery reaches 7 ah , but is continued until it reaches 14 . 5 ah . as can be seen from fig4 an increase in the internal pressure of the battery activated with the charge / discharge pulse current according to the present embodiment is smaller than that of the battery activated with a constant current or constant voltage according to the conventional example . it is also seen from fig4 that the battery voltage curve of the battery activated with the charge / discharge pulse current according to the present embodiment shows no sign of decrease in voltage due to the memory effect . the above description has described the embodiment in which the charge / discharge pulse current includes a quiescent period between the charging period and the discharging period . however , if the values of the charge / discharge pulse current in charging and discharge directions are made lower ( for example , 4 a in place of 10 a in the above embodiment ), increases in internal pressure and temperature of the battery can be suppressed without providing a quiescent period . as specifically described above , the present invention can produce a remarkable effect of realizing a method for activating a secondary battery that enables a secondary battery to be activated sufficiently until the battery reaches a fully charged condition in a short time without fear that increasing the value of a charging current may result in overcharge to cause increases in internal pressure and temperature , or that decreasing the value of a charging / discharging current may result in the deformation in the charging / discharging voltage curves as in the case of the conventional example . the invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof the embodiments disclosed in this application are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not limiting . the scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description , and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein .	7
the present invention includes a process using chemical etching processes to fabricating a ferroelectric capacitor . the fabrication of a ferroelectric capacitor requires the use of processes that are capable of etching the materials used to form the capacitor plates and the intermediate ferroelectric dielectric layer . each of the etching steps of the etching processes must meet several process requirements . these requirements include etching an exposed portion of a layer , which is desired to be etched , 1 ) in a substantially uniform manner , 2 ) at a controllable etch rate , and 3 ) selectively to an underlying layer . because the materials forming both the dielectric layer and the electrode plates vary in composition , the same etching chemistry cannot be used for all of the etching steps . in addition to having the capability to etch a specific layer , a particular etching step must also not significantly etch a layer lying immediately below the specific layer that being etched . therefore , the successful fabrication of a ferroelectric capacitor requires that an etching process include individual etching steps for each layer to be etched . an example of a ferroelectric capacitor structure , which can be used in a semiconductor device , is illustrated in fig1 . a semiconductor substrate 10 supports a buffer layer 12 and a ferroelectric capacitor 14 that lies on buffer layer 12 . ferroelectric capacitor 14 includes a first electrode 16 over buffer layer 12 , a ferroelectric dielectric layer 18 over first electrode 16 , and a second electrode 20 over dielectric layer 18 . ferroelectric capacitor 14 can be one component of a complex integrated circuit , such as a nonvolatile random access memory device ( nvram ), or a dynamic - random - access memory ( dram ) device , and the like . in one embodiment , buffer layer 12 is a refractory - metal oxide , and first and second electrodes 16 and 20 are platinum . dielectric layer 18 is a ferroelectric material such as lead titanate ( pbtio 3 ), lead zirconium titanate &# 34 ; pzt &# 34 ; ( pb ( zr , ti ) o 3 ), and lead lanthanum zirconium titanate &# 34 ; plzt &# 34 ; (( pb , la )( zr , ti ) o 3 ), which is deposited to a thickness of about 1500 angstroms . as used herein , the chemical representation ( x , y ) indicates these elements can be present in varying stoichiometric amounts . dielectric layer 18 is formed by a spin - coating process using a sol - gel solution . after the sol - gel solution is spun onto the substrate , the coated substrate is preferably thermally treated in an oxygen - containing ambient at about 250 ° to 350 ° c ., for about one to ten minutes . alternatively , a rapid thermal annealing process can be used . in addition , the baking can be performed on a heated plate , or alternatively , in a convection oven . the bake drives off residual solvent leaving an amorphous pzt film on the substrate surface . next , a sintering process is performed to further interdiffuse the metals and form a perovskite pzt thin - film . the sintering process can be performed in either a standard diffusion furnace or in an atmospheric oven . the sintering process is performed in an oxygen - containing ambient at a temperature of about 550 ° to 650 ° c . for about 5 to 60 minutes . alternatively , the sintering process can be performed by rapid thermal annealing at a temperature of about 600 ° to 750 ° c . for a time period ranging from about 2 seconds to about 5 minutes . while the structure illustrated in fig1 is representative of a typical ferroelectric capacitor , those skilled in the art appreciate that other structural variations are possible . the structure shown in fig1 is general in nature and is meant illustrate the process of the invention . fabrication of capacitor 14 in an integrated circuit , which typically includes many other components , such as transistors and the like , requires that first and second electrodes 16 and 20 and dielectric layer 18 be formed in a predetermined configuration . using standard semiconductor fabrication methods , layers are formed into specific configurations . first photoresist mask is formed over a layer . the underlying layer is then etched and the photoresist mask is removed . in the fabrication of a ferroelectric capacitor , such as capacitor 14 , the layers can be etched sequentially using the same photoresist mask , or alternatively , different photoresist masks can be used for each layer . in addition , in cases where the etch process does not attack the material composition of a particular overlying layer , that layer can be used as a &# 34 ; hard mask &# 34 ; and the underlying layer can be etched to have about the same configuration as the hard mask . in one embodiment of the invention , platinum layers 16 and 20 are etched using a wet etching solution . a photoresist layer is coated on the surface of the platinum , and then the photoresist is developed to form a patterned photoresist layer . the patterned photoresist layer is subsequently treated in an oxygen plasma to remove any organic residue remaining on the exposed areas of the platinum surface . the plasma process is known in the art as a descum process and is performed for a brief period of time , usually not exceeding two minutes . to avoid the oxidation of the platinum surface , it is important that the descum process not be extended for more than two minutes . an oxide layer on the surface of the platinum film reduces the etching rate of the platinum layer . after the descum process , substrate 10 is placed in a platinum cleaning solution . the cleaning solution comprises hydrogen peroxide and deionized water . the solution contains preferably about 3 to 12 weight % hydrogen peroxide , and most preferably 6 . 7 weight % hydrogen peroxide , and the remainder deionized water . during the cleaning process , the cleaning solution is preferably maintained at a temperature of about 30 ° to 50 ° c ., and most preferably about 40 ° c . the cleaning solution oxidizes impurities remaining on the surface of the platinum , and including those impurities located near the edge of the photoresist pattern . following the platinum surface treatment , substrate 10 is rinsed with deionized water . in accordance with the present invention , the platinum layer is etched in a platinum etching solution . the platinum etching solution contains hydrochloric acid , nitric acid , and a metal etching solution . the metal etching solution is commercially available from olin hunt specialty products inc . of west paterson , n . j . and is known by the trade designation &# 34 ; m2s .&# 34 ; the metal etching solution contains 60 - 80 weight % phosphoric acid , 10 - 25 weight % acetic acid , 0 . 1 - 5 . 0 weight % nitric acid , and remainder water . in a preferred embodiment , a first solution is prepared in an etch bath , wherein the first solution contains about 12 . 6 to 26 . 1 weight % hydrochloric acid , and about 4 . 2 to 11 . 4 weight % nitric acid , with the remainder deionized water . in the most preferred embodiment , first solution contains 20 . 9 weight % hydrochloric acid , and 6 . 7 weight % nitric acid , with the remainder deionized water . the first solution is heated to about 75 ° c . and metal etching solution is added while maintaining the bath temperature at about 70 ° to 80 ° c . to form the platinum etching solution . following the addition of the metal etching solution , the platinum etching solution preferably contains about 5 to 12 weight % metal etching solution , about 12 to 23 weight % hydrochloric acid , about 4 to 10 weight % nitric acid , and the remainder water . in the most preferred embodiment the platinum etching solution contains 8 . 0 weight % metal etching solution , 19 . 2 weight % hydrochloric acid , and 6 . 2 weight % nitric acid , and the remainder water . after preparation , the platinum etching solution is stabilized for about 10 to 30 minutes prior to use . the platinum etch solution is prepared from reagent grade solutions of hydrochloric acid ( 35 weight %), nitric acid ( 70 weight %), and commercially supplied m2s metal etching solution . substrate 10 is immersed in the etch bath and the platinum is etched while maintaining the bath temperature at about 70 ° to 80 ° c . the etch rate of the platinum film in the platinum etch solution can be monitored by periodically measuring the sheet resistance of the platinum film . in one embodiment of the present invention , a platinum layer having an overlying photoresist pattern is removed at about 700 to 800 angstroms per minute . the platinum etch solution does not substantially etch organic photoresist . this is an important aspect of the present invention because the formation of a high resolution platinum pattern depends on the preservation of the photoresist mask . in the absence of an overlying photoresist mask , the platinum etch rate is about 1300 to 1500 angstroms per minute . the platinum etch solution does not substantially etch the underlying ferroelectric layer or buffer layer 12 . once the platinum layer is etched to form second electrode 20 , further processing requires etching the dielectric layer 18 that forms the dielectric of the ferroelectric capacitor 14 . in one embodiment of the invention , a photoresist mask is defined on first electrode layer 20 and on a portion of the ferroelectric layer . dielectric layer 18 is then etched at a controlled etch rate in a dielectric etching solution which is selective to both platinum and the photoresist mask . in accordance with the invention , the dielectric etching solution contains nitric acid , hydrofluoric acid , hydrogen peroxide , and water . in a preferred embodiment , the dielectric etching solution contains about 0 . 02 to 0 . 7 weight % hydrofluoric acid , 1 to 5 weight % nitric acid , 0 to 50 weight % hydrogen peroxide , and the remainder deionized water . in the most preferred embodiment , dielectric etching solution contains about 0 . 04 weight % hydrofluoric acid , 1 . 43 weight % nitric acid , 14 . 8 weight % hydrogen peroxide , and the remainder deionized water . following preparation , the solution is stirred and used immediately . the dielectric etching solution is prepared using reagent grade solutions of nitric acid ( 70 weight %), hydrofluoric acid ( 49 weight %), and hydrogen peroxide ( 31 weight %). the patterned ferroelectric layer is placed in the dielectric etching solution and the etching reaction begins . an important feature of the dielectric etch process of the invention is the uniform and controlled selective etching of the ferroelectric layer provided by the dielectric etching solution . at room temperature , the dielectric etching solution removes a pzt ferroelectric layer at about 750 to 1500 angstroms per minute depending upon the annealing method used the crystallize the pzt film . the higher etch rate is obtained when the pzt film is annealed by rapid thermal annealing , and the lower etch rate is obtained when the pzt film is annealed in a conventional annealing furnace . an additional feature is the ability of the dielectric etching solution to remove chemical residue simultaneously with the dielectric film . a chemical residue can develop on the platinum surface from un - solubilized components of the ferroelectric material . for example , in the case of pzt ferroelectric materials , excess lead oxide can precipitate on the platinum surface underlying the pzt layer . the process of the present invention advantageously removes the lead oxide from the surface of the platinum in a single etching step . as the etching proceeds , portions of the underlying platinum layer become exposed to the etch solution . when the etching solution comes in contact with the platinum surface , the hydrogen peroxide in the solution undergoes a catalytic decomposition to gaseous reaction products . the decomposition reaction produces vigorous bubbling in the solution as gases are produced at the platinum surface . accordingly , the initiation of bubbling in the solution indicates the endpoint of the etching process . the hydrogen peroxide decomposition reaction provides a convenient in - situ method of endpoint detection without the need to use sophisticated endpoint detection equipment . in a process for the removal of a ferroelectric layer that lies over a platinum layer , the ability to easily and reliably detect the endpoint of the dielectric etch process is a distinct advantage of the present invention . following the etching of the ferroelectric layer , the photoresist mask can be removed and another photoresist mask can be formed prior to etching the underlying platinum layer . alternatively , the original photoresist mask can be retained and the platinum etching solution described above can be used to etch the platinum layer underlying the ferroelectric layer . in the alternative case , first electrode 16 , illustrated in fig1 will have about the same dimensions as dielectric layer 18 . in another alternative , first electrode 16 can be fully configured prior to the deposition of the ferroelectric layer and the second platinum layer . in this case , capacitor 14 is completely fabricated after etching the ferroelectric layer . all such process variations for the formation of ferroelectric capacitor 14 are within the scope of the present invention . without further elaboration and using the preceding description , one skilled in the art can utilize the invention to its fullest extent . therefore , the following preferred specific embodiments are to be construed as merely illustrative , and not limiting in any way whatsoever . a titanium dioxide film about 1750 angstroms thick was deposited onto a silicon substrate . after depositing the titanium dioxide film , the substrate was placed in a sputter deposition apparatus and a 1000 angstrom thick platinum film was sputter deposited onto the titanium dioxide film . the sputter deposition was performed using a pure platinum target and 400 watts of radio - frequency power in an argon atmosphere at eight millitorr chamber pressure . an aqueous platinum etch solution was prepared from reagent grade hydrochloric acid obtained from a 35 weight % solution , reagent grade nitric acid obtained from a 70 weight % solution , and a commercial metal etching solution . the metal etching solution has been previously described . a first solution was prepared in an etch bath using 3500 milliliters hydrochloric acid , 500 milliliters of nitric acid , and about 2500 milliliters of water . the first solution was heated to about 75 ° c ., and 400 milliliters of metal etch solution was added while maintaining the bath temperature at about 70 ° to 80 ° c . after the addition of the metal etching solution , the platinum etch solution contained 8 . 0 weight % metal etching solution , 19 . 2 weight % hydrochloric acid , and 6 . 2 weight % nitric acid , with the remainder deionized water . following preparation , the platinum etch solution was stabilized for about 20 minutes prior to use . in preparation for etching , the initial sheet resistance of the blanket platinum film was measured using a four point probe . the substrate was then placed in the etch bath while maintaining the bath temperature at 70 ° to 80 ° c . the substrate was removed after 20 seconds and washed in deionized water then dried in nitrogen purged spin - dryer . the average sheet resistance of the partially etched platinum film was measured with a four - point probe . after four - point probe measurement , the substrate was returned to the bath and etched for an additional ten seconds . again the substrate was washed , dried , and the average sheet resistance measured . this procedure was repeated until all of the platinum film was etched away from the surface of the substrate . the sheet resistance data is plotted as a function of etching time in fig2 . in this example , the platinum etch rate was calculated to be 1500 angstroms per minute . a series of silicon substrates were prepared having a pzt film over a platinum layer . each pzt film was prepared by spin - coating a sol - gel solution onto the platinum film . following spin - coating , the pzt films were oven - dried in air at 300 ° c . for one minute . each pzt film was sintered in a rapid thermal annealing apparatus for two minutes at about 700 ° c . the thickness of the each pzt film was about 1500 angstroms . a photoresist pattern was then formed on each substrate using a positive - acting , novalac - resin photoresist . two etching solutions were prepared having varying the amounts of hydrogen fluoride ( 49 weight % solution ), hydrogen peroxide ( 31 weight % solution ), nitric acid ( 70 weight % solution ), and deionized water as noted below . table i______________________________________ solution 1 solution 2 ( weight %) ( weight %) ______________________________________hf 0 . 51 0 . 04hno . sub . 3 1 . 45 1 . 43h . sub . 2 o . sub . 2 30 . 00 14 . 80h . sub . 2 o 68 . 04 83 . 73etch rate ( nm / min .) 435 +/- 150 112 . 5 +/- 37 . 5______________________________________ a substrate was placed in each solution and the etch rate was determined by the amount of time necessary to completely remove portions of the pzt layer exposed by the photoresist mask . in each case , the endpoint of the pzt was determined by observing the initiation of bubbling in the etching solution due to the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide at the exposed platinum surface . the pzt etch rate in each solution was determined by dividing the pzt film thickness by the time required to remove the pzt film . the average etch rate and range of measurements for each solution is shown in table i . the ability to control the pzt etch rate to a desired low rate is a particular advantage of the invention . the low pzt etch rate coupled with the ability to detect the endpoint of the etch improves the quality of the etch . therefore , unnecessary over - etching can be avoided and results in better pzt pattern definition . those skilled in the art recognize that the platinum etching solution and the dielectric etching solution can also be used in conjunction with dry etching processes to remove dry - etching residue from the surface of the substrate . for example , the dielectric etching solution can be used to clean the substrate surface after formation of the capacitor is complete . additionally , the platinum etching solution can be used to remove platinum residue from the substrate surface after formation of the capacitor is complete . the cleaning process can be performed by providing a new mask to protect the capacitor , and simply immersing the etched substrate in the dielectric etching solution for a few seconds . as illustrated in fig3 a cleaning mask 22 is defined to protect capacitor 14 prior to immersing substrate 10 in either the platinum etching solution or the dielectric etching solution . an additional problem associated with ion milling is the redeposition of platinum during the ion milling process . during the high - energy ion milling process , platinum residue can redeposit on the edge of the pzt dielectric layer . the platinum residue can cause an electrical short between first and second electrodes 16 and 20 . the platinum residue on the edge of the pzt dielectric material can result in a non - functional capacitor . in accordance with the invention , the platinum residue can be removed by a brief etch of 10 to 20 seconds in the platinum etching solution after an ion milling process . in this case , the original ion milling etch mask is retained to protect the platinum electrodes . thus , it , is apparent that there has been provided , in accordance with the invention , a process for fabricating a ferroelectric capacitor which fully meets the advantages set forth above . although the invention has been described and illustrated with reference to specific illustrative embodiments thereof , it is not intended that the invention be limited to those illustrative embodiments . those skilled in the art will recognize that variations and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention . for example , a variety of capacitor configurations and process sequences other than those described are possible . it is therefore intended to include within the invention all such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof .	7
this invention relates to an improved process utilizing atmospheric pressure , moderate temperatures and hydrogen peroxide via a cobalt catalyst activator . in particular , this invention relates to the preparation of phenoxy benzoic acids and derivatives thereof having the formula ## str3 ## wherein r is or 1 , sr 1 , nr 1 , r 1 and r 1 is hydrogen , alkyl , substituted alkyl or alkenyl preferably hydrogen or alkyl of from 1 to 4 carbon atoms which may be straight or branched chain and x is hydrogen or halogen preferably hydrogen or chlorine which comprises oxidizing a phenoxytoluene of the formula ## str4 ## wherein x is hydrogen or halogen preferably hydrogen or chlorine in an appropriate protic solvent in the presence of a cobalt catalyst , a bromide catalyst promoter or a compound capable of liberating bromide ion under oxidation conditions , a hydrogen peroxide catalyst activator and molecular oxygen at temperatures from about 70 ° c . to about 115 ° c . and atmospheric pressure . in the above process , typical protic solvents that can be utilized include acetic acid , propionic acid butyric acid and the like . acetic acid is the preferred solvent . the concentration of substrate ( formula ii ) in the reaction solvent is from about 0 . 1 to about 10 moles of substrate per liter of solvent . a preferred concentration is from about 1 to about 8 , more preferably from about 1 to about 6 moles of substrate per liter of solvent . the cobalt ( ii ) salts that can be utilized in this oxidation process include cobaltous salts wherein the anion is selected to satisfy the valence charge of the cobalt cation and is selected so that the cobaltous cation co ( ii ) can be readily oxidized in situ to the more reactive cobaltic cation , co ( iii ), by an appropriate activator . typical cobaltous salts include cobaltous acetate , cobaltous propionate , cobaltous naphthenate , cobaltous bromide and the like in either the anhydrous or hydrated forms . the preferred cobaltous salt is cobaltous acetate tetrahydrate . the concentration of cobalt catalyst , charged as the cobalt ( ii ) salt , per mole of substrate is from about 0 . 001 to about 0 . 5 mles per mole of substrate , preferably from about 0 . 01 to about 0 . 24 more preferably from about 0 . 03 to about 0 . 12 moles of cobalt ( ii ) salt per mole of substrate . the catalyst promoter utilized in the process of this invention is the bromide ion . the source of the bromide ion promoter can be from hydrogen bromide either anhydrous or aqueous , sodium bromide , ammonium bromide , potassium bromide and the like . the preferred source is aqueous hydrogen bromide . the ratio of bromide ion per mole of cobalt ( ii ) salt is from about 1 to about 3 equivalents per mole of cobalt ( ii ) salt , preferably from about 1 to about 2 equivalents per mole of cobalt ( ii ) salt , more preferably about one equivalent per mole of cobalt ( ii ) salt . hydrogen peroxide is utilized as a cobalt salt activator readily oxidizing the co ( ii ) to the required co ( iii ) state , thus enabling the reaction to be run at lower temperature and pressures than previously reported . the ratio of hydrogen peroxide per mole of cobalt ( ii ) salt is from about 1 / 2 to about 1 mole per mole of cobalt ( ii ) salt . a preferred concentration of the aqueous hydrogen peroxide source is from about 3 to about 90 %, more preferably about 30 to 35 %, aqueous solution . the presence of a source of molecular oxygen is also needed in this process . the concentration of oxygen in the source can be from about 10 % to about 100 %. the carrier gas associated with the molecular oxygen can be any inert gas such as nitrogen , or the like . compressed air is a preferred source for the molecular oxygen . the molecular oxygen feed rate will affect the rate of reaction . feed rates of from about 0 . 001 to about 1 . 0 moles of oxygen per minute per mole of phenoxytoluene can be utilized . rates of from about 0 . 003 to about 0 . 1 are preferred and the most preferred rate is from about 0 . 008 to 0 . 03 moles of oxygen per minute per mole of phenoxytoluene . temperatures utilized for the process of this invention are from about 70 ° c . to about 115 ° c . preferably from about 90 ° c . to about 110 ° c . the process of this invention can be performed by either a continuous or a batch process . the reagents used in this oxidation process can be combined in any order . preferably , all charges except the hydrogen peroxide and source of molecular oxygen are made to the reactor followed by addition of the hydrogen peroxide just prior to or immediately following the initiation of the molecular oxygen feed . since the oxidation product obtained in this process is a carboxylic acid , the alkali metal salts and alkyl esters of the carboxylic acid can be prepared by standard techniques known in the art and can also be utilized to isolate or purify the oxidation product . the acid or the ester can also be nitrated at temperatures from 0 ° to about 70 ° c . any conventional electrophilic nitrating agent can be used . however , the preferred nitrating agents include nitric acid / sulfuric acid , potassium nitrate / sulfuric acid , or nitric acid / sulfuric acid / acetic anhydride . an optional solvent , such as methylene dichloride , ethylene dichloride , chloroform , perchloroethylene and the like can also be used . once the carboxylic acid is prepared it can be converted to derivatives such as the acid halide , the alkyl , substituted alkyl or alkenyl esters , the thio esters or the amides via general synthetic routes well known in the art . for example the alkyl , substituted alkyl and alkenyl esters can be prepared by reacting the carboxylic acid with the appropriate alkyl substituted alkyl or alkenyl , alcohol in an inert solvent in the presence of an acid catalyst . the thio esters and amides can be prepared by reacting the acid halide with an appropriate mercaptan or amine in an inert solvent . the alkali metal salts of the carboxylic acids are prepared by treating the carboxylic acid with an alkali metal hydroxide or hydride such as sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , sodium hydride and the like in an inert solvent . the following examples are presented to further illustrate the process of this invention and are not intended to limit the breadth and scope of this invention in any way . dimethyl sulfoxide ( 975 g ) and meta - cresol ( 113 . 3 g , 1 . 05 moles ) are charged to a 2 - 1 , 3 - neck round bottom flask equipped with a mechanical stirrer , thermometer , and a 5 - plate oldershaw column with a variable reflux ratio distillation head . a 50 % potassium hydroxide solution ( 119 . 0 g , 1 . 06 moles ) is added over 2 minutes and is accompanied by an exotherm from 25 ° c . to 41 ° c . water is removed by distillation under vacuum to a final vapor temperature of 105 ° c . at a pressure of 50 mm hg . a total of 375 ml of distillate is collected . the solution is cooled to 80 ° c . and 3 , 4 - dichlorobenzotrifluoride ( 215 . 0 g , 1 . 00 mole ) is added . the reaction mixture is heated to 140 ° c . over a 6 hour period and then held at 140 ° c . for 21 / 2 hours . the dmso solvent is removed by vacuum distillation at 120 ° c . to a final pressure at 25 mm hg . the resulting reaction product is diluted with 150 ml of perchloroethylene . the organic solution is washed with 350 ml of 5 % naoh , 350 ml of water , and concentrated on a rotary evaporator to give 289 . 9 g of product which analyzes for 81 . 6 % of 3 -( 2 - chloro - 4 - trifluoromethylphenoxy ) toluene . the a . i . yield is 89 . 4 % with a 4 . 5 % yield of the isomeric 3 -( 2 - chloro - 5 - trifluoromethylphenoxy ) toluene . into a three liter flask is added 1 . 3 liters of acetic acid , 614 g . ( 1 . 90 mole ) of 88 . 8 % pure 3 -( 2 - chloro - 4 - trifluoromethylphenoxy ) toluene , and 32 . 0 g . ( 0 . 128 mole ) of cobalt acetate tetrahydrate . to this stirred pink solution is added 20 . 0 ml ( 0 . 173 mole ) of 47 % aqueous hydrogen bromide whereupon the solution turns blue . the solution is then heated to 90 ° c . and a flow of oxygen ( 100 %, 2 . 19 × 10 - 2 mole / min ) is initiated . hydrogen peroxide 10 . 0 ml ( 30 %, 0 . 088 mole ) is then added via a syringe to the solution and the exotherm raises the reaction temperature to 98 ° c . within 5 minutes . the reaction is monitored by thin layer chromatography and is complete within 4 hours . isolation of the oxidation product 3 -( 2 - chloro - 4 - trifluoromethylphenoxy ) benzoic acid from the reaction mixture is accomplished by distillation of the acetic acid solvent , neutralization with aqueous sodium hydroxide to a ph of 11 , filtration to remove the insoluble cobalt hydroxides and acidification of the filtrate with sulfuric acid to precipitate the product , which is filtered and dried to give 680 . 3 g of 85 . 1 % 3 -( 2 - chloro - 4 - trifluoromethylphenoxy ) benzoic acid . this represents of 96 . 1 % yield of this product based on the 3 -( 2 - chloro - 4 - trifluoromethylphenoxy ) toluene starting material . it is to be understood that changes and variations of this process such as the addition of various additional metal salts to reduce solvent degradation or increase purity or yield may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	2
the distance between a stimulating electrode and the spinal cord surface may be inferred from a function dependent upon : 1 ) the optical path lengths of light between a near infrared light emitter and a set of optical detectors , where the light is reflected from the spinal cord ; 2 ) the spinal cord geometry ; 3 ) the optical divergence of the light emitter ; and 4 ) the presence of chromophores in the optical path . the dura surrounding the spinal cord itself is translucent to near infrared light . near infrared light will be scattered by , and will reflect from , the spinal cord . cerebrospinal fluid ( csf ) will negligibly scatter near infrared light and will not act as a significant reflector of near - infrared light . light from the light emitter passes through the thin , relatively avascular dura to enter the csf . light incident on the spinal cord experiences scatter resulting in a portion being reflected and another portion being absorbed by chromophores . optical absorption in a fluid medium may be described by the beer - lambert law ( beer &# 39 ; s law ), which is reasonably accurate for a range of chromophores and concentrations . beer &# 39 ; s law states that the optical absorbance of a fluid with a chromophore concentration varies linearly with path length through the fluid and the chromophore concentration as : ε λ = molar absorptivity or extinction coefficient of the chromophore at wavelength λ ( the optical density of a 1 - cm thick sample of a 1 m solution ); b = sample path length in centimeters ; and , c = concentration of the compound in the sample , in molarity ( mol l − 1 ). the absorbance ( a λ ) at a wavelength λ is related to the ratio of light energy passing through the fluid , i , to the incident light energy , i 0 , in for deoxyhemoglobin and oxyhemoglobin , the extinction coefficient spectra are well known . the path length within the spinal cord is dependent upon the geometry of the ellipsoid shaped spinal cord and its normal vector relative to the optical axes of the emitter and detector pair . the optical path length within csf is roughly equal to the nominal geometric path length as the scatter is small and the index of refraction does not vary considerably along the path . light absorption of the csf may be approximated by that of its primary constituent , h 2 0 . sensitivity of the system to csf path length may be optimized using a light wavelength at a local maxima of the water extinction coefficient curve near 950 - 1100 nm . when considering the light emitter wavelength , one must also consider the extinction coefficients of the primary chromophores , deoxy - and oxy - hemoglobin . to minimize effects of blood flow changes within the spinal cord ( although these are thought to be insignificant in the quasi - static sense ), one may select the isosbestic wavelength of these chromophore species , preferably at about 805 nm . the geometry of the light emitter and detector aperture relative to the spinal cord is the parameter most prone to variability . the variance results from factors such as dependence upon placement of the electrode within the spinal canal , canal diameter , spinal cord shape , spinal cord caliber , and presence of scoliotic or kyphotic curvature within the spine . consequently , this geometric parameter is the primary reason that the system must be calibrated , in situ , in vivo . spinal cord position may then be inferred through various methods from data obtained at ordinal body positions . the effects of geometry may be minimized by minimizing the angle between the light emitter and optical detector optical axes relative to the spinal cord surface normal vector . the beam divergence of the light emitter relative to the incident and reflected rays will influence the detected light amplitude . it is desirable to maintain a constant electric field at a group of target cells in the spinal cord as the spinal cord moves in order to consistently reduce the transmission of a pain sensation to the brain . with the patient in a prone position or bending forward ( 0 ° direction ), the spinal cord moves anterior within its orbit in the spinal canal . an equal increase in stimulation pulse amplitude for each electrode pair is required to maintain the same electric field density . in the right lateral position or bent to the right ( 90 ° direction ), the spinal cord moves to the right within its orbit in the spinal canal . a decrease in electrode stimulation pulse amplitude in the right electrode and an increase in electrode stimulation pulse amplitude in the left electrode of the electrode pair is required . in the supine position or bending backward ( 180 ° direction ), the spinal cord moves dorsally within its orbit within the spinal canal . a decrease in electrode stimulation pulse amplitude bilaterally is required to maintain a constant electric field across the spinal cord . in the left lateral position or bent toward the left ( 270 ° direction ), the spinal cord moves to the left within its orbit . a decrease in electrode stimulation pulse amplitude in the left electrode and an increase in electrode stimulation pulse amplitude in the right electrode of the electrode pair is required . fig5 shows a plot 500 of relative electric field strength 502 required to be generated at a the electrodes , respectively , for maintenance of a constant field at any point across in a horizontal cross section of the spinal cord as the spinal cord is moved through an orbit of 360 ° in the spinal canal . the electric field strength at points a 1 - a 4 will be described in more detail below in relation to electrode current amplitude . referring to fig6 a and 6 b , a preferred embodiment of a percutaneous stimulator lead is shown . stimulator lead 600 includes lead cable 610 housing optical fiber 601 which is coupled to distal optical element 602 at a distal end 613 and coupled to optical fiber connector 603 at a proximal end 614 . optical fiber connector 603 is further coupled to optical circulator 606 . optical circulator 606 is connected to optical fiber 607 which is further coupled to optical emitter 625 . optical circulator 606 is also connected to optical fiber 608 which is further coupled to optical detector 627 . distal optical element 602 is configured as both an optical emitter and an optical collector . a set of electrodes 612 , near the distal end , is coupled to a current source 605 through a set of electrical leads 604 also housed in lead cable 610 . a suitable optical circulator is the pioc310p component from ac photonics , inc ., of santa clara , calif ., operating at a wavelength of 1060 nm optical circulators of smaller size and operating at wavelengths longer than 1060 nm are also suited for these embodiments . optical circulators of larger size and operating at wavelengths shorter than 1060 nm are also suited for these embodiments . distal optical element 602 extends into cap 609 . in a preferred embodiment , cap 609 is an extension of lead cable 610 which is sealed at the distal tip and bonded to lead cable 610 with adhesive at 611 . cap 609 is a nir - transparent hollow cylinder preferably comprised of glass or plastic and may contain an index matching fluid . in another embodiment , cap 609 is comprised of a solid cylinder formed in place around distal optical element 602 . in this embodiment , the cylinder is not hollow and is comprised of a transparent plastic such as lexan ™. in another embodiment , cap 609 is a continuation of the lead cable 610 which may be constructed of polyurethane or other suitable material and is sealed at the distal tip . referring to fig6 c , a cross - section of stimulator lead 600 is shown . stimulator lead 600 includes sheathed outer surface 615 which encapsulates a set of electrode leads 617 , lumen 616 in filler material 619 . lumen 616 encloses optical fiber 601 . lumen 616 also provides a hollow cavity for a wire stylet to be inserted into the lead cable for the purpose of directing the position of the lead cable while being inserted into the epidural space of a patient . optical fiber 601 is inserted after removing the wire stylet from lumen 616 . in an alternate embodiment an additional lumen is included in the stimulator lead to provide a separate cavity for the wire stylet . in a preferred embodiment , sheathed outer surface 615 includes an emi shield . filler material 619 preferably includes a polyimide polymer . filler material 619 can also include additional materials with physical properties that enhance the emi shielding capability of lead cable 610 . in an alternate embodiment , filler material 619 may include a carbon nano - tube composite such as that disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 413 , 474 to liu , et al . the disclosure of u . s . pat . no . 7 , 413 , 474 is incorporated herein by reference . referring to fig6 d , where a vertebra 622 encloses a spinal cord 620 , a single stimulator lead 624 is placed in the epidural space 626 of vertebra 622 between the dura 621 and the walls of the spinal canal 629 . in a preferred single lead embodiment , stimulator lead 624 is configured with at least one optical fiber and with both an optical emitter and optical collector . additional embodiments of a single stimulator lead system are possible which include multiple optical fibers in a single - lead assembly . referring again to fig6 a , in use , probe light beam 661 is emitted from optical emitter 625 and propagates through first optical fiber 607 , through optical fiber 601 , and exits from optical element 602 . a responsive light beam 660 is collected by optical element 602 and propagates through optical fiber 601 , through second optical fiber 608 and detected by optical detector 627 . optical circulator 606 allows responsive light beam 660 to propagate into second optical fiber 608 but not into first optical fiber 607 . optical circulator 606 also allows probe light beam 661 to propagate into optical fiber 601 but not into second optical fiber 608 . responsive light beam 660 is generated through interaction between probe light beam 661 and tissue within the spinal canal . for example , probe light beam propagates through spinal canal , experiences absorption , is reflected by components within the spinal canal , and then experiences additional absorption before being collected as a responsive light beam with a different intensity and a different spectral profile . fig7 a - 7 g show suitable optical configurations for an optical element disposed on an optical fiber at the distal end of a stimulator lead . fig7 a - 7 g are intended as examples and should not be interpreted as limiting to the invention . in fig7 a , distal optical element 701 includes optical fiber 708 encased in cap 691 . optical fiber 708 includes optical axis 702 having core 704 surrounded by cladding 705 further surrounded by jacket 709 . optical fiber 701 further includes negative axicon 706 etched at the distal end , centered on optical axis 702 , and having an angular extent a . angular extent a is less than about 66 ° for typical glass . the maximum value of a is determined as twice the complement of the critical angle α for the optical material in core 704 . the complement of the critical angle is ( 90 °− α ). jacket 709 is removed from optical fiber 708 for a distance 707 approximately the same as the depth of negative axicon 706 . when light travels through optical fiber 708 and out of the distal end , it will be emitted approximately perpendicular to the optical axis 702 near lateral line 703 in a radially symmetric 360 degree pattern . when used as an optical collector , optical fiber 708 will collect light through a 360 degree angle from directions near lateral line 703 . in fig7 b , distal optical element 710 comprises an optical fiber 711 covered by cap 692 . optical fiber 710 includes optical axis 712 having core 714 surrounded by cladding 715 which is further surrounded by jacket 719 . optical fiber 711 includes negative axicon 716 etched at the distal end , centered on optical axis 712 , and having an angular extent b . angular extent b is approximately 90 °. jacket 719 is removed from optical fiber 711 for a distance 717 approximately the same as the depth of negative axicon 716 . outer surface of negative axicon 716 is coated with a reflective coating 718 . when light travels through optical fiber 711 and out of the distal end , it will be emitted approximately perpendicular to the optical axis 712 near lateral line 713 in a uniform 360 degree pattern . when used as an optical collector , optical fiber 711 will collect light from through a 360 degree angle from directions near the lateral line 713 . a negative axicon can be fabricated in an optical fiber end by a chemical etching process using about a 50 % solution of hydrofluoric acid with a buffer of nh 4 f in deionized water . volume ratio of hf to buffer is varied to achieve varying negative axicon angles . in fig7 c , distal optical element 720 is enclosed in cap 693 and comprises optical fiber 721 . optical fiber 721 includes optical axis 722 having core 724 surrounded by cladding 725 which is further surrounded by jacket 729 . optical fiber 721 includes beveled surface 726 etched at the distal end at an angle c . angle c is less than about 34 ° for typical glass . the value of c is determined as the complement of the critical angle for the optical material in core 724 . jacket 729 is removed from optical fiber 721 for a distance 727 approximately the same as the depth of beveled surface 726 . when light travels through optical fiber 721 and out of the distal end , it will be emitted approximately perpendicular to the optical axis 722 near lateral line 723 in an angular pattern determined by the position of the beveled surface . when used as an optical collector , optical fiber 721 will collect light in the approximate angular pattern from horizontal directions near the lateral line 723 . in fig7 d , distal optical element 730 is encased in transparent cap 694 and comprises optical fiber 731 . optical fiber 731 includes optical axis 732 having core 734 surrounded by cladding 735 which is further surrounded by jacket 739 . optical fiber 731 includes a beveled surface 736 etched at the distal end at an angle d where d is about 45 °. beveled surface 736 has a reflective coating 738 . jacket 739 is removed from optical fiber 731 for a distance 737 approximately the same as the depth of beveled surface 736 . when light travels through optical fiber 731 and out of the distal end , it will be emitted approximately perpendicular to the optical axis 732 near lateral line 733 in an angular pattern determined by the position of beveled surface 736 . in fig7 e , distal optical element 740 is encased in transparent cap 695 . distal optical element 740 includes optical fiber 741 with optical axis 742 having core 744 . core 744 is surrounded by cladding 745 which is further surrounded by jacket 749 . reflecting surface 746 is positioned above the distal end of the optical fiber at an angle e where e is about 45 °. when light travels through optical fiber 741 and out of the distal end , it will be emitted approximately along the optical axis 742 , reflected from reflecting surface 746 , and further emitted in a horizontal range of directions near lateral line 743 in an approximate angular pattern determined by the aperture of the optical fiber , the aperture of the reflecting surface and the wavelength of the emitted light . when used as an optical collector , optical fiber 741 will collect light in the approximate angular pattern from the horizontal range of direction near lateral line 743 . fig7 f , distal optical element 750 is encased by transparent cap 696 . distal optical element 750 includes optical fiber 751 with optical axis 752 and core 753 . core 753 is surrounded by cladding 754 which is further surrounded by jacket 756 . reflector 757 is positioned adjacent optical fiber 751 and coaxial with optical axis 752 . in a preferred embodiment , reflector 757 is conical , that includes silvered surface 758 . in use , light transmitted from the optical fiber is reflected in a 360 ° pattern , generally perpendicular to optical axis 752 . similarly , reflector 757 collects light from a 360 ° axis and transmits it through optical fiber 751 , generally parallel to optical axis 752 . in a preferred embodiment , transparent cap 696 is filled with an optically transparent plastic matrix which supports and positions reflector 757 above optical fiber 751 . in an alternative embodiment , reflector 757 can be formed by a void in matrix 759 which is internally silvered on surface 758 . fig7 g , distal optical element 760 is formed as a cap 697 . distal optical element 760 includes optical fiber 761 with optical axis 762 having core 764 . core 764 is surrounded by cladding 767 which is further surrounded by jacket 769 . one side of cap 697 includes a reflecting surface 768 which is positioned above the distal end of the optical fiber at an angle of about 45 ° from optical axis 763 . when light travels through optical fiber 761 and out of the distal end , it will be emitted approximately along the optical axis 762 , reflected from reflecting surface 768 , and further emitted in a horizontal range of directions near lateral line 763 in an approximate angular pattern determined by the aperture of the optical fiber , the aperture of the reflecting surface and the wavelength of the emitted light . the emitted light is collimated by lens 765 . when used as an optical collector , lens 765 focuses collected light as it enters cap 697 . the collected light is directed by reflecting surface 768 into optical fiber 761 . referring to fig8 a - 8 d , a single - lead embodiment is described in situ . spinal cord 820 is shown in various respective positions in the spinal canal in relation to a lateral ( coronal ) axis 824 and a postero - anterior ( sagittal ) axis 825 which are perpendicular to one another . forward direction is towards 0 ° parallel to the postero - anterior axis , rightward direction is toward 90 ° parallel to the lateral axis , backward direction is toward 180 °, and leftward direction is toward 270 °. a stimulator lead assembly , with electrode 801 and optical element 802 , is implanted outside dura 821 . optical element 802 is optically coupled to optical emitter 865 and optical detector 867 . it should be understood that optical detector 867 will receive light originating from optical emitter 865 after reflection from spinal cord 820 . electrode 801 and optical element 802 are positioned toward the dura and within an operational range of target cells 819 . target cells 819 are positioned within spinal cord 820 in an arbitrary but constant position with respect to the spinal cord . in fig8 a , spinal cord 820 is in a forward position toward 0 ° along postero - anterior axis 825 . path p 1 defines a light path from optical element 802 to reflection point r 1 and back to optical element 802 . the length of path p 1 is d 1 . optical element 802 emits light from optical emitter 865 along path p 1 where it is reflected at point r 1 by the spinal cord surface after attenuation and scattering by intermediate tissue . optical element 802 collects light from path p 1 after reflection at point r 1 and after attenuation and scattering by intermediate tissue . light collected by optical element 802 , is detected by photodetector 867 and converted to photocurrent i 1 . in fig8 b , spinal cord 820 is in a rightward position with respect to optical element 802 , rotated by angle 828 from postero - anterior axis 825 where target cells 819 are shifted rightward toward 90 ° and parallel to lateral axis 824 by distance 827 . path p 2 defines a light path from optical element 802 to reflection point r 2 and back to optical element 802 . the length of path p 2 is d 2 which is less than d 1 . optical element 802 emits light from optical emitter 865 along path p 2 where it is reflected at point r 2 by the spinal cord surface after attenuation and scattering by intermediate tissue . optical element 802 collects light from path p 2 after reflection at point r 2 and after attenuation and scattering by intermediate tissue . light collected by optical element 802 , is detected by photodetector 867 and converted to photocurrent i 2 . in fig8 c , spinal cord 820 is in a posterior position shifted by a distance 826 towards optical element 802 along postero - anterior axis 825 . path p 3 defines a light path from optical element 802 to reflection point r 3 and back to optical element 802 . the length of path p 3 is d 3 which is less than d 1 or d 2 . optical element 802 emits light from optical emitter 865 along path p 3 where it is reflected at point r 3 by the spinal cord surface after attenuation and scattering by intermediate tissue . optical element 802 collects light from path p 3 after reflection at point r 3 and after attenuation and scattering by intermediate tissue . light collected by optical element 802 , is detected by photodetector 867 and converted to photocurrent i 3 . in fig8 d , spinal cord 820 is in a left position with respect to optical element 802 , rotated by angle 830 from postero - anterior axis 825 where target cells 819 are shifted leftward along lateral axis 824 by distance 829 . path p 4 defines a light path from optical element 802 to reflection point r 4 and back to optical element 802 . the length of path p 4 is d 4 which is less than d 1 , but about the same as d 2 . optical element 802 emits light from optical emitter 865 along path p 4 where it is reflected at point r 4 by the spinal cord surface after attenuation and scattering by intermediate tissue . optical element 802 collects light from path p 4 after reflection at point r 4 and after attenuation and scattering by intermediate tissue . light collected by optical element 802 , is detected by photodetector 867 and converted to photocurrent i 4 . since d 2 and d 4 are less than d 1 , the photocurrents i 2 and i 4 are observed to be greater than i 1 . since d 3 is less than d 1 , d 2 or d 4 the light is attenuated less , and the photocurrent i 3 is observed to be greater than i 1 , i 2 or i 4 . an electric field produced by the electrode 801 stimulates target cells 819 in the spinal cord 820 . current amplitude is the average current supplied the set of electrodes , each having pulse width pw and pulse frequency pf . for the position of the spinal cord in fig8 a , the current amplitude has a value of about a 1 . for the rightward shifted position of the spinal cord in fig8 b , the current amplitude has a value of about a 2 which is about the same as a 1 . for the back shifted position of the spinal cord in fig8 c , the current amplitude has a value of about a 3 which is less than a 1 . for the leftward shifted position of the spinal cord in fig8 d , the current amplitude has a value of a 4 which is about the same as a 1 . comparing the electrode currents for the positions of fig8 a - d , a 3 & lt ;( a 2 ≈ a 4 )& lt ; a 1 which is correspondingly displayed on the plot of fig5 and where electrode current is proportional to electric field strength . the foregoing results are tabulated in table 1 . referring to fig9 a , a preferred embodiment of a dual - lead configuration suitable for a stimulator lead system 900 is shown . stimulator lead 930 includes optical fiber 902 coupled to optical element 932 at distal end 950 and coupled to optical detector 935 at the proximal end 951 . optical element 932 is configured as an optical collector . a set of electrodes 931 , near the distal end , is coupled to a current source 955 through a set of leads 904 also included in stimulator lead 930 . stimulator lead 940 includes optical fiber 901 coupled to optical element 942 at the distal end and coupled to optical emitter 945 at the proximal end . optical element 942 is configured as an optical emitter . a set of electrodes 941 , near the distal end , is coupled to a current source 955 through a set of leads 903 also included in the stimulator lead 940 . probe light beam 960 emitted from optical emitter 945 propagates through optical fiber 901 and exits from optical element 942 . a responsive light beam 961 collected by optical element 932 , propagates through optical fiber 902 , is detected by optical detector 935 and converted to a photocurrent signal . the photocurrent signal is processed to determine an amount of current to supply to electrodes 931 and 941 . referring to fig9 b , where vertebra 922 houses spinal cord 920 , stimulator leads 930 and 940 are placed side by side in the epidural space 926 between the dura 921 and the walls of the spinal canal 929 . to operatively place the two stimulator leads , a first stimulator lead is positioned into the epidural space near the spinal cord using a wire stylus inserted in a lumen of the first stimulator lead . the wire stylus is withdrawn and an optical fiber assembly is inserted in the lumen . then , a second stimulator lead is positioned in the epidural space near the spinal cord and to the side of the first stimulator lead using the wire stylus inserted in a lumen of the second stimulator lead . the wire stylus is withdrawn and an optical fiber assembly is inserted in the lumen . referring to fig1 a - 10 d , a dual - lead embodiment , utilizing the stimulator leads of fig9 , is described as in situ . spinal cord 1020 is shown in various respective positions in the spinal canal in relation to a coronal axis 1024 which is centered through optical emitter 1041 and optical collector 1031 . a sagittal axis 1025 is perpendicular to the coronal axis and generally in the postero - anterior direction of the body encapsulating spinal cord 1020 . forward direction is towards 0 ° parallel to the sagittal axis , rightward direction is toward 90 ° parallel to the coronal axis , backward direction is toward 180 °, and leftward direction is toward 270 °. stimulator lead assembly 1010 is implanted outside dura 1021 having a left stimulator lead with electrode 1041 and optical element 1042 and having a right stimulator lead with electrode 1031 and optical element 1032 . optical element 1042 is optically coupled to optical emitter 1045 . optical element 1032 is optically coupled to optical detector 1035 . it should be understood that optical detector 1035 will receive light originating from optical emitter 1045 . in situ , the stimulator lead positions may be reversed where the stimulator lead with optical element 1032 and electrode 1031 is on the left and the stimulator lead with optical element 1042 and electrode 1041 is on the right . electrodes 1031 and 1041 are positioned toward the dura and within an operational range of target cells 1019 . target cells 1019 are positioned within spinal cord 1020 in an arbitrary but constant position with respect to the spinal cord . referring to fig1 a , the spinal cord is positioned forward , path p 5 defines a light path from optical element 1042 to reflection point r 5 and then to optical element 1032 . the length of path p 5 is d 5 . optical element 1042 emits light along path p 5 from optical emitter 1045 and optical element 1032 collects light from path p 5 after reflection at point r 5 from spinal cord 1020 and after attenuation and scattering by intermediate tissue . light collected by optical element 1032 is detected by photodetector 1035 which produces a photocurrent of i 1 in response . an electric field produced by electrodes 1031 and 1041 stimulates target cells 1019 . current amplitudes a r1 and a l1 are for the average currents supplied by electrode 1031 and electrode 1041 , respectively having pulse widths pw 1 and pulse frequencies pf 1 . for the position of the spinal cord in fig1 a , given a fixed pulse width pw 1 and a fixed pulse frequency pf 1 , the current amplitudes a r1 and a l1 are approximately the same . these foregoing results are tabulated in table 2 , row 1 . referring to fig1 b , the spinal cord is rotated through angle 1028 and positioned rightward by a distance 1027 towards 90 °, path p 6 defines a light path from optical element 1042 to reflection point r 6 and then to optical element 1032 . the length of path p 6 is d 6 which is less than the length d 5 . optical element 1042 emits light along path p 6 from optical emitter 1045 and optical element 1032 collects light from path p 6 after reflection at point r 6 from spinal cord 1020 and after attenuation and scattering by intermediate tissue . light collected by optical element 1032 is detected by photodetector 1035 which produces a photocurrent of i 2 in response where i 2 is greater than i 1 . an electric field produced by electrodes 1031 and 1041 stimulates target cells 1019 . current amplitude a r2 is for the average current supplied by electrode 1031 and current amplitude a l2 is for the average current supplied by electrode 1041 , each having pulse widths pw 2 and pulse frequencies pf 2 . the current amplitudes a r2 and a l2 are greater than current amplitudes a ri and a . these foregoing results are tabulated in table 2 , row 2 . referring to fig1 c , the spinal cord is positioned towards the back and displaced by a distance 1026 towards 180 °, path p 7 defines a light path from optical element 1042 to reflection point r 7 and then to optical element 1032 . the length of path p 7 is d 7 which is shorter than length d 5 or d 6 . optical element 1042 emits light along path p 7 from optical emitter 1045 and optical element 1032 collects light from path p 7 after reflection at point r 7 from spinal cord 1020 and after attenuation and scattering by intermediate tissue . light collected by optical element 1032 is detected by photodetector 1035 which produces a photocurrent of i 3 in response , where i 3 is greater than i 1 and i 2 . an electric field produced by electrodes 1031 and 1041 stimulates target cells 1019 . current amplitude a r3 is for the average current supplied by electrode 1031 and current amplitude a l3 is for the average current supplied by electrode 1041 , each having pulse widths pw 3 and pulse frequencies pf 3 . the current amplitudes a r3 and a l3 are less than the current amplitudes a r1 , a r2 , a l1 and a l2 . these foregoing results are tabulated in table 2 , row 3 . referring to fig1 d , the spinal cord is rotated through angle 1030 and positioned rightward by a distance 1029 towards 270 °, path p 8 defines a light path from optical element 1042 to reflection point r 8 and then to optical element 1032 . the length of path p 8 is d 8 which is less than length d 5 but about the same as d 6 . optical element 1042 emits light along path p 8 from optical emitter 1045 and optical element 1032 collects light from path p 8 after reflection at point r 8 from spinal cord 1020 and after attenuation and scattering by intermediate tissue . light collected by optical element 1032 is detected by photodetector 1035 which produces a photocurrent of i 4 in response where i 4 is about the same as i 2 . an electric field produced by electrodes 1031 and 1041 stimulates target cells 1019 . current amplitude a r4 is for the average current supplied by electrode 1031 and current amplitude a l4 is for the average current supplied by electrode 1041 , each having pulse widths pw 2 and pulse frequencies pf 2 . the current amplitudes a r4 and a l4 are about the same as the current amplitudes a r1 and a l1 . these foregoing results are tabulated in table 2 , row 4 . the distances d 6 and d 8 , defining optical paths for the light emitted by the optical emitter and collected by the optical collector , are less than the distance d 5 . the distance d 7 is smaller than the distances d 5 , d 6 and d 8 . comparing photocurrents of positions of fig1 a through 10 d , i 3 & gt ;( i 2 ≈ i 4 )& gt ; i 1 . the relative relationship between received photodetector currents and required current amplitudes of the current signals to the electrodes , a l and a r , can be summarized in the following table for the four example positions of the spinal cord in the spinal canal . referring to fig1 , a preferred embodiment of the components of the system is shown . stimulator lead assembly 1140 includes at least one stimulator lead with a set of electrodes . positionally - sensitive spinal cord stimulator 1145 includes pulse generator and signal processor ( pgsp unit ) 1150 and is connected to stimulator lead assembly 1140 . pgsp unit 1150 provides power to the set of electrodes in stimulator lead assembly 1140 and houses electronic and opto - electronic components of the system . stimulator lead assembly 1140 connects to pgsp unit 1150 further connecting the stimulator electrodes of each stimulator lead to a controllable current source . stimulator lead assembly 1140 connects at least one ir emitter to at least one optical fiber through a first fiber optical connector and at least one photodetector to at least one optical fiber through additional fiber optic connectors . pgsp unit 1150 gathers and processes photodetector signals and makes adjustments to the stimulator electrode current ( or voltage ) based on the photodetector signals . pgsp unit 1150 is connected by wireless communication link 1152 across skin boundary 1156 to scs controller 1153 . the scs controller is configured to allow percutaneous activation of and adjustments to positionally - sensitive spinal cord stimulator 1145 . pgsp unit 1150 is also connected by wireless communication link 1155 to calibration and programming unit 1154 . calibration and programming unit 1154 is programmed to accept patient input and transmit the patient input to pgsp 1150 during calibration . in an alternate embodiment , calibration and programming unit 1154 is incorporated into scs controller 1153 . pgsp unit 1150 is preferably powered by batteries . in an alternate embodiment , pgsp unit 1150 derives power from capacitive or inductive coupling devices . calibration may further calibrate the batteries , the capacitive devices , or inductive coupling in pgsp unit 1150 . communication links 1152 or 1155 may further serve as a means of providing electrical charge for the batteries or capacitive devices of pgsp unit 1150 . referring to fig1 , block diagram of pgsp unit 1150 is shown . pgsp unit 1150 includes cpu 1270 having onboard memory 1272 . cpu 1270 is connected to pulse modulator 1262 and pulse generator 1260 . pulse modulator 1262 is connected to pulse generator 1260 . cpu 1270 is also operatively connected to optical modulator 1268 and optical signal processor 1264 . optical modulator 1268 is connected to infrared emitter driver 1266 . infrared emitter driver 1266 is connected to ir emitter 1279 and drives ir emitter 1279 . ir emitter 1279 , includes a fiber optic connector to effectively couple ir emitter 1279 to optical fiber 1281 . optical fiber 1281 is connected to a distal optical emitter in a stimulator lead of the stimulator lead assembly . cpu 1270 is also connected to optical signal processor 1264 . optical signal processor 1264 is connected to photodetector 1277 and receives an optical signal from the photodetector , filters the optical signal , and correlates the optical signal to electrode current amplitude , pulse width and frequency . optical signal processor 1264 may include a synchronized gated detection ( e . g ., lock - in amplifier type ) function or other demodulation function to improve the signal to noise ratio of the detected light . ir detector 1277 is connected to optical signal processor 1264 and optical fiber 1282 . ir detector 1277 translates incoming light pulses from optical fiber 1282 into electrical signals which are processed by optical signal processor 1264 . optical fiber 1282 is coupled to a distal optical collector in a stimulator lead of the stimulator lead assembly . in a preferred embodiment , the photodetector is similar to that of part no . op501 from optek technology . cpu 1270 is connected to optical modulator 1268 . ir emitter driver 1266 is connected to both optical modulator 1268 and cpu 1270 . in operation , cpu 1270 activates optical modulator 1268 which generates a waveform and transmits the waveform to the ir emitter driver 1266 . the ir emitter driver then causes ir emitter 1279 to launch a pulse with the waveform into optical fiber 1281 . the optical waveform may take several forms . for example , the pulse width of the optical waveform may have a low duty cycle to minimize power consumption . a single optical pulse may occur for a set of electrode stimulation pulses . the optical waveform may include frequency , phase or amplitude modulation . typical wavelength of the ir light from the ir emitter is in a range from 800 nm to 870 nm . typical output intensity of the ir emitter is 1 to 2 mw and a suitable part is part no . vsmy1859 from vishay intertechnology , inc . pulse generator 1260 is connected to the set of electrodes in stimulator lead assembly 1140 . in order to generate a pulse to the electrodes , cpu 1270 consults a calibration table stored in onboard memory 1272 to determine pulse width pw , pulse frequency pf and pulse amplitudes for the set of electrodes , respectively . the pulse width and frequency are transmitted to pulse modulator 1262 which creates a modified square wave signal . the modified square wave signal is passed to pulse generator 1260 . cpu 1270 passes the amplitudes for the set of electrodes to pulse generator 1260 in digital form . pulse generator 1260 then amplifies the modified square waves according to the pulse amplitudes and transmits them to the set of electrodes . cpu 1270 is in transcutaneous communications , via rf transceiver 1271 , with calibration and programming unit 1154 and scs controller 1153 . the modified square wave has an amplitude and duration ( or width ). pulse widths varying from 20 to 1000 microseconds have been shown to be effective . the frequency of the pulse waveforms between 20 and 10 , 000 hertz have been shown to be effective . the output amplitude is preferably from 0 ( zero ) to +/− 20 ma or 0 ( zero ) to +/− 10 v but may vary beyond those ranges according to patient sensitivity . referring to fig1 , scs controller 1153 is shown . scs controller 1153 includes processor 1300 connected to rf transceiver 1302 , to display 1304 , to input / output device 1306 and to memory 1308 . in the preferred embodiment , display 1304 is a low power liquid crystal display adapted to show the current operational state of the system . i / o device 1306 is a simple push button contact array which is constantly monitored by processor 1300 . in the preferred embodiment , rf transceiver 1302 is a low power transmitter / receiver combination . referring to fig1 , calibration and programming unit 1154 will be described . calibration and programming unit 1154 includes processor 1410 connected to onboard memory 1418 , to input / output devices 1416 and 1417 , to rf transceiver 1412 and to display 1414 . display 1414 , in the preferred embodiment , is a low power liquid crystal display . input / output device 1416 and input / output device 1417 are simple push button switches monitored continuously by the processor . rf transceiver 1412 is a low power transmitter / receiver combination . referring to fig1 a - 15 b , method 1500 of operation of the positionally - sensitive spinal cord stimulator of fig1 is shown . in the preferred embodiment , method 1500 takes the form of a computer program which is resident in memory 1272 of cpu 1270 of pgsp 1150 . when activated , the program forms a continuous cycle . referring to fig1 a , at step 1531 , rf transceiver 1271 is continually polled for a change of operation code signal to be received from scs controller 1153 . one of three options is always present , “ start ?”, “ calibrate ?” and “ stop ?” at step 1533 , if operation change code “ start ?” is received , the method moves to step 1542 . at step 1542 , cpu 1270 activates optical modulator 1268 , which in turn activates ir emitter driver 1266 to generate an optical pulse from the ir emitter . at step 1543 , a set of photocurrent levels for a photodetector [ i ] is measured by optical signal processor 1264 and passed to cpu 1270 for storage in memory . at step 1547 , the cpu determines a set of amplitudes [ a ] of a train of pulses to be sent to the set of electrodes , based on the photocurrent level and a calibration table . in step 1547 , the set of amplitudes are interpolated from the calibration table using the photocurrent level . at step 1549 , optionally , the cpu sets the values of the pulse width p w and frequency p f of the pulse train to be sent to the set of electrodes . at step 1552 , the cpu activates the pulse modulator to create the waveforms of the pulse trains to be sent to the set of electrodes and then activates pulse generator 1260 to generate the pulse trains . at step 1554 , the cpu stores the values of [ i ], [ a ], p w and p f in a time series of data in memory for future retrieval . the method then returns to step 1531 . if at step 1533 , the operation change code is not “ start ?”, the method proceeds to step 1535 . at step 1535 , the cpu determines if the operation change code is “ calibrate ?” if so , the method moves to step 1537 . at step 1537 , the cpu transmits the time series of data to calibration and programming unit 1154 . at step 1539 , the cpu enters the calibration routine as will be described more fully below . the method then returns to step 1531 . if at step 1535 , the operation change code is not “ calibrate ?”, the method moves to step 1541 . at step 1541 , the cpu determines if the operation change code is “ stop ?”. if so , the method returns to step 1531 . if not , the method proceeds to step 1542 and continues as previously described . in the preferred embodiment , the pulse width and frequency is kept constant for a given patient and only the set of electrode amplitudes are varied . in another embodiment , step 1549 is performed whereby pulse width and pulse frequency are dynamically varied according to the calibration values stored in the calibration table for each electrode . referring to fig1 b , an alternate embodiment of determining amplitude values , at step 1547 is shown . at step 1590 , the cpu performs interpolation to determine a predicted amplitude at time t from the photocurrent level . at step 1592 , the predicted amplitude is stored into a set of historical amplitudes which are predicted amplitudes for times t i & lt ; t . at step 1594 , the cpu time averages historical amplitudes from the time series of data to determine a new set of electrode amplitudes . at step 1594 , the cpu also obtains a set of predetermined weighting factors w from memory . where w k = predetermined weight for the values of a j at the current time k and earlier times k − 1 , k − 2 , . . . , etc ., and where a j = jth electrode amplitude . at step 1598 , if there are separate left and right electrode amplitudes , steps 1590 , 1592 , 1594 and 1596 are repeated for each electrode . referring to fig1 , the processor is programmed to carry out steps of calibration method 1600 upon request by a calibration control program . at step 1615 , each current amplitude in a set of current amplitudes [ a ] are adjusted to an initial value , preferably the minimum value of a predetermined range . at step 1620 , the pulse generator is directed by the cpu to send a train of pulses to each electrode at the minimum values . at step 1625 , paresthesia feedback is solicited from the patient to determine a level of parasthesia . at step 1630 , it is determined if the level of parasthesia is sufficient and optimal for patient . if the level of parasthesia is not optimal according to the patient feedback , then the method moves to step 1633 . at step 1633 , the processor monitors the input / output device to determine if amplitude values need to be increased or decreased , or if the level of paresthesia is sufficient . if an amplitude value needs to be adjusted , then the amplitude value is correspondingly increased or decreased by a discrete amount . if the amplitude value reaches a maximum level or a minimum level and cannot be adjusted further , step 1634 is performed where an alert is indicated by the calibration and programming unit . the alert in step 1634 may be a visual indication , audio indication or both visual and audio indication . after adjustment of the amplitude values , step 1620 is repeated , and a train of pulses is delivered to each electrode at the new amplitude levels . at step 1625 , patient paresthesia feedback is again solicited . if , at step 1630 , the level of paresthesia is still not optimal according to the patient feedback , the method repeats steps 1633 and 1634 as required . if , at step 1630 , the level of paresthesia is sufficient according to patient feedback , the method moves to step 1635 . at step 1635 , the cpu stores the new amplitude levels for the electrodes . at step 1638 , the optical signal processor measures the photocurrent [ i ] for the photodetector and transfers the corresponding photocurrent value to the cpu . at step 1640 , the photocurrent [ i ] and amplitude levels [ a ] are recorded in a calibration table . at step 1642 , the calibration method steps complete by returning control to the calibration control program . referring to fig1 , the processor of the calibration and programming unit is programmed to further carry out the following method steps for a calibration control program 1700 in cooperation with physical motion of the patient . at step 1750 , rf transceiver 1412 receives a signal indicative of a request to move the patient to a prone position and passes it to the calibration processor 1410 . at step 1752 , the patient is positioned in a prone position . at step 1754 , calibration method 1600 , is carried out to optimize the level of paresthesia experienced by the patient . at step 1760 , rf transceiver 1412 receives a signal indicative of a request to move the patient to a right lateral position and passes it to processor 1410 . at step 1762 , the patient is positioned in a right lateral position . at step 1764 , calibration method 1600 is then carried out to optimize the level of paresthesia experienced by the patient . at step 1770 , rf transceiver 1412 receives a signal indicative of a request to move the patient to a supine position and passes it to processor 1410 . at step 1772 , the patient is positioned in a supine position . at step 1774 , calibration method 1600 is then carried out to optimize the level of paresthesia experienced by the patient . at step 1780 , rf transceiver 1412 receives a signal indicative of a request to move the patient to a left lateral position and passes it to processor 1410 . at step 1782 , the patient is positioned in a left lateral position . at step 1784 , calibration method 1600 is then carried out to optimize the level of paresthesia experienced by the patient . after steps 1780 , 1782 and 1784 are performed , the calibration program is complete . the order of patient positions in calibration program 1700 may be changed in alternative embodiments . additional patient positions may be added to calibration program 1700 in alternative embodiments , for example , the patient may be rotated clockwise to calibrate a level of paresthesia required for a clockwise position . the result of carrying out a calibration using methods 1600 and 1700 is a calibration table with each record having a stored patient position , at least one photocurrent level and at least one corresponding electrode amplitude . referring to fig1 , the various states of the scs controller in operation will be described with the scs controller apparatus . at wait state 1805 , scs controller 1153 enters a waiting posture and continually polls i / o device 1306 . upon receipt of a “ run ” signal from i / o device 1306 , processor 1300 enters “ run ” state 1807 and transmits a “ run ” signal to rf transceiver 1302 . rf transceiver 1302 then transmits the “ run ” signal to pgsp 1150 for further action . after transmission , the processor returns to wait state 1805 . if a “ stop ” signal is received from i / o device 1306 , at step 1809 , processor 1300 passes a “ stop ” signal to rf transceiver 1302 , which in turn sends the “ stop ” signal to pgsp 1150 . the processor then returns to wait state 1305 . if a “ calibrate ” signal is received from i / o device 1306 , at step 1811 , processor 1300 transmits a “ calibrate ” signal to rf transceiver 1302 , which in turn sends the “ calibrate ” signal to pgsp 1150 . processor 1300 then returns to wait state 1805 . fig1 shows a calibration table 1940 suitable for a single stimulator lead system , as shown in fig6 a - d , with a single optical collector , a single optical emitter and a set of electrodes . each row is a record for the optimal electrode settings for a patient position . calibration table 1940 includes five columns for patient position identifier 1942 , photodetector value 1944 for photocurrent from light detected by the optical collector , electrode stimulation pulse amplitude 1946 , electrode stimulation pulse width 1948 , and electrode stimulation pulse frequency 1950 . patient position identifier 1942 in a preferred embodiment includes four positions , forward ( prone )— 0 °, right — 90 °, left — 270 °, back ( supine — 180 °). each row in calibration table 1940 is associated with one of the four patient positions . electrode stimulation pulse amplitude 1946 includes values which are derived during calibration and recorded for different spinal cord positions , corresponding to the patient position . in the preferred embodiment , the electrode stimulation pulse amplitude 1946 prescribes a stimulation energy to neurons in the vicinity of spinal cord . to construct table 1940 , calibration methods 1600 and 1700 are performed to identify a set of stimulator lead values for the pulse amplitude , width and frequency with a set of photocurrent levels . fig2 shows a calibration table 2040 suitable for a dual stimulator lead system , having one lead with a single optical emitter , having another lead with a single optical detector . both leads have electrodes sharing the same current pulse width and frequency , but have different pulse amplitudes for each lead . each row is a record for the optimal electrode settings for a patient position . calibration table 2040 includes six columns for patient position identifier 2042 , photodetector value 2044 for photocurrent from light detected by the optical collector , electrode stimulation pulse amplitude 2046 for the left stimulation lead , electrode stimulation pulse amplitude 2048 for the right stimulation lead , electrode stimulation pulse width 2050 , and electrode stimulation pulse frequency 2052 . patient position identifier 2042 includes four positions , forward ( prone )— 0 °, right — 90 °, left — 270 °, back ( supine — 180 °). each row in calibration table 2040 is associated with one of the four patient positions . electrode stimulation pulse amplitude 2046 for the left lead can be different from electrode stimulation pulse amplitude 2048 for the right lead according to values which are derived during calibration and recorded for different spinal cord positions , corresponding to the patient position . the electrode stimulation pulse amplitude 2046 prescribes a stimulation energy to nerves in the vicinity of the left side of spinal cord . the electrode stimulation pulse amplitude 2048 prescribes a stimulation energy to nerves in the vicinity of the right side of spinal cord . to construct table 2040 , calibration methods 1600 and 1700 are performed to identify a set of right stimulator lead values for a right electrode pulse amplitude , width and frequency with a set of photocurrent levels and to identify a set of left stimulator lead values for a left electrode pulse amplitude , width and frequency with the set of photocurrent levels . the set of left stimulator lead values can be different than the set of right stimulator lead values . in another embodiment , calibration methods 1600 and 1700 are performed where the electrode stimulation pulse amplitude for the left and right leads always have the same value . in an alternate embodiment , calibration is performed for additional physical positions such that additional rows are placed in calibration table 1940 or calibration table 2040 . in tables 1940 and 2040 , the electrode stimulation pulse width and electrode stimulation pulse frequency are shown as having constant values . however , in an alternate embodiment , the values of electrode stimulation pulse width and electrode stimulation pulse frequency are varied through a predetermined range during calibration and recorded for each patient position . while the present invention has been described in terms of specific embodiments thereof , it will be understood in view of the present disclosure , that numerous variations upon the invention are now enabled to those skilled in the art , which variations yet reside within the scope of the present teaching . accordingly , the invention is to be broadly construed and limited only by the scope and spirit of the claims now appended hereto .	0
first the appearance of the watch and its functions as seen solely by the user will be considered . as a rule , the watch is likely to be in one of three modes , namely a normal rn mode , an i rti screen mode and an ii rtii panel mode . a set including the two modes rti and rtii is called the panels mode rt . in addition , the watch may be in four situations regarding the data it displays , namely a situation of no correction scn , a situation of forward correction scav , a situation of backward correction scar and a situation of panel operations stt . in fig1 the watch is shown in the panel i rti mode and in the panel operations situation . the 18 examples of fig2 c11 - c16 , c21 - c26 , c31 - c36 ( where the figures including the letter ` c ` indicate the coordinate positions of each example in fig2 ) first show three watch examples in the normal watch mode rn ( c11 , c12 , c13 ), then eleven examples of the watch in the i rti panel mode ( c14 - c16 , c21 - c26 , c31 - c32 ) and lastly four examples of the watch in the ii rtii panel mode ( c33 - c36 ). the example c11 of fig2 shows the watch in its ordinary function , which is the simplest , wherein it only shows the hour and the minute for a twelve hour cycle plus the indication of a . m . or p . m . in the example c11 of fig2 the watch indicates the time 10 : 35 pm . as shown in fig2 the watch may display up to three parallel lines of data , the upper 11 , center 13 and lower line 15 . also wholly on the left is a series of symbols indicating the mode , the situation and other particulars relating to the three states within the scope of panel operation . each of the three lines 11 - 15 comprises four main display sites 17 , 19 , 21 , 23 of seven segments , an auxiliary display site 25 with seven segments located all the way to the right and two display sites 27 , 29 separating the main left sites 17 , 19 from the main right sites 21 , 23 . referring to fig1 six push - buttons 31 , 33 , 35 , 37 , 39 , 41 are distributed on the sides of the watch case , three on the left ( bph &# 39 ;, bpm &# 39 ;, bpb &# 39 ;) and three on the right ( bph , bpm , bpb ). the extent where these push - buttons do not control the wholly general functions applying to the entire watch , the buttons will always control functions relating to the data displayed on the line at which the push - button is located . for instance in fig1 the center line displays the time , 8 : 46 am . the center button 39 on the right would be used to correct this time information in the event of a correction situation . on the left at the top , the display comprises two almost vertical bars 43 ( c33 , fig2 ) indicating the particular mode of the watch . when no bars 43 are actuated ( for instance c11 through c13 , fig2 ), the watch is in the normal rn mode ; when one bar 43 is actuated ( for instance c21 - c26 of fig2 ), the i rti panel mode applies and when two bars 43 are actuated ( for instance c33 - c36 in fig2 ) the watch is in the ii rtii mode . to the left at the bottom , the watch may display an almost vertical bar 45 ( fig1 ) either with one arrow tip pointing one arrow tip pointing down or two arrow tips pointing up and down . when there is no display at that location , the watch is in the no correction situation scn ; when one arrow pointing up is displayed , the watch is in the forward correction situation scav ; when a downward pointing arrow is displayed , the watch is in the backward correction situation scar ; and when a bidirectional arrow is displayed the watch is in the panel operations situation stt . the meanings of the other symbols displayed on the far left will be made clear hereinafter . to multiply the control possibilities provided by only six buttons , provision is made ( as shown later in relation to fig5 and 8 ), for input command circuits discriminating between a push - button &# 34 ; briefly depressed then released &# 34 ; ( short pressure ), &# 34 ; depressed at least for one second before release &# 34 ; ( long pressure ) and &# 34 ; depressed , then released , then depressed again within one second &# 34 ; ( double pressure ). each of these three types of actuation provides a distinct command , whereby it is possible to input eighteen different instructions with the six pushbuttons . in all modes and all situations ( except for a correction being in progress ), a short depression of a left pushbutton advances by one step the kind of data on the corresponding line . in the normal rn mode ( c11 , fig2 ), because the center line displays only a single kind of data , to wit the present time , a short depression of the center left push - button is without effect . on the other hand , the upper line as desired either displays no data ( for instance c11 , fig2 ) or else displays the day of the week and the second ( c13 , fig2 ). in the normal mode a brief depression of the upper left button bph &# 39 ; causes the display of the day of the week and of the seconds to flash on and off . the same applies to the lower line which displays the date in month , date , possibly year ( 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 ) of the four - year cycle when in the correction situation ; the display of the date appears and disappears in the normal mode whenever a brief pressure is exerted on the lower left button bpb &# 39 ;. when in the panels mode , the cycle of the three lines is as follows : upper line : &# 34 ; hour deviation &# 34 ; eh , &# 34 ; sun elevation &# 34 ; hs ; center line : &# 34 ; time zone , latitude &# 34 ; fhl , &# 34 ; hours and minutes &# 34 ; ht ; and lower line : &# 34 ; date &# 34 ; dt , sun azimuth &# 34 ; as . this arrangement is the same for the two panel modes rti and rtii . it is seen that in the panels mode , the center and lower lines once present the same data as in the normal mode and at another time present another data , and that only the upper line when in the panels mode presents two data other than shown in the normal mode . the normal mode operation is quite simple , the watch displays either uniquely the present time ( c11 , fig2 ) or the present time with one of the data &# 34 ; present date &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; day of the week , seconds &# 34 ; ( c12 , fig2 ), or the present time and both of these data ( c13 , fig2 ). to correct them if necessary , the watch must be set in the forward or backward correction situation . a long depression of the lower left button bpb &# 39 ; causes the forward correction situation scav and the next pressure the backward correction situation scar , and the pressure thereafter the panel operations situation stt , and the next pressure returns the situation for no correction scn . once the correction situation has been established ( for example c13 , fig2 ), a short depression of the right push button 41 advances ( or sets back ) the unit information by one step , that is the last right main digit of display site 23 . a long depression on push button 41 advances by one step the digit located just to the left of the two dots ( display site 19 ), and a double pressure ( depending in the case ) causes either an advance ( or a set - back ) by one step in the auxiliary information in display site 25 entirely to the right , or else an advance by one step of the decades in the second main digit from the right . as shown further below , in order to facilitate certain settings , a long depression of the right push button 41 following a short or double depression in the correction process advances by one step the digit of the decades to the right of the two dots in lieu of the digits located left of the two dots . every time a correction is effected but incomplete , it must be acknowledged by a short pressure on the left push button of the particular line . as long as the correction is unacknowledged , it will be considered incomplete and it is impossible in particular to pass to a situation other than that of forward and backward commands . it is obvious that the brief acknowledging pressure causes no shift in the type of line display , and this is the above cited exception . moreover , while corrections are under way , it is very easily possible to pass from the forward to the backward correction without each time passing through the operational panel situation stt and the no correction situation snc . the moment all the initiated corrections are acknowledged , the four - position cycle to command the corrections ( long depression of the lower left pushbutton , which is monitored by the lower left arrows ) again applies . the normal rn , i rti and ii rtii panel mode is selected by long pressures on the upper left button bph &# 39 ;. the sequence is : rn , rti , rtii , rn . . . . the panel symbol , imitating the i and ii characters 43 at the top left , appears correspondingly . a special consequence of the presence of a correction as yet in progress and not yet receipted is that it is no longer possible to pass from the normal to the panels mode and vice - versa . thus , if in the normal mode , this will remain to be the case , regardless of any long pressure on the upper left button , and if in the panel modes , the long pressures on the upper left button cause a transition from panel i to panel ii , then from panel ii to panel i , etc . be it noted that the corrections undertaken always apply to the data being displayed . c13 of fig2 for instance , is in the situation of backward correction . at c12 of fig2 a small line which may subtend an angle with the rti symbol bar 43 , indicates that the i rti panel mode which might be called for will be of a special type &# 34 ; without automatic alignment &# 34 ;, which is a peculiarity discussed further below . after a long depression of the upper left button bph &# 39 ;, the i rti panel mode is acquired and the display of a bar 43 appears at the top left . when the rti panel mode appears , always the first cycle data will be displayed , that is , the time deviation eh will appear on the top line 11 , the time zone on the center line 13 and the data dt on the bottom line 15 . regarding the time and the date , a distinction is made between the dt panel date and the dn normal mode date , and between the ht panel time and the hn normal mode time , even though they are displayed on the same lines ( but not under the same conditions ). the center line indicates at display sites 17 , 19 the time zone from zero to 24 in accordance with convention . the latitude is given in degrees by the two main right display sites 21 , 23 and in tenths of degrees by the auxiliary display site 25 entirely to the right ; the upper of the two dots ( at 27 ) indicates a northern latitude and the lower one ( at 29 ) indicates a southern latitude . the time deviation ( upper line ) directly shows in hours and minutes the longitude of the point considered with respect to the center of the time zone indicated . when the official time at the point considered is that of its proper time zone , the maximum time deviation is +/- 30 minutes , the deviation at the center of the time zone being 00 . on the other hand , when a point is at the official time of a time zone other than the one it is located in ( for instance in summer brittany is at the time of the time zone 2 whereas it is located west of the time zone 0 ), it may incur time deviations exceeding one hour . the advantage of thusly expressing this longitudinal position is that the measurement is independent of latitude and more familiar to the user . it also offers the advantage that passing to summer time is implemented merely adding a time zone rank and one hour of time deviation . when looking for geographic positions as a function of the solar charts ,-- as discussed more comprehensively below -- use again is made of the time deviation ; for the sake of convenience , however , the time deviation has been limited to plus or minus 6 h 59 minutes . accordingly the regions which may assume the official time of a given time zone as permitted by the watch extend across six time zones on either side of the particular time zone , that is , over half the earth &# 39 ; s circumference . to express the other positions , it will be necessary in any event to refer to the antipodal time zone . thus for instance every site in the world may be designated by reference either to the greenwich meridian ( time zone 0 ) or to the 180 meridian of the aleutian isles ( time zone 12 ). in fact , the official time zone rarely deviates more than 3 hours from the local time ; it is known in any place what the time in the local time zone is , and it is further known how much the actual noon is late or ahead with respect to the center of the time zone . thus the three data eh , fhl and dt determine the place in longitude and latitude , and the date of the place considered . when passing to the second position of the display cycle , while still in the panels mode , there is obtained the sun elevation on the upper line , the time on the center line , and the sun azimuth on the lower line . under these conditions , if the time remaining on the center line is the actual time , and if the geographic point of the watch is set for the place where the user is located , the upper and lower lines respectively , automatically will show the sun position in height and azimuth at the very instant and present place . the two data of azimuth and solar elevation , as and hs will be corrected every minute , simultaneously with the data of current minutes . however it is possible to decouple the display time from the current time and to cause to appear for instance on the center line another time of the day by means of a forward or backward correction . the moment this correction has been confirmed ( acknowledged ), the computer part of the watch becomes functional and automatically realigns the as and hs data ( azimuth and elevation of the sun ) as a function of the new time . similarly the azimuth data as or the solar elevation data hs can be corrected , the two other data realigning automatically with respect to the one that was just corrected the moment the correction is acknowledged . this constitutes the wholly original peculiarity of the watch functioning in the i rti panel mode . in this mode too the sun elevation for instance may be made to appear on the upper line , the time on the center line , and the date on the lower line . if the last realignment was made with respect to the time , or if there has not yet been a realignment , any modification of the date automatically will cause a realignment of the solar elevation data as a function of the date , the time being kept . at the same time , the solar azimuth data , which temporarily is not displayed but nevertheless is present , also is realigned on account of the new date . in this manner for instance it becomes possible to know the solar elevation at a given locale for any day of the year . if the last alignment prior to the date correction for instance was made with respect to the solar elevation , the realignment as a function of the date will be made while keeping the solar elevation and redetermining the time at which , for the new date , the sun shall be at the set elevation ( for instance 26 . 4 °, fourth prayer hour of the moslems ). in the i rti panel mode , monobloc corrections are possible , in which particular predetermined solar elevations hs are involved . the elevations are displayed without the need to correct the hs value step by step . there are three main &# 34 ; monobloc &# 34 ; positions , namely sunrise , the sun at its meridian ( maximum elevation ) and sunset . these three particular sun positions can be displayed , the first one , ie sunrise , by a long depression of the upper right bph button , the second i . e ., noon , by a long depression of the center right bpm button , and the third , ie sunset , by a long depression of the lower right bpb button . these three particular positions will be significant to practically all users . moreover , there are three positions most important to the faithful of the moslem religion , namely the position &# 34 ; dawn &# 34 ;, where the rising sun is still 18 ° below the horizon , the position &# 34 ; descent &# 34 ; where the setting sun is 26 . 4 ° still above the horizon and &# 34 ; dusk &# 34 ; when the setting sun is 18 ° below the horizon . these three positions may be respectively summoned , the first one , namely dawn , by a short pressure on the upper right bph button ( the position adjacent to sunrise , same button ), the second , descent , by a short pressure on the center 3bpm button ( the position adjacent to noon , same button ) and the third , dusk , by a short pressure on the lower right bpb button ( position adjacent to sunset , same button ). these &# 34 ; monobloc &# 34 ; emplacements occur in the panel i mode in the panel operations situation stt regardless of the displays that are present at the time the corresponding buttons are actuated . the displays on the center and lower lines remain as before , that is , if by chance and for instance the lower display is the date , the data shall remain displayed , while nevertheless the solar azimuth as shall be emplaced and appear the moment the azimuth and not the date shall be displayed on the lower line . the same applies to the center line . on the other hand , the monobloc corrections mandatorily display on the upper line the solar elevation hs , as this display allows recognizing the monobloc positions . it is appropriate here to state how to display the solar elevation depending on the sun rising or descending or yet being at apogee or perigee . in case of solar elevation hs display on the upper line , the two main right digits 21 , 23 denote the solar elevation in degrees ( maximum 90 °) and the auxiliary digit 25 all the way to the right shows the tenths of a degree . the digit located directly to the left of the two dots ( which do not appear in this display ) is reserved for the symbol &# 34 ;-&# 34 ;, ie for the elevations below the horizon . the last digit on the left displays an &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; when the sun is ascending and nearer noon than midnight , ie in the morning . when the sun is rising but closer to 00 h than to noon , the h is provided with an upper horizontal stroke as shown in fig2 at c21 for instance . thereafter , as the sun reaches its maximum position ( meridian ), the symbol becomes an &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; as shown in fig2 at c23 for instance . next , as the sun redescends , still being closer to noon than to midnight , the &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; inverts to become &# 34 ; &# 34 ;; this is shown in fig2 at c24 , for instance . lastly , as the sun drops and when closer to the end of the day than to noon , the &# 34 ; &# 34 ; is provided with an upper stroke to become &# 34 ; &# 34 ; as shown in fig2 at c25 . next when the sun is at the minimum below the horizon ( true midnight ), the &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; is provided with a lower stroke , assuming the shape of &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; as shown for instance at c16 of lower fig2 . be it noted that regarding the positions &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; &# 34 ;, there is no need to indicate the elevation value , merely the maximum or minimum is indicated , the watch taking care of computing the elevation . the monobloc corrections are restricted to applying the desired value of the solar parameter hs , together with the desired sign , the computer taking care of the rest . the center column of fig2 ie the positions c21 through c26 , illustrates the six successive monobloc positions . these can be recognized by the following hs values : &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; ( or ) - 18 . 0 &# 34 ;; dawn , &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; ( or ) 00 . 0 &# 34 ;; sunrise , &# 34 ; h . . . ( any value computed by the watch )&# 34 ;; noon , sun at meridian , &# 34 ; 26 . 4 &# 34 ;; descent ( or ) 00 . 0 &# 34 ;; sunset and &# 34 ; ( or ) - 18 . 0 &# 34 ;; dusk . this corresponds to the six positions of the central column in fig2 . in the panels mode , the time and the date may correspond to the present time or be out of synchronization . all the way to the left and slightly above the center line ( likely to display the time ) and the lower line ( likely to display the date ), symbols either being &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; o &# 34 ; are shown . passing from one symbol to the other is implemented by adding or erasing the vertical bar . this display takes place only in the screen mode . the &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; denotes the &# 34 ; present time &# 34 ;, for the time and / or the date depending on the case . the other symbol &# 34 ; o &# 34 ; denotes the time is out of synchronization , regarding date or time depending on the case . obviously the moment a time correction is activated , or a solar elevation hs to realign the hour , or an azimuth as correction to realign the hour or else yet a &# 34 ; monoblock &# 34 ; correction to realign the hour are undertaken , the time indication in the panel mode i is automatically put out of synchronization . as regards the date , it will be desynchronized only if subjected to a correction ( or a memory reminder , ie a function discussed further below ). be it noted that it is possible to desynchronize and resynchronize the time and the date resp . in the panels mode by a double depression of the left center and the lower left buttons respectively . as regards the operation in panels mode , the time and the date are supported by operational registers distinct from the counter registers that determine the current time and date . in this manner it is possible to modify the position of the time and date for instance to ascertain the sun elevation three months hence at 7 : 30 am without at all losing the current data of hour and time which automatically shall return by resynchronizing the date and / or the time and which mandatorily shall reappear when returning into the normal rn mode . if , when using the watch being discussed one passes from the normal mode ( and in the no correction situation snc ) into the panels mode , the time and date data which first appear are not those from the operational registers but those from the normal time registers . by a very simple manipulation it is therefore possible to know the solar positions at the very time of inspection . if it is attempted to carry out a time and date correction in this situation , this correction will not take place , but instead , the time and / or the date are desynchronized . the next correction will be effective . thereafter , when the date and the time are resynchronized ( by means of a double pressure on the corresponding left button ), the operational register is aligned with the time or current date counter , but the data are not taken directly from the current time and date counters . desynchronization from the particular above - mentioned initial position also can be implemented by a double pressure exerted on the corresponding left button . the symbols &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; o &# 34 ; appear all the way to the left on the watch corresponding to the above description . be it noted that these synchronization and desynchronization matters of the time and date data in the panel mode are dealt with in the same manner in the ii rtii panel mode discussed further below . the question of locale remains to be discussed . in principle , the watch memorizes three different locales each defined by a time deviation eh , a time zone fh value and a latitude value l . the watch includes three locale memories &# 34 ; loc a &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; loc b &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; loc c &# 34 ;. the information &# 34 ; loc a &# 34 ; is that of the &# 34 ; home port &# 34 ;, namely ( except for one case to be discussed further below ) the locale for the ordinary time in the rn normal mode . while the locale is not displayed in this mode implicitly however , it is the locale of the home port loc a which matters . in the panels mode , the home port loc a is maintained at the beginning in the same manner as the ordinary time and date as mentioned above . thereafter , the moment it is desired to correct for the locale or the moment a change in place is intended , it will be the locale operational mode which provides local information . changes in locale are implemented in a cycle of four or five , by long depressions of the center button bpm &# 39 ;. they are monitored by a set of four dots located all the way to the left at the center between the two &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; marks . the four dots of this set approximately take up the three apexes and the center of the base of an isosceles triangle resting on its base ( the slanting sides are equal ). in principle , one dot mark denotes loc a , two dot marks next to each other denote loc b and three dot marks next to one another denote loc c . three dots as a triangle indicate that the operational locale no longer is determined by one of the three memories loc a , loc b , loc c . regarding the single dot denoting loc a , if it be at the top ( upper apex of the triangle ), it means that this loc a is that of the home port considered by itself at the beginning of the panels mode , whereas if this dot is all the way to the left on the base , it means the operational locale is synchronized with loc a ( as it might also be synchronized with loc b , or loc c , or also by unsynchronized ). except for the fact that the register of the home port loc a is not subjected to an automatic change every minute or every 24 hours , it assumes the same role as the ordinary time and date counters . in theory accurate timekeeping is carried out in relation to the time most set back of the planet , ie of the time zone 12 . in the registers , the time zones are countered in such a manner that the time zone 12 have the value zero , that the time zero 0 ( greenwich ) have the value 12 and that the time zone 11 ( australia , new zealand ) have the value 23 . moreover , to take into account that the last time zones might introduce summer time , even double summer time , or time in advance by three hours , provision has been made for time zones 24 , 25 , 26 denoted as 12 &# 39 ;, 13 &# 39 ;, 14 &# 39 ; in the display , where the prime sign when occurring being located in front of the figure 12 , 13 , 14 , on the left center line of the watch . the transformation of the time zone notations takes place in simple manner in the display , a weighting bit 12 being inverted . when the time zone to be considered has been modified , the ordinarly time -- ever computed for the time zone of the greatest lag -- is increased by a number of units equal to the rank of the time zone ( depending on the particular above - mentioned series ). thus , the home port data , even though it is not supplied in the normal mode , depends on providing the current time and date data of the home port locale , that is , the hour information provided in the normal mode . however , without leaving the normal mode , it is possible to provide briefly by means of the center display line of the watch the time , not at the home port locale but at the present locale in the operational register . to that end it is enough when in the normal mode to exert a long pressure on the left center button bpm &# 39 ; which , for the panels mode , is used to change locales and which , in this instance , as long as it is depressed beyond the first second , causes the displayed replacement of the home port locale by the locale contained in the operational register . this provides a convenient way of always knowing and without other actuations of the watch what time it is in an important locale , for instance in new york for a swiss businessman having interests in new york , or in cairo for an egyptian resident of hong - kong . the purpose of the eighteen command means in the normal rn mode and the i rti panel mode have been approximately described . however the purpose of a double pressure on the upper left bph button must yet be discussed . in the normal mode such a double pressure causes the preparation of the special panel i mode and then , where called for , its release etc . this is denoted by a short stroke at the top left , as shown in fig2 at c12 . in the panel i mode , such a double pressure has only one effect , namely to suppress the special panel i mode to return to the normal panel i mode . moreover , such a double pressure in either of the panel modes and when all the displays are at the second cycle position ( hs , ht , as ), will cause the return of all displays to the first position ( eh , fhl , dt ). when not all the displays are in the second position , a first double pressure on the upper left button brings them back to the second position , and the next double pressure returns them to the first , etc . also , the role of a double pressure on one of the right hand pushbuttons in the panels mode and in the stt panel operations situation remains to be dicussed . such a command induces a &# 34 ; memory - call &# 34 ; of the data displayed on the line in question . the term memory - call means feeding data previously memorized to the corresponding operational register , to the operational time , date , as azimuth and hs sun height registers , all comprising an auxiliary memory of which at any time the desired content may be retrieved if desired . the write - in for the auxiliary memory of the registers is possible only in the panel ii mode as explained further below . the memory call on the other hand applies to both panel modes provided the situation be of transfer into stt panels ( denoted by a double arrow at the bottom right ). it will be remembered that the special panel i mode ( rtis ) is similar to the panel i mode except that the automatic alignments do not take place . if then with this special mode in effect for instance a monobloc call is made , the solar elevation data will be written on the upper line , but the two data of time and azimuth will not be realigned . it will also be noted that the panel i mode allows introducing inacceptable values . for instance as shown at c15 in fig2 there may be no solar azimuth 232 . 7 ( measured from the north towards the east ) for a latitude 6 . 4 ° south if during the summer . this is so because at such a latitude and during the summer months ( may , june , july , august ) the sun remains day and night in the northern hemisphere and its azimuth never will be between 90 ° and 270 °, but always beyond 90 ° or 270 °. in the case illustrated at c15 in fig2 the watch detects the data are impossible to process and indicates this by flashing the two lower vertical segments which are at the extreme left on the upper and lower lines as indicated by the dashed lines in the view c15 of fig2 . other conceivable &# 34 ; operation impossible &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; banned &# 34 ; exist , and the watch translates all of them into a flashing of these two segments . when in the ii rtii panel mode , the functions of the left hand buttons remain the same as for the panel i mode ( except that a double pressure on the upper left button no longer can cause the special mode i as its effect at this point is null in the rtii mode ; however its assembling effect in position i or ii of the display cycle is just as active for the ii rtii panel as for the i rti panel . regarding the right - hand buttons , their functions differ in the panel ii mode . first , in this panel ii mode , there is no automatic readjustment between the three variables &# 34 ; time &# 34 ; ( ht ), &# 34 ; solar elevation &# 34 ; ( hs ) and &# 34 ; solar azimuth &# 34 ; ( as ), the date and the time acting as parameters but in this panel ii mode , all values can be written - in and corrected at will without mutual realignment . on the other hand , it is possible in the panel ii mode to search on the basis of solar azimuth as and elevation hs determinations at a given instant , not necessarily but advantageously known . in this panel mode , three searches are possible , namely the date search rd , the latitude search rl and the date and latitude search rdl . when the latitude is assumed known , the date search permits calculating the effective date on the basis of a solar determination ( as , hs ). this date search is triggered by a short depression of the lower right button . the latitude search for known and accurate date allows searching the latitude on the basis of a solar determination . it is triggered by means of a short depression on the right center pushbutton bpm in the panel ii mode with the panel operations situation stt . lastly the search for date and latitude rdl is commanded by means of a short depression of the bph push - button in the rtii mode and in the panel operations situation stt on the basis of two solar determinations , both the date and the latitude being assumed unknown and to be found . regarding this last seach , first the determination of the first &# 34 ; hs , as &# 34 ; is set on the upper and lower lines , whereupon these two values are stored ( in a manner explained below ) and the hs and as values of the second determination are introduced , whereupon a short pressure is exerted on the upper right button . if the center line then displays the time zone and the latitude , the latitude of the local where the determinations were made will be automatically marked . otherwise , it will be present waiting only for the display of the latitude to be displayed . the date is processed in the same manner . be it noted that once the azimuth of the second determination has been introduced on the lower line , it is possible to display on this line the date , the azimuth present but not displayed being similarly used for the search . the formulas used for the various alignments and searches are contained in the computer which will be discussed further below , in conjunction with the discussion of the internal watch circuits . for the ii rtii panel mode in the operational situation in rtt panels , a double pressure exerted on a right - hand button causes a memory call similar to the case for the panel i mode . a long depression of these buttons causes storing the data displayed on the corresponding line to the extent such data can be stored . the values of sun elevation hs , operational time ht , operational date dt and solar azimuth as all can be stored in an auxiliary memory of the corresponding register . the values of time deviation eh and of time zone latitude fhl , which together are the local data can be stored in the three locale memories loc a , loc b , loc c to the extent that only simultaneously the two data , eh on the upper line and fhl on the center line be present . when this is the case , the long depressions of the upper button bph provide the choice between the locale designations to be resupplied into locale data , that is between loc a , loc b , loc c , and a long depression of the center right button bpm causes the transfer to this location of the locale data displayed up to that time . in this manner it is possible , after a certain locale has been established , for instance by a latitude search , to store this locale for instance in loc c or loc a . as regards the searches for date and / or latitude , the watch , after it has found the date and / or the latitude , determines at which time this determination should have taken place , and whether it was carried out at a longitude corresponding to the eh value contained in the watch with respect to the center of the time zone shown in the watch . if the watch shows an hour next to that which was effectively read as the current time at the time of the determination , it means that the eh value and the initial longitude are correct . if there are differences , the longitude position is incorrect , which then can be re - established by an eh search . this is done by bringing the eh display back on the upper line and writing - in on the center line not the time computed by the watch but that at the termination . within the watch , the local times register keeps the time computed by the watch . a short depression of the upper right button bph causes a time search eh , ie causes the watch to store a time deviation such that the local time stored within the watch ( but nowhere displayed ) does indeed correspond to the official time displayed and determined at the same time as the solar elevation and azimuth for position - finding . it is clear that if then an eh of approximately 6o &# 39 ; clock is obtained , it is proof that the proper time zone is not on the watch and that the time zone will be so corrected that eh be next to 0 h or 1 h . again an eh search also may be carried out , not following a search or alignment operation , but after positioning the local time register by the official time , which is implemented automatically when official time is stored . as regard the other conditions , an eh search is not required . be it noted that if the eh search were to result in a time deviation exceeding 7 h , this would be reflected by a banned - operation flashing whereafter it would be necessary to use the antipodal time zone and start again . be it also noted that as regards the date or latitude searches , it is possible to introduce fictional data into the watch corresponding to no latitude and no date . in this case , the watch itself detects these fictional data and provides an &# 34 ; inadmissible &# 34 ; indication as shown in fig2 at c36 . as a matter of fact , there cannot be an azimuth exceeding 180 ° when the sun is rising , in this instance the sun is still at an elevation of - 3 °, and the watch , having considered that one of the data is a morning data while the other is an afternoon data , refuses to undertake this impossible search and indicates this by the flashing shown in dashed lines on the screen c36 of fig2 . as regards the loc selection , where the place inscription must be made , it is indicated by a flashing of the dots which otherwise show the locale controlling the operation , that is , one flashing dot for loc a , two flashing dots for loc b ( as shown in fig2 at c34 ) or three flashing dots next to each other for loc c . the watch functions , as they appear to the user , have been shown almost in totality . presently the internal structure of the computer watch will be considered . in the course of these explanations , certain external functions , so far not mentioned , will be considered , either in relation to the discussion of the drawing or in the drawing itself . fig3 shows how the various watch circuit groups are subdivided , however , the subdivisions of the drawing being approximate , the interdependence of the circuits making it impossible to place them precisely in one group or the other . in general , the watch is provided with a double integrated circuit , i . e ., an integrated circuit in two parts , one part comprising approximately what is shown in fig4 a , 5b , and 6 , and the other in the form of a microprocessor comprising the desired components to implement the programs symbolically shown in fig7 a , 7b and 7c . the integrated circuit may be either a large - scale circuit comprising one part of the type &# 34 ; lsi clock &# 34 ; for the components other than the computer , and the other part a &# 34 ; microprocessor &# 34 ; for the computer , or a two - level integrated circuit , one level for one part and the other level for the other part , however , with numerous interconnections made directly on the double integrated circuit . as a variation , two separate integrated circuit chips may be provided , with multiple interconnectors of the mille - feuille type automatically ensuring proper connections provided the two integrated circuits be sufficiently precisely superposed . fig4 shows a quartz crystal oscillator 45 feeding a frequency divider 47 . the frequency divider feeds a clock circuit 49 which generates all the pulses in the proper time relations needed for the watch &# 39 ; s operation . this clock circuit in particular generates second pulses for the operation of the current time counting circuitry . these second pulses are sequentially counted in a second counter 51 , a minute counter 53 , an hour counter 55 followed by a binary a / p counter 57 , a date counter 59 comprising a counting means 61 for the number of the day , a month counter 63 and a year counter 65 in an annual cycle for the leapyear cycle . the date counter 59 automatically sets up the count of the day of the month as the number of days as a function of the month and as a function of the year for february . the date counter is followed by an &# 34 ; 11 greg &# 34 ; counter 67 counting an 11 - year cycle for the &# 34 ; gregorian corrections &# 34 ; affecting the precise time of the spring equinox . it is known in this respect that the gregorian calendar , which skips three leapyears in 400 years , advances the precise spring equinox time with respect to a leapyear ( a respective shift of 6 , 12 , 18 h for the three years ) by about 2 h every 11 years . the &# 34 ; 11 greg &# 34 ; counter provides two pulses every 11 years which update an adequate memory contained in the computing part . lastly , the counting chain for time comprises a days - of - the - week counter 69 with a seven - cycle and receiving one pulse a day like the date counter . all these counters are shown in the upper part of fig4 . a stage denoted by t receives clock pulses , the correction data for the next counter , and also scar reporting a backward correction situation . the t stage precedes each counting stage 51 , 53 , 55 , 59 , 67 , 69 . these t stages set up the appropriate time relations for the transmission of pulses to all the counters , which counters are synchronous . the clock signals are based on periods of precisely 1 / 8 of a second and which due to binary division comprise 128 periods of about 1 ms ( 1 / 1024 sec precisely ). these &# 34 ; ms &# 34 ; themselves divide into &# 34 ; microseconds &# 34 ;, this unit being the operational scale for a computer . the first of the 128 ms is set aside to implement various circuit conditions for the various functions . the following ms cover the transmission of the normal advance data for the ordinary - time counting - chain . thereupon the corrections applied by each preceding stage t to each counter are impleted , i . e , during the third ms or during the fourth ms depending on a forward or backward correction being involved . the counters of the current time counting chain are bidirectional and inherently forwardly counting . they receive information ( the input shown on the counters in fig4 ) whereby they pass into the backward counting situation during the fourth ms where there exist simultaneously the normal rn mode ( permitting to correct the current time counting chain ), the backward correction situation scar and the dertermination that a correction is in progress ( cec ). in this case , the corrections will act backward no matter what they are . the fact of making the counters pass into the backward counting situation only when absolutely necessary avoids having very many switching operations that for most cases anyway would be superfluous . such synchronous counting chains have been sufficiently described , and therefore there is no need to discuss them more comprehensively . regarding the &# 34 ; 11 greg &# 34 ; counter 67 , the four weighting bits 1 , 2 , 4 , 8 and the gates 71 combining them to obtain a positive pulse at 73 for 0 to 1 and 6 to 7 transitions are shown , and , for the case of backward counting , a negative pulse at 75 for 1 to 0 and 7 to 6 ( cdpeq pulses ). in fig4 the time - zone fh &# 39 ; data ( starting at 0 at the time zone 12 , which is the most late ) is applied to a static adder 77 also receiving the hour information . the hour information , which initially was set up for the most late time - zone , therefore is advanced in the desired degree to provide the time of the time zone considered . it was noted above that there are time zones 12 &# 39 ;, 13 &# 39 ;, 14 &# 39 ; which , as regards the count starting from the time zone 12 , respectively provide 24 , 25 and 26 hours &# 39 ; advance . the fh ∝ data is a twelve - cycle pulse a weighting bit 12 , plus a weighting bit 24 . therefore there may be on occasion two instead of one addition carry &# 39 ; s . they are fed to incrementing stages 79 , 81 which increment by one or two the data of date and day of the week . these incrementers , just like the adders , are of known type ( they consist of three - input stage adders , one weighting output identical with the inputs and one weighting output double that of the inputs ), however preparation circuits 83 , 85 are being required for incrementers 79 , 81 in view of the cycles of the days of the month and days of the week being shortened by one power of two . for instance the counter of the days of the week is an octal counter ( 0 to 7 ) designed that the position i , not 0 , automatically follow position 7 . when one or two units must be added to the position 7 or when two units must be added to the position 6 , a third unit must be added so that the incrementer also skips the position 0 . the stage 85 for the incrementer of the days of the week therefore is an ordinary &# 34 ; three inputs - two outputs &# 34 ; adder furthermore comprising a gate admitting the input from the counter 7 position only when one of the two other inputs ( adder carry ) commands an increment of one unit . a similar design is present in the preparation stage 83 of the date incrementer ; latter receives adequate commands from one of the positions 28 , 29 , 30 or 31 depending on the length of the current month . the hour and date set - up as just explained offers the advantage that when increasing the information of the time zone to be considered , the hour information automatically advances , the time therefore always remaining adequately conserved . the left of the fig4 shows memories 87 , 89 , 91 for the data loc a , loc b and loc c . these memories are fed by means of gate - circuits 93 , 95 , 97 allowing to introduce locale output data by the respective commands mmla , mmlb , and mmlc . the drawing shows blocks 93 , 95 , 97 in the middle of which is represented a double and gate ( forming a b where vertically arranged ) and which are and gate circuits with a plurality ( as many as needed to transmit all the required bits ) of and gates , all controlled by the input of the gate circuit . the locale data output is provided by an arrangement of selection gates formed by two complementarily controlled and gates 95 , 97 followed by an or gate 99 . one of the and gate circuits passing 95 into the rn normal mode and possibly at the beginning of the rt mode , transmits the loc a data ( home port locale ) while the other 97 , conducting when the first is not , transmits the local data from an operational locale counter 101 . it will be noted therefore that provision is made for various gate circuits and connecting input circuit allowing locale counter 101 to assume independent values or also to align itself with one of the three loc or again to detect data from the computer ( eh r , l r ( r )( latt .). the computer processes the data from the transformed time zone ( 0 west of alaska , 12 at greenwich ). on the other hand , the display shows the time zones in the conventional numbering . to that end , the data fhaff is obtained by transmitting directly the bits 1 , 2 , 4 , 24 of the time zone signal and by transmitting inverted the bit 12 of this signal . the fig4 also shows an hour counter 103 for panels operation and a date counter 105 for panels operation . here again a system of gate circuits similar to that described for the locale memories and at once understood by the artisan in relation to fig4 allows these counters to have their contents synchronized with those of the current time counter or to be at their proper value which is either drawn from the auxiliary memory ( amht , amdt ) commands or obtained from corrections or due to alignment with data from the computer ( uht , udt commands ). storage also is assured by adequate command signals acting on the gates . the fig4 furthermore shows the solar azimuth values counter 107 which may be aligned by memory call , by correction or by implanting the contents from the computer ( from two of its sites , as r1 and as r2 ). be it noted that the information about the backward correction scar is applied not to the command stage t but directly to the counter , in order to set the desired count , for all the operational elements which need not ensure the advance of the ordinary time simultaneously with the corrections . again fig4 shows the operational counter 109 for the solar elevation . whereas the azimuth counter 107 counts from 00 . 0 to 359 . 9 and always in positive values , the solar elevation counter 107 counts in tenths of a degree from 0 . 0 to + 90 . 0 and - 90 °. also , this solar elevation counter is associated with an shs counter 111 ( hs sign ) operating in hexacycle for the six symbols &# 34 ; &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; h &# 34 ;, &# 34 ;. &# 34 ;, &# 34 ;.. h ..&# 34 ;, &# 34 ; &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; &# 34 ;, allowing the display of the various segments of the solar path . the arrangement of the sun elevation counter 109 is similar to that of the solar azimuth counter 107 , except for the shs part ( also present in the conjugate memory ) providing a data ⊕⊖ at 113 which distinguishes the &# 34 ; ;&# 34 ; &# 34 ; h &# 34 ;; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; from the &# 34 ; &# 34 ;; &# 34 ; &# 34 ;; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; group and also at 115 the a , m , p information ( ante meridian , meridian , post meridian ) bounding the path segments in the east (, h ), the two meridian positions ( h , ) and the path segment in the west (, ). this six - position circuit shs can be reset by a large number of data ( shs r1 , 2 . . . ⊕⊖ and by a data shs r amp ). also the reset ⊕, ⊖ will affect the shs part of the memory ; this is the only case for the watch where an adjacent memory receives external commands other than the setting for normal memory . to be aligned , the solar elevation counter 109 receives at 117 two distinct data from the computer , hs r1 , hs r2 and it also receives at 119 the six monobloc commands : &# 34 ; dawn &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; sunrise &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; noon &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; descent &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; sunset &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; dusk &# 34 ;. every time and by means of connections internal to the counter , the desired sun elevation position ( for noon , the position shs = h ) is set in a manner equivalent to what would be obtained otherwise by step by step value corrections , i . e ., a much more laborious procedure . the circuit of fig4 also comprises a local time register 121 which only receives data from the computer and provides data to it ; be it noted that register 121 is so designed that it will supply to the computer ( and receive from it ) on one hand the hour and minute information in hours and minutes and on the other hand this information is transmitted in the form of angles ( 15 ° for one hour , 1 / 4 ° for one minute ). the fig4 also shows a flip - flop 123 providing data , ( sd +/-) distinguishing the possible dates when a date search is underway . moreover , another rs type flip - flop 125 is provided which is made up of two gates , receives data r d + and r d - , and provides an r d data where this information , coming from the computer which uses it in some cases and being displayed jointly with the time information when present , indicates that the time found is not that of the particular day in question but of the solar path for the day in question wherever this distinction is required by a significant time deviation eh . this case is illustrated in fig2 at c16 . here the sun at perigee situation was sought . by definition , the day begins at perigee , local time 00 h 00 min ., and ends just before the next perigee , local time 23 h 59 min . in this case , the sun passes perigee at 21 . 0 ° below the horizon ( northern country on 19 june ) and if the shift were zero , the official time 0 . 0 would obtain in harmony with perigee transit . the locale considered being located 36 min . east of the time zone center at the official time at which it is , this perigee transit takes place at 23 h 24 ( 11 h 24p in the us notation used herein ) and this is 11 h 24 pm of 18 june and not of 19 june , in spite of the indication on the bottom line . this distinction is provided by the lower vertical bar all the way to the left of the center line ( never used to indicate hours in this manner ). its activation is provided by the signal r d seen at the bottom of fig4 . be it noted that for a conventional 24 h display , the discriminating mark in question might be placed all the way to the right as the a / p indication would not be required . fig5 a and 5b show six circuits of input pushbuttons with the same designations as the pushbuttons of fig1 . internally these circuits all comprise the arrangement shown in the diagram of fig8 . this logic diagram is easily understood by the artisan and ensures an absolute discrimination between the three lp commands ( long pressure ), cp ( short pressure ) commands and dp ( double pressure ) commands . this diagram moreover shows an interlock by six vm lines , one determined by the circuit and the other five controlling it in such a way that no matter what , there never can be two input circuits simultaneously delivering a command . in principle the first push button that is actuated has priority ; in the case of an absolutely simultaneous actuation , a crosslocking would take place which merely would prevent both commands from being applied . in fig5 a and 5b the interlock is shown by a solid line 127 connecting six similar circuits , each feeding one of these six lines and receiving the signal from the five others . at the input of the circuit control ( fig8 ), a flip - flop 129 prevents any mechanical chatter from the pushbuttons . an output ff 1 &# 34 ; q &# 34 ; is used for the commands , for instance the display of the time in another locale , as previously considered , which requires an extended depression of one pushbutton . the circuit receives a clock - output of 8 hz and discriminates against this kind of pulses for eight steps of this clock output and applies the desired command just after one second . the fig5 a and 5b also show separately , and correctly so , the three command outputs cp , dp , lp for each of the six pushbutton circuits . using the conventional graphics for gates and flip - flops , fig5 a and 5b will be easily understood by the electronics artisan . fig5 b shows the selection of the modes rn , rti , rtii and also the selections of the no correction , forward correction , backward correction and panel operations situations . fig5 a and 5b are again arranged in summary form by display line , and it is seen that the left pushbuttons deliver pulses , β 1 , β 2 , β 3 , which in the correction situation suppress a signal output lb1 , 2 , 3 that indicated this line was free of correction . in this case , an overall signal lb , denoting release , vanishes to give place to a general signal cec ( bottom of fig5 ) indicating &# 34 ; correction in progress &# 34 ;. it will be easily understood in the light of the set of gates and flip - flops how a short pulse on the considered line terminates the correction mode and re - establishes the clear condition . a similar circuit cibl1 , 2 , 3 implements the acknowledgement of the corrections on each line , only one internal arrangement of such a circuit being shown , as they are all identical . fig5 a also shows how the lb function , or its inverse cec , acts to restrict the choice of modes and to maintain only the scav and scar correction situations in conformity with the above discussion . lastly , the functions of the circuit of fig5 consist in providing the display commands in conformity with the display cycle previously indicated . an additional command cq , cq0 is provided when the pushbutton controlling the change in mode is kept depressed more than one second . the purpose of this control cq shall be explained further below in relation to the computer operation , as it deals with the redetermination of the equinox time data . a set of flip - flops and of gates at the bottom right of fig5 a also functions together with certain computer circuits of which the operation shall be explained further below . viewing fig5 a , it is easily understood in which circumstances the various commands are issued , and it will also be seen , mainly in relation to fig6 and also fig5 b , what the purposes of these various commands are . fig5 b represents the array of the nine different commands that may be issued by the three right pushbuttons . the diagram mainly covers and gates and clearly shows how these commands are arrayed as a function of the sc correction situation or the operation stt panels situation , also depending on the rti and rtii modes and again on the display modes which are controlled by the commands from the circuits of fig5 a . the various commands are denoted by their names on the left of fig5 b and relate either to the overall diagram of fig4 or to the general command diagram of fig6 certain commands being applied to the circuit components of fig5 a . fig5 b also shows a certain number of commands joined by or gates ; the resulting signals are mainly applied to points of the control circuits of fig6 to de - synchronize the operational date and time and the place . the six commands &# 34 ; dawn &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; sunrise &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; noon &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; descent &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; dusk &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; sunset &# 34 ; are joined in one signal &# 34 ; mono &# 34 ; which in particular acts on the flip - flop shown at the top of fig5 a to ensure the display of the sun elevation on the first line . it was seen that in conjunction with the external operation of the watch to implement corrections , a short pressure acts on the first main digit to the right , a long pressure acts on the first main digit on the left ( just left of the two display dots ), and a double pressure acts either on the decade digit ( located just right of the two dots ) or on the auxiliary digit which as a rule stands for tenths . for instance as regards the correction of the data &# 34 ; time zone , latitude &# 34 ;, a short pressure acts on the digit of the units of degrees latitude . a double pressure acts on the command of the tenths of degrees latitude and a long pressure acts on the units of the time zone if the first one to take place since initiating the corrections , otherwise it acts on the digit of the decades of degrees if previously the units and tenths of degrees have been corrected . to that end , a pdc circuit 131 shown at the bottom of fig5 b in detail is used , which splits the correction command by a long pulse in the manner indicated above . the diagram within the bdc frame is easily understood a flip - flop of the rs type formed by two inverted or gates , ( the flipflop passing into the operational position when there is a short pulse or a double pulse and returning into the rest position during the release taking place when all the corrections have been receipted ), switches the long pulse control either to the decades ( second main digit from the right ) or to the following digit ( in the case of azimuth , the hundredths of a degree , in the case of time - zone and latitude display to the units of the time zones ). again it is noted that the rdl command to search for date and locale can only be implemented if , considering that the watch is in the panel ii mode , both storage of the sun elevation hs and of the solar azimuth as have taken place , which is done by the set of gates appearing at the bottom right in fig5 b . also , the reh command to search for the time deviation can only take place if the last setting of the register of local time hl was made from the computer , or else if a storage of the local time ( mmht ) was previously carried out . this is carried out by the set of gates shown at the bottom center of fig5 b . presently fig6 will be discussed , which shows the overall control of the watch and mainly of the computer , also the display control . all the way at the top left , there is a set of three flip - flops and of different gates which assures date synchronization and desynchronization as already discussed . a similar set located just below ensures the synchronization and desynchronization of time ( in the panels mode ). this set issues a tpdt signal for the date and a similar tpht signal for the time whereby at the beginning of the panels mode , the time and the date coming directly from the time counting chain are maintained in order to operate if necessary the computer ( determining the sun elevation and the solar azimuth at the present instant ). a similar tpdt signal for the date and tpht signal for the time re - establishes the date and time synchronization , but in this cae by the intermediary of the operational register for the date and time . it will be noted that the maintenance of the date and time data directly from the counting chain at the beginning of the panels mode will be assured only if in preceding normal mode the no correction situation scn was jointly present , so that three flip - flops denoted respectively 133 , 135 and 137 passed into the operational state . if this was not the case , that is if for instance there was transition from the panel ii mode into the panel i mode by the intermediary of the normal mode but in the correction situation , the panel i mode is directly re - established by the date , time and place data from the operational registers . it will also be noted that the first de - synchronization , reactivating the operational registers , will be immediate in the event of a memory call for the time or a memory call for the date ( amht , amdt ), or if a computer operation makes the operational date and time register assume a particular position ( pulses udt or uht ), on the other hand , if the desynchronization is due to an attempted date and time correction , there will be no other effect than the de - synchronization itself , but without correction . this is necessary because the first de - synchronization modifies the display in question and , to implement a correction , the initial position must be known . to that end the signal to move the operational - register return flip - flop is applied to the flip - flop input by means of one or gate of which the other received a fip signal which takes place only at the end of the process . the top left of fig6 also shows the arrangement of gates which in the panels mode causes the display of the symbol &# 34 ; p &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; o &# 34 ;, indicating the date or the time is synchronized or de - synchronized . at the center of the fig6 on the left , a cascade of four flip - flops controlled by the locale - changing pulse cml and accessorily by the dip pulse occurring at the beginning of the process and by the fip pulse occurring at the end of the process sets up the commands la , cta , ctb , ltc controlling the call for the locale data stored in the memories loc a , loc b , loc c . the structure of the gates shown easily demonstrates how this flip - flop cascade works . below , four and gates , one inverted or gate and one or gate determine the excitation of the dots u , v , w , x arrayed in a triangle which indicate the locale in view of the discussion above . to the right of these gates , a three flip - flop cascade allows selecting a memory loc to introduce in it locale data . obviously this will be possible only in the panel ii mode , the three flip - flops being mandatorily reset to zero in the normal mode rn and in the rti panel mode . the command &# 34 ; mmloc selection &# 34 ; allows choosing one of three flip - flops and by means of it one of the three loc memories , and thereafter the command &# 34 ; mmloc act &# 34 ; implements the entire locale data displayed into the selected memory . by the intermediary of or and and gates , these same flip - flops ensure the flashing of one dot , two dots or three dots at the time a memory reset is possible resp . in loc a , loc b , loc c . the main function of the circuit shown in fig6 is to control the general and individual computer programs . a certain number of ips circuit ( single ) and ipd circuits ( double ) of which the internal design is shown in fig6 reshape signals that thereupon are connected by an or gate and cause the realignment in the panel i mode to the extent there is no correction in progress ( signal lb ) and there be no special panel mode ( signal rts . as can be seen , these ips and ipd circuits deliver a command which in the case of ips , depending on the positive or negative case , begins with a jump of the signal applied to the circuit input and terminates at the next fip pulse , and which in the case of the double circuits ipd begins at the next fip pulse and terminates at the one thereafter . due to this design , every time a realignment with respect to the panel time ht or the solar azimuth or elevation as and hs must take place , a signal appears at one of the three inputs controlling the general program cpg1 , cpg2 or cpg3 of the program control block . the selection of these three inputs is carried out by a set of three or gates and of three inverted or gates shown at the top of the fig6 and switching the signal from the big fourteen - input or gate to one of the three inputs previously cited of the program control as a function of the last correction or memory - call operation taking place , whether with respect to the time , the solar azimuth or elevation . this constitutes the program control in the panel i mode . in the panel ii mode , the search commands rl , rd etc . directly actuate ips circuits which in a variation of the invention might be bypassed , and provided no correction be in progress and that indeed the mode be panel ii , pulses lasting about 1 / 7 s ( until the next pulse fip ) are applied to the inputs cpg4 - 10 of the program control . depending on these input commands , the program control sends pulses actuating the different elementary programs of the computer . the program control also emits pulses at the end of a general program ordinarily comprising a plurality of individual computer programs , a pulse u ( uht , udt . . . uhs2 ) which , as seen in relation to fig4 causes the write - in of the data obtained by the computer from the operational registers corresponding to the data - obtaining circuits of fig4 . these controls will still be discussed in detail in conjunction with the computer operation . the bottom of fig6 also shows the display which in this case is of the &# 34 ; segments / lines &# 34 ; multiplex type . this multiplexing type is known , each line comprising 37 segments including the two dots , and each of the three lines in turn may receive a drive voltage on the selected segments ; in this manner the number of connections with the display is substantially reduced . the principle is known , the rear electrodes of two lines out of three are at zero voltage ( see bottom right of fig6 ), whereas the third line is at a voltage s +-. as regards the segments , either selectively the same voltage s +- is applied to them , in which case there is no drive , or the potential s -+ ( see bottom right of fig6 ) and then the corresponding segment is driven in that line from which the zero potential is absent . the s +- potential , in lieu of the zero potential , is cyclically permutated at a high rate on each of the three lines while the multiplexer circuit mpx segm selects the data for the corresponding line ( upper , center , lower ). it is clear that many other multiplexing systems can be used . then multiple gates transmit the data selected by the circuits of fig5 a ( same notation as the data , but small letters , for instance s + j to command the display of data s + j ) on each of the lines . in the watch being described , one decoder per data was chosen , taking into account that the data present a certain apparent disparity . it is obvious that also a single decoder might be provided , though relatively more complex , at the input of the multiplexing display command . as was seen during the explanations concerning the overall external operation of the watch , flashing will be required in some cases . such flashing applies to the corresponding decoder , in the manner shown in fig6 . it will be noted that in the normal mode , and also in the screen mode with synchronized hours , the two dots flash between the hour and minutes information . on the other hand they are constant when a non - synchronized time is involved . the command &# 34 ; flashing , no flashing of the dots &# 34 ; is provided by a signal from an or gate at the inputs of which are the rn , tpht and tpht signals to the hours hnht decoder on the center line . as regards the date data , the year indication ( 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 ) will be provided only in the correction solution or else in the panels operation situation in the panel ii mode . this is ensured by an adequate signal applied to the date decoder the &# 34 ; clign 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 &# 34 ; signals cause the as data , and in some instances the date , the time deviation and the sun elevation data to flash in various manners , as was discussed in relation to fig2 . these signals are properly applied to the decoders . a general flashing signal clign from the clock circuit is applied to all the decoders which must ensure flashing under certain circumstances . presently and in relation to fig7 a , 7b and 7c , the operation of the computing part will be considered . as a rule except for several or gates and two logic circuits ( log . a . m . p ., log . prep . ), all of the computer operation can be explained by assuming it is a microprocessor . these being the conditions , no concrete components carrying out operations are shown , but instead program - blocks performing various operations upon the command from programs stored at various locations in the microprocessor and each time causing the operation of the same central processing unit for the most diverse mathematical and logic operations and processing the data . in an overall way , each program block comprises a vertical frame representing the data input ( input interface ), a frame denoted &# 34 ; process &# 34 ; and comprising the arrows symbolizing the data processing , one or more lower elongated frames symbolizing the operational program data ( addition , multiplication , comparison etc ) and a certain number of frames sometimes individually subdivided and at the same level as the &# 34 ; process &# 34 ; frame which symbolize the output data after treatment which shall be stored in buffer memories of possible different uses for the desired duration , that is at most a general program . a certain number of individual programs is shown in this manner . be it noted that fig7 b and 7c show several individual programs bordering on one and the same input interface in order to simplify the drawing as much as feasible . all the individual programs carry an individual notation . except for the special case of the programs pseq 1 and pseq 2 , all the general programs comprise a plurality of individual programs . among these a certain number are preliminary programs ppr 1 through ppr 6 . the selection of the preliminary necessary programs is directly implemented in the program control ( fig6 ), while on the other hand the various general programs include thereafter each their own series of controls , and as regards the subsequent elementary programs , certain controls of different general programs are combined by means of gates in a manner symbolized in the diagrams of fig7 . before considering the main computer programs , it is proper to discuss the data determination program coreq . to be able to compute solar data , the computer must know in particular the dates , not starting on the 1st of january , but from the instant of the equinox ( the spring equinox was chosen ). however , besides the fact that with respect to the instant there occurs a leapyear , the equinox falls back by 6 , 12 and 18 h resp . during the following years , the equinox instant itself related to a leapyear legs approximately 2 h every 11 years . moreover it is necessary to write - in the equinox data &# 34 ; registre compteur memoire coreq &# 34 ; ( coreq memory counter register ) in a convenient way . to that end the elementary coreq program has been created which for the input data requires indicating the year ( 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 ), the day of the month on which the equinox takes place ( presently on the 20th or 21st of march ) and either the time zone within which the equinox occurs near noon , or the gmt time ( greenwich time ) at the precise instant of the equinox ( minutes may be neglected ). once these data have been entered in the watch , the pseq1 program must be initiated when the time zone of the noon equinox ( fh &# 39 ; eqmid ) was introduced , or the pseq 2 when the gmt equinox ( hgmt eq ) was . to that end a command for passing from the panel i mode into the panel ii mode must be effected , keeping the upper left pushbutton bph &# 39 ; depressed more than one second and then , while this button still is depressed , as the indication of the panel ii appears , the pushbutton opposite bph also must be depressed . this is purpose of the cq ( and its inverse cq signal which was mentioned in relation to fig5 a . fig5 b shows that a long depression of the righthand button in question in the presence of the signal cq sets up either the reqf or the reqh command depending on the display command being that for the time or for the time zone . these commands are channeled through a circuit ips in fig6 and result in command signals creqh and creqf fed to the two programs selectively providing the coreq data . once the program has calculated the coreq value , will in turn itself emit a pulse for the write - in of its data into the &# 34 ; registre compteur memoire coreq &# 34 ; ( coreq memory counter register ). from that time on , this memory register advances the time by one hour every five or six years , more precisely two hours every 11 years . the coreq data is time in hours from the time of the equinox instant of a leapyear to the first hour of 24 march in the latest time zone , and it is evident that this time always will be positive , its value increasing as the equinox instant lags . this coreq value thereafter will be combined with the time - zone indication and then , in a later program , with the ancy year data in order to obtain a date determined in quarters of a day from the equinox instant . the drawing of fig7 a , 7b and 7c clearly shows the data circulation between the different computer programs ; it will be noted that the circulation of the multiple data is shown by a thick line while the information comprising only a single bit ( a single conducting wire ) is shown by a thin line . as a rule , the data require first being converted before being amenable to processing ; this is the purpose of the preliminary programs , most of which are shown in fig7 a . this is followed by the processing operations proper to determine for instance the sun elevation and the time as a function of the azimuth at given date and latitude for a known date . to the extent possible the various data are directly entered on the diagram of fig7 c , however the very nature of the programs carried out will be shown in a table listed shortly below . it will be noted that it is very important to know whether the sun positions are of the morning or afternoon , namely eastern or western positions , or also meridian positions . this is settled by the amp logic for each of the six general programs cpg1 - cpg6 which require this amp discrimination . as regards the searches , where the two data of sun height and azimuth are used as the input , the amp logic must check that the two data in fact are on the same side . if otherwise , it will reject the data indicating the search is not possible . on the other hand , as regards the alignments , the a . m . p . data is taken from the base data ( time , azimuth , elevation ) and superposed on the other two parameters . it is noted in particular that the p4 program is likely to recognize that a solar elevation , given as of the morning or of the afternoon , may correspond to the maximum and minimum elevation ; in this case a pulse is transmitted to the shs register to bring it into the meridian position . different individual programs come into play , in particular the programs p3 , p3 &# 39 ; compute the solar elevation ( by means of its sine ) in the case where the base data is the non - meridian azimuth . but the base data &# 34 ; meridian azimuth &# 34 ; also may come from a sun elevation data with the symbol h ( maximum ) or the symbol ( minimum ). in case one of these symbols is introduced , the solar elevation data need not be entered as this is taken care of by the computer . it must also be taken into account that depending on the latitudes , the sun at given dates passes north and south and at other dates constantly stays south of north . consequently there may be two different solar elevations for the same azimuth . the computer always first indicates which is the higher one , but the display indicates there are two elevations for the same azimuth by flashing the upper small stroke of the a of the azimuth data ( fig2 c31 ). in these conditions , the deliberate elimination of the azimuth display ( to replace it by the date ) and its reappearance by implementing a cycle advance by a short pressure on the lower left button causes an alignment repetition but this time introducing the lesser solar elevation corresponding to this azimuth , most of the time a negative solar elevation . in such a case , it will be the center horizontal stroke of the a indicating &# 34 ; azimuth &# 34 ; which flashes . a new and similar operation causes the higher azimuth to reappear , and so forth . this determination is made in the computer in the preparation logic as a consequence of the command pulse clog ( fig5 a ). the proper parameters are fed to the preparation logic which determines the case when two azimuths are possible . it also determines the case of no azimuth existing for the indicated value , whereupon it emits the &# 34 ; pro &# 34 ; ( banned ) signal . the formula for calculating the sun elevation includes a coefficient ( δ +/-) which may assume the value + 1 or - 1 and in some instances the value zero . the preparation logic calculates this coefficient . near the equator and when approaching the equinox , the solar path may be uniquely an east - west path . in these conditions a azimuth other than 90 ° or 180 ° automatically causes the pro signal . however a meridian azimuth , 0 ° or 180 °, does not cause the pro signal considering that when the sun passes its zenith , it is assumed by definition to be at the meridian . lastly if the sun &# 39 ; s path is &# 34 ; east - west &# 34 ; and if the zimuth is 90 ° or 270 °, the condition is indeterminate ; this is a special banned situation which is detected by the preparation logic through the prosp signal and which results in a flashing of the whole a of the azimuth display . it must be borne in mind furthermore there are cases when the sun passes through its zenith ( or through the nadir ), which is the limit between a northern and a southern path and a path remaining either north or south . as regards the azimuths other than 00 , 90 , 180 , 270 , and with respect to the azimuth based alignment , the zenith value will be banned and only the other value corresponding to the azimuth will be kept , if it exists . if it does not exist ( the sun then being on the wrong side ), the data pro will appear . on the other hand , regarding the azimuth values 00 and 180 , the zenith value is admitted and on one hand there will be two possible elevations , ( one 90 ° and the other between - 45 ° and - 90 °) and the two possible elevations are displayed , while on the other hand only the zenith elevation may be considered . similarly with respect to the azimuths 90 and 270 , the zenith value is indicated when the zenith path is not east - west ; there are no other points on these azimuths . the preparation logic diagram is shown in fig1 which clearly shows how the δ data is determined in the general cas program , ie the &# 34 ; azimuth - based alignment command &# 34 ;. in the chs general program , i . e ., the &# 34 ; sun - elevation based command &# 34 ;, no such complex problems are raised . there might obviously be banned solar elevations ( the sun never rises to 80 ° elevation at bern for instance ). before discussing the individual programs in detail , it is proper to state which convention was adopted in denoting the values to be processed in some special cases . a value denoted by one or several letters , or one or several digits , may assume all possible mathematical values . however there are values ( directing bits for certain values ) which can have no other value than + 1 , 0 and - 1 . these are mathematical sign values . to denote these , or to denote the part &# 34 ; sign magnitude &# 34 ; of a complete value , the parenthesises include the value notation followed by three signs just before closing the parenthesis . thus the value ( hs ) denotes the value corresponding to the sun elevation and equal to + 1 or 0 or - 1 . certain values , for instance the cosine of the latitude , only may have two of those three values , for instance the values of ( cos λ ) can only be + 1 and 0 . there are also cases in which two of the three values are ranked alike with respect to each other and for instance ( smsn ° ) will have a sign value of + 1 when smsn is positive or zero and - 1 when smsn is negative . if the zero and the + had been crossed , the sign value would be zero of positive or zero values of smsn and - 1 for negative values of smsn . also , there are logic values which by definition can only be 0 or + 1 . these are denoted by a letter with signs only at one level . for instance the value ( u +) is a logic value of 1 when u is positive and 0 when u is not positive ( zero or negative ). moreover the value ( u - ) is a logic value of + 1 when u is negative and 0 when u is not negative . a three - value sign (. . . ) magnitude can be denoted by two logic magnitudes , to wit (. . . + ) and (. . . - ). the logic values are introduced without difficulty into the mathematical equations , but they never may assume any other magnitudes than 0 and + 1 . if preceded by the - sign , they will be subtracted , &# 34 ;-(+ 1 )&# 34 ; will be involved . also a logic magnitude with a bar at the top is an inverted logic value , which will be 0 when the direct logic value is 1 and which will be 1 when the logic value is 0 , there being no question of the - 1 value . frequently there are (. . . ) values in the programs , which are resolved into logic values . if the + is immediately behind the frame , a line starting from that point of the frame is considered bearing the logic value (. . . +); if the line starts from that point of the frame where the - sign is located , it is considered bearing the logic value (. . . -). be it furthermore noted that the data being moved toward processing are provided with the subscript d ( data ) whereas the data coming back from processing are provided with the subscript r ( result , response ), and if several data come back from processing , there will be the subscripts r1 , r2 ( for instance as r1 , as r2 for the azimuth data coming back respectively from an alignment operation depending on the solar elevation and from an alignment operation depending on the time ). the various partial programs have been set up in such a manner as to ensure there will be no indeterminacy regarding certain values . for instance a solar azimuth computed from the time solely using sine functions becomes very imprecise when it is 6 o &# 39 ; clock local time , i . e ., when the sun is midway between perigee and apogee . eight pages to follow will consecutively provide the individual program indications ; jointly with the schematics of fig7 a , 7b , 7c , these programs will explain the computer operation . be it noted that for the sake of economy , certain programs include variations denoted by &# 39 ;, even &# 34 ;. the signals applied to the program frames at locations marked by a small square and a &# 39 ; are not program control signals but program allocation signals modifying the program . thus programs &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ; are often set up for meridian conditions , whereas the basic program is set up for non - meridian conditions . in that case the data ( m + ) controls the assignment &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ;. in some cases there are even assignments &# 34 ;&# 34 ;&# 34 ;, which however never come simultaneously into play with an assignment &# 34 ;&# 39 ;&# 34 ;. some programs are split for instance into a program 5 and a program 5 &# 39 ; depending on the latitude , in order to shorten the computations . all of the computer logic is based on that view which would be provided by the observer himself when he would be seen wholly from the east or wholly from the west , with the sun rotating about the earth , for the sake of simplicity . the solar trajectory takes place in a vertical plane if observed from the equator , in a horizontal plane is observed from the pole , and in an oblique plane if observed in - between . at the equinox , this trajectory passes through the center of , and at the solstice it passes tangentially to a circle of which the radius equals the sine of the inclination of the earth axis . the effective solar trajectory does not take place in a plane that when intersected offers a straight line , but a very fine pitch helix . it is assumed to be a plane with the inclination modified at noon and midnight . in the spring and in the northern hemisphere , the line representing the solar trajectory under the above cited conditions is made steeper by δ φ in the morning , from 00 h to 12 h and made shallower by δ φ in the afternoon from 12 h to 00 h . as the solstice nears , δ φ decreases , becomes null at the solstice and inverts thereafter . this is the reason the λ values ( latitude ) and the φ values ( the complements to the angle formed by the earth axis and the earth - sun line become λ &# 39 ;, φ &# 39 ; which are slightly modified in one direction in the morning and slightly modified in the other direction in the afternoon . the pages containing the formulas below show the functions of the various individual programs , and thereafter the distribution of the controls of the individual programs in the overall programs is indicated . it will be noted that in order to avert indeterminacy at the north and south poles , the latitudes can only be set up to a maximum of +/- 89 °. the latitudes registers in the loc memories as well as in the operational locale register comprise locking means preventing counting beyond 89 . 0 °. however the computer might issue values exceeding 89 °. still the input through the gate controlled by the ul pulse at the locale counter is designed in a manner that any count exceeding 89 , that is from 89 . 1 to 90 . 0 set up the value 89 and moreover will change the state of a flip - flop which will modify the zero of 89 . 0 in the latitude display in such a manner it will be known the latitude is still higher . however when that value is used as the data , it will merely be 89 . 0 in the 89 position , while the counter prevents any correction of the absolute latitude value , it does however release any lock against a lower count for this absolute value . for this reason the locale counter receives the two data scar and scav . the other counters only receive the scar data because the corrections will be emitted only in the correction situation and it is enough to distinguish between scar and scav . the overall programs may be composed in different manner regarding the individual programs they launch . in all cases the results must be those indicated . ______________________________________individual programs______________________________________pseq 1coreq = ( 24 - deq )× 24 - 12 + fh &# 39 ; eqmid + ( ancy 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 )× 6deq = date of spring equinox ( march date ) fh &# 39 ; eqmid = ( operational ) time zone where the springequinox is at noon ( ancy 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 ) = 0 for leap year ; = 1 for next year , 2 for second year after leap year , 3 for third yearafter leap yearpseq2coreq = ( 24 - deq )× 24 + 12 - hgmteq + ( ancy 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 )× 6hgmteq = gmt time at spring equinoxdeq , ancy 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 : see pseq 1ppr1blocor ( in quarters of a day ) = ( ehd - fh &# 39 ; d + coreq )/ 6 ( integral quotient ) blocor ( in hours ) = remainderppr1 &# 39 ; = the same as ppr1 , but eh always assumed to be 00 : 00ppr2hlg = ( htd - ehd ) mode 24 hours with positive (+) andnegative carriesppr3d . sub . trd = [ 4 × blocorquo + 4 × date of month + 120 × month ( ancy 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 ) - 114 × 4 + ( 0 ÷ 5 per rom )× 4 + 4 ( carry hlg . sup .+) - 4 ( carry hlg . sup .-)] . . . modl461ppr3 &# 39 ; = as for ppr3 , but ( carry hlg . sup .+) and ( carry hlg . sup .-) always assumed being 0ppr4hld &# 39 ; = ( hlg - es ) mod 24 hours with positive (+) and negative (-) carries es provided from d . sub . trd by decoderd . sub . tr → esppr 5 and ppr 5 &# 39 ; for ppr 5 : d . sub . tr &# 39 ; = [ d . sub . trd + 4 ( carry hld &# 39 ;. sup .+)- 4 ( carryhld &# 39 ;. sup .-) +( 1 / 6 ) blocor ( hours )] mod 1461 ( in 1 / 4 day ) for ppr 5 &# 39 ;: d . sub . tr &# 39 ; = [ d . sub . trd + ( 1 / 6 ) blocor ( hours )] mod 1461 ( in 1 / 4 day ) the following operations are identical for ppr 5 and ppr 5 &# 39 ; startingfrom d . sub . tr &# 39 ;. τd ( rad ) = d . sub . tr &# 39 ; · ( 2π )/ 1461 +/- correction in romsinφd = ( sinφ . sub . max of rom )· sin d ; interim computationof sinτd ( sinφ . sub . max ≅ 0 . 4 ) sinφd : sinφ . sub . ( τ . sbsb . 1 . sub .+ 1 / 4day ) - sinφ . sub . ( τ . sbsb . 1 . sub .) = sinφ . sub . max · cosφd · 2π / 1461interim computation of cosτdφd = arcsin ( sinφd ) natural value = φd in rad ; natural value · ( 360 / 2π ) = φd in ## str1 ## ## str2 ## interim computation of cosφddom sinφd = about (- 0 . 4 / 0 . 4 ) dom δsinφd = about (- 0 . 0017 / 0 . 0017 ) dom φd = about (- 23 . 45 °/ 23 . 459 ) = (- 0 . 41rad / 0 . 41 rad ) dom δφd = about (- 0 . 116 °/ 0 . 116 °) = (- 0 . 002 / 0 . 002rad ) ppr 6 , 6 &# 39 ;, 6 &# 34 ; ppr 6 applies to all parameters while ppr 6 &# 39 ; and ppr 6 &# 34 ; only tothose respectively marked ppr 6 &# 39 ; and ppr 6 &# 34 ;. φ &# 39 ; d = φd + ( 1 + 2 [ p . sup .+ ]]/ δφd ( in rad or °) λ &# 39 ; d = ( λd + 2 [ p . sup .+ ] - 1 ) δφd [ in °])° = ## str3 ## ppr6 &# 34 ; pold = ((\| λ \| - 45 °). sup .+) pold = 1 for \| λ \| & gt ; 45 °, pold = 0 for \| λ \| = 45 ° ppr6 &# 34 ; kd = tg λ &# 39 ; d ( for pold = 0 ) k &# 39 ; d = ctgλ &# 39 ; d ( for pold = 1 ) q = sinφ &# 39 ; d · 1 / cosλ &# 39 ; d ( for pold = 0 ) q &# 39 ; = sinφd &# 39 ;· 1 / sinλ &# 39 ; d ( for pold = 1 ) only one of these exist kd , kd &# 39 ; and only one of these q , q &# 39 ; ( cos asma . sup .±) = [((( q - k ). sup .+ . sub .- o )+ 1 / 2 ( q . sup .+ . sub .- o )- 1 / 4 ). sup .± ] ( for pold = 0 ) ( cos asma . sup .±) = [(- λ ). sup .± ] ( for pold = 1 ) ( cos asmi . sup .±) = [((( q + k ). sup .+ . sub .- o )+ 1 / 2 ( q . sup .+ . sub .- o )+ 1 / 4 ). sup .± ] ( for pold = 0 ) ( cos asmi . sup .±) = [ λ . sup .± ] ( for pold = 1 ) ppr6 &# 39 ; cosφ &# 39 ; d = cos ( φ &# 39 ; d ) sinφ &# 39 ; d = sin ( φ &# 39 ; d ) ksd = sinλ &# 39 ; dkcd = cosλ &# 39 ; dp1sinasd = sin ( asd ) cosasd = cos ( asd ); ( bit ( cosasd . sup .+) andbit ( cosasd . sup .-)) p1asinasr1 = sin ( asr1 ), cos not computedp1bsinasd = sin ( asd ) cosasd = cos ( asd ) ( double bit not required ) p2k . sup . 2 + cos . sup . 2 as = kd . sup . 2 + ( cosasd ). sup . 2k . sup . 2 - q . sup . 2 + cos . sup . 2 as = kd . sup . 2 - q . sup . 2 + ( cosasd ). sup . 2 ;( bit (. . .. sup .+) andbit (. . .. sup .-)) [( k . sup . 2 - q . sup . 2 ) . sub . o . sup .±) = (( kd . sup . 2 - q . sup . 2 ). sup .+. sub .- o ) p2 &# 39 ; 1 + k &# 39 ;. sup . 2 cos . sup . 2 as = 1 + k &# 39 ; d . sup . 2 ( cosasd ). sup . 21 - q &# 39 ;. sup . 2 + k &# 39 ;. sup . 2 cos . sup . 2 as = 1 - q &# 39 ;. sup . 2 + k &# 39 ; d . sup . 2 +( cosasd ). sup . 2 ;( bit (. . .. sup .+ ) and bit (. . .. sup .-)) (( k - q ). sup .+ . sub .- o ): no computation , always (. . .. sup .+) = 1 and (. . .. sup .-) = 0p3 ## str4 ## ## str5 ## ( σ . sup .+ . sub .- o ) given b log . prep hsr . sub . 1 = arc sin y = arc sin ( sinhs ) dom . hs = ( 90 ° ÷ + 90 °) p3 &# 39 ; ## str6 ## ## str7 ## hsr . sub . 1 = arc sin y = arc sin ( sinhs )( σ . sup .+ . sub .- o ) → ( σ . sup .+), ( σ . sup .-); ( log . prep .) ( also see fig1 ) ( σ . sup .+ . sub .- o ) = + 1 ; ( σ . sup .+) = 1 ; ( σ . sup .-) = 0 ( σ . sup .+ . sub .- o ) = 0 ; ( σ . sup .+) = 0 ; ( σ . sup .-) = 0 ( σ . sup .+ . sub .- o ) = - 1 ; ( σ . sup .+) = 0 ; ( σ . sup .-) = 1 &# 34 ; forbidden &# 34 ;; ( σ . sup .+) = 1 ; ( σ . sup .-) = 1 = wrong manoeuver , computation stopped ( for instance : as does not exist for date and latitude ) p4oc =( sinφ &# 39 ; d + δsinφd ( 1 +( p . sup .+)) cos ( λd +( 2 ( p . sup .+)- 1 ). delta . φ ) u &# 39 ; = ( sinhsd - oc ); ( u &# 39 ;. sup .+), ( u &# 39 ;°), ( u &# 39 ;. sup .-) ## str8 ## ## str9 ##( u . sup .-) = ( u &# 39 ;. sup .-)+( u &# 39 ;°)( p . sup .+) ac = φ - λ ( u . sup .± )+ δφ [ 1 +( u . sup .±)+ 2 ( p . sup .+)( 1 -( u . sup .±))] v &# 39 ; = 90 °-\| ac \|-( u . sup .±) hs ; ( v &# 39 ;. sup .+),( v &# 39 ;°), ( v &# 39 ;. sup .-) ( v . sup .+ . sub .- o ) = ( v &# 39 ;. sup .+)-( v &# 39 ;°)( p . sup .+)( u . sup .-)-( v &# 39 ;. sup .- for rectifier &# 34 ; ms &# 34 ; on shs ( amp ) ( a . sup .+)= 0 , ( m . sup .+)= 1 ,( p . sup .+)= 0 : ## str10 ##( v . sup .-) = ( v &# 39 ;°)( p . sup .+)( u . sup .-)+( v &# 39 ;. sup .-) sinhsd = sin ( hsd ) coshsd = cos ( hsd ) p4asinhs not computed , cos hsr = cos ( hsr ), ( u . sup .±), ( v . sup .+ . sub .- o ) not computed p4a &# 39 ; sinhsr = sin ( hsr ), coshsr = cos ( hsr ), ( u . sup .±), ( v . sup .+ . sub .- o ) not computed p4bsinhsd = sin ( hsd ), coshsd = cos ( hsd ), ( u . sup .±), ( v . sup .+ . sub .- o ) not computedp5cosasr . sub . 1 = ## str11 ## asr . sub . 1 = ± arc cos ( cosasr . sub . 1 ) mod 360 ## str12 ## p5 &# 39 ; cosasr . sub . 1 = ## str13 ## asr . sub . 1 : as for p5 starting from cos asr1 ( σ . sup .+ . sub .- o ) = ( σ . sup .±) as for p5 and p5 &# 39 ; ( σ . sup .+) = 1 & amp ; ( σ . sup .-) = 1 : forbiddenp6cosasr . sub . 1 = ( cosasma . sup .±)( σ . sup .+) + ( cosasmi . sup .±)(. sigma .. sup .-) = + 1 or - 1asr . sub . 1 = 90 ° ( 1 - cosasr . sub . 1 ) = 000 ° or 180 °( σ . sup .±): same as remark as for p5 , p5 &# 39 ; p7hs = ( σ . sup .±)( 90 °-\| λ &# 39 ;-( σ . sup .±). phi .&# 39 ;\|) ( σ . sup .±): same remark as for p5 , p5 &# 39 ; sinhs not computed by p7 but by p4a &# 39 ; p8a , p8b , p8cga1 = coshs · sinas ## str14 ##( smsm °. sup .±) = ((\| ga1 \|-\| ga2 . vertline . )°. sup .±) 8a , 8b , 8c : identical computations , data are from different inputs8a : cos asr . sub . 1 , sinasr . sub . 1 , coshsd , sinhsd8b : cosasd , sinasd , coshsr , sinhsr8c : cosasd , sinasd , coshsd , sinhsdp8a &# 39 ;, p8b &# 39 ;, p8c &# 39 ; inhibited programs p8a , p8b , p8c ( meridian ) p9 ## str15 ## p9 &# 39 ; ## str16 ## ## str17 ## p9 and p9 &# 39 ; p9 &# 34 ;, p9 &# 34 ; sphlr = 90 °(( shs . sup .±)+ 1 )( shs . sup .±) r3 = ( σ . sup .±) for p9 &# 34 ;, ( σ . sup .±): sameremark as for p5 , p5 &# 39 ;( shs . sup .±) r3 = &# 34 ; given &# 34 ; for p9 &# 34 ; spp10e ## str18 ## hld , hlr in (°), hlr &# 39 ;, hld &# 39 ; in ( h + min . ) p10sinhsr . sub . 2 = sinφ &# 39 ; d · ksd - coshld · cosφ &# 39 ; d . multidot . kcdhsr . sub . 2 = arc sin ( sinhsr ) natural value (- 90 ° ÷ + 90 °) ## str19 ##( pas . sup .±) = ((\| coshld · ksd + tgφ &# 39 ; d · kcd . vertline . - \| sinhld \|)°. sup .±) p10 &# 39 ; hsr . sub . 2 = ( coshld . sup .±)(\| φ &# 39 ; d +( coshld . sup .±) λ &# 39 ; d \| - 90 °) meridan : coshl = ( coshl . sup .±) tas et ( pas . sup .±) = not computed , ( pas . sup .±) = + 1 , ( pas . sup .-) = p11 ( pas . sup .-) = 0 ## str20 ##( arc ctg = natural value ) p11 &# 39 ;( pas . sup .-) = 1 ## str21 ##( arc tg = natural value ) p11 &# 34 ; meridan , ( pas . sup .-) = 0asr . sub . 2 = 90 °· 1 / 2 [( 1 -( coshld . sup .±))( 1 -( cosasma . sup ..+-. ))+( 1 +( coshld . sup .±))( 1 -( cos asmi . sup .±))] asr . sub . 2 = 000 ° or 180 ° p12 ## str22 ## ## str23 ## i . e . ( pro . sup .+)= 1 if : not &# 34 ; rposs &# 34 ;, or ( y . sub . 1 . sup . 2 + x . sub . 1 . sup . 2 - sin . sup . 2 φ &# 39 ; d )& lt ; 0 , or (\| y . sub . 1 \|-\| sinφ &# 39 ; d \|)≦ 0with ( x . sub . 1 . sup .+ . sub .- o ) ≠ ( sinφ &# 39 ; d . sup .+ . sub .- o ) ## str24 ## ## str25 ## ## str26 ## λ &# 39 ;. sub . r = λ . sub . c -(( n . sub . 1 . sup .±)+( n . sub . 2 . sup .±)). multidot . 90 °( n . sub . 1 . sup .±) =(( λ . sub . c - 90 °)°. sup .±);( n . sub . 2 . sup .±) =(( λ . sub . c + 90 °)°. sup .±) ( shsr . sub . 5 . sup .+ . sub .- o ) = (( y . sub . 1 -\| sinφ &# 39 ; d \|)°. sup .+) - (( y . sub . 1 +\| sinφ &# 39 ; d \|)°. sup .-) ( shsr . sub . 5 . sup .+) = (( y . sub . 1 -\| sinφ &# 39 ; d \|)°. sup .+)( shsr . sub . 5 . sup .-) = (( y . sub . 1 +\| sinφ &# 39 ; d \|)°. sup .-)( shsr . sub . 5 °) = ((\| y . sub . 1 \|-\| sinφ &# 39 ; d \|). sup .-) sinφ &# 39 ; r . sub . 1 = sinφ &# 39 ; d unprocessed transmitted valuep13y . sub . 1 = sinhsd ; x . sub . 1 = coshsd · cosasdp13my . sub . 2 = sinhsmd ; x . sub . 2 = coshsmd · cosasmdp14 ## str27 ##( polr . sup .+ . sub .- o ) = ((\| x . sub . 1 - x . sub . 2 \|-\| y . sub . 1 - y . sub . 2 \|)°. sup .±); ( polr . sup .+) = 1 if \| x . sub . 1 - x . sub . 2 \|& gt ;\| y . sub . 1 - y . sub . 2 \| p15p15 is for ( polr °. sup .-)= 1 ; ( polr . sup .+)= 0 ## str28 ## p15 &# 39 ; p15 &# 39 ; is for ( polr . sup .+)= 1 ## str29 ## p16a , p16a &# 39 ; ## str30 ## the following five computations take place only if pro = 0 , i . e . if ( pro . sup .+)= 0λ &# 39 ; r . sub . 2 = arc tg kr for p16aλ &# 39 ; r . sub . 2 = arc ctg k &# 39 ; r for p16a &# 39 ; range λ &# 39 ; r . sub . 2 : (- 90 °÷+ 90 °) ## str31 ##( shsr . sub . 4 . sup .+ . sub .- o ) = (( y . sub . 1 - sinφ &# 39 ; r . sub . 2 · sin . lambda .&# 39 ; r . sub . 2 ). sup .+ . sub .- o ) ( shsmr . sup .+ . sub .- o ) = (( y . sub . 2 - sinφ &# 39 ; r . sub . 2 · sin . lambda .&# 39 ; r . sub . 2 ). sup .+ . sub .- o ) p16 , p16 &# 39 ; same as p16a , p16a &# 39 ;, with pold , kd , k &# 39 ; d ( of ppr6 ) in lieu ofpolr , kr , k &# 39 ; rp17a , b , c only determinant for the data sources , the operations onthe homologuous data are similar when taking placethe ten computations below only apply for ( rposs . sup .+) = 1δsinφr (= δsinφ &# 39 ; r ) = ## str32 ##( for a , b , c ) rp = 1461 / 2π for φ &# 39 ; in radrp = 1461 / 360 for φ &# 39 ; in ° ## str33 ## φr ( only . p . a , b ) = arc sin ( sinφr ); also arc sin ( sinφ &# 39 ; r )- . .. ## str34 ## ## str35 ## ## str36 ## mod360 ° dom 000 ° ÷ 359 ° d . sub . trr = [( τ . sub . r - rom corr . )· rp ] mod 1461 ( only for a , b ) entire part . = number of quarters of a dayfract . part / 6 = number of hours ## str37 ## ks . sub . r = sinλ &# 39 ;. sub . r1 , r2 ( for a , b , c ) kc . sub . r = cosλ &# 39 ;. sub . r1 , r2 ( for a , b , c ) sinφ &# 39 ;. sub . r1 , r2 = sinφ &# 39 ;. sub . r1 , r2 transmitted , unprocessedvalue ( for a , b , c ) for p17a , p17b : sinφ &# 39 ; r2 , λ &# 39 ; r2 , sinλ &# 39 ; r2 , cosλ &# 39 ; r2for p17c : sinφ &# 39 ; r1 , λ &# 39 ; r1 , sinλ &# 39 ; r1 , cosλ &# 39 ; r1p18dsm (= date with respect to 1 march ) = [ d . sub . trr , in 1 / 4 days - blocor , in 1 / 4 days . . . ( round - off , 1 / 4 days , &# 34 ; remainder in hours : blocor . sub . h - d . sub . trrh &# 34 ;) + . . . + ( ancy 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 ) + ( 23 . 4 de rom ] mod 1461 ( in 1 / 4 days ) dsm . sub . j ( in days ) = &# 34 ; 4 &# 34 ; and higher dsm binary weightingsdsm . sub . q ( remainder in 1 / 4 days ) = &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; 2 &# 34 ; dsm binary weightingsp19dsm . sub . j discriminationdsm . sub . j ≧ 306 , 1 january to end february , ( gl . sup .+) = 1dsm . sub . j & gt ; 306 , 2 january to end february , ( gl &# 39 ;. sup .+) = 1 & lt ; 306 , dsm . sub . j 1 august to 31 december , ( g8 . sup .+) = 1 & gt ; 152 , dsm . sub . j ≦ 152 1 march to 31 july , ( g3 . sup .+) = 1incr , decrincrement and / or decrement for remaining quarter days and theposition of the year in the 4 - year cycle ( ancy 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ); the remaining quarter days are processed differentlyin the leap years ( ancy = 0 ) than in the three other years ( ancy = 1 , 2 or 3 ). function : according to the logic gates shown in fig7 c , it providesdsmjr = rectified dsmj . p20dsmjr discriminationjg (=&# 34 ; range &# 34 ; day ) = 306 for ( gl . sup .+), 153 for ( g8 . sup .+), 0 for ( g3 . sup .+) poseg = dsmjr - ( gl . sup .+)· 306 - ( g8 . sup .+)· 153 -( g3 . sup .+)· 0the poseg / 61 division provides the integral quotient + the remainder , moc = short month ## str38 ## poseg / 61 quotient = ## str39 ## remainder of poseg / 61 = ## str40 ## ## str41 ## ## str42 ##&# 34 ; march - april &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; may - june &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; july &# 34 ; ( incomplete ),&# 34 ; august - september &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; october - november &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; december &# 34 ; ( incomplete ). ranges : &# 34 ; beginning of january to end of february &# 34 ;,&# 34 ; beginning of march to end of july &# 34 ;,&# 34 ; beginning of august to end of december &# 34 ;. p21 ## str43 ## date of the month for dtr = ( remainder of poseg / 61 ) + 1month for dtr = 2 ( quotient of poseg / 61 ) + ( g1 . sup .+)· 1 +( g3 . sup .+)· 3 + ( g8 . sup .+)· 8p21 &# 39 ; for moc ( short months ) date of the month for dtr = ( remainder of poseg / 61 ) - 30month for dtr = 1 + 2 ( quotient of poseg / 61 ) + ( g1 . sup .+)· 1 +( g3 . sup .+)· 3 + ( g8 . sup .+)· 8p22htr = ( hlr &# 39 ; +/- es - ehd ) mod 24 h , ( or 2 . 12h ); with carries : . . . ( carry . sup .+) and ( carry . sup .-) p23eh &# 39 ; = htd -/+ es - hlr &# 39 ; ( in hours and minutes ) eh &# 39 ; discrimination ( e . sub . 1 . sup .+) = ((\| eh &# 39 ;\| - 1700 hoo )°. sup .-). multidot . (( eh &# 39 ; - 7hoo )°. sup .+);( e . sub . 1 . sup .+) = 1 pro ( probihited )( e . sub . 2 . sup .+) = ((\| eh &# 39 ;\| - 7hoo ). sup .-)( e . sub . 3 . sup .+) = ((\| eh &# 39 ; + 17hoo ). sup .-)( e . sub . 3 . sup .+) = 1r ⊕( e . sub . 4 . sup .+) = 0 (( eh &# 39 ; - 17hoo ). sup .+)( e . sub . 4 . sup .+) = 2 r ⊖ ehr = eh &# 39 ; 24hoo ·(( e . sub . 3 . sup .+) - ( e . sub . 4 . sup .+)) a . m . p . logic : see fig9 preparation logic : see fig1 ______________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________program control__________________________________________________________________________general program control ## str44 ## ## str45 ## ## str46 ## ## str47 ## ## str48 ## ## str49 ## ## str50 ## ## str51 ## ## str52 ## ## str53 ## __________________________________________________________________________ the various above cited programs commands control the programs in the manner shown by fig7 a , 7b , 7c ; however the correlations are provided below . the lasting or extended commands chl , cas , chs , crl , crd , crdl control the amp logic . moreover cas and chs control the preparation logic . the cpr1 command controls the ppr1 program , the cpr1 &# 39 ; command controls the ppr2 program , the cpr3 command controls the ppr3 program , the cpr3 &# 39 ; command controls the ppr &# 39 ; program , the cpr4 command controls the ppr4 program , the cpr5 command controls the ppr5 program , the cpr5 &# 39 ; command controls the ppr5 &# 39 ; program , the cpr6 command controls the ppr6 program , when there is crl it becomes cpr6 &# 39 ; and controls the ppr6 &# 39 ; program , and when there is crd , it becomes cpr6 &# 34 ; and controls the ppr6 &# 34 ; program . the chl1 - chl3 commands resp . control the programs p10e , p10 and 10 &# 39 ;; p11 , p11 &# 39 ;, p11 &# 34 ;. the cas1 - cas7 commands resp . control the p1 program the p2 and 2 &# 39 ; program , the p3 , p3 &# 39 ; program , the p4a , p4a &# 39 ; program , the p8b , p8b &# 39 ;, the p9 , p9 &# 39 ;, p9 &# 34 ; program , the p22 program . the chs1 and chs8 commands consecutively control the p4 , p7 , p6 , p4a , p4a &# 39 ;, p1a , p8a , p8a &# 39 ;, p9 , p9 &# 39 ;, p9 &# 34 ;, p22 programs . the crl1 - crl8 commands consecutively control the p13 , p12 , p17c , p4b , p1b , p8c , p8c &# 39 ;, p9 , p9 &# 39 ;, p9 &# 34 ;, p9 &# 34 ; sp , p22 programs . the crd1 - crd12 commands consecutively control the p13 , p16 and 16 &# 39 ;, p17a , p18 , p19 , p10 , p21 , p4b , p1b , p8c , p8c &# 39 ;, p9 , p9 &# 39 ;, p9 &# 34 ; sp and p22 ( with the decoder d tr - es ) programs . lastly the commands crdl1 through crdl15 consecutively control the programs p13 ; p13m , p14 ; p15 ; p16 ; p17b ; p18 ; p19 ; p20 ; p21 ; p4b ; p1b ; p8c , p8c &# 39 ;; p9 , p9 &# 39 ;, p9 &# 34 ;, p9 &# 34 ; sp ; and p22 with the decoder d rt - es . the computer programs include rom memories which are shown in the drawing only when particular values must be retained , for instance transfer values d tr - τ or when the storage of a different number of days depending on the month is involved , as for the dates in the rom memory ( fig7 a ). the computer comprises particular elementary programs for the general search programs whereby it is possible to ascertain the date ( by the intermediary of the inclination φ and latitude λ ). once these two data have been established , either the solar elevation or azimuth will allow computing the effective time for the solar plot . however these two values are used jointly at the very level where , for the solar elevation or azimuth alignments , the local time is being computed , after having calculated the azimuth as a function of the elevation or vice versa , i . e . at the level of the program p8a , p8a &# 39 ;, p8b , p8b &# 39 ;, p8c , p8c &# 39 ;. it must be noted that these values may be negative and hence the forward corrections result in an increase in the absolute value even in the negative direction . any correction becoming or exceeding zero causes a change in sign in lieu of a change in value . however an advantage exception is made for the latitude ; indeed , all latitude counting is carried out as if the south pole were 0 and the north pole 180 , and a decoder took 90 ° off the north side and a complement of 90 at the south side . this is a wholly practical way to proceed , the decoding however should always take place at the output of the latitude data l d ( λ d ). other functional peculiarities may be noted while studying in detail the formulas and programs , for instance the program control in case of &# 34 ; pro &# 34 ; signal . when a pro signal is applied to the program control ( fig6 ), this control terminates the cycle but without commanding new individual programs and without emitting write - in pulses u . . . during or at the end of the overall program . it will be kept in mind that an overall program at most lasts a hundred of ms or so , and also may be restricted to less than 1 ms , even several nanoseconds . it will be noted with respect to fig4 there are two pulses imm and im respectively denoting the changes in minutes and days . these pulses come from circuits shown in fig6 and for the proper conditions cause a realignment of the solar elevation and azimuth with the local time derived from the official time ht . in this manner , by setting his watch in the panel i mode and leaving the hour and the date synchronized , the user will be able to follow the sun &# 39 ; s progress minute by minute and at any instant will have hour information at his disposal . obviously the realignment will take place every minute only if the panel hours are synchronized with the current hours and if the realignment was not commanded for a factor other than the hour . as the start of cycle pulse dip possibly may yet modify the hour synchronization , there will be realignment only upon the pulse dip &# 39 ; which follows immediately after the pulse dip . be it also noted that the synchronizing circuit in addition to the pulses dip and dip &# 39 ; and the pulse fip also emits a pulse mip which must occur only after the command chl1 when the amp logic already is in the proper position . this pulse also becomes effective in the set of gates and flip - flops of the bottom of fig5 a where the various flashes are set up , in particular for the case of double azimuth . the operation of this part of fig5 a is explained by the shown logic schematic . as regards the fig9 and 10 respectively showing the amp and preparation logics , the same data input configuration has been adopted to the extent possible and accordingly it will be an easy matter to pass from the simple block representation of fig7 b of the more detailed representations in fig9 and 10 . as regards the commands , be it noted that that there can be only one at a time and that all commands , except those from the current time counter , can take place only at one second intervals . __________________________________________________________________________watch functions summary__________________________________________________________________________bph &# 39 ; cp rn snc , stt : appearance / disappearance day + seconds &# 34 ; sc : 1 correction acknowledged , 2 appearance / disappearance days + seconds &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rt snc , stt : display eh - hs &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; sc : 1 correction acknowledgment 2 display eh - hs &# 34 ; dp rn : appearance / suppression / preparation of rt1 special &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rt : suppression of rti special , panel regroupingbph &# 39 ; lp : switching rn , rtii ( from rti to rtii ); prep coreqbpm &# 39 ; cp rn snc , stt : --( always display the current time )&# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; sc : correction acknowledgment &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rt snc , stt : display fhl - ht &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; sc : 1 correction acknowledgment 2 display fhl - ht &# 34 ; dp rn : --&# 34 ; &# 34 ; rt : desynchronize , resynchronize ht &# 34 ; lp rn : extended depression , display the time of other locales &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rt : change locales , loc a , loc b , loc cbpb &# 39 ; cp rn snc , stt : appearance / disappearance of current date &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; sp : 1 correction acknowledgment 2 appearance / disappearance of current date &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rt snc , stt : display date dt - as &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; sc : 1 correction acknowledgment 2 display date dt - as &# 34 ; dp rn : --&# 34 ; rt : desynchronize / resynchronize date dt &# 34 ; np : switch snc , scab , scar , sttbph cp rn snc , stt : --&# 34 ; &# 34 ; : sc s + js : correct seconds unit &# 34 ; np : switch snc , scab , scar , sttbph cp rn snc , stt : --&# 34 ; &# 34 ; : sc s + js : correct seconds unit &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rt snc : --&# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; sc aff . eh : correct minutes unit eh &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; aff . hs : correct degrees unit hs &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rti stt : single block command aube ( dawn )&# 34 ; &# 34 ; rtii stt aff . eh : search eh ( if authorized by situation hl )&# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; aff . hs : search for latitude date rdl ( if authorize by memory ) bph dp rn sc , stt : --&# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; sc s + js : tens of seconds correction &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rt snc : --&# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; sc aff . eh : correct tens of minutes eh &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; aff . hs : correct tenth of degrees hs &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; stt aff . eh : --&# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; aff . hs : memory call hs &# 34 ; lp rn snc , stt : --&# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; sc s + js : correct day of week &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rt snc : --&# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; sc aff . eh : time correction eh &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; aff . hs : correction of tens of degrees hs or sign hs &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rti stt : sunrise &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rtii stt aff . eh : if aff . fhl , choice loc ms &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; aff . hs : hs storage &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; : if bbh &# 39 ; lp kept , coreqbpm cp rt snc , stt : --&# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; sc : correct minutes unit , current time &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rt snc : --&# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; sc aff . fhl : correct latitude unit &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; aff . ht : correct minutes unit , panel time ( ht )&# 34 ; &# 34 ; rti stt : descent &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rtii stt : if aff . hs , search latitude rl &# 34 ; dp rn snc , stt : --&# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; sc : correct tens of minutes , current time &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rt snc : --&# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; sc aff . fhl : correct tenth of degree latitude &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; aff . ht : correct tens of minutes ht &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; stt aff . fhl :--&# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; aff . ht : memory call panel time &# 34 ; lp rn snc , stt : --&# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; sc : correct hours unit , current time &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rt snc : -- bpm lp rt sc aff , fhl : correct latitude tens or fh unit &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; : correct hours unit ht &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rti stt : noon &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rtii stt aff . fhl : if aff . eh ,. sup . mm loc act .&# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; aff . ht : panel time storagebpb cp rn snc , stt : --&# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; sc aff . dn : correct date of the month unit dn &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rt sc aff . dt : correct date of the month unit dt &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; aff . as : correct degree unit as &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rti stt : dusk &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rtii stt : if aff . hs , search rd date &# 34 ; dp rn snc , stt : --&# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; sc aff . dn : correct current date , ancy dn &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rp snc : --&# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; sc aff . dt : correct ancy panel date dt &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; aff . as : correct tenth of degree as &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; stt aff . dt : memory call , panel date &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; affas : memory call , solar azimuth &# 34 ; lp rn snc , stt : --&# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; sc aff . dn : correct month of current date dn &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rt scn : --&# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; sc aff . dt : correct month panel date dt &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; aff . as : correct tens or hundreds as &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rti stt : sunset &# 34 ; &# 34 ; rtii stt aff . dt : panel date storage &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; &# 34 ; aff . as : storing as__________________________________________________________________________ a swiss patent application relating to a similar but not identical object , namely application ch no . 1636 / 77 already was filed by the same initial applicant . this application , as yet not published when the present one was filed , contains drawings and explanations relating to the circuits of the watch of which at least some may be used in the object of the present invention . the contents of this patent application ch no . 1636 / 77 should be considered jointly with the present regarding adequacy of disclosure for implementation by the artisan .	6
the embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to its preferred application to the display of digital images of both breasts supplied by mammography apparatus . these images can be images acquired digitally for subsequent digital processing for their display . the images can also be obtained from analog radiography apparatus by exposure and development of films . the analog images can then be digitized and displayed as discussed below . fig1 shows diagrammatically images 2 and 4 of both breasts displayed in a known apparatus . the first image 2 shows the right - hand breast of a patient in a cranio - caudal view . the second image 4 shows the patient &# 39 ; s left - hand breast in a cranio - caudal view . both images are displayed side by side , the first image being to the left of the second image . the respective contours 6 and 8 of the breasts are shown diagrammatically on their images 2 and 4 . on the images 2 and 4 , regions of interest 10 and 12 defined around the breasts can also be seen . as explained above , each region of interest is formed by a rectangle surrounding the breast . this rectangle has , taking into account a margin surrounding the breast , a small as possible surface area . in fig1 , the views of the breasts on the first and second images are offset . the right - hand breast shown on die first image is higher up than the view of the left - hand breast on the second image . the “ height ” dimension with reference to fig1 as well as to the remaining drawings refers to a dimension on the images taken along their adjacent edge . because of the offset , it is difficult for the practitioner to compare the two images . the offset can simply originate from the manner in which each breast was positioned when the images were taken . the offset can also originate from a difference in size of the two breasts . fig2 shows diagrammatically images of the two breasts displayed according to one embodiment of the invention . as in fig1 , the images are two cranio - caudal images , and the same reference numerals have been used to identify the same elements . fig2 also shows the region of interest surrounding the breast on each image ; it can be seen that the region of interest is at the same height on each image . in other words , the regions of interest of the left - and right - hand images are aligned . consequently , as fig2 shows , the two breasts are displayed at the same height on the two images . the right - hand breast shown on the first image 2 is at the same height as the view of the left - hand breast on the second image 4 . such a display facilitates the comparison of the images of both breasts . the display shown in fig2 can be obtained as follows . images of both breasts are acquired . as explained above , these may originate directly from apparatus fitted with a digital acquisition unit , or from a unit for digitizing analog images . a region of interest is defined on each image around the view of the patient &# 39 ; s breast on the image . definition of such a region of interest is described in the following european patent applications : ep - a - 1 , 047 , 018 , ep - a - 1 , 035 , 507 or ep - a - 0 , 912 , 963 . definition of such a region of interest is performed on the image using digital image processing techniques . once the region of interest has been defined on each image , the images are displayed so that the regions of interest are aligned . as fig2 shows , for regions of interest of the same size in the vertical direction , alignment is performed by displaying the upper or lower edge of the regions of interest of the images at the same height . the digital images can be displayed on the same display apparatus such as a cathode ray tube , a liquid crystal display or any other type of display device . the images can also be displayed on two separate display devices side by side . whatever type of device is used for display , the two digital images are displayed side by side for comparison purposes wherein the regions of interest are aligned to simplify comparison . fig3 shows diagrammatically other images displayed according to an embodiment of the invention . the images on fig3 are side view images of a patient &# 39 ; s breasts in a mammograph ; the same reference numerals have been employed . fig3 shows that the breast shown in the first image 2 is larger than the view of the breast on the second image 4 of fig3 . this size difference can simply originate from differing manipulations when taking the images . in the embodiment of fig3 , the right - hand breast may have been positioned differently from the left - hand breast when the images were taken . two arrows 16 and 14 can also be seen on the images 2 and 4 and these indicate the respective positions of the tip of the breast on each image . in the embodiment of fig3 , the position of the tip of the breast is used for aligning the regions of interest on the two images . the position of the tip of the breast can be detained using known image analysis techniques . for the alignment , the height in the image of this tip of the breast can simply be used . more generally , where the regions of interest of both images are not of the same size in the vertical direction , one can , for alignment purposes , optimize one image - dependent criterion , as a function of the relative height of the images . such a criterion can be the result of computing correlation over the whole of the region of interest , or over a part of this region of interest . one could also proceed to correlate images in the area adjoining the tip of the breast . one could also proceed to align the contour of a breast or part of the contour of one breast with respect to the other breast . such computations allow determination of the relative height for which this criterion is at its maximum ; this height now corresponds to alignment of the regions of interest on both images . the result , shown in fig3 , is that the images are , like in fig2 , displayed so as to facilitate their comparison . the technique described with reference to fig3 is particularly useful when the regions of interest determined for the two images are not of the same size . they are now aligned by calculating an optimization criterion which depends on the relative position of the images , after which this criterion is optimized . fig4 shows diagrammatically images displayed in another embodiment of the invention . in the embodiment of fig4 , not only are the regions of interest aligned , but also the images are enlarged . the same magnification factor is applied to both the images to still ensure ready comparison of each image . the magnification factor is calculated as a function of the size of the region of interest on the first image and the size of the region of interest on the second image . the magnification factor , common to both images is selected so that the region of interest of each image is wholly contained within each displayed image . in other words , the enlargement enables the complete breast to be seen on the image displayed . in the example of fig3 , the region of interest on the image of the right - hand breast occupies a greater area than the region of interest on the image of the left - hand breast . the magnification factor to obtain the display shown in fig4 is calculated using the region of interest of the first image . in fig4 , the region of interest of the first image consequently touches the upper and lower edges of the image . in contrast , for the same magnification factor , the region of interest of the second image is not touching the edges of the second image . both images are nevertheless displayed with the same magnification factor which facilitates their comparison . this technique also applies to regions of interest of the same size . fig5 is a flow chart for carrying out the display method , for the two images . steps 18 – 22 concern the first image and steps 19 – 23 the second image ; and steps 24 to 32 constitute joint processing of both images . in a first step 18 , the digital image of a breast is acquired . as explained above , acquisition can be of any type . acquisition can comprise the application of numerous processing operations to the images , for example sensor correction processing operations , and operations for thickness compensation , automatic contrast setting or otherwise . at the next step 20 , a region of interest is defined in the image . next , at step 22 , it is determined whether enlargement of the image is desirable . if so , processing passes to step 24 and , in the opposite case , to step 28 . steps 19 , 21 and 23 correspond to steps 18 , 20 and 22 for the second image . at step 23 , like step 22 , it is determined whether enlargement of the image is desirable and if so , control passes to step 24 or , in the opposite case , to step 28 . showing the flow chart with two separate branches is simply designed to demonstrate that image processing in these steps is independent . processing can obviously be performed successively using identical apparatus as would be the case for images taken successively in the same apparatus . response at steps 22 and 23 can be pre - programmed for a given display protocol or can result from user input . at step 24 , a magnification factor is calculated . this factor is a minimum of the ratio between image size and region of interest size . the minimum on both images , in both directions is considered . the magnification factor obtained will ensure that the region of interest of each image is wholly contained within the enlarged image . at the next step 26 , each image is enlarged by applying the calculated magnification factor . control then passes to step 28 where the two regions of interest are aligned . at step 30 , both images are displayed with their regions of interest aligned . the process then stops at step 32 . it can obviously be repeated for other images . fig6 shows image display apparatus . the apparatus has a unit for acquiring digital images 34 . this unit is for example an image sensor of digital apparatus , or a unit for digitizing analog images or , yet again , a unit for receiving storage media containing a digital image . the acquisition unit could also be simply comprised of storage media such as a hard disk . the acquisition unit supplies an image processing unit 36 with at least two digital images intended for simultaneous display . image processing unit 36 processes the images and applies the processed images to a display device 38 . as explained above , the display device can be of any type whatsoever . image processing unit 36 can consist of a pc ( personal computer ), an image processing board including a microprocessor , or any other digital computing means known per se . this image processing unit comprises several separate processing blocks . these blocks are for example logic blocks in the processing unit . the first block 40 is responsible for defining a region of interest and defines , in each image received , a region of interest and outputs an image having a region of interest . the images supplied are fed to block 42 for enlargement . block 42 a common magnification factor for the images is calculated ; the images are then enlarged . the enlarged images are applied to block 44 handling alignment . as arrow 46 shows , the images with their region of interest can be applied directly to alignment block 44 , bypassing the magnification block . in the alignment block , the regions of interest of the images are aligned . the output is aligned images which are applied to display device 38 for simultaneous display . this diagram does not show processing operations which may be applied to the images but which have no bearing on the method described . obviously , the invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments discussed above ; in particular , it can apply to images other than those of the two breasts in a mammograph ; it can also apply to displaying of images of the same breast taken at different moments . the alignment modes discussed with reference to fig2 for cranio - caudal images also apply to the side views in fig3 and 4 or , yet again , to any type of image . inversely , the alignment modes of fig3 and 4 apply also to images consisting of cranio - caudal images . the region of interest in the example is rectangular but it could have any other shape . in the examples , the enlargement step is performed before the alignment step ; but it can also occur after the alignment step . the examples refer to specific images ; the method disclosed applies to other images as well . the method has also been described based on an example of two images but it can also apply to more than two images . thus , two cranio - caudal images could be displayed simultaneously along with two side view images . in this case , the images could be enlarged using the same magnification factor for the four images . the images could also be aligned pairwise . the examples discuss images displayed side by side . the method can also be applied to images displayed one above the other with the dimension of interest no longer being the vertical dimensions , but rather horizontal dimensions . various modifications in structure and / or steps and / or function may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope and extent of the invention as recited in the claims .	6
the following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention , and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements . various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . thus , the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown , but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein . in the uwb protocol , both the beacons and reservations involve both transmit and receive activity , but it is the receive operations that most benefit from protection . the transmit activity can still occur whilst the other protocol is being used to transmit as the transmit signal is strong enough to differentiate itself from the interference at the receiver . however , the receiving activity will be drowned in interference if it occurs as the other protocol is being used to transmit . for coexistence purposes , both the beacons and reservations should be treated as high priority bluetooth receive activities . the uwb transmitter will have little measurable effect on the ieee 802 . 11 receiver ( less than 1 db increase in its noise floor ). transmission of uwb signals occurs in bursts ( e . g . packets ) and some periodicity can be expected in the timing of those bursts . described herein are several coexistence schemes . these include the 2 - wire signaling and 3 - wire signaling systems as previously used for coexistence between , for example , an ieee 802 . 11 radio and a bluetooth radio . each coexistence scheme is described above in relation to ieee 802 . 11 and bluetooth coexistence , and then the adaptation of the coexistence scheme for use with the uwb protocol is then described below . each signaling system comprises an ieee 802 . 11 radio and a bluetooth or uwb radio . the radios are interconnected with 2 or 3 coexistence signaling wires which are used to co - ordinate transmit / receive traffic for each radio . an embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig3 . fig3 illustrates a similar arrangement to that of fig1 , in that it makes use of the 2 - wire coexistence scheme . however , in fig3 , transceiver 2 uses the uwb protocol rather than the bluetooth protocol . although the coexistence signaling scheme is the same as that of fig1 , an extra layer of interface logic ( 8 ) is implemented to allow the uwb transceiver to use the coexistence signaling scheme otherwise designed for a bluetooth transceiver . in order to benefit from the 2 - wire coexistence scheme , the uwb radio implements the following behaviour : assert bt_priority for the period for which the transceiver 2 expects to receive a uwb beacon . assert bt_priority for the period for which the transceiver 2 expects to receive the first number of uwb reservations . the number of reservations to protect would be a trade - off between uwb and ieee 802 . 11 throughput . protecting all reservations would give the best uwb performance but would prevent most ieee 802 . 11 activity . on the other hand not protecting any reservations would leave the ieee 802 . 11 system to operate almost normally but there would be little or no uwb data transferred . the choice of how many reservations to protect would preferably be made based on the application requirements for performance of the two radios . if the wlan_active is asserted by the transceiver 1 , block uwb transmissions by transceiver 2 and force the transceiver 2 to restrict use to channel 1 to receive while waiting for a uwb preamble . if the transceiver 1 is active then the chances are that the transceiver 2 will not be able to receive on bands 2 and 3 . sitting on band 1 will maximise the chance of being able to receive the packet preamble when the timing of frequency hops for a particular channel are not accurately known , e . g . when searching for a beacon group to join . it is only appropriate to prevent transmissions and restrict the receiver to channel 1 when usb is operating on band group 1 with the ieee 802 . 11 on a 4 . 9 ghz or low 5 ghz channel . in one embodiment , uwb transmissions by the transceiver 2 are not blocked for small numbers of uwb reservations transmissions or beacons transmissions . in most systems the uwb transmitter will not have a significant effect on the ieee 802 . 11 receiver , and so in one embodiment , the uwb transmitter is never blocked . additionally , if the transceiver 2 is operating on band group 1 ( 3432 - 4488 mhz ) then it is useful for it to know when transceiver 1 ( using the ieee 802 . 11a / j protocol ) is transmitting so that it can stay on channel 1 to maximise its chances of receiving a preamble . preferably , this is conditional upon the combination of channels used by both the ieee 802 . 11 and uwb transceivers , and the relative signal strengths of the desired signal from the peer and the local interferer . a similar arrangement to that of fig2 is shown in fig4 in that it makes use of a 3 - wire coexistence scheme . in fig4 , transceiver 2 is configured to use the uwb protocol rather than the bluetooth protocol and implements a 3 - wire interface logic ( 9 ). there is an implicit assumption in the known 3 - wire signaling scheme that all bluetooth activity has durations that are exact multiples of the bluetooth slot length ( 625 μs ). this results in a less than perfect adaptation of the signaling scheme for uwb transceivers , as uwb transmit and receive activity is much shorter than a bluetooth slot , so it is not possible to accurately reflect the uwb activity using the bluetooth coexistence hardware . however , since uwb transmissions are expected to have negligible impact on ieee 802 . 11 performance , it is sufficient to indicate all activity as high priority receive . one problem is how to get an indication that the ieee 802 . 11 radio is transmitting ( or even generally active ) if the wlan_active signal is only driven in response to bt_active being asserted . an approximation could be obtained by issuing repeated low priority requests , relying on a deny response to indicate that the ieee 802 . 11 radio is active . this would cause some ieee 802 . 11 behavior to be blocked ( if considered less important than a low - priority bluetooth operation ), which may not be desirable . each request would need to be issued for approximately the duration of a bluetooth slot , but ensuring that they do not overlap the higher priority activity / requests described above . therefore , in the embodiment of the present invention shown in fig3 , the interface logic asserts the following behavior for transceiver 2 : assert bt_active a preset length of time prior to the start of all uwb activity . for activity other than beacons , de - assert it a preset length of time before a beacon ( allowing a separate request to be issued for the beacon ). otherwise , de - assert it one bluetooth slot period length after the activity started , or when the activity has finished . activity is signalled for a multiple of the bluetooth slot length and so protecting adjacent reservations becomes is significant . this allows the uwb radio to receive data during the beacon or reservation time slots uninterrupted by interference from transmissions from the ieee 802 . 11 radio . for the period in which transceiver 2 expects to receive a uwb beacon or a small number of uwb reservations , signal the activity as high - priority on the bt_status line . for all other uwb activity , signal transceiver 2 activity as low - priority on the bt_status line . the bt_status line should always indicate that transceiver 2 activity is receive since that is most susceptible to interference from the ieee 802 . 11 radio . preferably block transmission by transceiver 2 ( other than for uwb beacon transmissions and for small numbers of uwb reservation transmissions ) and preferably force use of channel 1 while waiting for a preamble if wlan_active is asserted . in an embodiment using bt_inband , bt_inband is asserted at the same time as bt_active when using a band group that is predicted to be subject to interference from the current ieee 802 . 11 channel . an advantage of the present invention is that existing ieee 802 . 11 radio and bluetooth coexistence hardware can be easily adapted to provide coexistence for ieee 802 . 11 radio and uwb . in fact , no alterations need be made to the existing hardware as the uwb radio of the present invention is capable of responding to the signals of the existing 2 / 3 - wire schemes in a way which allows successful uwb and ieee 802 . 11 radio coexistence . making use of the existing bluetooth - ieee 802 . 11 signaling avoids the need to get a new signaling scheme designed and adopted , and avoids needing to implement a second coexistence interface on ieee 802 . 11 chips ( many of which are already constrained in the amount of i / o that they can support ). this is especially significant when the signaling scheme is implemented in hardware within the ieee 802 . 11 chipset since it would require a new design of chip to accommodate uwb . similar issues apply if the ieee 802 . 11 firmware is stored in rom . it may be useful to communicate the channel number to determine which , if any , uwb channels are affected . this is best accomplished via the host ( or application ) processor that is using both radios . it would be advantageous for the uwb transceiver to know which ieee 802 . 11 band is being used . then it would need only signal the ieee 802 . 11 transceiver when it is intending to use a carrier or sub - carrier that would interfere with that ieee 802 . 11 band . similarly , an ieee 802 . 11 transceiver that is uwb - aware could take advantage of knowing which uwb band is being used . the above two paragraphs discuss essentially the same idea . the host can communicate the uwb frequency usage to the ieee 802 . 11 transceiver , and it can also communicate the ieee 802 . 11 frequency usage to the uwb transceiver . different embodiments can employ different levels of accuracy , with the least specific being the uwb band group or ieee 802 . 11 band ( 2 . 4 or 5 ghz ), ranging through to the uwb channel ( hopping sequence across bands within the band group ) or ieee 802 . 11 channel . the most important characteristic is whether ieee 802 . 11 will interfere with uwb rather than the other way around . fig5 . shows a series of band groups defined by the uwb protocol , each containing three bands ( band group 5 only contains 2 bands ) that the uwb radio hops between . the ideal coexistence behavior can also depend on the combination of which frequencies are being used by the two radios . for any combination of frequencies , only one of a bluetooth transceiver or uwb transceiver will have interference problems with ieee 802 . 11 ; bluetooth only has interference problems with 2 . 4 ghz ieee 802 . 11b / g . uwb band 3 operates between 4224 and 4488 mhz which is close to the ieee 802 . 11a channels starting at 5180 mhz , and even closer to ieee 802 . 11j channels starting at 4920 mhz but not close to ieee 802 . 11b / g . as a consequence , a uwb transceiver operating on uwb channel 3 will experience interference problems with an ieee 802 . 11a / j transceiver . therefore , in a system incorporating a ieee 802 . 11 radio , a bluetooth radio , and a uwb radio , the bluetooth radio and the uwb radio can share the same coexistence interface with the ieee 802 . 11 radio , as they will never conflict with the ieee 802 . 11 signal at the same time . in this case , the bluetooth radio and the uwb radio would need to be told whether ieee 802 . 11b / g or ieee 802 . 11a / j is active . therefore , bluetooth coexistence is required at 2 . 4 ghz and only uwb coexistence is required at 5 ghz . in one embodiment of the present invention , an ieee 802 . 11 transceiver having several modes of operation is connected to a transceiver pair by a coexistence signaling means . the transceiver pair comprises a bluetooth transceiver and a uwb transceiver . the coexistence signaling means comprises several single bit data means , which allow the ieee 802 . 11 transceiver to exchange coexistence data with either the bluetooth transceiver or the uwb transceiver regarding their respective planned transmission and reception activities . whether the data means are routed to the bluetooth transceiver or the uwb transceiver is determined by the operating mode of the ieee 802 . 11 transceiver . for example , if the ieee 802 . 11 transceiver is operating in ieee 802 . 11b / g mode , then the coexistence data is routed between the ieee 802 . 11 transceiver and the bluetooth transceiver , so that they can co - ordinate to not interfere with one another ( whilst the uwb radio interferes with neither ). if the ieee 802 . 11 transceiver is operating in ieee 802 . 11a / j mode , then the coexistence data is routed between the ieee 802 . 11 transceiver and the uwb transceiver , so that they can co - ordinate to not interfere with one another ( whilst the bluetooth radio interferes with neither ). a simpler embodiment of the coexistence interface is to route the coexistence data simultaneously to the bluetooth and uwb transceivers ( with the bt_active , bt_status and bt_inband signals from both transceivers or &# 39 ; d together ). this would result in worse performance but would not require information about the band on which the ieee 802 . 11 transceiver is operating . the applicant hereby discloses in isolation each individual feature described herein and any combination of two or more such features , to the extent that such features or combinations are capable of being carried out based on the present specification as a whole in the light of the common general knowledge of a person skilled in the art , irrespective of whether such features or combinations of features solve any problems disclosed herein , and without limitation to the scope of the claims . the applicant indicates that aspects of the present invention may consist of any such individual feature or combination of features . in view of the foregoing description it will be evident to a person skilled in the art that various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention .	7
the present inventions now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which some , but not all embodiments of the invention are shown . indeed , these inventions may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein ; rather , these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements . like numbers refer to like elements throughout . fig1 shows a package 20 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . this particular package is formed of a film web 22 that is centerfolded along a fold line 24 to form two opposing web portions 26 and 28 between which a product 30 is disposed . the edges of the web portions 26 , 28 are sealed together along seals 32 , 34 , and 36 to enclose the product . an easy - opening feature 40 is incorporated in the web portion 26 . the easy - opening feature 40 is shown in greater detail in fig2 . the easy - opening feature 40 comprises a tear feature 42 formed in the web 26 , and a label 44 affixed to the web covering the tear feature 42 . the tear feature 42 in the web is formed by lancing , perforating , scoring , etching , or otherwise forming a line of weakness 46 in the web so as to define a portion of the web that will readily separate from the remainder of the web and act as a stress riser at which tearing of the web will initiate when the tear feature is pulled in an out - of - plane direction . in the illustrated embodiment , the line of weakness 46 is u - shaped , but other shapes can be used instead . the label 44 includes a circular portion 48 that is affixed to the tear feature 42 and to a region of the packaging web 26 surrounding the tear feature . the circular portion 48 of the label can be affixed to the web by adhesive , heat - sealing , or any other suitable method . the label also includes a tab portion 50 that remains unaffixed to the web 26 so that it can readily be grasped and pulled . as an example , the circular portion 48 may be backed by a pressure - sensitive adhesive , and the tab portion 50 may be free of adhesive . the tab portion 50 is connected to a middle detachable portion 52 of the label . the detachable portion 52 is delineated by two spaced parallel lines 54 of perforations or the like that extend the full width of the portion 48 . the detachable portion 52 is located in registration with and is affixed to the tear feature 42 in the web 26 . to initiate tearing of the web 26 , the tab portion 50 of the label is grasped and pulled out - of - plane and generally in the direction of the perforation lines 54 . as the detachable portion 52 of the label is pulled it detaches from the remainder of the label and pulls the tear feature 42 , which causes a region of the web 26 to be torn out of the web for some distance along the web , thus creating an opening in the web as shown in fig4 . even if the edges of the torn - out part of the web soon converge , it is easy to locate the opening that has been created in the web because two portions 56 of the label remain affixed to the web 26 adjacent the opening . the label preferably is constructed to be readily visible ; for example , the label can include a paper or other opaque layer that visibly contrasts with the film web 26 . accordingly , the remaining label portions 56 can easily be located . either or both of the label portions 56 can be grasped and pulled generally away from each other to further tear and enlarge the opening in the web . the package 20 and easy - opening feature 40 are applicable to hermetic as well as non - hermetic packages . in the case of a hermetic package , the portion 48 of the label affixed to the web covers any openings formed through the web in creating the tear feature 42 . the label 44 preferably includes a gas and moisture barrier layer such as a polyester ( e . g ., pet ) film layer , which can be laminated to a paper layer . the barrier layer can be a metallized film . alternatively , a metallized paper layer can be used as the barrier layer . fig5 shows a process and apparatus 60 for forming flexible easy - open packages in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . the apparatus 60 includes a web supply system 62 that mounts a roll 64 of centerfolded (“ c - fold ”) web material 66 and advances and guides the web 66 along a path , such as by pinch drive rolls 68 and guide rolls 70 or the like . the web supply system can include an accumulator / tension control unit 72 if desired . the web supply system also includes web guides 74 for opening up the c - fold web 66 so that the two web portions 26 , 28 are still generally parallel to each other but are spaced apart for some distance along the path of travel of the web . in the region where the two web portions 26 , 28 are separated , a web - piercing tool 80 is arranged for forming a slit , perforation , score line , or other line of weakness in the web portion 26 . in the illustrated embodiment , the tool 80 comprises a punch and die arrangement having a die 82 arranged on one side of the web portion 26 and a punch 84 arranged on the opposite side of the web portion 26 . the die 82 preferably defines a sharp cutting edge in a generally u - shaped configuration . the punch and die are movable toward each other to sandwich the web portion 26 therebetween and cause the web portion to be cut by the sharp cutting edge of the die . advantageously , the tool 80 can comprise a shanklin high - speed hole punch available from shanklin corporation of ayer , mass ., or a bsp - 3000 ball swivel punch available from park air corporation of brockton , mass ., modified to cut only a u - shaped slit rather than a full circle ; such hole punches employ a ball as the punch and the die has a die cavity defining a circular sharp edge of smaller diameter than the ball . a portion of the circular edge can be dulled so that it does not cut . the tool 80 thus forms the tear feature 42 in the web portion 26 as shown in fig3 . the tool 80 can be used with an intermittent process in which the web is intermittently advanced and then brought to a halt for the punching operation ; advantageously , however , the process is continuous such that the web does not have to be stopped for the punching operation . the ball - and - die type punches previously mentioned are particularly suited to such continuous processes . downstream of the tool 80 , a label applicator 86 is arranged for applying a label to the surface of the web portion 26 that faces the other web portion 28 . the label applicator 86 is shown in greater detail in fig6 . the applicator 86 advances labels 44 in a transverse direction relative to the direction along which the web 66 is moving and then blows a label with a blast of air onto the web portion 26 . the applicator 86 can comprise a model ctm 360 label applicator available from ctm integration , inc . of salem , ohio , or the like . the operation of the applicator 86 is synchronized with the advancement of the web 66 and the operation of the punch tool 80 so that the label is applied to the web portion 26 in registration with the tear feature 42 so as to form the easy - opening feature 40 . as will be understood by those of skill in the art , the easy - opening features 40 are formed at regular intervals along the web portion 26 corresponding to the product pitch of the packaging apparatus . the packaging apparatus 60 can also include a film inverting head 90 downstream of the label applicator for turning the c - folded web through about a 90 ° change of direction and folding the web inside - out so that the label 44 is then on an exterior side of the web portion 26 ( i . e ., the side that faces away from the other web portion 28 ). such inverting heads are well - known and hence will not be described in greater detail . after the inverting head , the apparatus includes a product wrap and seal arrangement 100 operable to deposit a product between the two web portions 26 , 28 and then seal the web portions together ( typically by heat - sealing ) along their edges and along transverse seal lines and sever the resulting package from the web . if the web material 66 is heat - shrinkable , the apparatus can optionally include a heat tunnel 110 for heating the package to shrink the web material about the product . the apparatus discharges a package 20 as shown in fig1 . the process and apparatus shown in fig5 , and the package shown in fig1 - 4 , are suitable for hermetic applications where it is desired to hermetically seal the product in the package . the slit or opening formed through the web portion 26 by the tool 80 is covered by the label 44 . as previously noted , the label can incorporate suitable barrier material so that the opening is hermetically closed by the label . the invention is also applicable to non - hermetic applications . fig7 shows a process and apparatus 120 suitable for such applications . the apparatus 120 unwinds web material 122 from a roll and advances the web along a path . in this case , the web 122 is a flat ( unfolded ) web . a label applicator 124 affixes labels 44 ′ to the web at product pitch intervals . downstream of the label applicator 124 , a sensor 126 detects each label 44 ′ as it passes by , and creates a signal indicating the label has been detected . downstream of the sensor 126 , a punch and die arrangement 128 or the like is arranged for piercing the label 44 ′ and the web 122 along a generally u - shaped line to form a tab portion 50 ′ ( fig8 ) in the label and a corresponding tear portion ( not visible in fig8 ) in the web . the tab portion of the label is adhered to the tear portion in the web . the apparatus 120 also includes a product wrap and seal arrangement 130 for wrapping products and sealing the web to form packages . as will be understood by those skilled in the art , the apparatus 120 can comprise a single - web device that manipulates a single web to wrap products ( such as by folding the web 122 into a c - fold arrangement similar to that previously discussed ); alternatively , the apparatus can comprise a dual - web device that advances a second web ( not shown ) parallel to the web 122 with product disposed therebetween and then seals the two webs together along their edges and along transverse seal lines to form packages and severs the packages from the webs . the label 44 ′ having the tab portion 50 ′ forms an easy - opening feature 40 ′ that is operated by grasping the tab portion and pulling in the direction indicated by the arrow in fig8 , which causes the tear feature in the web 122 to initiate a tear in the web . the invention also encompasses other alternative easy - opening features . fig9 shows one such alternative easy - opening feature 140 . a web 142 is perforated along two lines 144 that form a generally x - shaped configuration , thus forming four generally triangular tear portions in the web . a label 146 is affixed to the web over the perforation lines 144 ; preferably , the perforation lines do not extend all the way to the outer edges of the label . the label includes a tab portion 148 . to operate the easy - opening feature 140 , the tab portion 148 is grasped and pulled in the direction toward the opposite edge of the label ( to the left in fig9 ), which causes the web to begin tearing along the lines 144 . fig1 shows another easy - opening feature 150 in accordance with the invention . the feature 150 is formed by an label 152 applied to an exterior surface ( i . e ., the side facing away from a packaged product ) of a web 154 . both the label and the web are slit to form one or more tab portions 156 and corresponding tear portions 158 in the web that are adhered to the respective tab portions . in accordance with this embodiment , the label 152 includes a non - heat shrinkable layer 160 and a heat - shrinkable layer 162 . the heat - shrinkable layer 162 is outward of the non - heat - shrinkable layer 160 , forming the exterior surface of the label in the illustrated embodiment . when heated to cause the heat - shrinkable layer 162 to shrink , the tab portions 156 and corresponding tear portions 158 are caused to curl outwardly away from the product in the package . in this manner , the tab portions are made easier to grasp . a similar effect can be achieved in a shrink - wrap package by the alternative easy - opening feature 150 ′ shown in fig1 . in this embodiment , a non - heat - shrinkable label 152 ′ is affixed to an interior surface ( i . e ., the side facing the product ) of a heat - shrinkable web 154 and is then slit along with the web to form one or more tab portions 156 and corresponding tear portions 158 . when the package is heated to shrink the web 154 , the tear portions 158 of the web will curl outwardly and cause the attached tab portions 156 to also curl , thus making the tab portions easier to grasp . fig1 shows yet another embodiment of the invention . the easy - opening feature 170 in fig1 includes an label 172 affixed to a web 174 . the label and web are punched to form one or more tab portions 176 and corresponding tear portions ( not visible ). the label and web are punched so as to remove material of the label and web , thus forming openings 178 . a finger can be inserted into the openings to aid in grasping the tab portions . fig1 depicts still another embodiment of the invention . the easy - opening feature 180 shown in fig1 includes an label 182 affixed to a web 184 . the label includes a middle portion 186 , denoted by cross - hatching in the drawing , that is not affixed to the web ; the other portions of the label on opposite sides of the middle portion are affixed to the web by adhesive or other means . the web is perforated , slit , scored , or otherwise weakened along a plurality of lines 188 located so as to be covered by the adhesive portions of the label . the lines 188 preferably radiate outwardly from the middle portion of the label . the middle portion 186 of the label is slit along a line 190 that bisects the portion so that half of the portion form a tab portion connected to one adhesive portion and the other half forms a tab portion connected to the other adhesive portion of the label . the easy - opening feature is operated by grasping one or both of the tab portions and pulling them generally away from each other to cause the web to begin tearing along the lines 188 . many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings . therefore , it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims . although specific terms are employed herein , they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation .	1
the device illustrated in the figures is a soil cultivating machine comprising a frame part 1 extending transversely of the intended direction of operative travel a of the machine and having the shape of a closed box formed from metal sheets . it will be apparent from fig4 that the frame part 1 comprises a substantially u - shaped part 2 , the two limbs of which extend upwardly , said part being closed at the top by a detachable cover 3 fastened by bolts and occupying a substantially horizontal position covering the whole width of the machine . the frame part 1 is closed at both ends by a head partition 4 comprising a metal end plate welded along the whole length of the head periphery of the u - shaped part 2 . the plate 4 is arranged in a substantially vertical position and is approximately parallel to the direction of movement a . midway along the length of the frame part 1 , a trestle 5 is fastened principally to the top of said frame part , said trestle having , at the front of the machine , three connecting points intended to be coupled with the arms of a three - point lifting device of a tractor moving the machine . near the mid - point of the frame part 1 , the top side thereof is furthermore provided with a driving mechanism 6 having a forwardly protruding input shaft 7 which can be coupled , with the aid of an intermediate shaft 8 , to the power take - off shaft of a tractor connected with the trestle 5 . the bottom of the u - shaped part 2 is provided with a sequence of bearing 9 extending transversely of the direction of movement a and the cover 3 has a corresponding sequence of bearing 10 so that the center line of each bearing 9 registers with the center line of a corresponding bearing 10 . in the bearings 9 and 10 are rotatably held upwardly extending rotary shafts , which are coaxially surrounded , inside the closed frame part 1 , by gear wheels 11 , the proportions of the arrangement being such that the gear wheels 11 associated with the two series of bearings 9 and 10 form a sequence of meshing pinions extending transversely of the direction of movement a . a gear wheel 11 located near the driving mechanism 6 can be directly driven from said mechanism and all further gear wheels 11 are rotated by said directly driven gear wheel during operation . in this way the gear wheels 11 constitute an even number of pairs of wheels rotatably driven in opposite directions . the axes of the shafts associated with the gear wheels 11 are preferably spaced apart by a distance of about twenty - five centimeters and protrude from the bottom of the frame part 1 . at the lower ends , said shafts have the tine carriers 12 which each project from both sides of the shaft and , near their opposite ends , they carry downwardly extending soil cultivating tines 13 . the paths described by the tips of the tines 13 overlap one another . each carrier 12 and its tines 13 together constitute a soil cultivating member . the frame part 1 thus forms a gear box containing , in addition , the lubricants required for the gear wheel drive . from fig2 and 5 it will be apparent that , considered in a direction of height , each head partition 4 is not limited to the top of the cover 3 of the frame part 1 but , by part of its height indicated by the reference numeral 14 , it extends above the top surfaces of the frame part 1 . the elevational view of fig2 and the sectional view of fig4 shows that the circumference of the head partition 4 is substantially rectangular and , viewed parallel to the direction of travel a , it extends from the front of the frame part 1 to a point at a predetermined distance behind the rear edge of said frame part . as shown in fig2 and 4 , the bottom edge of the head partition 4 approximately coincides with the bottom of the gear box 1 . the height by which the part 14 of the head partition 4 extends above the top of the frame part 1 is , in the preferred embodiment , shown to be at least equal to the height of the frame part 1 itself measured in the same direction . on the inner , vertical boundary surface of the part 14 of the head partition 4 , that is to say , the boundary surface of the part 14 facing towards the other end of the frame part 1 , a carrying arm 15 is pivotally arranged on a pivotal shaft 16 . the pivotal shaft 16 is horizontal , transverse to the direction of travel a and parallel to the frame part 1 . considered with respect to the direction of movement a , the pivotal shaft 16 is arranged near the front of the part 14 of the head partition 4 that extends above the frame part 1 . measured in a direction of height , the pivotal shaft 16 is located approximately midway between the top surface of the frame part 1 and the horizontal top edge of the part 14 . the carrying arm 15 is cut from a flat metal sheet or plate and has a part 17 extending rearwardly away from the pivotal shaft 16 and , in the position shown , it is substantially horizontal and at the top and bottom it is bounded by two parallel lines . as seen in the sectional view of fig4 the rear end of the part 17 is located substantially directly behind the rear edge of the frame part 1 . this rear end terminates in a downwardly and rearwardly inclined part 18 , which has , in the end position shown in fig4 a lowermost boundary point located just below a horizontal plane containing the bottom of the frame part 1 . the part 18 then terminates in a part 19 which is directed away from the part 18 substantially horizontally to the rear in the position shown in fig4 while its rear edge extends over a pre - determined distance behind the rearmost boundary line of the part 14 . also the parts 18 and 19 are roughly bounded by relatively parallel edges . the parts 17 , 18 and 19 are made from a single piece of metal sheet or plate . in the position shown in fig4 the vertical side face of the part 17 of the carrying arm 15 directed towards the part 14 of the head partition 4 is , throughout its height , in surface to surface engagement with the side face of the part 14 directed towards the carrying arm 15 . to the outer side of the rearmost part 19 of the carrying arm 15 is fastened a support 20 which , in the position of the carrying arm 15 shown in the figures , is rearwardly and mainly downwardly inclined away from the part 19 of the carrying arm 15 . the support 20 is fastened to the end part 19 of the carrying arm 15 by bolts 21 , the heads of which are located on the outerside of the outermost side face of the support 20 . therefore , the part of the support 20 in engagement with the part 19 is located , viewed in plan , straight behind , or in line with , the part 14 of the head partition 4 . from fig5 it will be apparent that the support 20 , which may be considered to be part of the carrying arm 15 , is located , in the position of the carrying arm 15 shown , approximately at the level of the tine carriers 12 and is bent over in a direction towards the other end of the frame part 1 . a bent - over part 22 terminates in a part 23 , which , like the top part of the support 20 , is again vertical and parallel to the direction of travel a . the lower part 23 of the support 20 has on its outer side a bearing ( not shown ) for a supporting roller 24 of the machine , said roller being freely rotatable on the support 20 and on a substantially symmetrically disposed support 20 fastened to the other end of the gear box 1 . during operation the machine bears on the ground by means of the roller 24 . ( fig1 and 4 ). the distance , designated in fig5 by a reference numeral 25 , between the outer face of the part 23 of the support 20 and a plane coinciding with the outer face of the plate 4 corresponds to the dimension of the aforesaid bearing by which the roller 24 is connected to the support 20 , measured in the same direction . the roller 24 comprises a central , tubular shaft 26 , on which annular metal partitions 27 are arranged near both ends and at several places between the two ends , said partitions being coaxial with the shaft 26 ( fig1 ). the partitions 27 are interconnected by a large number of rods or tubes 28 , which extends in the direction of the greatest dimension of the roller 24 and which are passed through apertures provided around the circumferences of the partitions 27 . the rods 28 extend outwardly over a given distance beyond the two outer - most partitions 27 so that , on each side of the roller 24 , their ends are located in a plane intersecting the part 22 of the corresponding support 20 which is bent over towards the center near the inner side surface of the upper part of the support 20 concerned . near the rearmost end and immediately inboard of the part 17 of the carrying arm 15 is fastened adjustable securing means comprising a screw spindle 29 journalled in a bearing 30 which is secured to the inner side face of the part 17 . the upwardly extending screw spindle 29 is arranged to turn about a pivotal shaft 31 associated with the bearing 30 ( fig4 ), said shaft being directed horizontally and perpendicularly to the vertical side faces of the plate - shaped part 17 . the screw spindle 29 extends downwardly through the bearing 30 and is rotatably fastened near its lower end to a supporting plate 32 , which is fastened to the rear and outer surfaces of the u - shaped part 2 of the gear box 1 , from where it protrudes to the rear . as will be seen from the elevational view of fig2 and the sectional view of fig4 an upwardly extending rear edge 33 of the plate 4 is rounded off in the form of an arc of a circle . the center of this arc is located on the axis of the pivotal shaft 16 . viewed in plan , the rear edge 33 is located substantially midway between the rear edge of the gear box 1 and the longitudinal axis of the roller 24 . from fig2 it will be apparent that , near the rear edge 33 , the material of the plate 4 has a large number of notches 34 which , in this embodiment , are of triangular shape , in the outer face of the plate 4 . the notches 34 are located directly side - by - side in a continuous row , which row covers the whole height of the rounded - off rear edge 33 of the plate 4 . the horizontally measured dimension of each notch 34 is about one to two centimeters . fig2 and , in particular , fig3 show that , between the rear of the plate 4 and the top part of the support 20 fastened by means of the bolts to the outer side of the carrying arm 15 , is arranged a supporting element 35 , which holds , during operation , the carrying arm 15 , the support 20 and the roller 24 on the rear edge of the head partition 4 . as shown in the elevational view of fig2 the supporting element 35 has a substantially rectangular outer circumference and , as will be seen from fig3 it is in contact with the outer side of the head partition 4 and the upper part of the support 20 . the edge directed towards the head partition 4 has a row of adjacent notches fitting , during operation , between and on the notches 34 of the head partition 4 . the supporting element 35 is fastened by a bolt 36 near the lower end of the part 18 of the carrying arm 15 . the edge directed towards the upper part of the support 20 ( fig4 ) has a cavity 37 closely surrounding the neighboring head of one of the bolts 21 . the bolt 36 extends through an open space between the edge 33 of the head partition 4 and a boundary face 38 of the upper part of the support 20 extending substantially parallel to the edge 33 . in this open space also lies a projecting or bulging part 39 ( fig3 ) of the supporting element 35 , said bulging part being integral with the material of the supporting element 35 . the bulging part 39 has side faces directed towards the edge 33 and the boundary face 38 , respectively , and is in substantially fitting engagement with said faces . the boundary face of the bulging part 39 that is directed towards the part 18 is located at a short distance from said plate part 18 so that , after the bolt 36 is tightened , the supporting element 35 and also the notches at the front bear forcibly on the outer faces of the head partition 4 ( notches 34 ) and the support 20 . at the side of the row of notches 34 , the outer face of the head partition 4 is provided with a dial 40 and the outer face of the supporting element 35 has a mark in the form of an arrow joining the dial 40 . the construction shown in the figures is illustrated for one of the two ends of the machine . at the other end of the machine the same construction is found in a symmetrically similar position . during operation the machine is hitched by means of the trestle 5 to the three - point lifting device of a tractor moving the machine . the intermediate shaft 8 is connected with the power take - off shaft of the tractor and drives , through the driving mechanism 6 , a gear wheel located near said mechanism inside the frame part 1 forming a gear box , said gear wheel , in turn , driving the further pairs of gear wheels in opposite directions . thus , the tine carriers 12 and the pairs of tines 13 secured thereto are driven in pairs in opposite directions . the situation illustrated in fig2 and 4 indicates a rest position of the machine in which the roller 24 is in its lowermost position relative to the pairs of tines 13 . prior to commencing operation , the two screw spindles 29 are manually turned so that , with respect to the frame part 1 , the roller 24 is turned bodily upwardly , for example out of the position shown in fig4 about the pivotal shafts 16 until the bottom of the roller , considered in a direction of height , is in the correct position relative to the pairs of tines 13 or , in other words , until the correct working depth of the tines 13 is attained , because the roller supports the machine on the ground surface . since it must be possible separately to actuate the screw spindles 29 , the bearings by which the roller 24 is journalled in the supports 20 are of an adjustable type . during road transport , the legal provisions in various countries with respect to the maximum width of a machine , which should not exceed three meters or some different width , have to be observed . in order to ensure that this maximum width is , as far as possible , available for the deployment of the row of pairs of tines 13 , said maximum width being an integral multiple of the desired spacing between the rotary axes of the soil cultivating members ( about twenty - five centimeters ), the outer faces of the two plate - shaped head partitions 4 are exactly disposed at a relative spacing of three meters so that no width has to be reserved for suspending the roller 24 . the latter is achieved by arranging the carrying arms 15 of the supporting roller 24 on the inner side of each part 14 of each head partition 4 which projects upwardly above the top face of the frame part 1 and by arranging the spindles 29 and the associated structure on the same side of each part 14 . by means in the inwardly bent - over parts 22 of the supports 20 arranged each on one side of the machine , it is ensured that the bearings of the supporting roller 24 lie just within the dimension 25 ( fig5 ) and do not protrude beyond the outer faces of the head partitions 4 . in order to maximize the length of the roller , the rods 28 extend beyond the outermost partitions 27 over a short distance from the inner side faces of the upper parts of the supports 20 . during the displacement of the roller 24 in a direction of height by means of the spindles 29 , the bolt 36 of the supporting element 35 is slightly loosened so that the notches of the supporting element 35 will no longer firmly bear in the notches 34 of the head partition 4 . when the spindles 29 are turned , the supporting element 35 moves together with the carrying arm 15 and the support 20 , the supporting element 35 maintaining its position shown since the cavity 37 holds the head of stop means comprising bolt 21 . when the desired height has been attained , the bolt 36 on both sides of the machine is again tightened . during operation , the entire upwardly directed force exerted by the roller 24 on the remainder of the machine is transferred via the two supporting elements 35 to the head partition 4 and hence to the box - shaped frame part 1 so that the screw spindles 29 are not loaded . through the head of the bolt 21 concerned , said force results in a moment on the bolt 36 , which is absorbed on the side of the supporting element 35 remote from the bolt 21 since the notches of the supporting element 35 are pressed into the notches 34 and also because ( fig3 ) the side faces of the bulging part 39 directed towards the edge 33 and the boundary face 38 , respectively , can engage the edge 33 and the boundary face 38 , respectively . by this design of the supporting element 35 a simple transfer of forces is obtained . the upwardly directed force exerted on the bottom of the supporting roller 24 is substantially equal to the overall weight of the machine and , as well as the acceleration forces produced during operation , is transferred via the parts 23 and 22 and the bolts 36 to the head partitions 4 . owing to the inward bends of the parts 22 of the support 20 an eccentric force ( fig5 ) is exerted on the carrying arm 15 with respect to the associated head partition 4 . owing to the symmetry of the construction , and to the load , the portion of the supporting part 23 located near the roller suspension is compelled to deform with respect to the frame part 1 in a vertical plane perpendicular to the length of the frame part 1 , in which plane said portion is lying in the unloaded state . owing to said , so to say , compulsory deformation , the upper part of the support 20 and the parts 18 and 19 of the carrying arm 15 will tend to bend outwardly , which would produce an undesirable load on the pivotal shaft 16 of the carrying arm 15 is located at the inner face of the part 14 of the head partition 4 which extends above the frame part 1 , the carrying arm 15 is rigidly supported in the outward direction so that such undesirable load of the pivotal shaft 16 is avoided . the disposition of the carrying arm 15 on the inner side of the head partition 4 thus not only provides a geometrical advantage in optimalizing the relative positions of the soil cultivating members but also fulfils an important function in the simple pivotal disposition of the supporting roller 24 . the invention is not limited to the description and / or the claims , but also relates to the details disclosed in figures whether described or not .	0
fig1 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment of a processing unit 10 that performs multioperand decimal arithmetic in accordance with one or more of the techniques described herein . in particular , fig1 illustrates a portion of processing unit 10 that includes a multioperand decimal adder 20 for performing decimal arithmetic . multioperand decimal adder 20 receives binary coded decimal ( bcd ) inputs 12 labeled “ a 0 - a ( n − 1 ).” each bcd operand , e . g ., a 0 , of bcd operands 12 comprises a bcd digit . multioperand decimal adder 20 sums bcd operands 12 using binary carry - save addition to produce a bcd sum 14 , “ z .” for example , let bcd operands 12 comprise exactly three double - digit inputs , wherein a 0 = 19 ( decimal )= 0001 1001 ( bcd ), a 1 = 28 = 0010 1000 and a 2 = 86 = 1000 0110 . multioperand decimal adder would produce a bcd sum z of 0001 0011 0011 , which is 133 in bcd format . in various embodiments described herein , multioperand decimal adder 20 one of four techniques described herein for performing fast decimal addition on bcd operands 12 . as further described below , three of the techniques speculate bcd correction values and use chaining to correct intermediate results . the first technique speculates over one addition . the second technique speculates over two additions . the third technique employs multiple instances of the second technique in parallel and then merges the results . the fourth technique uses a binary carry - save adder tree and produces a binary sum . combinational logic is then used to correct the sum and determine the carry into the next digit . multioperand decimal adder 20 uses binary carry - save addition ( csa ). in different embodiments , multioperand decimal adder 20 may speculate binary to bcd correction values , in which case a speculation correction is required to produce bcd sum 14 . in other embodiments , multioperand decimal adder 20 may comprise one or more non - speculative decimal adders . processing unit 10 may be a microprocessor or coprocessor for use within a laptop computer , general - purpose computer or high - end computing system . alternatively , processing unit 10 may be a microcontroller , application - specific integrated circuit ( as 1 c ) or other component . moreover , processing unit 10 may be implemented as a single integrated circuit in which adder 20 constitutes only a portion of the implemented functionality . alternatively , adder 20 may be implemented in one or more stand - alone integrated circuits . further , components of processing unit 10 and adder 20 may be implemented as discrete combinatorial logic , logic arrays , microcode , firmware or combinations thereof . fig2 is a block diagram illustrating a single - digit multioperand decimal adder 21 ( herein , “ adder 21 ”) that uses speculative binary to bcd correction according to one embodiment of the invention . in the illustrated embodiment , adder 21 includes binary carry - save adders 22 a , 22 b , 22 c , 22 d and 22 e ( collectively , “ csas 22 ”). adder 21 also includes speculative binary to bcd correction logic 24 a , 24 b and 24 c ( collectively , “ logic 24 ”) and multiplexers 26 a , 26 b , 26 c and 26 d ( collectively , “ multiplexers 26 ”). lastly , adder 21 includes carry propagate adders 28 a and 28 b ( collectively , “ cpas 28 ”) and final correction logic 29 . in this description , a digit referenced with brackets ( e . g . a 1 [ 3 ]) denotes a single bit of that digit . with respect to fig2 , csas 22 each output a sum s digit and a carry c digit . each carry digit is a 4 - bit quantity having bit positions [ 4 : 1 ]. adder 21 applies single correction speculation . with single correction speculation , bcd digits from the first two input operands , a 0 and a 1 , are added using binary carry - save addition by csa 22 a to produce a 4 - bit sum digit , s 1 , and a 4 - bit carry digit , c 1 , such that s 1 + c 1 = a 0 + a 1 . when performing word - wide decimal multioperand addition , i . e . adding operands having more than one bcd digit , bit position c [ 0 ] is set to the carry - out from the previous , less - significant , carry digit and bit position c [ 4 ] is passed to the least significant bit of the next more significant carry digit . if the most significant bit of the first carry digit , c 1 [ 4 ], is equal to one , then a carry - out of the current digit has occurred and the sum of the first two input operands is at least sixteen and a correction value of six needs to be added . to keep the addition of the correction value off the critical delay path , the correction value for the sum of a 0 and a 1 is added in advance to the bcd digit of the next input operand , i . e ., operand a 2 , by logic 24 a . c 1 [ 4 ] is used by multiplexer 26 a to selected the next value to be added by csa 22 b , i . e ., either operand a 2 or operand a 2 + 6 . when c 1 [ 4 ] equals zero , i . e ., no carry occurs , multiplexer 26 a selects operand a 2 . when c 1 [ 4 ] equals one , indicating a carry out has occurred , multiplexer 26 a selects operand a 2 + 6 . a similar advanced correction process continues for operands a 3 and a 4 , which are added by csas 22 c and 22 d with appropriate correction values selected by multiplexers 26 b and 26 c . for each level of adder 21 , the most significant bit of the carry digit c in the previous level is examined . for example , if c 2 [ 4 ] is 1 , then a carry - out of that level has occurred and a 3 + 6 is selected by multiplexer 26 b for addition to s 2 and c 2 by csa 22 c to produce s 3 + c 3 = s 2 + c 2 +( a 3 + 6 ). otherwise , if c 2 [ 4 ] is 0 , no correction is needed , and a 3 is added to s 2 and c 2 to produce s 3 + c 3 = s 2 + c 2 + a 3 . next , a speculation correction value , sc , is added to s 4 and c 4 based on c 4 [ 4 ] by csa 22 e . in particular , when c 4 [ 4 ]= 0 , no correction value is needed , i . e ., sc = 0 if , however , c 4 [ 4 ]= 1 , a correction value of sc = 6 is used . a 1 - digit carry - propagate addition is then performed by cpa 28 a to compress the sum and carry digitis to obtain an intermediate bcd digit z ′= s 5 + c 5 . last , the final sum is corrected back to a valid bcd digit , z , by final correction logic 29 and cpa 28 b , and a digit carry , co , is produced . table 1 illustrates a final correction value f output by final correction logic 29 based on c 5 [ 4 ], z ′[ 4 ], and z ′. correction value f ensures the final digit , z , is a valid bcd digit in the range of 0 to 9 . since each addition has been corrected by adding six whenever there is a carry - out of the current digit position , the final correction , f , is either 0 , 6 , or 12 , based on the values of c 5 [ 4 ], z ′[ 4 ], and z ′, as shown in table 1 . in the illustrated embodiment of fig2 , adder 21 receives five single - digit operands and quickly produces a single bcd sum digit z and a digit carry co . however , more or less levels may similarly be used to implement a single correction speculation multioperand decimal adder capable of receiving more or less than five operands . moreover , as illustrated below in reference to fig8 , adder 21 may comprise multiple 1 - digit single correction speculation adders and a word - wide decimal carry - propagate adder ( cpa ) to add multiple digit bcd operands . in word - wide decimal multioperand addition , z represents the correct bcd digit having the same significance as the input operands and co would be passed along to be included in the calculation of the next most significant digit of the total sum . fig3 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary operation of a multioperand decimal adder , such as adder 21 of fig2 , that performs decimal arithmetic using single correction speculation in accordance with the techniques described herein . initially , adder 21 receives at least three operands ( 32 ). next , adder 21 sums the first operand , or a single bcd digit from the first operand if the first operand has more than one bcd digit , a 0 , with the second operand , a 1 , using binary carry - save addition ( 36 ). this produces a 4 - bit sum s 1 , and a 4 - bit carry c 1 . if the most significant bit of the carry is 0 , then s 1 , c 1 and a 2 are summed using a carry - save adder to produce s 2 and c 2 ( 38 a ). if instead the most significant bit of carry is 1 , then s 1 , c 1 , and ( a 2 + 6 ) are summed using a carry - save adder to produce s 2 and c 2 ( 38 b ). a similar process continues for n − 2 iterations ( 2 ≦ i & lt ; n ), until all input operands : a 0 , a 1 , . . . a ( n − 1 ), are added with appropriate correction values . for each iteration , the most significant bit of the carry digit in the previous iteration , c ( i − 1 )[ 4 ], is examined ( 37 ). if c ( i − 1 )[ 4 ] is one , then a carry - out of the current digit has occurred and a ( i )+ 6 is added to s ( i − 1 ) and c ( i − 1 ) using carry - save addition ( 38 b ) to produce s ( i )+ c ( i )= s ( i − 1 )+ c ( i − 1 )+( a ( i )+ 6 ). otherwise , no correction is needed and a ( i ) is added to s ( i − 1 ) and c ( i − 1 ) using carry - save addition ( 38 a ) to produce s ( i )+ c ( i )= s ( i − 1 )+ c ( i − 1 )+ a ( i ). once the last operand a ( n − 1 ) has been added ( 39 ), a final speculation correction is required . specifically , a speculation correction value sc is added to s ( n − 1 ) and c ( n − 1 ) based on c ( n − 1 )[ 4 ] to produce sn and cn ( 40 ). then , a 1 - digit carry - propagate addition is performed to compress the sum , sn , and carry , cn , to obtain z ′ = sn + cn using 4 - bit carry - propagate addition ( 42 ). last , the final sum z ′ is corrected back to a valid bcd digit , z , and a digit carry , co , is also produced ( 44 ). for illustrative purposes , the following pseudo code also illustrates the single correction speculation algorithm performed by adder 21 : fig4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary multioperand decimal adder 50 ( herein , “ adder 50 ”) that uses double correction speculation according to an embodiment of the invention . as illustrated , adder 50 includes carry - save adders 52 a , 52 b , 52 c , 52 d and 52 e ( collectively , “ csas 52 ”). adder 50 also includes speculative binary to bcd correction logic 54 a and 54 b ( collectively , “ logic 54 ”) and multiplexers 56 a , 56 b and 56 c ( collectively , “ multiplexers 56 ”). lastly , adder 50 includes carry propagate adders 58 a and 58 b ( collectively , “ cpas 58 ”) and final correction logic 59 . with double correction speculation , bcd digits from the first two input operands , a 0 and a 1 , are added using binary carry - save addition by csa 52 a to produce a 4 - bit sum digit , s 1 , and a 4 - bit carry digit , c 1 , such that s 1 + c 1 = a 0 + a 1 . then , the next input operand , a 2 , is added with s 1 and c 1 by csa 52 b such that s 2 + c 2 = s 1 + c 1 + a 2 . if the most significant bit of the first carry digit , c 1 [ 4 ], is equal to one , then a carry - out of the csa 52 a has occurred and a correction value of six needs to be added . to keep the addition of the correction value off the critical delay path , the correction value is added in advance to the digit of input operand a 3 by logic 54 a . moreover , by adding the correction to a 3 instead of a 2 , as with adder 21 , multiplexer 56 a is also kept off the critical path as the selection process occurs in parallel with the addition operation of csa 52 b . the same process continues for a 4 , which is added by csa 52 d to s 3 and c 3 with an appropriate correction selected by multiplexer 56 b . at the end of the process , multiplexer 56 c selects a speculation correction value , sc , which is added to s 4 and c 4 based on c 4 [ 4 ] and c 3 [ 4 ] by csa 52 e . next , a carry - propagate addition is performed by cpa 58 a to compress the sum and carry digits to obtain z ′= s5sum z ′ is corrected back to a valid bcd digit , z and a digit carry co by final correction logic 59 and cpa 58 b . as with adder 21 of fig2 , adder 50 speculates that the addition of a 0 with a 1 does not need to be corrected . adder 50 also speculates that the addition of a 2 with s 1 and c 1 does not need to be corrected . using double correction speculation , logic 54 uses c ( i − 2 )[ 4 ] to select whether a ( i ) or a ( i )+ 6 is added to s ( i − 1 ) and c ( i − 1 ). compared with adder 21 of fig2 , which uses single correction speculation , this removes the multiplexers 56 that select between a ( i ) and a ( i )+ 6 from the critical path , since the correction for a ( i + 1 ) is selected while the carry - save addition of a ( i ) or a ( i )+ 6 with s ( i − 1 ) and c ( i − 1 ) is being performed . it also removes the logic to produce a 2 + 6 , since a 2 is always added without a correction value . however , determination of the speculation correction value , sc , is slightly more complex with adder 50 than adder 21 because double correction speculation requires two speculative additions whereas single correction speculation only requires one . final correction logic 59 selects a value of 0 , 6 , or 12 for speculation correction sc based on c ( n − 2 )[ 4 ] and c ( n − 1 )[ 4 ] as shown in table 2 . for ease of illustration , adder 50 of fig4 is shown to receive five operands a 0 - a 4 . in this embodiment , adder 50 utilizes five 4 - bit carry - save adders 52 , two 4 - bit 2 : 1 multiplexers 56 a adn 56 b , two combinational logic blocks 54 to find a ( i )+ 6 , one 4 - bit 4 : 1 multiplexer 56 c to produce sc , two 4 - bit carry - propagate adders 58 , and one 4 - level combinational logic block 59 to produce the final correction , f . in this configuration , the critical delay path of adder consists of five carry - save additions , one 4 - bit 4 : 1 multiplexer delay , two 4 - bit carry propagate additions , and 4 - levels of logic to implement table 2 . compared to the single correction speculation adder 21 in fig2 , the double correction speculation adder 50 removes three 4 - bit 2 : 1 multiplexers from the critical delay path . in accordance with other embodiments of the invention , the techniques shown in fig4 may be utilized to implement a double correction speculation decimal adder capable of receiving and adding more or less than five decimal operands . further , a processing unit may comprise multiple 1 - digit double correction speculation adders 50 and a word - wide decimal carry - propagate adder ( cpa ) for operation on multiple digit bcd operands . fig5 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary operation of a multioperand decimal adder , such as adder 50 , that performs decimal arithmetic using double correction speculation in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . first , adder 50 receives at least three operands a 0 - a ( n − 1 ) ( 62 ). for each digit , operand a 0 is summed with the second operand a 1 using binary carry - save addition ( 65 ). this produces a 4 - bit sum , s 1 , and a 4 - bit carry , c 1 . next the third operand , a 2 , is summed with the second operand , s 1 and c 1 using binary carry - save addition , producing s 2 and c 2 ( 65 ). if the most significant bit of the carry from the addition of a 0 and a 1 is 0 , then s 2 , c 2 and a 3 are summed using a carry - save adder to produce s 3 and c 3 . ( 68 a ). if instead the most significant bit of the carry is 1 , then s 2 , c 2 , ( a 3 + 6 ) are summed using a carry - save adder to produce s 3 and c 3 . ( 68 b ). a similar process continues for n − 3 iterations ( 3 ≦ i & lt ; n ), until all input operands : a 0 , a 1 , . . . a ( n − 1 ), are added with appropriate correction values . for each iteration i , the most significant bit of the carry digit c ( i − 2 )[ 4 ] is examined ( 67 ). if c ( i − 2 )[ 4 ] is a logical one , then a carry - out has occurred and a ( i )+ 6 is added to s ( i − 1 ) and c ( i − 1 ) using carry - save addition ( 68 b ) to produce s ( i )+ c ( i )= s ( i − 1 )+ c ( i − 1 )+( a ( i )+ 6 ). otherwise , no correction is needed and a ( i ) is added to s ( i − 1 ) and c ( i − 1 ) using carry - save - addition ( 68 a ) to produce s ( i )+ c ( i )= s ( i − 1 )+ c ( i − 1 )+ a ( i ). once the process has completed for the final iteration , such that there are no more operands ( 69 ), a speculation correction is required . the speculation correction value is added to s ( n − 1 ) and c ( n − 1 ) based on c ( n − 1 )[ 4 ] and c ( n − 2 )[ 4 ] using table 2 ( 70 ). then , carry - propagate addition is performed to compress the sum , sn , and carry , cn , to obtain z ′= sn + cn using 4 - bit carry - propagate addition ( 72 ). last , the final sum is corrected back to a valid bcd digit , z , and a digit carry , co , is also produced ( 74 ). in word - wide decimal multioperand addition , z represents the correct bcd digit having the same significance as the input operands and co would be passed along to be included in the calculation of the next most significant digit of the total sum . for illustrative purposes , pseudocode for the double speculative correction process in accordance with the invention is included below : fig6 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary parallel multioperand decimal adder 80 that incorporates multiple speculative adders 81 a and 81 b ( collectively , speculative adders 81 ). parallel adder 80 also includes carry - save adders 82 a , 82 b and 82 c ( collectively , “ csas 82 ”) and carry - propagate adders 86 a and 86 b ( collectively , “ cpas 86 ”) parallel adder 80 further comprises a multiplexer 84 and final correction logic 88 . speculative adders 81 operate in parallel to produce partial sums s 0 and s 1 and partial carries c 0 and c 1 . either single or double correction speculation adders can be used as adders 81 . in this example , adder 80 receives six operands a 0 - a 5 , and speculative adders 81 each sum three of the operands as described above until the point where the speculation corrections are added ( e . g ., step 70 in fig5 ). then , the outputs of adders 81 ( s 0 , s 1 , c 0 and c 1 ) are merged by csa 82 a and csa 82 b to produce s 3 and c 3 . next , csa 82 c adds a speculative correction sc selected by multiplexer 84 . cpa 86 a then compresses the s 4 and c 4 into a sum z ′ and a carryout z ′[ 4 ]. finally , logic 88 produces a final correction f in accordance with table 1 , which is added by cpa 86 b to produce a bcd digit sum , z and a carry - out , co . in this embodiment , parallel adder 80 comprises exactly two speculative adders 81 operating in parallel . in other embodiments parallel adder 80 may have additional speculative adders operating in parallel , but the benefits of using more adders in parallel are offset by the costs of merging the results . as illustrated in fig6 , merging the results of parallel adders 81 can be accomplished using three carry - save additions . with p parallel adders , there are 3 ×┌ log 2 ( p )┐ extra carry - save additions on the critical path . embodiments of a 1 - digit , n - operand parallel correction speculation adder composed of p parallel adders requires n 4 - bit carry - save adders , ( n − 3 ) 4 - bit 2 : 1 multiplexers , ( n − 3 ) 2 - level combinational logic blocks to find a ( i )+ 6 , ( 2p ) 4 - bit carry - propagate adders , p 4 - level combinational logic blocks to select f for each parallel adder , and 3 ( p − 1 ) carry - save adders plus ( p − 1 ) 4 - level correction logic blocks to merge results . its critical path is ┌ n / p ┐ carry - save additions , one 4 - bit 2 : 1 multiplexer delay , two 4 - bit carry - propagate additions , and 4 levels of logic to implement speculative correction . merging the results requires 3 ×┌ log 2 ( p )┐ carry - save additions and 4 ×┌ log 2 ( p )┐ levels of logic . for ease of illustration , adder 80 is shown as capable of summing single digit operands . however , adder 20 c may also comprise additional parallel adders and a word - wide decimal carry - propagate adder ( cpa ) and be capable of adding multiple digit bcd operands . word - wide decimal multioperand addition is described in greater detail in the description of fig8 . fig7 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary operation of a parallel multioperand decimal adder according to an embodiment of the invention . first , the multioperand decimal adder receives at least four operands ( 92 ). next , the input operand digits are divided in p 4 - bit groups , where p equals the number of speculative adders being used in parallel ( 96 ). speculative addition , e . g ., single or double speculative addition , is then used to produce p partial sums and partial carries , corresponding to one partial sum and partial carry for each speculative adder ( 97 ). the sums and carries from each speculative adder are then merged using carry - save addition ( 98 ). after the sums and carries are merged , another correction is needed to correct for the carry - outs for which are currently unaccounted . then , speculation correction steps are taken , and a cpa compresses the sum and carry produced from step 98 , followed by the addition of the addition of a final correction factor f in accordance with table 1 ( 99 ). fig8 is a block diagram illustrating a portion of an exemplary word - wide decimal adder 100 that uses 1 - digit ( 4 - bit ) speculative multioperand adders 104 a , 104 b and 104 c , ( collectively , “ adders 104 ”) and a word - wide decimal carry - propagate adder 106 . word - wide decimal carry - propagate adder 106 includes correction logic 108 , a 2 - bit counter 112 and a carry - propagate adder 110 for each of adders 104 . each of multioperand speculative adders 104 may be any of the 1 - digit ( 4 - bit ) multioperand speculative adders described above in reference to fig2 , 4 and 6 . each of multioperand speculative adders 104 adds different digits of the input operands 102 . the most significant bit of each carry digit , c ( i )[ 4 ], becomes the least significant bit of the next more significant carry digit , which is known an inter - digit carry . fig8 shows inter - digit carries 105 a , 105 b and 105 c . for example , adder 104 a outputs inter - digit carries 105 a to adder 104 b . fig8 illustrates a portion of word - wide multioperand decimal adder 100 that is composed of m 1 - digit speculative decimal multioperand adders 104 operating in parallel and feeding carries from one digit to the next more significant digit , where m equals the number of digits in each of operands 102 . the 4 - bit sum and 1 - bit carry digits produced by the 1 - digit multioperand adders 104 are fed into a word - wide decimal carry - propagate adder 106 to obtain the final result , digits 114 a , 114 b and 114 c . for example , logic 108 a receives a sum , z and a carry - out , co from adder 104 a . logic 108 a then determines if z is greater than nine , which would require a binary to bcd correction of + 6 . next , cpa 110 a adds z with the correction from logic 108 a to produce a digit sum 114 a and a 1 - bit carry if required . 2 - bit counter 112 a receives a 1 - bit carry from each of the c 0 and cpa 110 a , which are passed to cpa 110 b for determining the digit sum 114 b . this process is repeated within word - wide decimal carry - propagate adder 106 for each sum , z and carry - out , co produced by adders 104 . fig9 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a non - speculative multioperand decimal adder 130 according to an embodiment of the invention . specifically , fig9 shows a single - digit , non - speculative multioperand decimal adder 130 that uses a binary csa tree 135 for m ultioperand decimal addition according to an embodiment of the invention . adder 130 includes carry - save adders 132 a , 132 b and 132 c ( collectively , “ csas 132 ”). adder 130 also includes carry - propagate adders 138 a and 138 b , ( collectively , “ cpas 138 ”) and carry correction and generation logic 139 . non - speculative adder 130 sums bcd input operands a 0 , a 1 , a 2 , a 3 and a 4 in a binary carry - save tree that includes csas 132 that passes carries , c ( i )[ 4 ] along each level from lower significant digits to more significant digits . in the example of fig9 , five bcd operand digits a 0 - a 4 are added using binary carry - save tree 135 and a 4 - bit cpa 138 a . the result is a 5 - bit binary sum , z ′, produced by cpa 138 a and three intermediate carry - outs ( c 1 [ 4 ], c 2 [ 4 ], and c 3 [ 4 ]). the sum and carry - outs from the carry - save adder tree 135 are fed into correction logic 139 , which includes combinatorial logic to produce a decimal sum correction and additional carry - outs , if needed . specifically , a correction value of six needs to be added for each carry - out generated in the binary csa tree 135 . thus , correction logic 139 produces a correction value g that is a multiple of six . thus , the correction digit is always even and a 3 - bit cpa is used . the correction digit , g , and the lower four bits of the binary sum , z ′[ 3 : 0 ], are passed through 1 - digit cpa 138 b to produce the correct bcd sum , z . correction logic 139 ensures that the final sum digit , z , is a valid bcd digit and produces the additional carries , c - out , for the next most significant digit . for example , adding 8 + 2 + 6 + 5 + 3 = 24 gives c 1 [ 4 ]= 0 , c 2 [ 4 ]= 0 , c 3 [ 4 ]= 1 , and z ′= 01000 . carry and correction generation logic 139 produces a correction of g = 6 × 2 ( mod 16 )= 12 = 1100 , and c - out = 01 . since 1000 + 1100 = 10100 , the proper bcd representation of 24 is produced . the exemplary non - speculative adder 130 shown in fig1 can sum digits for up to five operands a 0 - a 5 . however , other embodiments of non - speculative adders in accordance with the invention may be implemented to sum more or less operands . a 1 - digit , n - operand non - speculative adder requires ( n − 2 ) 4 - bit carry - save adders , one 4 - bit carry - propagate adder , one five - level combinational logic block to generate the carry - out and correction digits ( for up to sixteen input operands ), and one three - bit carry - propagate adder to add the correction digit to the binary sum . its critical delay path consists of roughly └ log 3 / 2 ( n − 1 )┘ carry - save additions , one 4 - bit carry - propagate addition , one 5 - level logic block , and one 3 - bit carry - propagate addition . unlike the correction speculation adders shown in fig2 , 4 and 6 , which use an array of binary carry - save adders and have a linear delay , non - speculative adders use a tree of binary carry - save adders and have logarithmic delay . a word - wide bcd non - speculative adder may use decimal carry - lookahead logic . the addition is can be done using a variation of direct decimal addition , in which each 1 - digit adder takes a sum and carry digit and produces digit propagate and generate signals . the digit propagate and generate signals are then sent to carry - lookahead logic , which is used to compute digit carries in parallel . finally , the digit carries and additional carry - lookahead logic within each digit are used to quickly produce the sum digits . the word - wide adder is less complex than the word - wide decimal carry - propagate adder 106 in fig8 , since only a 1 - bit carry into each digit is necessary . fig1 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary operation of a non - speculative multioperand decimal adder , such as adder 130 of fig9 , that performs decimal arithmetic according to an embodiment of the invention . first , adder 130 receives operands a 0 - an ( 142 ). adder 140 then sums the input operands in a binary carry - save tree , passing carries generated along the way to the more significant digits ( 146 ). adder 140 then produces a binary sum from the results of the binary carry - save tree using carry - propagate addition ( 148 ). this sum and carry - outs from the carry - propagate addition are fed into combinational correction logic , which produces a decimal correction and additional carry - outs , if needed ( 150 ). after the decimal correction value is produced , the sum produced in step 148 is added to the decimal correction using carry - propagate addition to produce a final resultant decimal digit ( 152 ). the multioperand decimal adders described herein have been modeled in verilog and simulated extensively . from the verilog models , multioperand decimal adders were synthesized using a 0 . 18 - micron cmos standard cell library . when performing synthesis , the designs were optimized for area . both 4 - bit ( 1 - digit ) and 32 - bit ( 8 - digit ) multioperand decimal adders were constructed for : ( 1 ) single correction speculation , ( 2 ) double correction speculation , ( 3 ) parallel correction speculation using two double correction speculation adders , ( 4 ) parallel correction speculation using four double correction speculation adders , and ( 5 ) non - speculative addition . each 32 - bit decimal multioperand adder was constructed from eight 1 - digit multioperand decimal adders , followed by a word - wide decimal carry - lookahead adder , as described above . each 32 - bit binary multioperand adder was constructed using a linear array or tree of carry - save adders , followed by a word - wide binary carry - lookahead adder . for comparison , binary multioperand carry - save adders were built to evaluate the additional cost of performing multioperand decimal addition . one set of binary multioperand adders was designed to be similar to the correction speculation adders and contains a linear array of binary carry - save adders . the other set was designed to be similar to the non - speculative adders and uses a tree of binary carry - save adders . both types of binary multioperand adders use the same word - wide carry - propagate adder . in the word - wide carry - propagate adder , two levels of carry - lookahead logic are implemented . the first level produces group generate and propagate signals for 4 - bit blocks . the second level uses the group generate and propagate signals to obtain the carries into each 4 - bit block . overall , seven different adder types for each of 4 , 6 , 8 , 10 , 12 , and 16 operands were constructed for both 4 - bit and 32 - bit operands for a total of 94 different multioperand adders . the delay and area for the constructed 4 - bit multioperand adders are shown in fig1 and 12 , respectively . the delay and area for the constructed 32 - bit adders are shown in fig1 and 14 , respectively . similar conclusions can be reached using either the 4 - bit or the 32 - bit multioperand adder results . the 32 - bit multioperand adder results , which show the overall area and delay due to processing multiple digits and performing word - wide carry - lookahead addition , are discussed throughout the rest of this section . in reference to fig1 , for all decimal multioperand adders that speculate corrections and also the binary array multioperand adders , the delay increases linearly with the number of input operands . the difference in delay between double and single correction speculation adders grows with more input operands because the multiplexer delays to select a ( i ) or a ( i )+ 6 are hidden in the double correction speculation adders . the parallel correction speculation adders have a larger overhead ( from result merging ) than the other adders . this is seen in longer relative delays for fewer input operands . as the number of input operands increases , the difference in delay is less , because the parallel correction speculation adders operate on two or four sets of operands in parallel . the non - speculative adders have lower delays than all of the other decimal multioperand adders . one advantage of the non - speculative adders is that the delay grows logarithmically , rather than linearly , since operands are added using a tree of binary carry - save adders . their logarithmic delay may be particularly useful when a large number of input operands are added . although the area for the 32 - bit non - speculative decimal adder , single correction speculation decimal adder , and double correction speculation adder are similar , the double correction speculation adders have the lowest average area . this makes the double correction speculation adders desirable when area is more important than delay . the parallel correction speculation adders require more area than the other adders due to the overhead of merging the results . the areas and delays for binary adders are shown for comparison . the cost of performing multioperand decimal addition versus multioperand binary addition is calculated by comparing the non - speculative adders , which have the smallest delay and small overall area , to the binary tree adders . the non - speculative adders have 1 . 44 to 2 . 34 times more delay and 1 . 61 to 2 . 03 times more area than the binary tree adders . various embodiments of the invention have been described . these and other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims .	6
the process according to the invention can be carried out e . g . with an indirect plasmatron such as is described in ep - a - 851 720 , the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety . the torch is distinguished by two electrodes arranged coaxially at a relatively large distance . a direct current arc which is stabilized at the wall by a cascaded arrangement of freely adjustable length bums between these . by blowing transversally to the axis of the arc , a plasma jet in band form flowing out laterally can emerge . this torch , also called a plasma broad jet torch , is also characterized in that a magnetic field exerts a force on the arc which counteracts the force exerted on the arc by the flow of the plasma gas . furthermore , various types of plasma gases can be fed to the torch . the atmospheric plasma of the process of the present invention is generated by an indirect plasmatron having an elongated plasma chamber therein . in an embodiment of the present invention , the indirect plasmatron comprises , a neutrode arrangement comprising a plurality of plate - shaped neutrodes which are electrically insulated from one another , and which define the elongated plasma chamber of the plasmatron . preferably , the plurality of neutrodes are present and arranged in cascaded construction . the elongated plasma chamber has a long axis . the neutrode arrangement also has an elongated plasma jet discharge opening that is substantially parallel to the long axis of the elongated plasma chamber , and which is in gaseous communication with the plasma chamber . at least one pair of substantially opposing plasma arc generating electrodes are also present in the indirect plasmatron , and are aligned coaxially with the long axis of the elongated plasma chamber . typically , the pair of plasma arc generating electrodes are positioned opposingly at both ends of the elongated plasma chamber . in particular , at least one neutrode is provided with a pair of permanent magnets here to influence the shape and position of the plasma arc . operating parameters , such as , for example , the amount of gas and gas speed , can be taken into consideration by the number , placing and field strength of the magnets employed . at least individual neutrodes can furthermore be provided with a possibility , e . g . a channel , for feeding a gas into the plasma chamber . as a result , this plasma gas can be fed to the arc in a particularly targeted and homogeneous manner . by blowing transversally to the arc axis , a band - like plasma free jet flowing out laterally can emerge . by applying a magnetic field , deflection and the resulting breaking of the arc is prevented . the process described according to the invention for surface activation can be carried out both after a film production and before further processing , i . e . before printing , laminating , coating etc ., of films . the thickness of the polymeric film materials may vary , but is typically in the range of from 0 . 5 μm to 2 cm , preferably in the range between 10 and 200 μm . the process according to the invention is characterized in particular in that the surface activation of the material in web form can be carried out both over the entire surface and over part of the surface . in “ web form ” in this context means a material , preferably a flat material or film collected on and / or taken of a roll , cylinder or spool . the process described according to the present invention for surface activation can be used on polymeric materials , but also for the treatment of metallic substrates , but in particular on films of plastic and metal . in particular , the process according to the invention can also be used on polymeric materials in web form which are optionally vapour - deposited with metal , metal oxides or sio x . in the context of the present invention , films of plastic are understood in particular as those which comprise a thermoplastic material , in particular polyolefins , such as polyethylene ( pe ) or polypropylene ( pp ), polyesters , such as polyethylene terephthalate ( pet ), polybutylene terephthalate ( pbt ) or liquid crystal polyesters ( lcp ), polyamides , such as nylon 6 , 6 ; 4 , 6 ; 6 ; 6 , 10 ; 11 or 12 , polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ), polyvinyl dichloride ( pvdc ), polycarbonate ( pc ), polyvinyl alcohol ( pvoh ), polyethylvinyl alcohol ( evoh ), polyacrylonitrile ( pan ), polyacrylic / butadiene / styrene ( abs ), polystyrene / acrylonitrile ( san ), polyacrylate / styrene / acrylonitrile ( asa ), polystyrene ( ps ), polyacrylates , such as polymethyl methacrylate ( pmma ), cellophane or high - performance thermoplastics , such as fluorine polymers , such as polytetrafluoroethylene ( ptfe ) and polyvinyl difluoride ( pvdf ), polysulfones ( psu ), polyether - sulfones ( pes ), polyphenyl sulfides ( pps ), polyimides ( pai , pei ) or polyaryl ether ketones ( pae ), and in particular also those materials which are prepared from mixtures or from co - or terpolymers and those which are prepared by coextrusion of homo -, co - or terpolymers . films of plastic are also understood , however , as those which comprise a thermoplastic material and are vapour - deposited with a metal of main group 3 or sub - group 1 or 2 or with sio x or a metal oxide of main group 2 or 3 or sub - group 1 or 2 . films of metal are understood as films which comprise aluminium , copper , gold , silver , iron ( steel ) or alloys of the metals mentioned . surface activation by an atmospheric plasma is understood in the context of the present invention as meaning that an increase in the surface tension of the material surface takes place by the interaction with the plasma gas . the activation of the surface leads to an increase in the surface tension . complete wetting with polar liquids , such as , for example , alcohols or water , becomes possible as a result . while not intending to be bound by any theory , it is believed , based on the evidence at hand that the activation occurs when atoms or molecular fragments — excited by the plasma — react with surface molecules and are consequently incorporated into the surface . since these are usually oxygen - or nitrogen - containing fragments , surface oxidation is also referred to . the plasma gas employed in the process according to the invention is characterized here in that it comprises mixtures of reactive and inert gases . due to the high energy in the arc , excitation , ionization , fragmentation or radical formation of the reactive gas occurs . because of the direction of flow of the plasma gas , the active species are carried out of the torch chamber and can be caused to interact in a targeted manner with the surface of films of plastic and metal . the process gas with an oxidizing action can be present in concentrations of 0 to 100 vol %, preferably between 5 and 95 vol %. oxidizing process gases which are employed are , preferably , oxygen - containing gases and / or aerosols , such as oxygen ( o 2 ), carbon dioxide ( co 2 ), carbon monoxide ( co ), ozone ( o 3 ), hydrogen peroxide gas ( h 2 o 2 ), water vapour ( h 2 o ) or vaporized methanol ( ch 3 oh ), nitrogen - containing gases , such as nitrous gases ( no x ), dinitrogen oxide ( n 2 o ), nitrogen ( n 2 ), ammonia ( nh 3 ) or hydrazine ( h 2 n 4 ), sulfur - containing gases , such as sulfur dioxide ( so 2 ) or sulfur trioxide ( so 3 ), fluorine - containing gases , such as carbon tetrafluoride ( cf 4 ), sulfur hexafluoride ( sf 6 ), xenon difluoride ( xef 2 ), nitrogen trifluoride ( nf 3 ), boron trifluoride ( bf 3 ) or silicon tetrafluoride ( sif 4 ), or hydrogen ( h 2 ) or mixtures of these gases . inert gases are preferably noble gases , and argon ( ar ) is particularly preferred . preferably , the active and the inert gas are mixed in a preliminary stage and are then introduced into the arc discharge zone . such plasmas used in the process according to the invention are characterized in that their temperatures in the region of the arc are several 10 , 000 kelvin . since the emerging plasma gas still has temperatures in the range from 1 , 000 to 2 , 000 kelvin , adequate cooling of the temperature - sensitive polymeric materials is necessary . this can in general take place by means of an effectively operating cooling roll . the contact time of the plasma gas and film material is of great importance . this should preferably be reduced to a minimum so that no thermal damage to the materials occurs . a minimum contact time is always achieved by an increased web speed . the web speed of the films is conventionally higher than 1 m per minute , and is preferably between 20 and 600 m per minute . since the life of the active species ( radicals and ions ) under atmospheric pressure is limited , it is advantageous to pass the films of plastic and metal past the torch opening ( nozzle ) at a very short distance . this is preferably effected at a distance of 0 to 40 mm , preferably at a distance of 1 to 40 mm , and more preferably at a distance of 1 to 15 mm . the present invention is more particularly described in the following examples , which are intended to be illustrative only , since numerous modifications and variations therein will be apparent to those skilled in the art . unless otherwise specified , all parts and percentages are by weight . by employing the plasma broad jet torch described in the process according to the invention , it was possible to activate surfaces of films of plastic and metal in the atmospheric plasma . this was achieved with only a low expenditure on apparatus — compared with other processes — with simultaneously low process costs . since in the example each neutrode of the plasma torch provides a discharge opening for the plasma gas , this can be fed to the arc in a targeted and homogeneous manner . the band - like plasma free jet flowing out laterally therefore leads to a particularly homogeneous processing of the surface . surprisingly , by means of the torch described above it was possible to achieve on various substrates , under atmospheric pressure , surface tensions which are otherwise possible only in a low - pressure plasma . surprisingly , it has also been found that in spite of the use of a “ hot ” plasma generated by an arc discharge , with adequate cooling and an appropriate contact time no thermal damage to the processed films of plastic and metal occurred . for this , the relevant properties of the following film samples were measured as follows . the thermal damage to the film sections was evaluated visually or by microscopy examinations . the surface tension was determined with commercially available test inks from arcotec oberflächentechnik gmbh in accordance with din 53364 or astm d 2587 . the surface tension was stated in mn / m . the measurements were made immediately after the treatment . the measurement errors are ± 2 mn / m . the following film materials were activated in various examples using the process according to the invention and were investigated for their surface properties : pe 1 : single - layer , 50μ thick , transparent blown film , corona - pretreated on one side , of an ethylene / butene copolymer ( lldpe , & lt ; 10 % butene ) with a density of 0 . 935 g / cm 3 and a melt flow index ( mfi ) of 0 . 5 g / 10 min ( din iso 1133 cond . d ). pe 2 : single - layer , 50μ thick , transparent blown film , corona - pretreated on one side , of an ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer ( 3 . 5 % vinyl acetate ) with approx . 600 ppm lubricant ( erucic acid amide ( eaa )) and approx . 1 , 000 ppm antiblocking agent ( sio 2 ), with a density of 0 . 93 g / cm 3 and a melt flow index ( mfi ) of 2 g / 10 min ( din iso 1133 cond . d ). bopp 1 : single - layer , 20μ thick , transparent , biaxially orientated film , corona - pretreated on one side , of polypropylene with approx . 80 ppm antiblocking agent ( sio 2 ), with a density of 0 . 91 g / cm 3 and a melt flow index ( mfi ) of 3 g / 10 min at 230 ° c . bopp 2 : coextruded , three - layer , 20μ thick , transparent , biaxially orientated film , corona - pretreated on one side , of polypropylene with approx . 2 , 500 ppm antiblocking agent ( sio 2 ) in the outer layers , with a density of 0 . 91 g / cm 3 and a melt flow index ( mfi ) of 3 g / 10 min at 230 ° c . pet : commercially available , single - layer , 12μ thick , biaxially orientated film , corona - pretreated on one side , of polyethylene terephthalate . pa : commercially available , single - layer , 15μ thick , biaxially orientated film , corona - pretreated on one side , of nylon 6 . only the non - treated film sides were subjected to the plasma treatment . the plasma gases oxygen and nitrogen were employed , in each case in combination with argon as an inert carrier gas . the gas concentration and the distance from the plasma torch were varied within the series of experiments . the films were investigated visually for their thermal damage . the surface tensions were determined by means of test inks . table 1 provides a summarizing overview of the results . by the example of pe 1 ( no . 4 to 7 , table 1 ) it could be demonstrated that comparable pretreatment effects are achieved up to a distance ( film — torch opening ) of 10 mm . only above a distance of 15 mm does the pretreatment level fall significantly . the materials listed in table 1 were furthermore also activated according to the prior art by means of corona discharge and investigated for their surface tension with test inks directly after the treatment . energy doses in the range from 0 . 1 to 10 j / m — such as are conventional in corona units employed industrially — were used here . the results of the corona discharge and the plasma treatment ( comparison experiments ) are compared in table 2 . in the case of polypropylene in particular , a significantly higher surface tension was generated by using the atmospheric plasma . however , higher values compared with corona pretreatment were also determined with pe . [ 0057 ] table 2 surface tension after corona discharge according to the prior art and plasma treatment according to the invention σ [ mn / m ] σ [ mn / m ] no . material after corona after plasma 1 pe 1 54 62 - 64 2 pe 2 42 54 3 bopp 1 38 56 - 58 4 bopp 2 38 - 42 52 5 pet 48 - 50 62 - 64 6 pa 56 60 - 62 the present invention has been described with reference to specific details of particular embodiments thereof . it is not intended that such details be regarded as limitations upon the scope of the invention except insofar as and to the extent that they are included in the accompanying claims .	1
the housing can be a removable housing placed directly over and enclosing , partially or completely , the internal working components of the dispenser . alternatively , the housing can simply be a removable or replaceable shelf that can be placed over an intact dispenser using removable housing attachments . the housing , and the important structural components of the dispenser can be molded of a variety of useful materials . thermoplastic and thermosetting or composite materials can be used to make the housing . alternatively , the housing can be made from metallic elements , however , polymeric thermoplastic or thermosetting ( composite ) materials are preferred . preferably , the housing , dispenser components , etc . can be molded in one or more unitary pieces through the use of conventional plastic injection molding , thermoforming , blow molding , etc . techniques . a variety of plastic polymeric materials can be used in fabricating the holder including polyethylene , polypropylene , polystyrene , abs plastics , urethane resins , epoxy resins , nylon resins and others . preferred plastic materials include styrenic materials such as polystyrene or abs , polyethylene , and polypropylene . the dispenser contains both a source of a liquid chemical and the means to dispense it . as discussed below , the chemical can be provided in the form of a cartridge or flexible bag containing the chemical . typically , the cartridge or flexible bag has a dispensing port from which the liquid chemical can be delivered to the user . such a port can work cooperatively with dispensing means actuated by the user . the dispensing means can be a simple mechanical valve or pump , an electrical generated pump , or any other known device that can produce a useful volume of the liquid chemical . for liquid hand soap or sanitizing hand soap , the amount of soap can range from about 0 . 2 to about 5 milliliters , preferably about 0 . 5 to 3 milliliters in volume . a preferred means of delivering the liquid from the container dispenser comprises a flexible compressible tube , attached to a flexible container , that can act as a pump portion . when used , the user compresses a bar or other feature on the front of the housing . such compression forces a compressing surface against the flexible tube . the flexible tube contains internal valve means that prevent backflow of the liquid from the tube into the bag or cartridge . the compression of the tube and the valves cooperate to ensure that the liquid is expressed from the flexible tube into the hands of the user . the flexible tube is typically positioned in the housing in a location convenient to the location of the housing portion that triggers dispensing of the liquid . the shell or case also comprises a containment means or holding means for the chemical . such a holding means can comprise a reservoir or chamber that can contain a sufficient quantity of chemical to satisfy requirements for a period of use of the chemical . a period of use can comprise one day , two days , a week , two weeks or a month or more of use . the period of use depends on the type of chemical , its shelf life and rate of use . such holding means can comprise a volume within the case of at least 50 ml , preferably 100 ml to 5 liters of volume . most preferably , the volume of the holding means is about 150 to 1000 ml for reasons of convenience and ease of insertion . in a preferred mode , the chemical is encased in a flexible bag or cartridge that can be inserted into the holding means of the case . a cartridge can have any arbitrary shape . useful shapes include cylinders , cubes , rectangular solids , triangular solids , cones , truncated cones , bottle shapes , or any arbitrary shape designed to fit particularly in a holding means of a particular dispenser . such bags or cartridge shapes can have unique shapes to ensure that a cartridge is designed to fit in a particular dispenser and intended to dispense a particular chemical . such bags or cartridges can be made from cardboard , paperboard , etc . ; metallic substances such as aluminum , metallized polyester ; thermoplastic films such as polyethylene , polypropylene , polyethylene terephthalate , polyvinyl chloride , polystyrene , a thermoplastic composite material , etc . such bags or cartridges can be sized as discussed above to contain a sufficient volume or weight of chemical to satisfy requirements for a given period . the liquid chemical can be provided in the form of the contents of a flexible bag . the contents can be removed by applying pressure to the bag or by pumping liquid from a tube attached to the bag . the bag or cartridge of the invention is typically equipped with a closed chemical port . typically , the port comprises a flexible tube from which the liquid can be dispensed . the bag or cartridge is designed to deliver the chemical through the port after the closed port is opened . the port can be opened by removal of a closing membrane , piercing a membrane , removing a screw cap , or separating any of a variety of conventional closing means from the cartridge portal . in a preferred mode , the portal is covered by a cap or a paper , film , metallized film , or other thin piercable web closure . when the cartridge is inserted into the holding means , the web closure contacts an opening means that can pierce the web closure . the opening means is shaped and configured to provide a sufficient aperture in the web closure to permit a sufficient volume of the chemical to be dispensed for appropriate operation . the opening means can be configured to remove the portion of the opening means away from the portal to ensure that the opening does not become plugged . such a bag or cartridge can be loosely fitted into the holding means of the case or can be shaped to conform exactly to the exterior shape of the cartridge . the holding means can also include a lid or cover such that the cartridge is fully enclosed by the case and cover . such a cover can be removable or can be hingedly attached or slidingly attached to the case . the dispenser of the invention involves means to dispense a liquid product such as a sanitizer material or a hand soap . such means includes a movable surface or pressure plate which compresses a soap delivery tube , thereby expressing hand soap into the user &# 39 ; s hand . the counting means of the invention is operably connected to the dispenser means operated by the user to dispense the liquid . in a first embodiment , positioned behind the delivery tube is a membrane pressure switch which is activated each time the delivery tube is compressed . the device includes a counting apparatus which is connected electrically to the pressure switch . data about every contact between the user ( i . e .) each pressure plate depression ( i . e . every pressure switch closing ) is counted or captured by the counting apparatus . users will repeatedly contact dispensers ( e . g .) by depressing the pressure switch to increase the amount ( volume ) of the dispensed liquid until satisfied . while the device of the invention records all pressure switch activations , that data can be manipulated in several different ways to generate several different pieces of information . the data , however , always provides reliable user data that discriminates between employees and each employee use . in an alternate embodiment , positioned behind the delivery tube is a membrane pressure switch which is activated each time the delivery tube is compressed . the device includes a counting apparatus which is connected electrically to the pressure switch . data about every contact between the user ( i . e .) each pressure plate depression ( i . e . every pressure switch closing ) is counted or captured by the counting apparatus . while the device of the invention records all pressure switch activations , that data can be manipulated in several different ways to generate several different pieces of information . in this particular embodiment , the device maintains a cumulative sum total of dispenser usage , average activations per use and number of uses . this data could comprise total number of pressure plate depressions or alternatively could comprise total volume of hand soap dispensed . the first embodiment of the invention includes a numerical display capable of showing any data set generated by the device . each employee &# 39 ; s total usage counts can be displayed individually or in a data set of all employees . in addition , the display could also provide total daily soap usage individual soap usage , etc . preferably , an lcd display with four to six digits is used to conserve energy . in an alternative embodiment , the invention can comprise an internal display , accessible via a supervisor &# 39 ; s key . in this situation , only total - usage figures could be displayed . one embodiment of the invention includes a keypad suitable for entering data including employee id codes and supervisory codes as well . preferably , this keypad would have four buttons , bearing the numbers one through four . this limitation is due to the typical size of hand soap dispensers . four buttons is the most which fit easily onto the front of a dispenser while retaining adequate button size . since id codes could theoretically be of any length , four numbers would provide a sufficient number of unique ids . this keypad would be used for an employee to enter his / her own id code in order to obtain a dispensation of hand soap . the keypad would also be used by supervisors in order to obtain total usage figures , as well as usage counts broken down by individual employees . as discussed previously , the counting apparatus of the presently claimed invention registers all switch closures , regardless of frequency . it is necessary , however , to be able to distinguish between multiple closures caused by a single employee requesting additional hand soap and multiple closures caused by multiple employees each making in short succession single requests for soap . in order to accomplish this , the invention includes a microprocessor . this microprocessor would permit the generation of several different pieces of data . first , it would determine the purpose of multiple switch closures and would act accordingly . in general , multiple switch closures are assumed to be the work of a single employee if less than a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since the previous activation . in one embodiment the invention involves data collection or manipulation systems that monitors the usage of preferably a liquid product dispenser or a hand soap dispenser to report total number of hand soap doses dispensed between supervisor reset operations of the data collection system . the hand soap dispenser determines the trends of usage including average number of uses , liquid doses dispensed per use , total volume of hand soap dispensed during a use , volume of hand soap dispensed between resets , volume of soap dispensed per unit time and other similar data . as discussed above , the dispenser uses a compression switch sensor to detect the user input such as pressure on a dispensing bar in the dispenser . the dispenser can be placed into a data acquisition mode by inputting on the key pad a code causing the microprocessor to return data to the supervisor in response to such an appropriate input . in such a mode , the supervisor would input a code into the four position key pay of the dispenser . the dispenser readout or display would display nothing . the supervisor at that point could hit the dispensing lever or any data input button with a single impact and the display would read total number of all inputs , pushes or doses recorded by the dispenser electronics . such data would record a “ hit ” each time a user contacted the dispenser with a single push . at a supervisor second input to the dispenser , the average number of touches or pushes per user would display on the readout . a third press of the push button or input would cause the dispenser to display the number of users inputting to the machine . the last input would cause the microprocessor to return to its data accumulation mode . a data accumulation mode of the dispenser counts data inputs from the users . a data acquisition mode permits the supervisor or other management personnel to obtain the usage data accumulated or calculated by the dispenser in a printed , visual or electronic format . the simple counting device of this embodiment consists of a compression switch which can be compressed as a user compresses the bar that dispenses the liquid material such as liquid hand soap from a dispensing tube in the dispenser . microchip pic16c923 microcontroller can be installed with a replaceable battery and a user interface module is installed in the dispenser . the interface module consists of a numeric display and a push button switch ( see fig1 - 11 ). the compression switch can be located behind the delivery tube of the liquid material dispensed . the switch is connected to an input of the microcontroller which counts all inputs . an input consists of a compression of the delivery tube by a user causing the contacts of the switch to close notifying the microcontroller that a single dose of hand soap was dispensed in response to a single input or compression of the dispenser components by a user . the microprocessor recognizes multiple doses within a short period of time and counts each dose but recognizes that the multiple doses involves a single use and a single user of the dispenser . the user interface module data can be collected by a user interface module . whenever the user interface module is attached to the dispenser , the count data can be displayed on the numeric display of the dispenser or read to the user interface module and its memory or printed on a printer attached or included in the module . while usage figures for individual employees may be displayed via the numerical display , it may become cumbersome for supervisors to be limited to this display manner . consequently , it is anticipated that supervisory personnel would also have the option of retrieving usage data by downloading into a handheld device . optionally , a push button would be provided which permits the user to request a display of personalized use data . if the push button of the user interface module is pressed while attached , the device would reset to 0 for accumulation of new data after accumulated data is transferred in useful formats . in the preferred embodiment , the device will contain the following components . the dispensing device contains a stationary switch mounted behind the delivery tube which can be compressed as the user obtains a dose of the liquid material . the placement of the switch would be such that the switch would go from a normally open position to a normally closed position whenever the delivery tube is compressed . the microprocessor controller monitor is reopened or closed status of the switch and in response to the switches manipulates data according to programmed instructions within the microprocessor that maintains a running total of switch closures , a running total of switch closures per use and based on these data calculates other important usage information . in order to calculate useful data the dispenser needs calibration to establish the volume of liquid dispensed per dose . the condition for determining if a single use had occurred will be any two or more switch closures within a ten second interval . the dispenser would have a push button with two functions ; a first function acts as a request or prompt with the delivery of stored data to a supervisor , and secondly , acts as a reset to zero out old totals and to begin accumulating new data at the end of a week , month , quarter , six month period or annually . reset occurs when the push button is pressed and held for two or more seconds or other known reset mode well known to those of ordinary skill in the art . the dispenser could contain a visual read out such as a led , lcd or other display to display usage data . the display could alternate between a calculated average of switch closures per use , total number of switch closures , a quotient of closures divided by calculated average of switch closures or any other data generated by the microprocessor . in another embodiment the invention involves data collection or manipulation systems that monitors the usage of preferably a liquid product dispenser or a hand soap dispenser to report total number of hand soap doses dispensed between supervisor reset operations of the data collection system . as discussed above , the dispenser uses a compression switch sensor to detect the user input such as pressure on a dispensing bar in the dispenser . the simple counting device of the alternative embodiment consists of a compression switch which can be compressed as a user compresses the bar that dispenses the liquid material such as liquid hand soap from a dispensing tube in the dispenser . microchip pic16c923 microcontroller can be installed with a replaceable battery . the compression switch can located behind the delivery tube of the liquid material dispensed . the switch is connected to an input of the microcontroller which counts all inputs . an input consists of a compression of the delivery tube by a user causing the contacts of the switch to close notifying the microcontroller that a single dose of hand soap was dispensed in response to a single input or compression of the dispenser components by a user the microprocessor recognizes multiple doses within a short period of time and counts each dose but recognizes that the multiple doses involves a single use and a single user of the dispenser . the dispensing device contains a stationary switch mounted behind the delivery tube which can be compressed as the user obtains a dose of the liquid material . the placement of the switch would be such that the switch would go from a normally open position to a normally closed position whenever the delivery tube is compressed . the microprocessor controller monitors the reopened or closed status of the switch and in response to the switches manipulates data according to programmed instructions within the microprocessor that maintains a running total of switch closures . fig1 is a perspective view of a dispenser 100 . this figure generally shows a housing 110 along with several key components . these components include a four - button keypad 120 for inputting data . also shown is a sight - glass window 130 , permitting easy assessment of the quantity of soap remaining . pushbar 140 serves to activate the electronics contained within the dispenser and , of course , permits the dispensing of soap . the last feature seen in fig1 is the lcd display 150 . this is generally a four - to six - digit lcd display . fig2 is a cutaway side elevation of the dispenser shown in fig1 . this shows different views of some of the same features found in fig1 . specifically , the housing 110 is seen , along with a side view of a keypad 120 and the lcd display 150 . new features shown in fig2 include a power supply 210 , which in this instance is a 9 - volt battery . also seen here is the cooperative relationship among the dispensing tube 220 , membrane switch 230 and the pushbar hinge mechanism 240 , which is actually shown in phantom . when pushbar 140 is depressed , moving according to the hinged mechanism 240 , two things happen simultaneously . the dispensing tube 220 is pinched , which provides for the dispensing of a predetermined amount of soap . also , membrane switch 230 registers the dispensing . fig3 is a block diagram 300 of the dispenser of fig1 . this shows the general components of the invention . previously discussed is the keypad 120 , lcd display 150 , power supply 210 and pushbar switch or membrane switch 230 . this figure shows how each of these general devices communicate with the processor 320 which is mounted on a circuit board 310 . fig4 - 8 combined show a detailed flow sheet 400 . these flow charts represent the software necessary to control the processor of the first embodiment . each figure will be described in detail . fig4 a shows the beginning of the main flow chart . flow starts in block 402 and then proceeds to block 404 which is an initialization step . during this step “ init ” is displayed on the lcd display in block 406 . control then passes to block 408 which instructs the device to read the inputs . block 410 is a decision block where the device decides if there are any active inputs . if yes , control passes to the bottom of fig4 a to point 401 . if not , control passes to decision block 412 which determines if there has been a ten second timeout . if not , control passes back up to block 408 where inputs are read again . if yes , control passes to block 414 where the display is cleared . control then passes to block 416 where the processor is put into sleep mode . while in sleep mode , the device waits for key activation or for a port b interrupt . this is seen in decision block 418 . if there is a key activation , control passes to block 420 where the processor will wake up from sleep mode and then proceed to block 422 where inputs are read . at this point control is at point 401 which is continued on fig4 b . fig4 b begins at point 401 where control then passes to decision block 426 where the device determines if a single key is active . if not , control passes to decision block 432 where the device determines if the mode keys are active . if yes , control passes to block 407 which describes the service mode which is described in detail in fig5 . if not , control passes to block 434 where the display is cleared . flow continues to block 436 where the device cleans up and prepares for a fresh start . in block 438 the processor is put into sleep mode as indicated by block 440 . now returning to decision block 426 , if a single key is active , control passes to block 428 where the device saves the first id digit , then to block 430 where the device determines if the key has been released . if yes , control continues to point 403 , which is continued on fig4 c . fig4 c begins at control point 403 and is continued from the previous figure . control passes to decision block 442 where the device determines if there has been a ten second timeout . if yes , control passes to block 460 where the display is cleared and then passes to block 462 where the device prepares for a fresh start and finally passes to block 464 where the processor is put into sleep mode as denoted by block 466 . if there has not been a ten second timeout in decision block 442 , control passes to decision block 444 where the device determines if a second id digit has been entered . if yes , the device saves the second id digit in block 446 . block 448 is a decision block where the device determines if the key has been released . if yes , control passes to block 450 wherein the id and current count are displayed on the led display . at this point control passes to decision block 452 to determine if a ten second timeout has occurred . if yes , control passes through block 468 through 470 , 472 and finally 474 where the processor sleeps . returning to block 452 , if there has not been a ten second timeout , control passes to block 454 wherein the device asks if the lever switch has been activated . if yes , control passes to block 456 where the device increases by one the count for the chosen id and control then passes to block 458 where the id and incremented count are displayed for ten seconds . control is now at point 405 which is continued on fig4 d . fig4 d is the fourth and final portion of the main flow sheet . from point 405 control passes to decision block 476 where the device determines if there is a ten second timeout . if yes , control passes to block 478 where the display is cleared . the device then cleans up and prepares for a fresh start in block 480 . the processor is put into a sleep mode at 482 and sleeps as shown at block 484 . fig5 shows the service mode of the invention . the flow begins at block 407 and passes to block 502 wherein the device displays “ mode ?” flow then passes to decision block 504 where the device asks if all keys have been released . if yes , control continues flows to 506 where the device reads inputs . at decision block 508 the device asks if the one key is active . if yes , control passes to the read - out counts mode 501 . if not , the device asks in decision block 510 if the two key is active . if yes , control passes to the clear counters mode 503 . if not , control passes to decision block 512 where the device asks if there is a ten second timeout . if not , control passes back to block 506 where the inputs are read . if there is a ten second timeout , control passes to block 514 where the display is cleared , then to block 516 where the device cleans up and prepares for a fresh start . flow then proceeds to block 518 where the processor is put into the sleep mode as indicated by block 520 . fig6 a is the beginning of the readout counts mode as mentioned in previous figure . from block 501 control passes to block 602 where “ read ” is displayed on the led display . from here control passes to decision block 604 where the device asks if all keys have been released . if yes , flow continues to block 606 where the inputs are read . block 608 is a decision block where the device asks if the one key is active . if yes , control passes to point 540 which is continued on fig6 b . if not , control passes to decision block 610 where the device asks if there is a ten second timeout . if not , it returns to block 606 where the inputs are read . if yes , the display is cleared in block 612 . in block 614 the device prepares for a fresh start . flow continues to block 616 where the processor is put into sleep mode as indicated by block 618 . fig6 b is a continuation of the previous figure . from point 540 flow passes to block 620 where the device displays a first id code and count . flow then continues to decision block 622 where the device asks if the key is still active . if yes , control passes to decision block 624 where the device asks if there is a ten second timeout . if yes , control is passed to the auto readout mode indicated by block 601 and which is described in fig7 . if , however , at block 622 the key is not still active , control passes to block 626 where inputs are read . at this point control is at point 605 , which is continued on fig6 c . points 603 and 607 are return points which are linked to fig6 c . fig6 c begins at point 605 where flow continues to decision block 628 where the device asks if the one key is active . if not , control passes to decision block 640 where the device asks if there is a ten second timeout . if not , control passes back to point 607 as referenced on fig6 b . if , however , there is a ten second timeout , control passes to block 642 where the device clears the display . flow then passes to block 644 where the device cleans up and prepares for a fresh start . in block 646 the processor is put into sleep mode as indicated by block 648 . returning to decision block 628 , if the one key is active , control passes to block 630 where the device increments the id . flow then continues to block 632 where the device displays the next id code and count . control then passes to decision block 634 where the device asks if the id count equals 20 . if not , the device then asks in decision block 638 if all keys have been released . if yes , control passes to point 603 which is referenced in fig6 b . if however the id count in block 634 is equal to 20 , control passes to block 636 where the device asks if there is a ten second timeout . if yes , control passes to point 609 which is referenced in fig6 d . fig6 d begins at point 609 as referenced in fig6 c . flow then passes to block 650 where the device clears the display . in block 652 the device cleans up and prepares for a fresh start and is put into sleep mode in 654 as indicated by block 656 . fig7 shows the auto readout mode and begins at point 601 . control passes then to block 702 where the device displays the word “ auto ” on the led readout . control then passes to block 704 where the device asks if there was a ten second timeout . if yes , control passes to block 706 where the count and id are displayed starting with the first id from here , control passes to block 708 where again the device asks if there is a ten second timeout . if yes , the device increments the id in block 710 . control then passes to decision block 712 where the device asks if the id count is greater than 20 . if not , control passes to block 714 where the next id code and count are displayed . then at block 716 the device asks if there is a ten second timeout . if yes , control passes back to block 710 and the id is incremented . returning to decision block 712 , if the id count is greater than 20 , control passes to block 718 where the display is cleared . in block 720 , the device cleans up and prepares for a fresh start and then proceeds to block 722 where the processor is put into sleep mode as shown by block 724 . fig8 shows the clear counters mode and begins at point 503 . from point 503 control passes to block 802 where the device displays the word “ zero ” on the display . the flow then passes to decision block 804 where the device asks if all keys have been released . if yes , it continues to block 806 where the inputs are read . control then passes to decision block 808 where the device asks if the two key is active . if yes , control passes to block 820 where the counters for all id numbers are cleared . then control passes to block 822 where the display is cleared , and in block 824 the device prepares for a fresh start and is put into a sleep mode in 826 as indicated by block 828 . if , however , in block 808 the two key is not active , control passes to decision block 810 where the device asks if there is a ten second timeout . if not , control passes back to block 806 where the inputs are read . if there is a ten second timeout , however , control passes to block 812 where the display is cleared . the device prepares for a fresh start in block 814 and is put into sleep mode in block 816 . this is seen in block 818 . fig9 is a perspective view of a dispenser 900 . this alternative embodiment generally shows a housing 910 along with several key components . these components include a sight - glass window 930 , permitting easy assessment of the quantity of soap remaining . pushbar 940 serves to activate the electronics contained within the dispenser and , of course , permits the dispensing of soap . fig1 is a cutaway side elevation of the dispenser shown in fig9 and shows different views of some of the same features found in that figure . specifically , the housing 910 is seen , along with a side view of the push bar 940 . new features shown in fig1 include a power supply , which is a 6 - volt battery 1050 and the membrane switch 1060 . also seen in this figure are the microprocessor 1020 , a data request input 1030 and an internal display 1010 . when pushbar 940 is depressed , two things happen simultaneously . the dispensing tube is pinched , which provides for the dispensing of a predetermined amount of soap . also , membrane switch 1060 registers the dispensing . fig1 is a block diagram 1100 of the alternative embodiment . it shows an lcd display 1010 , a power supply 1050 and a particular microprocessor 1020 . the dispenser input 1060 is the previously discussed membrane switch . data request 1030 is typically a push button interface . fig1 is a logical flow sheet 1200 which describes the overall logic flow of the alternative embodiment . the diagram starts at block 1202 . block 1204 shows the device idle while waiting for either input or request . following the request side first , block 1206 is a decision block where the device determines if there has been a request . if yes , flow continues to block 1208 where the device displays total usage . flow then continues to block 1210 where the device displays the running average . finally flow continues to block 1212 where additional information is displayed . after this flow returns to block 1204 to wait for input or request . now following the input side of the diagram , block 1214 is a decision block where the device determines if any input has been entered . if yes , the total number of dispenses is incremented by one in block 1216 . flow then continues to decision block 1218 which concerns time elapsed since last input . if the time interval has been exceeded , flow continues to block 1220 where the device recalculates the running average . if not , control returns to block 1204 where the device sleeps and waits for input or request . the above specification , and figures provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the data competent dispenser of the invention . since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended .	0
the invention is a security alarm system component ( the “ security component ”) for securing movable objects . the security component can be used with a security alarm system having a control box , where the control box can ( 1 ) apply an energy potential across a first conductor and a second conductor , ( 2 ) detect an alteration of energy flow across the first and second conductor , and ( 3 ) trigger an alarm after detecting the alteration of energy flow . the security component comprises the following basic elements : flexible conduit 10 , a first conductor 20 , a second conductor 30 , a switch 40 , and a looping block 50 . as illustrated by fig2 the flexible conduit 10 houses the first and second conductors 20 & amp ; 30 . ultimately , the first conductor 20 , and the second conductor 30 are connected to the control box . preferably , the first and second conductors 20 & amp ; 30 are connected to the terminals of a plug 62 , that is connected to a first end of the flexible conduit 12 . the plug 62 is inserted into a plug receptacle of an outdoor junction box 64 . the terminals of the plug receptacle are connected to the control box to complete the alarm circuit . when the security component is not in use , a shunt plug can be inserted into the plug receptacle in the outdoor junction box to complete the alarm circuit and the security component can be stored indoors to avoid premature deterioration from exposure to the weather . the switch 40 is connected to a second end 14 of the flexible conduit 10 . the terminals of the switch 40 are connected to the first and second conductors 20 & amp ; 30 . the switch can be placed inside a plastic or aluminum housing 70 for protection and durability . the looping block 50 has a conduit shaft 52 , a receiving shaft 54 , and a switch actuator 56 . as shown in fig2 the conduit shaft 52 fully penetrates the looping block 50 so that the flexible conduit 10 adjustably passes ( or “ slides ”) through the conduit shaft 52 . the receiving shaft 54 does not fully penetrate the looping block 50 . the receiving shaft 54 should be large enough so that the second end 14 of the flexible conduit 10 can be inserted into the receiving shaft 54 . a switch actuator 56 is encapsulated within the looping block 50 . in the preferred embodiment , the switch actuator 56 is an electrically isolated device that does not conduct electricity . the proximity of the switch 56 actuator to the switch 40 actuates the switch to alter the flow of energy through the first and second conductors 20 & amp ; 30 when the second end 14 of the flexible conduit 10 is inserted into the receiving shaft 54 . more particularly , the switch 40 is a magnetic reed switch and the switch actuator 56 is a magnet . a magnetic reed switch can be placed inside an aluminum housing for protection and durability . the looping block &# 39 ; s ability to allow the flexible conduit 10 to slide through the conduit shaft 52 is a significant advantage of the invention . the looping block &# 39 ; s ability to allow the flexible conduit to slide through the conduit shaft allows an adjustably sized loop to be formed when the second end 14 of the flexible conduit 10 is inserted into the receiving shaft 54 . see fig1 . this adjustable loop can be formed around any fixed object , or even through an opening of one of the items being secured . for example , the adjustability of the loop allows the security component to be secured around the frame of a bicycle or around the trunk of an oak tree . in addition , the looping block 50 allows the length of the flexible conduit 10 to be approximately half as long as it would need to be if the second end 14 of the flexible conduit 10 had to loop all the way back to the fixed receptacle at the outdoor junction box or some other fixed location . in a most preferred embodiment , a resistor 80 is inserted into the circuit . the preferred placement of the resistor is at the “ end of the line .” in this embodiment , the end of line resistor 80 is connected to the first conductor 20 and a terminal of the switch . alternatively , the resistor can be connected to the second conductor 30 and a terminal of the switch . if an end of line resistor 80 is part of the alarm circuit , the previously described shunt plug should contain the same resistance as the end of line resistor . in the preferred embodiment , the flexible conduit is stored on a dispensing reel 90 . the advantage of the dispensing reel is that it dispenses flexible conduit as required on a case by case basis . for example , a small amount of flexible conduit can be dispensed to secure one bicycle compared to a much larger amount for a fleet of bicycles . in an alternate embodiment , the switch actuator 56 mechanically actuates the switch 40 . in this embodiment , when the second end 14 of the flexible conduit 10 is inserted into the receiving shaft 54 , the switch mechanically actuates and alters the flow of energy through the first and second conductors 20 & amp ; 30 . likewise , when the second end 14 is removed from the received shaft 54 the switch mechanically actuates again and reverts the flow of energy through the first and second conductors 20 & amp ; 30 back to their pre - insertion flow condition . in yet another embodiment , the switch actuator 56 conducts electricity . in this embodiment , when the second end 14 of the flexible conduit 10 is inserted into the receiving shaft 54 , the first and second conductors 20 & amp ; 30 are connected inside the looping block 50 , which alters the flow of energy through the first and second conductors 20 & amp ; 30 . likewise , when the second end 14 is removed from the received shaft 54 , the first and second conductors 20 & amp ; 30 are disconnected inside the looping block 50 and reverts the flow of energy through the first and second conductors 20 & amp ; 30 back to their pre - insertion flow condition . the preferred embodiment of the invention is described above in the drawings and description of preferred embodiments . while these descriptions directly describe the above embodiments , it is understood that those skilled in the art may conceive modifications and / or variations to the specific embodiments shown and described herein . any such modifications or variations that fall within the purview of this description are intended to be included therein as well . unless specifically noted , it is the intention of the inventor that the words and phrases in the specification and claims be given the ordinary and accustomed meanings to those of ordinary skill in the applicable art ( s ). the foregoing description of a preferred embodiment and best mode of the invention known to the applicant at the time of filing the application has been presented and is intended for the purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed , and many modifications and variations are possible in the light of the above teachings . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application and to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated .	6

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