Split (3)

train · 25k rows

text stringlengths 1.55k 332k	label int64 0 8
a detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and method are presented herein by way of exemplification and not limitation with reference to the figures . referring to fig1 a tubular arrangement configured to enable pressure actuation of an actuator is illustrated at 10 . the tubular arrangement 10 includes a base pipe 14 with perforations 18 through a wall 22 thereof and a sleeve 26 positioned radially of the base pipe 14 defining a passageway 30 in the annular space 34 therebetween . fluidic communication is established between an inside 42 and an outside 46 through at least the annular space 34 and the perforations 18 . additional flow channels , such as a screen 48 and an equalizer 74 , as shown in this embodiment , may also be included in the passageway 30 . the sleeve 26 is sealingly attached to the base pipe 14 at an end 35 . a plug 38 occludes the passageway 30 thereby preventing fluidic communication between the inside 42 and the outside 46 of the tubular arrangement 10 . the plug 38 is configured to support differential pressure between the inside 42 and the outside 46 . the differential pressure may be sufficient to actuate an actuator ( item 58 of fig2 ). for example , the differential pressure could inflate a bladder of an inflatable packer or move a piston 62 ( fig2 ), such as the packer and the piston disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 621 , 322 to arnold et al . incorporated by reference herein in its entirety . the plug 38 is also configured to dissolve after being exposed to an environment , after which fluid communication between the inside 42 and the outside 46 is established via the passageway 30 . such fluid communication prevents further building pressure differential between the inside 42 and the outside 46 . the plug 38 may be made of a high strength controlled electrolytic metallic material that is degradable / dissolvable in environments that include one or more of brine , acid , and aqueous fluid . for example , a variety of suitable materials and their methods of manufacture are described in united states patent publication no . 2011 / 0135953 ( xu et al . ), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety . exposing the plug 38 to the degradable environment can be controlled in different ways . for example , fluid containing the aforementioned brine , acid or aqueous fluid can be introduced via pumping through the base pipe 14 and the perforations 18 to the plug 38 . referring to fig2 , alternately , the brine , acid or aqueous fluid 50 can be stored near the plug 38 in a chamber 54 , for example , and then allowed to access the plug 38 after actuation of an actuator 58 . the actuator 58 illustrated in this embodiment includes the piston 62 sealably engaged with both the tubulars 14 and 26 by seals 64 thereby defining the chamber 54 . a releasable member 66 , illustrated herein as a shear screw , fixes the piston 62 relative to the tubulars 14 , 26 until pressure acting on the piston 62 is sufficient to release the releasable member 66 . air or other compressible fluid stored in the chamber 54 with the brine , acid or aqueous fluid 50 prior to release of the releasable member 66 can facilitate generating longitudinal force on the piston 62 in response to differential pressure across the piston 62 . upon release of the releasable member 66 , the piston 62 moves toward the chamber 54 ( rightward in the figure ) until the seal 64 crosses a channel 70 in the base pipe 14 ( note the channel 70 could just as well be formed in the sleeve 26 ) thereby allowing the fluid 50 to flow through the channel 70 by the seal 64 and out of the chamber 54 . once the brine , acid or aqueous fluid 50 is out of the chamber 54 it can make contact with the plug 38 , thereby initiating dissolution thereof . the foregoing results in delay of initiation of dissolution of the plug 38 until after the actuation of the actuator 58 has taken place . it should be noted that additional actuation of actuators other than the actuator 58 can also be performed via differential pressure built against the plug 38 . by causing other such actuations at pressures lower than that needed to release the releasable member 66 , any practical number of actuations are possible prior to removal of the plug 38 . in yet another alternate embodiment , the plug 38 can be exposed to a degradable environment that occurs in response to positioning of the tubular arrangement 10 within a given environment . for example , in a downhole hydrocarbon recover or carbon dioxide sequestration application , exposure of the plug 38 can be initiated by simply positioning the tubular arrangement 10 downhole within an anticipated environment . in such an embodiment , degradation of the plug 38 can begin upon initial exposure to fluid , temperatures and pressures , for example , of the downhole environment that reach the plug 38 after flowing from the outside 46 through the screen 48 the equalizer 74 and the annular space 34 to reach the plug 38 . in this embodiment the plug 38 can be configured so that a selected amount of time passes after exposure to the degrading environment has begun to allow the differential pressure to form and the actuation to take place before the plug 38 degrades enough to prevent maintaining the differential pressure . the equalizer 74 , shown positioned within the annular space 34 , can permit additional control of fluid flow between the outside 46 and the inside 42 after the plug 38 has been removed . while the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment or embodiments , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof . therefore , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention , but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims . also , in the drawings and the description , there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and , although specific terms may have been employed , they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation , the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited . moreover , the use of the terms first , second , etc . do not denote any order or importance , but rather the terms first , second , etc . are used to distinguish one element from another . furthermore , the use of the terms a , an , etc . do not denote a limitation of quantity , but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item .	4
referring to the drawings and to fig1 in particular , reference numeral 10 designates a gear housing that is fixedly mounted on a chassis of an automotive vehicle . a steering rod 14 is slidably mounted on gear housing 10 , with opposite ends thereof extending outwardly from gear housing 10 . respective ends of steering rod 14 are connected to steerable wheels of the vehicle by way of a conventional steering link mechanism . a piston 15 of a fluid motor is fixedly attached to a middle portion of steering rod 14 and is slidably accommodated in a cylinder tube 16 that is unitarily connected to gear housing 10 . referring now to fig2 an output shaft 11 is rotatably journalled to gear housing 10 in perpendicular relation with steering rod 14 . a pinion is provided on output shaft 11 and is engaged with a rack 14a which is formed on steering rod 14 . a valve housing 18 is fixedly attached to gear housing 10 and accommodates a rotary fluid control servo - valve 20 which comprises a sleeve valve member 21 and a rotary valve member 22 . sleeve valve member 21 is rotatably housed in valve housing 18 in coaxial relation with output shaft 11 . rotary valve member 22 is formed on an input shaft 24 which is connected to a steering wheel . input shaft 24 is flexibly connected to output shaft 11 by means of a torsion bar 25 . loose engagement of toothed portions 23 of output and input shaft 11 and 24 permits a small amount of relative rotation therebetween . a plurality of axially extending slots 21a , 22a are formed on an internal surface of sleeve valve member 21 and on a circumferential surface of rotary valve member 22 at regular intervals . thus , according to the relative rotation between sleeve valve member 21 and rotary valve member 22 , a supply port 26 communicates with one of cylinder ports 28 , 29 which are respectively in fluid communication with left and right chambers 16a , 16b of the fluid motor , and an exhaust port 27 communicates with the remaining port of cylinder ports 28 , 29 . a cylindrical portion 30 is formed at an inner end of output shaft 11 and is rotatably received in valve housing 18 . output shaft 11 is connected to sleeve valve member 21 at the end of cylindrical portion 30 by means of a connecting pin 31 . a reaction force chamber 33 of a reaction device is formed on cylindrical portion 30 in coaxial relation with output shaft 11 . a flange shaped reaction force receiver 34 is provided on input shaft 24 and is rotatably housed in reaction force chamber 33 . a ring shaped reaction piston 35 is axially slidably received in reaction force chamber 33 in face to face relationship with reaction force receiver 34 . reaction piston 35 is prevented from rotation relative to output shaft 11 by means of a pin 38 . an inner bore of reaction piston 35 is slidably fitted on input shaft 24 and thus , reaction piston 35 divides reaction force chamber 33 into left and right chambers 33a , 33b . the left chamber 33a is led to a port 40 to which controlled fluid pressure is introduced as described hereinafter . the right chamber 33b is led to a port 41 that is connected to a reservoir . on opposite faces of reaction force receiver 34 and reaction piston 35 , four pairs of conical shaped notches 34a , 35a are formed with the same circumferentially interval . placed between reaction force receiver 34 and reaction piston 35 is a retainer 37 which receives four balls 36 that respectively engage with conical shaped notches 34a and 35a . reaction piston 35 is urged toward reaction force receiver 34 by a wave spring 39 that is disposed between reaction piston 35 and a bottom wall of reaction force chamber 33 . reference numeral 50 designates a pump that is driven by an engine of the vehicle . an outlet port 50a of pump 50 is connected to supply port 26 of servovalve 20 by way of a first flow control valve 51 . first flow control valve 51 includes a metering orifice 52 which is interposed in a conduit 45 that connects outlet port 50a of pump 50 with supply port 26 , and a bypass valve spool 54 that is moved in accordance with the pressure differential across metering orifice 52 so as to keep the pressure differential constant . thus , a first fluid flow of a sufficient and constant rate is delivered to supply port 26 , and any existing excess flow is led to a bypass passage 53 according to the function of flow control valve 51 . bypass passage 53 of first flow control valve 51 is connected to port 40 of reaction force chamber 33 by way of a second flow control valve 55 . second flow control valve 55 also includes a metering orifice 56 which is interposed in a conduit 46 that connects bypass passage 53 with port 40 , and a bypass valve spool 58 that is moved in accordance with the pressure differential across metering orifice 56 so as to maintain the pressure differential constant . according to the operation of second flow control valve 55 , a second fluid flow of a constant rate is delivered to port 40 , and any existing excess flow is led to a reservoir by way of bypass conduit 57 . a magnetic pressure control valve 60 is connected to port 40 of reaction force chamber 33 . referring now to fig3 magnetic pressure control valve 60 is provided with a valve body 62 which is attached to housing 61 , and a solenoid 63 that is secured to valve body 62 . a spool member 64 which is adapted to be moved according to excitation of solenoid 63 is slidably accommodated in valve body 62 . a valve seat member 66 which is secured to housing 61 is provided with a relief passage 65 that is connected to port 40 of the reaction device . a ball valve 67 which is engageable with valve seat member 66 to close relief passage 65 is urged toward valve seat member 66 by a spring 68 that is interposed between ball valve 67 and spool member 64 . spool member 64 is counterbalanced by a balance spring 69 and is usually maintained at the position shown in fig3 where the force of spring 68 applied on ball valve 67 is maximum . the force of spring 68 will be reduced as spool member 64 is moved against balance spring 69 according to the excitation of solenoid 63 . solenoid 63 is connected to a solenoid drive circuit 71 which in turn is controlled by a computer 70 . current i which is supplied to solenoid 63 is controlled by computer 70 so as to decrease as the vehicle speed v increases . in addition , when current i increases , controlled pressure pc in relief passage 65 , namely , the pressure applied to the reaction device decreases , as shown in fig4 . a magnetic throttle valve 60a which is operative to vary the area of a throttle according to current supplied to a solenoid thereof controls pressure pc as a function of the current as shown in fig4 and may be substituted for magnetic flow control valve 60 . the operation of the power steering system as described above will now be explained . fluid flow discharged from pump 50 is divided into a first fluid flow of constant rate and an excess flow by first flow control valve 51 . the first fluid flow is delivered to supply port 26 of servo - valve 20 to be distributed to the fluid motor . the excess flow is also divided into a second fluid flow of constant rate and an excess flow which is bypassed to the reservoir . the second fluid flow is delivered to port 40 of the reaction device and is led to the reservoir by way of magnetic pressure control valve 60 . while the vehicle speed is low , the force of spring 68 is null because a maximum current i is supplied to solenoid 63 . therefore , controlled pressure pc , namely , the pressure in the left chamber of reaction force chamber 33 is kept substantially null , and , in turn , reaction piston 35 is urged toward balls 36 only by the resilient force of wave spring 39 . thus , when input shaft 24 is turned according to manual maneuvering of the steering wheel , reaction piston 35 is easily retracted against wave spring 39 , resulting in easy relative rotation between sleeve valve member 21 and rotary valve member 22 in a usual power assisted steering operation . when the vehicle speed is above a predetermined rate , computer 70 controls solenoid drive circuit 71 in accordance with a signal corresponding to vehicle speed v so that current i supplied to solenoid 63 of magnetic pressure control valve 60 decreases as vehicle speed increases . therefore , when the vehicle speed increases , the force of spring 68 increases proportionately , and , in turn , the pressure applied to the left chamber of reaction force chamber 33 increases correspondingly . thus , reaction piston 35 is urged toward balls 36 with a thrust force corresponding to controlled pressure pc . such increases the manual torque which is necessary to generate relative rotation between sleeve valve member 21 and rotary valve member 22 and , as a result , produces less power assistance at higher vehicle speeds than at lower speeds . another example of a reaction device is shown in fig5 wherein four reaction force cylinders 80 are radially formed at a cylindrical portion 81 of output shaft 11 at the same circumferentially interval . four v - shaped grooves 82 are formed on an exterior surface of input shaft 24 opposite to reaction force cylinders 80 . plungers 83 which are slidably mounted in respective cylinders 80 include balls 85 which engage with grooves 82 respectively . an annular groove 86 is provided on an outer surface of cylinder portion 81 to communicate reaction force cylinders 80 with port 40 to which controlled pressure pc is supplied . although in the above - described embodiments , reaction force cylinders 33 or 80 are formed on a cylindrical portion of output shaft 11 , the same effect as in the above - described embodiments can be obtained in the case where the reaction force cylinders are formed on a sleeve valve member . furthermore , should it be required , controlled pressure pc supplied to the reaction device might be controlled according to another vehicle condition such as the rotational angle or rotational speed of the steering wheel or a desirable combination of selected vehicle conditions . obviously , numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein .	1
referring now to the figures and more particularly to fig1 , a shipping package 11 constructed in accordance with the present invention is shown . the shipping package 11 comprises a protected panel product 10 enclosed inside of an outer shipping packaging 12 . the protected panel product 10 and shipping packaging 12 protect the product from damage during shipping and further provide a location for mounting a shipping label . referring now to fig2 , the protected panel product 10 is a sheet or flat panel product 14 which is enclosed peripherally about its outer circumferential edge in a length of inner protective packaging material 16 , which is itself enclosed in an outer protective package 21 . the outer protective packaging material 21 is preferably , as shown here , a size - adjustable box constructed of two protective panels 18 and 20 which can be “ telescoped ” longitudinally to adjust to various lengths of panel products 14 , as described below . the lateral dimension of the panels 18 and 20 , however , is fixed , so the lateral dimension of the product 14 wrapped in inner protective packaging material 16 is less than or equal to the lateral dimension of the panels 18 and 20 . if less , there will be a lateral air space between the wrapped product 14 and at least one sidewall of the outer protective packaging material 21 , with the product 14 wrapped in inner protective packaging material 16 supported by the binder 24 . each of the panels 18 and 20 includes both a back portion 34 , a front portion 38 , a side portion 36 , and flaps 32 extending from opposing ends of each back portion 34 . the back portion 34 is separated from the side portion 36 by a first crease line 40 and the side portion 36 is separated from the front portion 38 by a second crease line 42 . a third crease line 44 separates the flap 32 from the back portion 34 , while a fourth crease line 46 is provided in the flap 32 to allow the flap 32 to be folded , as described below . each of the panels 18 and 20 further comprises slots 22 , which are die cut or otherwise formed in the panels 18 and 20 in pairs on the side portions 36 of the panels 18 and 20 to receive a binder 24 . the slots extend across the width of each side portion 36 and can extend into portions of each of the back portion 34 and front portion 38 . the slots 22 receive the binder 24 which can be , as shown here , a strap or banding , such as a plastic banding material . the binder 24 is wrapped circumferentially around the protected panel product 10 , extends through the slots 22 , is pulled tight around the outer packaging 21 , and has its ends seared to one another . referring now to fig3 , the inner protective packaging material 16 is a shockabsorbing resilient material selected to absorb force and protect the panel product 14 in the event it is dropped . the inner protection packaging material 12 is preferably a suspension wrap material such as sus - rap ®, commercially available from the sus - rap division of the menasha corporation in danville , va . the suspension wrap material is provided in continuous lengths which can be sized to a particular panel product 14 , and includes ashaped slots 26 which firmly suspend the panel product 14 to cushion the product from shocks and prevent breakage . the a - shaped slots 26 provide a reinforced wall around the product 14 which provides strong support for stacking and can serve to decrease damage during handling and warehousing . the outer edge of the suspension wrap material can comprise a series of radially externally directed corrugations 30 which are formed in a semicircular shape . these corrugations 30 further cushion the panel product 14 from damage , absorbing shocks and forces applied to the outside edge of the panel 14 . as shown , the a - shaped slots 26 can include a plurality of pairs of slits 27 which are sized and dimensioned to receive an edge of a panel product 14 of a selected size . when a panel product 14 is inserted within the a - shaped slot 26 , the portion between the slits 27 is pressed down as shown in fig3 through 5 , while the remaining portion of the a - shaped slots 26 extends radially inward toward the center of the product 14 . the side edges of the inner protective packaging material 16 are laterally spaced from opposing faces of the flat panel product 14 so as to create a protected air space on each side of the flat panel product between the face of the product and a plane defined by the adjacent side edges of the packaging material . the air space protects the panel product 14 from a force or pressure applied to the front and / or back of the panel product 14 . the suspension wrap material can further include a scratch - resistant film or coating , particularly when the product 14 comprises wood or other materials prone to scratching . in this application , a suitable product is commercially available under the tradename poly sus - rap ®, also available from the sus - rap division of menasha corporation in danville , va . referring now to fig4 , a cutaway view of the protected panel product 10 is shown . here , it can be seen that the panel product 14 is surrounded on all edges by a length of the inner protective material 16 and is received within the slits 27 formed in the a - shaped slots 26 as describe above such that , as shown in fig3 , the a - shaped portion extends radially inward from either side of the panel product 14 retaining the panel product in place , protecting it from external forces , and cushioning the edges of the panel product 14 . also as described above , semicircular corrugations 30 extend outwardly radially away from the base sections of the a - shaped slots 26 . the outer protective packaging 21 which can comprise , for example , paperboard or corrugated craft , circumscribes the panel product 14 encased in the inner protective material 16 , adjacent the corrugations 30 . the outer protective packaging 21 further comprises slots 22 , as described above , for receiving the binder 24 . the binder 24 retains the inner protective material 16 and the outer protective material 21 around the circumference of the panel product 14 , and supportively engages the inner protective packaging material 16 in the slots to laterally support the wrapped product 14 in the outer protective packaging material 21 . referring now to fig5 , a detailed view of the receipt of the panel product 14 within the inner protective material 16 is shown . as described above , the panel product 14 is received within the slits 27 in the a - shaped slot 26 , and semicircular corrugations 30 are directed outward toward the outer protective package material 21 . the binder 24 , here shown as plastic banding , is received in the slot 22 and retains both the inner protective packaging material 16 and the outer protective packaging material 21 against the panel product 14 and further retains the inner protective material 16 against the outer protective packaging material 21 . as described above , the binding 24 further supports the wrapped product 14 laterally . referring again to fig2 , to assemble the panel product 14 within the protective panel product 10 , the panel product 14 is initially wrapped peripherally about its outer edge with a length of the inner protective packaging material 16 , and is positioned within the inner protective packaging material 16 with the a - shaped slots 26 extending radially inward and the corrugations 30 extending radially outward away from the product 14 . as described with reference to fig3 , the panel product 14 is slid into the inner protective packaging material 16 between the slits of one of a plurality of pairs of precut slits 27 which are sized and dimensioned to receive an edge of a panel product 14 of varying edge widths . once the inner protective packaging material 16 is provided around the panel product 14 , it is adhered in place , for example , by attaching a piece of tape or other adhesive to the open ends of the inner protective packaging material 16 circumscribing the edge of the panel product 14 . the wrapped panel product 14 is then positioned on the panels 20 and 18 , which are arranged with their respective back portions 34 adjacent each other , and with the back 34 of one of the panels 18 and 20 overlapping the back of the other of the panels 18 and 20 . referring now to fig6 , to adjust the size of the outer protective packaging material 21 , the back of one of the panels 18 and 20 is slid over the back 34 of the opposing panel 18 or 20 until the side portions 36 each abut the inner protective packaging material 16 . when the relative position of the panels 18 and 20 is sized for the panel product 14 , the flaps 32 are folded along the crease line 46 to form , as shown in fig7 , a triangular wall 48 , the base of the triangle being provided by the back portion 34 of the panels 18 and 20 , and the walls provided by the folded flaps 32 . referring now to fig8 , after the flaps 32 are folded , the fronts 38 of the panel 18 and 20 , respectively , are folded over the panel product 14 to form an enclosure . referring again to fig2 and also to fig1 , after the front portions 38 of the panels 18 and 20 are folded over the product , the binder 24 , here a plastic banding material , is attached through the slots 22 , pulled tight across the outer packaging material 21 , and adhered in place as , for example , by applying heat or a clip to attach the ends of the bands . the binder 24 is wrapped longitudinally around the outer packaging material 21 and received in the slots 22 to supportively engage the inner protective packaging material in the slots 22 and to laterally support the inner protective packaging material 16 and flat panel product 14 within the outer protective packaging material 21 . the binding 24 suspends the inner protective packaging material 16 and the product 14 relative to at least one side wall of the size adjustable outer packaging material 20 and therefore protects the edges of the product during shipment . prior to applying the binder 24 , the panel 18 can also be optionally adhered to the panel 20 with a glue , tape , or other adhesive , to simplify the addition of the binder 24 . referring now to fig1 , after the protected panel product 10 is assembled , it can be enclosed within an outer shipping package 12 . the shipping package 12 is a paper , corrugated , or cardboard construction , and includes foldable flaps which are folded over the protective panel product 10 and adhered in place for shipping . a shipping label can be provided directly on the outer shipping package 12 . the packaging shown and described provides improved protection from damage by providing an air cell around the perimeter of the product to protect the product from damage due to drops and vibration during shipment . because the outer packaging 21 can be telescoped to the appropriate size for the panel 14 , inventory of packaging can be significantly reduced . the weight of the packaging is also reduced as compared to prior art packaging , reducing shipping cost . the packaging as described has been further shown to be effective in meeting shipping standards of the international safe transit association testing . although a specific embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described above , it will be apparent that a number of variations can be made within the scope of the invention . for example , although a specific suspension wrap material is described above , a number of similar suspension wrap products , also commercially available from the menasha corporation , can also be used . furthermore , various other resilient and / or shockabsorbing protective materials including but not limited to foam , plastic , rubber , corrugated build - ups , corrugated die cuts , and other materials can also be used . furthermore , although the binder 24 is described above as a plastic banding material , various other adhesive devices including glue , tape , cinch - staples , stretch wrap , press seals , and other devices could also be used . similarly , although the outer protective packaging 21 is described above as corrugated paperboard , corrugated plastic , laminated fiberboard , sheet plastic , shrink wrap , single face corrugated paper , and various other materials could also be used . additionally , a number of different types of flat panel products can be packaged as described including windows , glass , plastic , mirrors , composite materials , granite , entrance doors , shutters , shower doors , medicine cabinets , industrial cabinets , picture frames , glass , circuit board and similar products and devices . while there has been shown and described what are at present considered the preferred embodiments of the invention , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims .	1
resinous organic polymers capable of being sulfonated have hydrogen atoms bonded to the carbon groups which are replacable by sulfonic acid groups having the sulfur bonded directly to the carbon atoms . polytetrafluoroethylene is an example of a polymer which is not sulfonatable since it does not have any replacable hydrogen atoms . suitable organic polymers include thermosetting plastics such as epoxy resins , phenol formaldehyde resins , urea - formaldehyde resins , silicones , polyurethanes and the like . most thermoplastic polymers are also suitable and include for example , addition - type homopolymers , copolymers and blends thereof prepared from aliphatic α - mono - olefins , aliphatic conjugated and non - conjugated dienes , trienes , polyenes , halogenated aliphatic olefins , α , β - ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids , vinylesters of non - polymerizable carboxylic acids , alkyl esters of α , β - ethylenically unsaturated carboxilic acids , monovinylidene aromatic monomers , α , β - ethylenically unsaturated nitriles and amides , ethylenically unsaturated ethers and ketones , and other ethylenically unsaturated monomers which polymerize across the ethylenic groups to form polymers having a linear carbon - to - carbon backbone molecular structure with a plurality of free hydrogen atoms attached to the chain and / or attached to carbon atoms of the substituents of the chain . also included as suitable organic polymers are the thermoplastic condensation - type polymers exemplified by the polyamides such as nylon , the polyimides , the polyesters such as polyethylene , terephthalate , the polycarbonates such as the polyesters of carbonic acid and alkylidene diphenols ; the polyethers such as polyformaldehyde and the like . other organic polymers include thermoplastic addition type homopolymers , copolymers and mixtures of polymers of the following monomers : aliphatic mono - olefins having from 2 to 18 carbon atoms such as ethylene , propylene , butene - 1 and isobutylene and the like ; aliphatic conjugated dienes and trienes having from 4 to 20 carbon atoms such as butadiene , isoprene , heptatriene , monovinylidene aromatic monomers and the like . other examples are taught in the literature such as in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 770 , 706 , column 3 , lines 14 - 53 , the teachings of which are specifically incorporated herein by reference . the particular polymer employed to make the plastic container is not critical to the practice of the invention provided the polymer is capable of being sulfonated . the resinous orgainc polymers can be fabricated into various enclosure members by techniques well - known in the art . in the practice of the sulfonation process of the present invention , the sulfonation of the interior surface of the plastic container is effected by a vapor phase process employing gaseous sulfur trioxide which may or may not be mixed with a suitable inert gas or with other reactive compounds such as a halogen e . g . fluorine , bromine , chlorine , or mixtures thereof . in one aspect of the invention , gaseous sulfur trioxide is formed in situ in the interior of the container by placing a particulate form of a sulfur trioxide gas generating material into the interior of the container and thereafter gasifying the material to form sulfur trioxide . the gasifying technique includes heating a solid sulfur trioxide containing material , e . g ., a pellet or pill , for example , by contact with radio frequency energy e . g ., microwaves , employed at an energy level sufficient to gasify the material . other methods of gasifying the material can be employed e . g ., hot air , heating elements , infrared energy and the like . one form of solid material which can be employed to generate sulfur trioxide is the solid polymerized form of sulfur trioxide itself . the sulfur trioxide polymer may be formed into pellets with a coating or casing of a suitable protective material . suitable coatings include for example polytetrafluoroethylene and fluorochlorocarbon polymers such as polychlorotrifluoroethylene . other suitable coatings include for example , elemental sulfur , tetrachlorophthalic anhydride , shellac modified by reaction with the tetrachlorophthalic anhydride and relatively high melting polyolefins such as polyethylene and the like . british pat . no . 1 , 125 , 091 teaches various coated sulfur trioxide solids which can be employed in the practice of the present invention . liquid sulfur trioxide can also absorb or be coated onto various inert substrates and permitted to solidify . substrates such as inert clays , glass , and the like can be used . in another aspect of the invention , the sulfonated interior of an enclosure member is treated with an agent which neutralizes the sulfonic acid groups on the polymer . suitable neutralizing agents are taught for example in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 613 , 957 ; 4 , 220 , 739 , and 3 , 770 , 706 , the teachings of which are specifically incorporated herein by reference . in this aspect of the invention , it does not matter what technique has been employed to sulfonate the interior of the container . the neutralizing agent is employed in the form of solid material , e . g ., a solid pellet or a pill - like material , which when suitably activated ( e . g ., sufficiently heated ) produces a gas . for example , if it is desired to neutralize the sulfonated surface with ammonia , ammonium carbamate , ammonium bicarbonate , ammonium carbamate acid carbonate or the like , in a particulate form , may be inserted into the container and heated with radio frequency energy , for example microwaves , to form ammonia . a preferred practice of the present invention is to employ solid gas generating materials for both the sulfonation and the neutralization steps . the heating source employed in both the sulfonation and neutralization steps is preferably radio frequency energy , e . g ., microwaves . radio frequency of suitable wavelength to heat the sulfur trioxide source and the neutralizing agent is employed . the wavelength may vary depending on the particular material employed and the nature of the resinous organic polymer . suitable wavelengths can easily be determined experimentally or from literature sources . for polymerized solid so 3 a wavelength of from about 3 × 10 - 2 to about 3 × 10 4 cm - 1 or about 10 12 to about 10 6 hertz is suitable . a preferred wavelength is from about 3 to about 3 , 000 cm - 1 ( about 10 10 to about 10 7 hertz ). temperature is not critical in carrying out the sulfonation or neutralization steps ( other than activating the source materials ). temperatures within the range of about 0 ° c . to about 110 ° c ., preferably from about 20 ° to about 40 ° c ., are suitable . the sulfonation and neutralization steps can be carried out at atmospheric , elevated pressures or under partial vacuum . the amount of sulfur trioxide gas required for the surface area contacted can easily be determined from simple laboratory tests or from the teachings of the art . sufficient gas should be employed to impart sufficient sulfonation to the polymer to provide the desired improved characteristics . for example , it is taught in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 220 , 739 that the concentration of the sulfur trioxide should be sufficient in amount to provide a degree of surface sulfonation of the organic polymer in a range of from about 0 . 001 to about 50 milligrams of sulfur trioxide equivalence in the form of sulfonic acid groups per square centimeter of surface . preferably from about 0 . 06 to about 10 milligrams per square centimeter is employed . the use of excess gas is desirable from the standpoint of speed of the sulfonation process . from about 1 to about 5 grams of so 3 per liter of container volume is desirable . as one illustration of the practice of the present invention , a gasoline tank formed of high density polyethylene is treated in the following manner . a sufficient amount of polymerized sulfur trioxide pellets are placed into the container . after the solid sulfur trioxide has been placed inside the container , the solids are heated employing a microwave generating source having a suitable energy output and wavelength to gasify the solid polysulfur trioxide to form sulfur trioxide gas . following a sufficient contact time of about 5 to about 15 minutes , a neutralizing agent formed of solid ammonium carbonate is introduced into the container . the solid ammonium carbonate is subjected to sufficient microwave energy to form a gas which comprises ammonia , co 2 , and water . the ammonia will react with the sulfonic acid groups on the organic polymer to neutralize it to -- so 3 - nh 4 + . the ammonia also neutralizes unreacted so 3 to form ammonium sulfamate . upon cooling all free ammonia will combine with the excess co 2 to form solid ammonium carbamate . following the neutralization step the interior of the container can be rinsed with water to remove these secondary reaction products . all of the above steps can be carried out at atmospheric pressure and room temperature . improvement in the regularity and evenness of the surface treatment can be achieved by circulating air or an inert gas in the interior of the container during the sulfonation process and / or neutralizaton process . this can be accomplished , for example , by inserting a small fan into the interior of the container during the vaporization of the solid sulfur trioxide . similar circulation techniques can be employed during the neutralization phase of the process . the container can also be closed after the insertion of the sulfonating agent and / or neutralizing agent thus resulting in a small pressure rise upon evaporation of the material . this will aid in treating the inner surface . a one gallon cylindrical pail ( formed of high density polyethylene ) having a lid and formed of a linear low density polyethylene was treated as follows . the container was white in color . a five gram pellet of polymeric form of so 3 was placed in the container and the lid placed thereon . no external source of heat was applied to the container . after a period of one hour the lid was removed and the interior of the container and lid had turned a light brown color indicating sulfonation of the interior of the container had taken place . a portion of the pellet remained and the area of the container closely adjacent to the pellet was darker in color evidencing a higher degree of sulfonation of the polyethylene . a one quart zippered plastic bag made of polyethylene was treated as follows . a 0 . 5 gram portion of solid so 3 was placed in a hollow microscope slide and covered with a flat glass slide . this was placed into the bag which was then closed . the bag was placed between the flat electrodes ( 20 mm spacing ) of a microwave generator ( thermall ® brand microwave generator manufactured by w . t . larose and associates inc ., model eo - 1 having a frequency of 60 - 80 hertz ). the so 3 evaporated when subjected to about ≅ 5 seconds of microwave energy . following the so 3 treatment , 10 ml of an aqueous solution of ammonia was introduced into the bag and swirled around to neutralize the sulfonic acid groups on the polymer . the inside of the bag had turned an orange - brown color indicating sulfonation of the polyethylene . a particulate so 3 material was prepared in the following manner . particles having a dimension of about 5 mm were prepared from microporous fired clay having about 50 percent by volume of voids . other particles based on fumed silica ( grade m5 cab - o - sil from cabott corp .) were also prepared . liquid so 3 was deposited in various amounts , onto the individual particles . particles containing from about 50 to about 90 percent by weight of solid so 3 were prepared . the liquid so 3 solidified within a short period of time ( about 10 sec ) after being placed on the particles . weight percent so 3 was determined by dropping the so 3 containing particle in water and titrating the resulting acidity . the so 3 prepared particles were evaluated for shelf life by noting the time it took the particles to fuse together . fusing was caused by the so 3 vapor given off by the particles forming needle - like crystals which bridge across the particles interconnecting them . the so - prepared particles can be employed in the process of the invention as hereinbefore described .	2
it is understood that the term “ vehicle ” or “ vehicular ” or other similar term as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in general such as passenger automobiles including sports utility vehicles ( suv ), buses , trucks , various commercial vehicles , watercraft including a variety of boats and ships , aircraft , and the like , and includes hybrid vehicles , electric vehicles , combustion , plug - in hybrid electric vehicles , hydrogen - powered vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles ( e . g . fuels derived from resources other than petroleum ). although exemplary embodiment is described as using a plurality of units to perform the exemplary process , it is understood that the exemplary processes may also be performed by one or plurality of modules . additionally , it is understood that the term controller / control unit refers to a hardware device that includes a memory and a processor . the memory is configured to store the modules and the processor is specifically configured to execute said modules to perform one or more processes which are described further below . furthermore , control logic of the present invention may be embodied as non - transitory computer readable media on a computer readable medium containing executable program instructions executed by a processor , controller / control unit or the like . examples of the computer readable mediums include , but are not limited to , rom , ram , compact disc ( cd )- roms , magnetic tapes , floppy disks , flash drives , smart cards and optical data storage devices . the computer readable recording medium can also be distributed in network coupled computer systems so that the computer readable media is stored and executed in a distributed fashion , e . g ., by a telematics server or a controller area network ( can ). the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention . as used herein , the singular forms “ a ”, “ an ” and “ the ” are intended to include the plural forms as well , unless the context clearly indicates otherwise . it will be further understood that the terms “ comprises ” and / or “ comprising ,” when used in this specification , specify the presence of stated features , integers , steps , operations , elements , and / or components , but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features , integers , steps , operations , elements , components , and / or groups thereof . as used herein , the term “ and / or ” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items . hereinafter , an electronic control device for a vehicle and a method of controlling the vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . in the following description , usage of descriptors such as “ module ”, “ part ”, or “ unit ” for referring to elements is merely to facilitate explanation of the present invention , without having any significant meaning by themselves . fig1 is an exemplary block diagram illustrating electronic control devices of a first vehicle 10 and a second vehicle 20 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . a first electronic control device 100 included in the first vehicle 10 will be described . the electronic control device 100 may include a memory 110 , a controller 120 , and a communication unit 130 . the memory 110 may be configured to temporarily store a first program 112 that may be executed by the controller 120 ( e . g ., a first controller ) and input and output data . the memory 110 ( e . g ., a first memory ) may be configured to store frequencies of use for each of the data . the memory 110 may include at least one of a flash memory , a hard disk memory , a multimedia card micro memory , a card memory ( e . g ., sd or xd memory , etc . ), a random access memory ( ram ), a static random access memory ( sram ), a read - only memory ( rom ), an electrically erasable programmable read - only memory ( eeprom ), a programmable read - only memory ( prom ), a magnetic memory , a magnetic disk memory , and an optical disk memory . the controller 120 may be configured to operate the first electronic control device 100 . for example , the controller 120 may be configured to determine a driving tendency of a driver based on state data of a vehicle collected by a data detecting unit 140 , and operate an engine ( not shown ) and an automatic transmission ( not shown ). the communication unit 130 ( e . g ., a first communication unit ) may include at least one module that performs wireless communication between a vehicle and a wireless communication network or between networks installed within vehicles . for example , the communication unit 130 may include a local interconnect network ( lin ) communication module , an on - board diagnostics ( obd ) communication module , a mobile communication module , a wireless internet module , and a local area communication module . accordingly , the communication unit 130 may be connected to another vehicle ( e . g ., the second vehicle 20 ) to transmit and receive information . more particularly , the communication unit 130 may be configured to receive information from the second electronic control device 200 of the second vehicle 20 , and transmit information of the first electronic control device 100 of the first vehicle 10 to the second electronic control device 200 . the first electronic control device 100 may be connected to the data detecting unit 140 ( e . g ., a first data detecting unit ) and an output unit 150 ( e . g ., a first output unit ). the data detecting unit 140 , executed by the controller 120 , may be configured to detect data to determine a running state of the first vehicle and a driving tendency of the driver . the data detected by the data detecting unit 140 may be transmitted to the first electronic control device 100 . the data detecting unit 140 may include an accelerator pedal position sensor , a vehicle speed sensor , a shift - speed sensor , an acceleration sensor , a steering angle sensor , a brake pedal position sensor , a global positioning system ( gps ) sensor , a distance sensor , and an imaging device . the accelerator pedal position sensor may be configured to detect or measure a degree of pressing of an accelerator pedal by a driver ( e . g ., the engagement pressure of the accelerator ). in other words , the accelerator pedal position sensor may be configured to detect data regarding the driver &# 39 ; s intention of accelerating a vehicle . the vehicle speed sensor may be configured to detect a vehicle speed , and may be mounted to a wheel of the vehicle . meanwhile , a target shift stage may be calculated based on a signal of the accelerator pedal position sensor and a signal of the vehicle speed sensor using a shift pattern , and gear shifting to the target shift stage may be controlled . for example , for an automatic transmission that includes a plurality of planetary gear sets and a plurality of friction elements , hydraulic pressure , which is supplied to the plurality of friction elements or released from the plurality of friction elements , may be adjusted . in addition , for a double clutch transmission , a current , which is applied to a plurality of synchronizers and an actuator , may be adjusted . the shift - speed sensor may be configured to detect a shift stage that is currently engaged . the acceleration sensor may be configured to detect acceleration of the vehicle . in addition to the vehicle speed sensor , the acceleration sensor may be mounted to directly detect acceleration of the vehicle , or acceleration of the vehicle may be calculated by differentiating the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor . the steering angle sensor may be configured to detect a steering angle of the vehicle . in other words , the steering angle sensor may be configured to detect a running direction of the vehicle ( e . g ., in the direction that the vehicle is heading or directed towards ). the brake pedal position sensor may be configured to detect whether the brake pedal is engaged . in other words , the brake pedal position sensor may be configured to detect an acceleration intention together with the accelerator pedal position sensor . the gps sensor may be a sensor configured to determine a location of the vehicle . in particular , the gps sensor may be configured to calculate information regarding distances from three or more satellites and time information and apply trigonometry to the calculated information to accurately calculate three - dimensional ( 3d ) current location information based on latitude , longitude , and altitude . currently , a method of calculating location and time information using three satellites and correcting an error of the calculated location and time information using a single satellite is commonly used . additionally , the gps sensor may be configured to calculate information regarding a speed of a vehicle by continuously calculating a current location of the vehicle in real time . the distance sensor may be configured to detect a distance between the vehicle being driven and a forward vehicle . as the distance sensor , various sensors such as an ultrasonic wave sensor or an infrared sensor may be used . the imaging device ( e . g ., camera , video camera , etc .) may be configured to capture images of the surroundings around the vehicle . for example , the imaging device may be installed at the front or the rear of the vehicle , and may be configured to capture images of a road , other vehicles , and pedestrians . in addition , the imaging device may be installed at one side of the vehicle , and may be configured to capture images around the one side of the vehicle . further , the data detecting unit 140 may include a temperature sensor , a humidity sensor , a rain sensor , and a gravity sensor associated with a state of the vehicle . data sensed by the data detecting unit 140 may be output to the first electronic control device 100 . the output unit 150 may include a display unit 152 ( e . g ., a first display unit 152 ) and an audio output module 154 to generate visual and / or auditory output . in particular , the display unit 152 , executed by the controller 120 , may be configured to display information processed in the vehicle . for example , when the vehicle is in a running mode , the display unit 152 may be configured to display a user interface ( ui ) or graphical user interface ( gui ) related to the running of the vehicle . when the vehicle is in a parking state , the display unit 152 may be configured to display an image captured by the imaging device or a ui and / or a gui related to the parking state . the display unit 152 may include at least one of a liquid crystal display ( lcd ), a thin film transistor liquid crystal display ( tft lcd ), an organic light - emitting diode ( oled ), a flexible display , and a 3 - dimensional display . some of the above - mentioned displays may be formed as a transparent or light transmissive type to view the exterior therethrough . such displays may be referred to as a transparent display , and a representative example of the transparent display may include a transparent oled ( toled ). the rear structure of the display unit 152 may also be formed as a light transmissive type . based on the structure , the driver may view objects located at the rear of the display unit 152 . a vehicle may include two or more display units 152 according to the structure of the vehicle . for example , the display unit 152 may be disposed at seats and a center fascia of the vehicle , respectively . when the display unit 152 is formed as an interactive layer structure or an integrated type together with a touch sensor ( hereinafter referred to as “ touch screen ”), the display unit 152 may be used as an input device as well as an output device . when the touch sensor , for example , includes at least one of a touch film , a touch sheet , and a touch pad , the touch sensor may be accumulated in the display unit 152 to form a layer structure or may be included in the display unit 152 to be integrated with the display unit . the touch sensor may be formed to convert a pressure or capacitance change at a specific portion of the display unit 152 to an electrical input signal . the touch sensor may be formed to detect a point and a portion to be touched and a pressure thereon . when an input is on the touch sensor , a corresponding signal ( s ) may be transmitted to a touch controller ( not shown ). the touch controller may be configured to process the corresponding signal ( s ), and transmit corresponding data to the controller 120 . therefore , the controller 120 may be configured to recognize that a point or portion of the display unit 152 is touched . the audio output module 154 may be configured to receive audio data from the communication unit 130 or output audio data stored in the memory 110 according to state information , or control signals of a vehicle in a running or parking mode . the audio output module 154 may include a receiver , a speaker , a buzzer , and so on . a second electronic control device 200 of the second vehicle 20 may be formed in the same manner as the first electronic control device 100 of the first vehicle 10 as described above . however , a memory 210 ( e . g ., a second memory ) of the second electronic control device 200 may be configured to store a second program 212 to process and operate related to the controller 120 ( e . g ., the first controller ). the first program 112 and the second program 212 may be the same types of program , but may be different versions of the program . for example , the first vehicle 10 with the first program 112 may be manufactured more recently than the second vehicle 20 with the second program 212 , and the first program 112 may be a newer version than that of the second program 212 . in the above case , the first vehicle 10 and the second vehicle 20 may be the same type of vehicle model . in addition , even when the vehicles are different types of models , the controllers 120 and 220 may operate by the same program . the communication unit 130 of the first vehicle 10 and a communication unit 230 ( e . g ., a second communication unit 230 ) of the second vehicle 20 may be connected via the obd protocol , to receive and transmit data between each other . the second vehicle 20 may further include a data detecting unit 240 ( e . g ., a second data detecting unit ). hereinafter , a method of transmitting the first program 112 to the second vehicle 20 when the communication unit 230 of the second vehicle 20 and the communication unit 130 of the first vehicle 10 are connected , will be described in detail with reference to fig2 . fig2 is an exemplary flowchart of a method of controlling a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . the controller 120 of the first vehicle 10 may be configured to request version data of the second program 212 from the second vehicle 20 via the communication unit 130 of the first vehicle at step s 10 . then , a controller 220 of the second vehicle 20 may be configured to determine the version of the second program 212 stored in the memory 210 at step s 20 , and transmit the determined version data of the second program 212 , via the communication unit 230 of the second vehicle , to the first vehicle 10 at step s 30 . further , the controller 120 of the first vehicle 10 may be configured to compare the version of the second program 212 with the version of the first program 112 using the identified version data of the second program 212 at step 40 . while doing so , the controller 120 of the first vehicle 10 may be configured to determine the version of the first program 112 stored in the memory 110 , and determine whether the first program 112 and the second program 212 are the same ( e . g ., substantially similar ) type of program using the version data of the second program 212 . the controller 120 of the first vehicle 10 may be configured to transmit a result of comparing the version of the second program 212 with the version of the first program 112 to the second vehicle 20 via the communication unit 130 at step s 42 . then , the controller 220 of the second vehicle 20 may be configured to enter a receipt mode to receive the first program 112 based on the comparison result at step s 52 , and transmit a completion signal of entering the receipt mode to the first vehicle at step 52 . when the version of the first program 112 is newer ( e . g ., produced or updated more recently ) than that of the second program 212 and the controller 120 receives the completion signal of the entering the receipt mode from the controller 220 , the controller 120 may be configured to transmit the first program 112 to the second vehicle at step s 60 . then , the controller 220 of the second vehicle 20 may be configured to store the first program 112 in the memory 210 . the controller 220 of the second vehicle 20 may be configured to inform a user of receipt completion of the first program via an output unit 250 . therefore , the controller 220 of the second vehicle 20 may be configured to operate the second vehicle 20 using the first program 112 . the output unit 250 may include a display unit 252 and an audio output module 254 , executed by the controller 220 , to generate visual and / or auditory output . while this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be exemplary embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments , but , on the contrary , is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the accompanying claims .	6
an exemplary electronic power module package is described in terms of the following process steps with reference to the drawing figures . any dimensional and component values given herein are exemplary only for purposes of illustration and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention described herein . similarly , specific materials are exemplary only for purposes of illustration . as illustrated in fig1 a single - layer ( 14 ) or a multi - layer ( 12 and 14 ) structure is attached to a carrier frame 16 . the multi - layer structure comprises a thin metal layer ( preferably copper ) 12 and a layer of organic dielectric material ( e . g ., a polymer film ) 14 attached to the carrier frame 16 . alternatively , the single - layer structure comprises the organic dielectric ( e . g ., polymer film ) 14 attached to the frame 16 . the single - layer ( 14 ) or multi - layer structure ( 14 and 12 ) is also referred to herein as comprising a membrane 18 . an exemplary carrier frame 16 comprises a circular or square - shaped metal ring with a bonding layer 17 . carrier frame 16 comprises a suitable dielectric material , such as a polyimide film , e . g ., kapton polymide film sold by e . i . dupont de nemours and company . the polymer film layer 14 is in a flat and stretched condition for processing . in particular , polymer film layer 14 is attached to carrier frame 16 in a lamination process during which bond layer 17 is cured at high temperature ( e . g ., up to 300 ° c .) and pressure ( e . g ., several hundreds of psi ). during a cool down cycle in the lamination process , the polymer layer stretches . and since carrier frame 16 has a lower coefficient of thermal expansion ( cte ) than that of polymer film layer 14 , the polymer layer remains in a stretched state after the cool down to room temperature . the carrier frame provides a convenient way for transport , ease of handling and dimensional stability for the power device - on - membrane structure fabricated thereon , as described below . organic dielectric ( or polymer film ) layer 14 is chosen to have particular thermal , structural and electrical properties , depending on the particular application . the laminated polymer layer 14 preferably has a low modulus ( high compliance ), low x , y and z - axis cte , and a high glass transition temperature t g or melting temperature t m , thereby improving the thermal / structural reliability of the resulting power module interconnect . polymer film layer 14 may comprise a ceramic - filled composite polymer such as , for example , aluminum nitride ( ain )- or aluminum oxide ( al 2 o 3 )- filled poly - tetrafluoro - ethylene ( ptfe ); or polyimide cyanide ester - or bismaleimide triazine ( bt )- epoxy - infiltrated ptfe resin matrix - based laminate materials from gore associates . fig2 illustrates stepping and punching a via ( 20 ) pattern in the single or multi - layer membrane 18 for device power and control connections . forming the via pattern can be accomplished by mechanical punching or laser processing . both the frame 16 and the laminated copper sheet 12 ( fig1 ) improve the dimensional stability of the membrane 18 , allowing tighter spacing for punched vias 20 . increased via ( 20 ) density advantageously reduces resistive losses and current crowding . an exemplary configuration comprises 0 . 020 inch diameter vias on 0 . 050 inch staggered centers . fig3 illustrates applying a partially cured polymer resin ( e . g ., acrylic or epoxy ) over the dielectric side 14 ( fig1 ) of the membrane 18 as a bond , or glue , layer 22 . an exemplary bond layer 22 is approximately 0 . 0005 inch thick . application of the bond layer may take place before or after the via ( or hole ) 20 formation process . in addition , a protective release layer ( not shown ) may be applied over the bond layer to keep the bond layer clean during the via formation process . fig4 illustrates attaching power devices to the bond layer 22 . two devices 24 and 26 are provided by way of example only . in order to bond the devices , the structure is cured in a vacuum oven under low pressure . during the curing process , some resin from the bond layer may be extruded into the punched holes ( or vias ) 20 , resulting in a ring ( 28 , fig5 ) of cured bonding polymer covering the device metalization about each hole . the diameter of the punched holes , the temperature and pressure of the curing process , and the thickness of the glue layer determine the width of the extruded polymer ring . for example , for the case of a 0 . 0005 inch laser - drilled hole , the entire power device ( i . e ., die ) surface may be covered with the polymer resin . for example , if the thickness of the bond layer and the diameter of the hole were of the same order of magnitude , then a polymer resin layer having a thickness on the order of tenths of an inch would likely cover the die surface . for an exemplary polymer resin surface on the order of 0 . 0005 inch , reactive ion etching or sputter cleaning of the resin off the die surface may be difficult , expensive and impracticable . however , if the diameter of the punched vias were , for example , orders of magnitude bigger than the thickness of the bond layer , then only a small fraction of the via area would be covered by the extruded polymer layer . in such case , cleaning the polymer resin off the metalized contact surfaces of the power devices may not be necessary . as illustrated in fig5 the residual bond layer 22 and a thin layer of aluminum oxide ( not shown ) are sputter - cleaned from the top layer metalization 27 ( e . g ., aluminum ) of the power devices . ( a non - conductive oxide layer results from normal oxidation of aluminum at standard atmospheric conditions ; such an oxide layer needs to be removed prior to metalization .) the cleaning process is followed by blanket sputtering of a layer of adhesion metal 30 and a layer of conductive seed metal ( 32 ) over the aluminum metalization . suitable adhesion and conductive metal layers comprise a couple of thousands of angstroms thick titanium and copper , respectively . subsequently , a conductive copper layer 34 ( e . g ., approximately 0 . 005 inch to 0 . 010 inch thick ) is electroplated over the sputtered seed copper layer . the plated blanket copper layer is then subtractively patterned to form the power and control circuits and their input / output pads . ( the power and control circuits are designated generally in fig7 by the numeral 35 .) another alternative is to form the power circuit semi - additively where selective electroplating to the desired copper thickness is accomplished through an exposed and developed photoresist . the thin adhesion layer 30 and seed layer 32 are then removed by blanket etching the circuit . the patterned copper land and traces are subsequently plated with an electroless nickel layer ( e . g ., approximately 200 μinch thick ) followed by electroless gold layers ( e . g ., approximately 10 μinch thick ). c ( he electroless nickel and gold layers are not shown .) another alternative approach involves sputter - cleaning the excess bond layer and the oxide layer with argon plasma followed by ion vapor deposition ( ivd ) of an aluminum layer 36 ( e . g ., approximately 0 . 005 inch to 0 . 010 inch thick ) through a metal mask that will form both the power and control circuits and the input / output pads , as shown in fig6 . the shadowed aluminum metal is cleaned off by a blanket etching process that reduces the metal thickness over the entire membrane . subsequently , the assembly is plated over with an electroless nickel layer ( e . g ., approximately 200 μinch thick ) and an electroless gold layer ( e . g ., approximately 10 μinch thick ) for corrosion protection and solderability . ( the electroless nickel and gold layers are not shown .) after completion of the processing steps illustrated in fig1 - 6 , carrier frame 16 ( fig1 ) is removed from the power device - on - membrane structure 38 such that the power circuit module is ready for packaging as described in the ensuing process steps . fig7 illustrates fabrication of electrically - insulating , thermally - conducting base plate sub - assemblies 40 and 41 for packaging the power circuit module . an exemplary base is fabricated by metalizing a ceramic plate 42 ( e . g ., comprised of a ceramic aluminum nitride , beryllia or alumina ) with copper 44 . in one embodiment , an aluminum plate 42 ( e . g ., approximately 0 . 040 inch thick ) is metalized with copper 44 and a copper molybdenum ( cumo30 ) plate 46 . ( cumo30 is a composite material made by infiltrating a porous molybdenum base with copper .) active braze preforms 48 are used to attach the copper and cumo30 plates to the aluminum nitride plates , thereby forming the lower and upper base plate sub - assemblies 40 and 41 , respectively . in particular , the power circuit module is fabricated by directly active - brazing one or more physically separated layers of copper sheets 44 , each having a different thickness with respect to the aluminum nitride thermal plate . the copper sheets are preferably over - sized with respect to the underlying aluminum nitride base . the over - sized copper sheets are etched to provide a design - specific pattern having different levels of thickness , e . g ., three level including zero thickness , the full thickness of the original copper sheet 12 ( fig1 ), and a fractional thickness of the original copper sheet . the selective etching process is preferably performed in multiple steps in order to provide the desired circuit pattern and desired thickness variations . such thickness variations advantageously accommodate variations in thickness of different types of power devices . for example , thickness variations of 0 . 015 inch can be accommodated in a step - wise fashion . the screened and re - flowed solder thickness ( approximately 0 . 003 inch , for example ) helps to accommodate statistical variations in thickness of the power devices and etched layers , each of which is usually less than +/− 0 . 001 inch . as illustrated in fig8 the backside metalization 29 of the power devices 24 and 26 of the power device - on - membrane structure 38 is soldered via solder layers 52 to the copper metalization 44 of the lower and upper base plate sub - assemblies 40 and 41 , respectively . exemplary soldering processes involve a single - or double - step , fluxless soldering process in a reducing atmosphere . advantageously , the planarity of the structure provides for a double - sided cooled module design . fig9 shows attachment of compact , integral heat exchangers 60 to the lower and upper base plate sub - assemblies 40 and 41 , respectively . in particular , the heat exchangers are illustrated as being soldered to the base plate sub - assemblies through solder layers 62 . for an exemplary non - hermetic power module 70 , as illustrated in fig1 - 11 , the copper - metalized aluminum nitride thermal plates 44 are attached to infiltrated copper - molybdenum plates 46 , as described above with reference to fig9 . an exemplary thickness of copper - molybdenum plates 46 is in a range from 0 . 050 inch to 0 . 100 inch , depending on the module size and stiffness requirements . in a preferred embodiment , the copper - molybdenum sheets 46 and integral - reticulated , metal - based , compact , high performance heat exchangers 60 are bonded to the aluminum - nitride thermal plates 42 prior to the solder - attach process , as illustrated in fig9 . as illustrated in fig1 , liquid or air coolant enclosures 72 and 74 are sealed against the copper - molybdenum plates using module clamping screws 76 . also , the lower coolant enclosure 72 is illustrated as being embedded in the upper coolant enclosure 74 , and sealed with a cover plate 77 using seal rings 79 . the upper and lower base plate sub - assemblies 41 and 40 , respectively , are separated from each other by a distance 78 to provide the spacing required by the thickness of the device - on - membrane 38 and the bonding solder layers . the separation distance 78 is controlled by expansion match spacers 80 . interfaces between the solder joints and semiconductor devices of the device - on - membrane structure 38 are protected against shear and normal loads by the rigid structure formed by the copper - molybdenum plates and the spacers . furthermore , the lower base plate sub - assembly 40 ( with integral heat exchanger ) is contained in enclosure ( or cavity ) 72 , which provides damping and stress isolation against loads . a metalized and patterned extension 82 of the dielectric film supporting the device - on - membrane structure 38 is formed to provide stress - relieved connections to gate control circuits 84 and external connectors 86 , which are integrated into the upper base assembly enclosure 74 . the upper cavity 74 has slots 88 formed therein through which power electrodes extend and form external power bus connections 90 , as shown in fig1 . capture nuts 92 embedded in the upper cavity help to form secured and reliable connections to the external power bus . fig1 illustrates an exemplary single - sided hermetic power module configuration 100 . although the embodiment of fig1 is single - sided and does not employ integral heat exchangers in the base plate sub - assemblies , those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that double - sided connections and single - or double - sided integral heat exchangers may readily be incorporated into any such module in accordance with the description given hereinabove . in one embodiment of the single - sided hermetic power module 100 , power vias 120 for high current applications are constructed from cte - matched cumo30 disks 102 contained loosely within vias 120 , thereby avoiding any stress resulting from a cte mismatch which could otherwise lead to hoop cracks for particularly large vias , for example . cumo30 disks 102 offer good electrical and thermal conductivity and essentially stress - free , high - reliability power and control via connections . copper sheets 104 actively brazed in a high vacuum hermetically seals the cumo30 disks 102 and form vertical metal - to - metal connections for both thermal and electrical functions . a frame 106 ( e . g ., comprising molybdenum or alumina , for example ) bonded to the upper base plate sub - assembly 41 functions as a substantially stress - free cte - matched spacer while hermetically sealing the module cavity . fig1 illustrates a device - on - membrane structure 138 suitable for incorporation into the hermetic power module 100 of fig9 . structure 138 includes cte - matched slugs 110 for routing the power connections from the lower base sub - assembly 140 to the upper base sub - assembly 141 ( fig1 ). final assembly of the power module may comprise either a single - or double - step sealing process . a two - step process involves a hierarchy of melting points . in particular , a high - melting - point solder ( seh ) 150 and a low - melting - point solder ( sl ) 152 would be reflown over the power circuits of the upper and lower base plate sub - assemblies 141 and 140 , respectively , as shown in fig1 . the first soldering step would attach the backsides of the slugs and power devices to the lower base plate sub - assembly . prior to the second soldering step , the module is preferably tested for circuit connections and functions . the second soldering step would extend the power and control circuit connections from the device - on - membrane structure 138 to the exterior of the module . as illustrated in fig1 , a housing 160 ( e . g ., of plastic ) with external power connectors 162 and control connectors 164 would then be attached to the copper - molybdenum base . such a plastic shell would cover and protect the finished module assembly . use of a hermetic or non - hermetic module depends on the application . the hermetic module of fig1 has all the power and control connections on the topside of the device - on - membrane structure 38 . to this end , the non - hermetic module of fig8 has electrically - and thermally - conducting , cte - matched metal slugs incorporated to the device - on - membrane in order to bring the backside power connections to the top . advantages of the single - sided hermetic module of fig1 - 15 include avoiding the need for sealed power vias for the lower base plate sub - assembly , avoiding the need for an additional aluminum nitride plate , and improved thermal resistance . but , an advantage of double - sided power connections is the ability to use strip - lined power electrodes , which improve power loop inductance . ( strip - lined power electrodes comprise parallel overlapping conductor strips with a well - defined spacing in a dielectric medium .) while the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein , it will be obvious that such embodiments are provided by way of example only . numerous variations , changes and substitutions will occur to those of skill in the art without departing from the invention herein . accordingly , it is intended that the invention be limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims .	7
the present invention is generally directed to a method of imparting anisotropic thermal and electrical conductivity in a composite material consisting of a matrix material and inclusions with anisotropic geometrical shapes . the anisotropic energy flow is directly related to the orientation of the principal axes of the inclusions with respect to the principal direction of energy flow . geometrical aspects of the relation between inclusions with anisotropic geometrical shapes and energy flow are illustrated in the embodiment shown in fig1 , which is a schematic drawing showing a cross - section of material 10 . material 10 includes matrix material 11 containing conical inclusions 12 which have an apex 13 and a base 15 . base 15 is wider than apex 13 , thereby imparting asymmetric geometry to the inclusion . in the example , energy flow is depicted as arrow 17 in the principal direction of the flow . arrow 19 depicts driving force for energy flow 17 and determines direction of energy flow 17 . driving force 19 comprises , for instance , an electrical potential if energy flow 17 is electrical energy and , for instance , a temperature gradient if energy flow 17 is thermal energy . matrix material 11 and inclusions 12 can be electrical conductors , semiconductors , or insulators . electrical energy propagates through both matrix 11 and inclusions 12 in the form of electrons and holes , and thermal energy propagates in the form of elastic waves as phonons . schematic wavy arrow 20 depicts deflections of energy carriers in energy flow 17 due to shaped sides of inclusions 12 as the energy carriers encounter inclusions 12 . if the elastic properties of inclusion 12 and material 10 are sufficiently different , for instance , inclusion 12 will deflect energy flow due to phonons as a result of a difference in acoustic impedance at the inclusion 12 material 10 interface . if the driving force for energy flow 19 is reversed , the energy carriers encounter obstacles ( inclusions 12 ) where deflection is not possible , and barriers to energy flow are higher . this is schematically illustrated by wavy arrow 21 . thus , the rate of energy flow in the direction of arrow 17 is higher than in the opposite direction if driving force 19 and subsequent energy flow 17 were reversed due to the anisotropic obstacle strength of the asymmetric obstacles . in the embodiment shown in fig1 , inclusions 12 are in parallel arrays stacked on top one another at spacing 16 . inclusions 12 are spaced apart at distance 14 in each layer in an arrangement where obstacle width 18 is sufficiently less than spacing 14 , such that there is a finite aerial density of unobstructed line of sight path through composite material 10 , such that some energy carriers 20 in energy flow 17 can pass through material 10 unimpeded without encountering an obstacle . in another embodiment of the invention shown in fig2 , material 30 includes matrix material 31 containing hemispherical inclusions 32 . driving force 39 comprises , for instance , an electrical potential for electrical energy flow 37 or , for instance , a temperature gradient , if energy flow 37 is thermal energy or both . matrix material 31 and inclusions 32 can be electrical conductors , semiconductors , or insulators . in the embodiment shown in fig2 , schematic wavy arrow 40 depicts deflections of energy carriers of energy flow 37 due to shaped sides of inclusions 32 as they encounter inclusions 32 . inclusions 32 are in parallel arrays stacked on top of one another at spacing 36 . inclusions 32 are spaced apart at distance 34 in each layer in an arrangement where obstacle width 38 is sufficiently large compared to spacing 34 such that there is no aerial density where energy flow 37 can migrate through material 30 without encountering an obstacle in a line of sight path . on the other hand , energy deflection as indicated by wavy arrow 40 still has a vector component in the downward direction after impacting an obstacle allowing energy flow . if the driving force for energy flow 39 is reversed , the energy carriers encounter obstacles where deflection is not possible and the barriers to energy flow are higher . this is schematically illustrated by wavy arrow 41 . thus , the rate of energy flow in the direction of arrow 39 is higher than in the opposite direction if driving force 39 and subsequent energy flow 37 were reversed due to the anisotropic obstacle strength of the asymmetric inclusions . in other embodiments of the invention , the inclusions with anisotropic geometrical shapes can be pyramids , oblate spheroids or other shapes wherein the base cross - sectional area is larger than the peak cross - sectional area along a principal axis of the inclusion in the direction of energy flow . to be effective as anisotropic barriers of electrical and thermal energy propagation , the barrier size and spacing need to be commensurate with the wavelength and mean free path of the carriers ( i . e . electrons , holes , phonons ) themselves . these quantities all have submicron dimensions . in one embodiment , for example , a superlattice structure is formed atom layer by atom layer by physical vapor deposition ( pvd ) methods such as molecular beam epitaxy ( mbe ) and others known to those in the art . the superlattice structure can be formed so that it contains nanoscale obstacles with three - dimensional anisotropic geometrical symmetry . superlattice structures are formed by depositing alternating layers of different materials on an atom layer by atom layer basis . under conditions where the two materials have similar crystal structures but exhibit lattice mismatch , individual three - dimensional structures or “ islands ” will self form in layers on the substrate to minimize strain energy during deposition . in systems where both materials are semiconductors , the particles can be quantum dots containing quantized electrons with zero dimensions . quantum dot superlattice ( qdsl ) structures have enhanced thermoelectric properties over the bulk materials . in this embodiment , quantum dots with geometrical anisotropic shapes such as those shown in fig1 and 2 are oriented such that the layers in the superlattice are perpendicular to the principal direction of electrical and thermal energy flow in the superlattice . the resulting anisotropic energy flow will raise zt , the thermoelectric figure of merit . thermal flow in the reverse direction will be discouraged by the shape of the obstacles . the semiconducting obstacles will allow electron flow and will impede phonon propagation due to impedance mismatch at the coherent quantum dot obstacle matrix boundaries , thereby increasing zt by decreasing k l . in another embodiment , microstructures containing layers of particles with anisotropic geometric shapes are formed by pvd and accompanying photolithographic techniques wherein multimasking and angle etching steps form “ islands ” of a second material in a first material . planarizing each layer containing the islands by depositing a layer of the first material to the top of the islands of the second material form inclusions of the second material in a layer of the first material . this process is repeated until the required dimensions are formed . this process is schematically illustrated in fig3 a , 3 b , 4 a , 4 b , 5 a , and 5 b . fig3 a shows a structure in which layer 52 of material b is deposited on substrate 50 of material a . mask pattern 54 is deposited on layer 52 and formed by liftoff and other techniques known to those in the art . the structure is then exposed to , for instance , a wet chemical etch to remove the portions of layer 52 not covered by a mask . the etched structure is shown fig3 b wherein the cross - sectional shape of the material in layer 52 under mask 54 has distinctly curved sides due to the nature of chemical activity during wet etching . the next step is shown in fig4 a in which the structure is planarized by depositing material a to form layer 56 after removing mask 54 . as shown in fig4 b , the process is then repeated by depositing material b in layer 58 on layer 56 containing “ islands ” 52 of material b . mask pattern 60 is then deposited on layer 58 and exposed to an etch and to produce the structure shown in fig5 a . in fig5 a , the portion of material b not under mask 60 has been removed to reveal islands 58 with curved sides . the structure is then planarized after removal of mask 60 by depositing a layer of material a on layer 56 containing islands 58 to produce structure 70 shown in fig5 b . the process can be repeated at will to produce composite structure 70 containing material b inclusions 52 , 58 etc . with anisotropic geometrical shapes in material a matrix 50 , 56 , 60 etc . inclusions 52 , 58 etc . can have square , triangular , circular , or other cross - sections with respect to a plane parallel to layers . cross - sectional shape of particles 52 , 58 etc . with respect to a plane perpendicular to the layers as shown in , for instance , fig5 b can be formed by means other than wet etching such as ion beam techniques and others known to those in the art . materials a and b can be at least one of electrical insulators , semiconductors , or conductors . structure 70 shown schematically in fig5 b can be formed by physical vapor deposition techniques such as ion beam deposition ( ibd ), electron beam deposition ( ebd ), molecular beam epitaxy ( mbe ) and others known to those in the art . although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments , workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	1
the detailed features and advantages of the disclosure are described below in great detail through the following embodiments , and the content of the detailed description is sufficient for persons skilled in the art to understand the technical content of the disclosure and to implement the disclosure accordingly . based upon the content of the specification , the claims , and the drawings , persons skilled in the art can easily understand the relevant objectives and advantages of the disclosure . the following embodiments are intended to describe the disclosure in further detail , but not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure in any way . fig1 is a schematic structural view of an antenna module according to a first embodiment of the disclosure . the structure shown in this figure is formed of a piece of conductive material , for example , metal . for the convenience of description , the antenna module is disassembled into a plurality of components . the antenna module according to the first embodiment of the disclosure comprises a first antenna 10 , a second antenna 40 , a grounding portion 70 , and an isolation metal sheet 80 . the first antenna 10 comprises a first radiation portion 20 and a second radiation portion 30 . an overall structure of the second antenna 40 is the same as that of the first antenna 10 , so the reference numbers of structures in the second antenna 40 are omitted and replaced with those of the first antenna 10 . therefore , the first embodiment of the disclosure is described mainly by taking an example that the first antenna 10 is disassembled into a plurality of components . the grounding portion 70 of the antenna in the first embodiment of the disclosure comprises a first sub - connection portion 72 and a second sub - connection portion 74 . the first sub - connection portion 72 is located at one end of the grounding portion 70 , and the second sub - connection portion 74 is located at the other end of the grounding portion 70 . the first sub - connection portion 72 is connected to the first antenna 10 , and the second sub - connection portion 74 is connected to the second antenna 40 . the isolation metal sheet 80 comprises a connection portion 81 and an isolation portion 82 . one end of the connection portion 81 is connected to the isolation portion 82 , and the other end of the connection portion 81 is connected to the grounding portion 70 . the connection portion 81 of the isolation metal sheet 80 is formed by perpendicularly extending the grounding portion 70 . the isolation metal sheet 80 is used for isolating signals generated by the first antenna 10 and the second antenna 40 from each another , to avoid interference . the first antenna 10 comprises the first radiation portion 20 , the second radiation portion 30 , a first fixing portion 90 , and a second fixing portion 91 . the first radiation portion 20 is of a serpentine structure formed by a u - shaped section and a plurality of l - shaped sections , comprising a first l - shaped section 22 , a second l - shaped section 26 , and a u - shaped section 24 . the first radiation portion 20 of the first antenna 10 further has a first radiation connection section 23 connected between the first l - shaped section 22 and the u - shaped section 24 and a second radiation connection section 25 connected between the u - shaped section 24 and the second l - shaped section 26 . the second l - shaped section 26 of the first antenna 10 is connected to the first sub - connection portion 72 of the grounding portion 70 , and a second l - shaped section 56 of the second antenna 40 is connected to the second sub - connection portion 74 of the grounding portion 70 . the shape and size of the first l - shaped section 22 may be the same as or different from those of the second l - shaped section 26 . each of the second radiation portions 30 of the first antenna 10 and the second antenna 40 comprises a first l - shaped section 32 and a second l - shaped section 34 . the second l - shaped section 34 is connected between the first l - shaped section 32 and the u - shaped section 24 of the first radiation portion 20 . the shape and size of the first l - shaped section 32 may be the same as or different from those of the second l - shaped section 34 . the first fixing portion 90 and the second fixing portion 91 may each be of an l - shaped structure . the first fixing portion 90 may be formed by perpendicularly extending the first l - shaped section 22 of the first radiation portion 20 of the first antenna 10 , and the second fixing portion 91 may be formed by perpendicularly extending an end of the first l - shaped section 32 in the second radiation portion 30 of the first antenna 10 . the first fixing portion 90 and the second fixing portion 91 help to fix the antenna in an electronic device , and the first fixing portion 90 or the second fixing portion 91 may be selected as a signal feeding point . the numbers and shapes of the u - shaped sections , the radiation connection sections and the l - shaped sections in the first antenna 10 and the second antenna 40 of this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure and can be designed according to an actual application . fig2 is a schematic structural view of an antenna module according to a second embodiment of the disclosure . the structure shown in this figure is integrally formed of a conductive material , for example , metal . for the convenience of description , the antenna module is disassembled into a plurality of components for description . the antenna module according to the second embodiment of the disclosure comprises a first antenna 600 , a second antenna 700 , a third antenna 800 , a grounding portion 900 , a first isolation metal sheet 980 , and a second isolation metal sheet 990 . the first antenna 600 comprises a first radiation portion 620 and a second radiation portion 650 , and the second antenna 700 comprises a first radiation portion 720 and a second radiation portion 750 . in this embodiment , an overall structure of the third antenna 800 is similar to that of the second antenna 700 , so that most of reference numbers of the third antenna 800 are omitted . therefore , this embodiment of the disclosure is described mainly by taking an example that the first antenna 600 and the second antenna 700 are disassembled into a plurality of components . the grounding portion 900 comprises a first sub - connection portion 910 , a second sub - connection portion 920 , and a third sub - connection portion 930 . the first sub - connection portion 910 is connected to the first antenna 600 , the second sub - connection portion 920 is connected to the second antenna 700 , and the third sub - connection portion 930 is connected to the third antenna 800 . the first isolation metal sheet 980 and the second isolation metal sheet 990 of this embodiment are used for isolating signals generated by the first antenna 600 , the second antenna 700 , and the third antenna 800 from each other , to avoid interference . the first antenna 600 comprises the first radiation portion 620 , the second radiation portion 650 , a first fixing portion 670 , and a second fixing portion 680 . the first radiation portion 620 comprises a u - shaped section 622 , an l - shaped section 624 , and a radiation connection section 623 . the radiation connection section 623 is connected between the u - shaped section 622 and the l - shaped section 624 . the l - shaped section 624 is connected to the first sub - connection portion 910 of the grounding portion 900 . the sub - sections of the u - shaped section 622 may have the same width , or the width of a certain sub - section is greater than the width of another sub - section . the second radiation portion 650 comprises a first l - shaped section 652 and a second l - shaped section 654 . the second l - shaped section 654 is connected between the first l - shaped section 652 and the u - shaped section 622 of the first radiation portion 620 . the shape and size of the first l - shaped section 652 may be the same as or different from those of the second l - shaped section 654 . the first fixing portion 670 and the second fixing portion 680 may each be of an l - shaped structure . the first fixing portion 670 may be formed by perpendicularly extending the u - shaped section 622 of the first radiation portion 620 of the first antenna 600 , and the second fixing portion 680 may be formed by perpendicularly extending an end of the first l - shaped section 652 in the second radiation portion 650 of the first antenna 600 . the second antenna 700 and the third antenna 800 each comprise the first radiation portion 720 , the second radiation portion 750 , a first fixing portion 770 , and a second fixing portion 780 . the first radiation portion 720 is of a serpentine structure formed by a plurality of u - shaped sections and an l - shaped section , comprising a first u - shaped section 722 , a second u - shaped section 724 , and an l - shaped section 726 . the second antenna 700 further comprises a first radiation connection section 723 connected between the first u - shaped section 722 and the second u - shaped section 724 and a second radiation connection section 725 connected between the second u - shaped section 724 and the l - shaped section 726 . the third antenna 800 also has a similar structure . the l - shaped section 726 of the second antenna 700 is connected to the second sub - connection portion 920 of the grounding portion 900 , and the l - shaped section 826 of the third antenna 800 is connected to the third sub - connection portion 930 of the grounding portion 900 . the shape and size of the first u - shaped section 722 may be the same as or different from those of the second u - shaped section 724 . the shapes of the second u - shaped section 724 and the l - shaped section 726 of the first radiation portion 720 of the second antenna 700 may be the same as or different from the shapes of the second u - shaped section 824 and the l - shaped section 826 of the first radiation portion 820 of the third antenna 800 . the second radiation portion 750 further comprises a first l - shaped section 752 and a second l - shaped section 754 . the second l - shaped section 754 is connected between the first l - shaped section 752 and the second u - shaped section 724 of the first radiation portion 720 . the first fixing portion 770 and the second fixing portion 780 may each be of an l - shaped structure . the first fixing section 770 may be formed by perpendicularly extending the second u - shaped section 724 of the first radiation portion 720 of the second antenna 700 , and the second fixing portion 780 may be formed by perpendicularly extending an end of the first l - shaped section 752 in the second radiation portion 750 of the second antenna 700 . the first fixing portion and the second fixing portion in each of the first antenna 600 , the second antenna 700 , and the third antenna 800 of this embodiment help to fix the antenna in an electronic device , and the first fixing portion or the second fixing portion may be selected as a signal feeding point . the numbers and shapes of the u - shaped sections , the radiation connection sections and the l - shaped sections of this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure and can be designed according to an actual application . in the second embodiment of the disclosure , the antenna module further comprises the first isolation metal sheet 980 and the second isolation metal sheet 990 . each isolation metal sheet further comprises a connection portion 992 and an isolation portion 994 . one end of the connection portion 992 is connected to the isolation portion 994 , and the other end of the connection portion 992 is formed by perpendicularly extending the grounding portion 900 . the first isolation metal sheet 980 is located between the first sub - connection portion 910 and the second sub - connection portion 920 and between the second sub - connection portion 920 and the third sub - connection portion 930 of the grounding portion 900 at the same time , and the second isolation metal sheet 990 is located between the first sub - connection portion 910 and the third sub - connection portion 930 and between the second sub - connection portion 920 and the third sub - connection portion 930 of the grounding portion 900 at the same time . in other embodiments , the numbers , shapes and connection positions of the isolation metal sheets may be designed according to an actual application . fig3 is a schematic structural view of an antenna module according to a third embodiment of the disclosure . the structure shown in this figure is integrally formed of a conductive material , for example , metal . for the convenience of description , an antenna is disassembled into a plurality of components for description . the antenna module according to the third embodiment of the disclosure comprises a first antenna 100 , a second antenna 200 , a third antenna 300 , a grounding portion 400 , a first isolation metal sheet 520 , a second isolation metal sheet 540 , and a third isolation metal sheet 560 . the first antenna 100 comprises a first radiation portion 120 and a second radiation portion 150 , and the second antenna 200 comprises a first radiation portion 220 and a second radiation portion 250 . an overall structure of the third antenna 300 is the same as that of the second antenna 200 , so that most of reference numbers of the third antenna 300 are omitted . therefore , this embodiment of the disclosure is described mainly by taking an example that the first antenna 100 and the second antenna 200 are disassembled into a plurality of components . the grounding portion 400 of the antenna of this embodiment comprises a first sub - connection portion 410 , a second sub - connection portion 420 , and a third sub - connection portion 430 . the first sub - connection portion 410 is connected to the first antenna 100 , the second sub - connection portion 420 is connected to the second antenna 200 , and the third sub - connection portion 430 is connected to the third antenna 300 . the first isolation metal sheet 520 , the second isolation metal sheet 540 , and the third isolation metal sheet 560 are used for isolating signals generated by the first antenna 100 , the second antenna 200 , and the third antenna 300 from each other , to avoid interference . the first antenna 100 comprises the first radiation portion 120 , the second radiation portion 150 , a first fixing portion 170 , and a second fixing portion 180 . the first radiation portion 120 is of a serpentine structure formed by a plurality of u - shaped sections , comprising a first u - shaped section 122 , a second u - shaped section 124 , and a third u - shaped section 126 . the first radiation portion 120 of the first antenna 100 further comprises a first radiation connection section 123 connected between the first u - shaped section 122 and the second u - shaped section 124 , a second radiation connection section 125 connected between the second u - shaped section 124 and the third u - shaped section 126 , and a third radiation connection section 127 connected between the third u - shaped section 126 and the first sub - connection portion 410 of the grounding portion 400 . the shapes and sizes of the first u - shaped section 122 , the second u - shaped section 124 , and the third u - shaped section 126 may be the same as or different from each other . the second radiation portion 150 of the first antenna 100 comprises a first l - shaped section 152 and a second l - shaped section 154 . the second l - shaped section 154 is connected between the first l - shaped section 152 and the second radiation connection section 125 of the first radiation portion 120 . the shape and size of the first l - shaped section 152 may be the same as or different from those of the second l - shaped section 154 . the first fixing portion 170 and the second fixing portion 180 may each be of an l - shaped structure . the first fixing section 170 may be formed by perpendicularly extending the second u - shaped section 124 of the first radiation portion 120 of the first antenna 100 , and the second fixing portion 180 is formed by perpendicularly extending an end of the first l - shaped section 152 in the second radiation portion 150 of the first antenna 100 . the second antenna 200 and the third antenna 300 each comprise the first radiation portion 220 , the second radiation portion 250 , a first fixing portion 270 , and a second fixing portion 280 . the first radiation portion 220 is of a serpentine structure formed by a plurality of u - shaped sections and an l - shaped section , comprising a first u - shaped section 222 , a second u - shaped section 224 , and an l - shaped section 226 . the first radiation portion 220 of the second antenna 200 further comprises a first radiation connection section 223 connected between the first u - shaped section 222 and the second u - shaped section 224 , and a second radiation connection section 225 connected between the second u - shaped section 224 and the l - shaped section 226 . the third antenna 300 also has a similar structure . the l - shaped section 226 of the second antenna 200 is connected to the second sub - connection portion 420 of the grounding portion 400 , and the l - shaped section 326 of the third antenna 300 is connected to the third sub - connection portion 430 of the grounding portion 400 . the shape and size of the first u - shaped section 222 may be the same as or different from those of the second u - shaped section 224 . the shape of the l - shaped section 226 of the first radiation portion 220 of the second antenna 200 may be the same as or different from the shape of the l - shaped section 326 of the first radiation portion 320 of the third antenna 300 . the second radiation portion 250 further comprises an l - shaped section 252 and a radiation connection section 254 . the radiation connection section 254 is connected between the l - shaped section 252 and the second u - shaped section 224 of the first radiation portion 220 . the first fixing portion 270 and the second fixing portion 280 may each be of an l - shaped structure . the first fixing section 270 may be formed by perpendicularly extending the second u - shaped section 224 of the first radiation portion 220 of the second antenna 200 , and the second fixing portion 280 may be formed by perpendicularly extending an end of the l - shaped section 252 in the second radiation portion 250 of the second antenna 200 . the first fixing portion and the second fixing portion in each of the first antenna 100 , the second antenna 200 , and the third antenna 300 of this embodiment help to fix the antenna in an electronic device , and the first fixing portion or the second fixing portion may be selected as a signal feeding point . the numbers and shapes of the u - shaped sections , the radiation connection sections and the l - shaped sections of the first antenna 100 , the second antenna 200 , and the third antenna 300 of this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure and can be designed according to an actual application . in the third embodiment of the disclosure , the antenna module further comprises the first isolation metal sheet 520 , the second isolation metal sheet 540 , and the third isolation metal sheet 560 . each isolation metal sheet further comprises a connection portion 522 and an isolation portion 524 . one end of the connection portion 522 is connected to the isolation portion 524 , and the other end of the connection portion 522 is formed by perpendicularly extending the grounding portion 400 . the first isolation metal sheet 520 is located between the second sub - connection portion 420 and the third sub - connection portion 430 of the grounding portion 400 , the second isolation metal sheet 540 is located between the first sub - connection portion 410 and the second sub - connection portion 420 of the grounding portion 400 , and the third isolation metal sheet 560 is located between the first sub - connection portion 410 and the third sub - connection portion 430 of the grounding portion 400 . to sum up , the structure of the antenna module in the disclosure is an integrated structure that can be formed by directly bending a single metal plate , and provided with antennas arranged in all directions and different radiation portions . therefore , the volume of the antennas can be greatly reduced to be adapted in an electronic device , and a stable radiation pattern and good radio signal receiving / transmitting capabilities can be achieved .	7
the present invention may be used in a software testing application to obtain high - level information about what the application under test (&# 34 ; aut &# 34 ;) is displaying to the user . many of the specific auts the testing application must deal with display logical structures such as text fields and tables to the user without providing an application programming interface (&# 34 ; api &# 34 ;) by which testing or other applications can access those structures through software . the general approach in accordance with the present invention is to record what the aut draws on the screen , map the recorded information to logical structures , and report the logical information back to a client application , such as , for example , a software testing application , on demand . the approach which is taken is formally rule - based , but the preferred implementation describes those rules in a standard programming language for reasons of efficiency . as described below , the rules are parameterized to allow their application in different applications under test . most modern computer systems support the display of information in &# 34 ; windows .&# 34 ; ultimately , most windows are drawn in some way on a display ; the mapping from logical window coordinates to physical display coordinates being handled by the operating system in order to isolate the application software from details such as display resolution and the user &# 39 ; s arrangement of windows on the display . windows are generally arranged in a hierarchy , i . e ., the contents of a child window will be clipped to fit within its parent , and a child window &# 39 ; s position is specified relative to its parent &# 39 ; s , so moving the parent on the physical display automatically moves the child . top - level windows usually represent an application &# 39 ; s &# 34 ; frame ,&# 34 ; which contains all of the documents opened by the user using a particular application . top - level windows may also be &# 34 ; dialogs ,&# 34 ; where an application or the operating system obtains specific information from the user ( a file name to open , for example ), or displays specific results ( an error message ). generally , a window is associated with an owning application , which is responsible for displaying its contents ( using operating system calls ), and for responding to input ( typing , mouse clicks , and so on ) within the window . although it is possible to define a window simply as a rectangle with a particular size and location , modern systems support the idea of window classes and window attributes , which make it easier for applications to associate specific code with specific windows . a top - level application frame window may display a menu bar , where the user makes selections from a limited set of commands , as well as buttons to close the application , enlarge the frame window , or cause the frame window to be displayed as an icon . each of the buttons can be handled either by drawing within the frame window , or , more easily , by creating child windows that are known to represent buttons . these windows have no need to manage menus or other windows , but need only display something that looks to the user like a button , and respond when the user clicks on them . thus , a window &# 39 ; s class allows the application to associate a particular behavior , which may be implemented by the operating system , with each window . windows in addition can have attributes , or &# 34 ; styles ,&# 34 ; which allow the window &# 39 ; s behavior to be modified in particular ways . an application may want its frame window to have a known size , rather than allowing the user to change it , so it will create its frame window ( which has a particular class , and thus a particular body of software managing its behavior ) with a style that tells the class software to disallow resizing . other styles may specify whether or not a window should be treated as a child window ( i . e ., clipped to fit in a specified parent ), whether or not the window should accept user input , and so on . in accordance with the present invention , the window hierarchy managed by a software application is not necessarily the window hierarchy perceived by the application user . one application may create a window to represent a text input field , while another may simply draw a rectangle in a larger window , and accept text input for display within that rectangle . there is essentially no difference in the user &# 39 ; s perception of the two applications &# 39 ; behavior . for the user &# 39 ; s purposes , or for the purposes of testing , both objects are text fields . the present invention therefore deals with two classes of windows . first , a &# 34 ; canvas &# 34 ; is a window that contains static objects , such as text and graphics , as well as child windows that accept user input directly , such as the text field mentioned above . second , a &# 34 ; control &# 34 ; is a window that accepts user input directly , for example , a button , which accepts clicks , a text field which accepts various editing commands as well as simple typing , and so on . the present invention removes the distinction , for its client , between a control that is implemented as a separate identifiable window of a particular class , and a control that is simply drawn on a larger canvas by the application under test . the former is referred to as a &# 34 ; native control &# 34 ;, while the latter is referred to as a &# 34 ; rendered control .&# 34 ; some applications will use both forms for a single control , i . e ., they will create a native control when a user is actually typing into a text field , but render the control when it is only being displayed . again , these hybrid controls are not seen as such by the user , and should not be interpreted as such by the client application . in some cases , applications may create canvases that , in turn , contain other canvases . this allows the application to manage different parts of its top - level window as separate units , without making the unit boundaries visible to the user . this can produce a window hierarchy that is much deeper than the hierarchy visible to the user . since it is generally desired to parallel what the user perceives , the child canvases are typically ignored and information is stored about any controls they contain ( whether native or rendered ) relative to the parent canvas . this collapsing of the window hierarchy greatly simplifies the presentation of information to the client application , and improves the ability of the present invention to present what the user sees on the display , rather than the details of the particular techniques used to draw what the user sees . referring now to fig1 therein is displayed an application &# 39 ; s top - level dialog 100 , as seen by the user , the rectangles containing the text &# 34 ; do it &# 34 ; 102 and &# 34 ; quit &# 34 ; 104 are push button controls , while those containing numerals are text field controls 106 . the group of controls 108 at the top of the dialog , under the &# 34 ; text &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; number &# 34 ; labels , is seen by the user as a table . the scroll bar control 110 to the right of the four text field controls allows the user to access other rows of the table , where each row contains a &# 34 ; combo box &# 34 ; control under the &# 34 ; text &# 34 ; label , and a text field control under the &# 34 ; number &# 34 ; label . the window hierarchy associated with this dialog is very different from what the user sees , and is shown in fig2 . as shown in fig2 each line of the window hierarchy 200 represents one window , with the level of indentation representing depth in the window hierarchy . on each line , the term &# 34 ; window &# 34 ; is followed by a number which represents the operating system identifier ( e . g ., 2b970230 ) for the particular window , which in turn is followed by the window &# 39 ; s caption ( e . g ., &# 34 ; arrayfield test &# 34 ;), if it has one , and then finally the window &# 39 ; s class , such as &# 34 ; combobox ,&# 34 ; &# 34 ; edit ,&# 34 ; or &# 34 ; fortecompound .&# 34 ; for the real window hierarchy 200 shown in fig2 it should be noted that although six text fields have been identified , there are only four windows of the &# 34 ; edit &# 34 ; class ( 202 , 204 , 206 , 208 ), which in the case of microsoft windows identifies a standard text field control . further , each of these &# 34 ; edit &# 34 ; windows is a child of a &# 34 ; combobox &# 34 ; control ( e . g ., 210 ), which is already identified as the left column of the table . thus , any other text field in this dialog is rendered , rather than native . additionally , in the window hierarchy 200 there is no window whose class identifies it as being a table , so the table itself must be rendered . the canvas containing the table is identified by observing that there is only one scroll bar window 212 in the hierarchy 200 , which is a child of the fortecompound window 214 whose id is 000f020c . not only are the text field controls in the table rendered , they are also descended from a table control that is itself rendered , and has as its children four native combo box controls , four rendered text field controls , and a native scroll bar control . the perceived window hierarchy 300 corresponding to the real window hierarchy 200 , as seen by the user is shown in fig3 . as shown in fig3 the fortecompound canvases are not visible to the user at all , while the table and its contained columns are entirely non - existent as far as the operating system is concerned . the method of the present invention transforms the first hierarchy ( the real window hierarchy ), in combination with information about what is drawn into it , into the perceived window hierarchy , which allows testing of the application independent of the details of its implementation . the specific implementation described herein is specific to microsoft &# 39 ; s windows 32 system interface , as implemented in the windows 95 and windows nt operating systems . however , as is quite clear to the artisans in this field , the same general methods can be used on any of a number of other operating systems , generally by changing the implementation details specific to each system . on most modern operating systems , each application runs in a &# 34 ; process ,&# 34 ; which is an operating system construct that gives the application the appearance of running on a computer with nothing else . effectively , this creates a private address space which other processes cannot access without permission from the system . in accordance with the present invention , a body of code is inserted into the address space of the application under test . the windows 32 implementation uses standard techniques to &# 34 ; inject &# 34 ; the code for carrying out the present invention into any application &# 39 ; s process address space . other systems might require that the application under test explicitly load the code into its address space , however the present invention itself is not affected by this . once present in the application under test , the present invention &# 34 ; hooks &# 34 ; a number of operating system entry points . this means that when the application under test calls , for example , the &# 34 ; drawtext &# 34 ; operating system routine , which paints text into a window , it will actually call the code which implements the present invention ( invention code ); the invention code will then obtain whatever information it requires , and itself call the actual operating system routine . this allows the application under test to operate without disturbance , albeit somewhat more slowly , while the invention code collects information about what the application has drawn on the display . any method may be used to hook the operating system calls and need not be specific . essentially , any entry point that is hooked can in some way be associated with a particular window in the real window hierarchy , i . e ., it either accepts a window identifier as a parameter , or returns a window identifier ( as , for example , when a new window is created ). when the method of the present invention is running in the application under test , it must maintain a hierarchy roughly parallel to the window system &# 39 ; s hierarchy . the exact structure of this hierarchy is determined by parameters specific to the application under test . for example , when the method of the present invention is running in microsoft internet explorer , it will organize windows in a different way from when it is running in an oracle forms application . in all cases , however , the rules followed are the same . when the method of the present invention first begins operation ( i . e ., when it is first injected ), it examines ( using standard system calls ) all of the windows currently used by the aut , and constructs a &# 34 ; virtual window hierarchy &# 34 ;. associated with each element in the virtual window hierarchy are : a container window , the set of descendants of the container window for which this element collects information , and all of the information obtained for the container window and the specified set of descendants . any window which is encountered is classified either as a container window , which will be associated with a new node in the virtual window hierarchy , or as a child window , which will be added to the list of children associated with an existing node in the virtual window hierarchy . when the method of the present invention records a drawing operation in a window that is a descendant of a container window , it will actually record that operation as if it had been performed in the container window , i . e ., coordinates will be relative to the origin of the container window rather than relative to the origin of the window in which drawing actually occurred this grouping of many windows into one virtual window hierarchy greatly simplifies the construction of objects described below . this classification is based on window classes , attributes , and content , as specified in the parameter file . for example , the rules for a forte application like the one above might specify a rule such as : &# 34 ; a top - level window whose class is fortecompound is a container ; a child window whose class is fortecompound and whose set of children ( as distinguished from descendants ) includes a window of class scrollbar is a container ; any other fortecompound window is a content window .&# 34 ; each of the first two parts of this rule is associated with a virtual window class that will be assigned to the container window . the first rule &# 39 ; s virtual class is dialogbox , while the second rule &# 39 ; s virtual class is table . the present invention uses the virtual window class to determine which of its information gathering and grouping rules to apply , with which parameters , to each container window . thus , by applying this set of rules , the initial real window hierarchy 400 ( fig4 ) is created . all the fortecompound windows have disappeared and any operation that applies to them will be recorded in the nearest container window in the virtual window hierarchy . when the invention code is first installed , it does not have any information about anything that was drawn in any existing window before the installation . thus , as a first step , once it has constructed a virtual window hierarchy , it forces all windows of the aut to be redisplayed , using standard operating system calls . this ensures that the virtual window hierarchy is complete , with respect to its content as well as its structure , before the client application can obtain any information . as windows are created and destroyed , the invention code updates the hierarchy to reflect those changes . two aspects of this implementation are important . first , when a window is destroyed all of its children are implicitly destroyed as well . in the example above ( fig2 ), when the &# 34 ; arrayfieldtest &# 34 ; dialogbox is destroyed , the table container window , and all its children , must also be destroyed . second , when a window is created , it may be impossible to classify it properly until its children have all been created as well . for example , if the aut creates a new fortecompound window which is a child of the &# 34 ; arrayfieldtest &# 34 ; fortecompound , when the method of the present invention sees the initial operating system call to create the window , it will apply a rule that makes the new window a content window , because it has no children . however , it is generally not possible for the aut to create any children of the window until later , so this initial characterization may not be accurate . instead , the window &# 39 ; s classification is postponed until the operating system asks the aut to display the contents of the new window , which generally does not occur until the sub - hierarchy whose parent is the new window has been fully populated . at this point it is possible to determine whether the window has a child of class scrollbar or not . a further complication is introduced by the use , in many applications , of &# 34 ; off - screen bitmaps &# 34 ; to reduce the apparent time spent updating the display . for example , if an application is displaying a complicated diagram containing geometric figures whose boundaries must be computed , users will be distracted if they see a pause during the drawing of the diagram , rather than a longer pause before the diagram is drawn at all . therefore , the aut may , instead of drawing directly to the displayed window , draw to an off - screen bitmap that is equivalent to the displayed window - it has the same size , the same color scheme , and so on . once the drawing is complete , the off - screen bitmap can be transferred in one operation , requiring virtually no computation , onto the display . in this way , the user &# 39 ; s distraction is minimized , but the display is exactly equivalent . the present invention therefore recognizes the creation of these off - screen bitmaps , and gathers information in them just as if they were container windows . when the aut copies their contents onto the screen , the present invention copies the contents of the off - screen container window into the corresponding container window in its virtual window hierarchy . the information gathered by the present invention from the hooked system interfaces may vary depending on general information ( contained in the parameter file ) about the behavior of the aut . it may also vary within the aut , depending on the classification of the container window to which a particular operation applies . the &# 34 ; hooks &# 34 ; used in the present invention maintain a data structure in each window containing the uninterpreted accumulation of all the calls that have happened in the life of the window and its children according to the following procedure . object creation operations , such as text and line drawing operations , cause the invention code to add a new object to the data structure , containing information specific to the type of object created . for a text drawing operation , the present invention will record the actual text , the font used to draw it , the position of the text object created in the container window , its size , and the &# 34 ; clipping rectangle &# 34 ; in effect . the clipping rectangle allows the aut to draw a text ( or other ) object such that parts of it are not actually displayed . the aut allows the operating system to handle the details of deciding where to stop drawing , based on what will fit inside the clipping rectangle . text clipping is illustrated in fig5 . when this text is drawn , the present invention will record the entire string 502 , &# 34 ; this is text that will be clipped ,&# 34 ; which is to be drawn at x = 0 , y = 20 , in 11 - point book antiqua , italicized . it will also record the clipping rectangle 504 , allowing it to determine that only the string &# 34 ; that will &# 34 ; actually appears on the display , with the remainder of the text being clipped by the system . for a rectangle or line , the present invention will record the dimensions of the object , its color , and its style - whether it &# 39 ; s a solid line , a dotted line , and so on . some objects contain other information that the present invention must obtain actively . in a world - wide web browser , for example , hyperlinks are represented either by images or by text that is underlined and displayed in a distinctive color , and typically , the client application will want to know the hyperlink target . the present invention obtains this information by moving the mouse cursor over the suspected hyperlink , and extracting text that most web browsers display in a &# 34 ; status window &# 34 ; to show the user the hyperlink target . the parameter file for these applications specifics that hyperlinks are of interest , and identifies the status window , so text drawn into it can be processed separately . this processing is not performed at the time the aut draws the hyperlink , rather , the present invention schedules it for a time when the aut is otherwise idle , to avoid disrupting its normal operation . object destruction operations ( which may include object creation operations ), cause the present invention to delete objects previously drawn . this can be as simple as a call to the operating system to erase the contents of a window , but it may also include the drawing of a rectangle that is filled with red , in which case , anything that was in the area occupied by the rectangle must be deleted . window destruction is a more complicated case . when a content window is destroyed , any objects contained in its rectangle will usually be deleted , but some operating systems will allow the creation of &# 34 ; transparent &# 34 ; windows , whose deletion does not have any visible effect on the physical display . object modification operations cause the present invention to update information it has already acquired . the aut may draw a rectangle over some existing text in such a way that the text , rather than displaying as black characters on a white background , will display as white characters on black . in this case , there is no value in breaking the previously - existing text object up into parts . instead , the present invention records information about the part that has been highlighted along with the text object . object movement operations are generally of three types . first , when an off - screen bitmap is copied into a window in the virtual window hierarchy , all of the objects known in the off - screen bitmap are copied into the appropriate container window , just as if they had been drawn in it , and anything previously in the area covered by the copy operation is deleted . in this case , the origins of the objects may be changed during the copy . second , the aut may instruct the system to move some portion of the contents of the physical display . in this case , any objects in the portion of the destination rectangle not covered by the source must be deleted , and the objects in the source must have their origins updated . third , the aut may move a content window within its parent . this will have the effect either of moving some portion of the physical display , or of clearing the area of the content window . most operating systems have a notion of &# 34 ; scroll bars &# 34 ;, which are controls that allow the user to manage the display of a document that is too large to fit in the window it is being displayed in . when the user &# 34 ; scrolls down ,&# 34 ; the top part of the document moves out of the displayed area , the bottom part of the displayed area moves to the top , and text from later in the document is drawn in the bottom part . in effect , the window represents a view port on the document and the scroll down operation moves toward the end , or bottom , of the document . for some applications , it is desirable to track the entire contents of the displayed document , rather than only what is on the screen at any given instant . in these cases , the method of the present invention detects the presence of scroll bars in the container window , and , when appropriate ( generally , when it needs to return a list of all the controls in the container ), causes the container window to scroll in such a way that the entire area of the document in the container window is displayed . as this happens , the method of the present invention is able to update object positions , and thus has a consistent model of the displayed document , in a coordinate space larger than that of the container window . many applications on modern operating systems will have several &# 34 ; threads &# 34 ; of execution running in a single process , with all the threads in a process sharing the same memory , but each having its own program counter . it is often left to the operating system to decide which thread will execute at any given time . because the hooks installed by the method of the present invention apply to all of the threads in a process , and because any thread may draw to a window for which the method of the present invention is gathering data , it is necessary to synchronize access to the data structures managed by the method of the present invention . the operating system provides synchronization facilities , which allow the method of the present invention to block the execution of a particular thread if it requires access to a data structure already in use in another thread . during information - gathering , the method of the present invention populates a data structure for each container window it has identified . this structure includes all of the descendant windows of the container , and all of the text , simple graphics ( lines and rectangles ), and images visible in the container window and its descendants , with their locations and attributes . the method of the present invention interprets this data structure only when it must , i . e ., when the client application requests information that requires its interpretation . much of the information gathered will never be reported to the client application , or even interpreted , since interpretation is performed when it is required , not when it is possible . the method of the present invention receives requests from its client application as messages to a window created by the invention code during injection . when the invention code is injected , it also creates a thread of execution in which the messages to its window are processed . this feature is typically supported by the host operating system and allows the method of the present invention to group algorithms to execute without disturbing any other threads of execution created by the aut . the information - gathering code , on the other hand , is executed within the aut &# 39 ; s threads , because it runs when one of the aut &# 39 ; s threads draws something on the screen . this type of architecture requires further synchronization . specifically , the thread created by the present invention may not perform object grouping unless the aut is unable to draw to the screen . otherwise , the data structures that the present invention must use will be changing as it runs . three steps are taken to ensure proper synchronization and safety . first , on operating systems that support the feature , the thread of the present invention is made &# 34 ; time - critical ,&# 34 ; meaning that it will not be interrupted to allow the execution of other threads unless it performs an operation that gives up control temporarily . this does not ensure that the method of the present invention will run uninterrupted during object grouping , but it minimizes the disruption of the aut &# 39 ; s execution , because the method of the present invention will execute as fast as possible . second , the thread of the present invention obtains a read lock on the data structure for the window whose objects it is currently grouping . if another thread in the aut is adding information to the data structure , via one of the hooks used by the present invention , the method of the present invention will be forced to wait until the hook surrenders the write lock it obtained . if an aut thread attempts to draw to the screen once the thread of the invention has a read lock , the hook function for the drawing operation will be forced to wait until the thread of the invention completes execution . third , in some cases the method of the present invention provides a mechanism that allows its client application to determine that the aut is &# 34 ; ready ,&# 34 ; meaning that it has finished loading and displaying the document of interest . this is particularly important when the aut is a browser on the world wide web , where the document being displayed may take several minutes to obtain from the internet . the particular procedure used by the present invention to identify the ready state of the browser varies , but the most common technique is to identify in the parameter file for the browser a window where the browser draws an animated icon when it is loading information from the internet . the hooks of the invention will of course record drawing operations in that window . when enough time has passed without a drawing operation , meaning that the icon is no longer animated , the present invention reports that the browser is ready . by convention , the client application will not request information from the aut if it is not ready , in cases where this can be determined . in addition to performing object grouping , the thread of the present invention must respond to requests for information from the client application . again by convention , the client application notifies the method of the present invention that it is about to make a series of requests for information on a particular container window . upon receipt of this information , the method of the present invention will perform object grouping on the specified container . as part of object grouping , the present invention copies all relevant object information out of the data structure maintained by the hooks . thus , information retrieval will proceed based on a consistent snapshot of the state of the container window made at the instant object grouping started . if the aut changes the contents of the window , the present invention may report slightly out - of - date information . it is the responsibility of the client application to provide notifications at a frequency that will allow the method of the present invention to satisfy its need for accuracy . if the present invention receives a notification from the client , but the contents of the container window are unchanged since the last grouping , operation , no further grouping will be performed . the object grouping algorithms used in the present invention consist of a set of parameterized rules and groups of rules , applied sequentially to the object information gathered by the hooks and the result of whatever grouping rules have already been applied . the order in which the rules are applied is important , and the application of any particular rule may be prevented by settings in the parameter file for the aut . in any rule that involves the comparison of object positions , there will generally be a tolerance parameter . although for the sake of simplicity this tolerance parameter is omitted from the rule descriptions below , it should be understood that a tolerance may be used in the comparison of object positions . for example , if the description says , &# 34 ; a horizontal line whose left end matches the top of the vertical line already found ,&# 34 ; this is interpreted to mean that the two positions are the same within some tolerance , for example , two pixels in each dimension . the output of the grouping process is a set of &# 34 ; virtual objects &# 34 ; which represent rendered controls , such as text fields , and composites , such as tables , made up of a group of rendered and perhaps native controls . a virtual object is the basic unit that can be manipulated by the client application . the client can examine properties of the virtual object , such as its size , position , and content , and it can also simulate user actions , such as typing and mouse clicks , on the virtual object . grouping generally involves merging primitive objects such as lines and text strings into composite objects , such as rectangles and text fields . when two objects are merged , the rectangle associated with the result is the smallest rectangle that contains both of the objects . additionally , the type of the result depends on the rule applied . when two text objects are merged , the result is a text object . in contrast , when a rectangle and a text object are merged into a text field , the result is a new type of object , that could not have been created during the information gathering phase . the basic rules in the order in which they are generally applied , is as follows . it should of course be understood that depending on the particular application , only a subset of these rules , may be applied , and / or the rules may be applied in a different order . 1 . rectangles are created from lines . only vertical and horizontal lines are considered in the embodiment described herein , because auts generally do not use rotated rectangles to communicate with the user . however , the principles of the present invention are equally applicable to applications which are not so limited to vertical and horizontal lines . in creating or recognizing rectangles , all lines are obtained from the initial database and are sorted by vertical position . first , a vertical line is found , then a horizontal line is found whose left end matches the top of the vertical line , then another vertical line is found whose top matches the right end of the horizontal line , and whose bottom matches the bottom of the first line found . finally , an attempt is made to find a horizontal line which extends from the bottom of the left vertical line to the bottom of the right vertical line . if the bottom line is missing , the three - sided structure is added to a data structure that may later be used to construct a virtual &# 34 ; page list ,&# 34 ; a control that simulates file folder tabs , as shown in fig6 . it should be noted that in page list 600 , the lines 602 and 604 under &# 34 ; tab one &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; tab three &# 34 ; do not line up on the edges . therefore , these potential tabs will be recognized as such . exact alignment of the lines may prevent the present invention from recognizing this as a page list , but it also could confuse a human viewer of the control , and is therefore uncommon . otherwise , the method of the present invention constructs the smallest possible rectangle from the lines contained within the rectangle originally found . many applications create three - dimensional effects by drawing , parallel lines in different shades of gray . rather than creating several nested rectangles , a single rectangle is created , recognizing that anything it contains must fit within the innermost nested rectangle . finally , the colors of the lines making up the rectangle are used to assign a raised or lowered attribute to the rectangle as a whole . on microsoft windows , there is a convention that three - dimensional controls are illuminated from the top - left comer of the screen . therefore , a &# 34 ; raised &# 34 ; control will have lighter lines on the top and left , and darker lines on the bottom and right . this information will be subsequently used to determine whether a rendered button control is in the &# 34 ; pressed &# 34 ; or lowered state . at this point , the present invention has assembled a list of rectangles constructed from individual lines , and a list of rectangles drawn using operating system primitives that construct a rectangle in one call . the two lists are merged , and a notation is made for any containment relationships that can be established , e . g ., a &# 34 ; real &# 34 ; rectangle that contains constructed rectangles , or a constructed rectangle that contains real rectangles . this information may be used in connection with the application of other rules . 2 . adjacent images are merged into single objects . specifically , two images ( i . e ., bitmaps ) will be merged if their top and bottom edges are the same , and the right edge of one matches the left edge of another . such images are indistinguishable to the user ( their existence is often an artifact of the way the aut draws large images ), and therefore need not be distinguished by the client . an exception to this rule is made if the aut is a world - wide web browser , and if the images represent hyperlinks to different locations , because in that case they can be distinguished by the user . &# 34 ; stacked &# 34 ; images are merged in the same way , stacked images have matching left and right edges , and the bottom of one matches the top of the other . finally , very small images are eliminated from further consideration . this is because they usually do not convey any information to the user that is not available in some other , more accessible form . this reduces the time spent grouping without degrading the information made available to the client . 3 . most native controls provide a way for the aut to attach label text automatically , as part of the control . however , in some cases a particular application will choose to draw the label itself . in such a situation , the present invention will initially see this as two distinct objects . for &# 34 ; check box &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; radio button &# 34 ; controls , an attempt is made to associate label text by looking for text objects to the right ( but not too far to the right ) of the control , whose vertical center is aligned with the control &# 39 ; s vertical center , and that is not separated from the control by a vertical line . text that has been associated with a control in this way becomes a part of the control object . subsequent rules that operate on text objects will not see the control labels . 4 . text objects are then merged according to several rules . when two text objects are merged , the result is still a text object , and therefore , a single piece of text may be affected by the application of more than one of these rules . 4 . 1 first , list numbers ( a text object that begins with either a string of digits or a single letter , followed by a period ) and bullets ( a text object consisting of a single bullet (• or ` o `)) are merged with any text to the right that is close enough , center - aligned , and not separated by a line from the number or bullet . 4 . 2 second , text that overlaps vertically is merged , i . e ., two text objects that are approximately on the same line will be merged into a single text object . 4 . 3 stacked text ( i . e ., the bottom of one text object is very near the top of the next ) is then merged if it is either left - aligned , right - aligned , or center aligned , unless one of the following exceptions is met : ( a ) if there is a line between the objects , ( b ) if both objects end with a colon , or ( c ) if one object is in bold face and the other is not . these restrictions tend to group the text logically because if one object is bold and the next is not , generally the bold text is a header , and the normal text is body text . also , if both objects end with colons , then they are probably labels for controls that have not yet been constructed . 4 . 4 list objects , as grouped by the first text rule , are joined if they are close enough and if there is no line between them , regardless of colons and typeface . 4 . 5 finally , text objects ending with colons are merged with text that is below them , not too far away , and left - aligned with the &# 34 ; label &# 34 ; object . these rules attempt to group text logically , regardless of how the aut might have painted it . several left - aligned text lines will be grouped into a larger object corresponding to a paragraph . a gap which one typically finds between paragraphs , will cause a new text group to start . in no case , however , is information lost . although it may not be grouped exactly as the text author intended , it will nevertheless be grouped in a way that matches quite closely the way a human would parse it . 5 . once all the text has been merged , text objects that were identified as list elements ( starting with a number or a bullet ) are grouped into lists . again , this proceeds vertically and the grouping ends when a non - list object is found , when a horizontal line is found , or when a list object is found that begins to the left of the first list object in the group . in the last case , that list object will be used to begin a new list . thus , the following grouping : 6 . it will be recalled that bottomless rectangles were saved during rectangle grouping for the construction of page lists . these potential tabs are sorted first by the vertical position of their bottom ( missing ) edges , then left to right . if two tabs or more tabs are found that are bottom aligned , sufficiently close together horizontally , and suitably labeled ( a single text object , or two overlapping text objects used to produce a three - dimensional effect ), a page list control will be constructed . all the objects used to construct the page list control will be removed from further consideration by the subsequent application of additional rules . 7 . rendered push buttons and rendered text fields are actually quite similar . their recognition depends on the construction of a parameter file for the aut that reflects the design of the aut &# 39 ; s user interface . in both cases , the control is a rectangle with specific properties . for push buttons , constructed rectangles that contain other rectangles are ruled out . real rectangles typically have more information available , because the operating system primitives that draw them allow more options , e . g ., they can be filled with a specific color , or have three - dimensional effects on the edges indicating either that the interior of the rectangle is raised or lowered , or that the line around the rectangle is raised or lowered . thus , for a particular application , it may be observed that push buttons are drawn as rectangles filled with a particular shade of gray , with a particular border color . some combination of these tests is applied , depending on the aut . at the same time , an attempt is made to determine whether the push button ( if the rectangle under examination is a push button ) is pressed or not , by examining flags passed when the rectangle was drawn ( if it is a real rectangle ), or flags generated by the present invention &# 39 ; s rectangle construction code . generally , a button is considered to be pressed if the top and left edges of the rectangle are darker than the bottom and right edges . depending on the aut , the push button will be accepted if it meets these criteria , and is suitably labeled , i . e ., if the push button contains a single image ( some applications allow push buttons labeled with images ), a single text object , or , in some cases , nothing at all . for some applications , the label &# 39 ; s color is also of interest because a black label may indicate that the push button is enabled , while a gray label may indicate that it is disabled . the enabled / disabled state , and the pressed / released state , are readily available from the operating system for real push buttons . it is therefore valuable to make the same information available for rendered push buttons , so that the client application need not deal with any differences between the two forms . 7 . 1 rendered text fields are much like push buttons . frequently , the only recognizable difference will be that a text field will consist of a rectangle filled with white , whereas a push button consists of a rectangle filled with gray . in addition , text fields have more stringent rules regarding their contents . specifically , a text field may contain a single text object , or be empty , but it may not contain anything else . further information regarding these controls is maintained by the present invention in case the client application requests it . for some auts , the text field may be completely determined , including text outside the text field &# 39 ; s rectangle , by preserving text that was clipped when drawn . some auts clip before drawing , in which case this information is unavailable . similarly , the portion of the text that is &# 34 ; selected &# 34 ; ( highlighted ) can usually be determined . most applications draw the highlighted text by drawing the text field &# 39 ; s contents , then inverting the highlighted region ( usually by drawing a rectangle over the highlighted region in such a way that it inverts what was already drawn , rather than erasing it ). this information is associated with text objects during information gathering . the insertion point in a text field can be obtained if the text field is currently active ( that is , if it is where characters typed at the aut will be inserted ), because the aut will cause a caret ( usually a blinking vertical bar ) to be drawn at the insertion point by the operating system . for page lists and push buttons , it can also be determined whether the control has the focus ( when a push button has focus , a carriage return typed by the user has the same effect as clicking the push button with the mouse ), and in the case of the page list , which tab has focus can also be determined . only one control may have focus at a time . if the aut wants to indicate that a rendered control has focus , it will draw a rectangle constructed from dotted lines inside the control &# 39 ; s bounding rectangle . such rectangles are typically ignored when constructing these controls . if only one such rectangle exists in the container window , and if it is contained in a rendered control , then it can be reported that the containing control has the focus . one of the most complicated rendered controls is a table . there are several forms of tables , depending on the nature of the aut and on the nature of the document being displayed . generally , an application that is displaying data obtained from a relational database will display tables that are grids where all the rows look the same , and each consists of a series of controls ( rather than just text )- text fields , check boxes , and so on . an application such as a web browser , on the other hand , may display tables where the rows are not all the same , where there are no lines between rows or between columns , and where most of the table consists of text rather than controls . the present invention attempts to construct both &# 34 ; text tables &# 34 ; ( where the table cells do not have borders ) and &# 34 ; cell tables &# 34 ; ( where they do ) more or less in parallel by passing over the set of objects constructed by the previous grouping rules , and building as many possible tables of either type . for cell tables , the process begins by constructing a list of all possible cells , i . e ., rectangles that , generally speaking , do not contain other rectangles , and native controls , which define a rectangle by virtue of occupying a window . for cells defined by a rectangle , the process continues by finding all objects contained in the rectangle , i . e ., all objects whose containing rectangle is entirely within the cell &# 39 ; s rectangle , and links these objects to the cell . thus , simple text objects and images , as well as rendered controls already identified by the grouping rules , can be linked into cells . for some applications , the process continues by making a separate pass over the objects to adjust the vertical size and position of the cells already created . the main table - grouping algorithm must operate with fairly small tolerances although two controls of different types may have very different vertical extents . for example , a check box does not require as much vertical space as a text field . for this pass , objects are sorted by their vertical position , and then left - to - right for objects with the same vertical position . a list of all scroll bars in the window being grouped is obtained . a scroll bar that applies to a table will be on one of the table &# 39 ; s edges , rather than in the middle of the table , so there is no need to adjust cells that are on opposite sides of a scroll bar to match each other . the cells are then divided into &# 34 ; lines ,&# 34 ; based on vertical position and position relative to any vertical scroll bars encountered . two cells whose vertical extents completely overlap the vertical extent of a scroll bar , and that are on the same side of it , can be in the same line , as can two cells that do not completely overlap a scroll bar . the line breaks when the top of the next cell is below the bottom of the cell with the highest bottom , as shown in fig7 . referring now to fig7 although the rightmost cell 706 overlaps the center cell 704 , it cannot be in a line with the leftmost cell 702 . for each potential line , or row , an attempt is made to find a horizontal center line that will maximize the number of cells in the row . it is generally not required that all the cells in a row be center - aligned vertically , however , it is required that they be close to being center - aligned . this rule is based on observation and design principles . specifically , two controls that are actually on the same row of a table will tend to be center - aligned if they differ substantially in height . if , for a given row , two or more cells can be included , then all the cells in the row are adjusted to have the same top ( matching the top of the leftmost cell whose center led to the greatest row size ) and bottom ( the greatest vertical position of the bottoms of the cells on the row ). this greatly simplifies the remainder of the cell table grouping algorithm , particularly since this adjustment is not needed for all auts . next , links are created for all objects in the container window , whether or not they are cells . each object can have a &# 34 ; below link &# 34 ; which points to the object that will be the next cell in the same column if a table is constructed , and a &# 34 ; right link &# 34 ; which points to the object that will be the next cell in the same row . links are not created between cells and non - cells . this is because generally tables do not as a rule have some sections where each cell has a border , and other sections where they do not . for cells , the below link is set if the object linked to is below , and overlaps in horizontal extent , the object linked from . if several objects meet this condition , the one whose horizontal overlap is the greatest is chosen , and the other cells that also overlap vertically are eliminated . some applications draw tables such that one cell &# 39 ; s lower - right corner might overlap slightly with the upper - left corner of the cell one column to the right , and one column down . however , such cells cannot be considered as being in the same column . for non - cells , the below link is set to another non - cell that is aligned , on the left , on the right , or in the center . setting the right link is similar , with the same precautions taken to avoid linking to a cell that only overlaps on the corner . it can occur that a table will not be fully populated . however , the method of the present invention is able to find gaps in the link structure , and fill them in , first for cells , then for non - cells . referring now to fig8 therein is shown a table 800 with missing cells . the table 800 would otherwise be an acceptable table were the missing cell in the second column provided . the present invention can determine that the cell is missing by examining the below links of the top row , and noticing that they do not all overlap in their vertical extents . the below link that is nearest the row under consideration is selected , and cells are filled in to complete the row , adjusting below and right links as necessary . in the table 800 shown in fig8 the top - left cell 802 would be provided with a new below link to an empty cell 804 , which would in turn be provided with a below link to the bottom - left cell 806 . the new cell 804 would be provided with a right link to the middle cell 810 in the second column . this approach will generally never lead to the filling in of a gap in the top row of a potential table . usually the top row of a table contains labels for the columns , so it will be fully - populated . the left end may occasionally be missing , if the leftmost column of the table contains row numbers . this missing cell is filled in by noticing the case where the below link of the first cell in a row is the target of a right link , and the source of the right link and the target of the below link are top - aligned . in the table 800 of fig8 if the top row ( 802 , 808 ) were removed , the missing cell 804 would be filled in using this rule . in filling in possible blanks in a cell table , the possibility that the table may not be a regular grid is generally not considered . this is because such a condition will be handled by the cell table grouping code . similarly , when filling in gaps in a text table , basically the same algorithm is used ; however , empty cells are not created when a non - cell object spans more than one column below it . to this point , the steps taken in preparation for actually recognizing tables have been discussed . it should be noted that the method of the present invention is strongly disposed to find tables . tables are a very common way of presenting information , and the present invention is much more likely to fail to recognize a table than it is to recognize as a table a grouping of information that is not , or , in any event , that will not be recognized as a table by a user . the tolerances required for alignment within a table row are usually on the order of two pixels , about 0 . 7 mm on a typical computer display . objects that are this close to being aligned will look aligned , and therefore will be treated as such by a human user of the aut . having completed the preparations , the objects in the current container window are examined , in order to determine where a table starts . if the object is a cell , then it may only start a cell table . otherwise , it may only start a text table . for cell tables , a &# 34 ; cell column object &# 34 ; is defined , i . e ., a cell that could be the first element of a table column , as a cell that has a below link . no cell that is not a cell column object can start a cell table . if the cell is a cell column object , the next step is to look for cells that are top - aligned with it , to its right , and that are also valid column objects . these will make up the first row of the table under construction . if a non - cell is encountered , this generally indicates the end of a row . because a table must have a minimum number of columns , if the first row is too short , no table will be constructed . once the first row is established , the next step is to look for a reasonable second row beneath it . each member of the second row must be left - aligned with the corresponding member of the first row . if the respective members are properly left - aligned , then the right edges of the two cells are examined . if the respective members are not properly right - aligned , then one of the cells must span two or more columns , i . e ., it must be right - aligned with a neighboring cell in the other row . this is referred to as an &# 34 ; invalid spanning cell &# 34 ; 902 and is illustrated in fig9 . such a cell will cause a table being constructed to be rejected as a possible table . conversely , a &# 34 ; valid spanning cell &# 34 ; ( fig1 ) is properly left and right aligned and is acceptable . if a &# 34 ; big cell &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; valid spanning cell &# 34 ; is discovered , it is split into two cells , each containing the same text . finally , the two table rows are examined , and any cells in the second row that completely overlap with the first row are merged into the first row . the procedures carried out thus far indicate how many columns are in the table . additionally , it must be determined how many rows are in the table . it should be noted that the step of merging some cells from the second row into the first may result in an incomplete second row , however , there may still be a below link from the merged cell to complete the second row . the first row of the table is examined , and it is determined whether the process can advance to another row . the advancement to the next row may take place if each cell in the first row has a below link , the linked cell is not too far away , and the linked cell does not simultaneously span more than one row and more than one column . if these tests all pass , then for some applications it is decided whether the first row is a heading rather than a content row . the first row is a table heading if the first row contains text that is all bold , and the second row does not . similarly , if the first row contains text that is all one color , the second row contains text that is all one color , and the two rows &# 39 ; colors are different , the first row is taken to be a heading . this information does not alter the recognition of the table , but does alter the information that is returned to the client . for all subsequent rows , it must be determined whether or not the process can advance to another row , and whether the new row meets the alignment conditions already stated . if the new row does meet the alignment conditions , another row is added to the table . if the new row does not meet the alignment conditions , then a break is indicated . if the number of rows recognized is greater than a predetermined minimum set as a parameter for the aut , it is reported that a cell table has been recognized . for the next phase of table grouping , the following information is thus already determined : the number of rows , the number of columns , whether the table has a heading , and the objects that make up the first row . the next step in table recognition is common to both cell tables and text tables . once the table contents are identified , the next step is to construct new objects , one for each column in the new table . the children of the column object are the cells it contains , one for each row . if the table has a heading , the objects making it up are not stored as children of their respective columns , but rather , are stored separately , so the number of rows reported for a table includes content but not heading . the rectangle covered by the column object is the union of the rectangles covered by its children and its heading . the columns will be grouped into a table object , which has as its children the column objects . two additional steps are required for some applications . the rules described so far would not recognize the table heading in the table shown in fig1 . in addition , for the table of fig1 the table should have a scroll bar as a child , in addition to its columns , because the scroll bar in fact changes the displayed rows of the table . the process for finding the heading looks above the table for text objects that are sufficiently close , and roughly centered on the column . to find scroll bars , all scroll bar children of the container window are examined . if a scroll bar aligns , within tolerances , with the bottom of the table , and with the top of either the first row in the table or with its heading , it is associated with the table as another child . the grouping of text tables is similar . the definition of a text column object is somewhat more restrictive than that for a cell column object . specifically , a text column object may not be bulleted text or part of a numbered list , and may not end with a colon . because the cells in a text table do not have clear boundaries , the elements in a row are required to be center - aligned , rather than top and bottom aligned . finally , some of the objects rejected as text table cells may be used as row headings , which are not recognized for cell tables . text to the left of the leftmost cell in a row will , if it is properly aligned vertically , be made into the first column where text ending with a colon or bulleted text is appropriate . the result of the grouping performed by the present invention is an array of objects derived in some way from the drawing operations originally recorded . the array contains only top - level objects . a control that has been identified as part of a table can only be obtained by accessing first , the table , then the column containing the control . once the grouping operation is complete , the method of the present invention copies the entire data structure produced , including the contents of the primitive objects produced during information gathering , to a separate memory area , and releases the read lock it held on the data structures used for information gathering . this allows the aut to resume drawing to the screen . the copying of the grouping information means that it will not be corrupted by a subsequent drawing operation . although the method of the present invention can easily determine that the grouped data is not entirely current i . e ., it knows immediately when the aut has modified the contents of the screen , it does not regroup until the client application requests it . this allows the client to obtain information regarding the logical structure of the display in several steps , without worrying about whether it is accessing the same logical structure in each step . it should be recalled that grouping will , by convention , only be requested when the aut is in a quiet state , so this does not cause the method of the present invention to report seriously outdated data . one of the most complicated objects managed by the method of the present invention is a table which has two levels of descendants , columns and their cells . therefore , any object may be addressed by identifying its containing window , the top - level object &# 39 ; s index in the grouping array , and the column and row numbers if appropriate . however , the client application does not have direct access to the grouping array , so an interface is required which allows it to access the contents indirectly . the client may call the method of the present invention with a system window identifier ( which need not be a container window ), and a coordinate within that window . the method of the present invention will locate a container window that either matches or contains the system window , then examine its object array to determine whether any object it has constructed contains the specified point . it returns an object handle , which includes the system identifier for the container window , the object &# 39 ; s type , size , and location , and the three indices required to access the object . the client can then use this handle to manipulate the object in other ways . the client may also request a list of all the top - level objects in a particular container window . in this case , the method of the present invention will return a set of object handles , which the client application can use to obtain further information . it should be noted that the top - level object handle for a table will not include any information about its contained columns . however , the client will know that it is a table handle , and can request a list of the table &# 39 ; s children ( its columns ), then a further list of a single column &# 39 ; s children , if it needs to manipulate a particular table cell . the method of the present invention supports a large set of operations on the objects it recognizes , depending on the type of the object , and the amount of information it was able to obtain during its information gathering phase . while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	8
fig1 shows an execution stack . the execution layers of the shown computer system include a hardware layer , such as ibm &# 39 ; s powerpc or intel &# 39 ; s pentium architecture , a hardware virtualization layer such as a hypervisor or virtual machine monitor ( vmm ), an operating system such as ibm &# 39 ; s aix or microsoft &# 39 ; s windows xp operating system , a language runtime layer , such as the java virtual machine , an application server layer , such as ibm &# 39 ; s websphere , and the application layer , such as transaction software . different execution stacks can have a combination of these layers , a minimal configuration comprising a hardware layer , an operating system layer , and an application layer . each of the layers in an execution stack will generate multiple events during its execution . examples of events are cache misses from the hardware layer , page fault events from the operating system layer , or transaction completion events from the application layer . referring to fig2 , there is shown a flow chart illustrating an information processing method 200 for creating a unified specification for monitoring a computer system according to an embodiment of the invention . according to this embodiment , the method uses an api according to the invention . the method begins at step 202 where an event is defined to provide a unified specification . a global definition of events can be done during or before runtime . in step 204 , the defined event is registered for detection . in step 206 , an occurrence of the registered event is detected . in step 208 , a monitoring entry is generated each time the event is detected . in step 210 , monitoring entries are entered into a single logical entity . a single logical entity allows monitored events to be globally time stamped . global time stamps allow events from different execution layers to be correlated , providing a means to help understand cause and effect relationships between events . referring to fig3 , there is shown a block diagram of an information processing system 300 according to an embodiment of the invention . the system 300 comprises a processor 302 , a memory subsystem 304 , an input / output ( i / o ) subsystem 306 , and a mass storage subsystem 320 . these are linked by a bus 310 . the i / o subsystem 306 may further comprise a connection to a network such as a local - area network ( lan ) or wide - area network ( wan ) such as the internet . the memory subsystem 304 contains a set of execution layers such as those depicted in fig1 . the memory 304 further comprises an api 312 according to an embodiment of the invention . the memory 304 further comprises a monitoring infrastructure 314 and a unified specification repository 316 . what has been shown and discussed is a highly - simplified depiction of a programmable computer apparatus . these components are discussed further herein . those skilled in the art will appreciate that other low - level components and connections are required in any practical application of a computer apparatus . according to an embodiment of the invention , a computer readable medium , such as a cdrom can include program instructions for operating the programmable computer 300 according to the invention . an embodiment of the invention comprises an api for integrated performance event monitoring across the execution layers of a computer system . the api is an interface implemented by the underlying performance monitoring infrastructure that provides a protocol for the cooperation between two types of monitoring clients : ( 1 ) event producers that generate monitoring information , and ( 2 ) event consumers that process and regulate the information that is monitored . in fig4 , a block diagram 400 illustrates how event producers are interfaced with event consumers through an api 408 . an event producer is an execution layer that emits performance events to the monitoring infrastructure through the api . in fig4 , the instrumented execution layers 402 and 406 are event producers . every existing execution layer can be instrumented , either statically , or dynamically , or both , with api event notification calls to become an event producer . a performance tool 404 that is built using the api to automatically analyze and process event information is an example of an event consumer . the api 408 supports both offline and online event consumers . offline event consumers post - analyze a trace of events that was generated through the api 408 at runtime . online event consumers use the api to immediately process the event information for use in online performance tuning tools . using the api 408 , clients ( i . e . event producers and offline and online event consumers ) can be built to implement specific performance monitoring tasks , such as global logging of events or online event processing for performance tuning . ( 1 ) vertical event integration and correlation : the api 408 using the invention provides a uniform way to relate performance events from different layers . for example , through the api 408 one can correlate events from the java virtual machine ( such as an instance of garbage collection ) with performance events in the operating systems ( such as lock contention and delays ). ( 2 ) online processing : the api 408 provides programming constructs for online event processing . the api 408 provides basic monitoring abstractions for event processing . by specifying event processing logic through the api 408 , the raw event stream may never have to be stored and traced in its complete volume . instead , through the api 408 the tool developer can instruct the monitoring infrastructure to directly process the event information and expose only the processed instead of the raw event stream to the tool . ( 3 ) virtualization . the api 408 provides means to specify a virtualization context to differentiate performance events coming from different entities in the system . the virtualization context of an event includes , the responsible o / s thread and process and underlying cpu . for example , when tracking performance events from the operating system ( e . g ., page faults ), the tool may only be interested in those events attributed to the application thread on which the tool is focusing . in this example , the application thread defines the virtualization context . ( 4 ) platform - independence : the api 408 is platform - independent . all platform - dependent aspects of event monitoring are made transparent by the api implementation , thus clients interested in the performance monitoring data can consume traces from different architectures . ( 5 ) dynamic monitoring : the api 408 provides interfaces for light - weight instrumentation in the producers layers . monitoring activity can be dynamically enabled and disabled through api calls in a consumer tool . through the above discussed capabilities , the api 408 provides a flexible framework for building monitoring client tools . the api 408 provides monitoring abstractions for easy and fast programming of tools that remove the burden of monitoring implementation . new monitoring tasks can be implemented in a tool without having to make additional changes in the participating executing layers . the api 408 provides three generic performance monitoring abstractions : events , event statistics , and event callbacks . an event is a basic abstraction of the api 408 and denotes occurrences of a performance phenomenon in the system . the api allows the monitoring of a specific event type to be dynamically enabled or disabled . event statistics are functions on a stream of events . an example of an event statistics is an event counter that is incremented each time an event of a specific type occurs . other examples include average value computation or computing histograms . the api 408 includes basic operations on the statistics , such as reading or resetting the current value of the statistic . an event callback is a routine that , through the api , can be installed to be invoked in response to the occurrence of specific events or event statistics . an event callback is analogous to an interrupt handler that is called in response to an interrupt . a specific embodiment of the invention may in addition include custom composite interfaces for common combinations of the basic abstractions to allow for more efficient implementation of these combinations on a certain platform . by providing the above facilities the api 408 facilitates the construction of tools for both online automatic performance tuning and offline performance tracing . by providing basic monitoring abstractions to the tool developer across all execution layers , the api 408 hides implementation details of the execution layer 404 in which the event occurs , such as the code location where the event was raised . thus , proprietary execution layers can participate in event monitoring by issuing selected events into monitoring infrastructure without having to expose any of the underlying proprietary execution layer code structures . overall , the api 408 provides a fully integrated and uniform view of performance events across the entire execution stack . according to this embodiment that demonstrates the advantages of using our api mechanism over other techniques , the api 408 can be implemented as part of a performance and environment monitoring infrastructure . the embodiment provides the following abstractions for programming monitoring clients : ( 1 ) event abstraction : an event is any type of an action taken by a system . examples of events are : cache misses , page faults , operating system interrupts , garbage collection invocations , dynamic compiler invocations , and transaction completions . an eventset is a grouping of events into a set . all the events in a set can be handled as a single entity ( e . g ., a single part of memory such as a buffer ). sets of events are a convenient abstraction for operating on a group of events such that all the events are accessed and manipulated through a single api call . operations include starting , stopping , resetting , and reading an event or a set of events . an event attribute is a datum associated with an event . for example , a page fault event may have as an attribute the address that caused the page fault . ( 2 ) event statistics and event statistics operations : allows monitoring clients to create and operate on ( sets of ) event statistics across execution layers . statistics are types of statistical event functions such as counters . ( 3 ) event callback abstraction : this allows monitoring clients to specify custom reactions to an event notification . through the callback mechanism the client can specify arbitrary computation to occur when a event notification call is made from an event producer . events are specified in a system - wide generic event specification format . based on the event specification , a set of tools is built to process the event specification in order to generate programming language - specific files and stubs . fig5 shows a performance analysis tool 500 built on top of the monitoring infrastructure 314 that exposes an api 408 . fig6 provides an overview of the main interfaces of the api 408 . these interfaces are discussed in detail in the following discussion . the preferred embodiment allows a monitoring consumer to constrain the scope of monitoring by a specified context ; that is , specifying the state that the system must be in when an event occurs for that event to be monitored . each monitoring client determines the context for the events which it is interested in . for example , a context may be specified as a tuple & lt ; cpuid , pid , tid & gt ; that specifies system state as the cpu ( cpuid ), process ( pid ) and thread ( tid ) identifiers . any element of the tuple can be specified as unrestricted ; that is , monitoring will not be constrained by this element . therefore , system - wide monitoring is specified by & lt ; unrestricted , unrestricted , unrestricted & gt ;, cpu specific monitoring is specified by & lt ; cpuid , unrestricted , unrestricted & gt ;, process specific monitoring for a particular cpu is specified by & lt ; cpuid , pid , unrestricted & gt ;, and thread specific monitoring for a particular process and cpu is specified by & lt ; cpuid , pid , tid & gt ;. if process and thread migration across cpu &# 39 ; s is allowed , then the cpu component for both process and thread specific monitoring can be specified as unrestricted . alternative tuple items may be required to identify contexst . for example , in the context of a parallel application that uses message passing interface ( mpi ), an mpi thread identifier might be more appropriate than operating system thread identifier . additional tuple items may be required to identify context . for example , in the context of a java virtual machine , a java thead identifier may be required in addition to a operating system thread identifier . the context of an event may further be constrained by spatial limitation of the event scope . for example , memory related events ( e . g ., a cache miss ) may be constrained by a specific memory region to which they refer . other examples include restricting events by the code region in an application where the events occur , or restricting the events to a set of data structure addresses that are responsible for generating the events . the monitoring api is based on a unified event specification repository 316 ( in fig3 ). in one embodiment , the repository contains a definition of each event and its attributes in programming language - independent format using xml ( extensible markup language ) format , however other formats for specifying the event repository are possible . the xml definitions are used to automatically generate event - specific interfaces and header files in one or multiple programming languages ( e . g ., c , c ++, fortran , java , etc .). the xml specification results in the automatic generation of a record structure definition for the event and various function interfaces as shown in the following sections . a monitoring producer may be any layer or component of a layer in the execution stack ( see fig1 ). to interact with the monitoring infrastructure , a monitoring producer is instrumented with event notification calls according to an aspect of the invention . instrumenting the producers can be done manually or automatically ( for example , through a compiler ). no other modifications to a layer are necessary to support monitoring . the actions taken to process an event notification call in the monitoring infrastructure is fully programmable through the preferred embodiment functions . in this sense , a producer is passive and only notifies about the occurrence of a particular event in a particular context if the producer has been programmed to react . event notification signals to the monitoring infrastructure that an event has occurred and provides a mechanism to pass specific event attributes to the monitoring infrastructure . we now discuss actions that take place to process an event notification call . when an event notification call is made , we determine the current context tuple consisting of a cpu id , a process id and a thread id . if no event logging , statistics or callback has been registered by a monitoring consumer for the current context , the event notification call does nothing . if a consumer has registered event logging for this event in the current context , and if the corresponding logging handle has been enabled then we write an event record into an event buffer or to disk . if a consumer has registered an event statistics for this event in the current event context , and if the statistic has been enabled , then the statistics is updated by applying the statistics function to the current event . finally , if a consumer has registered an event callback for this event in the current event context , and if the callback has been enabled then the callback function will be invoked . the preferred embodiment provides event - specific notification interfaces that are automatically generated from the xml event specifications . an event - specific notification explicitly passes as arguments the attributes of the event . a concrete embodiment of the notification interface for the page fault event may be specified as follows : in this example , the page fault event has as event attributes , which are passed as arguments ( of type : attr_type ), a pointer to the thread that was executing when the page fault occurred ( threadptr ), the address that caused the page fault ( faultaddr ), and the faulting instruction address ( faultiar ). through the preferred embodiment a monitoring consumer can program a specific reaction to an event notification . the consumer can specify both the context and level of detail of the event . for example , a tool may specify both the process and the thread identifier of a specific application process because it is interested in only the page faults generated by that process and not in the page faults generated by other applications that happen to be executing at the same time . on the other hand , an operating system may specify only a cpu identifier because it is interested in all the page faults that are generated by any application executing on that processor . the level of detail of an event determines the amount of information that is made available about that event . for example , a consumer might want an event and all of its attributes to be saved every time that the event executes , while another client might only want to count the number of times the event occurs , or to compute the maximum value of one of the attributes of an event the preferred embodiment provides two levels of details : logging and statistics . at the logging level , whenever the event occurs in the specified context , the event and its attributes are saved as a log record . at the statistics level , whenever the event occurs in the specified context , an operation is executed that summarizes the event . the operation may count the number of times this event occurs , or compute the maximum , minimum , or average values of one of the event &# 39 ; s attributes , or any other statistical measure of interest . to simplify usage , the preferred embodiment provides the data abstraction of a handle for logging and statistics . a handle identifies a set of events , identifies the context for that set , encapsulates the necessary storage that is required to monitor the event set , and encapsulates the operations that can be applied to the storage . for example , at the statistic level , the handle encapsulates the statistics operation and the location that holds the current statistics value . a monitoring consumer accesses the monitored data through the handle . if several handles have been specified and enabled for the same event , event notification will execute each handle in turn in unspecified order . event logging describes the process of writing an event record based on the event &# 39 ; s xml specification into an event buffer . event logging may be triggered explicitly through calls to event logging functions or implicitly as the event occurs . for both explicit and implicit logging , a timestamp will automatically be inserted into the event record . the preferred embodiment contains explicit event logging interfaces that are automatically generated from the xml event definition . for example , from the xml page fault specification of a page fault event the following concrete interfaces may be automatically generated : the arguments passed to logpagefaultevent are the same as for notifypagefaultevent . the explicit logging functions may be called from both , monitoring consumers or producers . a monitoring consumer can register a set of events in a particular context at the logging level of detail . registration returns a logging handle , allocates the necessary data structures needed to log any event in this set , and informs the event notification calls about this handle . the logging registration interface in the preferred embodiment is defined as follows : handle type registerlogging ( eventset type events , context_type context , integer_type samplerate ); to register an event set for logging , the set of events is passed as the “ events ” argument ( of type eventset_type ). the “ context ” argument ( of type context_type ) specifies the context for the event set . finally , the “ samplerate ” argument ( of type integer_type ) is passed to specify how many times an event in the set must occur in the handle &# 39 ; s context before the event is logged for this handle . in particular , if the event set contains two events , a and b , and samplerate is three , then every third a event is logged and every third b event is logged . registration of logging returns a logging handle ( of type handle_type ). the default value of the samplerate is 1 , that is , every event is logged . a monitoring consumer can register a set of events in a particular context at the statistic level of detail . registration returns a statistics handle , allocates the necessary data structures needed to compute a statistic on any event in the set , and informs event notification about this statistic handle . the logging registration interface in the preferred embodiment is defined as follows : handle_type registerstatistics ( eventset_type events , context_type context , integer_type samplerate , statistic_operation_type op , attr_pointer_type attrs ); the “ events ” argument ( of type eventset_type ) specifies the set of events associated with this handle . the “ context ” argument ( of type context_type ) specifies the context for the event set . the “ samplerate ” argument ( of type integer_type ) determines how many times an event in the statistics &# 39 ; event set must occur in the handle &# 39 ; s context before the statistic is computed on the event . the “ op ” argument ( of type statistic_operation_type ) specifies the statistics operation that is to be applied to the “ attrs ” argument ( of type attr_pointer type ), which specifies a list of attributes of the events , one for each event in the event set . the number of entries in attribute list “ attrs ” must be the same as the number of events in the event set “ events ”. example of operations include “ count ”, which counts the number of times an event occurs ; “ max ”, which computes the maximum value for an attribute of an event ; “ min ”, which computes the minimum value for an attribute of an event ; and “ average ” computes the average value for an attribute of an event . the “ max ”, “ min ”, and “ average ” operators can be considered a generalization of counting . other statistics such as standard deviation , etc ., are considered as consistent with this embodiment . registration of a statistic returns a statistics handle ( of type : handle_type ). a monitoring consumer can register a callback in a particular context . registration returns a callback handle , allocates the necessary data structures needed to execute the callback , and informs the event notification calls about this handle . the callback registration interface in the preferred embodiment is defined as follows : the “ event ” argument ( of type event_type ) specifies the event associated with this handle . the “ context ” argument ( of type context_type ) specifies the context for the event set . the “ samplerate ” argument ( of type integer_type ) determines how many times an event in the set must occur in the handle &# 39 ; s context before the event is logged for this handle . the final “ callback ” argument , which is shown in the “ c ” programming language syntax , specifies the function that is invoked when the call back is triggered . the callback function is invoked with a pointer to the event log record of the event that triggered the callback . registration of a callback returns a callback handle ( of type handle_type ). the registration of logging , statistics and callback returns a handle to the monitoring consumer . the consumer can use a handle interface , provided by the preferred embodiment , to trigger operations on the handle objects . the preferred embodiment interface includes the following handle operations : 1 . enable : after a handle has been created through registration , the handle can be enabled . once the handle is enabled , whenever an event notification for an event in the handle &# 39 ; s event set is executed in the handle &# 39 ; s context with the handle &# 39 ; s specified number of times for this event , the handle &# 39 ; s action is applied to the event . for a logging handle , the action is that the event and all of its attributes are logged . for statistics handle , the action is that the handle &# 39 ; s operation is applied to the handle &# 39 ; s accumulator for the event . for callback handle , the action is a function call that passes the event as a parameter . 2 . disable : after a handle has been enabled , the handle can be disabled . no action is taken for a disabled handle . that is , whenever a handle &# 39 ; s event occurs in the handle &# 39 ; s context and an event notification call executes , then no action is taken for this handle . it is a null operation to disable a handle that has not been enabled . 3 . read : after a handle has been enabled , the handle &# 39 ; s internal data structure is read through this operation . for a logging handle , the values returned are all the records that have been logged for this handle . for a statistics handle , the values returned is an array of statistics values one for each event in the event set with which the statistics was registered . callback handles do nothing if read . 4 . reset : this operation resets the internal data structures for the handle . resetting a logging handle eliminates all previous log records for this handle . resetting a statistics handle resets all values associated with the handle . 5 . unregister : after a handle has been created through registration , the handle can be unregistered ; that is , the handle is disabled and the data structures associated with the handle are released . after a logging handle is unregistered , if an event in the handle &# 39 ; s event set occurs in the handle &# 39 ; s context , no event is logged for this handle . after a statistics handle is unregistered , if an event in the handle &# 39 ; s event set occurs in the handle &# 39 ; s context , no statistics are computed for this handle . after a callback handle is unregistered , if an event in the handle &# 39 ; s event set occurs in the handle &# 39 ; s context , no function is called for this handle . after a handle is unregistered , any operation that is applied to that handle is a runtime error . we now provide a number of examples of how the preferred embodiment can be used . this example demonstrates how to use the interface to log every event that occurs in the system . assume the event set “ allevents ” contains all events that are specified in the unified specification repository 316 ; that is , allevents ={ page faults , . . . }. “ allevents ” is defined by the tools that process the xml event specification . assume further that “ globalcontext ” is defined to specify system - wide context ; that is , all of the context &# 39 ; s items are defined as unrestricted . after allevents is enabled , whenever any event in the set allevents occurs , it is automatically logged . to stop system - wide logging , the allevents handle is disabled . the log records can be read by calling the read operation . finally , the handle &# 39 ; s internal data structures that captured the logged events are released when the handle is unregistered . we now discuss an example of how to monitor process specific events . in this example , the operating system ( os ) is the monitoring consumer that is interested in monitoring the events associated with a java virtual machine ( jvm ). after starting the jvm , the os creates a statistics handle by registering the jvm &# 39 ; s process identifier to count the jvm process specific events . after a statistics handle is created , the handle is enabled . events for other processes that are running concurrently with the jvm are not recorded with the jvm &# 39 ; s handle . jvm_process = startexec ( jvm ); context_type jvm_specific = { unrestricted , jvm_process , unrestricted }; statistics_type jvm = registerstatistics ( allevents , jvm_specific , 1 , count , null }; error_type error = jvm . enable ( ); after the os destroys the jvm process , the statistics are disabled , read , and finally the handle is unregistered . we now discuss an example of how to monitor thread specific events . in this example , a java virtual machine ( jvm ) is the monitoring client . in particular , the jvm is interested in monitoring the events associated with one of its threads . after creating a thread , the jvm registers the set of java thread events in a thread specific context . we assume that javathreadevents is defined by the tools that process the xml event specification , and it identifies all of the events associated with a java thread . // the xml specification for javathreadevents is not shown here jvm_thread = createjavathread (...); context_type thread_context = { unrestricted , jvm_process , jvm_thread }; statistics_type jvmthread = registerstatistics ( javathreadevents , thread_context , 1 , count , null ); error_type error = jvmthread . enable ( ); the jvmthread handle is disabled , read , and unregistered before the java thread is destroyed . // inside of jvm error = jvmthread . disable ( ); void * stats = jvmthread . read ( ); error = jvmthread . unregister ( ); destroythread ( jvm_thread ); we now discuss an example of how to aggregate a set of events e that occur between a pair of marker events m . the pair of events m defines an interval during which the events e are aggregated . in this example , the monitoring client is a java virtual machine ( jvm ). the interval is defined by the garbage collection ( gc ) start and end events . the events e that are aggregated during a gc are the number of page faults , and the number of data cache misses . an event set , events , is defined to contain these two aggregated events . the event set is registered as a statistics with the count operation . a process specific context is created for this jvm . a callback is registered for the start of a gc with the gcstartevent event for this jvm with the jvmcontext context such that when the jvm starts a gc the function gcstart is invoked with the gcstartevent log record passed as the first parameter . the function enables and resets the stats handle which counts the number of page fault and data cache misses , and save the timestamp of the gc start event . a callback is registered for the end of a gc with the gcendevent event for this jvm with the jvmcontext context such that when the jvm ends a gc the function gcend is invoked with the gcendevent log record passed as the first parameter . the function disables the stats handle and then logs a gc interval event , gclntervalevent , that contains the log record for the gc end event , the time stamp of the start of the interval and the number of page faults and cache misses that occurred during the gc . after both callback handles are enabled , a callback will be triggered whenever this jvm starts or ends a gc . when the jvm is no longer interested in counting the number of page faults and data cache misses that occur during a gc , the handles are unregistered . // the xml specifications for the events gcstartevent and gcendevebt are not // shown here eventset_type events = { pagefault , datacachemissevent }; statistics_type stats = registerstratistics ( events , jvm_specific , 1 , count , null ); timestamp_type gcstarttime = null ; context_type jvmcontext = { unrestricted , myprocessid ( ), jvm_thread }; handle_type gcstarthandle = registercallback ( gcstart , jvmcontext , 1 , gcstart ( )); handle_type gcendhandle = registercallback ( gcend , jvmcontext , 1 , gcend ( )); gcstarthandle . enable ( ); gcendhandle . enable ( ); ... gcstarthandle . unregister ( ); gcendhandle . unregister ( ); stats . unregister ( ); ... gcstart ( void * record ) { gcstartrecord * rec = ( gcstartrecord ) record ; gcstarttime = rec -& gt ; timestamp ; stats . enable ( ); stats . reset ( ); } gcend ( void record ) { stats . disable ( ); long long statsvalues [ 2 ] = stats . read ( ); timestamp_type gcendtime = (( gcendrecord ) record )-& gt ; timestamp ; // the xml specification for gcintervalevent is not shown here loggcintervalevent ( gcstarttime , gcendtime , statsvalues [ 0 ], statsvalues [ 1 ]); } we now present another example that shows how callbacks are used to match a pair of events to form an interval . the monitoring client is the operating system ( os ). the interval is defined by the start and end of a page fault . because page faults can be interrupted , care must be taken in how page fault intervals are constructed . in particular , if multiple outstanding page faults can occur at once , we want to make sure that the page fault intervals that are created pair the page fault start and end events correctly . two callbacks are registered : one that is triggered on a page fault start event , and another on a page fault end event . when a page fault start event occurs , pagefaultstart is invoked and places the page fault start event &# 39 ; s log record in a hash table indexed by the thread id threadptr . when a page fault end event occurs , pagefaultend is invoked and generates a page fault interval by looking up the page fault start log record in the hash table that has the same thread identifier and using the page fault start log record &# 39 ; s time stamp as the start of the interval . notice that only a subset of the page fault start and end events &# 39 ; attributes are logged . hashtable pgflts = new hashtable ( ); callback_type pagefaultcb = registercallback ( pagefault , globalcontext , 1 , pagefaultstart ); callback_type pagefaultdonecb = registercallback ( pagefaultdone , globalcontext , 1 , pagefaultend ); pagefaultcb . enable ( ); pagefaultdonecb . enable ( ); ... pagefaultstart ( void start ) { pagefaultrecord * rec = ( pagefaultrecord ) start ; pgflts . put ( rec -& gt ; threadptr , rec ); } // the xml specification for the pagefaultinterval event is not shown here pagefaultend ( void end ) { pagefaultrecord * rec = ( pagefaultrecord ) end ; pagefaultrecord start = ( pagefaultrecord ) pgflts . get ( rec -& gt ; threadptr ); if ( start != null ) { logpagefaultinterval ( start -& gt ; timestamp , rec -& gt ; timestamp , rec -& gt ; faultaddr ); hash . remove ( rec -& gt ; threadptr ); } else { // generate error message ! } } we now present an example of how a callback can be used to generate a histogram of the pages fault addresses . the monitoring client is the operating system . a callback is registered for a page fault event in the system - wide context . that is , whenever a page fault occurs the function pagefaulthistogram is called , and it is passed the page fault &# 39 ; s attributes . the method increments an integer array indexed by the faulting address shifted by the log of the page size . at some later time , the operating system can disable the callback , and examine the array to determine what region of memory has the most page faults . integer_type memory [ n_pages ]; handle_type cb = registercallback ( pagefaultevent , globalcontext , 1 , pagefaulthistogram ( )); pagefault . enable ( ); ... pagefaulthistogram ( void record ) { pagefaultrecord * rec = ( pagefaultrecord ) record ; integer_type pageindex = rec -& gt ; faultaddr & gt ;& gt ; log_pgflt_size ; memory [ pageindex ]++; } we now discuss how a callback can be used to periodically log hardware performance monitor event values . the monitoring client is the operating system . a callback is registered to call a method every ten million cycles in the system - wide context , globalcontext . that is , whenever ten million cycles execute the method periodic is called . the method logs a periodic interval that contains the hardware performance monitor values , skipping the logging of the first cycleevent . statistics_type hpmcounters = registerstatistics ({ cycles , instructions , l1datacachemiss , branchmisses }, globalcontext , 1 , count , null ); handle_type periodic = registercallback ( cycleevent , globalcontext , 10000000 , periodic ); boolean firstperiod = true ; periodic . enable ( ); ... periodic ( void record ) { cycleeventrecord * cycle = ( cycleeventrecord ) record ; if ( firstperiod ) { firstperiod = false ; } else { hpmcounters . disable ( ); long long countervalues [ 4 ] = hpmcounters . read ( ); // the xlm specification of the hpmintervalevent is not shown here loghpmintervalevent ( cycle -& gt ; timestamp - 10000000 , cycle -& gt ; timestamp , countervalues [ 0 ], countervalues [ 1 ], countervalues [ 2 ], countervalues [ 3 ]); } hpmcounters . enable ( ); } therefore , while there has been described what is presently considered to be preferred or illustrative embodiments , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that other modifications can be made within the spirit of the invention .	8
fig4 is a block diagram of the invention that is similar to fig3 including a main grammar , a start node 4 , and an end node 6 , a begin node 14 , and a last node 16 . however , the rejection grammar 20 is formed of the multiple parallel paths 22 from the begin node to the last node where the probability of sequences of phonemes only , not words , is calculated . in this embodiment consider that there are thirty select phoneme paths 22 from begin 14 to last 16 . in other preferred embodiments there could be a greater or fewer number of select phoneme paths . that is phoneme 1 , phoneme 2 . . . phoneme n are the phoneme paths which run from the begin node to the last node . these are the first group of phonemes paths used . however , because there is a back arc from the last node back to the begin node , the same phoneme paths , phoneme 1 , phoneme 2 . . . phoneme n , are used again and again . the actual operation of the rejection grammar with the back arc supports all combinations of phonemes as the possible phoneme paths as follows : the path with the highest probability is determined , and , if it is in the rejection grammar , then the utterance is rejected as out - of - grammar . the effect of the weight 15 given to the rejection grammar is as described previously . the selection of the word paths in the main grammar is determined by the specific application . the phonemes selected for use in the select phoneme rejection grammar is generated as shown in fig5 . the process in fig5 will yield a selected subset of phonemes from the language of the utterance that are suitable for the inventive rejection grammar . the subset is selected experimentally to optimize the accuracy of the sr system . the first step is to generate and store the list of all the phonemes found in the language 30 . the next step is to set the weighting function 15 of fig4 to one so that the main and the rejection grammars have the same weight during the selection of the subset of phonemes . next , accumulate and store a test set of both in - grammar and out - of - grammar utterances , in a preferred embodiment , as audio waveform files . in table 1 , a small test set of audio files are listed as wav - 1 , wav - 2 , wav - 3 , and wav - 4 , recorded on tape , or in a memory , or in an equivalent storage medium . this test set of utterances is run through the sr system of fig4 and the results 34 recorded , as shown in fig5 . table 1 contains possible results for the small test set . in this example , a question is asked in which the only acceptable responses are &# 34 ; yes &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; no &# 34 ;, which compose the main grammar vocabulary . however , other words such as &# 34 ; good &# 34 ; or phrases such as &# 34 ; i don &# 39 ; t know ,&# 34 ; or any other possible set of words or sounds in the language may constitute the response in addition to &# 34 ; yes &# 34 ; and table 1______________________________________ actual in / out ex - audio word of sr pected classi - file spoken grammar result result fication______________________________________wav - 1 &# 34 ; yes &# 34 ; in yes accept true accept wav - 2 &# 34 ; no &# 34 ; in reject accept false reject wav - 3 &# 34 ; i don &# 39 ; t out reject reject true reject know &# 34 ; wav - 4 &# 34 ; good &# 34 ; out yes reject false accept______________________________________ the results are that wav - 1 and wav - 3 were handled properly by the sr , but wav - 2 and wav - 4 were mis - handled . the wav - 2 &# 34 ; no &# 34 ; was in the vocabulary and should have been accepted , but the sr rejected it ( false reject ); and the wav - 4 &# 34 ; good &# 34 ; was not in the word path in the main grammar and should have been rejected , but the sr accepted it ( false accept ). for a discussion of phonemes used in the examples herein , the english language please see , the journal of the acoustical society of america , volume 27 , # 2 , page 310 , 1955 . the designation below of the various phonemes uses the notation found in this reference . however , the present invention is not dependent upon any particular set of phonemes and their designations . the following is illustrative and instructive and those skilled in the art will understand the techniques described and be able to apply the techniques to other languages and sets of phonemes . in another example , illustrated in table 2 , consider that the falsely rejected words were &# 34 ; yes &# 34 ; in the first five entries in table 2 , and &# 34 ; no &# 34 ; in the next five entries in table 2 . the phonemes listed are representative of the actions of the sr to break down the utterance into the phonemes in the select phoneme rejection grammar . only the falsely rejected utterances are tabulated here . table 2______________________________________actual word in audio file phoneme from sr______________________________________yes y - ae - v - s yes y - au - z yes y - au - p - ix yes y - eh - v - f yes dh - au - l no dh - dh - ow no f - dh - eh - ow - v no m - eh - w no m - dh - au - ix no dh - r - ow______________________________________ still referring to fig5 with utterances and the phonemes found for the falsely rejected utterances , the results are reviewed 34 for accuracy . if the result are not good enough , a list of all the phonemes found by the sr in the false rejections is tabulated with the result presented in descending order by quantity . an example of false rejects for a larger test set of utterances is illustrated in table 3 . table 3 shows the number of times each of the listed phonemes was found by the sr in cases where false rejections occurred . if the entrance to step 36 was the first such entrance than all the phonemes in the language would be listed . the set of phonemes listed in table 3 is again illustrative . table 3______________________________________phoneme number of occurrences______________________________________dh 132 y 67 au 57 ae 56 m 29 ow 23 v 18 eh 17 ax 17 ah 16 ei 11 n 11 s 10 hh 9 ih 9 w 8 uw 7 b 7 d 6 jh 6 oh 5 z 5 er 5 uh 5 l 4 f 3 nx 3 aa 3______________________________________ when step 34 of fig5 is performed the first time , the top 8 to 12 phonemes , for example , are deleted them from the list of phonemes . the amount may vary as determined below by iteratively running the sr with a changing set of phonemes focused on reducing the error rate . table 3 is an illustrative list of phonemes associated with sr false rejection errors . remove a number of phonemes starting with the phoneme appearing most often , dh in this case . this is shown in fig5 step 38 . the phonemes are deleted because these were the most prevalent phonemes involved with the sr false rejection errors . the process of fig5 is run again with the new subset of phonemes . for example , table 3 phonemes dh through ax may be deleted from the original list of phonemes leaving the remainder for constructing a new rejection grammar 40 . step 32 is run again with the new rejection grammar and the results are tabulated and the error rate compared to the initial error rate . this loop process of deleting the most prevalent phonemes found in the false rejects continues with the new phoneme subset until the accuracy of the sr is acceptable . in the above reference that describes phonemes for the english language , there are subgroups of phonemes described . these subgroups are groups of phonemes with similar acoustics . for example , using the same notation as above , in the english language , such subgroups include : ( b , p ), ( d , t ), ( g , k ), ( s , z ), ( v , f ), ( m , n ), ( iy , ih , eh , ae ), ( aa , er , ah , ax , ao ), ( uw , uh , ow ), and ( ay , oy , au , ey ). when phonemes are deleted , as described above in fig5 care must be taken to ensure that each subgroup is not empty . if both b and p ( from the first group ) were deleted from the rejection grammar phoneme list , fewer of the test utterances would be found to have high probabilities of being in the rejection grammar , thereby higher false positives would occur . it is important for the rejection grammar to have representatives in all the phoneme subgroups since the out - of - vocabulary utterances may use these groups and the rejection grammar should have the ability to recognize these groups for a fair determination of the out - of - grammar utterances . for example , if there is no b p phoneme subgroup in the select phoneme rejection grammar , b or p phonemes will not be recognized by the rejection grammar . the probability score will be very low in the select phoneme rejection grammar , and , therefore , not rejected . this will increase the chance that the utterance will have a higher score and be accepted as in the main grammar ( even if in error ). if the b or p group was represented the score for the rejection grammar would be raised increasing the chance that the utterance would be rejected . therefore , care must be taken so that the subsets of phonemes required by the language are not emptied as phonemes are deleted while optimizing the rejection grammar . one approach is to form merged phoneme groups . consider the subgroup ( iy , ih , eh , and ae ), if the phoneme iy were eliminated during the application of the process of fig5 a modified subgroup of ( ih , eh , and ae ) is formed . if the iy phoneme is encountered by the rejection grammar the modified subgroup is used to represent the iy phoneme . however , there will be a limitation if the actual acoustic sound cannot be associated with the subgroup because of the acoustic difference . this would result in a higher false acceptance rate for the sr . this limitation is handled by forming merged phonemes as in fig6 . this diagram is similar to fig4 with the addition of the merged phoneme arcs 50 . each of the merged phonemes are grouping of two or more of the original phoneme set that is used in the language itself . the selection of the combination of the phonemes and the merged phonemes is similar to the process as shown in fig5 . the process of fig5 is modified as follows : rather than delete phonemes , each phoneme deleted is replaced by a merged phoneme subgroup and the process is continued . for example , if the phoneme iy ( from the grouping shown above ) is to be deleted in accordance with the process of fig5 it is replaced by the merged phoneme miy , and the process of fig5 continues . the merged iy phoneme , referred to as miy , is formed as follows : since the iy is part of the subgroup that includes ih , eh , and ae , the miy includes a combination of all four phonemes in that group . the sr system , as described in the above referenced , makhoul et al . paper , uses the probabilities of the phonemes for recognition . the probability distribution ( pdf ) for the miy is : still referring to fig5 when an optimum number of phonemes and / or merged phonemes has been found to give an acceptable accuracy result to the test set of utterances , the exit from step 34 is yes . the rejection sensitivity 42 can be tuned as desired by the sr designer . with regard to fig4 the weighted rejection grammar 15 is tuned in fig5 to further minimize the error rate in the recognition results . this is accomplished using algorithms well known in the computer science art . the weighting determines the ratio of false acceptances to false rejections . the higher the weighting more utterances will be rejected ( both truly and falsely ) and the lower the weighting more utterances will be accepted ( both truly and falsely ). briefly , the ratio of false acceptances to false rejections depends on the application and the penalties associated with each type of error . for example , it is more prudent to raise the weighting where accepting an illegal command could result in injury or other such substantial loss . however , where accepting illegal utterances has little detrimental effect the weighting may be set lower . a more fully developed discussion of such a search algorithm as applied to fig5 is found in the above referenced addendum 1 . the inventive process , select phoneme rejection grammar , was experimentally run compared to a sr using the select word loop rejection grammar . the results are shown in the graph of fig7 . the ordinate 60 is the percentage of false acceptances and the abscissa 62 is the percent of false rejections . the solid line is the results using the select word loop , and the dotted line is the results using the select phoneme loop . over the entire range of the graph of fig7 the false rejection percentage and the false acceptance for the select phoneme loop is about half that for the select word loop . table 4 shows a broad experimental results again comparing a select phoneme loop ( a ) and a select word loop ( b ) rejection grammar . table 4______________________________________ a b______________________________________number of 11 , 800 11 , 800 sentences sentences out 10 . 34 % 10 . 34 % of vocabulary false rejects 3 . 72 % 6 . 81 % in - vocabulary 94 . 33 % 94 . 60 % correct tag w / o rejection cost ( fa + tagerr + fr ) 1638 1809 error cost rate 13 . 8 % 15 . 3 % ______________________________________ where fa is false accept ; fr is false reject : tagerr is the number of time the sr system fails to recognize sentences with equivalent words . tag represents , as described in addendum 1 , equivalent words . for example , the system may have given identical tags to the words &# 34 ; zero &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; oh &# 34 ;, determining erroneously that these two words are equivalent . it will now be apparent to those skilled in the art that other embodiments , improvements , details and uses can be made consistent with the letter and spirit of the foregoing disclosure and within the scope of this patent , which is limited only by the following claims , construed in accordance with the patent law , including the doctrine of equivalents .	6
this invention relates to methods and compositions for delivering nucleic acids to cells . these methods and compositions can be used for a variety of functions including but not limited to the induction of cell activation , the regulation of gene expression , or the induction of gene expression . a nucleic acid is released from a bioabsorbable polymeric network structurally and functionally designed to enhance and optimize the level and duration of the released nucleic acid activity or expression . the composition of the delivery system includes a polymeric network formed by the chemical combination of at least two injectable non - nucleic acid polymeric components , containing one or more nucleic acids and one or more excipients . the components ( 1 , 2 , and optionally 3 ) are water - soluble and are composed of polymeric backbones modified to have end functional groups capable of reacting with one another . the reactive functional groups of component 1 can be , for example , chloroformates , acrylates , amines , alcohols , tetrasulfydryls , epoxides , sulfhydryls , hydrazides , or combinations thereof , in the same molecule . the reactive functional groups of component 2 can be , for example , chloroformates , acrylates , carboxylic acids , aldehydes , maleimides , iodoacetyl , carbohydrates , isocyanates , or isothiocyanates . the polymeric network can include linkages such as esters , carbonates , imines , hydrazones , acetals , orthoesters , peptides , amides , urethanes , ureas , amines , oligonucleotides , or sulfonamides . the components can be modified to include biodegradable linkages such as lactates , caproates , methylene carbonates , glycolates , ester - amides , ester - carbonates , or combinations thereof . the following are examples of the practice of the invention . the examples demonstrate examples of various polymer networks for formulation , characterization and modulation to optimize gene expression levels and duration . they are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any way . the degree of substitution ( d . s .) of amines on the tetra - armed polyethylene oxide backbone was calculated to be 3 . 91 by 1 h - nmr ; d . s . of succinimidyl glutarate was 3 . 85 , also by 1 h - nmr . all formulations were prepared by mixing of two solutions , one containing a pre - weighed amount of p4 - am dissolved in 0 . 1m potassium phosphate buffer , ph 8 . 0 and the other containing an equimolar amount of p4 - sg dissolved in cold deionized water containing nucleic acid ( e . g . plasmid or oligonucleotide ). all formulations contained 1 mg / ml of the nucleic acid . fig1 shows the chemical structure of the network components ( p4 - am / p4 - sg ) and a schematic representation of the cross - linking reaction by formation of amide linkages . the network is rendered biodegradable by the presence of ester linkages in one of the components , p4 - sg . solutions of the gel - forming components were prepared ( 2 %, 3 %, 4 %, 5 %, 8 %, 10 % and 15 % w / v ). for example , 5 % p4 - am was prepared by dissolving 50 mg p4 - am in 1 ml potassium mono - di phosphate buffer ( ph 8 . 0 ). 5 % w / v p4 - sg was prepared by dissolving 50 mg of p4 - sg in milliq de - ionized water . this solution was stored on ice until use . the networks were created following addition of a solution of p4 - am with p4 - sg . for example , formulation a contained 2 % w / v solids . formulation a cross - linked into a viscous branched polymer . formulations b - g included equimolar amounts of the same components as in formulation a , but at higher concentrations ( b , 3 % w / v total polymer ; c , 4 %; d , 5 %; e , 8 %, f , 10 % and g , 15 %). formulations b - g cross - linked into tissue - conforming hydrogels in situ , post - injection into muscle . incorporation of plasmid dna into the network , and effect on gel time dna was added to the solution containing p4 - sg . 11 . 1 μl of a 9 mg / ml stock solution of the nucleic acid ( e . g ., plasmid dna or oligonucleotide ) was added to 38 . 8 μl of 6 . 4 % solution of p4 - sg , to obtain a 5 % p4 - sg solution containing 100 μg nucleic acid in 100 μl . 50 μl of this p4 - sg / dna solution was then added to 50 μl of 5 % w / v p4 - am to formulate the desired gel of final concentration ( 5 % total pegs ). the gel time of this formulation was approximately the same as a formulation that did not contain nucleic acid ( 5 - 6 minutes at 25 ° c .). incorporation of a third non - nucleic acid polymeric reagent , and the effect on gel time a third non - reacting , non - nucleic acid polymeric component was added to the formulation . methoxy - peg2k - di - stearoyl - phosphatidylethanolamine ( mpeg - dspe , genzyme ) was selected as a polymeric excipient and added to the solution of p4 - sg . to obtain a 10 : 1 mass ratio of dna to peg - dspe , in a formulation containing 100 μg nucleic acid in 100 μl of gel , 1 μl of a 10 mg / ml mpeg - dspe solution ( in milliq de - ionized water ) was added to 38 . 7 μl of 6 . 5 % p4 - sg and 11 . 1 μl of a 9 mg / ml nucleic acid solution prior to the addition of p4 - am . the final concentration of the gel was 5 % w / v reacting polymers ( p4 - am + p4 - sg ). gel formation was noted after mixing of the solution . addition of mpeg - dspe to the formulation did not alter the gel time at 25 ° c . gel permeation chromatography of formulation a ( 2 % w / v p4 - sh / p4 - am ) was performed to compare the size of unreacted components with that of the network to demonstrate formation of a high molecular weight , branched molecule of molecular weight ˜ 1 million . fig2 a shows gel permeation chromatograms of network formulation a ( 2 % pegs ) and the individual peg components ( p4 - sg and p4 - am ) the time post - mixing to achieve maximum equilibrium branching or gel formation was determined by changes in shear viscosity measured by a dv - ii brookefield viscometer . the kinetics of hydrogel formation of formulations b - d were measured . the “ onset of gelation ”, characterized by rapid increases in solution viscosity , indicated the gel time . data shown in fig2 b demonstrates gelation kinetics for formulations a ( 2 % w / v p4 - am / p4 sg ), b ( 3 % w / v p4 - am / p4 - sg ), c ( 4 % w / v p4 - am / p4 - sg ), and d ( 5 % w / v p4 - am / p4 - sg ) measured by viscometry . as demonstrated in fig2 c , it is apparent that gels with a higher concentration of reacting polymers gelled faster than gels with a lower concentration of reacting polymer . as shown in fig3 the crosslinking reaction was accelerated at higher temperatures for p4 - am / p4 - sg formulations . after gelation , the gels were removed from micro - centrifuge tubes and examined for texture , and physical attributes . in analytical chemistry terminology , the compression moduli σ ( stressσ / strain ) of networks ( dynes / cm 2 ) were determined to characterize crosslink densities , or “ mesh size .” as demonstrated in the table in fig6 a tightly crosslinked hydrogel formed from higher concentrations has a higher compression modulus than a loosely connected network formed when mixing components with lower concentrations , and is therefore characterized as “ harder ” ( e . g ., 5 % w / v p4 - am / p4 - sg gels were found to be “ hard ” whereas 3 % w / v p4 - am / p4 - sg gels were “ soft ”). crosslink densities can control the ability of a molecule to diffuse through the network . a compatibility experiment was performed to ensure that pre - mixing components 1 and 2 did not decrease the integrity ( e . g ., supercoiling ) of plasmid dna . plasmid dna ( pdna ) ( 10 μg / ml ) was mixed with either of the reacting polymers ( 2 % w / v p4 - am or p4 - sg , 5 % w / v p4 - am or p4 - sg ) and incubated at room temperature for 30 minutes . fig4 demonstrates percent supercoiling of the pdna as subsequently determined by agarose gel electrophoresis . dna supercoiling was found to not be affected by either of the non - gelled components . in another experiment , plasmid dna was incorporated into 2 % w / v and 3 % w / v hydrogels , and then extracted into phosphate buffered saline to test if the supercoiling of the plasmid was compromised by the crosslinking reaction . the supercoiling of the network - extracted dna was compared with control dna that had not been incorporated into networks . no loss in dna supercoiling was observed by incorporation of plasmid in networks . as shown in fig5 a and 5b , the data demonstrates that dna integrity was maintained in the presence of a cross - linked formulation . equilibrium swelling can be used to characterize hydrogels . this method , when developed as a method of analysis , can be utilized effectively to determine reproducibility of a formulation . networks containing plasmid dna ( with , without mpeg - dspe ) were prepared as described above except that the mixing was performed in a 96 well plate . samples were incubated at 37 ° c . for 1 hour to allow complete gelation . the gels were removed from the wells and placed into scintillation vials . the vials were weighed , and 5 ml of dulbecco &# 39 ; s phosphate - buffered saline ( pbs ) was added . the vials were incubated overnight at 37 ° c . with gentle shaking . the buffer was then aspirated out of the vial and the gels were re - weighed . equilibrium swelling was calculated as percentage increase in gel - weight using the following formula : % swelling =(( final weight of gel ) 37 ° c ., 24 hrs −( initial weight of gel ) 37 ° c ., 24 hrs ÷( initial weight of gel ) 37 ° c ., 24 hrs × 100 . measurements were performed on formulations prepared with different concentrations of the two reacting polymers , p4 - am and p4 - sg , at different intervals following stock solution preparation . the graph in fig5 b demonstrates that percent swelling was unaffected for gels prepared at different intervals following solution preparation . the data in fig5 b demonstrate that it is evident that swelling increases with polymer concentration . percent swelling is unaffected by the addition of nucleic acid ( e . g ., plasmid dna at 1 mg / ml final concentration ), or by the addition of components such as mpeg - dspe . thus , neither of these components is reactive with the gel components . in - vitro release of dna from hydrogels b - d was measured by incubation of plasmid - containing gels in phosphate buffered saline at 37 ° c . ( 200 μl hydrogel containing 200 μg of plasmid in a scintillation vial was incubated in 2 ml of pbs ). at defined time points , the supernatant was removed and transferred to a new tube . an additional 2 ml of pbs was then added to each vial and the samples were returned to the incubator . percent dna release from hydrogels was quantified using a dna - npr ® ( tosoh - biosep inc .) anion exchange column using a gradient elution ( hplc method : buffer a : 0 . 56m sodium chloride in 50 mm tris , ph 9 . 0 ; buffer b : 1 . 2m sodium chloride in 50 mm tris , ph 9 . 0 ; 0 - 30 % buffer b in 15 minute gradient elution ). a standard curve was constructed with control unformulated dna diluted in pbs at various concentrations and analyzed by hplc . relaxed and supercoiled plasmid peaks were identified in comparison with the retention time of the standards . fig7 a and 7b demonstrate in vitro release data . fig7 a shows a representative hplc trace from dna released from formulation c ( 4 % w / v p4 - am / p4 - sg ); the second peak in the triplet set of peaks is supercoiled dna . fig7 b shows cumulative release data from formulations b ( 3 % w / v p4 - am / p4 - sg ), c ( 4 % w / v p4 - am / p4 - sg ), and d ( 5 % w / v p4 - am / p4 - sg ). the data indicate that plasmid can be released from the gels and that release is faster with gels containing a lower percentage of p4 - am and p4 - sg . 100 μl of cross - linked formulations ( a = 2 % w / v p4 - sg / p4 - am , b = 3 % w / v p4 - sg / p4 - am ) containing 30 μg of β - gal dna , were incubated with shaking at 37 ° c . in 100 μl of a solution containing fresh balb / c mouse serum in dilution ratios 1 : 40 to 1 : 80 for 30 minutes . controls were incubated in serum - free buffer . endonuclease - based digestion of unformulated dna and dna in network formulations was compared by analysis of the plasmids on agarose gels . [ 0113 ] fig8 demonstrates that both network formulations protected the plasmid dna from serum endonucleases ( lanes 5 - 6 , 8 - 9 ), whereas unformulated dna showed a loss of supercoiling after 30 minutes of incubation in both serum dilutions ( lanes 4 and 7 ). p4 - am and p4 - sg were loaded into separate 0 . 3 ml syringes , which were then joined via a syringe connector . solutions of the components were mixed rapidly , and then retrieved into a single syringe . the mixed formulation was extruded through a 26 g needle at various time points post - mixing . the time within which a formulation could be injected was recorded in minutes . fig6 demonstrates that formulations at higher concentrations gelled faster , lowering the time interval within which injection could occur . to determine if the network formulations could be injected into the muscle of an animal and would form networks in situ in vivo , evans blue dye was added to formulations made up of 2 %, 3 %, 4 %, 5 %, 8 %, or 10 % w / v of total pegs ( p4 - am / p4 - sg ). the formulations were injected into the muscle tissue of mice . mice were sacrificed 60 minutes following injection , and the injected muscles were removed and examined for visible gels . all formulations were injectable . formulations containing 3 %, 4 %, 5 %, 8 %, and 10 % w / v total pegs ( p4 - am + p4 - sg ) each formed transparent visible gels in the muscle tissue . the 2 % w / v peg formulation diffused throughout the muscle tissue as a viscous liquid . to study the biodegradation of the networks , 100 μl of formulation b ( 3 % p4 - sg / p4 - am ) was injected per mouse , 50 μl per anterior tibialis muscle , two mice / group . network - containing muscle tissue was excised at predetermined time points and the muscle was digested using the tissue digestion method described below . 0 . 0606 g of cysteine - hcl and 2 . 915 g edta were weighed and added to a 100 ml volumetric flask , then filled to the 100 ml mark . the ph of the solution was adjusted to 6 . 25 . the solution was bubbled with an inert gas such as argon to remove oxygen , and then stored at − 20 ° c . until use . 5 ml of the 50 % papain solution ( sigma ) was pipetted in a 10 ml volumetric flask , then filled to the 10 ml mark to 10 ml with the cysteine / edta buffer . the solution was stored at − 20 ° c . until use . collagenase ( 1 . 5 mg / ml ) was prepared by weighing out 1 . 5 mg of collagenase and resuspending in 1 ml of cysteine / edta buffer . 1125 μl of the papain solution was added to a 15 ml centrifuge tube containing the tissue explant ( weight of the explant should be between 30 and 600 mgs ). 1125 μl of the collagenase solution and 750 μl of 10 % calcium chloride was added to the centrifuge tube and mixed . the centrifuge tube containing the explant and the digestion cocktail was equilibrated for 8 - 12 hours in a water bath maintained at 37 ° c . this step resulted in the digestion of the tissue . after digestion , the ph of the digested dispersion was adjusted to 11 . 5 with 30 μl of 50 % naoh , and then the tube was placed in the 37 ° c . bath for an additional 8 - 12 hours . this step resulted in the digestion of the crosslinked network to the corresponding tetrameric peg components . the ph of the solution was then adjusted back to 9 with aqueous hcl . the tissue debris was centrifuged for 0 . 5 hour , and then filtered through a 0 . 22 μm filter to prepare it for gpc analysis of peg . percent peg remaining at the tissue site over time was analyzed by gel permeation chromatography ( tosoh - biosep tsk g3000pwxl column ; mobile phase : 20 mm sodium monobasic phosphate buffer , ph 7 . 4 ). the rate of in - vivo bioabsorption of these polyethylene glycol - based networks was determined by quantification of total pegs remaining at the injected muscle site over time . the results demonstrate that ˜ 40 % of total injected pegs for formulation b had cleared from the site 33 days post - injection , and that 60 - 80 % of the total injected peg polymer was lost approximately 90 days post injection . the study demonstrated that the network delivery systems can be used in in vivo applications . 10 % p4 - sg ( 100 mg in 1 ml ) was prepared in milliq water and stored on ice . equimolar concentrations of poly ( amidoamine ) g0 ( 10 mm or 0 . 5 %) and g1 ( 10 mm or 0 . 5 %) solutions were prepared by diluting the respective stock solutions in phosphate buffer ( ph 8 . 0 ). the p4 - sg solution , when mixed in equal volumes with either of the g0 or g1 solutions , formed a transparent soft gel . gels with different crosslinking density could be formed by varying the concentrations of p4 - sg and poly ( amidoamine ) g0 or g1 . different compositions ( 2 %, 5 %, 10 %) containing peg - dspe and nucleic acid were also formulated , and all were found to be injectable . to characterize the pamam / p4 - sg hydrogels , equilibrium swelling studies were performed . fig9 demonstrates that the amount of swelling is much lower for these gels than for the peg hydrogels , and the addition of lipid was found to decrease the swelling . in situ crosslinking gels were formulated using poly ( ethylenimine ) and p4 - sg . a 10 % w / v solution of p4 - sg was prepared in milliq water . 100 mm of pei ( 0 . 15 % w / v ) was prepared in phosphate buffer , ph 8 . 0 . 100 μl of this solution ( 10 times molar excess ) was added to the p4 - sg solution and quick gelation was observed (& lt ; 1 minute ). gelation time can be controlled by altering the pei or p4 - sg concentration , and / or the ph of the solutions in which the individual polymers are resuspended . for example , a formulation containing 0 . 075 % w / v pei and 10 % w / v p4 - sg reconstituted at ph 8 . 0 has a gel time of 6 minutes at 25 ° c . 100 μl of a solution of p4 - sg ( 3 % w / v ) in milliq water was mixed with 100 μl of a solution of 3 % w / v p4 - sh in phosphate buffer , ph 8 . 0 in a 1 . 5 ml centrifuge tube and incubated at 37 ° c . to form a 3 % w / v hydrogel . similarly , gels of 4 %, 10 %, 20 % and 30 % w / v were also formed by mixing equal volumes of equimolar solutions of the two network forming polymers . after 30 minutes , the gels were retrieved and examined for their attributes . the 3 % w / v gels were found to be soft , whereas the 4 - 30 % w / v gels were “ hard ” and tightly crosslinked . gel times for the 3 %, 4 %, and 10 % w / v p4 - sg / p4 - sh formulations were measured in a brookefield viscometer at temperatures of 25 ° c . and 37 ° c . as shown in fig1 , gel times accelerated with increased polymer concentrations . use of a plasmid that encodes a secreted protein permits serum sampling and analysis for expressed protein without sacrificing the animal . for example , plasmids encoding secreted embryonic alkaline phosphatase gene , factor viii , factor ix , erythropoetin ( epo ), endostatin , various cytokines , insulin , and bone morphogenic protein ( bmp ) have been used for this purpose . a plasmid encoding the human secreted embryonic alkaline phosphatase gene ( pgwiz ™ seap , henceforth referred as “ seap ”) was used to monitor systemic expression . seap , a secreted form of the membrane bound placental alkaline phosphatase , has a half - life of from minutes to a few days in serum . a protein with a short half - life is especially useful to reliably determine expression kinetics . 5 - 6 week old female c57b16 mice ( jackson laboratories , bar harbor , me ., usa ) 5 - 6 week old dba / 2 and rag2 mice ( taconic , germantown , n . y ., usa ). dna was amplified and purified using a qiagen endo - free ™ kit ( qiagen inc ., valencia , calif ., usa ) or was purchased from aldevron llc ( fargo , n . dak ., usa ). all formulations were prepared by mixing of two solutions , one containing a pre - weighed amount of p4 - am dissolved in 0 . 1m potassium phosphate buffer , ph 8 . 0 , and the other containing an equimolar amount of p4 - sg dissolved in cold deionized water containing seap plasmid dna ( 100 μg / 100 μl final volume of formulation ) and mpeg - dspe ( 10 μg / 100 g final volume of formulation ). formulation a included 2 % w / v p4 - sg / p4 - am cross - linked into a viscous branched polymer . formulations b - d ( 3 , 4 , and 5 % w / v p4 - sg / p4 - am , respectively ) included equimolar amounts of the same components as a , but at higher concentrations . these formulations cross - linked into tissue - conforming hydrogels in situ , post - injection into muscle . the solutions were freshly prepared and injected into mouse muscle immediately after mixing all formulation components . mice were mildly anesthetized using isofluorane and injected with different cross - linked network formulations or with unformulated plasmid dna ( in saline ) bilaterally into the anterior tibialis muscles . all animals were injected with 100 μg of plasmid dna in an injection volume of 50 μl per muscle . at different timepoints post - injection , mice were anesthetized and blood was collected retro - orbitally . serum was separated from red blood cells by centrifugation and stored at − 80 ° c . until assays were performed . levels of enzymatically active seap in mouse serum were measured using the tropix phospha - light ® luminometric assay kit ( applied biosystems , foster city , calif ., usa ). assays were performed according to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s protocol except that samples for the standard curve were prepared in normal mouse sera ( stellar biosystems , columbia , md ., usa ) diluted 1 : 4 . all experimental serum samples were also diluted 1 : 4 in manufacturer - supplied dilution buffer . luminescence measurements were performed using a topcount ® plate reader ( packard instruments , illinois ) following 40 minutes of incubation in the reaction buffer . serum seap levels at each timepoint were expressed in nanograms / ml using the standard curve generated from the positive control ( purified human placental alkaline phosphatase ) supplied with the assay kit . the data were further analyzed using a thompson - tau outlier analysis as described in wheeler and ganji , “ introduction to engineering experimentation ,” prentice hall , pp . 142 - 145 ( 1996 ) and plotted as averages and standard deviations . administration of each of the network formulations resulted in detectable levels of serum seap for extended periods of time . fig1 a shows that all networks with higher crosslink densities ( i . e ., formulations c and d ) produced significant serum levels of seap expression compared to lightly crosslinked networks ( i . e ., formulations a and b ). to evaluate the long - term expression of dna released from the network formulations , percent positive animals ( as measured by animals expressing more than 300 pg / ml of serum seap , a level that is 2 - 3 fold higher than background serum seap levels in saline injected mice ) were plotted for each formulation fig1 b demonstrates that dna delivery from the networks resulted in long - term expression of the encoded protein in serum , whereas protein levels in animals injected with unformulated dna dropped precipitously after 3 - 4 weeks . one hypothesis for transient expression of proteins following intramuscular injections of plasmids is antibody - directed complement - mediated cytotoxicity ( adcc ). to evaluate if the sustained protein expression kinetics observed in immunocompetent animals was apparent in complement deficient mice incapable of mounting adcc , dba / 2j mice , deficient in a component of complement , were injected with unformulated dna or dna in network formulations . fig1 a show that in complement - deficient animals , network injection produced more sustained expression of seap compared to that produced by unformulated dna . to further evaluate the effect of long - term protein expression in immunodeficient animals , rag2 knock out mice , incapable of v ( d ) j recombination , and thus lacking mature b and t cells , were administered pseap plasmid as unformulated dna or in network formulations . fig1 b shows that serum seap levels from animals injected with network associated dna were sustained longer than those from the groups injected with unformulated dna . delivery of nucleic acid in p4 - am / p4 - sg networks followed by electroporation enhances gene expression 3 % w / v p4 - am / p4 - sg was formulated with mpeg - dspe ( 10 μg / 100 μl ) and ( 100 μg / 100 μl ) seap dna . the gel was identified as a gt20 gel . gt20 denotes a gel time of 20 minutes post reconstitution with buffer at ph 8 as measured by viscometry at 25 ° c . mice were mildly anesthetized using isofluorane and injected with different crosslinked network formulations or with unformulated plasmid dna ( in saline ) bilaterally into the anterior tibialis muscles . all animals were injected with 100 μg of plasmid dna in an injection volume of 50 μl per muscle . the mouse muscles were electroporated immediately post - injection of the formulations with 200 v / cm , 8 pulses , 20 ms pulse width at 1 second intervals ( genetronics electroporator , ecm 830 ; btx inc ., san diego , calif ., usa ). serum collection , seap assays , and data analysis using thompson - tau outlier analysis were performed as in example 5 . the data shown in fig1 demonstrates enhancement of seap expression in network formulation by electroporation . 3 % w / v p4 - am / p4 - sg was formulated with mpeg - dspe ( 10 μg / 100 μl ) and ( 100 μg / 100 μl ) seap dna . the gel was also identified as a gt20 gel . various excipients were added to the dna - containing p4 - sg solution , before mixing with the p4 - am solution . the final concentrations of these excipients in the formulation were : sodium lauryl sulfate ( sds , 0 . 1 % w / v )( sigma ), pluronic l62 ( 0 . 1 % w / v )( basf ) magainin i ( 0 . 025 % w / v ) ( sigma ), and poly ( amidoamine ) ( pamam ; dentritech ) g0 ( 0 . 15 % w / v ). more specifically , sodium lauryl sulfate is classified as a anionic lipid , pluronic l62 as a non - ionic surfactant , magainin i as a cationic peptide , and pamam g0 as a cationic 4 - armed polymer . mice were mildly anesthetized using isofluorane and injected with different crosslinked network formulations or with unformulated plasmid dna ( in saline ) bilaterally into the anterior tibialis muscles . all animals were injected with 100 μg of plasmid dna in an injection volume of 50 μl per muscle ( n = 8 per group ). serum collection by retro - orbital bleeding , seap assays , and data analysis using thompson - tau outlier analysis were performed as in example 5 . [ 0206 ] fig1 a and 14b demonstrate that seap expression was found to be enhanced by the addition of these excipients to the network formulations . dna was amplified and purified using a qiagen endo - free ® kit ( qiagen inc ., valencia , calif .) or was purchased from aldevron llc ( fargo , n . dak .). all formulations were prepared by mixing of two solutions , one containing a pre - weighed amount of p4 - sh dissolved in 0 . 1m potassium phosphate buffer , ph 8 . 0 , and the other containing an equimolar amount of p4 - sg dissolved in cold deionized water containing seap plasmid dna ( 100 μg / 100 μl final volume of formulation ) and mpeg - dspe ( 10 μg / 100 μl final volume of formulation ). two formulations were tested : formulation a : 3 . 5 % w / v of each p4 - sh / p4 - sg gelled after 20 minutes at 25 ° c . ; and formulation b : 5 % w / v of each p4 - sh / p4 - sg gelled after 10 minutes at 25 ° c . the solutions were freshly prepared and injected into mouse muscle immediately after mixing all of the formulation components . mice were mildly anesthetized using isofluorane and injected with different crosslinked network formulations or with unformulated plasmid dna ( in saline ) bilaterally into the anterior tibialis muscles . all animals were injected with 100 μg of plasmid dna in an injection volume of 50 μl per muscle . there were 8 animals per group . at day 7 post - injection , mice were anesthetized blood was collected , serum prepared and analyzed as in example 5 . as shown in fig1 , formulations a and b both induced high levels of gene expression in mice . dna was amplified and purified using a qiagen endo - free ® kit ( qiagen inc ., valencia , calif ., usa ) or was purchased from aldevron llc ( fargo , n . dak ., usa ). all formulations were prepared by mixing of two solutions , one containing a pre - weighed amount of p4 - am dissolved in 0 . 1m potassium phosphate buffer , ph 8 . 0 , and the other containing an equimolar amount of p4 - sg dissolved in cold deionized water containing seap plasmid dna ( 100 μg / 100 μl final volume of formulation ) and mpeg - dspe ( 10 μg / 100 μl final volume of formulation ). gt5 : 5 % w / v of each of p4 - am and p4 - sg gelled after 5 minutes at 25 ° c . the solutions were freshly prepared and injected into mouse rectum immediately post mixing , of all formulation components . mice were mildly anesthetized using isofluorane and injected with different crosslinked network formulations or with unformulated plasmid dna ( in saline ) into the rectum 3 . 5 cm from the anus . all animals were injected with 100 μg of plasmid dna in an injection volume of 50 μl . there were 5 animals per group . at day 8 post - injection , mice were anesthetized blood was collected , serum prepared and analyzed as in example 5 . animals receiving unformulated dna did not show seap expression . gt5 formulations induced significant levels of gene expression in 3 of 5 mice . demonstration of immune responses to dna encoded antigen following im injections with plasmid in p4 - am / p4 - sg networks the synthetic peptide , tphparigl , representing the naturally processed h - 2 l d restricted t cell epitope spanning amino acids 876 - 884 of β - gal and ipqsldswwtsl , the h - 2 l d epitope corresponding to residues s28 - 39 of hepatitis b surface ag ( hbsag ), were synthesized by multiple peptide systems ( san diego , calif .) to a purity of & gt ; 90 % as assessed by reverse phase high - pressure liquid chromatography ( rp - hplc ). the identity of each peptide was confirmed by mass spectrometry . pcmv / β - gal encoding escherichia coli β - gal driven by the human cmv intermediate early promoter was used as the reporter gene for all immunizations . ct26 . wt and ct26 . cl25 cell lines . ct26 . wt is a clone of ct26 , a balb / c ( h - 2 d ) undifferentiated colon adenocarcinoma . ct26 . cl25 is a ct26 . wt clone stably transfected with the lacz gene . cell lines were maintained in rpmi 1640 , 10 % heat - inactivated fetal calf serum ( fcs ; life technologies , grand island , n . y . ), 2 mm l - glutamine , 100 μg / ml streptomycin , and 100 u / ml penicillin ( life technologies , grand island , n . y .). ct26 . cl25 was maintained in the presence of 400 μg / ml g418 sulfate ( life technologies , grand island , n . y .). all formulations were prepared by mixing of two solutions , one containing a pre - weighed amount of p4 - am dissolved in 0 . 1m potassium phosphate buffer , ph 8 . 0 , and the other containing a pre - weighed amount of p4 - sg dissolved in cold deionized water containing β - gal dna ( 100 μg / 100 μl of formulation ) and mpeg - dspe ( 10μg / 100 μl of formulation ). formulation a included 2 % w / v p4 - am / p4 - sg and created a viscous branched polymeric network post - mixing of the components . formulation b included 3 % w / v p4 - am / p4 - sg and formed a hydrogel post - mixing . the solutions were freshly prepared at room temperature , mixed and injected immediately . the molecular weight and size distribution profile of formulation a was determined to be one million by aqueous gel permeation chromatography using a tsk gel mixed bed column with 0 . 02m phosphate buffer , ph 7 . 5 , as the mobile phase . the network had a fluid viscosity of ˜ 5 cp , as measured by brookefield rheometry . the gel point of formulation b was 11 minutes at 37 ° c . as measured by brookefield rheometry . mice were mildly anesthetized using isoflurane and injected with different crosslinked network formulations or saline bilaterally into the anterior tibialis muscles . all animals were injected a single time with 30 μg of plasmid dna in an injection volume of 50 μl per muscle . in a separate experiment , dissection of the muscle site approximately an hour post injection of formulation b demonstrated presence of a hydrogel conformed to tissue . examination of the muscle site an hour post - injection of formulation a demonstrated formation of a thick , viscous gelatinous material . sera was collected from mice by retro - orbital bleeding at 12 weeks post - immunization . titers of β - gal specific antibodies at 12 weeks were measured by a standard elisa protocol . β - gal titers were defined as the highest serum dilution that resulted in an absorbance ( od 405 ) value twice than that of non - immune sera at that dilution . fig1 demonstrates that administration of dna in networks derived from both formulations stimulated robust β - gal antibody responses measured 12 weeks post injection . similar results were obtained in two separate experiments with identical formulation groups . t cells from pooled ( n = 4 ) splenocytes of immunized or naive mice were purified using t cell enrichment columns according to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s instructions ( r & amp ; d systems , minneapolis , minn .) at 12 weeks post - immunization . t cell proliferation assays were performed by incubating purified t cells and syngeneic irradiated splenocytes ( 2 × 10 5 each ) in the presence of 30 μg / ml of β - gal or chicken ovalbumin protein at 37 ° c . for 72 hrs . cultures were pulsed with 1 μci of tritiated thiamidine ( 3 h - tdr ) and incubated for 20 hours . cells were then harvested and radioactivity measured on a beta counter . fig1 shows that delivery of dna in both network formulations induced β - gal specific proliferative t cell responses . this type of response is usually associated with a t helper restricted t cell population . similar results were obtained in two separate experiments with identical formulation groups . t cells from pooled ( n = 4 ) splenocytes of immunized or naive mice were purified using t cell enrichment columns according to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s instructions ( r & amp ; d systems , minneapolis , minn .) at 12 weeks post - immunization . purified t cells ( 2 × 10 5 ) were stimulated with 2 × 10 5 irradiated β - gal or hbv peptide pulsed syngeneic spleen cells for 24 hrs . the mhc class i restricted t cell response elicited by these formulations was measured in a gamma - interferon ( γ - ifn ) enzyme - linked immunospot elispot ) assay according to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s directions ( r & amp ; d systems , cat # el485 , minneapolis , minn ., usa ). spots were enumerated electronically . fig1 demonstrates that responses were detected at both the 12 week time points and were higher in mice given formulation a in comparison to those of mice receiving formulation b . mice were challenged intravenously with 5 × 10 5 ct26 . wt or ct25 . cl25 cells post immunization with formulated dna or saline control . mice were sacrificed on day 13 , lungs were isolated and stained with 0 . 2 % x - gal solution after fixing with 0 . 25 % glutaradehyde / 0 . 01 % formalin in pbs . tumor nodules could then be visualized and enumerated . the protective response to this tumor is dependent on the class i restricted t cell response . examination of lungs harvested on day 13 after tumor inoculation indicated the presence of multiple pulmonary metastases in all mice challenged with the ct26 . wt cell line . mice immunized with network entrapped dna and challenged with the ct26 β - gal expressing tumor ( ct26 . cl25 ) were protected from metastases . as demonstrated by the data in the table of fig1 , all but one mouse had completely clear lungs . a schematic of a method for formulating a “ one vial ” lyophilized product that contains an excipient ( s ) such as a lipid , unreacted peg - amine , unreacted peg - succinimidyl glutarate , and a nucleic acid is provided in fig2 . at phs greater than 7 . 0 , the two peg components mutually react to form a crosslinked network . therefore , the ph of the solution containing the two peg components was maintained below this threshold ( e . g ., the ph is maintained at 5 . 5 by the dissolution of the components in deionized water ). in this example , the reactivity of the two peg components was also controlled by temperature . at 37 ° c ., the gel - forming reaction proceeded at a faster rate than it did at 4 ° c . therefore , the reaction in this example was maintained at approximately 0 to 4 ° c . ( an ice water slurry ). [ 0257 ] fig2 shows a schematic for characterization of gels at lower temperature . after the mixing of the components , vials containing the dna were filled with the solution and then lyophilized . the lyophile was reconstituted with phosphate buffered saline , ph 8 . 0 , and gelation times ( onset of gelation ) were measured . a 3 % w / v gel formed in approximately 25 minutes at 25 ° c . and did not vary from the gel time of a non - lyophilized formulation . lyophilization was also performed by mixing solutions of the reactive polymers ( e . g ., p4 - sg and p4 - sh ), maintaining a ph of below 7 , and lyophilizing in the absence of nucleic acid . in this instance , the nucleic acid was added to the formulation upon reconstitution . as shown in fig2 , gel times for formulations prepared in this way did not vary by the lyophilization procedure . solutions prepared from reconstituted vials were injected into mouse muscles within 5 - 7 minutes after reconstitution using the same dna dose , immunization and assay protocols as described in example 10 . formulations injected were 2 % w / v p4 - sg / p4 - am and 3 % w / v p4 - sg / p4 - am . the mhc class i restricted t cell response elicited by these formulations was measured in a gamma - interferon ( γ - ifn ) elispot assay according to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s directions ( r & amp ; d system , minneapolis , minn .). spots were enumerated electronically . fig2 shows that responses for both formulations were analyzed at 12 weeks post immunization . the results were statistically equivalent indicating that lyophilization does not adversely affect the ability of the formulation to function in vivo . oligonucleotides with phosphorothioate or phosphodiester backbones ( oligos , etc ., wilsonville , oreg ., usa ) 100 μl of a solution of p4 - sg ( 5 % w / v in milliq water ) ( 100 μg ) was mixed with 100 μl of a 5 % w / v p4 - am and oligophosphorothioate ( 10 μg / μl ) ( in phosphate buffer , ph 8 . 0 ) solution and incubated at 37 ° c . the onset of gelation was determined to be approximately 8 minutes at 37 ° c . by brookefield rheometry and the formation of a soft gel was confirmed . formulations at concentrations of 5 and 10 % w / v pegs cp4 - am and p4 - sg ) with and without oligonucleotide were also prepared , and the formation of gels was noted in all cases . 100 μl of a solution of p4 - sg in milliq water was mixed with 100 μl of a solution of p4 - am and 1 μg / μl of oligophosphorothioate ( in phosphate buffer , ph 8 . 0 ) in a 1 . 5 ml centrifuge tube and incubated at 37 ° c . after 1 hour , the gel was retrieved and placed in a new centrifuge tube with 1 ml of phosphate buffered saline , ph 7 . 4 . the gels were incubated at 37 ° c . at each timepoint , 800 μl of supernatant was retrieved and transferred to a new tube . to the tube containing the gel was added 800 μl of fresh buffer . the supernatant was analyzed for oligophosphorothioate content by anionic exchange chromatography . [ 0269 ] fig2 a and 23b show the results of in - vitro release assays that were performed for 5 % and 10 % hydrogels containing 1 μg / ml of oligo . 50 μl of a solution of p4 - sg ( 5 % w / v in mq water ) and oligophosphorothioate ( 100 μg ) was mixed with 50 μl of 5 % w / v p4 - am ( in phosphate buffer , ph 8 . 0 ) solution and incubated at 37 ° c . additional formulations with 3 %, 4 %, 10 %, 20 %, and 30 % w / v total pegs containing oligophosphorothioate were also generated and the formation of a gel was noted in each case . the kinetics of cross - linking of the hydrogels ( 3 %, 4 %, 10 %, 20 %, 30 %) was measured by brookefield rheometry at 25 ° c . for each of these formulations , the onset of “ gel ” formation was characterized by the rapid increase in shear viscosity that marked the critical gel point , g c . gel times for 20 and 30 % w / v gels were less than 2 minutes at 25 ° c . and 37 ° c . fig2 a demonstrates that at 37 ° c ., the rate of gelation was faster . fig2 b demonstrates that the gel time at higher phs was faster and thus , the gel time could be modulated by variations in temperature and ph . 100 μl of a solution of p4 - sg in milliq water was mixed with 100 μl of a solution of p4 - sh and 1 μg / ml of oligophosphorothioate ( in phosphate buffer , ph 8 . 0 ) in a 1 . 5 ml centrifuge tube and incubated at 37 ° c . after 1 hour , the gel was retrieved and placed in a new centrifuge tube with 1 ml of phosphate buffered saline , ph 7 . 4 . the gels were incubated at 37 ° c . at each timepoint , 800 μl of supernatant was retrieved and transferred to a new tube . 800 μl of fresh buffer was added to the tube containing the gel . the supernatant was analyzed for oligophosphorothioate content by anionic exchange chromatography . release assays were performed for 10 , 20 and 30 % hydrogels containing 1 μg / ml of oligo . fig2 a and 25b show that in 14 days , the total % odn released was ˜ 98 % for 10 % gels , ˜ 85 % for 20 % gels , and ˜ 78 % for 30 % gels . 50 μl of a solution of p4 - sg ( 10 % w / v in mq water ) and oligophosphorothioate ( 100 μg ) was mixed with 50 μl of 0 . 1 % w / v pamam , generation 0 ( in phosphate buffer , ph 8 . 0 ) solution and incubated at 37 ° c . the gel time was 4 minutes at 25 ° c . 100μl , of a solution of 10 % w / v p4 - sg in milliq water was mixed with 100 μl of a solution of 0 . 5 % w / v pamam and 1 μg / μl of oligophosphorothioate ( in phosphate buffer , ph 8 . 0 ) in a 1 . 5 ml centrifuge tube and incubated at 37 ° c . after 1 hour , the gel was retrieved and placed in a new centrifuge tube with 1 ml of phosphate buffered saline , ph 7 . 4 . the gels were incubated at 37 ° c . at each time point , 800 μl of supernatant was retrieved and transferred to a new tube . to the tube containing the gel , was added 800 μl of fresh buffer . the supernatant was analyzed for oligophosphorothioate content by anionic exchange chromatography . fig2 demonstrates that approximately ˜ 18 % of the oligophosphorothioate was released within 1 day and 98 . 5 % was released within 5 days . cacl 2 : 0 . 1 m solution in deionized water ( sodium - and potassium - free calcium chloride must be used ) ( sigma ) 10 μl of 0 . 1 m cacl 2 was added dropwise to a 100 μl solution of oligophosphorothioate in deionized water ( 1 mg / ml ), while stirring . a fine white precipitate formed in the tube . the white precipitate was dialyzed by centrifugation / filtration using a 1 . 5 ml centricon filtrion ® centrifuge tube . the white precipitate was reconstituted in a 3 % w / v solution of p4 - am . 50 μl of the p4 - am / oligocap dispersion was added to 50 μl of a 3 % w / v p4 - sg solution to form a 3 % total pegs formulation . gel time of a 3 % pegs gel with micronized cap - odn was ˜ 10 minutes at 37 ° c ., and 19 minutes at 25 ° c . 10 , 50 , and 100 mg batches of dna - containing microparticles were added to 50 μl solutions of 10 % w / v p4 - sh ( a , b , c , respectively ) made up in phosphate buffer , ph 8 . 0 . 50 μl of a solution of 10 % w / v p4 - sg made up in di water was added to solutions a , b and c to make formulations a , b and c . gel times and gel characteristics were determined . formulations a , b and c all gelled after between 2 - 3 minutes at room temperature , demonstrating no inhibition of gelation by addition of microparticles . hydrogels fabricated from formulation c were found to be hard and brittle . hydrogels from a and b were hard , but pliable . this study demonstrates the feasibility of incorporation of microparticles into hydrogels for the purpose of applying drug delivery devices to rounded tissues and surfaces . the hydrogel in this case would hold the microparticles “ in place .” a solution containing 0 . 05 % chitosan glutamate ( ch ) was prepared in phosphate buffer , ph 8 . 0 . 50 μl of this solution was added to 50 μl of a solution containing 5 % w / v p4 - sg and 1 μg / μl dna in di water ( ch / p4 - sg ). the formulation gelled instantaneously at 25 ° c ., forming a hard gel . this formulation demonstrates the feasibility of a proteolytically degradable network ( e . g ., a network degradable by lysozymes ). a solution containing 1 . 0 % w / v poly ( lysine ) hydrobromide ( pl ) was prepared in phosphate buffer , ph 8 . 0 . 50 μl of this solution was added to 50 μl of a solution containing 5 % w / v p4 - sg and 1 μg / μl dna in di water . the formulation gelled in between 2 and 3 minutes , and formed a semi - hard gel . this formulation is another variation of a network formulation that can be used for nucleic acid delivery . formulation 1 a solution containing 10 % w / v peo - ppo - peo - tetra - sh was prepared in phosphate buffer , ph 8 . 0 . 50 μl of this solution was added to 50 μl of a solution of 10 % w / v p4 - sg and 1 μg / μl dna in di water to form a 10 % w / v gel . the formulation gelled in 6 - 7 minutes , and formed a hard , oily gel . this formulation is yet another variation of a network formulation that can be used for nucleic acid delivery . it is to be understood that while the invention has been described in conjunction with the detailed description thereof , that the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not limit the scope of the appended claims . other aspects , advantages , and modifications are within the scope of the following claims .	0
the best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment , herein depicted within fig1 a through 2 . however , the invention is not limited to the described embodiment and a person skilled in the art will appreciate that many other embodiments of the invention are possible without deviating from the basic concept of the invention , and that any such work around will also fall under scope of this invention . it is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention , and only one particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope . the terms “ a ” and “ an ” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity , but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items . the present invention describes an apparatus and method for a portable clothes - hanging rod ( herein described as the “ apparatus ”) 10 , which provides a means for a deployable rod for hanging clothes after removal from a dryer . the apparatus 10 provides a wall - mounted plate 20 and a pair of tubular telescoping rods 30 , 33 which are attached to a vertical wall surface . in a retracted state , the apparatus 10 folds compactly into a vertical position . in a deployed state , the apparatus 10 extends horizontally outward in a telescoping manner . the apparatus 10 is supported in an extended outward position by a cable 24 that extends from an outer end of a first rod 30 back to a mounting plate 20 at a 45 ° angle to effectively support clothing / hangers 50 and other articles . referring now to fig1 a and 1 b , perspective views of the apparatus 10 in a deployed and a stored state , respectively , according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention , are disclosed . the apparatus 10 comprises a mounting plate 20 , a storage clip 21 , a pivot bracket 22 , a cable 24 , a pair of cable crimps 25 , an upper cable loop 27 , a lower cable loop 28 , an eyelet bolt 26 , a first rod 30 , a rod bracket 31 , a rod clamping mechanism 32 , a second rod 33 , a plurality of clothes hanger grooves 34 , an end cap 35 , a pivot bolt 41 , and a plurality of fasteners 40 . the mounting plate 20 provides an attachment means for the apparatus 10 thereto a vertical wall surface using a plurality of fasteners 40 such as screws , anchors , or the like . the mounting plate 20 comprises a rectangular base of approximately twenty - four ( 24 ) inches in length by three ( 3 ) inches wide and is envisioned being made using materials such as wood , plastic , metal , or the like . the mounting plate 20 further provides an attachment means to a storage clip 21 and a pivot bracket 22 . the storage clip 21 is located at the top of the mounting plate 20 and comprises a “ u ”- shaped fixture providing mounting holes for attachment to the mounting plate 20 via fasteners 40 such as screws , bolts , or the like . the storage clip 21 is envisioned to be a commercially available spring type clamping fixture designed to secure vertical tubular objects . the storage clip 21 is further envisioned to be made using materials such as chrome plated steel , stainless steel , or the like . the pivot bracket 22 is secured to a bottom portion of the mounting plate 20 using fasteners 40 such as screws , bolts , or the like . the pivot bracket 22 provides an attachment and rotation means for a first rod 30 enabling a pivoting movement 42 from the horizontal deployed state to the vertical stored state . the pivot bracket 22 is envisioned being made preferably of chrome plated steel and comprises a “ u ”- shape bracket having two ( 2 ) opposing vertical faces and a pivot bolt 41 . the first rod 30 is attached to the pivot bolt 41 via a drilled hole . the first rod 30 comprises a metal tube approximately seventeen ( 17 ) inches in length and approximately one ( 1 ) inch in diameter . the first rod 30 provides a plurality of clothes hanger grooves 34 formed along a top surface to prevent lateral sliding of clothing / hangers 50 . the first rod 30 is envisioned to be made using materials such as stainless steel tubing , chrome plated steel tubing , or the like . also attached to the first rod 30 is a rod bracket 31 which provides an attachment means for a support cable 24 ( see fig2 ). the second rod 33 comprises similar materials and construction as the first rod 30 ; however , provides a smaller diameter tubing of approximately ¾ ″, thereby enabling the second rod 33 to be slidingly inserted with a lateral movement 43 within the first rod 30 . the first rod 30 provides a telescoping and locking attachment means to the second rod 33 via a rod clamping mechanism 32 ( see fig2 ). the second rod 33 provides the capability to extend beyond the end of the first rod 30 by approximately twelve ( 12 ) inches . the second rod 33 also comprises a plurality of clothes hanger grooves 34 formed along a top surface and a plastic end cap 35 . the cable 24 provides a strong support means to hold the first rod 30 at a horizontal attitude while supporting the weight of clothing / hangers 50 . the cable 24 comprises an upper cable loop 27 and a lower cable loop 28 . the two ( 2 ) cable loops 27 , 28 are formed into loops using cable crimps 25 common in the industry . the upper cable loop 27 is secured to the mounting plate 20 via an eyelet bolt 26 providing a threaded shank which extends through the mounting plate 20 and is secured with fasteners 40 such as a nut , washer , and the like . the lower cable loop 28 is fastened to the rod bracket 31 via the aforementioned fastener 40 . the cable 24 is envisioned to be made using standard braded or stranded stainless steel wire rope having an approximate diameter of 1 / 16 ″ to ⅛ ″. referring now to fig2 , a close - up view of the connection portion of the apparatus 10 , according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention , is disclosed . the connection portion of the apparatus 10 comprises a rod bracket 31 , a plurality of fasteners 40 , a cable 24 , a lower cable loop 28 , a cable crimp 25 , and a rod clamping mechanism 32 . the rod bracket 31 comprises a ring shaped clamping device being secured to the first rod 30 using fasteners 40 such as bolts , nuts , and the like . the rod bracket 31 is envisioned to be made using rugged materials such as fiber - filled plastic , chrome plated steel , stainless steel , or the like . the rod clamping mechanism 32 is located at the free end of the first rod 30 and provides a bushing means between the rods 30 , 33 to enhance the smooth extension of the second rod 33 . the rod clamping mechanism 32 further provides a locking means to secure a desired position of the second rod 33 by providing an integral single - turn locking feature . the rod clamping mechanism 32 is envisioned to be made of injection molded plastic parts . it is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention , and only one particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope . the preferred embodiment of the present invention can be utilized by the common user in a simple and effortless manner with little or no training . after initial purchase or acquisition of the apparatus 10 , it would be installed as indicated in fig1 a and 1 b . the method of installing and utilizing the apparatus 10 may be achieved by performing the following steps : locating an appropriate wall surface with an inclusive wall stud on which to secure the mounting plate 20 portion of the apparatus 10 ; installing the apparatus 10 using the provided fasteners 40 into said wall and stud ; deploying the first rod 30 by releasing and pivoting said first rod 30 downward in a pivoting movement 42 from the storage clip 21 until the cable 24 is taut ; releasing the rod clamping mechanism 32 by rotating the second rod 33 one full turn in a counter - clockwise direction ; extending the second rod 33 outward in a lateral movement 43 until obtaining a desired length ; securing the position of the second rod 33 by rotating one full turn in a clockwise direction ; loading clothing / hangers 50 onto the first rod 30 and second rod 33 using the clothes hanger grooves 34 ; storing the apparatus 10 after drying and removal of the clothing / hangers 50 by retracting and pivoting the rods 30 , 33 to the vertical stored state ; and , enjoying the quick deployment , storage , and space - saving benefits of the present invention 10 . the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description . they are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention and method of use to the precise forms disclosed . obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application , and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . it is understood that various omissions or substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient , but is intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention .	0
in the following detailed description , reference is made to the accompanying drawings . the drawings forms a part of this invention disclosure and show , by way of illustration , specific embodiments in which the invention , as claimed , may be practiced . the invention may , however , be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth ; rather , these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete , and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art . as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art , the present invention may be embodied in methods and devices . wherever possible , the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts . embodiments of hose test adapters according to the present invention are designed for use in connection with protective mask leak test apparatus such as the joint forces tda - 99m or tda - 99b , or similar . a simplified schematic of a portable protective mask leakage test apparatus 200 is shown in fig3 . mask test apparatus 200 provides leak and serviceability testing of a variety of sizes and types of negative pressure chemical , biological and radiological protective masks without requiring an operator to actually don the mask . leak testing of a mask essentially involves removing the gas canister from the mask , plugging the mask canister port and outlet valve , and affixing the mask by its own harness to points of attachment on test apparatus 200 so that it fits snugly over a face - shaped headform 204 . an inflatable bladder 208 of headform 204 engages the faceseal on the mask and simulates the seal characteristics of the face of a user . if the mask is equipped with an air hose , the canister is removed from the hose end and the hose end is attached to a hose test port 212 on the test apparatus 200 via a threaded adapter 214 . after the mask has been thusly secured , a slight vacuum is applied through headform 204 to the interior of the mask . test apparatus 200 then monitors for leaks in the mask and any attached hose while the operator performs a number of test challenges . however , since the entire mask - hose system must be tested , isolating faults or leaks in the air hose assembly is very difficult . mask test apparatus 200 is equipped with two headforms 204 to accommodate masks of different sizes . the headforms 204 are push - fit mounted to a headform mounting pedestal 202 on test apparatus 200 . pedestal 202 and headform 204 are joined at an interface that includes four push - fit o - ring sealed pressure couplings ( not shown ). one such pressure coupling communicates a source of negative air pressure to a head test port 210 in the top of headform 204 . mask test apparatus 200 delivers negative air pressure to the mask under test through head test port 210 while the mask is probed for leaks . fig1 shows a side sectional view of a preferred exemplary embodiment of an air hose test adapter ( hose test adapter ) 100 according to the present invention . hose test adapter 100 is configured to adapt a standard nato threaded male pneumatic fitting used for attachment of a nato threaded mask end fitting 152 of flexible air hose 150 into head test port 210 of mask test apparatus 200 . hose test adapter 100 comprises a body having a first end 102 with a first opening 104 and a second end 106 with a second opening 108 and a passage 107 between the first opening 104 and second opening 108 to enable air to flow through . first end 102 provides a cap shaped nato threaded receptacle 110 that engages a standard male nato threaded air hose coupling . an annular seal 118 such as a standard m - 45 canister / air hose gasket is disposed in threaded receptacle 110 to prevent leakage of air . the outside surface of receptacle 110 preferably has a knurled surface 111 to aid in gripping hose test adapter 100 . second end 106 of hose test adapter 100 provides a tubular stem 112 that extends outwardly from the back of receptacle 110 and terminates at a tip 113 that is preferably chamfered to facilitate insertion of stem 112 into head test port 210 . the external diameter of stem 112 is preferably 0 . 710 inches , dimensioned for snug push - fit coupling into head test port 210 . the internal diameter of stem 112 is at least 0 . 325 inches throughout to provide unrestricted air flow through the hose to be tested . a pair of o - rings seals 114 , or similar circumferential pneumatic seals , are disposed in 0 . 12 inch radial grooves 115 near tip 113 . the first groove is located 0 . 15 inches from tip 113 and the second 0 . 55 from tip 113 . while a single o - ring seal may be employed , dual o - ring seals 114 provide an added measure of assurance that air will not leak from head test port 210 . a radial flange 116 approximately 0 . 25 inch thick and 0 . 975 inch in diameter is positioned 0 . 710 inch from tip 113 to prevent over - insertion of stem 112 into head test port 210 . stem 112 extends from the axis of rotation of receptacle 110 at an angle of approximately 45 degrees so that air hose 150 is oriented at approximately the same angle as when it is attached to a mask . the body of hose test adapter 100 is of unitary construction and preferably formed by an injection molding process from zytel 77g33l or similar hard plastic material . operation of a preferred embodiment according to the present invention is substantially as follows . headform 204 is mounted to mask test apparatus 200 . chamfered end 113 of stem 112 of hose test adapter 100 is inserted into head test port 210 of headform 204 . male nato threaded mask end fitting 152 of air hose assembly 150 is threaded securely into receptacle 110 of hose test adapter 100 . the canister end fitting 154 of air hose assembly 150 is connected via threaded adapter 214 into hose test port 212 . as in a mask test , a predetermined negative air pressure is delivered by mask test apparatus 200 to bead test port 210 . test apparatus 200 then monitors for leaks in air hose assembly 150 while the operator performs a number of test challenges . as has been shown , embodiments according to the present invention provide effective and efficient systems , methods and devices for adapting a standard mask testing apparatus to perform leak testing of mask air hose assemblies independently of the mask systems to which they may be attached . embodiments according to the present invention simplify detection and isolation of mask air hose assembly leaks and increase confidence in test procedures and in protective mask systems generally . various modifications to the described embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention . accordingly , other embodiments are within the scope of the invention , which is limited only by the following claims .	0
in the following description of a mechanical finger , like numbers refer to like parts . fig1 a - 1e schematically illustrate several alternative embodiments of mechanisms for driving a mechanical finger 100 using a single motor . the mechanism combines a differential , a kinematic linkage and a pip linkage for coupling the torque and position of a drive output to a mechanical finger 100 having at least two sections in order to control its flexion and extension in a manner that permits it to be used in connection with grasping or other applications in which a curling action is desirable . such applications include , but are not limited to , robotic hands and prosthetic hands . the illustrated examples of mechanical finger 100 comprise at least a proximal phalanx 102 , a medial or middle phalanx 104 , and , in the embodiments of fig1 a to 1e , a distal phalanx 106 . “ phalanx ” refers to an elongated , rigid section of the finger , and “ phalanges ” to multiple sections of the finger . the phalanges are sometimes also referred to herein as first , second and third sections , respectively , of the mechanical finger . articulating joints , which are not expressly indicated in the figure , permit joined phalanges to pivot with respect to each other around an axis of the joint . the x - axis 108 of the figure represents the angle of extension and flexion of the phalanges relative to each other and to a reference ground 110 . a greater angle indicates flexion of the finger and a smaller angle indicates extension of the finger . the length of arrow 112 represents the angle , designated by the variable θ pf between the proximal phalanx 102 and a ground 110 . similarly , the lengths of arrows 114 and 116 represent the relative angles between the proximal phalanx and the middle phalanx , and between the middle phalanx and the distal phalanx , respectively . these angles are designated in the figure by the variables θ mf and θ df , respectively . the angular position and torque transmitted by an output of a single actuator or drive , which output is represented by line 118 , controls the flexion and extension of the finger . any type of suitable motor can power the actuator or drive . the type of the motor will depend on the application . the angular position of the output is represented by line 120 and is designated by the variable θ m . torque applied to an object by a joint is represented as a linear force in the figure . the torque delivered by the output of the drive is represented by line 122 . variable t m represents the magnitude of the torque from a motor connected to the drive . note that the motor is not expressly illustrated in the figures . torque on the metacarpophalangeal ( mcp ) joint ( not shown ), designated t mcp , which is generated by force applied to the proximal phalanx , is represented by line 103 . similarly , torque on the proximal interphalangeal ( pip ) joint ( not shown ) is designated t pip and is represented by line 105 . torque on the distal interphalangeal ( dip ) joint ( not shown ) is designated t pip and is represented by line 105 . a hybrid mechanism comprising a kinematic linkage and differential enables conformal grasping by the finger due to the differential , but at the same time curling behavior can be precisely defined during application of forces to the distal phalanx only . in the examples illustrated by the schematics of fig1 a - 1e , a differential 124 coupled to ground 110 applies the torque t m from the motor to the proximal phalanx 102 . the differential also applies the torque to linkage 130 in the embodiments of fig1 a , 1 b , 1 d , or to medial phalanx 104 in the two - phalanx embodiment of fig1 c , or to a second differential 125 in the embodiment of fig1 e . the differential 124 couples the drive output with the mcp joint and the pip joint . thus , the drive applies torque to both the pip and mcp joints in the embodiments of fig1 a - 1c and 1 e . in the embodiment of fig1 d , the combination of differential 124 and differential 125 applies torque applied to the mcp , pip and dip joints . linkage 130 in fig1 a , 1 b , and 1 e functions as a kinematic linkage , coupling the motion of pip and dip joints through an algebraic relationship . linkage 130 couples the pip and dip joints ( not shown ), so that both joints rotate together , in a fixed relationship , resulting in the medial and distal phalanges curling together in a natural curling motion . movement of link 130 relative to the proximal phalanx 102 causes the middle phalanx to rotate about the pip joint ( not shown ), and the distal phalanx to rotate with respect to the middle phalanx around the dip joint ( not shown ). this coupled curling relative to the proximal phalanx 102 occurs even while motion of proximal phalanx 102 is blocked , such as when conformal grasping is occurring . as shown in the embodiment illustrated only in fig1 b , the linkage 124 may , optionally , include a compliant element 128 , in series with ground , represented in the figure by spring 128 . the compliant element is , for example , comprised of an elastic element that generates a spring force . the spring provides compliance for series elasticity and shock mitigation by allowing linkage 124 to stretch a little when forces are applied to it . elasticity and shock mitigation or dampening can be desirable in certain applications , such a prosthetics . movement of the linkage 130 relative to the proximal phalanx 102 , such as during curling when the proximal phalanx 102 is blocked , also results in compression of a compliant member represented in the figure by a spring 132 coupled between the proximal phalanx and the link 130 . the spring acts to extend the pip joint . referring only to fig1 a - 1d , in each of the illustrated examples a linkage 126 adjusts the position of stop 134 based on rotation of the mcp joint . stop 134 limits the range of motion of the pip joint . the linkage sets the position of the hard stop based on the degree of rotation of the mcp joint from ground . stopping rotation of the pip joint limits extension of the medial phalanx , as well as the distal phalanx , beyond a predetermined angle relative to the proximal phalanx . the angle of rotation of the mcp joint is represented in the figure as the distance between ground 110 and the proximal phalanx 102 . the angle of the pip joint relative to the phalanx is indicated by the length of line 114 in the figure . the stop rotates with respect to the pip joint as the mcp joint rotates , and thus it depends on the angle of the mcp joint . when the proximal phalanges motion is not blocked , the stop linkage 126 enforces natural , simultaneous curling of all three joints , the mcp , pip and dip joints . linkage 126 also enables the finger to resist forces on the distal phalanx without the differential allowing the pip and dip joints to straighten and the mcp joint to flex . despite the system having a differential , the posture of all three joints can thus remain fixed ( not against stops ) irrespective of the magnitude of a single external force applied to the distal phalanx . because of the use of a differential linkage to couple torque from the drive to the mcp and pip joints , the positions of the mcp and pip joints are not fully determined by the position of the drive . for any given position of the drive output , the finger mechanism has one free motion available , which is an extension of the proximal phalanx and a flexing of the pip and dip joints . preferably , linkage dimensions and moment arms are chosen so that external forces applied to the finger distal to a point near the fingertip act to straighten the finger , and forces applied proximal to this point act to curl the finger . the point at which the behavior changes from straightening to curling is referenced as the “ focal point ” of the differential . for external forces that act proximal to the focal point , the mcp joint will extend and the pip joint will flex . referring now to fig1 a - 1e , the linkage 126 is also used to move the endpoint for return spring 132 . the return spring 132 acts to straighten the finger and to keep the mechanism pushed over to one side of this free range of motion . in the absence of any external forces pushing on the finger , the return spring makes the finger act as though the differential 124 is not present . the return spring can also provide some resistance to curling of the fingers when forces are applied to the dorsal side of the finger . any compliance in the differential 124 will result in some motion , but this will occur in all three joints and is not due to the differential coupling . as illustrated by the embodiment of fig1 e , adjustable stop 134 for the pip joint may be omitted for an application not requiring it , or in which it is desirable not to have it . in this example , the linkage 126 controls only the position of the end point of the pip joint return spring 132 . the linkage 126 thus becomes a spring centering linkage . referring now only to fig1 d , this embodiment of a mechanical finger includes a differential 125 comprising differential linkage 136 in place of a kinematic linkage . the differential couples the medial and distal phalanges using a differential relationship . this embodiment also optionally includes an adjustable stop 138 for the dip joint and return spring 140 for placing a torque on the dip joint that tends to extend the distal phalanx relative to the medial phalanx . linkage 142 is connected to proximal phalanx 102 and adjusts the position of dip stop 138 based on the angle of rotation of the pip joint . it also sets the endpoint of return spring 140 . fig2 , 3 , 4 a - 4 c , 5 a - 5 c , 6 , 7 and 8 a - b illustrate various aspects of an exemplary embodiments of mechanical finger 100 for use in a prosthetic application . the prosthesis comprises at least one prosthetic finger 200 . the prosthesis may also include , depending on the needs of the patient , a prosthetic hand , comprising a prosthetic palm to which the mechanical finger is attached , and a prosthetic arm , to which the prosthetic hand is attached . only the internal structure of the prosthetic finger is illustrated in the figures . prosthetic finger 200 is comprised of proximal phalanx 202 , medial phalanx 204 , and distal phalanx 206 . distal phalanx 206 has been omitted from fig4 a - 4f for purposes of illustration . metacarpophalangeal ( mcp ) joint 208 connects the finger to a base element , for example , an artificial palm or hand , which is not shown . proximal interphalangeal ( pip ) joint 210 joins the proximal and medial phalanges . distal interphalangeal ( dip ) joint 212 joins the medial and distal phalanges . in the embodiment shown in fig3 and 4 a - 4 c , the proximal phalanx 202 houses a differential linkage comprised of a connecting rod 214 , a pivot link 216 , and another connecting rod 218 . connecting rod 214 is joined by pin 220 to an arm extending from drive output 222 , and thus connects the output drive to one end of the pivot link 216 . although not shown , a motor — a stepper motor , for example — located in the base element rotates a drive input , which in this example is pin 223 , which in turn rotates the drive output . drive output 222 is fixed to the pin 223 . pin 221 joins the connecting rod to the spring . connecting rod 218 connects the other end of the pivot link to plate 228 of the medial phalanx 204 . pin 224 joins the pivot link to the connecting rod 218 , and pin 226 joins the connecting rod to the plates 228 a and 228 b , which comprise the primary structural elements for medial phalanx 204 . the midpoint of the pivot link is fixed by pin 230 to plates 232 a and 232 b . the pivot link will rotate within the proximal phalanx , about the axis of pin 230 , as indicated by comparing fig4 b and 4c , when the drive output rotates . during flexion , rotation of the drive output 222 pulls the connecting rod 214 , which pulls on the pivot link 216 , which pulls on a second connecting rod 218 , which pulls on plates 228 a and 228 b of the medial phalanx . in an alternate embodiment shown in fig5 a - 5c , the pivot link 216 ( fig4 a - 4c ) is replaced by an in series compliant element for giving the finger compliance for series elasticity and shock mitigation . in this example , the compliant element comprises spring 217 . except for the added compliance and elasticity provided by the spring , the differential with spring performs in a substantially similar manner as the pivot link 216 . in another alternate embodiment shown in fig6 , the pivot link 216 and the connecting rods 214 and 218 are replaced with a linkage comprising a single connecting rod 219 that is connected by pins 220 and 226 to the drive housing 220 and plate 228 b of the medial phalanx 204 . as can be seen in the figure , the connecting rod must extend beyond the envelope of the proximal phalanx 204 . in each of the embodiments shown in fig2 to 8b , plates 228 a and 228 b are the primary structural elements of medial phalanx 204 . plates 232 a and 232 b are the primary structural elements comprising the proximal phalanx 202 . the differential linkage of fig4 a - 4c and 5 a - 5 c described above is housed between the plates . to these plates can be attached shells to give the proximal phalanx its desired exterior shape in the particular prosthetic or other application . the pins used to join components in the differential linkage , as well as in other linkages described below , permit relative rotation of the joints that are joined . the location of pin 226 is eccentric to the axis of the pip joint to form a moment arm . the axis of the pip joint is defined by pin 236 , which pivotally connects the clevis formed by plates 232 a and 232 b of the proximal phalanx with plates 228 a and 228 b of the medial phalanx . for a given rotation of the drive output , either the mcp joint or the pip joint can rotate . rotation of the drive output not only applies torque to the mpc joint by causing the pivot link to push against pin 230 , but it also rotates the link , causing the other part of the link to transmit a force that is applied to pin 226 . even if the proximal phalanx is blocked , the link will nevertheless pivot and apply torque to the pip joint . thus , torque from the drive is applied to both the mcp joint and the pip joint . referring now to fig2 , 3 , and 7 , the medial phalange 204 houses a kinematic linkage for coupling rotation of the pip joint to the dip joint so that both curl simultaneously . the kinematic linkage comprises a connecting rod 238 that spans between the proximal phalanx 202 and the distal phalanx 206 . pin 240 at a proximal end of the connecting rod engages hole 242 on plate 232 b of the proximal phalanx . pin 244 on the distal end of the connecting rod engages hole 246 in the distal phalanx . the distal phalanx is linked to the medial phalanx by a hinge formed by pins 248 a and 248 b . these pins cooperate respectively , with a hole 250 a on plate 228 a and hole 250 b on plate 228 b of the medial phalanx , and with holes 250 a and 250 b on opposite forks of a clevis extending from a shell forming distal phalanx 252 . although in this embodiment the linkage is comprised of a single connecting rod , it could comprise multiple links . furthermore , a differential could be substituted for the kinematic linkage , as described in connection with fig1 d . referring now only to fig2 , 3 , 8 a and 8 b , the mechanical finger 200 includes , in this embodiment , fixed stop 253 that stops rotation of the pip joint to prevent hyperextension of the medial phalanx . in this embodiment , a movable pip stop part 254 rotates on the same axis as the pip joint to reduce the permitted range of motion of the medial phalanx by limiting further rotation of the pip joint based on the degree of flexion of the mcp joint . the centerline of pin 236 defines the axis of rotation . the pip stop part stop includes a stop portion 255 that interferes with 257 of plate 228 a of the medial phalanx to prevent the medial phalanx from extending . the position of the pip stop part 254 is based on the degree of rotation of the mcp joint , and is accomplished in this embodiment by a linkage comprising connecting rod 260 between a housing 256 for a drive ( not shown ) and pip stop part 254 . the linkage may also be implemented using multiple links . a pin connects the distal end of connecting rod 260 to arm portion 264 of the pip stop part 254 . the proximal end of connecting rod 258 is connected by another pin to the drive housing . as the mcp joint rotates due to flexion of the proximal phalanx 202 , the connecting rod pulls on the arm 264 , causing the pip stop part to rotate in the same direction . with the pip - stop linkage , the medial phalanx 204 is stopped either by the fixed stop 253 on the proximal phalanx when the proximal phalanx is fully extended , or by the movable stop of pip - stop part 254 when the mcp joint is rotated during flexion of the proximal phalanx . if the mcp joint rotates , then the pip joint is forced to rotate as well by the pip - stop part . during free motion , or when forces are applied to the fingertip , movement of the pip - stop part helps to produce predictable curling like a fully kinematic mechanism . in this embodiment , the rotational position of the pip - stop part 254 also controls the endpoint 270 of the return spring 266 . this spring , which is normally compressed , has the effect of extending the medial phalanx , thus pushing the pip joint against the pip - stop . if no external forces act on the finger , the force generated by the spring causes the motion of the finger joints to be controlled by the pip - stop . if , however , an object blocks the motion of the proximal phalanx , then the differential linkage continues applying torque to the pip joint , causing pip and dip joints to curl and further compressing the return spring . the kinematic linkage for controlling the position of the pip stop based on the motion of the mcp joint could also be used to limit or affect the motion of the pip and dip joints in other ways . for example , the pip stop can be removed , permitting the linkage to be for controlling the end point of the return spring without limiting the motion of the pip joint . although not necessary for operation of the finger as described above , joint positions can be measured using potentiometers coupled with the joints and feedback to a controller for the drive motor in order to drive the finger to desired position , subject to the limitations of being able to do so caused by the differential . similarly , strain gauges can be placed on , for example , the drive housing 256 to measure torque on the finger and feed the measured torque back to a controller to change the impedance of the finger . although the particular components forming the linkages and the phalanges illustrated in fig2 - 7 have advantages when used in a prosthetic application , the structures are intended to be illustrative only of the linkage mechanisms illustrated by fig1 . these components can be adapted or substituted for when implementing a differential mechanism in parallel with a kinematic mechanism in accordance with fig1 . for example , linkages may be replaced with belts or cables or other passive mechanical mechanisms to achieve the same general purpose . although it is common to use linkages for kinematic mechanisms and cables for differential mechanisms , but either type can be used for either purpose . in addition to being implemented as a linkage , as exemplified by fig2 - 8b , the differentials described above may also be implemented using a belt or cable , for example one linking the drive output to a drum or pulley at the pip joint , a gear train , or a toggle . furthermore , applications in which a mechanical finger in accordance with fig1 a - 1e can be used include any type of application involving grasping , and include many different types of robotic applications that are not limited to those attempting to mimic a human hand or prosthetic applications . for instance , an anthropomorphic grip may have benefits in many diverse or unstructured or unforeseen contexts just as human hands are so successfully versatile , including industrial grippers , rovers or mobile robots , entertainment , home robots , surgery or minimally invasive surgery , massage , patient transfer or stabilization , and many others . the foregoing description is of exemplary and preferred embodiments . the invention , as defined by the appended claims , is not limited to the described embodiments . alterations and modifications to the disclosed embodiments may be made without departing from the invention . the meaning of the terms used in the claims are , unless expressly stated otherwise , intended to have ordinary and customary meaning and are not intended to be limited to the details of the illustrated structures or the disclosed embodiments .	0
referring now to a preferred embodiment of the drawings , the present invention is shown in fig1 and indicated generally by the numeral 10 . heater 10 is a liquid fuel burning heater having a flame control feature comprising both fuel flow cut - off means 12 and wick withdrawal means 14 . in normal operation of heater 10 , fuel tank 16 delivers fuel through fuel line 18 to wick 20 . fuel line 18 thus provides fluid communication between tank 16 and wick 20 through valve 22 . if excessive heat occurs in , around or about chamber 24 , the flame control means of the present invention operates . the flame control means comprises fuel flow cut - off means 12 for interrupting flow of fuel to wick 20 and wick withdrawal means 14 for withdrawing wick 20 into a retracted position where oxygen to support combustion is not available . as best shown in fig2 fuel flow cut - off means 12 has a thermostat 30 operatively connected to valve 22 . thus , thermostat 30 is disposed on one end of tubular sleeve 34 and positioned where excessive heat is to be sensed . pistons 36 and 38 are slidingly carried within sleeve 34 and are mechanically associated with each other by spring 40 . thermostat 30 has pin 42 contacting end 44 of piston 36 . valve 22 comprises valve seat 46 and rod 48 one end of which is in contact with face 50 of piston 38 . piston 38 has annular groove 52 which is adapted to cooperate with latch pin 54 which is urged radially inwardly against piston 38 by spring 56 held in compression between latch frame 58 and washer 60 fixedly secured about latch pin 54 . when rod 48 is in a retracted position , fuel flows through conduit 62 of valve 22 and then through fuel line 18 . wick retracting means 14 is illustrated in detail in fig3 . wick retracting means 14 retracts , i . e . lowers , wick 20 into lower tank 64 to thereby prevent further combustion of fuel on wick 20 . wick retraction means comprises thermostat 66 for sensing excessive heat and which is operatively connected through pivot arm 68 with pivot 70 to spring loaded ratchet mechanism 72 for withdrawing or retracting wick 20 below burner basket 74 and into wick supply reservoir 64 . in operation , when excessive heat occurs , whether caused by the escape of liquid fuel outside of the wick supply reservoir 64 or by any other cause , both fuel shut - off means 12 and wick retracting means 14 operate to extinguish the undesired flames . fuel flow cut - off means 12 operates as follows . excessive flames results in excessive heat which is sensed and which causes a mechanical chain reaction resulting in fuel flow blockage cutting off fuel flow from fuel tank 16 to the flames . thus , thermostat 30 detects the excessive heat and expands internally causing pin 42 to move , i . e ., moves rightwardly as viewed in fig1 and 2 to thereby move pistons 36 and 38 rightwardly which seats rod 48 against valve seat 46 of valve 22 and shuts off fuel flow through conduit 62 . latch pin 54 engages groove 52 to lock piston 38 in closed position and to thereby maintain valve 22 in a fuel cut - off position . in operation , wick withdrawal means 14 operates to also prevent undesired flames . thermostat 66 expands in the presence of excessive heat thereby urging first end 76 of lever 68 upwardly as viewed in fig3 . lever 68 pivots about pivot point 70 lowering second end 78 to move downwardly . thereby disengaging teeth 80 of ratchet wheel 82 which is spring loaded to rotate and is mechanically linked in a conventional manner to withdraw wick 20 . thus , rotation of ratchet wheel 82 causes wick 20 to drop down into supply reservoir 64 . when the wick 20 is contained within supply reservoir 64 , an insufficient amount of oxygen is supplied to wick 20 to maintain combustion thereby any flames are extinguished . those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad teachings of the present invention can be implemented in a variety of forms . therefore , while this invention has been described in connection with particular examples thereof , the true scope of the invention should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings , specification and following claims .	5
with reference to fig1 - 3 , the tool 10 of the instant invention is shown having a crimper head 20 ; a plunger 50 which fits partway into crimper head 20 ; four jaws 70 circumscribing plunger 50 and retained by circular spring 86 ; a movable handle 90 which passes through a vertical slot 42 in crimper head 20 and has horizontal movement controlled by a pin 104 , handle 90 being received in slot 60 of plunger 50 and attached therein by a pin 106 ; a fixed vertical handle 110 secured in slot 46 of crimper head 20 ; a shell 120 having a bushing 128 therein , shell 120 threaded onto crimper head 20 securing bushing 128 , jaws 70 , spring 86 , plunger 50 , pin 106 , nylon bushing 150 , and wave spring 154 therein . tool 10 also contains means for limiting the distance movable handle 90 can be moved toward fixed vertical handle 110 , preferably comprising a slide 130 , a spring 138 , and a limit adjustment screw 140 , all received by a horizontal channel 34 in crimper head 20 . fig4 - 7 show crimper head 20 of fig1 - 3 in more detail . crimper head 20 includes a lower body portion 22 , a mid body portion 24 , and an upper body portion 26 . a vertical plunger receiving bore 28 extends from the lower body portion 22 partway toward the upper body portion 26 . at least a portion of the external surface of the lower body portion 22 has a threaded portion 32 for threadably receiving shell 120 . the crimper head 20 middle portion 24 includes a horizontal channel 34 having a threaded portion 36 , a spring / slide receiving portion 38 , and a handle / pin receiving portion 40 . a movable handle slot 42 extends vertically from upper body portion 26 , intersecting a horizontal pin guide slot 44 of handle / pin receiving portion 40 , and further intersecting plunger receiving bore 28 . upper body portion 26 may include a fixed handle slot 46 , extending vertically downward into crimper head 20 . fig8 - 10 show plunger 50 in detail . plunger 50 includes a top handle engaging portion 52 ; a jaw crimping slide portion 54 ; a jaw opening portion 56 , shown having a generally hour glass shape ; and a cap engaging head 58 . as shown , the hour glass portion of portion 56 toward portion 54 slopes inward at 20 ° from vertical and the hour glass portion of portion 56 toward portion 58 slopes inward at 15 ° from vertical . top handle engaging portion 52 includes a movable handle receiving slot 60 in a vertical orientation . a horizontal bore 62 passes through top handle engaging portion 52 and intersects slot 60 . cap engaging head 58 includes a center flat surface 64 and an external downward curved surface 66 . fig1 - 3 show that four jaws 70 are retained on plunger 50 by circular spring 86 . fig1 - 13 show one of the jaws 70 . jaw 70 includes a lower crimping portion 72 and an upper opening portion 74 . portion 72 includes a curved crimping lip 76 . the inside curved surface of jaw 70 has a plunger slide area 78 shaped such that when the four jaws 70 are placed together the areas 78 are generally cylindrical shaped with a diameter which approximates that of plunger 50 . an engagement point for opening 80 permits jaws 70 to open when received by plunger 50 &# 39 ; s jaw opening portion 56 . a generally horizontal groove 82 is provided to receive circular spring 86 . fig1 - 15 show movable handle 90 . handle 90 includes a grip portion 92 , a portion 94 to interface the crimper head 20 channel 34 , and a portion 98 to interface plunger 50 . portion 94 contains a bore 96 and portion 98 contains a bore 100 . as shown in fig1 a portion of handle 90 has a plastic coating 102 . also as shown in fig1 movable handle 90 is received into crimper head 20 &# 39 ; s vertical handle slot 42 and plunger 50 &# 39 ; s handle receiving slot 60 . a pin 106 passes through plunger 50 &# 39 ; s bore 62 and through movable handle 90 &# 39 ; s bore 100 to movably connect handle 90 and plunger 50 . a pin 104 is inserted into handle 90 &# 39 ; s bore 96 . pin 104 is received into the horizontal pin guide slot 44 of horizontal channel 34 of crimper head 20 . pin 104 restricts the horizontal movement of handle 90 . as will be explained hereinafter , as handle 90 moves horizontally , plunger 50 moves vertically . fig1 - 17 show fixed vertical handle 110 having a grip portion 112 and a portion 114 to interface crimper head 20 . with reference to fig1 handle 110 has a portion having a plastic coating 116 thereon . while handle 110 could be of unitary construction with crimper head 20 , it is preferable to have a separate handle 110 which is fixedly attached to crimper head 20 by any of several methods known in the art , for example , by glue or set screw . as was taught earlier , upper portion 26 of crimper head 20 includes a fixed handle slot 46 . fig1 shows a transverse threaded bore intersecting slot 46 and a bore 160 in fixed handle 110 . fixed handle 110 is placed into slot 46 and threaded set screw 164 is screwed into bore 162 to engage handle bore 160 and secure fixed handle 110 within slot 46 . fig1 - 19 show shell 120 having an internal threaded sleeve 122 and a jaw lip and retaining ring 124 . as seen in fig1 - 2 , using circular opening 126 , shell 120 fits over the four jaws 70 and threaded sleeve 122 threads onto crimper head 20 &# 39 ; s threaded portion 32 . preferably , shell 120 is of aluminum . a bushing 128 , preferably of steel , is inserted into sleeve to engage shell 120 &# 39 ; s jaw lip 124 . preferably , jaws 70 have a nylon bushing 150 and a wave spring 154 between them and lower body portion 22 of crimper head 20 . fig2 - 21 show slide 130 having a movable handle engaging portion 132 and a spring receiving portion 134 . as seen in fig1 slide 130 has movable handle engaging portion 132 inserted into the threaded portion 36 of horizontal channel 34 of crimper head 20 . spring 138 is inserted likewise to fit over spring receiving portion 134 . limit adjustment screw 140 has a head 142 , a threaded portion 144 , and a spring receiving portion 146 . threaded portion 144 is threaded into threaded portion 36 , portion 146 being inserted into spring 138 . threaded portion 144 is threaded to a desired location to set the limit of how far movable handle 90 can be moved horizontally toward fixed handle 110 . this limit adjusts the crimping action as it also sets the lower limit for vertical movement of plunger 50 toward curved crimping lips 76 of jaws 70 . fig2 - 24 demonstrate how tool 10 would function to crimp a cap 2 onto a bottle or vial . portions of the tool have been omitted for clarity , for example , only one jaw 70 is shown . fig2 shows the tool with handles 90 / 110 at their furthest open position with jaws 70 open , fig2 shows the tool with handles partway together with jaws 70 closed , and fig2 shows the completed crimping action , the tool having handles 90 / 110 at their closest position as limited by slide 130 and screw 140 . as handle 90 is closed toward handle 110 , pin 104 moves in horizontal pin guide slot 44 thereby causing movable handle 90 &# 39 ; s portion 94 to push slide 130 toward limit adjustment screw 140 . as seen in fig2 , when slide 130 &# 39 ; s spring receiving portion 132 engages screw 140 &# 39 ; s spring receiving portion 146 , handles 90 / 110 can not be moved further toward each other . as shown in fig1 , handle 90 &# 39 ; s portion from 94 - 98 has about a 26 ° bend from the portion from 92 - 94 . with the geometry of handle 90 , plunger 50 , crimper head 20 , and jaws 70 , fig2 shows that handles 90 / 110 are at their furtherest spacing and , as permitted by engagement point 80 of jaws 70 and by jaw opening portion 56 of plunger 50 , jaws 70 are open to permit the tool to be inserted onto a cap 2 for crimping onto a lip of a bottle or vial , not shown . as handle 90 is moved toward handle 110 , as controlled by pin 104 in guide slot 44 , to reach the position of fig2 , plunger 50 , connected to handle 90 by pin 106 , moves toward curved crimping lip 76 of jaws 70 . this movement causes the jaws 70 to close with plunger slide area 78 of jaws 70 engaging plunger 50 above and below jaw opening portion 56 . as handle 90 is moved from the position of fig2 to the position of fig2 , the crimping action occurs . because of the geometry of the instant invention , it takes less movement of handle 90 toward handle 110 to close jaws 70 than it does to perform the crimping action . this creates a desirable mechanical advantage for the crimping action over the jaw closing action . for example , as shown , in moving from the position of fig2 to the position of fig2 , pin 104 moves horizontally 0 . 109 inch ( 2 . 77 mm ) and plunger 50 moves vertically 0 . 092 inch ( 2 . 34 mm ); while , in moving from the position of fig2 to the position of fig2 , pin 104 moves horizontally 0 . 176 inch ( 4 . 47 mm ) and plunger 50 moves vertically 0 . 108 inch ( 2 . 74 mm ). this means that the tool user can exert more force in squeezing handle 90 toward handle 110 to crimp the cap onto the vial or bottle . when the user releases his grip on handles 90 / 110 , spring 138 pushes handle 90 back to the jaws open position of fig2 . the foregoing detailed description is given primarily for clearness of understanding and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom for modifications can be made by those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure and may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims .	1
referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail , the inhaler illustrated in the drawings is a conveniently portable pocket device in the form of a short stick , with a shape - determining stepped cylindrical housing 2 . the generally tubular housing 2 undergoes a transition at the top end of the inhaler 1 into a built - in mouthpiece 3 , which has an appropriate flattening for application of the patient &# 39 ; s mouth . the housing 2 can be protectively engaged over by a cup - shaped closure cap 4 . the closure cap 4 is in the form of a screw cap , having an interior thread 5 which engages a corresponding exterior thread 6 on the lateral wall of the housing 2 . in the region of the mouthpiece , a clip 7 is formed on the closure cap 4 . the bottom end edge of the cup - shaped closure cap 4 sealingly abuts against an annular shoulder 8 which is provided as part of the abovementioned stepped structure of the cylindrical housing 2 . utilizing the axial screw pitch of the threads ( 5 , 6 ), the closure 4 also serves as an actuator member 9 to bring reproducible doses 10 ′ of a powder substance 10 , substance 10 in reproducible portions 10 ′, which substance is accommodated in a storage chamber 11 of the housing 2 in an optionally refillable manner . the dosing device , respectively transporting the portion 10 ′ to a transfer point ü lying outside the storage chamber 11 , is designated as a whole by d . with respect to the material that can be dosed , it is a medical , powdery substance 10 , for example of the nature that basic substances ( lactose ) capable of being transported by suction stream act as a vehicle for carrying the micronized fine particles of medicament sticking to their surface . provided downstream of the dosing device d is a so - called dispersing region , in which the user produces a suction air stream s which completely carries away the exactly apportioned amount 10 ′ of the substance 10 at the transfer point ü . the suction air channel leading to the mouthpiece 3 has the reference numeral 12 . the lower termination of the storage chamber 11 is formed by a cup - shaped pressure - exerting base 13 . this is under spring loading in the direction of the mouthpiece 3 . the corresponding compression spring has the reference numeral 14 . it is supported by the bottom end winding on a base cap 15 closing the housing 2 there . said base cap is in latching engagement with the portion of the housing 2 of larger cross - section there . the corresponding latching collar 16 engages in a matching annular groove of the housing 2 . the top end winding of the biased compression spring 14 loads an inner shoulder 17 of a hollow piston 18 of the piston - shaped device 13 / 18 . the stepped cup - shaped pressure - exerting base 13 is connected in a latching manner to the inner shoulder 17 . the cup edge of the pressure - exerting base 13 provides an annular lip 19 , which on account of its rubber - elastic material wipes off the wall of the storage chamber 21 without any substance being lost . then a central standing spigot 20 extends from the base cap 15 . said standing spigot is hollow and , together with the hollow piston 18 , forms a spring chamber 21 for the compression spring 14 . at the mouthpiece end , the storage chamber 11 terminates with a cup - shaped rotary part 22 . this forms by its cup base the top 23 of the storage chamber 11 engaging over the housing 2 . a guiding opening 24 is left at the center of the top 23 . this indirectly or directly formed guiding opening 24 receives a spindle 25 , as the key component of the dosing device d . as a result of being appropriately configured , said spindle acts as a linearly moving dosing chamber 26 for the portion 10 ′ to be lifted out , representing a plunger slide . it moves in the longitudinal center axis x - x of the substantially rotationally symmetrically configured inhaler 1 . at its end remote from the mouthpiece 3 , the spindle 25 forms a point similar to a screwdriver blade . on account of the co - rotation of the spindle 25 , this has a loosening effect on the central region with respect to the mass of powdery substance 10 . the blade 27 , virtually resembling a pointed roof , has two mirror - symmetrical oblique flanks and , at the base , adjoins the cylindrical stem of the spindle 25 . the oblique flanks enclose an angle of about 60 °. the cylindrical base cross - section of the spindle 25 is retained in the region of the blade 27 ( see fig7 ). the stroke of the linearly moving dosing chamber 26 makes allowance in both end positions of the spindle 25 for the cross - section of the guiding opening 24 to be kept closed with a doctor - blade or wiping - off effect , filling the dosing chamber , over the length of said opening 24 . the end of the closure 4 toward the mouthpiece forms a docking point 28 between the spindle 25 and the closure cap 4 . the latching means on the closure cap is in this case a ring of hooks capable of resilient deflection . inwardly directed lugs 29 of the resilient tongues of the ring of hooks engage in a narrow waistlike annular groove 30 of the stem 25 . in the outward direction , the annular groove 30 continues into a latching head 31 . this can be overcome in both directions by the lugs 29 . the accumulation of material forming the latching head is approximately lenticular . the lugs 29 , or their resilient tongues , are realized on a small tube 32 which protrudes into the mouthpiece opening 3 ′ and extends from the inner side of the top of the closure 4 . it is rooted therein . the stem 25 is rotationally connected to the rotary part 22 by means of radial fins 33 formed in the manner of spokes . the fins 33 engage with their free end portions , crossing the suction air channel 12 , in axial guiding slots 34 three are already sufficient — of the rotary part 22 . the guiding slots 34 , distributed at equal angles , are located on the inside of the cup wall 35 of the cup - shaped rotary part 22 . the axial guiding slots 34 are , moreover , of such a length that the powder - drawing plunging stroke of the stem 25 out of a filling plane in the storage chamber 11 to the described transfer point u above the top 23 is ensured . the defined ready - to - empty position of the dosing chamber 26 is obtained by an extension limiting stop of the spindle 25 that is provided by the mouthpiece 3 . that is the extreme end of a turned - back wall of the mouthpiece 3 , which in this way keeps the outlet of the guiding slots 34 closed . the mouthpiece 3 acts via a lateral wall 37 in an anchoring manner on the neck of the housing 2 . there , a latching point 38 is formed between the two parts 2 , 3 . it may be an irreversible latching point 38 . moreover , as can be gathered , the top 23 of the rotary part 22 is engaged over in a supported manner by an annular shoulder 39 . the dosing chamber 26 is realized as a transverse bore running substantially perpendicularly in relation to the longitudinal center axis x - x . transferred into the ready - to - empty position , the dosing chamber 26 is in the effective region of the central suction air stream s . an air passage 40 adjoining the suction air channel 12 is associated with the dosing chamber 26 . said air passage is formed in the cup wall 35 of the rotary part 22 . it comprises radial bores . they extend in the vicinity of the base of the cup - shaped rotary part 22 , that is at the height of , or just above , the upper side of the top 23 . it can be gathered that such an air passage 40 is provided upstream and at a radial spacing from both open ends of the dosing chamber 26 . one precaution in this connection is that associated with the larger clear diameter end of the dosing chamber 26 formed by a conical transverse bore is an air passage 40 of a smaller diameter than it and associated with the smaller clear diameter end of the dosing chamber 26 is an air passage 40 of a larger diameter than it . this produces a greater reduced pressure with a predominant discharging effect with respect to the administered portion 10 ′ downstream of the air passage 40 of smaller diameter . nevertheless , the discharge , i . e ., emptying of the dosing chamber 26 , takes place from both ends . the passages 40 formed on the cup - shaped rotary part 22 , guiding the stem 25 in a sealed manner , are also in flow communication via a rearward annular space 41 with air inlets 42 which are at a radial distance . these air inlets 42 are also configured as bores and provide the connection to the atmosphere . said annular space 41 is located between the outer side of the cup wall 35 of the cup - shaped rotary part 22 and the inner side of the lateral wall 37 of the mouthpiece 3 . it can be gathered that the air passages 40 are disposed axially offset in relation to the air inlets 42 . the air inlets 42 lie closer to the mouthpiece 3 . the described spatial distancing leads to an initially contra - acting inflow of sucked - in air following on from the main suction air stream s . this and the fact that a component of the suction air stream s lying in the direction in which the dosing chamber 26 extends is built up has the effect that the dosing chamber 26 is completely emptied . the user inhales a precise dose each time . the transfer point ü is provided here by the base portion of the dosing chamber 26 . conducive to the corresponding emptying is the special way developed here of keeping the powder substance 30 ready in the drawing region : this is so because conditions are created here to ensure the aimed - for isostructural or homogeneous “ packing ” of the dosing chamber 26 , fed from a surrounding area where the substance has been loosened . the rotary part 22 is used in particular for this purpose , by way of a development . it has a rotor r acting in the upper region of the storage chamber 11 . a stator st is associated with said rotor . using the rotation of the rotary part 22 , not only is a loosening effect obtained but at the same time also a scooping effect acting so as to carry powder into the dosing chamber 26 when the rotary part 22 is reversed in its rotation , i . e . when the closure cap 4 is unscrewed , using the same as an actuating handle 9 . the corresponding entrainment is also obtained with respect to the spindle 25 , which is rotationally secured radially by means of the fins 33 , so that there is no displacement of the axis of the dosing chamber 26 in relation to the air passages 40 . even the lateral wall 37 could be included in the rotational fixing by connecting means with positive engagement . generally , even co - rotation with frictional engagement is sufficient , for example by means of the annular collar 43 keeping the annular space 41 closed toward the mouthpiece end . said annular collar extends from the lateral wall of the cup wall 35 and lies with its outer edge against the inner side of the lateral wall 37 of the mouthpiece 3 . as fig1 and 4 reveal , the co - rotation between the mouthpiece 3 and the closure cap 4 , lifting off by an unscrewing action , takes place by a claw coupling 44 between the two . this comprises a longitudinal toothing 45 on the lateral wall 37 of the mouthpiece 3 , which longitudinal toothing engages in corresponding tooth gaps 46 on the inner side of the closure cap 43 . the scoop is formed by two rotor blades 47 . these have a basically sickle - shaped outline . the two rotor blades 47 are located diametrically opposite with respect to the longitudinal center axis x - x of the inhaler 1 . they are mounted on axially running webs 48 spaced at a distance from the center . the webs are rooted in the underside of an arm or an annular disk 49 of the rotary part 22 providing the rotor r . the freely extending rotor the base or the top 23 of storage chamber side are blades 47 protruding from the rotary part 22 on the positioned diametrically opposite in such a way that they are sufficiently spaced apart in the circumferential direction . geometrically , they substantially take up a quarter sector of the circular cross - section of the storage chamber 11 . reference should be made to fig6 . the two rotor blades 47 each have a flank 50 aligned radially with the center of the spindle 25 and each have a scoop flank 51 lying at right angles thereto . it runs at a distance from the lateral wall of the spindle 25 in such a way as to leave a gap . the gap has the symbol 52 . in this way , an abrasive effect is avoided . it can be gathered that the flanks 50 are diametrically opposed . the common diametral line of the flanks 50 is designated in fig6 by y - y . the spatially parallel scoop flanks 51 extend perpendicularly in relation to the diametral line y - y and spatially parallel to the axis z - z of the transverse bore of the dosing chamber 26 , which in turn coincides with the axis of the bore of the air passages 40 . the annular disk 49 or two arms in which the rotor blades 47 are rooted continues via an annular wall 53 into the top 23 of the rotary part 22 . fig5 illustrates particularly clearly that the rotor r engages underneath the stator st in such a way that the stator st is formed as a projection protruding radially inward from the inside wall of the storage chamber 11 and extending freely into a rotational path 54 of the rotor r . it can be gathered that the rotational path 54 is axially limited by the underside of the annular disk 49 of the rotary part 22 and the inner side of the rotor blades 47 facing it . the axial distance forming the rotational path is significantly greater than the thickness of the stator st , that is the projection , measured in this direction . therefore , mechanical loads with respect to the frictionally sensitive powdery substance 10 to be discharged do not occur here either . the stator st has a trapezoidal outline . the arcuate base is rooted in the inside wall of the storage chamber 11 . the base is dimensioned such that the stator st narrowing radially inward in its surface area lies in outline beneath the quarter sector , leaving an interspace 55 between two rotor blades 47 . as fig6 reveals , this at the same time provides an adequate mounting opening for the stator to engage in the rotational path 54 . the radial projection of the stator st in the inward direction is of such a radial length that the plateau of the trapezoid ends before the outer side of the web 48 , likewise forming a gap . the scooping effect is clear from fig6 , if the arrows are observed . arrow a indicates the direction of reversed rotation of the rotary part 22 . the scoop flanks 51 therefore act as a face pushing the powder lying in front of it . arrow b shows the approaching scooping - in direction with respect to the end of the dosing chamber 26 having the larger clear diameter . arrow c indicates the corresponding action at the other rotor blade 47 , that is here also with respect to the scooping action of the scoop flank 51 . the stator st then stands as it were as a fixed chicane in the way of the rotational path 54 . the powdery substance 10 is displaced with a rapidly chamber - filling effect by the scoop flank 51 lying closer to the directing - in flank of the trapezoid , so that , as already stated , consistent filling conditions always occur . the dosing chamber 26 moves in an ascending manner through the zone of the dosing device d in a number of rotations until it has reached with its transfer point u the upper side of the top 23 of the cup - shaped rotary part 22 . there is also no entrainment of powder material that may be adhering to the lateral surface of the spindle , as a result of the guiding opening 24 with a wiping - off effect . said opening is not formed directly by the rotary part 22 , but by a sealing bush 56 lining this passage . said sealing bush consists of rubber - elastic material and is held by being clipped into the top 23 by latching means 57 . in terms of its plane , it reaches at the top up to the height of the upper side of the annular disk 49 . however , there is also no radially outer escape hole for powder losses , since there is likewise a sealing element between the rotary part 22 and the housing 2 forming the storage chamber 11 . this is achieved by a sealing ring 58 of rubber - elastic material inserted between the inside wall of the storage chamber 11 and the rotary part 22 . said sealing ring 58 is inserted under preloading . the sealing ring 58 is snap - fitted in annular grooves of both parts 2 , 22 . the annular groove located on the annular part 22 has the reference numeral 59 . it is realized as a v - shaped notched groove . the opening angle of the annular groove 59 lying in the region of the annular wall 53 is about 90 ° the groove contour has a centering and rotationally guiding effect . the other annular groove 60 , lying at the same height , is located on the inner side of the housing 2 , to be precise in the upper inlet region of the storage chamber 11 . here there is a semicircular shape with respect to the cross - section of the peripheral annular groove 60 . mounting is made easier by a rotationally symmetrical run - up slope 61 provided in front of the annular groove 60 . the spindle 25 , formed as a lifting spindle , can be varied with respect to the volume of its dosing chamber 26 , i . e . the key component of the dosing device d merely has to be exchanged to achieve a different , precisely reproducible dosing of portions 10 ′. the pressure - exerting base 13 , acting in the manner of a piston , is not impaired in its ability to move with respect to the cylinder space , provided by the central portion of the housing 2 , since there the housing has an air - equalizing opening 62 lying to the rear of the annular lip 19 . the cup - shaped pressure - exerting base 13 has a central indentation , directed away from the storage chamber 11 . it is of such a depth on the inside that the end portion of the spindle 25 projecting axially downward beyond the rotor blades 47 in the basic position is accommodated in it . all features disclosed are ( in themselves ) pertinent to the invention . the disclosure content of the associated / attached priority documents ( copy of the prior patent application ) is also hereby incorporated in full in the disclosure of the application , including for the purpose of incorporating features of these documents in claims of the present application	0
fig2 and 3 show a secondary piston , which most often will be formed from non - ferrous metals , such as aluminum , or may be formed using a ferrous metal . this secondary piston is designated generally by the numeral 62 . its front end 64 contains primary seal 66 overmolded thereto . the back end 68 is fitted with secondary seal 70 . since the seals 66 and 70 are overmolded onto the piston 62 , the geometry of the front end of the piston is formed to provide a u - shaped groove 72 extending about the circumference of the face 74 of the front end 64 . the back end 68 is formed so that it contains a u - shaped groove 76 about its circumference , with an extending portion , flange or rib 78 located in the bottom portion of the groove 76 . the provision of the u - shaped grooves 72 and 76 provide increased surface area to receive in good bonding relationship seals 66 and 70 . it is important to note that by using this scheme , it is no longer necessary to use spring retainers 32 or 52 , previously described , or to rely upon the expansion of springs to maintain the primary seals against the front end of the pistons . since the seals are molded , preferably using injection - molding techniques , the elastomer from which the seal is fabricated is not stretched or in any way forced onto the piston , thus improving its mechanical integrity . in addition to phenolic resins , other polymers such as nylon , polyamide resins , high density polypropylene , and other high temperature resistant plastics may be used to fabricate the pistons . rubber - to - metal molding is a known process for molding rubber products that are chemically bonded to metal in the vulcanizing process . it is most commonly performed using injection - molding techniques . rubber molding is known to impart strong , not easily broken bonds to the surfaces upon which it is employed . examples of areas in which it is known to employ molding of elastomers onto solid surfaces include such areas as vibration - isolating mounts for computer , office , and high - speed production equipment ; seals for aerospace systems ; overmolded spool valves ; poppets ; plunger pins for use in pop - off valves ; and rubber - to - metal seals and rollers . it is sometimes referred to as overmolding . the bond strengths are usually as strong as the rubber . the bonding of rubber to metal can also be achieved by the use of chemical adhesives , such as the well know cyanoacrylate adhesives . the invention , as stated , allows seals to be placed on existing metal pistons without the necessity of using retaining devices . also , more importantly , by using the invention it is possible to simplify piston design , and , by the use of known molding techniques , produce strong seals having a greater capability of preventing fluid loss or leakage than their prior art or counterparts that were installed with springs or grooves . when the seals are bonded to presently used metal pistons using the practices of the invention , the following advantages are obtained . first , the process eliminates the seal to piston assembly . second , the process eliminates the seal retainer . third , the process reduces the seal / piston interface tolerances for better travel to close . when seals are bonded to as - cast pistons , the following advantages are achieved . first , it eliminates the seal to piston assembly . second , it eliminates the seal retainer . third , it reduces the seal / piston interface tolerances for better travel to close . fourth , it eliminates the machining of the piston . fifth , it eliminates the anodizing of the piston . sixth , it is easier to mechanically bond . seventh , it possibly eliminates the bore anodize . eighth , it is possible to reduce the weight of the assembly . when plastic pistons are employed and have the seals bonded thereto in accordance with the invention , the following advantages are present . first , it eliminates the seal to piston assembly . second , it eliminates the seal retainer . third , it reduces the seal / piston interface tolerances for better travel to close . fourth , it eliminates the machining of the piston . fifth , it eliminates the anodizing of the piston . sixth , it is easier to mechanically bond . seventh , it possibly eliminates the bore anodize . eighth , it is possible to reduce the weight of the assembly . ninth , it affords greater flexibility in piston design . referring to fig4 a master brake cylinder is shown including the overmolded pistons of the present invention . a master brake cylinder is shown generally at numeral 110 . it is composed of a brake fluid reservoir 112 , having primary port 114 , and secondary port 116 , as well as primary piston compensating port 118 , and secondary compensating port 120 , with all of these ports being in fluid communication with the interior of master brake cylinder 122 . master brake cylinder 122 has positioned within its interior primary piston 180 , having a front end 182 , and a back end 184 . fitted to the front end 182 is primary seal 186 . emanating from front end 182 of primary piston 180 is piston extension screw 136 , which is attached to and pushes primary piston stop 138 . positioned adjacent the front end 182 is primary spring 134 , one end of which is positioned against the front end 182 and the other of which is positioned against stop 138 . the back end 184 of primary piston 180 is fitted with secondary seal 188 . the front end 182 of primary piston 180 is fitted with primary seal 186 . the back end 168 of secondary piston 162 is fitted with a secondary seal 170 . the front end 164 of secondary piston 162 is fitted with primary seal 166 . the front end 164 has positioned thereagainst one end of secondary piston spring 154 , with the other end of secondary piston spring 154 being positioned along the end of master brake cylinder 122 . the general operation of the master brake cylinder 110 , with respect to the fluid flow in the brake cylinder and so on , is not substantially different from that of the prior art . while the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are presently considered to be preferred , various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . the scope of the invention is indicated in the appended claims , and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalents are intended to be embraced therein .	1
ammonium persulfate , potassium persulfate , and sodium persulfate were obtained from aldrich ( st . louis , mo ., usa ). avicel ph102 microcrystalline cellulose was obtained from fmc corp ( philadelphia , pa ., usa ). whatman cfi cellulose powder was purchased from whatman inc . ( piscataway , n . j ., usa ). flax ( linum usitatissimum ) and flax shives from saskatchewan , canada and hemp ( cannabis sativa ) from quebec , canada . triticale straw extract was obtained from dr . g . ( joe ) mazza , agriculture and agri - food canada , summerland , bc , canada . this freeze dried extract comprises 54 . 5 % cellulose , 12 % hemicelluloses and 20 % lignin . bacterial cellulose was obtained from dr . w . k . wan , university of western ontario , london , on , canada . this bacterial cellulose is produced by the gram - negative bacteria acetobacter xylinum bpr2001 . the bacterial cellulose is produced in the form of fibers of diameter less than 50 nm and a degree of polymerization of between 2000 and 6000 . detailed information about the production , purification , and characteristics of the bacterial cellulose are known in the art . the process described in this example is an environmentally friendly , one - step procedure for the preparation of cncs from different cellulosics . ammonium persulfate has a very high solubility in cold water ( 85 g / 100 ml ), while the sodium ( 55 . 6 g / 100 ml ) and potassium ( 5 . 3 g / 100 ml ) counterparts ( weast , 1983 ) have lower solubility . cncs were prepared by simply heating cellulosic materials at 60 ° c . in 1 m persulfate for 16 h with vigorous stirring , as described in more detail below using ammonium persulfate as an example . lignocellulosic fibers such as flax and hemp were cut into short fragments ( about 2 - 3 mm ) prior to the persulfate treatment . prolonged reaction time and persulfate concentrations above 1 m led to excessive hydrolysis , thereby reducing the yield of cncs . thus , in one example , starting biomass material ( 0 . 1 g ) was added to 10 ml of 1 m ammonium persulfate solution ( conductivity about 230 ms · cm − 1 ). the suspension was heated to 60 ° c . for 16 h ( only 3 h for bacterial cellulose ) to give a white suspension of cncs . the suspension was centrifuged ( 18 , 000 rpm , rcf = 25 , 400 ) for 10 min . the solution was decanted , and about 50 ml of water was added to the cnc pellet , followed by 5 min of vigorous mixing and repeated centrifugation . the centrifugation / washing cycles were repeated 4 times until the conductivity of the solution was about 5 μs · cm − 1 ( ph about 6 ), close to the conductivity of deionized water . the product was lyophilized to yield a white solid . cncs prepared using ammonium persulfate were sonicated and atomic force microscopy ( afm ) micrographs of such resulting cncs were obtained using a nanoscope ™ iv ( digital instruments , veeco , santa barbara , calif .) with a silicon tip operated in tapping mode . particle analysis of the afm micrographs was performed using scion ™ image ( http :// www . scioncorp . com / pages / scion_image_windows . htm ). tem micrographs were obtained by a hitachi transmission electron microscope ( tem ) at 60 kv ( model h - 7500 , tokyo , japan ). tems were obtained as follows . a small amount of cncs was suspended in methanol and sonicated to disperse the material . a 20 μl drop of well dispersed suspension was then dried on a formvar - carbon coated grid and analyzed . low voltage transmission electron microscopy ( lvtem ) micrographs were obtained by a delong lvem ( soquelec ltd ., montreal , qc , canada ) low - voltage tem at 5 kv , with lower accelerating voltages generating higher contrast between the carbon mesh and cncs . afm ( fig1 a and fig1 b ) and tem micrographs confirmed the rod - shape geometry of the cncs . such rod - shapes were highly uniform compared to those obtained by prior art acid treatment . for flax ( fig1 a ), the diameter of the cncs was 3 . 8 ± 0 . 1 nm while the length was 144 ± 5 nm . for comparison , prior art acid hydrolysis of flax gave cncs with a diameter of 21 ± 7 nm and a length of 327 ± 108 nm ( cao et al ., 2007 ). for hemp ( fig1 b ), the diameter of cncs was 5 . 8 ± 0 . 1 nm , while the length was 148 ± 3 nm . for comparison , prior art acid hydrolysis of hemp gave cncs with a diameter of 30 ± 10 nm and a length that was micrometers in size ( cao et al ., 2008 ). nanocrystal size , shape , and size distribution were dependent to a certain extent upon the starting cellulosic material . as an example , the cross - section dimension of cncs prepared from hemp and flax centered on about 2 - 6 nm , reflecting elementary fibrils ( about 3 - 7 nm in diameter ) initially present in the starting materials . such cncs are much more uniform and significantly smaller than cncs obtained by prior art acid hydrolysis ( diameters ranging from 10 - 20 nm ; mahmoud et al ., 2009 ). tables 1 and 2 provide yield , crystallinity index ( cri ) and dimensions of cncs prepared from various sources using ammonium persulfate . cris are estimated using the integral method and from peak heights ( in parentheses ). length and diameter are reported at 95 % confidence interval . other cnc samples prepared from different cellulosics also showed a similar mean particle length and length polydispersity . in comparison , cncs produced from flax and hemp using prior art acid hydrolysis procedures have higher average diameters of 16 - 28 nm and 20 - 40 nm , respectively . further , the average length of cncs prepared in accordance with the present invention was about 90 - 150 nm such that the average aspect ratio of the cncs was determined to be 30 compared to 10 for cncs obtained by acid hydrolysis . these are very important findings since the uniformity , small size , and high aspect ratio of cellulose nanocrystals are critical for their intended applications as nanofillers . considering the dimension of one unit cell ( 7 . 8 å , 8 . 2 å , and 10 . 4 å ), or one glucose unit of the cellulose chain is equal to about 0 . 5 nm , the degree of polymerization of cncs was estimated to be 20 to 500 using a known method in the art ( nishiyama et al ., 2002 ). sem analysis was performed on a hitachi s 2600n scanning electron microscope at 2 . 8 kv . sem revealed morphological changes on the surface of the fibers upon ammonium persulfate treatment , indicating the destruction of the amorphous regions . in contrast , the fiber remained intact when subjected to heating without ammonium persulfate . ammonium persulfate was able to in situ produce clean cncs by dissolving lignin , hemicellulose , pectin , and other plant contents . free radicals are formed when the solution containing persulfate is heated ( s 2 o 8 2 − + heat → 2so 4 − ) ( hsu et al ., 2002 ). therefore , persulfates are often used as initiators for emulsion polymerization reactions in the preparation of polymers and synthetic rubber . in addition , under the acidic condition used in this study ( ph 1 . 0 ), hydrogen peroxide was formed ( s 2 o 8 2 − + 2h 2 o → hso 4 − + h 2 o 2 ) ( edgar and gray , 2003 ; stiernstedt et al ., 2006 ). collectively , such free radicals and h 2 o 2 should be capable of penetrating the amorphous regions to break down the β - 1 , 4 linkage of the cellulose chain to form cncs . both free radicals 2so 4 − and h 2 o 2 also opened the aromatic rings of lignin to decolorize this material . prior art acid hydrolysis procedures require alkaline or bleaching agents to remove the other fiber contents and this treatment often affects the crystallinity and structure of cellulose ( conversion of cellulose ito cellulose 11 ; krassig , 1996 ). wide angle x - ray scattering analyses were obtained at room temperature on a panalytical x &# 39 ; pert pro diffractometer equipped with a copper ( cukα , λ = 1 . 54184 å ) rotating anode source , along with instrumental settings of 45 kv and 40 ma . samples were carefully deposited on glass slides and inserted in the chamber . the collected data were analyzed using winplotr ( hllp : llwww . llb . cea . fr / fullweb / winplotrlwinplotr . htm ), a graphic tool for powder diffraction to provide peak position ( 2θ ), fwhm ( full width half maximum ), peak deconvolution , and integration intensity for calculation of the crystallinity index ( cri ). the d hkl - spacing is calculated as λ / 2 sin θ with λ = 1 . 54184 å . the crystal size is estimated as kλ / fwhm . cos θ with the form factor or scherrer constant ( k ) taken as 1 ( scherrer , 1918 ). cncs prepared from various biomass sources were characterized by x - ray diffraction ( xrd ). results are provided in fig2 and in tables 3 and 4 . fig2 shows pxrd spectra of cncs produced from hemp before and after treatment with 1 m ammonium persulfate . the inset shows the deconvoluted cellulose peaks . table 3 provides a comparison of crystallite size , d hkl - spacing and crystallinity index ( cri ) before and after treatment of biomass samples . table 4 provides a comparison of the peak position ( 2θ ) values for the most intense peaks before and after treatment of biomass . the cnc diffractograms exhibited the most intense peak ( 002 ) with a shoulder ( 021 ) and two lower peaks ( 101 and 10 - 1 ). in some samples , a very small peak ( 040 ) at 35 ° was observed . in all cases , the ( 002 ) peak position remained virtually unchanged during the course of treatment . such features , including the d - spacing and average crystallite size as determined by the debye - scherrer formula ( debye , 1915 ) resembled the diffraction pattern of cellulose i and confirmed the integrity of the material during the course of treatment with ammonium persulfate . the crystallinity index ( cri ) of cncs was then estimated using an integral method based on the ratio of the areas of crystallines to total scattered intensity ( jayme and knolle , 1964 ) with the results summarized in table 1 . cri estimated using the maximum intensity ( peak height ) from ( 002 ) plane and the intensity of the background scatter measured at 20 of about 18 ° often results in overestimated crystallinity ( segal et al ., 1959 ; thygesen et al ., 2005 ). cncs prepared in this work can be used to cast smooth thin films , which are suitable for surface force and friction measurements ( stienstedt et al ., 2006 ). in general , cris of cncs were noticeably higher than that of their parental counterparts except for cncs prepared from mcc and whatman cfi . fwhm ( full width half maximum ) of the 002 peak was also smaller than that of the starting material , indicative of less dissolution of cncs . for flax shives and hemp , the initial cri was about 50 - 70 %, in agreement with the literature data ( bhatnagar and sain , 2005 ). with very high initial crystallinity , the treatment of mcc and whatman cfi with ammonium persulfate just resulted in shorter fibers whereas the cri remained unchanged . sodium and potassium persulfate were also capable of producing cncs . similarly to ammonium persulfate treatment , cris of the cncs produced with sodium and potassium persulfate increased by about 8 - 16 % from their starting materials . the dimensions of the cncs obtained from sodium and potassium persulfate are summarized in table 5 . cris are estimated using the integral method and from peak heights ( in parentheses ). length and diameter are reported at 95 % confidence interval . xps analysis was performed using an axis ™ ultra spectrometer ( kratos analytical ltd ., manchester , uk ) equipped with a monochromatic al kα source at a power of 225 w . the elemental composition of the analyzed surface areas was obtained from survey spectra collected at pass energy of 160 ev . high - resolution c ( 1s ) and o ( 1s ) spectra were collected at 20 ev . the pressure in the analytical chamber was lower than 10 − 6 pa and the apparatus was calibrated against the following lines : au ( 4f ), ag ( 3d ) and cu ( 2p ). since the sample was charging , an electron flood gun was used during the xps experiments . atomic concentrations of each element were calculated using casaxps ( casa software ltd .) by determining the relevant integral peak areas , and applying the sensitivity factors supplied by the instrument manufacturer ; a shirley background was used . to compare the high - resolution c ( 1s ) and o ( 1s ) peak positions , the spectra were shifted to ensure that the leading edges of the fitted aliphatic ch x component were coincident and the detail spectra were fitted with several peaks using a mixed gaussian - lorentzian function . the xps spectrum of cncs from flax prepared by ammonium persulfate treatment is shown in fig3 . the sample shows the main segments for c ( 1s ) and o ( 1s ) due to cncs and only insignificant traces of n ( 1s ), s ( 2p ) and si ( 2p ). fourier transform infrared ( ftir ) spectra were collected from 4000 to 400 cm − 1 for 64 scans at a resolution of 4 cm − 1 using a bruker tensor 27 ftir spectrophotometer . samples were run as kbr pellets . near infrared ( nir ) analysis for cellulose content was measured with an antaris ft - nir analyzer equipped with an integrating sphere . an internal gold flag was used as the instrument background , the spectral resolution was set to 8 cm − 1 and 300 scans were processed mathematically to generate one spectrum . the spectra for each sample were processed with the 2nd derivative transformation to remove the spectral baseline drift due to the color and scattered light from the particles . the pls ( partial least square ) algorithm was used to develop the correlation models for the cellulose (%), lignin (%), and hemicelluloses (%) concentration measurements ( i . e . calibration curves ) ( guhados et al ., 2005 ). cncs prepared from various biomass sources were characterized by ftir spectroscopy . fig4 lists the ftir absorption bands and their assignments for the various cellulosic materials and their corresponding cncs . the increase of cri of various cellulose materials after their treatment with persulfate also correlated well with ftir data . ftir spectra of the cncs showed absorption bands that are typical for cellulosic materials . the presence of signals at 1429 cm − 1 , 1163 cm − 1 , 1111 cm − 1 and 897 cm − 1 indicated that the cncs are primarily in the form of cellulose i β , except for persulfate - treated bacterial cellulose in which characteristic absorption bands at 3241 cm − 1 and 753 cm − 1 confirms the high degree of cellulose type i α in bacterial cellulose . persulfate treatment of bacterial cellulose resulted in the reduction of the mass fraction of cellulose i α to i β . the absorption patterns of the cncs remained unchanged after treatment with persulfate , indicating that there are no significant changes to the conformation of the cellulose structure , i . e . mercerization did not occur . the ratios between crystalline absorption at 1430 cm − 1 and amorphous absorption at 895 cm − 1 of cncs was higher than that of its parental counterpart ( nelson and o &# 39 ; connor , 1964 ). although this ftir ratio has been used to calculate cri , its applicability is somewhat limited , e . g ., not applicable for mercerized cellulose ( cellulose ii ) and provides rather poor correlations with the pxrd data . the ir spectra of cncs prepared from various materials displayed a peak at 1735 cm − 1 , which was absent from cncs obtained by acid hydrolysis . this peak could be attributed to oxidation of the c6 primary hydroxyl groups on the cellulose fibers to form carboxylic acids . the degree of oxidation ( ds ) of the cncs was determined using a conductometric titration method to be about 0 . 08 ( da silva perez et al ., 2003 ). conductometric titration experiments on different samples showed that the degree of oxidation can be in a range of from about 0 . 08 to 0 . 19 . the increase of cri of flax and hemp after their treatment with ammonium persulfate also correlated well with an increase in cellulose content as observed by nir analysis ( kramer and ebel , 2000 ; poke and raymond , 2006 ). cellulose content for flax fibers increased from 70 % to 79 % after persulfate treatment , whereas the cellulose content for hemp increased from 75 % to 83 %. cncs with higher cellulose content may be prepared using fibers treated with pectate lyase , with cellulose content of 84 % and 93 % for flax and hemp , respectively . the observed increase in cellulose content illustrated that the present process is effective in the removal of non - cellulosic content from the natural fibers . the contents of the entirety of each of which are incorporated by this reference . aho o , gadda l , peltonen s , immonen k , liukkonen s , funck h . ( 2006 ) united states patent publication 2006 / 0144543 published jul . 6 , 2006 . bai w , holbery j , li k . ( 2009 ) cellulose . 16 , 455 . bhatnagar a , sain m . ( 2005 ) j . reinf . plast . compos . 24 , 1259 . brown jr . r m , willison j h m , richardson c l . ( 1976 ) proc . natl . acad . sci . u . s . a . 73 , 4565 . cao x , dong h , li c m . ( 2007 ) biomacromolecules . 8 , 899 . cao x , chen y , chang p r , stumborg m , huneault m a . ( 2008 ) j . appl . polym . sci . 109 , 3804 . calvini p , gorassini a , luciano g , franceschi e . ( 2006 ) vib . spectrosc . 40 , 177 . cheng k c , catchmark j m , demirci a . ( 2009 ) j . biol . eng . 3 , 12 . da silva perez d , montanari s , vignon m r . ( 2003 ) biomacromolecules . 4 , 1417 . debye p . ( 1915 ) ann . physik . 46 , 809 . dong x m , revol j - f , gray d g . ( 1998 ) cellulose . 5 , 19 . dong s , roman m . ( 2007 ) j . am . chem . soc . 129 , 13810 . edgar c , gray d g . ( 2003 ) cellulose . 10 , 299 . guhados g , wan w k , hutter j l . ( 2005 ) langmuir . 21 , 6642 . hsieh y - l , xie j , wang y , chen h , li l , zhang l , cecile c . ( 2004 ) united states patent publication 2004 / 0241436 published dec . 2 , 2004 . hsu s - c , don t - m , chiu w - y . ( 2002 ) polym . degrad . stab . 75 , 73 . iguchi m , yamanaka s , budhiono a . ( 2000 ) j . mater . sci . 35 , 261 . jayme g , knolle h . ( 1964 ) papier . 19 , 106 . kramer k , ebel s . ( 2000 ) anal . chim . acta . 420 , 155 . krassig h a . ( 1996 ) cellulose : structure , accessibility and reactivity . ( gordon & amp ; breach sci . publishers . amsterdam , the netherlands ). kumar v , kothari s h . ( 1999 ) int . j . pharm . 177 , 173 . loelovich m . ( 2008 ) bioresources . 3 , 1403 . mahmoud k a , male k b , hrapovic s , luong j h t . ( 2009 ) appl . mat . interfaces . 1 , 1383 . marks r e . ( 1967 ) cell wall mechanics of tracheids . ( yale university press : new haven , london ). nelson m l , o &# 39 ; connor r t . ( 1964 ) j . appl . polym . sci . 8 , 311 . nishiyama y , langan p , chanzy h . ( 2002 ) j . am . chem . soc . 124 , 9074 . ohad i , danon i o , hestrin s . ( 1962 ) j . cell . biol . 12 , 31 . oksman k , bondeson d , syre p . ( 2008 ) united states patent publication 2008 / 0108772 , published may 8 , 2008 . poke f s , raymond c a . ( 2006 ) j . wood chem . technol . 26 , 187 . revol j - f , bradford h , giasson j . marchessault r h , gray dg . ( 1992 ) int . j . biol . macromol . 14 , 170 . scherrer p . ( 1918 ) gottinger nachr . 2 , 98 . segal l , creely j j , martin a e , conrad c m . ( 1959 ) textile res . j . 29 , 786 . springer e l , minor j l . ( 1991 ) u . s . pat . no . 5 , 004 , 523 issued apr . 2 , 1991 . stiernstedt j , nordgren n , wagberg l , brumer h , gray d g , rutland m w . ( 2006 ) j . colloid interface sci . 303 , 117 . { hacek over ( s )} turcová a , davies g r , eichhorn s j . ( 2005 ) biomacromolecules . 6 , 1055 . thygesen a , oddershede j , lilholt h , thomsen a b , stahl k . ( 2005 ) cellulose . 12 , 563 . wang b , sain m , oksman k . ( 2007 ) appl . compos . mater . 13 , 89 . weast r c . ( 1983 ) handbook of chemistry and physics , 64 th ed . ( crc press , boca raton , fla .). zhu w , wang z , tan o k , zkao c . ( 2005 ) united states patent publication 2005 / 0255239 published nov . 17 , 2005 . other advantages that are inherent to the structure are obvious to one skilled in the art . the embodiments are described herein illustratively and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention as claimed . variations of the foregoing embodiments will be evident to a person of ordinary skill and are intended by the inventor to be encompassed by the following claims .	2
the phospholipids phosphatidylcholine ( pc ), phosphatidylethanolamine ( pe ), and phosphatidylserine ( ps ) that are used with the invention may come from any natural or synthetic source . for example , pc and pe may be obtained from egg yolk , and ps may be obtained from animal brain or spinal chord . the phospholipids , obtained from the manufacturers in organic solvent , are mixed to yield the appropriate composition . an antioxidant such as butyrated hydroxytoluene is added to reduce alkyl chain peroxidation , and the organic solvent is removed by evaporation . the dried lipids are solubilized in aqueous detergent . this aqueous solution , besides including detergent ( eg . chaps or any of the alkylglucopyranosides such as octyl beta - d - glucopyranoside and octyl beta - d - thioglucopyranoside ), may also include buffers ( eg . hepes , tris , phosphate , etc . ), various salts ( eg . nacl , kcl , etc . ), carbohydrates ( eg . trehalose , maltose , glucose , etc . ), and the like . the tissue factor to be reconstituted may be natural or recombinant in nature . in the preferred method the phospholipids are combined in a mole ratio of pc : pe : ps of 7 . 5 : 1 : 1 with 0 . 1 % bht ( by weight ) and the organic solvent removed . the phospholipids are solubilized at 20 mg / ml in 20 mm tris , ph 7 . 5 , 150 mm nacl , ( tbs ) containing 100 mm chaps . tissue factor and bovine gamma globulin carrier protein are added and sufficient tbs containing 150 mm trehalose is added to adjust the final concentrations of tissue factor to 10 ug / ml , bovine gamma globulin to 1 mg / ml , phospholipid to 4 mg / ml and chaps to 20 mm . the resulting clear , colorless solution requires no vortexing or sonicating to ensure co - solubilization . the detergent can be removed in any number of ways that result in stable liposomes . the preferred method utilizes dialysis in dialysis membrane tubing against tbs containing 150 mm trehalose and 0 . 05 % nan 3 . other methods of detergent removal may include , but are not restricted to , removal by tangential flow diafiltration , cross flow hollow fiber filtration , and removal by a hydrophobic chromatographic resin . the resulting liposomes containing tissue factor are made to 5 mm cdcl 2 . the now fully active liposomes are diluted with 50 mm tris , ph 7 . 5 , 75 mm trehalose , 10 mm cacl 2 before lyophilization . an additional method also involves detergent solubilized phospholipids but requires no dialysis or detergent removal methods . tissue factor is active in the mixed detergent - phospholipid micelles formed in this system . phospholipids are dissolved to 20 mg / ml in 50 mm octyl beta - d - thioglucopyranoside ( otg ). carrier protein , tf , and cdcl 2 are added as described above and the mixture diluted with buffer to yield final concentrations of tf at 10 ug / ml , bovine gamma globulin at 1 mg / ml , cdcl 2 at 5 mm , phospholipids at 4 mg / ml , and otg at 10 mm . the methodology employed in the practice of the invention is more specifically described in the examples below . pc , pe , and ps were obtained in chloroform solution from avanti polar lipids , alabaster , ala ., or calbiochem corp ., la jolla , calif . in sealed glass ampules and stored under n 2 at − 20 ° c . chaps and other detergents were obtained from calbiochem . tris base was purchased from biorad , richmond , calif . ; all other chemicals were acquired from sigma , st . louis , mo . phospholipids were prepared for resolubilization as follows . pc , pe , and ps were warmed to room temperature and combined in a suitable tube or flask at a mole ratio of 7 . 5 : 1 : 1 ( pc : pe : ps , respectively ). the antioxidant butyratedhydroxytoluene ( bht ), dissolved in chloroform , was added to the mix of phospholipids at a weight ratio of 0 . 1 % ( bht : total phospholipids ). organic solvent was removed by evaporation under a stream of dry nitrogen or under reduced pressure in a rotary evaporator . residual organic solvent was eliminated by pumping an additional 1 hour at room temperature on a lyophilizer pump at a pressure of 10 um or less . phospholipids were dissolved to 20 mg / ml in 20 mm tris , ph 7 . 5 , 150 mm nacl ( tbs ) containing 100 mm chaps . tissue factor ( tf ) was purified from cell lysates using the following method . cells producing tf were washed with tbs and resuspended to 2 × 10 7 / ml in tbs containing 0 . 25 % triton x100 , 10 ug / ml soybean trypsin inhibitor , and 1 mm edta . after incubation for 30 min at 4 ° c ., the cellular debris was removed by centrifuging for 20 min at about 5000 × g at 4 ° c . the clarified lysate was diluted 2 . 5 - fold with tbs to reduce the triton concentration to 0 . 1 % and passed through an immunoaffinity resin containing a covalently coupled monoclonal antibody directed against tf . the resin bed was washed with 2 to 3 bed volumes of tbs + 0 . 1 % triton x100 , 2 to 3 volumes 20 mm tris , ph 7 . 5 , 0 . 5 m nacl , 0 . 1 % triton x100 , and finally 2 to 3 bed volumes 0 . 5 m nacl , 0 . 1 % triton x100 . the bound protein was eluted from the resin with 0 . 1 m glycine , ph 2 . 5 , 0 . 1 % triton x100 . fractions collected after the buffer was changed to glycine were neutralized immediately with an appropriate volume of 1 m tris , ph 8 . tf was found in those fractions immediately surrounding the point where the ph of the column effluent changed . the fractions containing tf were pooled , dialyzed against 20 mm tris , ph 8 , 0 . 1 % triton x100 , and concentrated by binding the tf to a small bed volume deae trisacryl column ( ibf biotechniques , columbia , md .). the triton x100 was replaced with chaps by washing the resin bed with at least 10 bed volumes of 20 mm tris , ph 8 containing 10 mm chaps . the tf was eluted with a single step of 0 . 5 m nacl in 20 mm tris , ph 8 , 10 mm chaps . resolubilized phospholipids at 20 mg / ml in tbs + 100 mm chaps were combined with immunoaffinity purified tf and bovine gamma globulin . additional tbs containing 150 mm trehalose was added to yield final concentrations of 4 mg / ml phospholipid , 10 ug / ml tf , 1 mg / ml bovine gamma globulin and 20 mm chaps . this clear , colorless solution was placed in dialysis membrane tubing ( spectrapore ®, spectrum medical industries , molecular weight cutoff of 12 , 000 to 14 , 000 ) and dialyzed for at least 30 hours at room temperature against tbs containing 150 mm trehalose and 0 . 05 % nan 3 . after dialysis the volume of the dialysate was determined and adjusted back to the original volume if required with dialysis buffer . cdcl 2 was added to a final concentration of 5 mm and the solution was incubated at 37 ° c . for 2 hours . the liposomes were then diluted to a working conentration with 0 . 1 m tris , ph 7 . 5 , 150 mm trehalose to yield a solution containing tf at approximately 1 to 2 ug / ml , phospholipids at approximately 400 to 800 ug / ml , and bovine gamma globulin at 50 to 100 ug / ml . prothrombin times were determined as follows . one hundred ul of plasma and 100 ul of diluted liposomes were placed in the sample well of a coagulometer . the instrument added 100 ul 20 mm cacl 2 and automatically determined the prothrombin time . the results are presented in table i . the following points can be made from the data : ( 1 ) a wide range of phospholipid mole ratios in the liposomes is acceptable for tf mediated initiation of the clotting mechanism , and ( 2 ) the liposomes require a phospholipid component carrying a net negative charge such as ps for tf - induced clotting activity . although the control plasmas used in table i are designed to simulate plasmas from patients undergoing oral anticoagulant therapy , prothrombin times obtained using these plasmas do not indicate a deficiency in any one coagulation factor , but reflect a depression of the activities of several factors . an example of how the rtf pt reagent responds to reduced levels of several individual factors involved in the extrinsic coagulation pathway is presented in fig1 . the rtf pt reagent used to generate these data was prepared as described above with a phospholipid mole ratio of 10 : 1 : 1 ( pc : pe : ps , respectively ). the prothrombin ratios shown in fig1 generally increase as the percent factor activity supplied by the normal human pool ( nhp ) decreases . prothrombin ratios were calculated in the following manner . normal human plasma pool was diluted 1 : 2 , 1 : 4 , 1 : 10 , 1 : 20 , and 1 : 40 with 0 . 15 m nacl to yield 50 , 25 , 10 , 5 , and 2 . 5 % factor activity . factor deficient plasma samples ( thromboscreen , curtis matheson scientific , inc .) were rehydrated as suggested by the manufacturers and were used undiluted . lypholized rtf pt reagent was rehydrated with distilled water , swirled , and allowed to stand for at least 15 minutes at room temperature . the reagent was swirled again just before use . thromborel s was rehydrated and handled according to manufacturer &# 39 ; s recommendation . one hundred ul diluted nhp and 100 ul factor deficient plasma were placed in a coagulometer sample well . pt reagent ( 200 ul ) was added by the instrument and the pt time was determined . the pr was calculated by dividing the factor deficient pt times by the pt time obtained with undiluted nhp and was plotted against the percent of factor supplied by the nhp . a pt reagent that exhibits a higher pr than another pt reagent at the same normal plasma pool dilution is said to be the more sensitive reagent . at all dilutions , with all of the factor deficient plasmas tested , the pr obtained using the rtf pt reagent is higher than that obtained using thromborel s . these data suggest that liposomes containing rtf are more sensitive to specific factor depletion than is thromborel s , which is one of the most sensitive commercially available pt reagents . alternatively the detergent can be removed by tangential flow diafiltration using , for example , a pyrosart or ultrasart filter unit ( sartorius corp ., bohemia , n . y ., molecular weight cutoff of 20 , 000 ) and tbs containing 150 mm trehalose as the dialysis buffer . approximately 95 to 100 % of the chaps can be removed by passing 10 volumes of dialysis buffer through the device . hydrophobic chromatographic resins such as amberlite xad - 2 ( rohm and haas co ., philadelphia , pa .) or bio - beads sm - 2 ( biorad , richmond , calif .) can also be used to remove the detergent , either in direct contact with the phospholipid solution or separated from it by a dialysis membrane . the rate of removal is proportional to the ratio of the volumes of the detergent - phospholipid solution and the chromatographic resin beads . the rate of removal can be easily adjusted from 99 % removal in 1 hour at room temperature ( 1 : 1 ratio ) to 99 % in 20 hours ( 5 : 1 , detergent solution : beads , respectively ). another method requires no dialysis or detergent removal . organic solvent was removed from the phophoslipids as described above . the phospholipids were dissolved in 50 mm octyl beta - d - thioglucopyranoside ( otg ) to a final concentration of 4 mg / ml . tf , purified as described above , and carrier protein were mixed with the detergent solubilized phospholipids . enough buffer was added to adjust the final concentrations of tf , carrier protein , phospholipids , and otg to 10 ug / ml , 1 mg / ml , 4 mg / ml and 10 mm , respectively . cdcl 2 was added to a final concentration of 5 mm to activate the tf . the resulting mixed micelles of tf , detergent , and phospholipids were diluted with 20 mm hepes , ph 7 . 5 , 150 mm nacl ( hbs ), containing 0 . 3 mg / ml phospholipids , to yield a solution containing tf at approximately 0 . 5 to 1 ug / ml , phospholipids at approximately 500 to 700 ug / ml , and bovine gamma globulin at 25 to 50 ug / ml . this dilution resulted in a reagent with the sensitivities to extrinsic coagulation factors present in control plasmas as presented in table ii . the prothrombin times increase in response to depletion of extrinsic clotting factors in the control plasmas . this sensitivity to clotting factor activity depression is also evident when plasmas from patients undergoing oral anticoagulant therapy are tested ( fig2 ). plasmas from normal individuals and patients undergoing oral anticoagulant therapy were obtained from a local hospital and snap frozen . pt times for each plasma were determined using the rtf pt reagent , thromborel s , and simplastin . the logarithm of the pt times obtained using rtf pt reagent and simplastin were plotted against the logarithm of the pt time obtained using thromborel s . when two pt reagents are compared as in fig2 identical sensitivities are depicted as a line having a slope of one . in the case of rtf pt reagent and thromborel s , the slope is 0 . 81 , indicating that the rtf pt reagent is approximately 20 % more sensitive than thromborel s . however , the slope of the line observed in the graph comparing simplastin and thromborel s is 1 . 62 , indicating that simplastin is much less sensitive than thromborel s . the present invention exhibits increased sensitivity to depressed activity levels of factors involved in the extrinsic coagulation cascade . the increased sensitivity of the rtf pt reagent will lessen complications arising in oral anticoagulant therapy and allow for more accurate assessment of specific extrinsic factor deficiencies in patients with bleeding disorders . the invention now being fully described , it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . a the ratio of phospholipids is expressed as the mole ratio of phosphatidylcholine to phosphatidylethanolamine to phosphatidylserine , respectively . b normal human pool ( nhp ) is composed of plasma pooled from 10 normal individuals , divided into small aliquots and snap frozen . c level i , ii and iii are thromboscreen control plasmas ( curtin matheson scientific , yorba linda , ca ) and are designed to simulate patients undergoing 3 different levels or intensity of oral anticoagulant therapy . a normal human pool and thromboscreen control plasmas are described in the footnote to table i . handling of the pt reagent is described in the text .	6
the present invention will now be described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof , and with reference to the appended drawings . fig1 is a perspective view of this preferred embodiment of the elastic supporting and sealing member according to the present invention , which is an annular supporting and sealing ring 1 intended for use in a catalytic converter assembly which will be described later . this ring 1 is constructed with an axially intermediate portion 1a and with axially extreme portions 1b and 1c ; and the portion of the ring 1 where a flat ribbon shape or strip used to form it is joined up to form its ring shape is denoted by the reference symbol 1d . as best seen in fig2 which is a sectional view of the supporting and sealing ring 1 taken along a plane which includes its central axis , said sectional plane not passing through the joining portion 1d , the ring 1 comprises a wire net body member 2 and a strip of thermal foaming material 3 . the wire net body member 2 in this preferred embodiment in fact is formed of a simple type of wire mesh , such as a lozengoidally woven mesh , and is made up of two annular cylindrical portions , an outer portion 4 and an inner portion 5 , which are fitted one inside the other , in fact also being continuously connected together around the circumferences 6 and 7 of their axial ends according to the method of manufacture of this preferred embodiment which will be described later . between the outer annular cylindrical portion 4 and the inner annular cylindrical portion 5 of the wire net body member 2 there is sandwiched the abovementioned strip 3 of thermal foaming material , which is also formed into an annular ring , said annular ring being however of much shorter axial dimension than the outer and inner cylindrical wire mesh member portions 4 and 5 . thus the axially intermediate portion 1a of the supporting and sealing ring 1 is essentially composed of an annular radially superposed sandwich of , in order inwards , the axially intermediate portion 8 of the outer cylindrical portion 4 of the wire net member 2 , the annular strip 3 of thermal foaming material , and the axially intermediate portion 9 of the inner cylindrical portion 5 of the wire net member 2 ; while the axially extreme portions 1b and 1c of the supporting and sealing ring 1 are each essentially composed of a radially superposed sandwich of only an axially extreme portion of the outer cylindrical portion 4 and an axially extreme portion of the inner cylindrical portion 5 of the wire net member 2 . in fact , a low friction membrane 11 is provided as enclosing the annular strip 3 between the wire net member portions 8 and 9 , for a reason which will be explained later which is connected with the manufacture of this preferred embodiment , and also the axially extreme portions 1b and 1c of the supporting and sealing ring 1 are both formed with diagonally extending wrinkles 10 , so as to be almost as thick as the axially intermediate portion 1a of the supporting and sealing ring 1 which has the annular strip 3 of thermally foaming material sandwiched in it . further , the shown view of the section of the annular supporting and sealing ring 1 is in its state with the axial ends 5 and 6 of this section somewhat strained to the right of the figure , which is towards the central axis of the ring 1 as a whole , so as to render the ring 1 generally of a straight tubular shape ; but in the unstressed state , as shown diagrammatically in fig2 by the phantom lines , the axially extreme portions 1b and 1c of the support and seal ring 1 are somewhat opened outwards from the straight cylindrical form , so that the tubular shape of the ring 1 is somewhat opened out towards both its ends . this particular opened out taper form of this preferred embodiment is made in a manner that will be explained later , for a reason which will also be explained later . in fig6 the joined up portion 1d of the annular ring 1 is shown in more detail . in fact , the outer cylindrical portion 4 of the wire net member 2 is somewhat cut back away from the joined up portion 1d , while the inner cylindrical portion 5 is overlapped upon itself at this portion 1d as seen in the radial direction , the two overlapped portions of the inner cylindrical portion 5 being denoted in the figure by the reference numerals 17 and 18 . these two overlapped portions 17 and 18 are secured together by a plurality of spot welds 19 which are only provided in the axially extreme portions 1b and 1c of the supporting and sealing ring 1 and not in its axially intermediate portion 1a , for reasons of convenience of manufacturability . further , in this joined up portion 1d , the ends of the annular strip 3 of thermally foaming material are cut into a stepped form , i . e . into steps 20 and 21 , which are overlapped over one another as seen in the axial direction but not as seen in the radial direction ; this is done in order to maintain good gas sealing effectiveness in this region . further , in this area the low friction membrane 11 is cut so as to substantially overlap itself as seen in the radial direction , as indicated by the dashed lines in fig6 . next , in fig7 the intended principal particular use of this supporting and sealing ring 1 for holding a monolithic catalyst body in a catalytic converter for an automotive vehicle , and for being fitted in an annular gap between the monolithic catalyst body and the tubular outer casing thereof and for supporting the catalyst body within this outer casing and for sealing the gap therebetween , is explanatorily shown . in this figure , the reference numeral 22 denotes the catalytic converter as a whole , which is shown in an exploded fashion . a monolithic catalyst body 23 is formed as a cylindrical mass , and is received within a cylindrical outer casing 24 of the catalytic converter an inner cylindrical cavity 25 of which is slightly larger in radius than the outer cylindrical surface of said monolithic catalyst body 23 , thus leaving a narrow annular cylindrical space therebetween . the lower end in the figure of the cylindrical cavity 25 is tapered down in a cone shape which ends in an exhaust gas venting port ( not shown in the figure ), initially presenting an annular thrust receiving end wall 30 , and a cushioning retainer member 31 , also of a generally annular shape , is abutted against said end wall 30 , between said annular end wall 30 and the lower end in the figure of the monolithic catalyst body 23 . the axially other end of the cylindrical cavity 25 is formed as an opening 26 of the same diameter as said cylindrical cavity 25 , surrounded by a fitting flange 29 . this opening 26 serves both as an opening for inserting and removing the monolithic catalyst 23 and as an mode of entry for exhaust gases into the cavity 25 . an end cap 27 is provided which has a fitting flange 28 adapted to mate against and to be bolted to the flange 29 of the converter casing 24 , and which also is formed with an exhaust gas admitting port , not particularly shown in the figure , either . a cushioning retainer ring 34 generally similar to the retainer ring member 31 is provided between an end wall ( not visible in the figure ) in said end cap 27 and the upper end in the figure of the monolithic catalyst body 23 . and the supporting and sealing ring 1 , as schematically indicated in fig7 by the double dotted lines , is fitted over the outer cylindrical surface of the monolithic catalyst body 24 , between it and the inner cylindrical surface of the cavity 25 of the casing 24 , so as to support said monolithic catalyst body 23 from said casing 24 , and so as also to provide a substantially gas tight sealing effect therebetween during use , as will be explained shortly . now , during assembly of this catalytic converter 22 , first the supporting and sealing ring 1 is fitted over the cylindrical monolithic catalyst body 23 , while these two are outside the cylindrical cavity 25 of the casing 24 , and then subsequently the monolithic catalyst body 23 with the ring 23 mounted thereover are together slid into the cylindrical cavity 25 , and then the fitting flange 28 of the end cap 27 is bolted by bolt and nut assemblies which are not shown in fig7 to the fitting flange 29 of the casing 24 , thereby axially clamping the monolithic catalyst body 23 between the axially opposed end wall 30 of the casing 24 and the end wall within the end cap 27 which is not visible in the figure , with the cushioning interposition of the two respective retainer rings 31 and 34 . after this assembly process the mass of the monolithic catalyst body 1 is thus securely supported with regard to movement in its radial direction within the cavity 25 of the casing 24 by the wire net portion of the supporting and sealing ring 1 which braces between the outer cylindrical surface of the catalytic body 23 and the inner cylindrical surface of the cavity 25 , thereby preventing shocks and vibration from being able to crack or damage the monolithic catalyst body 23 , which typically is quite brittle and delicate . next , when the catalytic converter 22 is fitted to a motor vehicle , and when the internal combustion engine of the vehicle is first started up , naturally the catalytic converter 22 as a whole gets quite hot . this causes the annular strip 3 of thermally foaming material of the supporting and sealing ring 1 to expand and foam and become thermally processed in a per se well known manner , so as to form a good and secure gas tight seal between the outer cylindrical surface of the catalytic body 23 and the inner cylindrical surface of the cavity 25 , intercepting between the axially upper portion in the figure of the annular cylindrical space between these two surfaces and the axially lower portion thereof and thereby preventing the flow of exhaust gas through this annular cylindrical space in the downward axial direction in the figure which if allowed would permit such exhaust gas to flow from the inlet to the outlet of the catalytic converter 22 while bypassing the monolithic catalyst body 23 . during this foaming and expanding action of the annular strip 3 of thermally foaming material , it pushes the outer and inner portions 4 and 5 of the wire net member 2 respectively against the inner cylindrical surface of the cavity 25 and the outer cylindrical surface of the catalytic body 23 , thus improving the elastic support between these two surfaces , and also some of this foaming material will ooze through the interstices of these wire net mesh portions and will press directly against these cylindrical surfaces , thus perfecting the above sealing effect between the monolithic catalyst body 23 and the casing 24 . now , during the above described operation of assembly of the catalytic converter 22 , the fitting of the supporting and sealing ring 1 over the cylindrical monolithic catalyst body 23 , while these two are outside the cylindrical cavity 25 of the casing 24 , is substantially aided by the particular constructional feature , explained above , that in the unstressed state , as shown diagrammatically in fig2 by the phantom lines , the axially extreme portions 1b and 1c of the support and seal ring 1 are somewhat opened outwards from the straight cylindrical form , so that the tubular shape of the ring 1 is somewhat opened out towards both its ends . this form is obtained by proper configuration of the diagonally extending wrinkles 10 in the the axially extreme portions 1b and 1c of the supporting and sealing ring 1 , and makes it much easier to slide the supporting and sealing ring 1 over the outer surface of the catalyst body 23 , which is a delicate and critical fitting operation , since friction between these two members during fitting them together is liable , if excessive , to damage either the monolithic catalyst body 1 or the thermal foaming material strip 3 of the ring 23 . this is a valuable constructional aspect of the shown preferred embodiment of the present invention . now , referring to fig3 - 5 , the method of manufacture of the preferred embodiment of the elastic supporting and sealing member according to the present invention described above will be described ; this method of manufacture being the preferred embodiment of the method according to the present invention . first , a wire net member 2 is produced by some per se well known weaving and cutting process , in a tubular form as shown in fig3 and of a length slightly longer than the final required circumference of the annular supporting and sealing ring 1 , i . e . than the circumference of the monolithic catalytic body 23 of the catalytic converter 22 for which this supporting and sealing ring 1 is intended to be utilized . next , this tubular wire net member 2 is squashed between two rollers 12 and 13 of particular shapes , as shown in fig4 so as to produce a flattened ribbon shape wire net member of the general cross section shown in fig2 and described above . each of the rollers 12 and 13 , as diagrammatically shown in fig4 has an axially central cut away or grooved portion , respectively denoted by the reference numerals 15 and 16 , and the portions of these rollers 12 and 13 contiguous to these axially central cut away portions 15 and 16 are formed with diagonally extending ridges 14 , which are of the form of helically cut grooves . thereby , according to this particular roller shape , as the wire net member 2 passes between the rollers 12 and 13 and is squashed therebetween , the axially central cut away portions 15 and 16 do not squash together the central portion of the wire net member 2 completely , so as to leave the axially central wire net member portions 8 and 9 somewhat separated from one another as seen in the cross section of fig2 i . e . in a groove like form , while on the other hand the portions of these rollers 12 and 13 contiguous to these axially central cut away portions 15 and 16 completely squash together the other portions of the wire net member 2 so as completely to close up the axially extreme portions 1b and 1c of the wire net member 2 again as seen in the cross section of fig2 . as this occurs , the diagonally extending ridges 14 simultaneously form the diagonally extending wrinkles 10 in the the axially extreme portions 1b and 1c of the wire net member 2 . in the shown preferred embodiment of the present invention , by suitable tapering of the ridge bearing portions of the rollers 12 and 13 contiguous to the axially central cut away portions 15 and 16 , a slight twist is imparted to the portions of the wire net member 2 which are impressed with these wrinkles 10 , so that the axially extreme portions 1b and 1c of the finally produced support and seal ring 1 , as explained above , are somewhat opened outwards from the straight cylindrical form , so that the tubular shape of the ring 1 is somewhat opened out towards both its ends . next , the thus squash formed wire net member 2 is slightly opened out , so that the space between the axially central wire net member portions 8 and 9 is slightly temporarily increased ; this may be done by the insertion of a former member between these portions 8 or 9 , for example . next , as shown in fig5 the strip 3 of thermal foaming material , enclosed in the aforementioned wrapper 11 of low friction material , is slid into the slot shaped gap between the axially central wire net member portions 8 and 9 of the wire net member 2 , i . e . along the groove forms delimited by these axially central portions 8 and 9 . this operation is considerably aided by the provision of the low friction material wrapper 11 , since at this time , before foaming thereof , the strip 3 of thermal foaming materials is quite fragile and sensitive to frictional damage and scuffing . if the elastic supporting and sealing member according to the present invention were to be used for sealing the gap between two plane members and for mutually supporting them , then the fabrication operation might now be essentially complete ; but since in the present preferred embodiment the elastic supporting and sealing member according to the present invention is required in the form of a ring , then the ends of the wire net member 2 are joined together as shown in fig5 after cutting away the one sides of the two ends of the wire net member 2 and after cutting the ends of the strip 3 of thermal foaming material into the step forms 20 and 21 . in fact , these cutting operations may have been made before the squashing operation between the rollers 12 and 13 shown in fig4 and described above . the details of this operation of joining the ends of the wire net member 2 to form the ring 1 will be easily supplemented by one of ordinary skill in the art without undue experimentation , based upon the disclosure herein . thus the supporting and sealing ring 1 shown in fig1 , 6 , and 7 is completed . according to the above described structure for the elastic supporting and sealing member which is constituted by the ring 1 , since this elastic supporting and sealing member is thus constructed as an integral member , with the piece of thermal foaming material 3 sandwiched between the outer and inner wire net portions 4 and 5 , rather than the wire net member 2 and the thermal foaming material 3 being provided as two separate members as was the case in the prior art , therefore the operation of inserting supporting and sealing ring 1 between the monolithic catalyst body 23 and the inner cylindrical surface of the cavity 25 of the casing 24 is rendered much easier and more practicable , since only one operation is required . further , since during this insertion the piece of thermal foaming material 3 is protected by being sandwiched between the outer and inner portions 4 and 5 of the wire net member 2 , thereby it is not rubbed against the opposing cylindrical suffaces of the monolithic catalyst body 23 of the casing 24 , and thus the problem of breaking of the piece of thermal foaming material 3 during its insertion into the gap between the monolithic catalyst body 23 and the casing 24 is obviated . now , after the supporting and sealing ring 1 is inserted into the gap between the monolithic catalyst body 23 and the catalytic converter casing 24 , as stated above it is heated up by operation of the internal combustion engine of the automotive vehicle in order to foam the piece of thermal foaming material 3 and to cause it to expand and seal the gap . when this happens , the expansion of the thermal foaming material 3 pushes the outer and inner portions 4 and 5 of the wire net member 2 strongly away from one another and respectively against the the opposing cylindrical surfaces of the monolithic catalyst body 23 and the catalytic converter casing 24 , so that the frictional effect between these wire net portions and the catalyst body 23 and the casing 24 is greatly promoted , thus increasing the effectiveness of the elastic support of the catalyst body 23 . further , because of this effect the increase in the thickness of the supporting and sealing ring 1 is comparatively great , and thus it is possible to make said supporting and sealing member ring 1 quite thin in the radial direction , which makes it correspondingly easier to insert into the gap between the catalyst body 23 and the casing 24 . now , during use of the supporting and sealing ring 1 , since the thermal expansion material 3 is contained and held within the outer and inner portions 4 and 5 of the wire net member 2 , it is substantially protected against being deteriorated and coming off in crumbs or splinters , so that the durability of the sealing characteristics provided by the supporting and sealing ring 1 is maintained even over a long period of service . further , since the thermal expansion material 3 is flanked on both of its axial sides by the axially extreme portions 1b and 1c of the ring 1 which are formed essentially only of wire mesh , the thermal expansion material 3 is to some degree protected against the impact of hot exhaust gases by the resistance to the flow of such exhaust gases provided by these axially extreme wire net portions 1b and 1c , and accordingly this further promotes the durability of the sealing system as a whole . although the present invention has been shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments of the article thereof and of the method of manufacture of said article , and in terms of the illustrative drawings , it should not be considered as limited thereby . various possible modifications , omissions , and alternations could be conceived of by one skilled in the art to the form and the content of any particular embodiment , without departing from the scope of the present invention . for instance , although in the shown preferred embodiment of the method according to the present invention the tubular wire net member 2 was first flattened , and then the strip 3 of thermal foaming material was inserted thereinto , this particular operational order is not essential to the present invention , and these processes might be performed in the reversed order , or perhaps simultaneously , in alternative method embodiments . therefore it is desired that the scope of the present invention , and of the protection sought to be granted by letters patent , should be defined not by any of the perhaps purely fortuitous details of the shown embodiment , or of the drawings , but solely by the scope of the appended claims , which follow .	8
the innovative teachings of the present invention will be described with particular reference to various exemplary embodiments . however , it should be understood that these embodiments provide only a few examples of the many advantageous uses of the innovative teachings of the invention . in general , statements made in the specification of the present application do not necessarily limit any of the various claimed aspects of the present invention . moreover , some statements may apply to some inventive features but not to others . in the drawings , like or similar elements are designated with identical reference numerals throughout the several figures . the present invention is generally directed to a system and method for nodes to gracefully recover from failures in an iptv network . below are presented several different options for recovery of an oitf . from the perspective of the oitf , control session data traverses to and from the ig , while the actual content used to provide video and audio to the user is delivered from the content source to the oitf through a different path . when a failure occurs on the control plane but content is still arriving , a graceful recovery process for the oitf which does not require the termination of the associated content delivery session ( s ) would allow for a seamless recovery of the control session state that is transparent to the user and does not cause interruption of the service . fig2 illustrates a signal flow for an exemplary recovery process for an oitf 200 of the present invention . the oitf 200 and the ig 202 are engaged in a control session 204 , associated with an ongoing content delivery session ( not shown ). when the oitf 200 experiences a control plane failure 206 , and restarts 208 , it completes its start - up procedure without tearing down any of the established content delivery sessions prior to the restart 208 . in a preferred embodiment , the oitf 200 can perform a control plane restart without requiring a full power off - power on condition , and without affecting any of the other functions of the oitf 200 . as part of its restart procedure , the oitf 200 retrieves all user identities , also known as ims multimedia public identities ( impus ), for the household subscription . this information may be cached in the oitf 200 , or it can be retrieved from another node in the iptv network , such as the ig 202 or the iptv cs ( not shown ). also as part of its restart procedure , the oitf 200 broadcasts a server discovery request message and an ip address request message . these messages can take the form of dhcp messages ( dhcpdiscover and dhcprequest ). the messages are received by the wide area network gateway ( wangw ), which will assign the same ip address as prior to the restart to the oitf 200 . optionally , in the case where the wangw is integrated into the ig 202 , the ig 202 has access to the dchp information exchanged between the oitf 200 and the wangw . the ig 202 can detect that the oitf 200 has restarted based on the receipt of the server discovery request and ip address request messages . in step 210 the oitf 200 determines the state of its media activity , i . e . if the content delivery session has also experienced a failure or if the content delivery session has remained in tact and media continues to be rendered by the oitf . if the content delivery session has not been disrupted , and content continues to be received by the oitf , the media activity state is determined to be active . if the content delivery session has been disrupted , the media activity state is determined to be not active . a media activity indicator or flag can be included in messages sent from the oitf 200 to inform the other external nodes in the iptv network of the status of the media activity in the oitf 200 . the media activity indicator can be implemented as a simple flag or as a multi - valued indicator included in a message . the media activity indicator can be set in accordance with the media activity state . the media activity indicator can indicate whether the oitf is receiving content or not , or alternatively , indicate other status information about the oitf . continuing its start - up procedure , the oitf 200 sends a sip register message 212 to the ig 202 , which includes the device identifier ( deviceid ) of oitf 200 and the media activity flag . for exemplary purposes , sip register message 212 is shown as an http post message . however , it can also take the form of a sip subscribe message . it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that any other appropriate protocol or language can be used to convey the information . the ig 202 optionally checks its internal state in step 214 to see if it holds a state for the deviceid included in the message 212 . the received deviceid can be compared to any deviceids with associated information already stored in the ig 202 . if the deviceid matches a deviceid whose state is already present in the ig 202 , the ig 202 can conclude that the oitf 200 has undergone a restart , as opposed to powering on for the first time , where the ig 202 would not hold a state for the deviceid . if the oitf 200 has restarted , the ig 202 then checks the media activity flag included in the message 212 , in step 216 . the media activity state of oitf 200 can be detected from the media activity flag . if the media activity flag is active , this indicates that the media was not disrupted and a content delivery session is ongoing . the ig 202 returns to the oitf 200 the user registration information ( all registered impus ) and all related session information associated with the deviceid of oitf in http 200 ok message 218 . again , other protocols or languages can be used to convey this information . the session information can include the session identity , the called party , and other information pertinent to the sip session the user is engaged in . the oitf 200 is then able to create a complete state using the received user registration information and session information in step 220 . creating the control session state includes restoring all information lost during the restart ( i . e . the user registration and session information ) to its state prior to the failure and restart . if the media activity flag is absent or is determined to be not active in step 216 , this indicates that the media has been disrupted and the media activity state of oitf 200 is not active . the ig 202 then clears all session information and de - registers all impus it holds associated with the deviceid of oitf 200 . in this case , the ig 202 may not return any information to the oitf 200 . in an alternative embodiment , the oitf 200 can contact another node in the iptv network which is participating in the control session 204 , or an associated control session ( not shown ), as part of its restart procedure . for the example , oitf 200 can send a message , including the media activity flag , to an iptv cs and receive user registration and session information in return , if the media activity state is determined to be active . fig3 illustrates a block diagram embodiment of an oitf 200 and an ig 202 of the present invention . the oitf 200 includes a processor 302 which controls and interacts with a communication interface 306 , and an instruction repository 304 which stores instructions to be executed by the processor 302 . similarly , the ig 202 includes a processor 312 which controls and interacts with a communication interface 316 , and a memory 314 which stores information to be retrieved and used by the processor 312 . the communication interfaces 306 and 316 can send and receive http messages and / or sip messages to be acted upon by their associated processors 302 and 312 . the oitf 200 and ig 202 can implement any of the methods of the present invention as illustrated in fig2 and described herein . following a control plane restart , the oitf processor 302 determines its media activity state using information from the communication interface 306 . the processor 302 can continually monitor the receipt of content data via the communication interface 306 and thus determine the state of media activity as active or not active . the processor 302 instructs the communication interface 306 to send a message including a device identifier and a media activity indicator to an external node participating in a control session . the media activity indicator is set in accordance with the media activity state . the external node participating in the control session may be the ig 202 , or another node in the iptv network . for exemplary purposes , the message is received by the communication interface 316 of the ig 202 . the processor 312 can determine if the ig 202 already holds a state for oitf 200 by comparing the received device identifier to the device identifier ( s ) with associated information stored in its internal memory 314 . the processor 312 also determines if the media activity indicator of the received message is active or not active . the media activity state of oitf 200 can be detected in accordance with the media activity indicator . if the media activity indicator is active , the processor 312 retrieves all user identity registration information and session information associated with the received device identifier from the memory 314 . the processor 312 then instructs the communication interface 316 to send a reply message to the oitf 200 , the message including the retrieved user identity registration information and session information . the oitf communication interface 306 receives the user identity registration information and session information . the processor 302 then uses the received user identity registration information and the received session information to create , or restore , a session state . one skilled in the art will appreciate that in implementation , the functions of the processors 302 and 312 can be provided by general purpose processors , or task specific processors , that can execute instructions stored in the instruction repository 304 or memory 314 to enable the above described functionality . the communication interfaces 306 and 316 can be implemented through a single network connection , or multiple network connections using standard network interfaces and being controlled by the associated processors 302 and 312 . based upon the foregoing , it should now be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention provides an advantageous solution . although the system and method of the present invention have been described with particular reference to certain type of messages and nodes , it should be realized upon reference hereto that the innovative teachings contained herein are not necessarily limited thereto and may be implemented advantageously in various manners . it is believed that the operation and construction of the present invention will be apparent from the foregoing description . embodiments of the invention may be represented as a software product stored in a machine - readable medium ( also referred to as a computer - readable medium , a processor - readable medium , or a computer - usable medium having a computer - readable program code embodied therein ). the machine - readable medium may be any suitable tangible medium including a magnetic , optical , or electrical storage medium including a diskette , compact disk read only memory ( cd - rom ), digital versatile disc read only memory ( dvd - rom ), memory device ( volatile or non - volatile ), or similar storage mechanism . the machine - readable medium may contain various sets of instructions , code sequences , configuration information , or other data , which , when executed , cause a processor to perform steps in a method according to an embodiment of the invention . those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other instructions and operations necessary to implement the described invention may also be stored on the machine - readable medium . software running from the machine - readable medium may interface with circuitry to perform the described tasks . the above - described embodiments of the present invention are intended to be examples only . alterations , modifications and variations may be effected to the particular embodiments by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention , which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto .	7
in fig1 reference numeral 1 designates a radio apparatus , embodied as a mobile telephone , with a transmission unit 20 that also includes a reception unit and will therefore hereinafter be called a transceiver unit 20 , and with an evaluation circuit 25 that is connected to the transceiver unit . 20 . the transceiver unit 20 is connected to an antenna output 5 of the mobile phone 1 , and the evaluation circuit 25 is connected to one input 30 of the mobile phone 1 . the mobile phone 1 also has a first resistor 40 , by way of which the input 30 is connected to a reference potential 45 . a hf amplifier circuit 15 , which has an input 10 connected to the antenna output 5 , is connected to the mobile phone 1 . an output 35 of the hf amplifier circuit 15 , connected to the input 30 , is likewise connected to the reference potential 45 , via a second resistor 55 of the hf amplifier circuit 15 . on the one hand , in a first switch position 80 , the input 10 can be connected via a switch 75 to the input of an amplifier 65 , whose output is connected to a transmission / reception antenna 70 ; on the other hand , in a second switch position 85 , the input 10 can be connected directly to the transmission / reception antenna 70 . also connected to the input 10 is a detector circuit 60 , which triggers the switch 75 . the mobile phone is operated , for instance in accordance with the publication “ european digital cellular telecommunications system ( phase 2 ); radio transmission and reception ( gsm 05 . 05 )” of the european telecommunications standard institute ( etsi ) of may 1994 , at a power stage 4 with a maximum output power of 2 w . by means of the hf amplifier circuit 15 , however , as a function of the gain of the amplifier 65 , operation of the mobile phone 1 at a higher power stage , such as the power stage 3 with a maximum output power of 5 w or the power stage 2 with a maximum output power of 8 w is possible . however , that requires that the mobile phone 1 from the outset meet the specifications of the aforementioned gsm standard 05 . 05 that are provided for the higher power stages . for instance , the mobile phone 1 has the higher intermodulation strength of − 43 dbm , which are prescribed for the power stage 2 , instead of − 49 dbm for the power stage 4 , and a higher sensitivity of − 104 dbm , instead of − 102 dbm , in the reception part of the transceiver unit 20 . in fig3 a flow chart for the operation of the evaluation circuit 25 is provided . before a telephone call is made , the mobile phone 1 must report its power stage to a base station in the mobile radio network , so that the delay times required for synchronous data transmission can be established in accordance with the range of the mobile phone 1 , which is dependent on its power stage . thus before a connection is made , the evaluation circuit 25 at program point 100 makes an inquiry about the voltage drop at the input 30 . if the voltage drop at the input is not maximal , then a jump to program point 110 is made , and otherwise a jump is made to program point 130 . at program point 110 , from the measured voltage drop , the power stage of the mobile phone 1 , supplemented with the hf amplifier circuit 15 , is ascertained . the second resistor 55 is set as a function of the gain of the amplifier 65 , so that from the power stage of the mobile phone 1 and the voltage drop at the input 30 , the evaluation circuit 25 can ascertain the power stage of the mobile phone 1 expanded by the hf amplifier circuit 15 . at program point 120 , the transceiver unit 20 , by means of a suitable control signal of the evaluation circuit 25 , is activated to output signals to the transmission / reception antenna 70 for transmission to a base station of the radio network , which signals contain information about operation at the ascertained power stage . the evaluation circuit 25 thus triggers the transceiver unit 20 of the mobile phone 1 as a function of the voltage drop at the antenna output 5 . next , a departure from the program is made , and a switch connection can be made . a transmission signal transmitted from the antenna output 5 to the hf amplifier circuit 15 is detected by the detector circuit 60 , which then sets the first switch position 80 of the switch 75 for connection of the amplifier 65 and thus for transmission at the higher power stage . for reception , or in other words if the detector circuit 60 does not detect a transmission signal , the detector circuit switches the switch 75 over to the second switch position 85 , so that the transmission / reception antenna 70 , for receiving signals from the radio network , is connected directly to the antenna output 5 of the mobile phone 1 . at program point 130 , the transceiver unit 20 of the mobile phone 1 is activated by a suitable control signal of the evaluation circuit 25 for outputting signals , which contain information about operation at the power stage 4 of the mobile phone 1 , for transmission by the transmission / reception antenna 70 to a base station of the radio network . a departure is then made from the program , and a speech connection can be made . in a further exemplary embodiment , shown in fig2 identical elements are identified by the same reference numerals . in a distinction from the otherwise identically embodied exemplary embodiment of fig1 in the exemplary embodiment of fig2 the evaluation circuit 25 is again connected to the antenna output 5 , and the antenna output 5 here is connected to the reference potential 45 via a third resistor 50 . as indicated in dashed lines in fig2 the input 10 in the hf amplifier circuit 15 can be connected to the reference potential 45 via a fourth resistor 90 . in that case , one input of the mobile phone 1 is not provided , and one output of the hf amplifier circuit 15 is also not provided . the voltage drop for detecting a connected hf amplifier circuit is ascertained by the evaluation circuit 25 thus directly at the antenna output 5 . the fourth resistor 90 , shown in dashed lines , of the hf amplifier circuit 15 is not absolutely necessary , since the input resistance of the hf amplifier circuit 15 can be used as a measure for the gain of the amplifier 65 and thus for the power stage attained together with the mobile phone 1 . the first resistor 40 shown in fig1 and the third resistor 50 shown in fig2 can also be disposed inside the evaluation circuit 25 or can be formed by the appropriate internal resistance of the evaluation circuit 25 and in the exemplary embodiments described serves to illustrate the principle of detecting a connected hf amplifier circuit 15 . by means of the amplifier 65 of the hf amplifier circuit 15 , the signal to be broadcast from the transmission / reception antenna 70 is amplified to the appropriate power in accordance with the higher , second power stage , while the signal to be received is sent on without impairment by the transmission / reception antenna 70 to the transceiver unit 20 . in the exemplary embodiment of fig2 it may be necessary to take precautions in order to keep a transmission or reception signal free of interference caused by the detection of the connected hf amplifier circuit 15 , or to eliminate such interference . the voltage source for generating the voltage drop at the input 30 in fig1 or at the antenna output 5 in fig2 which voltage drop is necessary for detecting a connected hf amplifier circuit 15 , can be accommodated by way of example in the evaluation circuit 25 , or in another way known to one skilled in the art can be connected to the input 30 or the antenna output 5 and is not shown in fig1 and fig2 respectively . the radio apparatus of the invention may also be integrated with a car radio , for instance , and can be prepared for the connection of a hf amplifier circuit in accordance with the exemplary embodiments described above .	7
a method of the present invention is described with reference to fig1 - 10 . referring initially to fig1 a semiconductor wafer fragment 10 is illustrated at a preliminary processing step . wafer fragment 10 comprises a substrate 12 having an upper surface 15 , and isolation regions 14 formed therein . substrate 12 can comprise , for example , monocrystalline silicon lightly - doped with a background p - type dopant . to aid in interpretation of the claims that follow , the terms “ semiconductive substrate ” and “ semiconductor substrate ” are defined to mean any construction comprising semiconductive material , including , but not limited to , bulk semiconductive materials such as a semiconductive 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 semiconductive substrates described above . isolation regions 14 can comprise , for example , shallow trench isolation regions comprising insulative material , such as silicon dioxide . an active region 16 is defined to extend between isolation regions 14 . active region 16 ultimately comprises source / drain regions ( described with reference to fig3 - 9 ) gatedly connected through transistor gate constructions ( described with reference to fig2 ). referring next to fig2 transistor gate constructions 20 and 22 are shown formed over substrate 12 . transistor gate constructions 20 and 22 can be referred to as a first transistor gate construction and a second transistor gate construction , respectively . constructions 20 and 22 comprise a gate dielectric layer 24 , a silicon layer 26 , a metal silicide layer 28 , and an insulative cap 30 . gate dielectric layer 24 will typically comprise silicon dioxide , silicon layer 26 will typically comprise conductively doped silicon , silicide layer 28 will typically comprise tungsten silicide or titanium silicide , and insulative cap 30 will typically comprise silicon nitride or silicon dioxide . it is to be understood that the shown layers of gate constructions 20 and 22 are exemplary layers , and that other layers can be utilized in addition to , or alternatively to , the shown layers . for instance , a metal layer can be incorporated between silicide layer 28 and insulative cap 30 . gate constructions 20 and 22 separate active area 16 into three regions . specifically , gates constructions 20 and 22 define a first region 40 of active area 16 as the region beneath constructions 20 and 22 ; define a second region 42 of the active area 16 between gate constructions 20 and 22 ; and define a third region 44 , which is the remaining portion of active region 16 not encompassed by either the first or second regions . in the discussion that follows , regions 44 can be referred to as outer source / drain region locations , and region 42 can be referred to as an inner source / drain region location . transistor gate constructions 20 and 22 can be considered to be transistor gate structures which are separated from one another by a gap corresponding to the region 42 of active area 16 between the gate structures 20 and 22 . gate structure 20 comprises a first sidewall 21 and a second sidewall 23 in opposing relation to first sidewall 21 ; and structure 22 comprises a first sidewall 25 and a second sidewall 27 in opposing relation to sidewall 25 . sidewalls 21 and 27 can be referred to as outer sidewalls of the gate structures , and sidewalls 23 and 25 can be referred to as inner sidewalls of the gate structures . further , the gate structures 20 and 22 can be considered to comprise inner corners 29 and 31 , respectively , where the inner sidewalls join to substrate 12 . lightly doped diffusion regions ( ldd regions ) 32 are shown formed within substrate 12 and proximate structures 20 and 22 . in particular embodiments , regions 32 comprise n - type dopant provided to a concentration of less than or equal to 10 18 atoms / cm 3 within substrate 12 . it is noted that the diffusion regions 32 can be omitted in particular embodiments of the present invention . referring to fig3 a mask 50 is formed over substrate 12 . mask 50 can comprise , for example , photoresist . mask 50 covers third portion 44 of active region 16 , but does not cover the second portion 42 of active region 16 . in other words , mask 50 does not cover the gap between transistor gate structures 20 and 22 . mask 50 has an opening 52 formed therein and extending over the gap between transistor gate structures 20 and 22 . mask 50 further comprises a top surface 54 , and an edge 56 of the top surface which defines an upper periphery of opening 52 . a vertical projection 58 is shown extending upwardly through substrate 12 , and approximately perpendicular to upper surface 15 of the substrate . a second projection 60 is defined to extend from top edge 56 to inner corner 29 . second projection 60 forms an angle “ θ ” with vertical projection 58 . angle “ θ ” can be referred to as a threshold angle , as angle “ θ ” defines a threshold dopant angle which determines if dopant can be implanted through opening 52 and to substrate 12 . specifically , if dopant is implanted at an angle greater than “ θ ”, the dopant will not reach substrate 12 . instead , the dopant will impact sidewalls of opening 52 and portions of transistor gate structure 20 . alternatively , if dopant is implanted at an angle less than the threshold angle , it will impact substrate 12 within the gap defined by region 42 . referring to fig4 a first dopant 64 is implanted into opening 52 at a first angle of approximately 0 ° relative to vertical projection 58 . accordingly , dopant 64 is implanted at an angle less than the threshold angle “ θ ”, and impacts substrate 12 within region 42 to form a implant region 66 . dopant 64 can comprise , for example , n type dopant ( such as arsenic ) and can be provided to a concentration of from about 10 18 atoms / cm 3 to about 10 19 atoms / cm 3 . referring next to fig5 a second dopant 70 is implanted into opening 56 at an angle “ α ” relative to vertical projection 58 . angle “ α ” is less than threshold angle “ θ ” and accordingly dopant 70 impacts substrate 12 within region 42 to form a implant region 72 . in the shown embodiment , implant region 72 is shallower than region 66 . it is to be understood , however , that the invention encompasses other embodiments wherein region 72 is implanted to be deeper than region 66 . in particular embodiments , dopant 70 comprises a p type dopant ( such as boron ), and is implanted at an angle “ α ” greater than about 0 ° and less than about 20 °. further , the p type dopant is implanted at an energy of at least about 25 kev , and a dose of at least about 10 12 atoms / cm 2 . referring next to fig5 a third dopant 74 is implanted at an angle “ β ” relative to vertical projection 58 , with angle “ β ” being greater than the threshold angle θ . accordingly , third dopant 74 does not reach substrate 12 . third dopant 74 can comprise , for example , p type dopant , and can be implanted at an angle “ β ” greater than or equal to 25 °. the dopants 64 , 70 and 74 can be implanted into a peripheral region ( described with reference to fig1 ) associated with substrate 12 simultaneously with the implant of the dopants into the shown dram region . dopant 74 can comprise an energy of at least about 50 kev , and a dose of about 6 × 10 11 atoms / cm 2 . in the shown embodiment , angle “ β ” is chosen to preclude impact of dopant 74 on substrate 12 within region 42 . however , dopant 74 can be at an appropriate angle for implanting into regions of the substrate associated with various peripheral circuitry devices . a common mask can be utilized during the entire doping sequence for implanting of dopants 64 , 70 and 74 . referring to fig7 mask 50 ( fig6 ) is removed and a thin insulative layer 80 is provided over exposed regions of substrate 12 , as well as along sidewalls of transistor gate structures 20 and 22 . layer 80 can comprise , for example , silicon dioxide formed by exposing substrate 12 and transistor gate structures 20 and 22 to oxidizing conditions . it is noted that the invention encompasses other embodiments ( not shown ) wherein layer 80 is not formed . a dopant 82 is implanted into substrate 12 , after formation of layer 80 , to form an ldd implant 84 . ldd implant 84 overlaps with the previous ldd implant 32 , and can comprise , for example , n - type dopant . it is to be understood that the invention encompasses embodiments wherein implant 82 is eliminated , as well as embodiments in which one of the implant regions 32 ( fig2 ) or 84 is eliminated , while the other is utilized . accordingly , the implanting of dopants 64 , 70 and 74 can occur before formation of ldd regions , after formation of ldd regions , or between a first ldd implant and a second ldd implant . additionally , it is noted that the implanting of dopants 64 , 70 and 74 can occur in any order relative to one another , such as , for example , with the implanting of the p - type dopants 70 and 74 occurring before the implanting of the n - type dopant 64 . after formation of layer 80 , sidewall spacers 90 are formed along the sidewalls of transistor gate structures 20 and 22 . sidewall spacers 90 can comprise , for example , silicon dioxide or silicon nitride , and can be formed by anisotropically etching an appropriate insulative material layer . in the processing step of fig7 inner source / drain region location 42 comprises a source / drain region 95 , and outer source / drain region locations 44 comprise source / drain regions 93 and 97 . source / drain regions 93 and 95 , together with gate structure 20 , define a first transistor construction 99 ; and source / drain regions 95 and 97 , together with gate structure 22 , define a second transistor construction 101 . in other words , source / drain region 95 is gatedly connected to source / drain regions 93 and 97 through transistor gates 20 and 22 , respectively . source / drain region 95 can be considered to be a shared source / drain region , in that it is shared by first transistor construction 99 and second transistor construction 101 . shared source / drain region 95 is different in dopant constituency than the outer source / drain regions 93 and 97 . specifically , source / drain region 95 comprises halo regions 72 , and outer source / drain regions 93 and 97 do not comprise halo regions . although the shown invention comprises formation of nmos transistor devices ( i . e ., devices in which the source / drain regions primarily comprise n - type regions , with a source / drain region which “ primarily comprises n - type regions ” being understood as a source / drain region which behaves generally as being n - type in character during operation of a device comprising the source / drain region ), it is to be understood that the invention can also be utilized for formation of pmos transistor devices . if the invention is utilized for formation of pmos devices , the conductivity type of the regions 32 , 84 , 72 , 66 and 94 can be reversed relative to that described herein . in other words , conductivity regions 32 , 84 , 66 and 94 are described as being n - type regions , but in a pmos device such regions would correspond to p - type regions . further , region 72 is described as being a p - type halo region in the shown nmos construction , but in a pmos construction would correspond to an n - type region . referring to fig8 a dram construction 100 is formed utilizing the transistor devices of fig7 . specifically , an insulative material 110 is formed over substrate 12 , and conductive interconnects 112 , 114 and 116 extend through the insulative material 110 to the source / drain regions 93 , 95 , and 97 . insulative material 110 can comprise , for example , borophosphosilicate glass ( bpsg ), and conductive interconnects 112 can comprise , for example , one or more of conductively - doped silicon , metal silicide , and elemental metal . conductive interconnect 114 is electrically connected with a bitline 118 , which results in an electrical connection between shared source / drain region 95 and the bitline 118 . electrical connections 112 and 116 are incorporated into capacitor constructions 120 and 122 , respectively . specifically , a dielectric material 124 is formed over electrical connections 112 and 116 , and a capacitor plate 126 is subsequently formed over the dielectric material 124 . accordingly , conductive interconnects 112 and 116 are incorporated into capacitor constructions 120 and 122 as storage nodes . dielectric material 124 can comprise , for example , one or more of silicon dioxide , silicon nitride , or so - called high k dielectric materials , such as tantalum pentoxide . capacitor plates 126 can comprise , for example , one or more of conductively - doped silicon , metal , or metal silicide . transistor constructions 99 and 101 define access transistors for the dram construction 100 , in than transistor constructions 99 and 101 are utilized to provide access between bitline 118 and the capacitor constructions 120 and 122 . the processing described with reference to fig7 and 8 would typically occur while a mask is provided over peripheral circuitry , so that the processing of fig7 and 8 occurs only in a dram area of an integrated circuit structure . however , it should also be understood that various steps of the processing of fig7 and 8 will preferably be conducted simultaneously with steps utilized in the formation of peripheral circuit elements if a particular fabrication sequence is amenable to simultaneous formation of peripheral device components and dram memory components . the implants of fig4 and 5 can provide particular advantages to dram structures formed in accordance with the present invention . the n - type implant 64 ( fig4 ) reduces n - resistance of shared source / drain region 95 for improved drive current and improved hot electron reliability . the p - type angled implant 70 ( fig5 ) increases the threshold voltage of the access devices 99 and 101 . utilization of the p - type implant only relative to source / drain region 95 ( and not relative to source / drain regions 93 and 97 ) allows the threshold voltage to be increased for the access transistors , while providing the halo implanting only on the digit side of the devices and thereby not disrupting careful control of graded junctions on the storage sides of the devices . it can be desired to maintain careful control of graded junction regions on the storage node side of an access transistor in order to minimize junction leakage and maintain adequate data retention for the dram memory . as described above , the processing of fig4 - 6 can be utilized to simultaneously form implanted regions within logic circuitry peripheral to a dram memory array . if it is assumed that the wafer fragment 10 of fig4 - 6 is associated with a dram memory array region , than the wafer comprising fragment 10 can comprise another fragment associated with logic circuitry peripheral to the memory array region . fig9 illustrates a fragment 200 of the wafer . fragment 200 is peripheral to the fragment 10 of fig1 - 8 , and is associated with logic circuitry . a transistor gate structure 211 is shown formed over substrate 12 . gate structure 211 comprises a gate oxide 212 , a silicon layer 214 , a silicide layer 216 and an insulative cap 218 . layers 212 , 214 , 216 and 218 can comprise the same materials as described previously for layer 24 , 26 , 28 and 30 , respectively . ; dopants 64 , 70 and 74 are shown being implanted into substrate 12 proximate structure 211 to form implant regions 220 , 222 and 224 , respectively . the implanting of dopants 64 , 70 and 74 into fragment 200 preferably occurs simultaneously with the implanting of dopants 64 , 70 and 74 described previously with reference to fig4 and 6 . in other words , the implanting of each of dopants 64 , 70 and 74 is preferably blanket implanting in the sense that the dopants are simultaneously implanted over memory array regions and logic regions peripheral to the memory array regions . 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 .	8
refer now to fig1 which is an overall drawing of a preferred embodiment of the current invention . rotating color word selector 1 is displayed in a dialog box on the desktop of a computer . the rotating color word 1 selector contains a color library with 40 color selections 2 . in addition , a select order bar 3 is directly below said color library 2 for color selections from said color library 2 . the color selections 2 appearing in a left to right order on the select order bar 3 . as appreciated by those skilled in the art , a user indicates the desired color by selecting the sample containing the color choice by manipulating a pointing mechanism for identifying said color selection . the select word order button 4 is invoked by said user and the sample is stored from left to right on the select order bar 2 . this dialog box is short lived with the select order bar 3 , which contains 8 selections . random selection button 5 , when activated , causes rotating color word selector 1 to activate the rotating color word . when the random selection button 5 is activated , the window closes and rotating color number and symbol selector 9 opens . below tho random selection button 5 is a cancel button 7 for dismissing rotating color word 1 . as soon as said cancel button 7 is activated , the rotating color number and symbol selector 8 will then come up on the displayer immediately . ok button 6 , when activated , dismisses rotating color word 1 . the ok button 6 will then open rotating color number & amp ; symbol selector 8 . referring now to fig2 there is shown a rotating color number and symbol 8 displayed in a dialog box on the desktop of a computer . the rotating number and symbol 8 contains a color library with 40 color selections 9 . in addition , a select order bar 10 is directly below said library 9 for color selections from said library 9 . the color selections appear in a left to right order on the select order bar 10 . as appreciated by those skilled in the art , a user indicates , the desired color by selecting the sample contains the color choice . the select number and symbols button 11 is invoked by said user and the sample is stored to the select order bar 10 in an order from left to right . random selection button 12 , when activated , causes rotating color number and symbol selector 8 of the random selection computer program to immediately start . this allows the computer program to choose the order of color number and symbols in the text line . this dialog box is short lived . when the random selection button is activated , the rotating number and symbol selector 8 closes , and rotating color punctuation 15 immediately opens . below the random selection button 12 is a cancel button 14 for dismissing rotating number and symbol selector 8 , and the dismissing of rotating number and symbol selector 8 immediately opens rotating color punctuation selector 15 . referring now to fig3 which is an overall drawing of a preferred embodiment of the current invention . rotating color punctuation selector 15 is displayed in a dialog box on the desktop of a computer . the rotating color punctuation selector 15 contains a color library with 40 color selections 16 . in addition , a select order bar 17 is directly below said color library 16 for color selections from said library 16 . the color selections appear in a left to right order on the select order bar 17 . as appreciated by those skilled in the art , a user indicates the desired color by selecting the sample containing the color choice . the select punctuation button 18 is invoked by said user and the sample is stored on the select order bar 17 in a left to right order . random selection button 19 , when activated , causes rotating color punctuation selector 15 of the random selection computer program immediately to start . this allows the computer program to choose the order of color punctuation in the text line . this dialog box is short lived . when the random selection button 19 is activated , the selector is immediately dismissed and program is fully activated . below the random selection button 19 is a cancel button 21 for dismissing rotating color punctuation selector 15 . the ok button 20 , when activated , dismisses rotating punctuation , and the program is then fully activated . the control tool check box 22 is located below the ok button 20 . when selected , it displays a x in the center of the box 22 . this box , when invoked , activates rotating punctuation computer program that allows matching punctuation marks , such as quotation marks , the same color on the text line . this allows said user more control and uniformity in handling the color selections . this also allows the use of some color with one selector or all 3 selectors . the default of an empty selector is the black color . turning now to fig4 there is shown a flow diagram for defining rotating color word using this invention from the top of the figure at the start block , and proceeds immediately to block 23 , where a check is conducted to determine if an application request has been detected . if yes , the procedure opens the rotating color word selector at block 24 ; if no , the procedure contains looping awaiting application request . processing proceeds to block 25 , the procedure checks to determine if a color is selected from the color library . if yes , processing proceeds to block 27 , where a check determines if the select order button has been selected . if yes , at block 30 , the procedure updates the select order bar . returning to block 26 , the procedure displays rotating color word selector . at block 27 , a check determines if the cancel button has been activated . if yes , the processing returns to block 23 , where a check is determined if an application request has been detected . if no , the processing refers to insertion point b . at block 31 , a check to determine if the random select button has been selected . if yes , at block 34 the rotating color word computer program is selected . at block 33 , a check is done to see if the ok button has been selected to activate the rotating color word program . if no , at block 32 , rotating color word is displayed . procedure proceeds to block 33 , where a check determines if the ok button has been selected . if yes , program follows insertion point c . if no , the program follows insertion point b at block 34 . one skilled in the art will appreciate that rotating color word dialog is relatively transient . at block 35 , rotating color word immediately disappears , after random select button block 31 and the ok button block 33 are selected . referring now to fig5 immediately after rotating color word is dismissed , rotating color number and symbol selector opens block 36 . processing proceeds to block 37 where the procedure determines if a color has been selected from the color library . processing goes to block 40 where a check determines if the select order button has been selected . if yes , at block 42 the procedure updates the select order bar . returning to block 37 , if there is no color choice selected processing continues to block 38 displaying rotating color number and symbol selector . at block 39 , a check determines if the cancel button has been activated . if yes , the processing returns to block 23 , where a check is determined it application request has been detected . if no , the processing returns to insertion point e . at block 43 , a check to determine if the random select button has been selected . if yes , the rotating color number and symbol program is activated . if no , as block 44 rotating color number and symbol is displayed . procedure proceeds to block 45 , where a check determines if the ok button has been selected . if yes , program follows insertion point f . if no , the program follows insertion point e . at block 47 , one skilled in the art will appreciates that rotating color number and selector immediately disappears . after random select button block 43 is selected , ok button block 45 is selected . processing continues and immediately opens rotating color punctuation selector block 48 . referring now to fig6 the process proceeds immediately to block 49 , where the procedure checks to determine if a color is selected from the color library . if the check determine , that a choice has , been selected , the process then proceeds to block 52 , where a check determines if the select order button has been selected . at block 54 , the procedure updates the select order bar . returning to block 49 , if there is no color choice selected , the procedure continues to block 50 and displaying rotating color punctuation selector . at block 51 , a check determines if the cancel button has been activated . if yes , the processing returns to insertion point a , block 23 , where a check is determined if an application request has been detected . if no , the processing returns to insertion point g . at block 55 , a check to determine if the random select button has been selected . if yes , at block 58 the rotating color punctuation symbol program is activated . if no , rotating color number and symbol is displayed 56 . the procedure then proceeds to block 57 , where a check determines if the ok button has been selected . if yes , the procedure follows insertion point h . if no , the procedure follows insertion point g . at block 59 , there is a check to determine if the control tool check box has been selected . if yes , the matching punctuation program is invoked . that matches colors of matching punctuation marks , such as “ quotations ” marks . at block 62 , the procedure terminates rotating color punctuation , and exits the procedure at block 63 .	6
referring now to the figures in detail , wherein like reference numbers indicate like elements throughout , fig1 illustrates a virtual machine operating system generally designated 10 according to the present invention . by way of example , virtual machine operating system 10 can be ibm z / vm version 4 . 2 . 0 or 4 . 3 . 0 operating system although the present invention can be incorporated into other virtual machine and non virtual machine operating systems as well . the details of the z / vm 4 . 2 . 0 operating system are disclosed in ibm publication “ z / vm 4 . 2 . 0 general information ” ( document number : gc24 - 5991 - 03 ) which is available from international business machines corp . at po box 29570 , ibm publications , raleigh , n . c . 27626 - 0570 or on the www at www . ibm . com / shop / publications / order . this publication is hereby incorporated by reference as part of the present disclosure . operating system 10 executes in a physical computer 11 such as an ibm zseries mainframe although the present invention can be implemented in other server computers or personal computers as well . operating system 10 comprises user portions 12 , 14 , 16 . . . ( called “ virtual machines ” or “ guest virtual machines ” in the z / vm operating system ) and common base portion 20 ( called “ cp ” in the z / vm operating system ). each user portion 12 and 14 provides standard operating system functions such as i / o , communication , etc . each user portion 12 , 14 and 16 is capable of concurrently executing a number of different applications such as applications 32 , 34 and 36 as shown . by way of examples , applications 32 , 34 and 36 can be telnet , ftp and ping ( and use the present invention instead of the prior art communication mechanisms ). in the z / vm 4 . 2 . 0 and 4 . 3 . 0 operating systems , the linux ( tm of linus torvalds ) operating system can also run on each virtual machine 12 , 14 and 16 , although some of the operating system functions of virtual machines 12 , 14 or 16 are not needed by the linux operating system as they are currently provided by the linux operating system . although not shown , typically there are many other virtual machines and associated operating systems which also share common base portion 20 . also , there can be multiple applications executing on each virtual machine . base portion 20 includes known functions such as virtualized memory , virtualized devices , and virtualized cpus . computer 11 also includes memory area 21 which is shared by all of the virtual machines 12 , 14 , 16 etc . being “ shared ” each virtual machine can directly address and access the shared memory area 21 to read data therefrom or write data thereto . for data requested by an application or generated by an application , the application makes the read or write request to the respective virtual machine on which it is running . this respective virtual machines accesses the shared memory on behalf of the application as explained below with reference to fig2 and 3 . in one ( of many ) embodiments of the present invention , the shared memory 21 is part of a discontiguous saved segment (“ dcss ”) portion of the base portion 20 . dcss is a special form of shared memory that can be dynamically loaded and unloaded . it can survive virtual machine termination and even cp termination , and can contain executable code . however , functions other than shared memory within dcss are not needed for the present invention , so the present invention is not limited to implementations involving dcss or its equivalents . each virtual machine 12 , 14 , and 16 includes a respective read function 42 a , 42 b , and 42 c , a respective write function 33 a , 33 b and 33 c and a respective dispatcher 22 a , 22 b and 22 c . the virtual machine calls the write function when it encounters a write command in the application it is executing . the write function is standing by , so no queue is required for the write function tasks . the write function writes data from a virtual machine to the shared memory . a write operation does not invoke cp . the virtual machine calls the read function when it encounters a read command in the application it is executing . the read function is standing by , so no queue is required for the read function tasks . the read function reads data from the shared memory . thus , the data is not copied from the writer &# 39 ; s virtual address space to the reader &# 39 ; s virtual address space . also , cp is not invoked to read from shared memory , and this reduces overhead . each virtual machine calls / invokes its dispatcher when it completes a work item and therefore , needs another work item , if any . in response to the call , the dispatcher checks for work items on its respective queue 26 a , 26 b or 26 c within shared memory 21 . a table 24 is also stored in shared memory 21 . the table indicates the status of each virtual machine 12 , 14 , 16 . each virtual machine 12 , 14 and 16 also includes a respective work queue management function (“ wqmf ”) 81 a , 81 b or 81 c which adds work items to work queues when they arise and updates the status of each virtual machine as “ idle ” or “ not idle ” as described below . table 24 includes an identity of each virtual machine and an indication whether or not the respective virtual machine is idle . table 24 also includes for each virtual machine , a pointer to the respective work queue 26 a , 26 b or 26 c . table 24 changes as the status changes . in the example illustrated in fig1 currently virtual machine 12 is not idle , i . e . it is currently executing another work item / task . however , virtual machine 12 currently has nothing in its work queue 26 a to do after completing its current work item . virtual machine 14 is currently idle , but has a work item in its queue 26 b . the work item in queue 26 b is to read the contents of the shared memory beginning at location 24 d 00 and extending for the specified length . ( the word “ null ” following the work item indicates that there are no further work items in the queue .) virtual machine 16 currently is not idle , and has a work item in its queue 26 c . the work item in queue 26 c is to read the contents of the shared memory beginning at location 24 d 00 and extending for the specified length . [ 0027 ] fig2 is a flow chart illustrating operation of each of the dispatchers , i . e . each of the dispatchers implements the steps of fig2 separately from the other dispatchers . after a virtual machine completes each work item / task it invokes its dispatcher to look for a new work item to perform ( decision 48 ). in response , the dispatcher within the virtual machine checks the respective work queue ( work queue 26 a for dispatcher 22 a , work queue 26 b for dispatcher 22 b and work queue 26 c for dispatcher 26 c ) for a work item ( step 50 ). if there is a work item in the queue ( decision 52 ), then the dispatcher parses the work item to determine its nature and what function to call to perform the work item . in the case of a read request , the dispatcher calls the read function to read the message / data at the location indicated by the work item . thus , this read can be accomplished without the generation of an interrupt and without invoking interrupt handling . then , the dispatcher loops back to decision 52 to check the work queue again . if during any iteration of decision 52 , there is no work item in the work queue , then the dispatcher sets the status field in the table 24 as “ idle ” for the respective virtual machine ( step 60 ). then , the dispatcher notifies the virtual machine to enter into a wait state ( step 62 ). in this wait state , the virtual machine is in a “ sleeping ” or “ idle ” mode where it is not executing any work items for an application or itself . the virtual machine will remain in this wait state until receiving an interrupt indicative of a new work item in its work queue ( decision 66 ). when such an interrupt is received , the wqmf for the virtual machine sets the status field in the table 14 as “ non idle ” for the respective virtual machine ( step 68 ). next , the dispatcher loops back to decision 52 to check the work queue for a work item . at this time , there should be a work item in the work queue . [ 0028 ] fig3 illustrates operation of one of the virtual machines , for example virtual machine 12 when it desires to send a message / data to another of the virtual machines , for example virtual machine 14 . in step 80 , virtual machine 12 calls its write function 33 a to write data to the shared memory 21 . as explained above , each of the virtual machines has direct access to the shared memory by providing the appropriate address . so , the write function 33 a of virtual machine 12 writes the data to the shared memory by specifying the address to be written and furnishing the data to be written . next , work queue management function (“ wqmf ”) 81 a within virtual machine 12 adds a work item to the work queue 26 b of virtual machine 14 , by writing the work item onto the work queue ( step 82 ). because the work queue is in shared memory , this does not require invocation of cp . next , wqmf 81 a determines if virtual machine 14 is currently idle by checking the table 24 ( decision 84 ). if not , then virtual machine 12 does nothing further to complete this communication and cp is not invoked at any point in the communication process ( termination step 86 ). in accordance with the present invention , virtual machine 12 does not interrupt virtual machine 14 because of the overhead involved in interrupting the virtual machine . as explained above with reference to fig2 when virtual machine 14 completes its current work item , it will automatically invoke / call its dispatcher to check its work queue for another work item ( decision 48 and step 50 ). at that time it will see the work item from virtual machine 12 . referring again to decision 84 , if virtual machine 14 is idle , then in accordance with the present invention , virtual machine 12 issues a “ wakening ” type of interrupt to virtual machine 14 ( step 88 ). this requires invocation of cp . the wakening type of interrupt alerts / invokes virtual machine 14 that there is a work item in its queue 26 b . with the issuance of this interrupt , virtual machine 12 has completed its part of the data communication . the “ wakening ” interrupt automatically causes virtual machine 14 to activate its dispatcher 22 b ( decision 48 of fig2 ) to check its work queue for a work item . dispatcher 22 b then implements the steps illustrated in fig2 to check its work queue 26 b ( step 50 and decision 52 ) and then read the data with read function 42 ( b ) ( step 54 ). [ 0029 ] fig3 also illustrates operation of one of the virtual machines , for example virtual machine 12 when it desires to communicate with two or more other virtual machines , for example virtual machines 14 and 16 . in step 80 , virtual machine 12 calls its write function 32 a to write data to the shared memory 21 . so , virtual machine 12 writes the data to the shared memory by specifying the address to be written and furnishing the data to be written . in the example illustrated in fig1 the data was written to shared memory locations beginning at address 24 d 00 . next , wqmf 81 a within virtual machine 12 adds a work item to the work queues 26 b and 26 c of virtual machines 14 and 16 , by writing the work item , data address and data length onto the work queues ( step 82 ). next , wqmf 81 a within virtual machine 12 determines if virtual machines 14 and 16 are currently idle by checking the table 24 ( decision 84 ). in the example illustrated in fig1 virtual machine 14 is idle but virtual machine 16 is busy . so , for virtual machine 16 which is busy , virtual machine 12 does nothing further to complete the communication ( termination step 86 ). in accordance with the present invention , virtual machine 12 does not interrupt the busy virtual machine 16 because of the overhead involved in interrupting a virtual machine . as explained above with reference to fig2 when the busy virtual machine 16 completes its current work item , it will automatically check its work queue for another work item ( decision 48 and step 50 ). at that time it will see the work item from virtual machine 12 and the communication will be completed without invocation of cp . referring again to decision 84 , because virtual machine 14 is idle , then in accordance with the present invention , virtual machine 12 issues a “ wakening ” type of interrupt to the idle virtual machine 14 ( step 88 ). the wakening type of interrupt alerts / invokes the idle virtual machine 14 that there is a work item in its queue . with the issuance of this interrupt , virtual machine 12 has completed its part of the data communication . the “ wakening ” interrupt automatically causes the idle virtual machine 14 to invoke / call its dispatcher 22 b to check its work queue for a work item . dispatcher 22 b then implements the steps illustrated in fig2 to check its work queue 26 b ( decision 52 ) and then read the data ( step 54 ). [ 0030 ] fig4 illustrates a logically partitioned computer system generally designated 110 according to the present invention . system 110 is a logical partition of a physical computer 111 such as an ibm zseries mainframe although the present invention can be implemented in other server computers or personal computers as well . system 110 comprises logical partitions 112 , 114 , 116 . each logical partition 112 , 114 and 116 provides standard operating system functions such as i / o , communication , etc . to its applications . each logical partition 112 , 114 and 116 is capable of concurrently executing a number of different applications such as applications 132 , 134 and 136 as shown . by way of examples , applications 132 , 134 and 136 can be telnet , ftp and ping ( and use the present invention instead of the prior art communication mechanisms ). base portion 120 participates in the actual logical partitioning of the computer 111 and its resources , i . e . partitions the cpu ( s ), partitions memory , partitions i / o , etc . the functions of one example of base portion 120 and logical partitions 112 , 114 and 116 , aside from the present invention , are described in a document entitled “ enterprise system / 9000 9221 processors : operating your system — volume 2 ( logically partitioned mode )”, publication # sa24 - 4351 - 02 , which document is available international business machines at po box 29570 , ibm publications , raleigh , n . c . 27626 - 0570 or on the www at www . ibm . com / shop / publications / order . computer 111 also includes memory area 121 which is shared by all of the logical partitions 112 , 114 , 116 etc . being “ shared ” each logical partition can directly address and access the shared memory area 121 to read data therefrom or write data thereto . for data requested by an application or generated by an application , the application makes the read or write request to the respective logical partition on which it is running . this respective logical partition accesses the shared memory on behalf of the application as explained below with reference to fig5 and 6 . each logical partition 112 , 114 , and 116 includes a respective read function 142 a , 142 b , and 142 c , a respective write function 133 a , 133 b and 133 c and a respective dispatcher 122 a , 122 b and 122 c . the logical partition calls the write function when it encounters a write command in the application it is executing . the write function is standing by , so no queue is required for the write function tasks . the write function writes data from a logical partition to the shared memory , and therefore does not invoke base portion 120 . the logical partition calls the read function when it encounters a read command in the application it is executing . the read function is standing by , so no queue is required for the read function tasks . the read function reads data from the shared memory , and therefore does not invoke base portion 120 . also , the data is not copied from the writer &# 39 ; s virtual address space to the reader &# 39 ; s virtual address space . each logical partition calls / invokes its dispatcher when it completes a work item and therefore , needs another work item , if any . in response to the call , the dispatcher checks for work items on its respective queue 126 a , 126 b or 126 c within shared memory 121 . a table 124 is also stored in shared memory 121 . the table indicates the status of each logical partition 112 , 114 , 116 . each logical partition 112 , 114 and 116 also includes a respective wqmf 181 a , 181 b or 181 c which adds work items to work queues when they arise and updates the status of each logical partition as “ idle ” or “ not idle ” as described below . table 124 includes an identity of each logical partition and an indication whether or not the respective logical partition is idle . table 124 also includes for each logical partition , a pointer to the respective work queue 126 a , 126 b or 126 c . table 124 changes as the status changes . in the example illustrated in fig4 currently logical partition 112 is not idle , i . e . it is currently executing another work item / task . however , logical partition 112 currently has nothing in its work queue 126 a to do after completing its current work item . logical partition 114 is currently idle , but has a work item in its queue 126 b . the work item in queue 126 b is to read the contents of the shared memory beginning at location 24 d 00 and extending for the specified length . ( the word “ null ” following the work item indicates that there are no further work items in the queue .) logical partition 116 currently is not idle , and has a work item in its queue 126 c . the work item in queue 126 c is to read the contents of the shared memory beginning at location 24 d 00 and extending for the specified length . [ 0034 ] fig5 is a flow chart illustrating operation of each of the dispatchers , i . e . each of the dispatchers implements the steps of fig5 separately from the other dispatchers . after a logical partition completes each work item / task it invokes its dispatcher to look for a new work item to perform ( decision 148 ). in response , the dispatcher within the logical partition checks the respective work queue ( work queue 126 a for dispatcher 122 a , work queue 126 b for dispatcher 122 b and work queue 126 c for dispatcher 126 c ) for a work item ( step 150 ). if there is a work item in the queue ( decision 152 ), then the dispatcher parses the work item to determine its nature and what function to call to perform the work item . in the case of a read request , the dispatcher calls the read function to read the message / data at the location indicated by the work item . thus , this read can be accomplished without the generation of an interrupt and without invoking interrupt handling . then , the dispatcher loops back to decision 152 to check the work queue again . if during any iteration of decision 152 , there is no work item in the work queue , then the dispatcher sets the status field in the table 124 as “ idle ” for the respective logical partition ( step 160 ). then , the dispatcher notifies the logical partition to enter into a wait state ( step 162 ). in this wait state , the logical partition is in a “ sleeping ” or “ idle ” mode where it is not executing any work items for an application or itself . the logical partition will remain in this wait state until receiving an interrupt indicative of a new work item in its work queue ( decision 166 ). when such an interrupt is received , the wqmf for the logical partition sets the status field in the table 114 as “ non idle ” for the respective logical partition ( step 168 ). next , the dispatcher loops back to decision 152 to check the work queue for a work item . at this time , there should be a work item in the work queue . [ 0035 ] fig6 illustrates operation of one of the logical partitions , for example logical partition 112 when it desires to send a message / data to another of the logical partition , for example logical partition 114 . in step 180 , logical partition 112 calls its write function 133 a to write data to the shared memory 121 . as explained above , each of the logical partitions has direct access to the shared memory by providing the appropriate address . so , the write function 133 a of logical partition 112 writes the data to the shared memory by specifying the address to be written and furnishing the data to be written . next , wqmf 181 a within logical partition 112 adds a work item to the work queue 126 b of logical partition 114 , by writing the work item onto the work queue ( step 182 ). next , wqmf 181 a determines if logical partition 114 is currently idle by checking the table 124 ( decision 184 ). if not , then the logical partition does nothing further to complete this communication and the base portion 120 is not invoked at any point in the communication process ( termination step 186 ). in accordance with the present invention , logical partition 112 does not interrupt logical partition 114 because of the overhead involved in interrupting the logical partition . as explained above with reference to fig5 when logical partition 114 completes its current work item , it will automatically invoke / call its dispatcher to check its work queue for another work item ( decision 148 and step 150 ). at that time it will see the work item from logical partition 112 . referring again to decision 184 , if logical partition 114 is idle , then in accordance with the present invention , logical partition 112 issues a “ wakening ” type of interrupt to logical partition 114 ( step 188 ). the wakening type of interrupt alerts / invokes logical partition 114 that there is a work item in its queue 126 b . with the issuance of this interrupt , logical partition 112 has completed its part of the data communication . the “ wakening ” interrupt automatically causes logical partition 114 to activate its dispatcher 122 b ( decision 148 of fig5 ) to check its work queue for a work item . dispatcher 122 b then implements the steps illustrated in fig5 to check its work queue 126 b ( step 150 and decision 152 ) and then read the data with read function 142 ( b ) ( step 154 ). [ 0036 ] fig6 also illustrates operation of one of the logical partitions , for example logical partition 112 when it desires to communicate with two or more other logical partitions , for example logical partitions 114 and 116 . in step 80 , logical partition 112 calls its write function 132 a to write data to the shared memory 121 . so , logical partition 112 writes the data to the shared memory by specifying the address to be written and furnishing the data to be written . in the example illustrated in fig4 the data was written to shared memory locations beginning at address 24 d 00 . next , wqmf 81 a within logical partition 112 adds a work item to the work queues 126 b and 126 c of logical partitions 114 and 116 , by writing the work item , data address and data length onto the work queues ( step 182 ). next , wqmf 181 a within logical partition 112 determines if logical partitions 114 and 116 are currently idle by checking the table 124 ( decision 184 ). in the example illustrated in fig4 logical partition 114 is idle but logical partition 116 is busy . so , for logical partition 116 which is busy , logical partition 112 does nothing further to complete the communication ( termination step 186 ). in accordance with the present invention , logical partition 112 does not interrupt the busy logical partition 116 because of the overhead involved in interrupting a logical partition . as explained above with reference to fig5 when the busy logical partition 116 completes its current work item , it will automatically check its work queue for another work item ( decision 148 and step 150 ). at that time it will see the work item from logical partition 112 and the communication will be completed without invocation of base portion 120 . referring again to decision 184 , because logical partition 114 is idle , then in accordance with the present invention , logical partition 112 issues a “ wakening ” type of interrupt to the idle logical partition 114 ( step 188 ). the wakening type of interrupt alerts / invokes the idle logical partition 114 that there is a work item in its queue . with the issuance of this interrupt , logical partition 112 has completed its part of the data communication . the “ wakening ” interrupt automatically causes the idle logical partition 114 to invoke / call its dispatcher 122 b to check its work queue for a work item . dispatcher 122 b then implements the steps illustrated in fig5 to check its work queue 126 b ( decision 152 ) and then read the data ( step 154 ).	6
fig4 is a circuit diagram of a buck type converter system according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention . fig4 shows the configuration of the proposed buck type converter system . in fig4 , the buck converter has the same elements and configuration as those of the buck converter in fig2 , and the only difference between the two converters is that the output capacitor c in fig2 is replaced by an output capacitor c b ( a first capacitor ) in fig4 . the input voltage vin receives by the emi ( electrical magnetic interference ) filter and the rectifier bridge ( emi filter and bridge ) and is rectified into the voltage vrec in fig4 . the buck converter further converts the voltage vrec into a dc bus voltage vbus , and the rear stage dc / dc converter ( d2d ) realizes the conversion of the output voltage vo . each of the emi filter and the rectifier bridge has a first and a second output terminals and the buck converter has a first and a second input terminals . the first auxiliary circuit 10 includes a first unidirectional switch da and a second unidirectional switch db , each of which has a first terminal and a second terminal . the storing and absorbing circuit ( a second auxiliary circuit ) 20 includes a second capacitor ca having a first and a second terminals . the first terminal of the first unidirectional switch da is coupled to the first output terminal of the emi filter and the rectifier bridge and the first input terminal of the buck converter , the second terminal of the first unidirectional switch da is coupled to the first terminal of the second capacitor ca and the second terminal of the second unidirectional switch db , the second terminal of the second capacitor ca is coupled to the second output terminal of the emi filter and the rectifier bridge , the second input terminal of the buck converter and the second input terminal ( the negative input terminal ) of the standby power source ( stb power ). the standby power source is a dc power source , its positive input terminal ( the first input terminal ) is coupled to the second terminal of the second unidirectional switch db , and its input voltage comes from the voltage across the second capacitor ca of the storing and absorbing circuit 20 . when the system in fig4 is started , the input voltage vin is loaded on the emi filter and the rectifier bridge , and the output voltage of which is vrec . the voltage vrec is loaded on the sub - circuit of the first unidirectional switch da of the first auxiliary circuit 10 and the second capacitor ca of the storing and absorbing circuit 20 , and the second capacitor ca is charged via the second unidirectional switch da . when the voltage across the capacitor ca vs is built up , the standby power source begins to operate , outputs voltage vsb , and provides an energy to a control power source of the converter and the dc / dc converter so as to realize the start - up of the circuit . the input voltage vin begins to decrease when the input voltage vin enters a power saving mode , vrec also begins to decrease by following that since the ca of the storing and absorbing circuit 20 is a smaller capacitor storing less energy . the output capacitor c b of the converter is a big capacitor storing more energy , the energy of c b provides to the standby power source via the second unidirectional switch db so as to realize the specification of the standby power source of keeping an output at a normal voltage for a predetermined time when the input voltage vin begins to decrease . such a configuration could overcome the drawbacks of peak voltage across the power switch s ( s 1 ) of the converter being too high so as to damage the power switch when the buck type and the buck / boost type converters have input voltages exceeding an overvoltage threshold . by employing such a configuration , the input goes through the low impedance loop of da and ca , the impulse energy is absorbed by the capacitor ca so as to clamp the rectified dc voltage at vrec to guarantee the reliability of the circuit when the power source outputs an input voltage exceeding an overvoltage threshold . fig5 shows a circuit diagram of a buck / boost type converter system according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention . the difference between the configuration of the proposed buck / boost converter system in fig5 and that of fig4 is that a buck / boost converter is used instead . the buck / boost converter has the same elements and configuration as those of the buck / boost converter in fig3 , and the difference between the two buck / boost converters is also that the output capacitor c of fig3 is replaced by the output capacitor c b of fig5 . the buck / boost converter system of fig5 has the same basic principles as those of the buck converter system of fig4 , and the basic principles of which are not mentioned here . fig6 shows a circuit diagram of a buck type converter system according to the third preferred embodiment of the present invention . the configuration of fig4 is simple , but an ac input current of its converter system might appear a quite high peak current when it is charging the second capacitor ca , and a configuration in fig6 is proposed to overcome this phenomenon . the difference between the configuration in fig6 and that of fig4 is that the storing and absorbing circuit 20 included in the configuration of fig6 is a second auxiliary circuit used to replace the second capacitor ca originally included in fig4 . this second auxiliary circuit includes a third , a fourth and a fifth unidirectional switches dc , dd and de , each of which has a first terminal and a second terminal , and a third and a fourth capacitors cc and cd , each of which has a first terminal and a second terminal . the standby power source includes a positive input terminal ( a first input terminal ) and a negative input terminal ( a second input terminal ). the second terminal of the third unidirectional switch dc is coupled to the first terminal of the fourth capacitor cd and the positive input terminal of the standby power source , the first terminal of the third unidirectional switch dc is coupled to the first terminal of the third capacitor cc and the second terminal of the fourth unidirectional switch dd , the first terminal of the fourth unidirectional switch dd is coupled to the second terminal of the fourth capacitor cd and the second terminal of the fifth unidirectional switch de , the second terminal of the third capacitor cc is coupled to the first terminal of the fifth unidirectional switch de and the negative input terminal of the standby power source , and the negative input terminal of the standby power source is coupled to the respective second terminals of the emi filter and the rectifier bridge , and the buck converter . the newly proposed second auxiliary circuit 20 has the same functions as ca ( the second auxiliary circuit 20 ) of fig4 , and is further used to avoid a peak current of the ac input current of the converter system to be appeared . fig7 shows a circuit diagram of a buck / boost type converter system according to the fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention . the difference between the configuration of the buck / boost type converter system in fig7 and that of fig6 is that a buck / boost type converter is used . the buck / boost converter of fig7 has the same elements and configuration as those of the buck / boost converter in fig3 , and the difference between the two buck / boost converters is also that the output capacitor c of fig3 is replaced by the output capacitor c b of fig7 . the buck / boost converter system of fig7 has the same basic principles as those of the buck converter system of fig6 , and these basic principles of which are not mentioned here . fig8 is a waveform diagram of the input voltage ( vs ) of the standby power source when a half of a peak value of the rectified dc voltage is smaller than a value of the dc bus voltage (( ½ ) vpk ≦ vbus ) according to the converter systems of the third and the fourth preferred embodiments of the present invention , in which , vrec is a full - wave rectification wave , vpk is the peak value of vrec , and a value of vpk is higher than that of vbus . during the procedure that the second auxiliary circuit 20 begins to charge , capacitors cc and cd are connected in series via unidirectional switch dd so as to cause the highest voltage add on the series - connected capacitor circuit ( cc + cd ) being vpk , that is to say , each capacitor has a voltage of ( ½ ) vpk , the capacitor cc is connected to the unidirectional switch dc in series to discharge and the capacitor cd is connected to the unidirectional switch de in series to discharge during the procedure , in which the second auxiliary circuit 20 ( i . e . the storing and absorbing circuit 20 of fig6 and 7 ) begins to discharge . the energy of the standby power source is provided by vrec when vrec ≧ vbus , the energy of the standby power source is provided by vbus when vrec & lt ; vbus ( vbulk indicates the shaded areas ), and the voltages across each of the capacitors cc and cd is ( ½ ) vpk , which is set up when the converter systems according to the third and the fourth preferred embodiments of the present invention are just started , and is less than vbus , and they can not engaged in discharge during the normal operational procedure of the converter systems according to the third and the fourth preferred embodiments of the present invention . an ac input current of the converter system does not exist the quite high peak current resulting from charging the capacitors cc and cd due to that cc and cd are not participated in the operation , and this peak current has plenty of high order harmonics which are disadvantageous to the harmonic test of the input current . thus , according to the design conditions of the third and the fourth preferred embodiments of the present invention , these two converters systems are operated under the condition of ( ½ ) vpk & lt ; vbus . fig9 is a waveform diagram of the input voltage ( vs ) of the standby power source when a half of a peak value of the rectified dc voltage is no less than a value of the dc bus voltage (( ½ ) vpk ≧ vbus ) according to the converter systems of the third and the fourth preferred embodiments of the present invention . as shown in fig9 , the energy of the standby power source is provided by vrec when vrec ≧( ½ ) vpk , the energy of the standby power source is provided by capacitors cc and cd when vrec & lt ;( ½ ) vpk , and the energy of the standby power source is provided by vbus when the voltage of cc or cd is less than vbus ( vbulk indicates the shaded areas ). due to that capacitors cc and cd are participated in the operation , so that the ac input current of the converter system does exist the quite high peak currents , and each of these peak currents has plenty of high order harmonics which are disadvantageous to the harmonic test of the input current . thus , according to the design conditions of the third and the fourth preferred embodiments of the present invention , these two converter systems are not operated under the condition of ( ½ ) vpk & gt ; vbus . according to the aforementioned descriptions , the present invention provides a converter system having a first and a second auxiliary circuits and decreasing a voltage , an input impulse signal flows through the first auxiliary circuit , and an impulse energy is absorbed by the second auxiliary circuit such that the power switch of the system can be saved from damage when an ac input voltage exceeds an overvoltage threshold , and the energy stored in the second auxiliary circuit is provided to a dc power source so as to keep an output of the dc power source at a normal voltage for a predetermined time when an ac input voltage of the system enters a power saving mode , which indeed possesses the non - obviousness and the novelty . while the invention has been described in terms of what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention need not be limited to the disclosed embodiment . 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 . therefore , the above description and illustration should not be taken as limiting the scope of the present invention which is defined by the appended claims .	7
preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawing figures . fig1 - 3 illustrate an embodiment of a device according to an embodiment of the invention for assisting a patient with diabetes management . a diagnostic and medication delivery system was previously described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 192 , 891 , which is expressly incorporated herein in its entirety . the device will be briefly described in connection with fig2 - 30 . the system 100 conveniently integrates a medication delivery pen , blood glucose monitor , and lancet into a single portable unit . the system 100 includes a housing 102 having a length defined by first and second end portions 112 and 114 and a thickness defined by opposing upper and lower surfaces 116 and 118 . the housing 102 may have an overall rectangular footprint and the upper and lower surfaces 116 and 118 may be planar or , alternatively , may have either concave or convex curvatures . the curvatures of the upper and lower surfaces 116 and 118 need not match one another . in general , the housing 102 should have a configuration that allows it to be easily grasped and manipulated and thus is not limited to the shape shown in fig1 . the housing may be conveniently formed from two shells fastened together to form an enclosure in which the various components discussed below may be located . the housing 102 provides mounting locations for a medication delivery pen , lancet , and glucose monitoring meter . specifically , a lancet compartment 104 and pen compartment 106 are integrally formed with and embedded in the housing 102 . the lancet compartment 104 is configured to receive a lancet 108 so that the lancet engages and slides in the lancet compartment in a manner that allows it to be easily inserted and removed . likewise , the pen compartment 106 is configured to receive a medication delivery pen 110 . when inserted in their respective compartments , a portion of the body of the lancet and pen are exposed so that they are readily accessible to the user . however , the compartments each include portions that extend internal to the housing 102 in which the lancet of the lancet and the needle of the pen are to be situated . accordingly , the lancet and needle are protected by the housing 102 from environmental contamination . thus , housing 102 provides protection to the needle of the pen , eliminating the need for a separate pen cap . typically when not in use , a conventional lancet is stored with an open port or cover that exposes the lancet to the environment for possible contamination . however , when packaged in housing 102 of the present invention , the lancing port is completely covered providing protection from the environment to the lancet . the medication delivery pen 110 may be of any type known to those of ordinary skill in the art . in general , the pen has a drive mechanism for accurate dosing and ease of use . a dosage mechanism such as a rotatable knob allows the user to accurately adjust the amount of medication that will be injected by the pen from a prepackaged vial of medication . to inject the dose of medication , the user inserts the needle under the skin and depresses the knob once as far as it will depress . the pen may be an entirely mechanical device or it may be combined with electronic circuitry to accurately set and / or indicate the dosage of medication that is injected into the user . the electronic circuitry may also serve to record data such as the date , time , amount of medication injected , and so on . the data can be displayed on a display located on the pen . the display may be a mechanical display or an electronic display , depending on whether the pen is a mechanical or electronic pen . the information can also be downloaded via a data port 126 to a computer or other electronic storage device so that it may be subsequently reviewed by the user or a health professional . data port 126 is preferably an electronic connector , but as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art , an infrared port or any wireless port could be substituted to perform a data exchange function without departing from the present invention . likewise , data may be uploaded to the pen via data port 126 to install , for example , updated software . examples of medication delivery pens that may be employed in the present invention are disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 536 , 249 , 5 , 827 , 232 and 5 , 582 , 598 . similar to the medication delivery pen 110 , the lancet 108 may be of any type known to those of ordinary skill in the art . the lancet 108 will typically include an actuator such as a button for actuating a mechanism that displaces a disposable lancet . the mechanism also returns the lancet to its initial position after it has been inserted into the finger of the user . a glucose monitor is integrated into housing 102 . the glucose monitor includes a display 120 , a reaction chamber ( not shown ) disposed in the housing 102 , and a test strip interface 122 . the test strip interface 122 is located on the first end 112 of the housing 102 proximate the lancet compartment 104 . a disposable test strip on which a blood sample is placed is inserted into the test strip interface 122 . when a blood sample enters into the reaction chamber , the blood glucose level is measured using well - known electrochemical or reflectance techniques . in some embodiments of the invention electrochemical techniques are preferred because they require a relatively small sample of blood , employ a small test strip , and provide a quick response . electronics such as a microprocessor and other components , e . g ., batteries , associated with the glucose monitor are located in the enclosure of housing 102 . the electronic circuitry determines and stores the blood glucose level analyzed in the reaction chamber . a bidirectional data port 124 located on the housing 102 is coupled to the electronic circuitry for transferring data to or from an external device such as a computer , phone jack or a communication network . it should be noted that in some embodiments of the invention employing an electronic medication delivery pen having downloading capabilities , data ports 124 and 126 may be combined so that only a single port is required on housing 102 . moreover , aside from the data ports , the electronic pen and glucose monitor also may be in communication with one another both to share data and eliminate redundant components . for example , a single display may be provided on the housing for displaying the data from both the glucose monitor and the electronic pen . furthermore , some embodiments of the invention may employ a third display that integrates and displays the data from both the electronic pen and the glucose monitor . in those embodiments of the invention that employ a mechanical delivery pen , the display located on the housing may be configured so that it automatically switches between two modes . in the first mode , when the pen is installed in the compartment 106 the display displays the blood glucose data . when the pen is removed from its compartment , the display switches to a mode that allows information from the medication delivery pen to be manually entered . this allows the patient to use the invention as a simple electronic log book to recall data from memory . specifically , the user can enter the number of insulin units that are injected so that this data is stored in the electronics associated with the glucose monitor for subsequent downloading . this arrangement eliminates the need for manually recording the insulin dosage , which would otherwise be required with a mechanical pen . after the pen has been reinstalled in its compartment , the display automatically returns to displaying glucose levels . in the particular embodiment of the invention shown in fig1 - 3 , the display 120 of the glucose monitor is located in the lancet compartment 104 and forms a portion of the inner surface defining lancet compartment 104 . accordingly , the display 120 is only accessible when the lancet 108 has been removed from the lancet compartment 104 and is therefore protected when the lancet 108 is in place . the housing 102 may optionally include an accessory compartment 128 for storing such ancillary items as test strips , lancets , and needles . the test strips may be housed in a container that itself is stored in the accessory compartment 128 . in contrast to pen and lancet compartments 106 and 104 , accessory compartment 128 includes a cover 130 that may be snapped or pivotally mounted to the housing 102 . when closed , the cover 130 is flush with the surface of the housing 102 . a desiccant may also be provided in accessory compartment 128 to enhance the useful lifetime of the test strips . in some embodiments of the invention the accessory compartment may be partitioned into two or more portions . one portion of the compartment can store unused items while another partition can be used to store used items such as used test strips until they can be otherwise disposed of . the particular arrangement of components in the housing 102 which is depicted in the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing figures allows the system to be used in a convenient fashion while reducing the likelihood that any of the components will be used improperly or in an improper sequence . for example , the pen and lancet compartments 106 and 104 are located on opposing ends of the housing to ensure an even distribution of weight along the housing and also to reduce the chance that the user will inadvertently interchange the medication delivery pen 110 and the lancet 108 . in addition , the display 120 of the blood glucose monitor is located in the lancet compartment 104 so that it is only exposed when it is needed , e . g ., immediately after blood has been drawn by the lancet 108 . likewise , the test strip interface 122 is located on the same end of the housing as the lancet compartment 104 since both will be used when monitoring blood glucose levels . furthermore , the pen , lancet and accessory compartments 106 , 104 , and 128 may all be located on the same surface , e . g ., upper surface 116 , of housing 102 . of course , the present invention is not limited to the arrangement of the components shown in the figures . rather , the invention contemplates that the components may be arranged in a variety of different configurations . for example , in some embodiments of the invention the pen and lancet compartments may be located on the same end of the housing rather than on opposite ends . similarly , the display 120 of the glucose monitor need not be located in the lancet compartment but may be placed on any portion of the housing 102 . according to an embodiment of the invention , the above described diagnostic and medication delivery system is enhanced to monitor dosage and patient data and notify the patient if they stray from their therapy target . as shown in fig4 a - 4c , the device is connected to a computer 132 through data port 124 as described above . in this manner , specific therapy regimen can be programmed into the system at startup , and data from the device can be transferred to a pc 132 over a network for detailed analysis . fig4 a illustrates the device 100 connected to a computer 132 through a cable 134 with a connector adapted to connect to data port 124 . fig4 b illustrates the device 100 connected to computer 132 through a convenient cradle 136 adapted to accept and support the device 100 while at the same time making an appropriate electrical connection to data port 124 . fig4 c illustrates a wireless connection between device 100 and computer 132 . the wireless connection can be implemented through an infrared transmitter / receiver , or through any other wireless communication method such as , for example , through the bluetooth or 802 . 11b protocols . the diagnostic and medication delivery system 100 is particularly advantageous when used in conjunction with a disease management paradigm . preferably in connection with a consultation with a health care provider , the device 100 is programmed with specific therapy regimen data . this process is advantageous in that it ensures and guides target setting . also , health care professional ( hcp ) and patient partnering is encouraged at this stage . the device 100 assesses progress verses targets with each smbg reading , and deviation from targets causes intervention in real time . further more , the definition of “ deviating from target ” can be as sophisticated as necessary . the device 100 can alert the user , not only if the target is missed on a particular reading , but also if the historical data stored in the unit indicates failure to progress towards the target , consistent - prandial highs , or the interaction of dose levels and glucose measures , for example . if an alert is necessary , the patient simply connects the data port 124 to a pc 132 or communication network , as appropriate , to receive more sophisticated analysis , and opportunity for self - assessment of performance related to key factors , and suggestions for actions to take to improve performance . the connection can be made through an appropriately configured cradle for the device , a cable , or an ir or other wireless link . fig5 - 8 illustrate exemplary screen shots of a display for setting up the device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention , when the device 100 is connected to a pc 132 or a network . fig7 illustrates a data entry screen shot . as shown , the screen includes patient name , current regimen , glucose control data , and standards of care data . in use , the device 100 alerts the user when doses are due , when smbg readings need to be taken , and if the smbg levels are outside of target . if the user receives an alert , they reconnect the device to a pc 132 or network for further analysis and determination of appropriate corrective action . fig9 illustrates a device 100 displaying an alert after a smbg reading . upon completion of a smbg test , the device alerts the user if the glucose value reported indicates a departure from their path to targeted control . once an alert is received , the user would download the device data to a pc for analysis , information and action suggestions . preferred embodiments of the present invention advantageously provide an opportunity for the patient to perform self - assessment in order to receive highly relevant suggestions for improvement of their disease management . an exemplary screen shot of a graphical illustration of recent readings generated from data transferred from the device 100 to the pc 132 or network is shown in fig1 . in the example illustrated in fig1 , an alert was generated because more than 50 % of the patient &# 39 ; s smbg readings were outside of their target , or the “ green zone .” fig1 - 15 illustrate a novel self - assessment system and method according to an embodiment of the present invention . fig1 illustrates an informational screen shot informing the patient of three common factors which are known to cause difficulty in glucose control . fig1 illustrates a graphical user interface that enables the patient to self - assess their performance in several key areas . a large target image 200 is presented , along with several factor icons 202 , 204 , 206 . the patient moves or “ drags ” the icons 202 , 204 , 206 onto a position on the target image 200 representative of their self - assessment of their performance relative to that factor . a target image 200 having icons 202 , 204 , 206 dragged onto it by a patient is illustrated in fig1 . fig1 illustrates a follow - up screen generated upon analysis of the patient &# 39 ; s self - assessment . in the exemplary instance , food plan was indicated as a trouble area . thus , the system provides follow up questions to determine the best course of action . fig1 illustrates the choices selected as answers to each questions by a patient . finally , utilizing the data received from the patient , the device 100 , and a set of guidelines , such as sdm guidelines , actionable alternatives are presented to the patient . the actionable alternatives could include , for example , the opportunity to review nutrition education material , daily nutrition tracking tools , hyperlinks to nutrition counseling resources , testimonials from successful people who overcame similar circumstances , links to support groups , support chat rooms , a link to a participating rph , recommended reading , language to facilitate discussion of the patient &# 39 ; s problem with their hcp , and additional self - assessment tools to identify the dynamics of their negative eating habits ( such as , for example , time of day or circumstance drivers ). the present invention advantageously takes advantage of the knowledge and experience gained through the use of successful guidelines , such as sdm guidelines , and combines them with instant feedback and actionable alternatives and recommendations . of course , the principles of the present invention could be embodied in many varying forms . as an example , the above described combination of a device 100 with the system could be modified to eliminate the device , and depend on patient manually entering data , nurse or hcp entering of data , or any other combination . furthermore , as will be readily understood , the principles of the invention are applicable far beyond diabetes management , although diabetes management is contemplated as the exemplary and preferred embodiment . many varying medical uses , and non - medical uses , are contemplated . the principles of the invention are useful in any diagnostic and feedback system , in which guidelines are used to determine future courses of action . while the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments and applications thereof , numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims .	6
referring to the drawings , the circuit arrangement shown in fig1 is supplied at an input terminal 1 with a data signal ds from a data source 2 . this data signal ds consists of binary data elements ` 0 ` and ` 1 `, as illustrated in waveform diagram ( a ) in fig4 . in response to this data signal ds the circuit arrangement is operable to produce at an output terminal 3 a tone signal ts consisting of two tone frequencies f0 and f1 which correspond , respectively , to the data elements ` 0 ` and ` 1 ` in the data signal ds . in this embodiment the tone frequency f0 is assumed to be the higher of the two frequencies , but this is optional . typical frequency values are f0 = 2600 hz and f1 = 1300 hz . this tone signal ts is illustrated in waveform diagram ( b ) in fig4 . the transformation of the data signal ds into the tone signal ts becomes necessary in certain applications , for instance where the information carried by the data signal ds is to be recorded on a standard audio cassette tape . the characteristics of such a cassette tape would not enable the information to be recorded therein if the data signal ds were applied directly to an audio tape recorder . this application of the circuit arrangement is exemplified in fig1 by the connection of the output terminal 3 via a link 4 to an audio tape recorder 5 . to effect the transformation of the data signal ds into the tone signal ts , the circuit arrangement of fig1 comprises a modulator 6 , an exclusive or - gate 7 and an integrator 8 . the modulator 6 has the data signal ds applied to it and is responsive thereto to produce a digital signal dss having a predetermined pattern of binary ` 0 ` and binary ` 1 ` values . this predetermined pattern repeats for the duration of each data element ` 0 ` in the applied data signal ds at a first bit rate and repeats for the duration of each data element ` 1 ` at a second bit rate . waveform diagram ( d ) in fig4 illustrates a predetermined binary pattern for the digital signal dss , this pattern being repeated at a first bit rate to form the digital signal dss ( f0 ) with respect to the data element ` 0 `, and being repeated at a second bit rate to form the digital signal dss ( f1 ) with respect to the data element ` 1 `. the digital signal dss is applied directly to a first resistive input r of the integrator 8 via an output terminal a . a second output terminal b is connected to a second resistive input r of the integrator 8 , this second output terminal b being fed with the output from the exclusive or - gate 7 . a first input y of the gate 7 has the digital signal dss applied to it and a second input x of the gate 7 has the data signal ds applied to it . a truth table 9 gives the logic operations for the circuit arrangement , from which table it can be seen that the two output terminals a and b have the same logic level when there is a data element ` 0 ` present in the data signal ds , whereas the output terminals a and b have opposite logic levels when there is a data element ` 1 ` present in the data signal ds . as a result , the effective input resistive reff . into the integrator 8 is r . r / r + r when the subsisting data element is a ` 0 `, and is r . r / r - r when the subsisting data element is a ` 1 `. the resistive input that currently obtains combines with a capacitor c in the integrator 8 to perform a delta modulation decoding operation on the digital signal dss as thus selectively applied to it . because of the different values of resistive input for the two bit rates of the digital signal dss , different delta modulation slopes ( i . e . different rc time constants ) are used for the decoding operation . this is illustrated in waveform diagram ( c ), in which there is shown a pure sine wave sw ( f0 ) for the frequency f0 and a pure sine wave sw ( f1 ) for the frequency f1 . superimposed on these two sine waves are respective approximation sine waves asw ( f0 ) and asw ( f1 ) which are generated as the output voltage from the integrator 8 and thus form the tone signal ts . it is to be appreciated that only one or the other of these two approximation sine waves would be generated at a time in accordance with the data element content of the data signal ds . inspection of waveform diagrams ( c ) and ( d ) together will show that a succession of binary ` 1 ` values in the digital signals dss ( f0 ) and dss ( f1 ) produce the rising slope of the relevant approximation sine wave , and a succession of binary ` 0 ` values produce the falling slope . the peaks are approximated by alternate binary ` 1 ` and binary ` 0 ` values . the circuit arrangement shown in fig2 is in many respects similar to that shown in fig1 and corresponding elements in these two figures have been given the same reference letters or numerals . additionally , the circuit arrangement shown in fig2 comprises an and - gate 10 and a pulse waveform generator 11 , while its integrator 8 has only a single resistive input r . the pulse waveform generator 11 is operable to produce a pulse waveform pw having a mark - to - space ratio that is not equal to unity , this pulse waveform being applied to a first input of the and - gate 10 . the data signal ds is applied to a second input of the and - gate 10 , so that the pulse waveform pw is produced at the output of the and - gate 10 when a data element ` 1 ` occurs in the data signal ds . the effect of gating the pulse waveform pw ( instead of the data signal ds ) with the digital signal dss in the gate 7 is to reduce the effective mean amplitude of the digital signal dss as applied to the integrator 8 . however , since the pulse waveform as thus gated depends on the presence of a data element ` 1 ` in the data signal ds , this mean amplitude reduction occurs only in respect of the lower tone frequency f1 , of the two possible tone frequencies to be generated . thus , the output from the gate 7 is either an interrupted digital signal idss for generating the tone frequency f1 or an uninterrupted digital signal for generating the tone frequency f0 . as a result , the output voltage at the output terminal 3 of the integrator 8 tends to have the same level for each of these two frequencies . without this amplitude correction the output voltage level for the lower frequency f1 would tend to be higher than for the higher frequency f0 because of the low - pass filter effect of the integrator 8 . the form of the pulse waveform pw is illustrated in waveform diagram ( e ) of fig4 and the resulting &# 34 ; interrupted &# 34 ; digital signal idss at the output of the exclusive or - gate 7 is illustrated in waveform ( f ). a convenient arrangement for generating the pulsewaveform pw is shown in fig3 a . this arrangement comprises a clock pulse source 13 and a frequency divider 14 . assuming that the frequency divider 14 is a divide - by - four divider , as shown , then the mark - to - space ratio of the pulse waveform pw is 1 : 4 . the mean amplitude of the interrupted digital signal idss at the output terminal a is then in accordance with the truth table 15 . in other words , as illustrated in waveform diagram ( f ) in fig4 the interrupted digital signal idss is equivalent to the mean amplitude signal m / idss . the modulator 6 in each of the circuit arrangements of fig1 and 2 can be a read - only memory in which the predetermined binary pattern for forming the digital signal dss is stored , such a read - only memory being responsive to the data signal ds and to clock pulses ( not shown ) to produce the predetermined binary pattern at the relevant one of the two bit rates in accordance with the subsisting data element in the data signal ds . alternatively , the modulator 6 can be comprised , as shown in fig3 b , by a clock pulse source 16 , a divide - by - two frequency divider 17 and a switch 18 . the clock pulse source 16 produces a pulse train of frequency df0 , and the frequency divider 17 produces a pulse train of frequency df1 . the switch 18 , which is shown as a mechanical switch but which in practice would be implemented electronically , is switched by the data signal ds to produce the digital signal dss with the bit frequency f0 when a data element ` 0 ` occurs and with the bit frequency f1 when a data element ` 1 ` occurs . in the general case , the frequency divider 17 can be a ÷ n divider . in the implementation of a circuit arrangement according to the invention the integrator means can be approximated by a low - pass filter as has effectively been exemplified by the rc - construction of the integrator 8 in fig1 and 2 . the low - pass filter action produces the analog tone signal in response to the applied digital signal .	7
first , the window adjustment process for an arbitrary hop of an arbitrary session within a network is described . this same process is to be applied at every hop of every session in the network . the term hop refers to two adjacent nodes and the facilities connecting these nodes . as shown in fig1 a packet 10 that flows in the network is structured into two parts : an information data field 2 and a header 4 . the header is used by the communication protocol to assist in packet processing . the header has various bits of which only the following are relevant for this invention . rqs / rsp bit -- this bit is used to indicate whether the packet is a data request ( rqs ) or response ( rsp ) packet . the sender sets the rqs / rsp bit = on for every packet that carries user information . when the rqs / rsp is on , this bit shall be referred to as a request bit or an rqs bit . the receiver sets the rqs / rsp bit = off to indicate acknowledgment of having received the request . when the rqs / rsp bit is off , this bit shall be referred to as a pacing response bit or an rsp bit . pacing bit -- the sender will set the pacing bit = on every time it starts a new window . the receiver sets the pacing bit = on when it sends a rsp bit ( response ) back to the sender with a new window size . prq / prs -- these packets are identified by a combination of the rqs / rsp and pacing bits . prq -- this is a request packet ( also referred to as the pacing request ) that uses the first packet of a window and therefore the pacing bit and the rqs / rsp bit are set to on . prs -- this is a response packet that is used for the flow control algorithm , and therefore , the pacing bit is set . in the information field , the prs packet has unique information containing the new window size to be used by the sender . wr ( window received ) is a bit in each packet &# 39 ; s header which is set by the sender in the first packet following the arrival of a pacing response ( prs ). this packet will carry the wr = on . in other words , a wr &# 34 ; acknowledges &# 34 ; the receipt of a prs by the sender . the new dynamic window adjustment scheme of this invention is a unique way to find the best window size in one iteration for whatever the change in the window size should be . windows are not reduced incrementally . instead , the scheme accurately estimates the best window reduction amount and &# 34 ; converges &# 34 ; in one iteration . when increasing windows , the scheme may &# 34 ; overshoot ,&# 34 ; but this will be corrected in the next iteration . if a session receives a new window before it exhausts a previous window , the session must have had been too large a window because its packets are not being transmitted fast enough by the sender . similarly , if packets of a later window catch up with the packets of a previous window at the receiver , the window size is too large because the receiver cannot forward the packets fast enough . essentially , the desirable window size should be based on two quantities : a ) the slower of the transmitting or receiving rates and b ) the window turn around time ( i . e ., the elapsed time between a prq departing and a subsequent prs arriving at the sender ). cnt -- count is the number of packets that arrive at a node in the interval between a prq arrival and the wr packet arrival . cnt thus samples the packet arrival rate during the time of one &# 34 ; round trip delay &# 34 ;. at the receiver , cnt and ql are incremented for each arriving packet and ql is decremented for each departing forwarded packet . ww -- ww is the working window size , which is the number of packets that the sender is permitted to transmit . ww is reduced by one for every departure and will increase by the window size ( ws ) when receiving a prs . nw -- nw is the size of the next window permitted . nw will be updated by the new window value indicated in every new arrival of a prs . the value of nw is the last value of ws which was calculated using equation 1 or 2 , depending on whether ql is greater than or equal to zero and on whether the pacing bit is on . lwr -- lwr is a flag used to indicate that no data packet has been transmitted since the last pacing response ( prs ) arrival . the algorithm has two parts . the first part is processed before the packet is queued for the next hop , and the second is processed when the sender dequeues a packet in order to transmit on the next hop . fig2 shows the flow diagram for the algorithm , and below is a detailed description of the various aspects of the scheme . referring to fig2 the first part starts at box 201 and ends at box 209 . upon arrival of a packet at node ( 201 ), the receivers check the wr bit in the header . if this bit is not set , then there is no need to adjust the window size , and therefore , the packet goes directly to box 206 to update local parameters . however , if the wr bit is set , then the correct window size for the next request must be computed . it may happen that the result is the same value as for the previous window size . in box 202 , ql is checked . if the ql is not zero , then the conclusion is that the previous window was too big . the receiver computes a new reduced window size ( ws ) in box 203 as follows : where w min is a prespecified parameter representing the minimum window size and b is a design parameter representing a damping factor . w min is chosen so as to keep the flow control overhead within acceptable levels . non - zero b is used to prevent possible over - reaction . both of the values , w min and b , are tunable parameters and used for practical reasons . for example , w min and b can be 10 and 2 , respectively , so that there is at most one control packet ( e . g ., prs packet ) for every 10 data packets . when the queue is empty ( 202 ) the pacing bit is checked ( 204 ). if no pacing request is indicated by the pacing bit , then the sender has a bigger window than it can handle , and the receiver again computes a new reduced window in box 203 . so far , the method of decrementing the window size was described . the intent here is to provide a window size that matches the packet departure rate , but allows a certain number of packets b , to queue up at the receiving node . the following observations should help to clarify the schemes : if the subsequent hop is not a bottleneck then one would expect ql to be close to b and thus the window size ( as indicated by cnt ) nearly matches the round trip delay of the hop under consideration , thus keeping the &# 34 ; pipe full &# 34 ;. when the subsequent hop becomes a bottleneck , ql grows large so that new -- window is reduced towards w min . if the session is mostly inactive , the new -- window need increase beyond w min . normally , the window oscillates somewhat , and parameter b determines a delay / throughput trade - off and affects buffer utilization in the node . in box 204 , in the case where the queue is empty and the pacing bit is set , the receiver can afford to increase its transmission rate , and the sender indeed requests a larger window . in such case , the window size ( ws ) is increased to the following ( 205 ): since the receiver has no information about the future traffic on the session , it must &# 34 ; guess &# 34 ; a new window that is between cnt and w max . but the scheme is not sensitive to an over - estimate because the window reduction in equation ( 1 ) will always quickly correct any over - reaction . therefore , almost any heuristic that aggressively increments the window from size cnt towards size w max will quickly &# 34 ; converge &# 34 ;. equation ( 2 ) should be viewed only as an example . for any incoming packet , the receiver has to increase the queue size . however , the cnt is increased for every incoming packet until it is reset . it is reset when the pacing bit is set . thus , for any incoming packet , if the pacing bit is on , the cnt will be set to one ( 206 , 207 ); however , if the pacing bit is off , the cnt will be incremented by one ( 206 , 208 ). after either step 207 or 208 the incoming packet flows into the queue . all the packets that are in the outgoing queue are under the responsibility of the sender protocol . however , the receiver makes sure that for every packet that leaves the queue , it updates ql ( 210 ) and checks for the pacing bit ( 211 ). if the pacing bit is set , then it is the responsibility of the receiver to create a prs ( pacing response ) packet with the window size from ws and send it back to sender of his own hop ( box 212 ). it may happen that the new -- window size computed by the above procedure exceeds the number of available &# 34 ; uncommitted &# 34 ; packet buffers at the receiver . in this case , to avoid over commitment of receive packet buffers , the receiver transmits an extended pacing response ( prs ) that contains two numbers : the number of available , &# 34 ; uncommitted &# 34 ; packet buffers ( which is less than ws ) and the &# 34 ; ideal &# 34 ; new -- window size ( ws ) computed by the above procedure . the non - extended prs packet has a data filed for only one number . when the sender obtains such an extended prs , it can , of course , use the available , uncommitted number as the &# 34 ; next window &# 34 ; for the relevant session . but the sender can also increase the &# 34 ; next window &# 34 ; up to the value of the ideal new -- window number by subtracting a like number of pacing credits from the shared credit pool ( scp ) which will be described below . referring to fig3 the sender flow control algorithm can be triggered by two independent events . either the queue has packets to send ( 301 - 307 ) or a prs arrived from the receiver ( 308 ). the process of sending a packet requires permission from receiver in the form of a ww & gt ; 0 . this permission is checked in box 301 . if the ww is greater than zero , then the sender dequeues the packet and reduces the working window size by one ( 302 ). the reduced working window size is then compared with the value of the last window size received from the pacing response ( 303 ). if this working window size is one less than the last value of ws received from the pacing response , then the pacing bit is set to on ( 304 ). then , the lwr flag is checked ( 305 ). if this flag is set to on , then the wr bit in the packet which was just dequeued is set to on ( 306 ). as explained above , setting the lwr flag to on indicates that no data packet has been transmitted since the last pacing response arrived at the sender . finally , the dequeued packet ( 302 ) is transmitted to the receiver ( 307 ). independent of the queue length or the window size , the sender may receive a prs . processing the prs is shown in box 308 . resetting the nw means that the prs has a new value for nw . it is part of the information as seen in fig1 . fig4 shows the structure of a sender with the shared credit pool ( scp ). each session maintains a send queue ( 404 , 404 &# 39 ;, 404 &# 34 ;), bits for indicating lwr , ww and nw ( 405 , 405 &# 39 ;, 405 &# 34 ;), and an idle bit ( 406 , 406 &# 39 ;, 406 &# 34 ;). depicted in fig7 are sessions 901 , 902 , . . . , 9n . an on idle bit of a session is used to indicate that the session was idle , i . e ., had an empty send queue . there is one scheduler 401 , which follows a certain discipline and decides the ordering of transmissions among sessions . there are two scheduling modes : exclusive and share . the scheduler also needs a register , last - send 403 , to set the scheduling modes . fig5 shows the process that the sender either sends a packet for or collects pacing counts from a scheduler session . the process starts with a selected session , as in block 501 . the process is conditioned on whether or not the session has an empty queue , as in block 502 . if the queue is empty and the session &# 39 ; s idle bit is not set ( 503 ), then the idle bit is set ( 504 ) and the session &# 39 ; s pacing count in excess of w &# 39 ; is sent to shared credit pool ( 505 and 506 ). if the queue is not empty and the session has non - zero pacing count ( 507 ), a data packet is sent using one of the session &# 39 ; s own pacing count ( 508 and 509 ). if the session has no private pacing count , it can use a pacing count from scp if the scheduling is in share mode ( 510 , 511 , 512 and 513 ). w &# 39 ; is a system parameter and is recommended to have a value of ## equ1 ## fig6 shows the process of changing the scheduling mode . there are two scheduling modes : share and exclusive . in exclusive mode , a session must use its own pacing count to send data packets . in share mode , sessions with idle = 1 can use pacing counts from the scp to send data packets . the process starts with some initialization of last - send ( 600 ) and a currently selected session ( 601 ), and is conditioned on the current scheduling mode ( 602 ). if the scheduling is in exclusive mode , the process is dependent on whether or not the selected session sends a data packet ( 603 ). if the session sends a data packet , the mode is not changed and last - send is updated to record the selected session , as in 606 . if the session does not send any data packet , the fact that last - send = session ( 604 ) indicates that no session sends any data packet between two consecutive schedulings of the selected session . this is the situation where no session can use their own pacing counts to send data packets . the scheduling mode is then switched to share mode 605 . the scheduling is switched from share mode to exclusive mode as soon as one session can send a data packet using its own pacing count . hence , given the scheduling is in share mode , if the selected session has ( 1 ) non - empty send queue ( 607 ), ( 2 ) idle set of off ( 608 ), and ( 3 ) non - zero pacing counts ( 609 ), the scheduling is changed to exclusive mode ( 610 ). sessions with idle = 0 use pacing counts from the scp to send data packets in share scheduling mode until they get new windows , i . e ., when they receive new prs &# 39 ; s . hence , the idle bit is reset to 0 upon arrival of the prs . fig7 shows the process of resetting idle bit . the process is triggered when a session receives a prs ( 701 ). then , idle is set to off ( 702 ) and pc is set to the value specified in prs ( 703 ). pacing counts in the scp should not get too large ; otherwise , the receiver looses control of its receiving buffers . an isolated pacing message ( ipm ) called return credit ( or simply rc ) is devised for this procedure . the sender usually sends rc &# 39 ; s at convenient time such as when the scheduling is in share mode . however , if the pacing count in the scp exceeds a prespecified threshold , then the return of the pacing credits is expedited . with either way of returning pacing counts , it is desirable to maintain some amount of pacing counts in scp . a recommended value is w max . fig8 shows this process , in which the convenient time is when the scheduling is in share mode . the process is conditioned on whether scp has accumulated more pacing counts than the threshold or not ( 801 ). if yes , the return is expedited by sending rc with ( scp - w max ) pacing counts immediately ( 802 ) and resetting the scp to w max ( 803 ). if the threshold is not exceeded , an rc with ( scp - w max ) pacing counts is sent only if ( 1 ) the scp has more pacing counts than w max and ( 2 ) the time is convenient , i . e ., scheduling is in share mode ( 805 ). also , when the rc is sent under the latter two conditions , the scp is reset to w max ( see 807 ). this process is activated whenever pacing counts are added to the scp or the time is convenient such as in share scheduling mode .	7
with reference first to fig1 there is illustrated lens holding system 2 for use in fiber optic output couplers . system 2 includes , in part , upper assembly 4 and lower assembly 50 . upper assembly 4 includes , receiver 5 , fiber holder 6 , fiber optic 8 , holder 10 , retainer ring 12 , lens holder and aligner 14 , lens 16 , lens retainer and aligner 18 , lens 20 , holder 22 , lens retainer 24 , conventional fasteners 26 , main body 28 , retainer ring 30 and alignment beam 70 . receiver 5 , preferably , is a quick connect / disconnect receiver such as that disclosed in commonly assigned u . s . pat . no . 5 , 142 , 600 , entitled &# 34 ; optical fiber quick connect / disconnect for a power laser &# 34 ;. receiver 5 includes a conventional fiber holder 6 which holds a conventional fiber optic 8 . rotatably attached to receiver 5 is holder 10 . located within holder 10 is retainer ring 12 . rotatably attached to holder 10 is lens holder and aligner 14 . located within lens holder and aligner 14 are notches 15 , 17 . located within lens holder and aligner 14 is lens 16 . lens 16 , preferably , is a 10 millimeter fused silica plano - concave lens . located within lens holder and aligner 14 is lens retainer and aligner 18 . located within lens retainer and aligner 18 is notch 19 . located within lens retainer and aligner 18 is lens 20 . lens 20 , preferably , is a 10 millimeter plano - convex lens and is constructed of the same material as lens 16 . rotatably attached to lens holder and aligner 14 is holder 22 . rotatably attached to holder 22 is lens retainer 24 . conventional fasteners 26 are used to hold lens retainer 24 onto holder 22 . main body 28 is rotatably attached to holder 10 . finally , retainer ring 30 is rotatably attached to lens holder and aligner 52 of lower assembly 50 . elements 5 , 6 , 8 , 10 , 12 , 14 , 18 , 22 , 24 , 26 , 28 and 30 , preferably are constructed of aluminum . with respect to lower assembly 50 , assembly 50 includes , lens holder and aligner 52 , retainer ring 54 , lens 56 , lens holder and aligner 58 , lens 60 , holder 62 , lens retainer 64 , conventional fasteners 66 , and output end 68 . in particular , lens holder and aligner 52 is rotatably attached to main body 28 and retainer ring 30 . retainer ring 54 is rotatably attached to lens holder and aligner 52 . lens 56 , is substantially located within lens holder and aligner 52 and abuts against notch 53 in aligner 52 . lens 56 , preferably , is a 15 millimeter diameter plano - concave fused silica lens . lens holder and aligner 58 is located within lens holder and aligner 52 , abuts against notch 55 in aligner 52 , and is used to retain lens 56 within lens holder and aligner 52 . lens 60 is located within lens holder and aligner 58 and abuts against notch 59 in aligner 58 . lens 60 is constructed substantially the same as lens 56 . holder 62 is rotatably attached to lens holder and aligner 52 . lens retainer 64 is rigidly attached to holder 62 by conventional fastener 66 . lens retainer 64 is used to retain lens 60 within notch 59 of lens holder and aligner 58 . finally , a conventional output end 68 is rotatably attached to holder 62 . output end 68 can be any output end which is capable of performing a material process such as cutting , welding , drilling and / or soldering . elements 52 , 54 , 58 , 62 , 64 and 66 , preferably , are constructed of aluminum . with respect to the construction of lens holding system 2 , fig2 illustrates a completely constructed lens holding system . in particular , in order to construct lens holding system 2 , holder 10 is placed within receiver 5 and rotated such that holder 10 bottoms out against receiver 5 . retainer ring 12 is placed within holder 10 . lens holder and aligner 14 is placed within retainer ring 12 and holder 10 . lens 16 is placed within lens holder and aligner 14 such that lens 16 abuts against notch 15 ( fig1 ) of aligner 16 . lens retainer and aligner 18 is inserted into lens holder and aligner 16 such that lens retainer and aligner 18 abuts up against lens 16 . in this manner , lens retainer and aligner 18 only holds the edges of lens 16 against lens holder and aligner 14 . aligner 18 is then held in place by holder 22 . this provides maximal use of the aperture of lens 16 . after lens 16 is held in place , a conventional alignment beam 70 is produced by a helium : neon or low power nd : yag source ( not shown ) and emitted out of fiber optic 8 . the alignment beam impinges on lens 16 . aligner 14 , which now contains lens 16 , is rotated by a conventional rotating tool until a collimated beam image in the far field is produced which is both crisp and round . this technique is a conventional one for properly focusing a beam on a lens . once lens 16 is properly aligned , ring 12 is rotated such that aligner 14 is locked into place and the alignment of lens 16 is maintained . after lens 16 is aligned , holder 22 is then rotated off of aligner 14 and lens 20 is placed in aligner 18 such that lens 20 abuts against notch 19 ( fig1 ) of aligner 18 . at this point notch 19 ( fig1 ) is then abuts against notch 19 in lens holder and aligner 14 . after lens 20 is inserted in the lens retainer and aligner 18 , holder 22 is rotated on lens holder and aligner 14 such that holder 22 bottoms out against lens retainer and aligner 18 . lens retainer 24 is placed into holder 22 such that retainer 24 holds lens 20 against notch 19 ( fig1 ). this position of retainer 24 against lens 20 provides the maximal useful lens aperture of lens 20 . retainer 24 is then fastened against holder 22 by fasteners 26 . once upper assembly 4 is completed , main body 28 is rotated onto holder 10 such that main body 28 bottoms out against holder 10 . lens holder and aligner 52 of lower assembly 50 is rotated into main body 28 . retainer ring 30 is rotated onto lens holder and aligner 54 such that retainer ring 30 approaches main body 28 . lens 56 is inserted into lens holder and aligner 52 such that lens 56 abuts against notch 53 ( fig1 ) in lens holder and aligner 52 . lens holder and aligner 58 is inserted into lens holder and aligner 52 such that lens holder and aligner 58 holds the edges of lens 56 against notch 53 ( fig1 ). again , as with lens holder and retainer 18 , lens holder and aligner 58 only holds the edges of lens 56 against lens holder and aligner 52 . this maximizes the useful lens aperture of lens 56 . holder 62 is rotated onto lens holder and aligner 52 such that lens holder and aligner 58 holds lens 56 against lens holder and aligner 52 . the alignment beam 70 is again used in order to align lens 56 . again , as with the alignment of lens 16 , a collimated beam image in the far field which is crisp and round should be produced by the proper alignment of lens 56 . this is accomplished by rotating aligner 52 until a crisp image appears . at this point , retainer ring 30 is rotated such that lens holder and aligner 52 in its proper position to provide the proper alignment of lens 56 . after lens 56 is properly aligned , holder 62 is removed and lens 60 is placed within lens holder and aligner 58 such that lens 60 abuts against notch 59 ( fig1 ) in lens holder and aligner 58 . at this point , lens 60 abuts against notch 59 ( fig1 ) of lens holder and aligner 58 which abuts against notch 55 ( fig1 ) of lens holder and aligner 52 . lens retainer 54 is placed within lens holder and aligner 52 to hold the edges of lens 60 against notch 59 such that the use lens aperture of lens 60 is maximized . fasteners 66 are then used to rigidly retain lens retainer 64 onto holder 62 . finally , a conventional output end 68 is rotatably attached onto holder 62 such that holder 68 bottoms out against holder 62 . at this point lenses 56 and 60 of lower assembly 50 are in proper alignment . after lens system 2 has been constructed , the user then needs to determine the desired standoff or lens - to - nozzle distance ( d ) ( fig2 ) by conventional techniques . also , it is to be understood that various diameter lenses could be held within the mechanical means described as long as the appropriate mechanical means have been machined to accept lenses of choice . likewise , while the embodiment indicates plano - convex lenses , cylindrical lenses could also be used instead . also , the lenses could be replaced with other optical elements , for example , axicons , segmented prisms , segmented lenses , or various other optical configurations . the lens holding system can be modified for holding only a single optical element . likewise three or more optical elements could be simultaneously held . finally , the beam emitted from fiber optic 18 could be split in such a manner as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 054 , 877 , entitled &# 34 ; multi - fiber optical coupler for a high power laser &# 34 ; and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention . once given the above disclosure , many other features , modification or improvements will become apparent to the skilled artisan . such features , modifications or improvements are , therefore , considered to be a part of this invention , the scope of which is to be determined by the following claims .	6
the first and second embodiments of the present invention as applied to the manufacture of an sram will be described with refrence to fig4 and 5 . fig4 a to 4e show the first embodiment of the present invention . in the first embodiment , as shown in fig4 a , an sio 2 layer 15 is formed on an si substrate 14 . a diffusion region 17 is formed in the substrate 14 by diffusion through an opening 16 formed in the sio 12 layer 15 . subsequently , as shown in fig4 b , a polycrystalline si layer 18 having a thickness of 50 to 200 å is formed by the low - pressure cvd method on the diffusion region 17 and the sio 2 layer 15 as in the prior art embodiment shown in fig1 . since a gas containing oxygen is not used in this step , an sio 2 layer is not formed between the diffusion region 17 and the polycrystalline si layer 18 as in the case of layer 20 of the second conventional example . as shown in fig4 c , a polycrystalline si layer 19 containing 2 to 10 atomic % of oxygen and having a thickness of 1 , 500 to 4 , 000 å is formed by the low - pressure cvd method on the polycrystalline si layer 18 . in this process , as in the case of the second conventional example , the polycrystalline si layer 18 is oxidized , and an sio 2 layer 20 having a thickness of about 10 to 30 å is formed between the first and second si layers 18 and 19 . as shown in fig4 d , in order to reduce the connecting resistance between the diffusion region 17 and the polycrystalline si layer 18 , p or as ions 21 are ion - implanted in the connecting portion at a dose of 1 × 10 16 cm - 2 and an acceleration energy of 70 kev . the si substrate 14 on which the polycrystalline si layers 18 and 19 are formed is annealed in an n 2 atmosphere at 900 to 1 , 000 , c for 20 to 60 minutes . then , as shown in fig4 e , the si crystal grains of the polycrystalline si layers 18 and 19 , which had sizes of 20 to 50 å , grow into si crystal grains 22 having sizes of about 200 å . the sio 2 layer 20 , which has been sandwiched between the polycrystalline si layers 18 and 19 , is formed into sio 2 masses 23 that are dispersed between the si crystal grains 22 . as a result , as shown in fig4 e , the sio 2 layer 20 disappears . the polycrystalline si layers 18 and 19 are ohmically connected and thus the polycrystalline si layers 19 and the diffusion region 17 are also ohmically connected . when the sram 11 is manufactured according to this embodiment , a resistor 13 having a resistance several times to several hundred times that of the first conventional example , using only the polycrystalline si layer 18 , can be formed . the stand - by current can be reduced to from 1 / n to 1 / 100n ( where n is a positive integer smaller than 10 .) furthermore , sio 2 layer does not remain as in the case of the second conventional example . therefore , the resistor 13 and the drain of the fet 12 can be ohmically connected . growth of crystal grains as described above is also described in m . hamasaki et al . &# 34 ; crystal graphic study of semiinsulating poly crystallize silicon ( sipos ) doped with oxygen atoms &# 34 ;, j . a . p . 49 ( 7 ), july 1978 pp 3987 - 3982 , and t . adachi et al ., &# 34 ; aes and pes studies of semi - insulating polycrystallize silicon ( sipos ) films &# 34 ;, j . e . cs fol . 127 , no . 7 , july 1980 , pp 1617 - 1621 . fig5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention and corresponds to fig4 e of the first embodiment . the second embodiment has substgantially the same steps as those of the first embodiment except that the polycrystalline si layer 18 is formed not on the entire surfaces of the diffusion region 17 and the sio 2 layer 15 but only on the diffusion region 17 and the portion of the sio 2 layer 15 near the region 17 . in the sram 11 , the polycrystalline si layer 19 is used as a resistor in a direction along the surface of the si substrate 14 . however , when the polycrystalline si layer 18 is formed on the entire surface of the si substrate 14 as shown in fig1 e , a current also flows in the polycrystaliine si layer 18 . since the polycrystalline si layer 18 has a lower resistivity than that of the polycrystalline si layer 19 , the layer 18 must be made extremely thin as compared with the layer 19 in order to obtain a high overall resistance . however , it is not easy to form a very thin polycrystalline si layer 18 , and product reliability also suffers when such a thin layer is used . as in this embodiment , however , if the polycrystalline si layer 18 is formed only near the diffusion region 17 to be in ohmic contact with the polycrystalline si layer 19 , a resistor portion 24 in the polycrystalline si layer 19 serving as a resistor 13 of the sram 11 has a high resistance . therefore , since the polycrystalline si layer 18 can be formed to have a thickness of 1 , 000 to 2 , 000 å larger than in the first embodiment , the layer 18 can be formed easily and product reliability is improved . in the first and second embodiments , the present invention is applied to the manufacture of srams . however , the present invention can also be applied to the manufacture of devices other than srams and it is our intent that the scope of the invention be limited only by that of the appended claims .	8
with reference to fig1 of the drawings , the 6 - dof hardware disclosed by the present invention is a mechanical armature 1 consisting of six mechanical linkages that support a surface 3 , and a pencil - like stylus 4 fixed to the center of the surface 3 to serve as a line perpendicular to the surface , i . e ., the normal surface . in one preferred embodiment of the invention , the first linkage 6 is connected to a fixed base 2 through the first rotational joint 7 such that the first linkage can rotate along its longitudinal axis . the base 2 can be removably or permanently fixed to any one of a number of surfaces , including the surface of a desk . according to the invention , the second linkage 8 is connected to and supported by the first linkage 6 at the second rotational joint 9 and can rotate along an axis that is perpendicular to the first mechanical linkage 6 . the rotation axes of the first joint 7 and the second joint 9 are perpendicular at any point in time . the third linkage 10 is connected to and supported by the second mechanical linkage 8 and is fixed relative to the second linkage 8 . according to the invention , the fourth linkage 11 is connected to and supported by the third linkage 10 at the third rotational joint 12 . fourth linkage 11 is able to rotate along an axis that is perpendicular to the third linkage . the rotation axes of the second joint 9 and the third joint 12 are perpendicular at any point in time . in the method of the invention , the fifth linkage 13 is a half circle . its middle point is connected to and supported by the fourth linkage 11 at the fourth rotational joint 14 . fifth linkage 13 is able to rotate along a diameter that is passing through its center and its middle point . the sixth mechanical linkage 15 is connected with its two ends to , and supported , by the fifth linkage 13 . both ends of the linkage 15 are rotatable , but only one is motorized and is regarded as the fifth rotational joint 16 . the axis of rotation of sixth mechanical linkage 15 is a diameter of fifth linkage 13 , running from fifth rotational joint 16 to the other end of linkage 15 . the surface 3 is connected to the sixth linkage 15 at the sixth rotational joint 17 and can rotate along a stylus 4 that is perpendicular to the sixth linkage 15 . in the method of the invention , the stylus 4 is fixed to the center of and is perpendicular to the surface 3 . weight balancing blocks 18 of heavy material such as lead are used as counter - balance so that the surface 3 and the stylus 4 can maintain their position and orientation at any point in temporal and spatial domains . weight balancing blocks 18 are fixed to balance arm 5 and mechanical linkage 11 . the ability of the armature to maintain static balance is an essential part of the invention . static balance is necessary to maintain the current position and orientation of the object under manipulation . static balance is achieved by the combination of symmetric design , lightweight materials , friction , holding torque of motors 80 , and where applicable , blocks 18 . according to the invention , mechanical leverage , friction , and counter - weight blocks 18 are used to support the stylus 4 , which reduces the potential fatigue experienced with isotonic 3 - d input devices such as a flying mouse . hence , one benefit of the present invention is to enable the operator to freely move the stylus 4 and the attached surface 3 in 3 - d space . the static nature of the armature device provided by the present invention enhances the stability and dexterity of the user manipulation of the stylus 4 . according to the invention , with this support and the gears contained in the servo 19 used at each joint of the mechanical linkage , the stylus 4 and its surface 3 can remain static without direct operator support instead of drifting away or collapsing to a rest position when the operator releases the stylus 4 . fig2 illustrates the first movement of the three rotation joints 7 , 9 and 12 and their related linkages in more detail . according to the invention , the length of linkage 6 , 8 , 10 , 11 and 13 can vary under a constraint such that the distance between joints 9 and 12 will be equal to the distance between joints 12 and 17 . when the other joints are fixed , and only joint 12 is in effect , the center point p o of surface 3 will sweep along the axis c - c and produce a circle centered at the center of joint 12 . however , since joint 12 is not fixed but can rotate along the axis b - b and results in another circle centered at the center of joint 9 . when the distance between joints 9 and 12 , and the distance between joints 12 and 17 are equal , the ultimate result of such rotation along different axes is a disk with a radius equal to twice the length between joint 9 and 12 . according to the invention , this disk can rotate along axis a - a and result in a sphere centered at the center of joint 9 , with a radius equal to twice the distance between joints 9 and 12 . this sphere is the space that the center point p o can reach , or the work space of the mechanical armature . this indicates that the position of p o is only determined by the first three joints and is independent of the angular positions at joints 14 , 16 and 17 . fig3 illustrates in more detail the arrangement of the last three joints and corresponding rotational axis according to the present invention . axes d - d , e - e and f - f cross at a single point , the center point p o of surface 3 . in this way , the position of p o is completely independent of the angular positions of joints 14 , 16 and 17 . the proximal end of linkage 4 has two ears 21 to allow the user to easily rotate the surface 3 . fig4 shows a close - up view of the sensor / encoder 80 coupled to motor / servo 19 , located at each rotational joint between two linkages . the coupled sensor / encoder 80 and motor / servo 19 provide information about the angular position of each rotational joint . sensor / encoder 80 may be either an optical encoder , a potentiometer , or some other mechanism for locating the position of an object in space . the information regarding the position of each rotational joint is transmitted from each sensor / encoder 80 via wires to the computer 20 . using the known length of each mechanical linkage , the configuration of rotational axis of each joint , and readings of sensor / encoder 80 at each joint , the software can , using forward kinematic equations , calculate the position and orientation of the surface 3 and stylus 4 at any time point of normal operation . the resulting data yields a 4 × 4 matrix containing sufficient information to determine the position and orientation of a scan plane , which can be sent to command the mr scanner 30 . the resulting scan plane is also displayed relative to the volume image of the object under investigation on a common computer screen . in the method of the invention , the expected image corresponding to the scan plane is also routinely displayed to the operator . with further reference to fig4 , each joint between two linkages is coupled with a motor or servo 19 . in one preferred embodiment , all motors are custom modified servos by hitech which can be directly controlled by a common personal computer 20 through a parallel port supplied with simple linear dc power that avoids the high costs generally associated with multi - degree motor control . each joint can rotate close to 360 degrees in order maximize workspace . in the practice of the invention , to concretely represent the scan plane by the device requires only a 4 × 4 matrix with the last column containing the three coordinates and the first three columns containing the orientation of the scan plane . according to the invention , this spatial information , the known length of each mechanical linkage , and the series of rotational axes are used by the software in the inverse kinematic equations needed to calculate the set of angles for the joints . further in the method of the invention , these angles and the current angular locations of the joints are then used to rotate each linkage so that that the surface 3 is moved to a place to reflect the scan plane relative to a reference coordinate fixed on the object that is under investigation . with reference to fig5 , the servo / motor 19 and encoder / sensor 80 are coupled . the inventors have modified a standard servo / motor for use with the armature . the modification consists of removing the potentiometer of a standard servo / motor , on top of which the output gear 65 of the original servo sits . a mechanical adapter shaft 70 is used to mount the output gear 65 and transmit the rotational position of the servo / motor 19 to the sensor / encoder 80 . after modification , servo horn 64 is attached to the output gear 65 which sits on the proximal end 74 of adapter 70 . the diameter of the second positioner 73 is slightly bigger than and can not pass through the hole on the top cover 67 , therefore preventing the adapter 70 from going through the cover . a hole is made at the bottom cover 61 of the servo 19 such that the distal end 71 can pass through it so that the adapter 70 is parallel to the rotational axis of the output gear 65 . the diameter of the first positioner 72 is slightly bigger than the hole such that the positioner 72 cannot pass through the hole in the bottom cover 61 of the servo 19 . the part of the distal end 71 that extends out of the bottom cover 61 passes through the middle hole of the rotating disk of encoder 80 , such that the rotation of the output gear 65 and horn 64 cause the disk of the encoder 80 to rotate exactly the same amount . as illustrated in fig6 and 8 , the first linkage 6 is parallel to the surface of desktop . when it is properly configured to a supine patient 22 , the mechanical support of the first linkage 6 can represent the back of the patient 22 . the geometrical configuration of the device enables the operator to have a reference coordinate fixed on a supine patient , with head close to the base . when imaging the cardiac axial , sagittal and coronal planes , the surface is orientated as shown in fig6 and 8 respectively . this is intuitive for the operator to establish the location of imaging planes relative to standard ones used in cardiology referenced to the known anatomy of the heart . fig9 shows one type of computer screen that can be used to program x , y and z coordinates as well as the pitch , yaw and roll . in fig9 , three sliders are used to program the x , y and z coordinates . the operator uses the “ rotate ” and “ degree ” buttons to program the pitch , yaw and roll . alternatively , the computer screen may use six sliders or any combination of sliders and buttons to achieve the goal of programming the desired coordinates and orientation . fig9 illustrates one example of how the mechanical armature can automatically follow the prescribed translation and rotation of the mri scan plane . a key feature of the invention is that it allows for both input and output control . in a preferred embodiment , a free software package for visualization ( vtk , kitware usa ) is used for graphical image rendering . according to the invention , a pre - acquired volume image of the object is volume rendered by texture map and displayed on a standard flat computer screen . the space occupied by the volume is registered through simple scaling to part of the workspace of the 6 - dof device . the scan plane that is to be physically represented ( in the case of output ) or to be manipulated by the 6 - dof ( in the case of input ) is also graphically displayed as a cutting plane relative to the volume rendered image . in a preferred embodiment , the image at the cutting plane is also rendered in a separate window to give the operator some feedback on the structure of the object . in a further preferred embodiment , tk / tcl is used for generating various user interfaces such as sliders and buttons for call back functions . in a particularly preferred embodiment , real time linux is used to write the driver to drive the motors 19 . according to the invention , several developed algorithms can be used to rotate the motor shafts to reach the destination based on the angular position of the destination and current position of a motor . this feature of the present invention eliminates the need for a multi - degree motor controller , which can be quite expensive for high degree - of - freedom devices . the method of the invention can be further characterized by way of additional preferred embodiments . in some situations it is desirable to restrict the movement of the stylus 4 along a pre - specified path . a few non - limiting examples include restricting the motion of the mri scan plane to a direction perpendicular to the plane , to the left / right , or to up / down , along the short - axis or long - axis of a heart or other organ . in surgical interventions , it is often desirable to restrict the movement of a surgical tool , for example , a catheter , to a certain trajectory , such as a cylinder towards a target tissue . for motion design in computer animation , there are many more similar applications . in accordance with the method of the present invention , there are at least three possible ways to constrain the input . the first way to constrain input is to encompass haptic force - feedback functionality in the armature by rendering forces at the appropriate point in time . for example , a monotonic function of the 3d vector can be rendered between the ideal point on the specified path and the current actual user manual input . forces can be applied to the user to guide the user input towards the specified path , wherein the user can freely specify the moving speed along the path . a second way to constrain the input is to place a physical representative of the desired path within the workspace of the armature . examples include a straight steel wire to indicate a straight path , or a spring to indicate a cylindrical path . according to the invention , the user can then manually move the stylus along the physical path , while freely specifying the moving speed along said physical path . a third way to constrain the input is to use the output functionality to put constraints on input positions . after each manual movement with the stylus 4 , the user can withdraw his hand and allow the armature to automatically revert to its output mode . the software will use the user &# 39 ; s current input to determine the ideal position on the pre - specified path within identified constraints , and automatically adjust the stylus position towards the pre - specified path . when the user &# 39 ; s hand holds the stylus during the next movement , the device automatically switches into its input mode and the user can freely moves the stylus towards the next position , which approximates the pre - specified path before releasing his hand . the device will then automatically adjust itself and dissipate any discrepancy between its current user input position and the ideal path . on this basis , inputs provided by the user are automatically adjusted and follow the pre - specified path . however , in the method of the invention , the user can still adjust the moving speed along any desirable path . clinical applications of the present invention can be broadly divided into diagnostic mr imaging and interventional mr imaging . artifacts due to patient movement are often a major problem in diagnostic mr imaging . with high - resolution scanning , which may require image acquisition over many seconds and even minutes , patient movement and breathing may induce motion artifacts and blurred images . according to the present invention , real - time determination of the location and orientation of the scanned object can reduce the effect of motion on mr scans by real - time control and correction of the scanning plane . the system disclosed by the present invention is particularly useful for various diagnostic and interventional procedures within the cardiovascular system ( heart chambers , coronary arteries , blood vessels ), the gastro - intestinal tract ( stomach , duodenum , biliary tract , gall bladder , intestine , colon ) and the liver , the urinary system ( bladder , ureters , kidneys ), the pulmonary system ( the bronchial tree or blood vessels ), the skeletal system ( joints ), the reproductive tract , and other organs and organ systems . the method of the invention will now be further described by way of a detailed example with particular reference to certain non - limiting embodiments related to interventional mri applications and to the accompanying drawings in fig1 to 9 . it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention can also be employed with only minor variations for anatomic and physiological mri applications . minimally invasive interventional procedures require either direct visual viewing or indirect imaging of the field of operation and determination of the location and orientation of the operational device . for example , laparoscopic interventions are controlled by direct viewing of the operational field with rigid endoscopes , while flexible endoscopes are commonly used for diagnostic and interventional procedures within the gastrointestinal tract . vascular catheters are manipulated and maneuvered by the operator , with real - time x - ray imaging to present the catheter location and orientation . ultrasound imaging and new real - time mri and ct scanners are used to guide diagnostic procedures ( e . g ., aspiration and biopsy ) and therapeutic interventions ( e . g ., ablation , local drug delivery ) with deep targets . the ideal system for minimally invasive procedures would provide real - time , 3 - d imaging as feedback to the operator for optimal insertion and intervention . such a system should also implement flexible , miniaturized devices , which are remotely sensed to provide their location and orientation . by combining a composite image of the field of operation and the device location and orientation , the operator could navigate and manipulate the device without direct vision of the field of operation and the device . in one preferred embodiment of the present invention , real - time computer control is provided to maintain and adjust the position of the treatment system and / or the position of the patient relative to the treatment system . in a closely related embodiment , the invention provides real - time computer control of the operation of the treatment system itself . types of treatment systems suitable for use with the present invention include surgical tools and tissue manipulators , devices for in vivo delivery of drugs , angioplasty devices , biopsy and sampling devices , devices for delivery of rf , thermal , microwave or laser energy or ionizing radiation , and internal illumination and imaging devices , such as catheters , endoscopes , laparoscopes , and the like instruments , or a combination thereof . the method and apparatus of the present invention can be used with a variety of interventional mri devices , including tools for minimally invasive surgery , endovascular catheters , rigid and flexible endoscopes , and biopsy and aspiration needles . the invention facilitates localization of the device with respect to the mri coordinate system and allows the mr scanner to present the device location on the mr images as visual feedback to the operator , or to facilitate calculation and display of the line of current orientation to assist the operator to steer the device into a specific target . the method of the invention can also be used to effectively slave the mri plane of imaging to the tracking sensor . this embodiment would benefit high resolution imaging on a small volume around the site of a catheter , and would also be useful for imaging of the region - of - interest to improve diagnostic performance or to control the effect of an intervention ( e . g . radio - frequency , cryo , or chemical ablation and laser photocoagulation using temperature - sensitive mr imaging ). as another non - limiting example of the benefits of the present invention , the clinical utility of the mechanical armature can be illustrated by reference to its use in guiding the tip of a stem cell delivery catheter towards a tissue target . it is now well established in the medical literature that stem cell therapy has significant clinical potential . two documented examples of potential benefits of stem cell therapy include ( i ) treatment of parkinson &# 39 ; s disease symptoms by transplanting dopamine secreting cells into the striatum of the brain and ( ii ) induction of cardiomyogenesis by delivering mesenchymal stem cells to reversibly ischemic myocardium following myocardial infarction . a specialized catheter that is visible on mri is used for the delivery of stem cells . during the stem cell delivery process , real time mri is used to capture the dynamic change of the target position and the position and orientation of the catheter tip as its approaches the target tissue . the therapeutic efficacy of stem cell interventions is directly influenced by the extent to which viable stem cells are accurately delivered to target tissue locations . accurate targeting and cell placement generally requires continuous visualization of the tip of the catheter as well as its orientation relative to the target tissue . a number of alternative movements of the catheter tip relative to its location and orientation are possible during cell delivery , including movement of the catheter forward and backward along the tangent direction of its tip segment ; movement left or right ; movement up or down ; and movement along its long axis . real - time knowledge of any changes in catheter tip position and orientation relative to the target is required in order to adjust the catheter tip to approach the target safely and accurately . the improved spatial and temporal resolution of real - time mri now makes it possible to track both the target and the catheter and establish their respective positioning information . however , even with the best visualization methods offered by computer graphics , such as volume rendering , bi - plane , or tri - plane display techniques , the interventional radiologist or cardiologist performing the catheterization procedure generally still finds that it requires excessive mental processing to visualize the distance and orientation of the catheter tip relative to the target . the system of the present invention addresses the visualization problem in a practical manner by integrating the required fine visual - motor control with the motor performance of the operator resulting in substantially improved control and steering of the catheter tip towards the target . the practical medical benefits of the present invention can be further illustrated by reference to its application to stem cell therapy for reversible myocardial ischemia . in this non - limiting example , the target for stem cell delivery is the border zone (“ ischemic penumbra ”) of the injured myocardium . the target plane is the prescribed mr imaging scan plane that continuously tracks the dynamically changing target . both the target tissue and the target plane are continuously moving due to cardiac and respiratory motion and the insertion of a catheter . once the workspace of the armature , the patient space , and the image from the imaging scanner are registered , the mean position of the target and mean orientation of the target plane can be obtained by averaging target position and target plane orientation over time . as one means of providing a physical representation of the target , a paper plane can represent the mean of the target plane , with a circled dot on the paper indicating the mean location of the target . the paper can be manually placed within the workspace of the armature to visually indicate the target position and target plane orientation . the accuracy of the manual placement can then be verified by the output mode of the armature . with a physical representation of the target tissue established , the stylus 4 can now represent the tip segment of the catheter . assuming that the world coordinate system , which characterizes the workspace of the armature 1 , is moving at the same speed and in the same direction as the target at any point of time , the position and orientation of the stylus relative to the circled dot reflects precisely the relative position and orientation of the catheter tip to the target tissue at any point of time . the relative positioning information provided by the armature 1 can be easily visualized by the interventional radiologist or cardiologist because it is directly visible in a fixed absolute reference coordinate , and there is no need to slide the display planes for better visualization of the catheter tip in case of multi - plane techniques . the position of the stylus 4 is determined from the position of the catheter tip minus the movement of the target from its mean position . the orientation of the stylus 4 is the actual orientation of the catheter tip . the armature can automatically deliver the stylus 4 to its destination position and orientation . therefore , the stylus 4 constantly reflects the position and orientation of the catheter tip relative to the target . when the physician is ready to advance the catheter tip towards the target , he can simply grasp the stylus 4 , align it with the target , and then approach the target . according to the invention , techniques disclosed in the prior art provide a method means of converting the positioning information provided by the armature 1 into a current signal which can be used to steer the catheter tip . see , for example , t p l roberts et al ., magnetic resonance in medicine , vol . 48 , no . 6 , december 2002 , p . 1091 . the method of the present invention thus provides integration of input and output functionality of the armature to achieve visualization and navigation of the catheter tip toward the target in an intuitive and efficient way ( though the catheter can also be manually manipulated and steered towards the target ). in the method of the present invention , during the visualization and motor action loop , the physical representation of the catheter , i . e . the stylus 4 , is fixed on the target . however , this frame and the physical coordinate frame that is fixed on the patient only differ by a translation vector resulting from the target movement . hence the orientation of the stylus still represents the orientation of the catheter in the fixed physical coordinate . in situations where the target moves very slowly , such as brain tissue , the stylus 4 actually faithfully reflects the catheter tip with respect to its position and orientation in the real physical world relative to the target tissue . at the other extreme , when the target moves significantly , a simple switch to the physical coordinate frame from the relative coordinate frame enables visualization of the localization information in the real patient domain . it should be understood that the foregoing descriptions are merely illustrative of the invention . various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention . accordingly , the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives , modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims .	0
the preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig1 as the chamber 10 for testing acoustical transmission loss characteristics of sheet materials . the test chamber 10 includes a first cylindrical enclosure 12 having a diameter of approximately 50 cm . and defining an internal air space 8 . the size of the enclosure diameter was selected to approximately correspond to the greatest area of unsupported sheet metal that would be found on vehicles for which the materials are proposed to be used . an upper enclosure 16 is provided having approximately the same diameter as the lower enclosure 12 and mounted on the upper end thereof so as to be coaxial therewith . an upper flange 14 is defined on the upper end of the enclosure 12 to provide support for the upper enclosure 16 . the upper enclosure 16 has a mounting flange 18 defined thereon for attachment to the flange 14 of the lower enclosure 12 . bolts or other suitable fastening devices may be used to secure the upper enclosure 16 to the lower enclosure 12 . a large heavy duty speaker 9 is mounted at the junction between the upper and lower enclosures so as to direct sound waves upward . the speaker 9 also functions to separate the internal air spaces of the respective enclosures . the speaker 9 contains an outer flange 11 which is attached to the lower flange 18 of the upper enclosure 16 . the upper end of the upper enclosure 16 contains a flange 20 which provides a mounting means for materials that are to be tested . metal sheets material 22 is shown as mounted on the upper flange 20 and is secured thereto by a ring collar 24 that compresses the outer edge of the metal sheet material 22 against the flange 20 by fastening means , such as bolts 26 . the metal sheet material 22 then functions as a diaphragm separating the internal air space of enclosure 16 from the external environment . the speaker 9 is electrically connected to a power amplifier 52 and is driven over a predetermined range of frequencies determined by a &# 34 ; white noise &# 34 ; generator 50 , which is electrically connected to the power amplifier 52 . transmission loss determination across the sheet material 22 is achieved by measuring the difference in the particle velocities above and below the tested material , while that material is being vibrated by the sound waves emanating from the speaker 9 . a pressure gradient microphone 30 is mounted on a support brace 31 within the enclosure 16 and above the speaker 9 in a position adjacent to the underside of the test material . the pressure gradient microphone 30 consists of a pair of condenser microphones mounted back to back along a line generally parallel to the central axis of the chamber 10 . a second pressure gradient microphone 32 is mounted on a support bracket 33 external to the chamber 10 and above the sheet material 22 in appropriate alignment with the microphone 30 . the pressure gradient microphone 32 also consists of a pair of condenser microphones mounted in a back to back arrangement along a line generally parallel to the central axis of the chamber 10 . the microphones 30 and 32 are electrically connected to an amplifier and integrator circuit 40 , where the signals are processed , and output signals are generated on lines 43 and 41 , which represent the respective particle velocity measurements taken by the microphones . the particle velocity signals are fed to a spectrum analyzer 42 where they are compared to determine transmission loss measurements across a spectrum of frequencies . the information produced by the spectrum analyzer is displayed for instantaneous information and may be reproduced in hard copy form by appropriate photographic or other recordation equipment . in fig2 the amplifier and integrator circuit 40 is detailed to illustrate the derivation of the particle velocity signals which appear on lines 43 and 41 from the respective pressure gradient microphones 30 and 32 . the pressure gradient microphone 30 consists of a condenser microphone 301 and a like condenser microphone 302 . the condenser microphones are respectively connected to preamplifiers 403 and 404 . the outputs from the preamplifiers 403 and 404 are fed to the input terminals of a differential amplifier 405 , that outputs a signal which corresponds to a measurement of particle acceleration , as detected by the back - to - back mounted condenser microphones 301 and 302 . an integrator 406 receives the signal from the differential amplifier 405 and produces an output signal on line 43 which corresponds to the particle velocity of the sound waves detected by the microphones 301 and 302 . in an identical manner , the pressure gradient microphone 32 , which is mounted external to the chamber 10 , contains a pair of back - to - back mounted condenser microphones 321 and 322 respectively connected to preamplifiers 423 and 424 . a differential amplifier 425 receives the output from the preamplifiers 423 and 424 to generate a signal indicative of particle acceleration as detected by the microphones . an integrator circuit 426 receives the output of the differential amplifier 425 and produces an output signal on line 41 which corresponds to the measurement of particle velocity of the sound waves that pass the pair of condenser microphones 321 and 322 . transmission loss is then calculated as the difference between the two measured particle velocities at the particular frequency of transmission . the plot shown in fig3 is a graphical representation of the transmission loss measurements for frequencies in the range of 0 to 1000 hz , by the present invention for a sheet of 20 gage steel in the location of sheet material 22 , shown in fig1 . the various controlled regions that were designated as stiffness , damping and mass controlled in the jones article , discussed above , are clearly distinguishable in the fig3 plot . in the case of the 20 gage steel , the first resonant frequency of vibration occurs at approximately 75 hz while other resonant frequencies appear at approximately 135 hz , 260 hz , and 290 hz . by definition , the resonant frequencies appear to occur in the damping controlled region and the average slope of the plot in that range is fairly steep . at 300 hz ., it is seen that the average slope of the plot is dramatically lowered and thereby indicates entry into the mass controlled region above the 300 hz frequency . the plot shown in fig3 is found to be approximately the same as theoretical curves previously developed for 20 gage sheet steel . other tested materials have also been found to correlate and provide confidence in the validity of the results obtained by utilizing the present invention . the advantage of utilizing the present invention is that the effects of the low range of vibration frequencies , such as 20 - 100 hz can be accurately measured , vis - a - vis the transmission loss in the tested material . prior to the present invention , the stiffness controlled region of materials between 0 hz and the first ( fundamental ) resonant frequency , were not perceived to have variations other than a sharp decrease . however , as can be seen in fig3 there is a distinct variation in the transmission loss characteristics of the tested material over the stiffness controlled region that was not heretofore known or measurable . of course the advantage of the present invention is that by utilizing the same materials that will be placed in the vehicle , such as 20 gage sheet steel for a floor pan , various composite damping materials , such as mastics , padding and carpeting , may be tested for their damping effects . by placing such materials on top of diaphragm 22 and running the test over a selected range of frequencies , a transmission loss vs . frequency plot is generated for each composite material to determine which material provides the best damping effects for the particular frequencies that are found to be an annoyance in that particular vehicle . in that manner , the verification of materials supplied to the specifications determined , as the result of the initial testing , can be monitored to insure that the acoustical damping properties remain consistent . while the aforementioned invention is shown as utilized in a chamber which consists of two separate enclosures that are bolted together , it is perceived that others may develop mounting techniques for the speaker which eliminate the need for two separate enclosures so that a single enclosure structure may be utilized with two defined chambers . it is further seen that many other modifications and variations may be implemented without departing from the scope of the novel concept of this invention . therefore , it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and variations which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention .	6
referring to fig1 there is a diagram of the security system of the present invention . a top view of a general area 10 consists of perimeter walls 20 , a first partition 30 and a second partition 35 . a first camera 40 and a second camera 50 are securely mounted upon perimeter wall 20 . first camera 40 covers first monitor zone 80 , and second camera 50 covers second monitor zone 90 of general area 10 , so that suspicious activities cannot go undetected , and continuous and overlapping camera coverage is achieved . monitoring separation between first monitor zone 80 and second monitor zone 90 is shown by dashed line 75 . additionally a first 2 - axis control member 60 is attached to first camera 40 , and a second 2 - axis control member 70 is attached to a second camera 50 . referring now to fig2 ., detailed is a top view 100 of general area 10 ( from fig1 ). first camera 40 which is attached to first 2 - axis control member 60 is capturing video information for analysis from first monitor zone 80 , and first 2 - axis control member 60 is both moving first camera 40 and gathering position data from first camera 40 for conversion to x , y position data . additionally , second camera 50 which is attached to second 2 - axis control member 70 , is capturing video information for analysis from second monitor zone 90 , while second 2 - axis control member 70 is both moving second camera 50 and gathering position data from second camera 50 for conversion to x , y position data . first data cable 110 is attached to first camera 40 and second data cable 120 is attached to second camera 50 , and sends raw data to be processed to analysis computer 130 . the raw data is then used to determine if a predefined threshold is broken . an example of such for motion is when a change in positional data for a subject being tracked is high enough above the predefined threshold to indicate that the subject is sprinting . for example , using change detection , tracking changes from one frame to the next can be accomplished . this is accomplished by a baysian classifier which includes a plurality of motion detection data . by comparing data from a particular frame of interest to information stored in the database of the baysian classifier , a threshold for determining suspicious activities can be determined . one skilled in the art may vary the threshold depending on the environment of the captured images . if a camera detects suspicious activity , in this case first camera 40 , the location of the suspect activity needs to be precisely located for tracking . additionally , if the suspect activity moves from first monitor zone 80 to second monitor zone 90 , x , y , and now z data must be determined for first camera 40 to pass the suspect activity from first monitor zone 80 to second camera 50 and second monitor zone 90 . referring now to fig3 detailed is a side view 105 , comprised of first monitor zone 80 and monitored by first camera 40 , and second monitor zone 90 that is monitored by second camera 50 . in order for suspicious activity to be efficiently tracked from one zone to the next , it is required to have accurate x , y , and z data for a first camera monitoring within a first zone to pass that suspicious activity to a second camera monitoring within a second zone . to calculate the x , y , and z data , components from the x - y axis and x - z axis must be combined . because of an inability to see 3d in perspective 2d views , both axes show only an apparent camera to activity distance . from fig2 which is a top view 100 , there is a first apparent distance r ′ 135 and from fig3 there is a side view of a second apparent distance r ″ 145 . additionally in fig2 a first dashed line 155 that is the x component , sets a right angle to the perimeter wall 20 . the second dashed line 150 that is also the y component sets a perpendicular right angle to first dashed line 155 . referring next to fig3 suspicious movement is exhibited by a subject 165 represented in the drawing . the position of subject 165 in the side view 105 is determined by the derivation of the x component 155 , and the z component 160 , using the r ″ component 145 , and the y component 150 from fig2 . to derive an accurate x , y , and z position , the following equations are used : where θ and φ are known from first and second two axis control members 60 and 70 , and r represents the actual focus distance from a first camera 40 or a second camera 50 to any suspicious activity . using the pythagorean theorem , which is a fifth equation , the ability to solve for the five unknowns with the above five equations allows the derivation of the following : x = r   cos   φ ( cos   φ cos   θ ) ^ 2 + ( sin   θ ) ^ 2 y = r   tan   θ   cos   φ ( cos   φ cos   θ ) ^ 2 + ( sin   θ ) ^ 2 z = r   sin   φ ( cos   φ cos   θ ) ^ 2 + ( sin   θ ) ^ 2 referring back to fig3 since accurate x , y , and z dimensions are thus easily calculated and easily obtained suspicious subject movements can be passed from first monitor zone 80 to second monitor zone 90 by analysis computer 130 ( from fig2 .). it must be noted at this point that this ability to pass camera tracking automatically from one zone to another can be expanded to multiple zones and multiple areas such as buildings , airports and a multiplicity of inside and outside spaces . [ 0019 ] fig4 is a software flowchart 170 of an activity monitoring system . the system starts s 1 , and then proceeds to set a pre - defined threshold of the change detection and tracking timer s 2 . this setting is used to monitor a first zone for suspicious movement s 3 . if activity is detected s 4 , a tracking timer s 5 is started . if no activity is detected s 4 , flow is redirected back to monitor a first zone for suspicious movement s 3 . referring back to begin tracking timer s 5 , activity is tracked s 6 . if tracking time expires s 7 , tracking is stopped s 8 , and an image is captured s 9 , and flow is redirected to monitor a first zone for suspicious movement s 3 . those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the image may be either a digital image or a photographic image . if tracking time s 7 did not expire , flow is directed to s 10 , did activity exit zone ? if no , flow is redirected to s 6 , track activity . if activity did exit the zone s 10 , flow is directed to pass to next camera zone s 11 . the next action after passing to s 11 is to connect to the next camera zone s 12 , and then pass position coordinates to that camera s 13 to resume tracking activity s 6 in another zone to which the suspicious activity has moved . it should be noted at this point that there is no real end to the software operation described above in that the operation is actually an operating loop . additionally , software operations in adjacent zones are operated in parallel . the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment . however , it will be appreciated that variations and modifications can be effected by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention .	6
the present invention is an improved setting for a gem . the invention is also a method for placing a gem in a setting . the invention is shown as 10 in fig1 a - 1 d . the invention is shown as used , securing a gem 12 . the setting 14 surrounds the enclosed gem 12 . the setting can be used for a ring ; however , the setting 14 may have voids 16 or other structure for fastening the setting 14 to a bracelet ( not shown ), so that the setting 14 may be used for a pendant , bracelet , earring , or other form of jewelry . the setting 14 has a bezel 18 which secures the gem from coming out of the top of the setting 14 . as shown , the bezel 18 is located around the circumference of the inside void in the setting 14 . however , the bezel may alternatively be only a portion of the circumference . fig2 a - 2 e illustrate the inventive process for securing a gem within a setting . a circular spring 20 is used to secure the gem 12 within a cavity 22 in the setting 14 . as shown , the spring 20 is generally circular in shape with a gap 24 which allows the spring 20 to be compressed to fit within the circumference of the cavity 22 , as illustrated in fig2 b . the cylindrically shaped spring 20 has a smooth exterior surface as does the passage interior surface 22 for mounting said spring in said passage and for allowing flush engagement to hold the spring anywhere in the passage to accommodate stones of different profile depths . however , the spring 20 may spiral within itself or have other configurations known in the art . also , although the spring is shown to be cylindrical , other shapes may be preferred . the shape is dependent upon the object ( stone ) being secured . as shown in fig2 b , a gem is placed on the spring so that the gem is secured into the setting 14 from the bottom portion of the setting . the gem is then placed generally against the bezel 18 of the setting 14 as the spring 20 is located within the cavity 22 of the setting , as shown in fig2 c . one or more countersunk prongs 26 are located on the setting 14 so that the prongs extend beyond the bottom portion of the spring 20 when it is properly positioned inside the cavity of the setting . in the preferred embodiment , two countersunk prongs 26 are used , and are made of a bendable material , such as gold , silver or platinum . the countersunk prongs 26 ( fig2 c ) are then bent toward the center of the cavity so that the spring 20 is secured within the cavity 22 as shown in fig2 d - 2 e . thus , the gem 12 is secured within the setting between the bezel 18 and the spring 20 . the countersunk prongs 26 a in fig2 d make only slight , if any intrusion into the circumference of the gem beyond the spring . the preferred embodiment of the setting is shown in fig3 a - 3 d . in the preferred embodiment , the spring 20 is of a predetermined size with a predetermined gap , as shown in fig3 a and 3 c . in this embodiment , the size of the spring and the gap are made so that the gap 24 disappears when it is placed within the setting 14 , as shown in fig3 b and 3 d . the spring is shown to be generally cylindrical ; however , it may be of any desired shape , including generally conical , so that it engages frictionally with the inside perimeter of the cavity in the setting . the countersunk prongs 26 are preferred to be located on the setting itself , as shown in fig3 a - 3 d . as shown , the countersunk prongs 26 are located within a depressed area 28 in the bottom of the setting . as shown , the area 28 is chamfered ; however , other shapes for the depression may be used . in addition , other shapes for the countersunk prongs are also considered in this invention . as shown , only slight movement of the countersunk prongs is necessary to secure the gem 12 . although two countersunk prongs are shown , one may be used , or , to secure the gem more surely , more countersunk prongs may be used . also , it may be preferred that the countersunk prongs are tapered to maximize the area securing the spring and minimize any intrusion into the visible area of the gem . an alternative embodiment is shown in fig4 a - 4 g . in this embodiment , the spring 20 includes a spacing 30 . although it is preferred that the spacing 30 is located at the gap 24 of the spring 20 , the spacer may be located anywhere on the lower portion of the spring 20 . in this embodiment , the spacing 30 acts as a guide for a single countersunk prong 32 . in this embodiment , several spacings may be used for several countersunk prongs . also , as shown , the prong is tapered so that the prongs provides a wedging effect into the spacing 30 on the spring 20 . the wedging effect makes the spring secure against the inner circumference 34 of the cavity 22 . thus the gem is secured tightly in the setting 14 in this embodiment . an outer portion having an inside bezel over a gem for retaining the gem ; a generally circular inner spring portion located within the outer portion below the gem ; and one or more mechanically bendable countersunk prongs for retaining the inner spring portion within the outer portion . the invention is also a method for mounting a gem using countersunk prongs in a setting from the bottom of the setting , comprising the steps of : placing the gem inside a void in an outer portion of a setting having an inside bezel located on the inner perimeter of the void , whereby the countersunk prong or prongs prevents the gem from passing through the outer portion ; simultaneously pressing down against the stone and bezel thus creating a synergetic effect in the setting of the stone “ down and out ; “ placing a generally circular spring under tension with a front side and a back side within the void behind the stone , so that the gem is secured by the spring between the front side of the spring and the bezel ; and bending one or more countersunk prongs over the back side of the spring so that the gem and the spring are secured within the setting . the instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment . it is recognized , however , that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art .	0
sixty female subjects , ages 20 - 80 , who completed an informed consent procedure with ludwig type i - iii female pattern hair loss ( ludwig , et al ., br . j . dermatol ., 97 ( 3 ): 247 - 254 ( 1977 )) were enrolled in a 6 - month pilot study using a double blinded , placebo controlled design . subjects were assigned randomly to the placebo ( 20 , vehicle only ) or active groups ( 40 , vehicle containing 0 . 5 % octyl nicotinate and 5 . 0 % myristryl nicotinate ). dispensed products were packaged in identical containers . trisiloxane and dimethicone were major components of the formulation . since the actives are vitamin - derived substances , both the placebo and the active preparations studied are classified as cosmetics under the current fda guidelines . at baseline , subjects were dispensed a one month supply of assigned study product . the first dose was applied at the research center by a study nurse . subjects were instructed to apply the formula , at night , in 6 metered doses to the scalp in the following manner : one drop each to the right anterior scalp , left anterior scalp , right middle top of the head , left middle top of the head , right posterior scalp , and left posterior scalp . if the hair was washed , the study medication was applied following hair washing . all subjects were supplied with the same shampoo . the frequency of hair washing was self selected . subjects were asked to maintain the entry style , color , and curl of their hair throughout the study . subjects returned at monthly intervals for evaluation of increased hair fullness , scalp irritation , or other adverse events and product dispensing . they were asked to shampoo the morning of study visit and to avoid applying styling products . subjects were also asked to assess the appearance of their hair . standardized photography was used for the assessment of hair fullness since increases in hair fullness over the 6 - month study period are normally not detectable by either the investigator or the subjects . at baseline , month 3 , and month 6 , photos of the scalp vertex , with the hair combed away from the vertex like the spokes of the wheel , and the central partline , with the hair combed smoothly to both sides of the head . these images were taken in duplicate with one set provided to the subjects for personal comparison while the second set remained at the study center . standardized 35 mm photography was conducted at baseline , 2 , 4 , and 6 months as follows : vertex view with hair combed away from the crown , superior view with hair parted in midline , frontal view with headband to reveal the anterior hairline . the images were taken with the subject &# 39 ; s head in a 3 - point mount specially designed for hair loss photography . evaluation was completed on the 6 month photographs as this represents a minimal time to detect changes in hair fullness . of the total subjects enrolled in the study , 32 of 40 active and 12 of 20 placebo subjects completed the study . a relatively high withdrawal rate is typical for hair fullness / growth studies but it is interesting to note that proportionally twice as many subjects in the placebo group withdrew from the study . overall tolerability of the topical formulations was very good . there were no serious adverse events reported and the mild adverse events included 9 reports of scalp stinging , 2 of scalp burning , 12 of scalp itching , 4 reports of scalp redness , and 7 reports of eye irritation . these events occurred in both placebo and active groups indicating that the volatile vehicle and not the active ingredients was the source of the irritation . the study yielded investigator assessments , subject assessments , and photographic assessments . statistical polaroid photos and subject assessments revealed a positive trend , but did not reach significance at a p value of 0 . 05 , which was not unexpected for a 6 - month study . the key assessment was based on the standardized 35 mm photographs that were evaluated by a blinded investigator for assessment of improvement in hair fullness . each set of images was rated on a scale of minus 1 for decreased hair fullness , zero for no change , or plus 1 for increased hair fullness . these data are summarized in table 1 . the data comparing the placebo and active groups demonstrate an increased benefit for the active group with a p value of 0 . 04 as analyzed by the one tailed mann whitney test for nonparametric data . the placebo effect observed in this study is not uncommon for hair fullness studies . an example of the effect of nicotinic acid derivatives on thinning hair as documented by 35 mm photography at baseline and 6 months of application is shown in fig1 . this example describes how application of the nicotinic acid alkyl esters of the invention improved the energy status of hair follicles , by increasing nad content therein . hair samples were taken from subjects treated with the formulation of example 1 , and tested for nad content , as well as dna content , using art recognized methods . the results follow , in table 2 , and fig2 . these results show clearly that the nicotinic acid alkyl esters of the invention increase the amount of nad in hair follicles . expressed another way , the energy content of the follicles increased , and the increases , as can be seen , are quite dramatic . the foregoing disclosure sets forth various features of the invention , which relates to compositions useful in treating hair growth disorders , such as pattern baldness , and the use of these compositions . the compositions comprise a first nicotinic acid alkyl ester , wherein the alkyl chain of the ester , which may be branched or straight chain , contains from 11 to 22 ch 2 groups . especially preferred is the nicotinic acid alkyl ester where the alkyl group contains 14 ch 2 groups , i . e ., myristyl nicotinate . the second nicotinic acid alkyl ester is one where the alkyl group , which may also be branched or straight chained , contains from 1 to 10 ch2 groups , preferably 6 to 10 ch 2 groups . especially preferred is the straight chain nicotinic acid alkyl ester octyl nicotinate . the two nicotinic acid alkyl esters are combined in a formulation , optionally with a carrier , which may be water , a soap , a detergent , or any other standard carrier useful for application to the scalp . the formulations of the invention may be in any form that is suitable for administering materials to the scalp . exemplary , but by no means exclusive examples of such forms are topical solutions shampoos , rinses , aerosols , emulsions , crèmes , sprays , lotions , gels , and so forth . the compositions are used by applying them to the scalp , such as by washing , massaging , and so forth . it is preferred that the formulations be applied at least once a day , preferably at a dose of from about 0 . 01 % to about 10 %, w / v for each of the components , more preferably from about 0 . 1 % to about 5 % w / v for each component per day . different dosing regiments may also be used . a further feature of the invention is a method for treating a hair loss disorder via administering an amount of a nicotinic acid alkyl ester with a straight chain alkyl group consisting of from about 6 to about 22 , and preferably from about 8 to about 16 carbon atoms , in an amount sufficient to alleviate , reduce , or otherwise treat hair loss . as was shown , supra , these nicotinic acid alkyl esters cause an increase in intrafollicular nad + content , as manifested in an increased nad + / dna ratio , in the hair follicles . thus , in turn , results in an increase in intrafollicular energy content , which may be the reason for the alleviation of the hair loss . one or more nicotinic acid alkyl esters may be so used , with the c8 and c14 alkyl chains being especially preferred . also a part of the invention is a method for increasing thickness or fullness of pre - existing hair , via the use of the compositions of the invention . it has been observed , as these data show , that the use of these formulations , in addition to alleviating hair loss , results in an increase in hair fullness and / or thickness . other aspects of the invention will be clear to the skilled artisan , and need not be reiterated here . the terms and expression which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation , and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expression of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof , it being recognized that various modifications are possible with the scope of the invention .	0
the base metal washcoat may be prepared by applying a solution of cupric nitrate ( cu ( no 3 ) 2 ) and potassium permanganate ( kmno 4 ) to high surface area alumina powder by the method of incipient wetness . the copper and manganese compounds can be reduced and / or precipitated with a solution of a carbohydrate such as sucrose . the powder is washed to remove potassium hydroxide and then milled with dilute acetic acid into a high surface area catalytically active washcoat . the copper component and manganese component may be applied to the carrier in any order , however , concurrent deposition is preferred . the manganese component preferably comprises 2 to 50 weight percent of the catalyst component and the copper component preferably comprises 1 to 40 weight percent of the catalyst component , preferably as oxides , more preferably 5 to 25 wt . % manganese as mno 2 and 2 . 5 to 15 wt . % copper as cuo of the washcoat composition . the catalyst component ( including the washcoat ) comprises 5 to 20 wt . % of the total weight of the carrier and catalyst component . the high surface area support may be made of alumina , zirconia , titania , silica or a combination of two or more of these oxides . preferably , the high surface area support is made of alumina . the surface area of the support is in the range of 50 to 350 square meters per gram , preferably 100 to 325 square meters per gram , and more preferably 100 to 200 square meters per gram . the composition of the ceramic carrier can be any oxide or combination of oxides . suitable oxide supports include the oxides of al ( α -- al 2 o 3 ), zr , ca , mg , hf , and ti . the structure and composition of the carrier is of great importance . the structure of the carrier affects the flow patterns through the catalyst system which in turn affect the transport to and from the catalyst surface . the ability of the structure to effectively transport the species to be catalyzed to the catalyst surface influences the effectiveness of the catalyst . the carrier is preferably macroporous with 100 to 600 cells ( pores ) per square inch ( cpsi ) which is about 30 to 80 pores per linear inch ( ppi ), although carriers having 10 to 90 ppi are suitable . the pores should yield a tortuous path for the reactants and products such as is found in foam ceramics and metals ( generally understood to include honeycomb or foam structures ). straight channel extruded ceramic or metal monoliths yield suitable flow dynamics only if the pore size is very small with greater than 14 pores per linear inch . ceramic honeycomb is the preferred catalyst carrier because it is a high surface area material that is easy to coat , it has a low pressure drop in the liquid process stream and it is available in a variety of cell counts per square inch . the honeycomb is preferably made from cordierite and is coated with the catalytically active washcoat and placed inside a multibed reactor , preferably placed in a horizontal or side by side arrangement to allow oxygen offgas to escape during treatment . the optimum flow rate will depend upon such variables as pressure , the temperature of the reaction and pore size or channel size depending on the type of support . the process rate of the catalyst is measured as the linear velocity of the liquid feedstream per volume of chamber containing catalyst per hour , referred to as the liquid hourly space velocity ( lhsv ). the catalyst vessel should be vented for removal of oxygen produced from the reaction . preferably ambient pressure is used , generally 0 to 1 psig . the catalyst is placed horizontally in the vessel and the process fluid flows through the catalyst from the bottom to the top . this allows oxygen bubbles to dissipate from the fluid for collection or venting . an arrangement of multiple beds of catalyst , each allowing oxygen to disengage , is an effective way to remove high concentrations of h 2 o 2 . b . potassium permanganate , cairox - carus chemical , obtained from greenway chemical ( knoxville , tenn .) e . glacial acetic acid -- any source ; 99 . 5 % pure technical grade obtained from greenway chemical ( knoxville , tenn .) the first step in manufacturing the h 2 o 2 catalyst is to prepare the washcoat . the dry washcoat powder after preparation is 13 . 0 % manganese dioxide ( mno 2 ) and 6 . 1 % cupric oxide ( cuo ) on puralox scf a - 160 alumina powder . a given weight of powder is wetted to the point of incipient wetness ( 50 % of the dry weight of the powder ) with a solution of 19 . 5 wt % kmno 4 and 4 . 6 wt % cu ( no 3 ) 5h 2 o . after drying at 125 ° c ., the powder is again saturated to the point of incipient wetness with a solution of 1 . 5 % sucrose which reduces the kmno 4 to mno 2 and precipitates cu ( oh ) 2 when heated again to 125 ° c . the procedure is repeated 2 times more with the same concentrations and weights of kmno 4 and cu ( no 3 ) 5h 2 o solution , the powder being dried and reduced again with 1 . 5 % sucrose solution and heated at 125 ° c . the powder is now 13 . 0 % mno 2 and 7 . 5 % cu ( oh ) 2 . one of the by - products of the reduction of kmno 4 to mno 2 is koh . the powder is washed with 0 . 5 % acetic acid to neutralize the koh and rinsed with deionized h 2 o to remove kc 2 h 3 o 2 and any other soluble by - products . the powder is filtered with medium filter paper to remove as much water as possible and then dried at 125 ° c . the powder is then milled with an equal weight plus 10 % of 1 . 5 % acetic acid and a small amount of a defoaming agent , such as octanol , in a ceramic roller mill one - half full of ceramic milling media for 3 - 6 hours at 32 rpm . the resulting suspension has a specific gravity of 1 . 40 , a ph of 4 . 6 and is approximately 42 % solids . the ceramic honeycomb carrier is ceclor brand made by corning glass , inc ., corning , n . y . it is a high surface area material made of cordierite which is magnesium aluminum silicate . the carrier is dipped in the washcoat suspension slowly and allowed to soak for 45 seconds , after which the cells are blown with compressed air to clear them . after dipping , the blocks have been coated with enough suspension to weight 25 % more than their original weight . the coated blocks are dried at 125 ° c . and are calcined at 300 ° c . to 500 ° c . and preferably at 350 ° c . to 450 ° c . to drive off water and other volatile agents . the catalyst is tested in a vertical reactor made of pyrex or plastic . the process fluid is heated to the process temperature in a boiling flask and then pumped to the reactor which contains the catalyst . the fluid flows from the bottom of the catalyst through the channels and out of the top of the catalyst . the reactor is open on the top or vented to the atmosphere to allow oxygen gas produced during the reaction to escape . the catalyst is sealed around the edges to prevent fluid bypass . fig1 shows a multiple bed cascading type reactor 10 . the liquid enters the reactor on the left through pipe 12 , travels through the first catalyst bed 14 and overflows via overflow 16 into the area containing the second catalyst bed 18 . after traveling through the second bed 18 , the liquid overflows into overflow 20 hence into the area containing the third catalyst bed 22 out of pipe 24 . oxygen can disengage from the liquid at the top of each catalyst bed , which increases surface area contact for the next catalyst bed . a polishing line 26 is provided to allow for a final so 2 treatment of the effluent from the reactor if required . the solution used for these experiments was an effluent from a textile bleaching process . the effluent contained 500 - 750 ppm h 2 o 2 , soaps and detergents , an iron chelating agent ( edta ), and cotton fibers . in the process , the water in the effluent is recycled by purifying with reverse osmosis . hydrogen peroxide in the effluent must be removed because it attacks the reverse osmosis membranes . the concentration of h 2 o 2 is analyzed before and after the catalyst by titration . potassium permanganate can be used as the titrant if no other oxidizable material is present . cerium ( iv ) sulfate is used if there is oxidizable organic material present . h 2 o 2 concentration is given by the equation : ## equ1 ## cerium ( iv ) sulfate was the titrant used for these experiments since there was oxidizable organic material present in the effluent . catalyst samples are tested at different flow rates and % h 2 o 2 destruction calculated at each flow rate . the results are graphed as % h 2 o 2 destruction versus liquid hourly space velocity ( lhsv ) at a 150 ° f . temperature . lhsv is defined as flow rate ( cc / hr ) per volume catalyst ( cc ) and is given in units of hr - 1 using the catalyst described in example 1 . fig2 shows the effect of lhsv on h 2 o 2 destruction for the process effluent from textile bleaching . as lhsv increases , linear velocity increases , the amount of liquid processed per unit time increases and the amount of h 2 o 2 destroyed by the catalyst decreases . honeycomb blocks with cell counts of 200 ( example 1 ) and 400 ( example 2 ) cells per square inch ( cpsi ) were tested for % h 2 o 2 destruction on the same textile process effluent . fig3 shows the % h 2 o 2 was essentially the same for both samples . two different types of reactors were tested -- a single stage and a double stage . the single stage reactor held 242 cc of catalyst in one bed . the double stage reactor uses the first two stages of the multibed reactor of fig1 which held 242 cc of catalyst divided equally between the two beds . the reactors were tested at the same flow rates and at approximately 140 ° f . using the catalyst described in example 1 . fig4 shows that the double stage reactor is 12 % more effective at removing h 2 o 2 than the single stage reactor . 230 g of washcoat was made by applying 12 . 5 g kmno 4 and 9 . 5 g cu ( no 3 ) 2 3h 2 o in 50 g deionized water to 100 g puralox scfa - 160 alumina powder by the method of incipient wetness . the powder was dried at 125 ° c ., treated with 50 g of 10 % sucrose and dried at 125 ° c . again . another 12 . 5 g kmno 4 and 9 . 5 g cu ( no 3 ) 2 3h 2 o in 50 g deionized water was applied , the powder dried at 125 ° c ., 50 g of 10 % sucrose added and the powder dried again at 125 ° c . the powder was washed 2 times with 1 % acetic acid , rinsed 2 times with deionized water and dried at 125 ° c . the powder was milled in a ceramic mill with 100 g 7 % acetic acid for 8 hours . 75 g of 7 % acetic acid was added to recover and dilute the washcoat to a specific gravity of 1 . 32 . the ph was 4 . 16 . the dried coating was 13 % mno 2 and 6 . 1 % cuo . samples were made by dipping preweighed 200 cpsi pieces in this washcoat . the excess was blown off with compressed air and the sample was dried at 125 ° c . and fired at 300 ° c . the sample was reweighed and had a washcoat loading of 0 . 6 g / in 3 . a double stage reactor was used with a textile effluent containing 686 ppm h 2 o 2 at about 150 ° f . the results of h 2 o 2 destruction test are given in fig2 . the same washcoat was used to coat two 400 cpsi ceramic honeycomb pieces . the samples were coated in the same manner as example 1 . the catalyst loading after firing at 300 ° c . was 0 . 8 g / in 3 . the samples were tested in a double stage reactor using textile effluent containing 686 ppm h 2 o 2 at about 150 ° f . the results of testing are shown in fig5 . a total of 96 blocks were installed in a stainless steel tank to destroy h 2 o 2 used for bleaching textiles . the tank was designed as a cascading multiple bed reactor substantially as shown in fig1 . each bed was 4 blocks wide by 8 blocks long . the blocks measured 5 . 91 &# 34 ;× 5 . 91 &# 34 ;× 6 &# 34 ; and were 230 cells / in 2 . the blocks were suspended on metal screens with 1 &# 34 ; square openings over 1 / 4 &# 34 ; stainless steel rods . the perimeter of each bed was lined with 1 / 8 &# 34 ; thick fiberglass / vermiculite gasket material that was 4 &# 34 ; wide . the blocks were wound with this material so that there was only 1 layer of gasketing material between the blocks and only 1 layer between the blocks and the edge of the bed . initial performance was determined by titration with ce ( iv ) so 4 . the titration had some interference from organic material in the effluent . a blank was titrated using effluent that had passed through the catalyst bed and then through a final polishing bed of activated carbon . 100 ml of this final effluent titrated 0 . 9 ml of 0 . 1n ceso 4 solution . the blank was subtracted from each titration . ______________________________________ vol ml ppm % sample sample titrant h . sub . 2 o . sub . 2 destruction______________________________________before catalyst 100 ml 10 . 44 178after bed 1 100 ml 0 . 96 17 91 . 2after bed 2 100 ml 0 0 100after bed 3 100 ml 0 0 100______________________________________ the effluent contains non - ionic surfactants , detergent , defoaming agents and hydrogen peroxide as well as cotton fibers .	2
referring to fig1 , a communication system 10 includes a parallel , hardware - based multithreaded processor 12 . the hardware - based multithreaded processor 12 is coupled to a bus such as a peripheral component interconnect ( pci ) bus 14 , a memory system 16 and a second bus 18 . the system 10 is especially suited for tasks that can be broken into parallel sub - tasks or functions . specifically , multithreaded processor 12 is useful for tasks that are bandwidth oriented rather than latency oriented . the multithreaded processor 12 has multiple micro - coded processing engines ( micro - engines ) 22 each with multiple hardware controlled threads that can be simultaneously active and can independently work on a task . the multithreaded processor 12 includes a central processing unit ( cpu ) 20 that assists in loading micro - code control for other resources of the multithreaded processor 12 and performs other general purpose computer - type functions such as handling protocols , exceptions , extra support for packet processing where the micro - engines pass the packets off for more detailed processing such as in boundary conditions . the cpu 20 can be implemented , for example , as a general purpose processor . in one embodiment , the cpu 20 is a strong arm ® ( arm is a trademark of arm limited , united kingdom ) based architecture . the cpu 20 has an operating system through which the cpu can call functions to operate on the micro - engines 22 a - 22 f . the cpu 20 can use any supported operating system and preferably uses a real time operating system . for the cpu implemented as a strong arm architecture , operating systems such as , microsoftnt real - time , vxworks and ucus , a freeware operating system available over the internet , can be used . the central processing unit ( cpu ) 20 includes a processor that uses memory - mapped input - output ( i / o ) space . for example , in one implementation , the cpu 20 includes a reduced instruction set computer ( risc ) engine 50 ( fig1 ) that can be implemented in a five - stage pipeline that performs a single cycle shift of one operand or two operands in a single cycle and provides multiplication support and 32 - bit barrel shift support . the risc engine 50 can have a standard strong arm ® architecture but it is implemented with a five - stage pipeline for performance reasons . the cpu 20 also includes a 16 - kilobyte instruction cache 52 , an 8 - kilobyte data cache 54 and a pre - fetch stream buffer 56 . the cpu 20 performs arithmetic operations in parallel with memory write operations and instruction fetches . the cpu 20 interfaces with other functional units via the 32 - bit bi - directional asb bus 32 . the memory system 16 includes a synchronous dynamic random access memory ( sdram ) controller 26 a and a synchronous random access memory ( sram ) controller 26 b . sdram memory 16 a and sdram controller 26 a are typically used for processing large volumes of data , for example , processing network payloads from network packets . sram memory 16 b and sram controller 26 b are used in a networking implementation for low latency , fast access tasks , for example , accessing look - up tables , memory for the cpu 20 , and so forth . the cpu 20 is able to access the shared resources . for example , the cpu 20 has a direct communication to the sdram controller 26 a , to the bus interface 24 and to the sram controller 26 b via bus 32 . advantages of hardware multithreading can be explained by sram or sdram memory accesses . as an example , an sram access requested by a thread — 0 , from a micro - engine 22 will cause the sram controller 26 b to initiate an access to the sram memory 16 b . the sram controller controls arbitration for the sram bus , accesses the sram 16 b , fetches the data from the sram 16 b , and returns data to a requesting micro - engine 22 a - 22 b . during an sram access , if the micro - engine , for example micro - engine 22 a , had only a single thread that could operate , that micro - engine would be dormant until data was returned from the sram . by employing hardware context swapping within each of the micro - engines 22 a - 22 f , the hardware context swapping enables other contexts with unique program counters to execute in that same micro - engine . thus , another thread , for example thread — 1 , can function while the first thread thread — 0 is awaiting the read data to return . during execution , thread — 1 may access the sdram memory 16 a . while thread — 1 operates on the sdram unit , and thread — 0 is operating on the sram unit , a new thread , for example thread — 2 , can now operate in the micro - engine 22 a . thread — 2 can operate until it needs to access memory or perform some other long latency operation , such as making an access to a bus interface . therefore , simultaneously , the processor 12 can have a bus operation , sram operation and sdram operation all being completed or operated upon by one micro - engine 22 a and have one more thread available to process more work in the data path . an exemplary application for the hardware - based multithreaded processor 12 is as a network processor . as a network processor , the multithreaded processor 12 serves as an interface to network devices such as a media access controller ( mac ) device , for example , a 10 / 100baset octal mac 13 a or a gigabit ethernet device 13 b . in general , as a network processor , the multithreaded processor 12 can interface to any type of communication device or interface that receives or sends large amounts of data . when functioning in a networking application , the communication system 10 can receive multiple network packets from the devices 13 a , 13 b and process those packets in a parallel manner . with the hardware - based multithreaded processor 12 , each network packet can be independently processed . the processor 12 also can be used as a print engine for a postscript processor , as a processor for a storage subsystem , for example , raid disk storage , or as a matching engine . in the securities industry , for example , the advent of electronic trading requires the use of electronic matching engines to match orders between buyers and sellers . these and other parallel types of tasks can be accomplished on the system 10 . the processor 12 includes a bus interface 28 that couples the processor to the second bus 18 . the bus interface 28 can couple the processor 12 for example , to a first - in - first - out ( fifo ) bus ( fbus ) 18 . the fbus interface 28 is responsible for controlling the interface between the processor 12 and the 64 - bit wide fbus 18 . the processor 12 also includes a peripheral component interconnect ( pci ) bus interface 24 that can couple other system components that reside on the pci 14 bus to the processor 12 . the pci bus interface 24 provides a high - speed data path 24 a to the memory 16 . data can be moved through that path quickly from the sdram 16 a through the pci bus 14 , via direct memory access ( dma ) transfers . each of the functional units is coupled to one or more internal buses . the internal buses can be dual , 32 - bit buses , in other words , one bus for read operations and one bus for write operations . the multithreaded processor 12 is arranged such that the sum of the bandwidths of the internal buses in the processor 12 exceeds the bandwidth of external buses coupled to the processor 12 . the processor 12 includes an internal core processor bus 32 , for example , an asb bus ( advanced system bus ) that couples the cpu 20 to the memory controllers 26 a , 26 b and to an asb translator 30 described below . the asb bus 32 is a subset of the amba bus that is used with the processor core . the processor 12 also includes a private bus 34 that couples the micro - engine units 22 to the sram controller 26 b , the translator 30 and the fbus interface 28 . a memory bus 38 couples the memory controllers 26 a , 26 b to the bus interfaces 24 , 28 and memory system 16 including flash - rom 16 c used for boot operations and the like . each micro - engine 22 a - 22 f maintains program counters in hardware and has states associated with the program counters . corresponding sets of threads can be simultaneously active on each of the micro - engines 22 a - 22 f while only one is actually operating at any one time . in one implementation , there are six micro - engines 22 a - 22 f each of which is capable of processing four hardware threads . the micro - engines 22 a - 22 f operate with shared resources including the memory system 16 and bus interfaces 24 and 28 . referring to fig2 , an exemplary one of the micro - engines , such as micro - engine 22 f , includes a control store 70 that , in one implementation , includes a random access memory ( ram ) of 1 , 024 32 - bit words . the ram stores a micro - program that is loadable by the cpu 20 . the micro - engine 22 f also includes controller logic 72 that has an instruction decoder 73 and program counter ( pc ) units 72 a - 72 d maintained in hardware . the micro - engine 22 f includes context event switching logic 74 that receives messages from the shared resources . the messages provide information on whether a requested function has completed . the context event logic 74 includes arbitration for the four threads . the micro - engine 22 f includes an execution box data path 76 that has an arithmetic logic unit 76 a and a general purpose register set 76 b . the arithmetic logic unit 76 a performs arithmetic and logical functions as well as shift functions . the register set 76 b has a relatively large number of general purpose registers that are relatively and absolutely addressable . the micro - engine 22 f also includes a write transfer register stack 78 and a read transfer register stack 80 that are relatively and absolutely addressable . write - data to a resource is located in the write transfer register stack 78 . similarly , the read register stack 80 is used for return data from a shared resource . subsequent to or concurrent with data arrival , an event signal from the respective shared resource is provided to the context event switching logic 74 which alerts the thread that the data is available or has been sent . data functions are distributed among the micro - engines 22 . connectivity to the sram 26 a , sdram 26 b and fbus interface 28 is through command requests . command requests include memory requests fbus requests . for example , a command request can move data from a register located in a micro - engine 22 to a shared resource , for example , an sdram location , sram location , flash memory or a mac address . the commands are sent out to each of the functional units and the shared resources . however , the shared resources do not need to maintain local buffering of the data . rather , the shared resources access distributed data located inside of the micro - engines . this enables the micro - engines 22 a - 22 f to have local access to data rather than arbitrating for access on a bus and risk contention for the bus . with this feature there is a 0 cycle stall for waiting for data internal to the micro - engines 22 a - 22 f . referring to fig3 , the fbus interface 28 contains a transmit fifo 102 , a receive fifo 104 , a hash unit 106 and control and status registers 108 . the fbus interface 28 also includes a scratchpad memory 110 . the fbus interface 28 has a push engine 120 for pushing data into the transfer registers 78 , 80 during the cycles when the sram is not using the sram data bus . the fbus interface 28 also includes a pull engine 122 for retrieving data from the transfer registers 78 , 80 in the micro - engines 22 . the engines 120 , 122 are implemented within the fbus interface control logic . in general , data transfers between the fbus interface 28 and the micro - engines 22 are accomplished over the bus 34 via the transfer registers 78 , 80 in the micro - engines and the push and pull engines 120 , 122 in the fbus interface 28 . as previously mentioned , in some implementations , the bus 34 includes two data buses each of which is unidirectional . one bus ( sbus_pull_data ) 34 a is used for transferring data into the fbus interface 28 and another bus ( sbus_push_data ) 34 b is used for returning data to the micro - engines 22 . the buses 34 a , 34 b use control signals that provide read / write control to the appropriate transfer registers 78 , 80 in one of the micro - engines 22 . a global command arbiter 60 enables commands from the micro - engines 22 to be driven onto a command bus 34 c . the various units in the fbus interface 28 communicate with the micro - engines 22 through time - multiplexed access to the bus 34 . a command from a micro - engine 22 involving the fbus interface 28 is loaded into a one of several queues : a pull command queue 124 , a hash command queue 126 or a push command queue 128 . commands in the pull and hash queues 124 , 126 then can be passed to the pull engine 120 via a multiplexer 130 . similarly , commands in the push queue 128 can be passed to the push engine 132 via a multiplexer 132 . references from the cpu 20 to the registers 78 , 80 in the micro - engines 22 as well as to the registers 108 or scratchpad 110 in the fbus interface 28 are mapped in the input / output ( i / o ) space of the cpu . an exemplary mapping of the i / o space of the cpu 20 is illustrated in fig4 . still referring to fig3 , the translation unit 30 converts address space requests from the cpu 20 into commands that simulate operations between the micro - engines 22 and the fbus interface unit 28 with the core processor bus 32 acting as either the source or destination of the data . for example , the translation unit 30 performs address translations between micro - engine transfer register locations and cpu addresses so that the cpu 20 can access registers belonging to the micro - engines 22 . read and write operations from the core processor bus 32 to the micro - engines 22 appear to the micro - engines like operations from the fbus interface 28 . the translation unit 30 also performs address translations between fbus interface register locations and cpu addresses so that the cpu 20 can access registers in the fbus interface 28 . similarly , the translation unit 30 performs address translations between the fbus scratchpad location and a corresponding cpu address so that the cpu 20 can access the scratchpad 110 . when the cpu 20 performs a read or write operation with respect to a destination in the fbus interface 28 , the translation unit 30 appears to the fbus interface as simply another micro - engine 22 with one - read transfer register and one write transfer register . in general , the translation unit 30 maps the cpu address and read / write signal into a command for the pull engine 120 or the push engine 122 . the translation unit 30 contains hardwired sequencing logic 90 and registers 92 that respond to control signals from the pull and push engines to supply or receive the targeted data . in other implementations , the translation unit 30 can include a programmable logic array ( pla ). although the translation unit 30 can physically reside in the fbus interface 28 , it is logically distinct . referring to fig5 , to initiate a write operation from the cpu 20 to a particular destination in the fbus interface 28 , such as a control and status register 108 or the scratchpad 110 , the cpu sends 200 a write command to the address space of the particular register or the scratchpad . the translation unit 30 latches the address and command type from the bus 32 and translates 202 the address and the write command to a corresponding command in a format that simulates the format used by the pull engine 120 . a latched register in the translation unit 30 simulates a source output transfer register in one of the micro - engines 22 . the translation unit 30 uses a sideband command bus 134 to pass 204 the translated command to a command interface 140 for the pull engine 120 . the command interface 140 includes the multiplexer 130 and an arbiter 142 that determines the priority in which the various commands from the queues 124 , 126 and the bus 134 are forwarded to the pull engine 120 . in general , commands from the translation unit 30 are given priority over other commands in the queues 124 , 126 . the command interface 140 passes 206 the translated write command to the pull engine 120 , which executes 208 the command . the pull engine 120 asserts 210 a control signal . ( wr_to_pull_data ) that is sent to the translation unit 30 via a control bus 136 . the control signal ( wr_to_pull_data ) serves to instruct the translation unit 30 to promote 212 the write data onto the sbus_pull_data bus 34 a . once the pull engine 120 has pulled the write data from the translation unit 30 , it promotes 214 the data to the fbus interface destination indicated by the translated write command . referring to fig6 , to initiate a write operation from the cpu 20 to a particular register 76 b , 78 , 80 , in one of the micro - engines 22 , the cpu sends 220 a write command to the address space of the particular register . the translation unit 30 latches 222 the address and command type from the bus 32 and translates the address and the write command to a corresponding command in a format recognized by the push engine 122 . in other words , a push command is simulated with a latched register in the translation unit 30 serving as a register 108 ( or scratchpad 110 ) in the fbus interface 28 . the translation unit 30 uses the sideband command bus 134 to pass 224 the translated command to a command interface 144 for the push engine 122 . the command interface 144 includes the multiplexer 132 and an arbiter 146 that determines the priority in which the various commands from the queue 128 and the bus 134 are forwarded to the push engine 122 . in general , commands from the translation unit 30 are given priority over commands in the queue 128 . the command interface 144 passes 226 the translated command to the push engine 122 which executes 228 the command . the push engine 122 asserts 230 a control signal ( wr_to_push_data ) that is sent to the translation unit 30 via the control bus 136 ( step 230 ). the control signal ( wr_to_push_data ) serves to instruct the translation unit 30 to promote the write data onto the sbus_push_data bus 34 b . at substantially the same time , the push engine 122 asserts 232 address signals on an address bus ( sbus_push_addr ) 34 c to enable the micro - engine 22 specified by the original write command to accept the data on the sbus_push_data bus 34 b . referring to fig7 , to initiate a read operation with respect to a particular destination in the fbus interface 28 , such as a control and status register 108 or the scratchpad 110 , the cpu 20 sends 240 a read command to the address space of the particular fbus interface destination . the translation unit 30 latches 242 the address and command type from the bus 32 and translates the address and read command to a corresponding command in a format that simulates the format recognized by the push engine 122 . a push command is simulated with a latched register in the translation unit 30 bus 32 serving as the destination input transfer register . the tanslation unit 30 uses the sideband command bus 134 to pass 244 the translated command to the command interface 144 which passes the translated command to the push engine . as previously mentioned , commands from the translation unit 30 are given priority by the arbiter 146 over commands in the queue 128 . the push engine 122 executes 246 the read command to place the data from the fbus interface destination that was specified in the read command onto the sbus - push_data bus 34 b . at substantially the same time , the push engine 122 asserts 248 a control signal ( rd_from_push_data ) on the bus 136 . the control signal ( rd_from_push_data ) serves to instruct the translation unit 30 to promote 250 the data from the bus 34 b to the core processor bus 32 so that the data can be received by the cpu 20 . referring to fig8 , to initiate a read operation with respect to a particular register 76 b , 78 , 80 in one of the micro - engines 22 , the cpu 20 sends 260 a read command to the address space of the particular register . the translation unit 30 latches 262 the address and command type from the bus 23 and translates the address and the read command to a corresponding command in a format recognized by the pull engine 120 . in other words , a pull command is simulated with a latched register in the translation unit 30 serving as the fbus interface destination register . the translation unit 30 uses the sideband command bus 134 to pass 264 the translated command to the command interface 140 . as previously explained , the arbiter 142 gives priority to commands from the translation unit 30 over commands in the queues 124 , 126 . the command interface 140 passes 266 the translated read command to the pull engine 120 that executes 268 the command so that the data from the micro - engine register specified in the read command is placed on the sbus_pull_data bus 34 a . at substantially the same time , the pull engine 120 asserts 270 a control signal ( rd_from_pull_data ) which is sent to the translation unit 30 via the control bus 136 . the control signal ( rd_from_pull_data ) instructs the translation unit 30 to promote 272 the data from the bus 34 a to the core processor bus 32 so that the data can be received by the cpu 20 . the address and command conversions performed by the translation unit 30 allow the cpu 20 to transfer data to and from registers in the micro - engines 22 and the fbus interface 28 using existing data buses ( i . e ., the bus 34 ) and existing control logic ( i . e ., the push and pull engines 120 , 122 ). the complexity of additional control logic as well as additional logic to arbitrate between data requests from the various sources can be avoided .	6
the present invention provides for efficient , high coupling coefficient , low cost coupled inductors . according to various embodiments , two pieces of ferromagnetic plates are spaced by thin film adhesive . conductors are placed at strategic locations to provide for higher coupling and / or to change coupling phase . the use of the adhesive has a dual role in the effectiveness of the component . film adhesive thickness is selected to raise or lower the inductance of the part . small adhesive thickness creates an inductor with a high inductance level . a thick adhesive reduces the inductance of the part and increases magnetic saturation resistance to high input current . thus , the adhesive thickness can be selected to tailor the inductance of the part for a specific application . the second role of the adhesive is to bind the parts together making the assembly robust to mechanical loads . fig1 is a representation of a prior art four - phase coupled inductor . the inductor 10 has four coils 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 wound in the same direction and placed over ferromagnetic posts 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 . all the posts 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 are tied together with a ferromagnetic top plate 28 and a ferromagnetic bottom plate 30 . a high - speed switch is closed applying a pulse voltage to the first coil 12 . the voltage induces a current creating a magnetic flux shown by the arrow 32 in the direction shown . due to its proximity , the post 22 of the second coil 14 receives the greatest amount of magnetic flux . the magnetic flux in the posts 24 , 26 of the last two coils 16 , 18 decreases the farther away they are from the first coil 12 . magnetic flux induces a voltage in each of the coils 16 , 18 in the opposite direction to the applied voltage as indicated by arrows 36 , 38 . the coupling is out - of - phase to the applied voltage pulse from the first coil 12 . while existing coupled inductors do reduce ripple voltage , their effectiveness is reduced by leakage flux . fig2 is an illustration of a two phase coupled inductor showing flux leakage . a voltage pulse is applied to a first coil 20 inducing a magnetic field . as the magnetic flux ( indicated by an arrow 32 ) leaves the first coil 20 most of it flows through the center leg of a second coil 22 ( as indicated by arrow 34 ). a portion of the magnetic flux will leak out and not go through the second coil 22 therefore is not “ sensed ” by it . this leakage flux is indicated by arrows 40 , 42 , 44 . leakage flux reduces the coupling or the magnitude of voltage sensed by the other conductor . hence , at issue with coupled inductors today is low coupling between the adjoining leg or legs of multi - phase coupled inductors . low coupling reduces the inductor &# 39 ; s ability to reduce ripple currents . what is needed is a low cost , low dc resistance coupled inductor solution with improved coupling for two or more phased inductors . ferromagnetic plates can be made from any magnetically soft material such as , but not limited to , ferrite , molypermalloy ( mpp ), sendust , hi flux or pressed iron . fig3 is an illustration of a one embodiment of a two phase coupled inductor 50 according to the present invention . two parallel strips of conductor 52 , 54 are used in the inductor . a positive voltage , + v , is applied to the first conductor 52 inducing a current . magnetic flux is generated and flows around the second conductor 54 . some magnetic flux leakage occurs between the conductors as indicated by arrows 53 . the voltage induced in the second conductor 54 is out - of - phase with the voltage applied to the first conductor 52 . coupling between the conductors 52 , 54 is good and is much greater than known existing coupled inductor designs . coupling ( voltage induced in the other conductor ) can be significantly increased by placing an electrically conductive plate ( flux shield ) either above or below the conductors . fig4 illustrates a flux shield 62 placed beneath the conductors 52 , 54 . the flux shield 62 may alternatively be placed above the conductors 52 , 54 , or else a flux shield may be placed both above and below the conductors 52 , 54 . where voltage is applied at high frequencies , the conductive plate has high intensity eddy currents induced at its surface . this prevents leakage flux from moving between conductors and effectively forces the magnetic flux to flow in the ferromagnetic parts around the conductors thereby increasing magnetic coupling between the conductors . fig5 represents a new four - phase coupled inductor design for an inductor 70 . the inductor has a ferromagnetic plate 71 multiple posts 72 , 74 , 76 , 78 in close proximity to each other and with a conductor 82 , 84 , 86 , 88 associated with each post for forming multiple inductor components . this enhances the effective coupling between inductor components and has a near equal magnetic flux distribution . the first inductor component formed using the first post 72 of fig5 is energized with the application of positive voltage to the conductor 86 thereby creating a positive input current . the current induces a magnetic field that flows through the inductors formed using the second post 74 , the third post 78 , and the fourth post 76 with almost equal magnitudes . due to their proximity to the source , magnetic flux leakage is minimized and thus coupling becomes much greater than prior art devices . coupling is further increased by placing an electrically conducting sheet in between all of the inductors . this feature acts as a magnetic shield preventing leakage flux from escaping through the gaps between the conductors . not shown in fig5 is a second ferromagnetic plate which is bonded to the top of the features shown . the inductance of this configuration can be increased or decreased by varying thin film adhesive thickness . the present invention and various embodiments with , two , four or more phased coupled inductors , differ significantly from prior art . a thin film adhesive is used to set the air gap that determines the inductance level of the part and join the ferromagnetic plates together . the use of a conducting electromagnetic shield to improve coupling has never been used for coupled inductors . in particular for the two - phase inductor , magnetic flux does not flow through a closed loop conductor . the magnetic flux is coupled from one conductor to another via traveling around each other . existing out - of - phase coupled inductors have inductive components in a linear line with the first and last inductor component being placed at a considerable distance relative to each other . the new four - phase inductor as outlined has all four inductive components in close proximity to each other allowing even distribution of magnetic flux , and higher total coupling . coupling is further improved by introducing an electrically conducting sheet between inductive components . the sheet prevents magnetic flux leakage and enhances overall performance . fig6 and fig7 illustrate a two - phase coupled surface mount inductor according to one embodiment of the present invention . in fig6 , a two - phase coupled surface mount inductor 50 is shown . the two - phase coupled surface mount inductor 50 has two ferromagnetic plates 56 , 58 combined together by a distance set by the thickness of a thin film adhesive 60 . parallel conductors 52 , 54 are placed in a lengthwise manner . electrical current enters the first conductor 52 flowing through the component , for example . magnetic flux is generated using the right hand rule with the thumb pointing in the direction of the current . the right hand rule shows the interior of the loop has magnetic flux flowing over outside the second conductor . each conductor 52 , 54 is coupled to the magnetic flux and a voltage is induced in response to the magnetic field . a thin sheet of insulated electrically conducting material covering the conductors ( not shown ) is placed above , below or at both locations to limit leakage flux by means of eddy current shielding . the presence of strong surface eddy currents prevents magnetic flux to flow through the sheet . the conductors 52 , 54 may be curled over one or both sides of the ferromagnetic plates 56 , 58 . this allows users to readily attach the component to an electrical board . the invention may have multiple termination configurations . the conductors do not have to be parallel strips spaced on the same plane as illustrated in fig6 and fig7 . alternative designs include multiple conductors placed on top or bottom of each other . these conductors can be placed in multiple layers and multiple layer stacks . stacking electrically insulated conductors lowers the dc resistance and prevents magnetic flux leakage that would be present if the conductors lay side by side . analysis have been performed on the effectiveness of the electrically conducting material introduced into the design . there is high magnetic flux leakage without the shield between the conductors . when the shield is introduced , leakage is considerably reduced at frequencies above 100 khz , which dramatically increases the coupling between conductors . fig8 and fig9 illustrate a four - phase surface mount inductor can be constructed . four l - shaped conductors , 84 , 86 , 88 are positioned around ferromagnetic posts 72 , 74 , 76 , 78 of a ferromagnetic plate 71 . the ferromagnetic posts are in close proximity to each other . note that the arrangement of the ferromagnetic posts shown is in a 2 × 2 configuration , although other configurations may be used . note that the arrangement is not a fully linear arrangement conventionally associated with coupled inductors . the leads are bent around the ferromagnetic plates to be soldered to an electrical board . a shield can be placed between the posts to reduce leakage flux . the magnetic flux density effect with and without a conducting shield has been examined . there is higher leakage flux between the conductors when the shield is not present . thus , the use of the shield reduces leakage flux . therefore efficient , highly coupled inductors have been described . the present invention contemplates that varying number of inductors may be coupled , leads of conductors may or may not be bent around ferromagnetic plates , different numbers of posts of ferromagnetic material may be used , and other variations . the present invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments shown .	8
as depicted in fig1 , the identification system 2 described by the present invention is designed to interface with known material handling systems 4 which manage the transfer of bulk materials from source locations 6 to destination locations 8 . the source location 6 may be a drum , bin , silo , or other vessel that holds or delivers source material . the destination location 8 may be a reactor , material - loading equipment , or other vessel that is intended to receive source material . the identification system 2 described by the present invention is designed to identify which physical connections are actually established within the material handling system 4 . after identifying these connections , the identification system 2 provides this information to the material handling system 4 which determines whether the physical connections identified by the identification system 2 are the same connections that the material handling system 4 instructed the human operator to establish . in the event an unintended physical connection in identified , the material handling system 4 can take necessary steps to prevent an unintended material transfer between a source location 6 and a destination location 8 . these steps include , for example , ( i ) disabling the conveying means , such as vacuum or pump pressure , between source and destination locations , or ( ii ) closing a valve to prevent material transfer between source and destination locations . in another embodiment , the identification system 2 can be programmed to perform the comparison of the physical connections and the intended connections , and then send the results of the comparison , including the identity of any unintended connections , to the material handling system 4 . one exemplary embodiment of the present invention involves use of the identification system 2 in conjunction with the transfer of material through physical connection made in a selector plate 10 . this process is commonly used in the plastics production and processing industry . as depicted in fig2 and 4 , the selector plate 10 features an array of openings 15 . within each opening 15 on the selector plate 10 is the open end of a source tube 20 which is connected to a source location 6 , which contains material to be transferred to destination locations 8 by the material handling system 4 . in the exemplary embodiment depicted in fig2 through 4 , each opening 15 is covered by lid 30 that can be opened to access the source tube 20 . each source tube 20 depicted in the exemplary embodiment shown in fig2 through 4 is designed to be connected to the open end of a destination tube connector 35 through its respective opening 15 . each destination tube connector 35 is connected to a destination hose 40 , which in turn is connected to a destination location 8 . as described above , the selector plate 10 in the presently described exemplary embodiment fixes the physical location of each source tube 20 where a physical connection between a source location 6 and a destination location 8 is established . a selector plate 10 need not be used in the present invention , and other exemplary embodiments coy use alternative means to fix the location of physical connections between a source location 6 and a destination location 8 . while fixing the locations of the physical connections between source and destination locations , through the use of a selector plate 10 or other means , facilitates the invention &# 39 ; s identification process described , below , it la not required . each destination tube connector 35 in the presently described embodiment features machine - identifiable indicia 50 the machine - identifiable indicia 50 may be , an optically identifiable indicia , such as , for example , a bar code , a two - dimensional bar code , a letter ( s ), a number ( s ), a symbol , a color , a combination of the aforementioned elements , or some other marking that can be recognized by a camera , laser or other device capable of identifying machine identifiable indicia . other embodiments of the presently described invention may use other types of machine - readable information that are not readily apparent or distinguishable to the human eye . the placement of the machine - identifiable indicia 50 in the presently described embodiment is on the destination tube connector 35 , however , alternative embodiments may include the indicia at other positions which identify a destination location 8 . alternatively , the machine - identifiable indicia 50 can be included on positions which identify the source location 6 , or on multiple locations identifying both destination locations 8 and source locations 6 . the exemplary embodiment depicted , in fig2 through 4 features a camera 55 that is used to identify the previously described machine - identifiable indicia the camera 55 in the embodiment described in fig2 through 4 can view each destination tube connector 35 and each respective machine - identifiable indicia 50 contained thereon . the camera 55 in the presently described embodiment is controlled by a programmable logic controller ( plc ) 65 . the plc 65 is also connected to the material handling system 4 to which the identification system 2 transmits identification information . each material transfer that is performed by the material handling system 4 in the presently described embodiment utilizes a physical connection between a destination tube connector as and a source tube 20 by way of the respective opening 15 in the selector plate 10 . prior to initiating a transfer of material between a source location 6 and a destination location 8 , in one exemplary embodiment , the material handling system 4 will direct a human operator to physically connect a tube connector 35 and a source tube 20 by way of the respective opening 15 in the selector plate 10 . after such a physical connection is made by the operator , the material handling system 4 in the presently described embodiment will not initiate a material transfer from a source location 6 to a destination location 8 until verification of the physical connection occurs . generating reliable identification information to accomplish this verification step is described below and represents the heart of the present invention . after an operator establishes a physical connection , or at other designated points during the material handling process , the plc 65 in the presently described embodiment instructs the camera 55 to identify each physical connection that has been established in the material handling system 4 . the camera 55 in one presently described embodiment accomplishes this by using , for example , optical character recognition ( ocr ) technology to identify ( i ) machine - identifiable indicia . 50 on destination tube connectors 35 that may be present in the camera &# 39 ; s field of vision ; and ( ii ) the relative position of said machine - identifiable indicia 50 . respectively , these two pieces of information serve to identify each destination location 8 and source location 6 that are physically connected to one another . alternatively , the source location 6 may be identified by machine - identifiable indicia 50 and the destination location 8 may be identified by its relative position . the invention does not require that the connection between source and destination locations occur in a fixed physical location . in such embodiments , rather than identifying the source or destination location based on the relative position of the conduit connecting source and destination locations , two sets of machine identifiable indicia 50 may be used to identify the source and destination locations . in such embodiments , the camera 55 , or other device used to identify machine identifiable indicia 50 , will identify each physical connection by identifying each set of machine identifiable indicia 50 . in the presently described embodiment , the camera 55 communicates the identity of each physical connection as defined by each connection &# 39 ; s machine - identifiable indicia 50 and respective position , to the plc 65 . the plc 65 in this embodiment then communicates this information to the material handling system 4 which compares each physical connection provided by the plc 65 ( i . e ., as identified by the presence of an machine - identifiable indicia 50 in a specific location on the selector plate 10 ), to the intended connections . if the material handling system 4 determines that each intended connection has been established , the material handling system 4 will commence or continue transferring material from source locations 6 to destination locations 8 through the physical connections . in an alternative embodiment , the plc 65 may be programmed with the intended connections and can independently determine whether each physical connection matches an intended connection . under this embodiment , the material handling system 4 would then be provided with the resultant verification information , which may simply be an indicator that the connections have been verified . in addition to identifying the physical connections present in a material handling system , the camera 55 and plc 65 may collect additional information , such as , for example , the time that specific connections are identified , the duration that individual connections are maintained , or other information that may be relevant to the material handling process . this information may be stored in the plc 65 and transmitted to the material handling system 4 . in the embodiment described in fig2 and 3 , the physical connections between source locations 6 and destination locations 8 are arranged in a manner that the camera 55 need not move to identify each destination . tube connector 35 and its respective machine - identifiable indicia 50 . however , in alternative embodiments involving larger arrays of openings 15 or multiple selector plates 10 , such as the configuration shown in fig4 , or in other embodiments where the physical connections between source locations 6 and destination locations 8 are not identifiable from a single vantage point , the camera 55 may be moved to different positions to view the respective physical connections . as depicted in fig2 - 4 , the camera in the presently described embodiment can be mounted to a track 60 at one end of the selector plate 10 . the plc 65 controls the movement of the camera 55 along the track 60 . it is readily apparent to one of skill in the art that alternative means for moving the camera 55 may be utilized . the track 60 and the camera 55 mounted thereon are positioned such that the camera 55 can observe each destination tube connector 35 and its respective machine - identifiable indicia 50 that may be connected to a source tube 20 through an opening 15 in the selector plate 10 . other embodiments under the present invention exist where the physical connections between source and destination locations are not collected in a relatively compact area such as a selector plate 10 , and in such instances , the camera or device used to identify the connections may be moved , repositioned , or aimed by the plc 65 to capture the necessary identification information . where the selector plate 10 in the presently described embodiment features multiple arrays of openings 15 , as shown in fig4 , the plc is programmed with camera positions 70 . 1 , 70 . 2 , 70 . 3 , etc . along the track 60 . each camera position 70 is the physical location along the track 60 that provides the camera 55 with an unobstructed view of each destination tube connector 35 that may be connected to a source tube 20 through an opening 15 in the selector plate 10 . in this embodiment , the camera performs the same identification process described above at each camera position 70 , thereby identifying ( i ) each machine - identifiable indicia 50 on each destination tube connector 35 that may be present in the camera &# 39 ; s field of vision ; and ( ii ) the relative location of said machine - identifiable indicia 50 . this information is subsequently sent from the camera to the plc 65 , and then from the plc 65 to the material handling system 4 as described above . in other embodiments , the camera 55 , laser , or other device used to identify the machine identifiable indicia 50 may be located elsewhere , including , for example , mounted on the ceiling , on an overhead track or cable enabling the device to be used to inspect multiple selector plates throughout the material handling system , or any suitable location that does not interfere with the process . although the present invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration , it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that variations can be made therein by those in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	6
referring now to the drawings , and particularly to fig1 and 3 , there is shown a toy vehicle , generally designated 10 , configured to simulate a four wheel drive or rear wheel drive off - road racing vehicle . the vehicle 10 includes a vehicle chassis , generally designated 11 , which consists of molded plastic front and rear chassis sections 12 , and 13 , respectively , each of which is generally plate shaped and configured for hinged couplings . as best illustrated in fig3 the front chassis section 12 has a u - shaped cutaway portion defined by a lateral edge 12a and first and second rearwardly extending arm portions 12b and 12c which terminate in upwardly extending aperture boss portions 14 and 15 . for the hinged couplings , the edge 12a is provided with couplings means in the form of a lower centrally disposed , rearwardly extending tab member 12d , with a pair of offset rearwardly extending upper tab members 12e and 12f configured for receiving a pivot shaft 13a therebetween , the shaft 13a being secured to the forward end of the rear chassis section 13 . the center tab member has an enlarged detent type end for captively retaining the shaft 13a thereon . this interconnection provides relative pivotable movement between the front and rear chassis 12 and 13 . a body 17 , configured in the form of a &# 34 ; roll cage &# 34 ; is fixedly attached to the front chassis 12 only , by suitable connection ( not shown ) at the front end of chassis 12 and insertion of the downwardly depending rear tubular members 17a ( only one of which is shown ) into the apertured bosses 14 and 15 at the terminal ends of arm portions 12b and 12c . affixed to , and as part of the body 17 , at the upper rear thereof , there is attached a first attitude restoration component in the form of a plate member 20 , configured to simulate an air spoiler . the plate member 20 is positioned generally above the rear wheels 32 in generally spaced alignment with the axle 30 , and the main surface thereof is rearwardly upwardly sloping relative to a surface 44 on which the vehicle 10 rests . for reasons which will be discussed hereinafter , and as best shown in fig2 ( see also fig1 and 4 ), the terminal lateral edges 20a and 20b of the plate member 20 are in generally parallel relation and extend beyond the width of the rear wheels 32 of the vehicle 10 an equal distance on both sides , this distance being designated &# 34 ; x &# 34 ;. also as shown in fig5 the rear edge 20c is approximately aligned in a vertical direction with the rearward extremity of the wheels 32 . the forward projection 20d of the plate member 20 includes first and second apertures for loosely and slidably receiving therethrough the upper ends of shafts or rod members 22 and 23 which have enlarged head portions 22a ( only one of which is shown ) above the projection 20d of plate member 20 , with the lower ends of which are secured in apertured bosses 13b and 13c integrally formed in the upper surface of rear chassis section 13 . first and second coil springs 24 and 25 encircle the shafts or rod members 22 and 23 , respectively , with the springs 24 and 25 in compression to act as buffers or shock absorbers during relative pivotable movement of the chassis sections 12 and 13 . thus , the body 17 is secured to the front chassis section 12 and the air spoiler member 20 is secured to , and fixed relative to , the front chassis section 12 by means of the body 17 . the front and rear chassis sections 12 and 13 are then interconnected by virtue of the pivotal coupling via shaft 13a and the spring suspension afforded by rod members 22 , 23 and coil spring members 24 , 25 . this interconnection thus provides spring suspension for the vehicle 10 . front and rear chassis sections 12 and 13 , respectively , rotatably support front and rear wheel shafts 29 and 30 , on opposite ends of which are attached right and left , generally identically dimensioned front and rear wheels 31 and 32 of all the same diameter , with the spacing between wheels of the front and rear sets being generally identical . the wheels 31 and 32 , in accordance with conventional toy vehicles , are adapted for contact with a surface on which the vehicle 10 may be driven , with both rear wheels being fixedly attached to the axle 32 for concurrent driving . the rear chassis section 13 is configured to provide means for coupling thereto a motor means or a power module , in the form of a flywheel mechanism generally designated 33 . the rear chassis section 13 has four upwardly extending peripheral wall portions defining a rectangular box - like structure 33a , the walls thereof being arranged to support shafts or axles required for the mechanism 33 . an inertia wheel or flywheel 34 is rotatably supported on a shaft 35 affixd thereto , with shaft 35 being rotatably supported between opposing sidewalls of the structure 34a . the other end of shaft 35 has secured thereto for rotation therewith a pinion gear drive member 37 . an intermediate gear member 38 is provided with a larger diameter gear portion 38a in meshing engagement with drive gear member 37 , and a coaxial pinion gear portion 38b . the pinion gear portion 38b is in meshing engagement with a large diameter gear member 39 which is fixed to axle 30 of the rear wheel drive assembly . the drive mechanism 33 is arranged on rear chassis 13 with its center of gravity c . g . ( see fig4 ) positioned on the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle 10 . with such inertia powered vehicles , the parts are arranged so that the vehicle 10 may be operated by contacting the drive or rear wheels 32 with a surface and pushing the vehicle 10 in a given direction , one or more times , thus rotating flywheel 34 by means of the gear train , and thus storing kinetic energy in flywheel 34 . the kinetic energy is then released when the vehicle 10 is freely left on the surface on all four wheels , with driving rear wheels 32 frictionally engaging the surface to drive the toy vehicle 10 . it is to be understood that the two rear wheels 32 are fixedly attached to the ends of axle 30 so that contact of only one of the rear wheels 32 with the surface , likewise effects motion of the vehicle 10 . at the rear part of rear chassis section 13 , somewhat offset in the vehicle width direction , and rearwardly of the structure 33a , there is an upwardly extending projection 13d formed on a rearwardly extending portion 13e of rear chassis section 13 . as shown in fig3 this projection 13d is in alignment with , or just rearwardly of a line drawn through the rearmost part of the circumference of rear wheels 32 . a second attitude restoration component or member 40 , configured to simulate a whip antenna , has the lower end 40a thereof coiled for frictional engagement with the outer periphery of projection 13d for retention thereon . the other upper extremity of member 40 is configured in the form of a loop 40b . the wire member 40 extends in a generally vertical direction , that is perpendicular to the plane of the chassis formed of sections 12 and 13 , and is formed of a resilient or flexible , yet somewhat rigid wire , preferably a spring steel type wire . referring now also to fig4 and 5 , the operation of the vehicle with the first and second attitude restoration components 20 and 40 will be described . with a toy vehicle 10 constructed as described above , with flywheel 34 storing kinetic energy , the vehicle 10 is put on a surface with the front and rear wheels 31 and 32 in contact with the surface . the hand is then removed from the vehicle body 17 , whereupon the flywheel 34 delivers the stored kinetic energy to flywheel drive shaft 35 via drive gear 37 , gear member portion 38a , pinion gear portion 38b and driven gear 39 to drive rear wheels 32 to propel the vehicle 10 . during driving , if the vehicle 10 tips or falls on its right or left side , the right or left end 20a , 20b of attitude restoration plate member 20 makes contact with the surface , as shown in fig4 . with the ends 20a and 20b of attitude restoration plate member 20 extending beyond the width of the rear wheels 32 , as shown in fig4 the wheel 32 is at an angle to the surface 44 with the end 20b in contact with the surface 44 . consequently , the lower edge of the rear driving wheel 32 on the same side as end 20b remains in frictional engagement or contact with the surface 44 . with the wheel 32 being driven by the flywheel mechanism 33 and the wheel 32 rotating in a forward direction , the inertial reaction of this contact , coupled with the center of gravity ( designated &# 34 ; c . g .&# 34 ; in fig4 ) of the flywheel mechanism 33 on the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle 10 tends to act as a restoring force to self - right the vehicle 10 . the restoring force is attributable to a combination of the location of the center of gravity c . g . of the flywheel mechanism 33 ; the shape , dimension and position of the attitude restoration plate member 20 ; and the angle of the wheel 32 relative to the surface 24 , this angle being designated &# 34 ; y &# 34 ; in fig4 which is formed as a result of the distance &# 34 ; x &# 34 ; of overhang of the end 20b relative to the extreme end of the width of wheel 32 . in essence , the plate member 20 is positioned generally above the wheels 32 with the plane thereof at an angle to horizontal ( as viewed in fig1 ), with the edges 20a and 20b parallel to one another and extending out from the extremity of the width of the rear driving wheels 32 . rotation of the wheel 32 in contact with the surface 44 tends to rotate the vehicle 10 about a pivot formed by the contact of edge 20b with surface 24 . this rotation is resisted by the length of edge 20b in contact with the surface 44 , with the angular orientation of the plate member 20 partially assisting in resistance to turning . the location of the center of gravity c . g . of flywheel mechanism 33 provides a lever arm of force which acts in a direction to self right the tipped vehicle 10 , with the combination of all forces thus self - righting the vehicle 10 . on the other hand , when the vehicle 10 makes a frontal collision with a vertically extending surface or upright wall 45 , as depicted in fig5 the force of the driving wheels 32 cause the front wheels 31 to contact the wall 45 . this driving force thereafter causes the vehicle 10 to tend to assume a vertical position , that is , to tend to climb the wall 45 . at a certain point , the vertical lift of the front wheels 32 along the wall 45 will place the vehicle 10 in a position or attitude at which the attitude restoration wire member 40 comes in contact with the horizontal surface 44 . thereafter , the force of the driving wheels 32 , combined with the contact of the wire member 40 with the surface 44 , tends to cause the vehicle 10 to scale the wall 44 until vehicle 10 is in a generally vertical position or attitude shown in fig5 at some point just prior to vehicle 10 turning over . as can be seen , as the vehicle 10 rises to the vertical attitude , the member 40 comes in contact with the horizontal surface 44 , whereupon it commences to elastically deform so that its elastic restoring force , or spring bias , for a short period , tends to maintain one or both rear wheels 32 in contact with the wall 45 . the loop end 40b of the member 40 may likewise come in contact with the horizontal surface 44 to assist in this action . further movement of the vehicle 10 on the wall 45 causes the rear edge 20c of the plate member 20 to come in contact with the wire member 40 as shown in fig5 . at this point , the vehicle is supported generally vertically on a line in the horizontal plane , which is the line of the wire member 40 in contact with the surface 44 . this line is offset from the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle 10 due to the offset of wire member 40 on rear chassis section 13 ( see fig2 ). at some point , instability occurs as a consequence of which the vehicle 10 will turn left or right relative to its vertical orientation . as the vehicle 10 drops to the horizontal surface 44 , it may land on all four wheels , but in most instances , it will tip to one side or the other and assume the tipped position shown in fig4 after which it will self - right so long as the driving wheels 32 are in motion . as can be seen , the second attitude restoration wire member 40 must be sufficiently rigid , yet sufficiently flexible to perform its intended function . the controlled deformation or flexing of the member 40 serves to act as a spring bias in maintaining the wheels 32 in contact with the vertical wall 45 , and prevents the simultaneous detachment of right and left rear wheels 32 from the wall 45 , or serves to bring the rear wheels 32 into contact after a short detachment , to allow the toy vehicle 10 to return to its normal attitude by subsequently causing the attitude restoration plate member 20 to make contact with the surface 44 on its edge 20b ( see fig4 ). in this regard , although the wire member 40 may perform the restoration motion even when it is installed at the middle point of the rear of the width of the vehicle 10 , the offset location as in this embodiment is more reliable in bringing the vehicle 10 into the position or attitude shown in fig4 because an offset position is more conductive to causing twisting of the vehicle 10 . in accordance with the present invention , there has been shown and described a toy vehicle 10 having first and second attitude restoration components , in the form of a spoiler - simulating plate member 20 and a whip antenna - simulating wire member 40 , so dimensioned , arranged and configured relative to the vehicle 10 configuration , to effect self - righting of the vehicle 10 when tipped to one side and to effect self - righting in the event the vehicle 10 attempts to scale a generally vertical surface 45 , such self - righting occurring so long as the rear drive wheels 32 are rotating under force of the flywheel mechanism 33 . alternatively stated , the wire member 40 is so dimensioned and positioned for contact with a horizontal surface 44 with the vehicle 10 attempting to scale a generally vertical surface 45 for assisting in maintaining at least one of the rear drive wheels 32 in contact with the vertical surface 45 until the vehicle 10 pivots from a generally vertical attitude about an axis defined by the wire member 40 . in either instance , the vehicle 10 can automtically restore its horizontal attitude to resume driving . furthermore , since the attitude restoration plate 20 is configured to simulate an air spoiler , and the attitude restoration elastic wire member 40 is configured to resemble a car radio whip antenna , both attitude restoration members have a familiar appearance resembling true equipment of actual off - road racing cars , thus providing realism to the toy vehicle 10 , while giving the user the enjoyment of well simulated car racing . while there has been shown and described a preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that various other adaptations and modifications may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention .	0
identical parts will be denoted hereinafter by the same reference numerals . fig1 shows an embodiment of an energy converter of a multilayered tig 1 connected to a teg 2 in an evacuated space 3 having a cold window 4 . through the cold window 4 , there is radiated concentrated sunlight 5 which heats an absorber 6 on the outer emitter 7 to a temperature of from 1 , 400 to 2 , 000 k . of the multilayered tig , two of the possible plurality of layers are shown . the emitters 7 of the layers are optionally doped with , for example , erbium in order to reduce heat radiation losses and are optionally provided with a microstructure 8 having a height of from ten to five hundred nm in order to intensify the thermionic emission . the collectors 9 are optionally provided with a reflective layer to reflect heat radiation . the reflective layer preferably comprises , at temperatures higher than 800 k , an electrically conductive oxide ( toc ) and , at temperatures lower than 800 k , a thin layer of gold . the thickness of the layers to which the electrodes 7 and / or 9 are attached is from one to ten micrometres and the height of the gaps 10 is from approximately 0 . 5 to 100 micrometres . grooves 19 are optionally formed in the plates comprising electrodes 7 and / or 9 in order to make the plates more resilient , thus reducing the forces acting on the spacer elements 12 during thermal deformations . the height of the gaps is optionally adjustable using piezo elements 11 , by adjusting spacer elements 12 which set the layers apart . in order to avoid heat loss , the columnar spacer elements 12 are thin and dependent on the height of the gaps between the electrodes having a diameter of from two to 100 micrometres thick . the spacer elements 12 of the outer emitter 7 are provided with a layer 43 which has good electrical conductivity and preferably poor heat conductivity and is resistant to high temperatures . the layer is , for example , made of molybdenum . the layers 43 conduct the generated current from the tig to the current supply wires 13 and are embedded in the substrate 14 in an insulated manner . the remaining spacer elements 12 are preferably made only of a material having poor conductivity , such as oxides . the live layers 43 are preferably connected to the emitter 7 by spot welding or by diffusion welding . on the other side , the live layers 43 are resiliently soldered or welded to the supply wires 13 and the spacer elements 12 are securely bonded or sintered to the piezo elements 11 . the insulating spacer elements are preferably connected to the remaining emitters 7 in a mortise and tenon joint by means of sintering or clamping . on the other side , the insulating spacer elements are bonded or sintered to the piezo elements 11 . the spacer elements 12 are set apart from one another by from 0 . 5 to 2 mm . of each layer comprising electrodes 7 and / or 9 , the height of the gap 10 , the material of the electrodes 7 and / or 9 and the height of the microstructure 8 are adjusted in such a way that the output of the tig 1 is optimal at the prevailing operational temperature . in this case , it is important that the electric current passing through the electrodes is the same in each layer . the current of the tig 1 is discharged at the outer collector 9 , optionally combined with the current discharge or supply means 15 of the teg 2 . an electrically insulating layer 16 of the outer collector 9 of the tig is electrically separated from the hot side of the teg 2 . however , the material is selected in such a way that the thermal contact and transfer of heat are good . formed in the electrodes 7 and / or 9 and the teg 2 are holes through which the spacer elements 12 of the outside layers 7 and / or 9 protrude . if the spacer elements are live , the holes are then provided with an insulation layer 17 . the insulation layer 17 is , for example , obtained by oxidation or by an attached oxide . the holes are sufficiently large to allow space for expansion of the layers relative to one another . the relatively small holes in the electrodes 7 and / or 9 are formed by etching or using a laser . the larger holes in the teg 2 are formed by drilling or using a laser . if the teg is too thick to be able to drill holes , then the teg 2 is still connected to the substrate 14 in good thermal contact and the piezo elements 11 should be able to resist a temperature of from 400 to 800 k . in the embodiment shown , the substrate is cooled using a compact heat exchanger 18 such as a heat pipe . if the hot side of teg 2 is connected to the substrate 14 , the cold side of teg 2 is cooled using a compact heat exchanger 18 instead of the substrate 14 . the design of fig1 can also be used to connect a tig to a ttg , by replacing the teg with a ttg or the other generator . fig2 shows another embodiment of an energy converter . the converter comprises a multilayered tig 1 connected to a mtpv 20 . the converter is attached in an evacuated space 13 having a cold window 4 . during use , there is radiated through the cold window 4 concentrated sunlight 5 which heats an absorber 6 attached to the outer emitter 7 to a temperature of , for example , from 1 , 400 to 2 , 000 k . of the multilayered tig , one of the possible plurality of layers is shown . the emitters 7 of the layers are optionally doped with , for example , erbium in order to reduce heat radiation . optionally , the emitters 7 are provided with a microstructure 8 ( see fig1 ) having a height of from 10 to 500 nm in order to intensify the thermionic emission . the collectors 9 are optionally provided with a reflective layer to reflect heat radiation . this reflective layer preferably comprises , at temperatures higher than 800 k , a conductive oxide ( toc ) and , at temperatures lower than 800 k , a thin layer of gold . the thickness of the layers comprising electrodes 7 and / or 9 is from one to ten micrometres and the height of the gaps 10 is from approximately 0 . 5 to 100 micrometres . grooves 19 are optionally formed in the plates comprising electrodes 7 and / or 9 in order to make the plates more resilient , thus reducing the forces acting on the spacer elements 12 during thermal deformations . the height of the gaps 10 is optionally adjustable using piezo elements 11 which are connected to spacer elements 12 . the spacer elements 12 set the layers apart . in order to avoid heat loss , the thickness of the wire - like spacer elements 12 is , to just past the outer electrode 9 , one to five times the height of the gap between the electrodes 8 and then thicker , for example five to twenty times the height of the gaps . in order to avoid heat loss , the columnar spacer elements 12 are thin and dependent on the height of the gaps between the electrodes having a diameter of from two to 100 micrometres thick . the spacer elements 12 of the outer emitter 7 are provided with a layer 43 which has good electrical conductivity and preferably poor heat conductivity and is resistant to high temperatures . the layer comprises , for example , molybdenum . the layers 43 conduct the generated current from the tig to the current supply wires 13 and are embedded in the substrate 14 in an insulated manner . the remaining spacer elements 12 are preferably made only of a material having poor conductivity , such as oxides . the live layers 43 are preferably connected to the emitter 7 by spot welding or by diffusion welding . on the other side , the live layers 43 are resiliently soldered or welded to the supply wires 13 and the spacer elements 12 are securely bonded or sintered to the piezo elements 11 . the insulating spacer elements are preferably connected to the remaining emitters 7 in a mortise and tenon joint by means of sintering or clamping . on the other side , the insulating spacer elements are bonded or sintered to the piezo elements 11 . the spacer elements 12 are set apart from one another by from 0 . 5 to 10 mm . of each layer comprising electrodes 7 and / or 9 , the height of the gap 10 , the material of the electrodes 7 and / or 9 and the height of the microstructure 8 are adjusted in such a way that the output of the tig 1 is optimal at the prevailing operational temperature . in this case , it is important that the electric current passing through the electrodes is the same in each layer . the current of the tig 1 is discharged at the outer collector 9 , optionally combined with the current discharge or supply means 15 of the mtpv 20 . the outer collector 9 of the tig is provided , facing the mtpv 20 , with a layer 22 having a high emission coefficient , so the mtpv is provided with sufficient heat radiation from the residual heat of the tig 1 . the gap 21 between the tig 1 and the mtpv 20 has a height of from fifty to two hundred nm and serves to conduct the heat radiation , intensified by resonance , to the mtpv 20 . formed in the electrodes 7 and / or 9 and the mtpv 20 are holes through which the spacer elements 12 of the outside layers 7 and / or 9 protrude . if the spacer elements are live , the holes are provided with an insulation layer 17 . the insulation layer 17 is , for example , obtained by oxidation or an attached oxide . the small holes in the electrodes 7 and / or 9 and in the electrodes of the mtpv 20 are formed by etching or using a laser . in the illustrated embodiment , the substrate is cooled using a compact heat exchanger 18 such as a heat pipe . in another embodiment , the radiation emitter 21 is at the same time a thermionic emitter through which the mtpv 20 at the same time functions as a tig by making the radiation emitter 22 from a material having the correct composition and by providing the correct surface structure to operate , at the prevailing operational temperature , with an optimum output as tig 1 and mtpv 20 . the current - discharging grid 23 and the electrode 9 , facing the emitter 7 of the tig 1 , of the mtpv 20 is then also the collector 9 of this simultaneous mtpv 20 and tig 1 , and the electrical contact of the collector 9 with the feed - through means 15 is dispensed with . with this option , not only is the output higher , the power capacity is also increased , and this is advantageous in material usage and for better output of the multilayered tig 2 . fig3 shows an alternative adjustment of the gaps 10 . the length of the spacer elements 12 is adjusted with the temperature of the spacer elements 12 on account of the thermal expansion resulting therefrom . for this purpose , layers 44 are attached to the spacer elements 12 , as a result of which there is conveyed a current which heats the spacer elements 12 to the desired temperature . the current is regulated by a schematically illustrated regulator 45 which is in fact attached to an integrated circuit ( not shown ) in the region of the spacer elements 12 in combination with the regulators 45 of the other spacer elements 12 . each resistance layer 44 is in this case connected to the circuit via separate electrically insulated current supply wires ( not shown ). the regulator 45 operates , for example , in accordance with what is known as the fuzzy - logic principle , in which there is activated periodically and sequentially , in each spacer element 12 separately , a very small change in length from which a new and better adjustment for all of the spacer elements 12 is subsequently calculated , from the response in the total energy generated , and activated by a programmed processor present in the integrated circuit . this regulation can optionally also be used in the option with piezo elements in fig2 and fig3 . fig4 shows an alternative spacing regulation in which the spacing is regulated from the electrical converter 2 connected to the tig 1 , in this example the teg 2 . in this case , no holes are drilled in the teg 2 . because the cold sides of the spacer elements 12 are now approx . 900 k , the length of the spacer elements 12 will preferably be used , their temperature regulated by the regulator from fig3 . in this case too , use is made of an electronic circuit ( not shown ) which regulates the current passing through the resistance layers 44 and which is positioned at a cool location in the region of the converter , the resistance layers 44 each being separately connected using thin live wires ( not shown ). fig5 shows an embodiment of one of the above - mentioned energy converters , the tig 1 being divided , thermally parallel , into relatively small squares 42 or other flat shapes ( relatively small parts ) and these relatively small parts being electrically connected in series . each part 42 is in this case from 0 . 1 to 10 mm in size and consists , again , of a single - layered or multilayered tig 1 , the relatively small parts 42 being thermally connected in series with a generator operating at a lower temperature , in this case a teg 2 . each part 42 has , for each electrode plate 7 and / or 9 , three or more spacer elements 12 which are , again , preferably provided with a piezo element 14 . the current is in this case conveyed using an electrical conductor 13 along the outer spacer element , from one of the outer small parts 42 to the outer emitter 7 of the tig 1 . each part 42 is electrically connected in series with one adjacent part by connecting the outer collector 9 of that part 42 comprising an electrical conductor 43 to the outer emitter 7 along the closest spacer elements 12 of the adjacent part 42 . this is carried out just until all of the parts 42 are connected and positioned electrically in series . the current is then conveyed from the last small part 42 connected in series outward using a conductor 15 from its collector 9 . the remaining functions are as in fig1 , 2 , 3 and 4 . in another embodiment , one row of relatively small parts 42 is , depending on the desired tension , electrically in series and the other rows are , again , in parallel . depending on the desired tension , other parallel or series connections are also possible . fig6 shows an embodiment of the energy converter 29 , wherein the heat from a burner 24 is radiated in a contactless manner by a radiation emitter 27 onto the absorber 6 of the outer emitter 7 of the tig 1 from fig1 , 2 , 3 , 4 and 5 . the burner 24 comprising a recuperator 25 , with which the residual heat in the outlet gases 31 from the burner 24 is used to preheat the inlet gases 32 , heats a radiation emitter 27 . the assembly as a whole is placed in the vacuum space 28 in a vacuum - tight manner . the walls 30 of the vacuum space 28 are provided with a layer having a very low emission coefficient such as reflective aluminium , silver or gold . fig7 shows an embodiment of an extension of the energy converter according to fig1 , 2 , 3 or 4 , wherein both the heat from a burner 24 and the heat of concentrated sunlight are radiated in a contactless manner by a radiation emitter 27 onto the absorber 6 of the outer emitter 7 of the tig 1 from fig1 and 2 . depending on the availability of sunlight and the demand for energy , the heat from concentrated sunlight 5 and / or the heat from the burner 24 is used to heat a radiation emitter 27 . with a recuperator 25 , the residual heat in the outlet gases 31 from the burner 24 is used to preheat the inlet gases 32 . the burner 24 and recuperator 25 are attached in the vacuum space 28 , together with the converter 29 , in a vacuum - tight manner . all of the walls 30 of the vacuum space 28 are provided with a layer having a very low emission coefficient such as reflective aluminium , silver or gold . in order to restrict outward heat and radiation losses , the sunlight radiates through a transparent , funnel - shaped , hollow , evacuated space 34 of dehydrated quartz , aluminium garnet or another heat - resistant , transparent material . the focal point 33 of the concentrated sunlight is located in the tip of the funnel 34 . the tip of the funnel 34 has a diameter which is somewhat larger than the diameter of the focal point 33 . depending on the demand for electricity and the availability of the sun , the burner 24 is adjusted to ensure at all times the supply of energy and to ensure that as the amount of sunlight decreases , the sunlight can dispense its heat at a high temperature . this latter aspect is beneficial for the output of the energy converter . in another embodiment , the funnel 34 is an open space into which a small portion of the inlet air 41 is injected . the injected air thus generates an insulating heat curtain . fig8 shows an embodiment of an extension of an energy converter shown in fig1 , 2 , 3 , 4 and / or 5 , in which electrical energy is converted into a combustible gas whenever the availability of the sun is higher than the demand for electrical energy . the remaining electrical energy from the energy converter 29 is converted into a combustible gas , preferably hydrogen , using an electrolysis apparatus 35 . subsequently , the combustible gas is stored in a tank 36 or returned to a gas supply network 37 comprising a storage facility , or to an old gas field 38 . if subsequently there is , again , too little sunlight , then the burner of the embodiment from fig6 and / or 7 will , again , use this gas to supply electricity . fig9 shows an embodiment of an extension of an energy converter shown in fig1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 and / or 7 , in which residual heat from the cooling means 18 is stored in a boiler 39 or is used immediately in a radiator 40 for heating spaces . fig1 shows the selectively flexible operation of the spacer elements 12 of the energy converter according to the present invention , in which the spacer elements 12 are connected , on one side , to the emitter 7 of the tig and , on the other side , in ( blind ) holes on and in the connected generator 2 . on account of the ( blind ) holes 41 , the spacer elements 12 may be much longer than the slot height of the gap 10 and are thus slim and laterally selectively flexible by bending and also form in this case high thermal resistance in order to minimise parasitic losses from the hot emitter 7 to the colder collector 9 . the emitter 7 is able to expand with low mechanical stresses as a result of the fact that the slim spacer elements 12 are able to bend resiliently and selectively flexibly , as is indicated by a broken line , with likewise low mechanical stresses , whereas the generator 2 , which is connected to the tig and connected to the collector 9 of the tig , also experiences low loads . as a result of the fact that the collector 9 also has approximately the same temperature as the part of the connected generator 2 to which it is connected , there will occur at this location too only low thermal loads no greater than the loads for which the generator 2 was originally designed when not connected . as a result of the fact that the spacer elements 12 are axially rigid , the slot height of the gap 10 will hardly change and the slot height of the gap 10 remains uniform and precisely at the value required for a high output , in the case of thermal expansion or other deformation of the emitter 7 or of the connected generator 2 . fig1 shows the selectively flexible operation of the spacer elements 12 and the emitter 7 of the energy converter according to the present invention , in which the spacer elements 12 are connected , on one side , to the emitter 7 of the tig and , on the other side , in ( blind ) holes on and in the connected generator 2 . on account of the ( blind ) holes 41 , the spacer elements 12 may be much longer than the slot height of the gap 10 and are thus slim and laterally selectively flexible and also form in this case high thermal resistance in order to minimise parasitic losses from the hot emitter 7 to the colder collector 9 . the emitter 7 is able to follow , with low mechanical stresses , any deformations of the connected generator 2 as a result of the fact that the slim spacer elements 12 and the grooves 19 in the emitter 7 are able to bend in a laterally selectively flexible manner , as is indicated by a kink in the connected generator 2 , with likewise low mechanical stresses , wherein the likewise resilient collector of the tig , which is securely connected to the connected generator 2 over its entire surface , will also effectively follow the connected generator 2 . as a result of the fact that the spacer elements 12 are axially rigid , the slot height of the gap 10 will hardly change and the slot height of the gap 10 remains uniform and precisely at the value required for a high output , in the case of any deformation of the connected generator 2 or of the emitter 7 . in a practical configuration of one or more of the above - described embodiments , the distances d 1 , d 2 and / or d 3 indicated in fig1 - 4 are of the order of magnitude of from 0 . 1 to 15 mm . preferably , d 1 is from approximately 0 . 01 to 0 . 1 mm , for example 0 . 03 to 0 . 06 mm . d 2 is from approximately 1 to 15 mm , for example approximately 2 to 10 mm . preferably , d 3 is from approximately 0 . 1 to 10 mm , for example approximately 0 . 2 to 4 mm . the spacer elements preferably have a length which is from 5 to 20 times the slot height of the gap between the electrodes of the tig , whereas the diameter of the spacer elements is preferably 5 to 10 times smaller than the length of the spacer elements and the stretch between the spacer elements , such that the average surface area is 0 . 05 % of the total average surface area of the tig . the present invention is not limited to the above - described embodiments thereof , to which a large number of alterations and modifications are conceivable within the scope of the appended claims . all of the above - described embodiments may also be used in combination or linked together .	7
referring now to the drawings particularly to fig1 and 2 , the preferred embodiment of a fluid pump , according to the present invention , will be discussed herebelow in a form applied as a working fluid source for an automotive power steering device . the power steering device , herewith discussed , is associated with an electrically operable solenoid for varying a pressure supply for a steering unit depending upon vehicle driving speed for reducing the pressure supply for the steering unit in order to reduce assisting force according to an increase of the vehicular speed for vehicular driving stability . in the preferred embodiment , the fluid pump , according to the present invention has a pump housing 1 which is formed with a circular recess 5 which is exposed to the outside from one axial end of the housing . an assembly of a rotor 6 and a cam ring 7 is disposed within the recesses orienting to a plane substantially flush to the axial end of the housing . the rotor 6 is splined to a drive shaft 4 which is driven by means of an automotive engine ( not shown ). the drive shaft 4 is rotatably supported on the pump housing 1 by means of bearings 2 and 3 . therefore , the rotor 6 is driven to rotate with the drive shaft 4 in synchcronism with the revolution of the automotive engine . the rotor 6 is formed with a plurality of essentially radial rotor grooves extending radially and inwardly from the circumference thereof . to each radial groove , a rotor vane 8 is thrustingly disposed . the rotor vane 8 is thrustingly movable . the circumference of the rotor 6 opposes an inner peripheral cam face 7a . the rotor vanes 8 are radially movable toward and away from the cam face 7a of the cam ring 7 . the rotor vanes 8 are projected from the rotor grooves and establish tip contact with the cam face 7a defining a working fluid chamber which is not clearly shown in the drawings . as is well known in the vane pump technologies , the cam ring 7 is formed in an oval or an elliptic configuration so as to define two sets of induction zones and compression zones in cooperation with the outer circumference of the rotor 6 and the rotor vanes . namely , with the oval or elliptic configuration of the inner space , the volume of the working fluid chamber is gradually increased in the induction zone to introduce a working fluid into the working fluid chamber . on the other hand , in the compression zone , the volume of the working fluid chamber is gradually reduced so as to compress the internal fluid to generate a fluid pressure . the inside axial end of the assembly of the rotor 6 and the cam ring 7 is closed by a side plate 9 . the side plate 9 is resiliently biased toward the opposing end of the assembly of the rotor and the cam ring by means of a resilient coil spring 9a . the side plate 9 is cooperative with the inner periphery of the recess 5 of the pump housing 1 to define a high pressure chamber 10 between the bottom of the recess and the side plate . the high pressure chamber 10 is communicated with an annular groove 11 which is in communication with the working fluid chamber in the assembly of the rotor 6 and the cam ring 7 at discharge points set at specific angular positions , via a discharge path 12 which is formed through the side plate 9 . via the annular groove 11 and the discharge path 12 , all of the pressurized fluid in the working fluid chambers of the rotor and cam ring assembly is fed into the high pressure chamber 10 . the side plate 9 is also formed with a plurality of axially extending openings 13 which are oriented in a circumferential alignment and radially inside of the discharge path 12 . the openings 13 have inner ends communicated with the high pressure chamber 10 . on the other hand , the openings 13 have outer ends opposing the axial inner end of the rotor and cam ring assembly and communicated with arc shaped grooves 14 formed on the plane of the side plate 9 opposing the rotor and cam ring assembly . the arc shaped grooves 14 are respectively communicated with axially extending openings 7b formed through the rotor 6 in circumferential alignment and at an orientation which is radially and inwardly offset in relation to the bottom of the rotor grooves . though it is not clearly shown in the drawings , the openings 7b are connected to the bottom portion of the rotor grooves . therefore , part of the pressurized fluid in the high pressure chamber 10 is introduced into the rotor grooves for hydraulically pressing the rotor vanes 8 toward the cam face 7a of the cam ring 7 . a supply path 30 is formed in the pump housing 1 . as will be appreciated from fig1 and 2 , the supply path 30 extends essentially perpendicular to the plane of the section in fig1 . the supply path 30 is connected to an external hydraulic device , i . e . the automotive power steering device in the shown embodiment . therefore , the pressurized fluid is supplied to the hydraulic device via the supply path 30 . as seen from fig2 and 3 , the supply line 30 is communicated with the high pressure chamber 10 via a high pressure path 16 . the supply line 30 is communicated with a discharge port 17 which is connected to the power steering device , via a solenoid valve 18 . as seen from fig4 the solenoid valve 18 comprises defines a variable path area orifice 30a through which the supply line 30 and the discharge port 17 are communicated with each other . an essentially cylindrical valve body 18a is disposed so as to move toward and aft the variable path area orifice 30a . the position of the valve body 18a is controlled by magnitude of energization of a solenoid coil 18b which electromagnetically drives the valve body . the solenoid coil 18b may be connected to a control unit which derives energization magnitude of the solenoid coil depending upon a vehicular speed so that the working fluid pressure to be supplied to the power steering device is decreased according to increasing of the vehicle speed . a flow control valve assembly 19 is disposed between the high pressure path 16 and a low pressure path 20 . the flow control valve assembly 19 defines a spool chamber 21 . as seen from fig2 the flow control valve assembly 19 includes a pilot pressure chamber 19a communicated with the discharge chamber 17 via an orifice 22 . a valve body 23 of the flow control valve assembly 19 is controlled the position depending upon the pressure difference between the pressure in the pilot pressure chamber 19a and the pressure in the spool chamber 21 so as to feed excessive pressure to the low pressure path 20 . the low pressure path 20 is communicated with an induction path 25 defined in a cover plate 24 which sealingly covers the open end of the recess 5 of the pump housing 1 . though it is not clearly illustrated in the drawings , the induction path 25 communicates with induction ports oriented at positions corresponding to specific angular positions of the working fluid chambers . the supply path 30 has an inlet 30a opens in a groove 30b formed through the peripheral wall 1a of the pump housing 1 , as shown in fig3 . the groove 30b is separated from the high pressure path 16 by a separation wall 31 . as seen from fig3 the groove 30b communicates with the spool chamber 21 . the separation wall 31 narrows the path area of the high pressure path 16 for restrioting pressurized fluid flow therethrough . the pressurized fluid flowing through the high pressure path 16 normally flows in a direction as illustrated by arrow a . however , by the presence of the separation wall 31 , part of the pressurized fluid is directed as shown by the arrow b opposite direction to the flow direction in the high pressure path 16 . this causes pressure loss at the portion where the path area is narrowed by the separation wall 31 and where the flow direction is changed from the direction a to direction b . as will be appreciated , the magnitude of pressure loss may be increased according to increasing of the fluid pressure in the high pressure chamber 10 . therefore , as seen from fig5 the pressure supplied to the solenoid valve 18 in the shown embodiment becomes essentially constant after the engine speed reaches at a predetermined value . this avoids fluid pressure variation as illustrated by the hatched area in fig5 . regulating the pressure flowing through the supply line 13 , allows linear variation of the working fluid flow rate to be supplied to the power steering system in relation to variation of the vehicular speed , as shown in fig6 . this can be compared with the working fluid flow rate variation as illustrated by broken line in fig6 in the prior art , in which pressure increases with greater variation gradient as illustrated by the hatched area of fig5 . namely , in the prior art , the fluid flow rate fluctuates according to engine speed variation caused by power transmission gear shifting , as can be clear from fig6 . in comparison of the fluid flow rate variation as shown by the broken line , the fluid flow rate variation is substantially linear . this prove success of the shown embodiment of avoidance of influence of the engine speed variation . with the construction set forth above , the invention fulfills all of the objects and advantages sought therefor . while the present invention has been disclosed in terms of the preferred embodiment in order to facilitate better understanding of the invention , it should be appreciated that the invention can be embodied in various ways without departing from the principle of the invention . therefore , the invention should be understood to include all possible embodiments and modifications to the shown embodiments which can be embodied without departing from the principle of the invention set out in the appended claims .	5
the flow diagram of fig1 illustrates the general preferred embodiments of the present invention . in the diagram , rectangles represent stages or functions of the process , and not necessarily separate process components . arrows indicate direction of flow of material in the process . referring to fig1 dilute hydrolyzate 23 usually supplied by a biomass hydrolysis process , flows into a multiple - effect evaporator 21 , often used by the chemical process industries , where a dilute hyrolysate 23 is concentrated to produce a concentrated aqueous solution 29 by removal of water 20 by evaporation . concentrated aqueous solution flows to heat exchanger 30 where cooled concentrated solution 31 flows into a glucose - forming vessel 25 where two phases are formed in approximately four to eight hours . the two phases are a solid glucose phase and an acidic liquid phase 32 . the two phases flow from the bottom of a previously mentioned glucose - forming vessel 25 to a phase separator 27 where the glucose and an acidic liquid phase 32 is filtered , often with a centrifuge commonly found in the sugar industry , to produce solid glucose 36 containing a trace of adhering acidic liquid phase . the acidic phase 37 is recycled to a biomass hydrolysis process . the solid glucose 36 then is conveyed into an extractor 26 , which is typically a counter flow wash tower , to remove acid from glucose with water 34 and produces a water washing 35 for recycle which contains acid removed from solid glucose 33 . washed solid glucose 33 is conveyed to glucose storage 28 . functions 25 , 26 and 27 may be combined to form a single vessel . referring to the reference characters in fig2 flow of a cool concentrated solution 31 flows to the glucose phase forming vessel 25 . after forming two phases , the mixture of glucose and acidic liquid phase 32 flows to the glucose phase separator 27 where a filter 38 is employed for separation of the glucose phase and acidic phase to free the acid phase 37 from the solid glucose phase . the solid glucose 36 , not shown as such in fig2 advances to the extractor 26 , where the glucose is washed via counter flow of water 34 . washings 35 , which are recycled , are thus divided with an extractor filter 15 . washed solid glucose 33 is conveyed to glucose storage 28 . as before , functions 25 , 26 and 27 may be combined to form a single vessel . a continuous process portrayed in fig2 is envisioned . referring to the reference characters in fig3 flow of a cool concentrated solution 31 flows to the glucose phase forming vessel 25 , after forming a glucose and acidic liquid phase 32 , the mixture of glucose and acidic liquid phase 32 , advances to the porous media mixer 13 , where the acidic phase is absorbed by the porous media 10 . porous media with the solid glucose 11 are conveyed to a porous media separator 12 and the solid glucose 36 , containing acid , is extracted by water 34 in a counter flow glucose extractor 26 to produce washings 35 for recycling . washed solid glucose 33 advances to glucose storage 28 . acid is absorbed on the porous media 39 , and is then pressed in a standard press 14 to separate to an aqueous acid phase 37 thus freeing the porous media 10 to be recycled to the porous media mixer 13 for continued use in absorption . fig4 and 6 depicts alternatives for concentrating hydolyzate composed of dilute aqueous mixtures of glucose and an acid . referring to fig4 dilute hydrolyzate 23 flows into a multiple - effect evaporator 21 , where the dilute hydrolyzate is concentrated to produce a concentrated solution 29 by removal of water 20 by evaporation . concentrated solution 29 flows to the heat exchanger 30 where the solution is cooled . the cooled concentrated solution 31 is now in readiness to form two phases in the glucose - forming vessel 25 . the vessel 25 is not shown in fig4 . referring to fig5 dilute hydrolyzate 23 flows into a reverse osmosis membrane 22 to produce semi - concentrated solution 24 hydrolyzate and then flows to a multiple - effect evaporator 21 where it is concentrated to produce a concentrated solution 29 by removal of water 20 by evaporation . concentrated solution 29 flows to the heat exchanger 30 where the solution is cooled . the cooled , concentrated solution 31 is now in readiness to form two phases in the glucose - forming vessel 25 . vessel 25 is not shown in fig5 reverse osmosis membrane permeate 18 contains water , and may contain acid . referring to fig6 dilute hydrolyzate 23 flows into a nano filter membrane 16 to produce a semi - concentrated solution 17 , and then flows to the multiple - effect evaporator 21 , where it is concentrated to produce a concentrated solution 29 by removal of water 20 by evaporation . concentrated solution 29 flows to the heat exchanger 30 where the solution is cooled . the cooled concentrated solution 31 is now in readiness to form two phases in the glucose - forming vessel 25 . vessel 25 is not shown in fig6 . the nano filter membrane permeate 19 contains water and may contain acid . referring to the reference characters in fig7 flow of a cool concentrated solution 31 flows to the glucose phase forming vessel 25 . after forming two phases , the mixture of glucose and acidic liquid phase 32 flows to the glucose phase separator 27 where a filter 38 is employed for separation of the glucose phase and acidic phase to free the acid phase 37 from the solid glucose phase . the solid glucose 36 , not shown as such in fig7 advances to the extractor 26 , where the glucose is washed via counter flow of solvent 40 . washings containing solvent and acid 42 are recovered , and are divided with extractor filter 15 . washed solid glucose 44 , requires solvent recovery . as before , functions 25 , 26 and 27 may be combined to form a single vessel . a continuous process portrayed in fig7 is envisioned . the following examples are set forth to illustrate more clearly the principles and practice of the invention . where parts or quantities are mentioned , the parts or quantities are by weight . twenty five grams of solution containing 16 % sulfuric acid are placed in a 100 cc beaker . twenty five grams of glucose are added to the acid solution . the mixture is heated in a water bath at 65 ° c . and briefly stirred to dissolve the glucose . the solution is cooled to room temperature and about 0 . 5 gram of solid glucose seed is added to the solution . the solution is allowed to remain at room temperature for about five hours . after about five hours a glucose phase and an acidic phase are formed . thirty grams of solution containing 10 % sulfuric acid are placed in a 100 cc beaker . twenty grams of glucose are added to the acid solution . the mixture is heated in a water bath at 65 ° c . and briefly stirred to dissolve the glucose . the solution is cooled to room temperature and about 0 . 5 gram of solid glucose seed is added to the solution . the solution is allowed to remain at room temperature for about ten hours . after about ten hours a glucose phase and an acidic phase are formed . to the resulting phases from example 1 , the contents of the beaker were placed upon fifteen grams of filter paper . subsequent to standing over night , the glucose phase was separated from the paper and the paper was found to weigh 39 grams . the glucose phase weighed 26 grams . thus one gram of the residual acidic phase remained with the glucose phase . the resulting phases from example 2 were placed in a nylon filter contained in a funnel . the filtrate was collected in a beaker . the filtrate was found to weigh 28 grams . the glucose phase weighed 22 grams . thus two grams of the residual acidic phase remained with the glucose phase . fifty grams of solution containing 10 % sulfuric acid are placed in a 250 cc beaker . fifteen grams of anhydrous aluminum sulfate are added to the acid solution . the mixture is heated in a water bath at 85 ° c . and stirred for about ten minutes to dissolve the salt . the solution is cooled to room temperature and twenty five grams of glucose are added to the solution . the mixture was heated in a water bath at 65 ° c . and briefly stirred to dissolve the glucose . the solution was cooled to 5 ° c . and about 0 . 5 gram of solid glucose seed was added to the solution . the solution was allowed to remain at 5 ° c . for about ten hours . after about ten hours a glucose phase and an acidic phase were formed . to the resulting phases from part a above , the contents of the beaker were placed upon fifteen grams of filter paper . subsequent to standing over night , the glucose phase was separated from the paper and the paper was found to weigh 64 grams . the glucose phase weighed 26 grams . thus , after separating , one gram of the acidic phase remained with the glucose phase . forty grams of solution containing 10 % sulfuric acid are placed in a 250 cc beaker . sixty grams of glucose are added to the acid solution . the mixture is heated in a water bath at 65 ° c . and briefly stirred to dissolve the glucose . the solution is cooled to room temperature and about 0 . 5 gram of solid glucose seed is added to the solution . the solution is allowed to remain at room temperature for about ten hours . after about ten hours a glucose phase and an acidic phase are formed . the resulting phases were placed in a nylon filter contained in a funnel . the filtrate was collected in a beaker and discarded . the glucose phase weighed 82 grams and was used in part b , below . forty five grams of solution containing 10 % sulfuric acid are placed in a 250 cc beaker . five grams of glucose are combined with the glucose phase obtained above in part a . the above mixture is heated in a water bath at 65 ° c . and briefly stirred to dissolve the glucose . the solution is cooled to room temperature and about 0 . 5 gram of solid glucose seed is added to the solution . the solution is cooled to about 5 ° c . and allowed to form two phases in about 16 hours . forty grams of solution containing 10 % sulfuric acid are placed in a 250 cc beaker . sixty grams of glucose are added to the acid solution . the mixture is heated in a water bath at 65 ° c . and briefly stirred to dissolve the glucose . the solution is cooled to room temperature and about 0 . 5 gram of solid glucose seed is added to the solution . seventy grams of the resulting solution are placed in a tygon tube , having a plug located at the bottom of the tube , and allowed to remain at room temperature for about ten hours . after about ten hours a glucose phase and an acidic phase are formed . the remaining thirty grams of solution was discarded . the resulting phases formed in the tube were filtered by a nylon filter , after removing the plug contained at the bottom of the tube . the filtrate was collected in a beaker and discarded . in the tube the glucose was washed with ten grams of water . after filtering , as above , the filtrate was collected in a beaker and discarded the glucose remaining , after extracting with water , weighed thirty five grams . five grams of washed glucose was dissolved in ninety five grams of water to form a solution of about 5 % glucose in water . the ph of the resulting solution was measured with ph paper and was found to have a ph of about 2 to 3 . forty grams of solution containing 10 % sulfuric acid are placed in a 250 cc beaker . sixty grams of glucose are added to the acid solution . the mixture is heated in a water bath at 65 ° c . and briefly stirred to dissolve the glucose . the solution is cooled to room temperature and about 0 . 5 gram of solid glucose seed is added to the solution . seventy grams of the resulting solution are placed in a tygon tube , having a plug located at the bottom of the tube , and allowed to remain at room temperature for about ten hours . after about ten hours a glucose phase and an acidic phase are formed . the remaining thirty grams of solution was discarded . the resulting phases formed in the tube were filtered by a nylon filter , after removing the plug contained at the bottom of the tube . the filtrate was collected in a beaker and discarded . in the tube the glucose was washed with thirty grams of acetone . after filtering , as above , the filtrate was collected in a beaker and discarded the glucose remaining , after extracting with acetone , weighed thirty nine grams . five grams of washed glucose was dissolved in ninety five grams of water to form a solution of about 5 % glucose in water . the ph of the resulting solution was measured with ph paper and was found to have a ph of about 6 to 7 . from the examples , one can see that a wide range of concentrations , temperatures and times will form two phases of glucose , and an aqueous phase containing sulfuric acid . the conditions required to form two phases include : range of glucose concentration is about 10 % to about 80 %, range of sulfuric acid is about 10 % to about 20 %, range of anhydrous aluminum sulfate is about 0 % to about 25 %, temperature is about 30 ° c . to about 5 ° c . the above conditions may be adjusted to effect the time to form two phases from about two hours to about twenty hours . any of the above conditions may be used to form two phases . the preceding examples are set forth to illustrate the principles of the invention and one skilled in the art can make adjustments or variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	2
the sensor element from fig1 a and 1 b is composed of a plurality of sintered ceramic layers of which only those which are relevant to the present invention are shown . these are an airtight upper layer 3 made of zirconium oxide , a porous insulating layer 4 made of aluminum oxide , and an airtight lower covering layer 5 , again made of zirconium oxide . the longitudinal end of the sensor element which lies in foreground of the perspective view of fig1 a is intended for airtight anchoring in a socket ; the opposite longitudinal end carries measuring electrodes at the surface which is located below in fig1 a , the measuring electrodes being relevant to the present invention only in so far as they require the interior of the sensor element to be supplied with ambient air via porous insulating layer 4 for their proper operation . the lateral dimensions of insulating layer 4 are smaller than those of the two covering layers 3 and 5 ; insulating layer 4 is enclosed by a u - shaped sealing frame 8 at the two longitudinal sides 6 and at the end face 7 of sensor element 1 which faces away from the viewer , the sealing frame being sintered from zirconium oxide such as the two covering layers 3 , 5 . when separating jointly laminated sensor elements by cutting and breaking along longitudinal sides 6 , strong shearing forces act at boundary surfaces 14 between covering layers 3 , 5 and sealing frame 8 , the shearing forces being capable of damaging the sensor elements . fig1 b depicts a section through the sensor element along the plane defined by the lines which are denoted by b in fig1 a . on the outer surface of upper covering layer 3 , two metallic contact strips 9 are applied which serve for supplying current to a resistive heating element which is embedded in insulating layer 4 in the vicinity of end face 7 . two through holes 10 in upper covering layer 3 are filled with metal to connect the contact strips in each case with a conductive track 11 embedded in insulating layer 4 for supplying current to the heating element . the sensor element 2 from fig2 a and 2 b according to the present invention , like that described above , has two impermeable covering layers 3 , 5 made of zirconium oxide as well as a porous insulating layer 4 made of aluminum oxide . however , insulating layer 4 is not visible in the in the perspective view of fig2 a because it is enclosed on all four sides by a surrounding sealing frame 8 made of zirconium oxide . as the section along lines b from fig2 a shown in of fig2 b , in particular the front - side end 12 of sensor element 2 facing the viewer is closed airtight by sealing frame 8 . through holes 10 are open at the surface of covering layer 3 ; they are filled only over a part of their cross - sectional area by a metallic connection 13 between contact strips 9 at the surface of covering layer 3 and conductor tracks 11 inside insulating layer 4 . metallic connection 13 can extend , in particular in a ring - shaped manner along the walls of the through holes . the free cross - sectional area of through holes 10 is available for the air exchange between insulating layer 4 and the ambient environment of the sensor element . the path between the measuring electrodes and the through holes which is shortened in comparison with the sensor element of fig1 is an aspect which promotes the effective air exchange between the insulating layer and the ambient environment . a second aspect is the large effective cross - sectional area which can be made available at the through holes for the air exchange by selecting the diameters of through holes 10 to be large . when working with a typical layer thickness of insulating layer 4 of approximately 50 μm , a diameter of through holes 10 of 1 mm is already sufficient . when jointly laminated sensor elements are broken apart and cut along longitudinal sides 6 , arising shearing forces are distributed between the covering layers and the sealing frame over the entire width of end face 12 . therefore , the risk of damage is markedly smaller then in the case of the sensor element according to fig1 a and 1 b . moreover , a continuous laminate composite is guaranteed , as well . in fact , during sintering , shearing forces additionally arise because of sintering distortion between layers of different composition . since in the sensor element described here , the entire outer surface is composed of the same material , no considerable shearing forces arise at its surface . therefore , the formation of cracks at the surface of the sensor element is to be feared considerably less in the case of this sensor element than in the case of the sensor element described with reference to fig1 a and b , in which insulating layer 4 of aluminum oxide comes to the surface .	6
a coupling arrangement 90 as shown in fig6 comprises a trailer coupling 91 with a coupling arm 92 on which a coupling part , for example a spherical head 93 , is mounted . the trailer coupling 91 is designed to be releasable , i . e . the coupling arm 92 can for example be mounted on , for example plugged onto , a holder 94 or removed again from this holder 94 . this is of course irrelevant in the present context ; the invention can obviously be used in a trailer coupling which can be pivoted between a position of use and a position of non - use , for example , or in a trailer coupling which is permanently mounted on the towing vehicle . the holder 94 is for example mounted on a crossmember q of a motor vehicle k . as a rule , the holder 94 is concealed behind a rear valance or a bumper of the motor vehicle k , which is not shown , however . in a socket holder 95 , which may for example be stationary or movable , a trailer socket 96 having a contact arrangement 100 with socket contacts 101 - 113 is located . the contact arrangement 100 is located in a housing 97 of the trailer socket 96 and expediently closable by a cover 98 , which is , however , not necessary . the cover 98 is in the known manner pivotably mounted on the housing 97 by way of a pivot bearing 99 and can be moved between a closed position as shown in the drawing and an open position in which the socket contacts 101 - 113 are accessible . the socket contacts 101 - 113 are for example designed as receptacles . the pin assignment of the socket contacts 101 - 113 follows the arrangement for contacts 1 - 9 , 13 according to iso 11446 as explained above . contact ( s ) 2 and / or 10 and / or 11 may be unassigned , for example . a plug according to a us standard , for example a so - called pollack plug , cannot be directly connected to the trailer socket 96 . for the brake lights and the right - hand and left - hand direction indicators , for example , the separate socket contacts 106 , 104 and 101 are provided , while in the us standard the left - hand direction indicator also serves as the left - hand brake light of the trailer and the right - hand direction indicator serves as the right - hand brake light of the trailer in a manner of speaking . in addition , the us plug does not match the european trailer socket 96 in mechanical terms . this is where the invention becomes relevant . to connect for example a so - called pollack plug according to a us standard or a typical us convention to the trailer socket 96 , the adapter 20 having a primary side p and a secondary side s is provided . the primary side p corresponds to iso 11446 , i . e . the primary contacts 1 - 13 of a primary contact arrangement 15 have a typical electric assignment according to iso 11446 and a mechanical arrangement corresponding to standard . the primary contacts 1 - 13 are for example designed as plug - in projections 22 . the plug - in projections 22 are for example arranged in a recess 23 of a housing 21 of the adapter 20 . the housing 21 forms a base body 24 of the adapter 20 . the primary contacts 1 - 13 are for example arranged on a contact insert 25 located in the interior of the housing 21 . the primary contacts 1 - 13 or the plug - in projections 22 are surrounded by a circumferential wall 26 of the housing 21 . on the outside of the circumferential wall 26 , a thread 27 is provided , which can be screwed into a female thread of the trailer socket 96 which is not visible in the drawing . on the circumferential wall 26 , there is further provided a cover retaining projection 28 which projects radially outwards beyond the circumferential wall 26 . the cover retaining projection 28 holds the cover 98 of the trailer socket 96 open . it further forms an anti - rotation device to secure the adapter 20 screwed into the female thread of the trailer socket 96 against rotation when the cover retaining projection 28 is in engagement with the cover 98 . the cover retaining projection 28 comprises a plate 29 the external contour 30 of which corresponds to an internal contour of the cover 98 . the external contour 30 fits into the internal contour of the cover 98 at least substantially positively . a foot part 31 extends between the plate 29 and the circumferential wall 26 . between the section of the circumferential wall 26 where cover retaining projection 28 is located and a free end face region of the circumferential wall 26 , a flanged projection 33 extends ; this forms a stop body while the thread 27 is tightened into the trailer socket 96 . the primary contacts 1 - 13 have the following pin assignment : on the secondary side s , secondary contacts 51 - 57 of a secondary contact arrangement 50 are provided . the secondary contacts 51 - 57 are designed as contact tabs which fit into corresponding sockets on a diagrammatically represented so - called pollack plug s . the pollack plug s supplies via a connecting line v electric components of a trailer a of which only the plug s is shown , for example brake lights / direction indicators , an electric brake etc . the central secondary contact 57 comprises two opposite contact tabs 59 which enclose an interior where a corresponding plug - in projection of the pollack plug can be inserted . in principle , the secondary contact 57 is therefore designed as a socket . the secondary contacts are arranged in a recess 60 of the housing 21 to protect them from the environment . the recess 60 is bounded by the circumferential wall 26 . at this point , it should be noted that the circumferential wall 26 is substantially cylindrical , but this is not essential . the circumferential wall 26 may further be stepped , i . e . have different sections 35 , 36 and 37 with different diameters in the longitudinal direction 34 of the adapter 20 . the section 35 may for example represent the circumferential wall around the recess 23 , while the section 36 represents a central section with the cover retaining projection 28 and has a smaller diameter than the front section 35 . the section 37 represents the circumferential wall around the recess 60 on the secondary side s . it is , however , advantageous if an external contour of the adapter 20 approximately corresponds to an external contour of the of the trailer socket 96 , so that the adapter 20 mounted on the trailer socket 96 together with the trailer socket 96 forms a single unit in a manner of speaking and is as compact as possible . the secondary contacts 51 - 57 are for example arranged on a contact insert 67 which is installed into the housing 21 . it is , however , also possible for the primary contacts 1 - 13 and / or the secondary contacts 51 - 57 to be held by the housing 21 directly , for example by injection - moulding the housing material around them . a flange plate 61 is provided on the section 37 , i . e . on the secondary side s . the secondary side s is further provided with a cover 62 for closing the secondary contact arrangement 50 . the cover 62 is easily gripped by a handle 63 which projects from a base body of the cover 62 . the cover 62 is pivotably mounted on the flange plate 61 by means of a pivot bearing 64 . the cover 62 could of course alternatively be pivoted at another point of the housing 21 . it is expediently provided that the cover 62 completely closes the recess 60 and expediently encompasses or covers the outside of the section 37 of the circumferential wall 26 which encloses the recess 60 as well . the circumferential wall 26 therefore engages with a recess 65 on the cover 62 when the latter is closed . in the primary contacts 1 - 13 , i . e . on the primary side p , a coding 38 is provided , for example a projection which engages with a corresponding coding not shown in the drawing which is provided in the trailer socket 96 , so that the adapter 20 can only be inserted into the trailer socket in the correct angular position . expediently , a coding 66 , for example a recess suitable for engagement with a corresponding mating coding on the us trailer plug not shown in the drawing , is provided on the secondary side s , i . e . in the secondary contacts 51 - 57 . the flange plate 61 in a manner of speaking forms a front stop for the us plug . it is advantageously provided that the mechanical components on the secondary side s cover the mechanical components of the adapter 20 which lie behind when the adapter 20 is mounted on the trailer socket 96 . the flange plate 61 for example projects beyond the outer circumference of the circumferential wall 26 to the same extent as the cover retaining projection 28 . at this point , it should be noted that it is of course not absolutely necessary to provide a projection on the adapter 20 in order to hold the cover 98 of the trailer socket 96 open , but the plate 29 could for example be mounted directly on a housing having a larger circumference , in which case the foot part 31 would not be required , for example . the secondary contacts 51 - 56 have the following pin assignment : the socket contacts of the trailer socket 96 are wired as follows : socket contact 103 : earth for contacts 1 - 8 socket contact 109 : power supply ( permanent plus ) or terminal 30 socket contact 110 : charging line for trailer battery , power supply , ignition switch - controlled ( optional ) in the trailer socket 96 , a signal for the actuation of an electric brake of the trailer is therefore applied to the socket contact 112 . this is because in the usa an electric brake is provided from a specified trailer weight onwards . if the trailer socket 96 is used without the adapter 20 and if for example a trailer with a plug contact assignment according to a european standard is used , this does not cause any damage as a rule , because the socket contact 112 is usually not used . an innovative circuit diagram for connecting the primary contacts 1 - 13 to the secondary contacts 51 - 57 is shown in fig5 . an electric connection arrangement 70 comprises electric lines l 1 , l 3 - l 9 , l 12 and l 13 which are connected to the primary contacts 1 , 3 - 9 , 12 and 13 . the line l 9 connects the primary contact 9 directly to the secondary contact 55 , which means that permanent plus is switched through in a manner of speaking . the primary contact 8 is likewise directly connected to a secondary contact , this being to the secondary contact 57 for the reversing light of the trailer via the line l 8 . finally , the primary contact 12 assigned to the electric brake is likewise directly connected to a secondary contact , this being the secondary contact 53 , via the line l 12 . as us wiring provides only a single power supply for the right - hand and the left - hand rear lights , the two lines l 5 - l 7 are connected to one another , leading as line s 6 to the corresponding secondary contact 56 for the rear light of the trailer . each of the primary contacts 3 and 13 is assigned to a chassis earth and can be connected to corresponding socket contacts 103 and 113 of the trailer socket 96 . on the secondary side , only a single chassis earth is provided in the adapter 20 , this being at the secondary contact 52 . in accordance with this , the two lines l 3 and l 13 are electrically connected to one another and routed as line s 2 to the secondary contact 52 . as a us trailer only has a combined brake light / direction indicator , which is permanently supplied with power in the braking process and with pulsed power when indicating a change in direction , corresponding secondary contacts 51 , 54 are provided for the left - hand and the right - hand brake light / direction indicator ; these represent brake light / direction indicator contacts in a manner of speaking . the secondary contacts 51 , 54 are however not directly connected to the associated primary contacts 1 and 6 or 4 and 6 respectively , but via a diode circuit comprising diode elements 71 - 74 , such as blocking diodes , transistors or the like . the diode circuit with the diode elements 71 - 74 is preferably arranged on a printed circuit board 75 , but so - called floating wiring can of course be used as an alternative . it is for example also possible for the printed circuit board 75 to be integrated with , for example , the contact insert 25 or the contact insert 67 with the secondary contacts 51 - 57 , or for the contact inserts 25 and / or 67 to form supports for electronic components such as the diode elements 71 - 74 . this printed circuit board 75 or another electronic component may , for example , also support a simulation circuit 76 which may e . g . comprise a storage capacitor , transistors or the like for simulating at least one function on the secondary side s of the adapter 20 towards the primary side p . the simulation circuit 76 may for example simulate flashing pulses at the direction indicator primary contacts 1 and 4 even if there is a steady current applied on the secondary side to the secondary contacts 51 and 54 when a steady current is delivered by the brake light primary contact 6 . it is for example possible for the simulation circuit 76 to check whether a current pulse is coming via the lines l 1 or l 4 while the secondary side circuit is at the same time permanently closed via the lines s 1 or s 4 ( in the case of the brake light ) or is in any case closed during the primary side current pulses ( in the case of the direction indicator ); on the primary side , it would simulate that at the lines s 1 or s 4 the circuit is closed via the trailer direction indicators during the current pulses . the lines l 1 and l 6 are connected via diode elements 71 and 73 to a line s 1 which is in turn connected to the secondary contact 51 . the lines l 4 and l 6 , which are connected to the primary contacts 4 and 6 , are connected to the secondary contact 54 via diode elements 72 and 74 which are connected to a line s 4 on the output side . the secondary contacts 51 and 54 therefore are brake light / direction indicator contacts for example .	1
the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments presents a description of certain specific embodiments of the present invention . however , the present invention can be embodied in a multitude of different ways as defined and covered by the claims . the following description is not intended to limit the enumerated claims , but to serve as a particular example thereof . in this description , reference is made to the drawings wherein like parts are designated with like numerals throughout . fig1 - a and 1 - b illustrate the difference between a continuous time and discrete time representation of a signal for the situation of taking four and two samples per symbol , respectively . the information available about the received signal while sampling at four samples per symbol ( fig1 - a ) is much improved over that while sampling at two samples per symbol ( fig1 - b ). the challenge in using a digital receiver is to provide the same or similar performance with limited information about the received signal as for an analog receiver . fig2 - a and 2 - b illustrate the concept of an eye opening at high ( 30 db ) and low ( 5 db ) signal to noise ratios , respectively . superimposing portions of a signal , equivalent to the duration of one or more symbols , onto itself forms an eye diagram . at high signal to noise conditions there are few fluctuations on the signal so the central portion of the superimposed signal remains clear and tends to form the outline of an eye . this is illustrated in fig2 - a at a 30 db signal - to - noise ratio . fig2 - b illustrates how the eye closes at lower signal to noise conditions , e . g ., 5 db , due to fluctuations of the amplitude of the signal . referring now to fig3 a feedback timing estimator configuration 300 will be described . the feedback timing estimator 300 comprises a pulse - shaping filter block 310 , a sampler block 315 , a timing error detector block 320 , additional functional blocks 325 , a loop filter 330 and a voltage controlled clock ( vcc ) 335 . the pulse - shaping filter 310 may be either an analog or digital component . the pulse shaping filter output is subsequently fed to the sampling device 315 . the phase of the sampling device 315 is controlled by the vcc 335 . the sampling rate of the vcc 335 with respect to the data rate depends on the algorithm used in the timing error detector 320 . the vcc 335 causes the received signal input to be synchronously sampled . the sampled received signal at the output of the sampling device 315 is fed to the timing error detector 320 , which produces an instantaneous error signal based on the sampler output samples . the output of the timing error detector block 320 , is fed to the loop filter 330 which averages the instantaneous error signals from the timing error detector 320 to produce a smoothed error response . the longer the averaging interval in the loop filter , the more accurate the timing estimate . this averaged error signal is subsequently fed to the vcc 335 to alter the phase of the sampling clock that samples the continuous received signal at the input of the sampling device 315 . the data samples at the output of the sampling device are subsequently fed to additional functional blocks 325 for further processing . referring now to fig4 a feedforward timing estimator 400 configuration will be described . the feedforward timing estimator 400 comprises an adc 410 , a pulse shaping filter 415 , a processing delay 420 , an interpolation / decimation unit 425 , additional functional blocks 430 and a timing estimator unit 435 . in the feedforward configuration , the first element is the adc 410 which asynchronous samples the received signal at a rate of two or more samples per symbol . typically , the sampling rate is four or more samples per symbol . the sampled output signal from the adc 410 is fed to a digital pulse - shaping filter 415 . the data stream from the output of the pulse - shaping filter 415 is fed to the timing estimation unit 435 as well as to a processing delay unit 420 , which compensates for the delay in the calculation of the timing offset in the timing estimator unit 435 . the timing offset is then fed to the interpolation / decimation unit 425 . the interpolation / decimation unit 425 first interpolates the sampled received signal at the instant corresponding to the timing offset . the decimation unit then removes the redundant samples in the decimation unit . the decimated output signal is then fed to additional functional blocks 430 in the receiver . referring to fig5 a digital receiver 500 using a timing estimation method will be described . in one embodiment , the digital receiver 500 comprises a filtering subsystem 510 , a processing delay compensation module 515 , a timing estimation subsystem or estimator 600 , an interpolation / decimation subsystem 520 and additional subsystems 525 . the filtering subsystem 510 comprises a pulse - shaping filter which receives the data stream 505 from an intermediate frequency ( if ) subsystem ( not shown ) of the receiver . this data stream 505 may have already been asynchronously sampled within the if subsystem . in addition , the if subsystem may also contain an analog anti - aliasing filter to limit the bandwidth of the received signal . the sampling rate of the data stream is two samples per symbol , as shown in fig1 - b . the sampled data stream 505 is then fed into the pulse - shaping filter within the filtering subsystem 510 . the pulse - shaping filter is preferably matched to the pulse - shaping filter used at the transmitter . the pulse - shaping filter provides a nyquist pulse shape which gives optimal performance in the presence of additive white gaussian noise ( awgn ). in other embodiments , the filtering subsystem 510 may also comprise additional components . the output of the filtering subsystem 510 is then fed into the timing estimation subsystem 600 to estimate the timing offset present on the received sampled signal . the output of the filtering subsystem 510 is also fed to a processing delay 515 which compensates for the delay between the output of the filtering subsystem and the calculation of the timing estimate , which takes place in the estimator 600 . the output of the processing delay 515 is fed to an interpolation and decimation subsystem or module 520 , which interpolates the samples using the timing estimate from the timing estimator 600 . the timing estimate correction unit 520 estimates the data samples corresponding to the estimated timing offset . the estimated data samples are then fed to additional synchronization and functional blocks 525 . fig6 illustrates a functional block diagram of the timing estimation subsystem 600 used in the digital receiver 500 . the timing estimator 600 comprises a magnitude squarer 605 operator ; delay 615 a , complex conjugation 615 b and multiply 610 operators ; two demultiplexers 620 a and 620 b ; four summation units 625 a , 625 b , 625 c and 625 d ; two subtraction units 630 and 635 ; a constant gain factor 640 ; and an angle calculator 645 . the angle calculator 645 may be implemented as a look - up table . the inputted data stream from the filtering block 510 is fed into the timing estimation subsystem 600 . the sampled received signal at the output of the pulse - shaping matched filter 510 may be represented as follows : r  ( mt s ) = ∑ k   a k  g  ( mt s - kt - τ )  exp  ( jφ ) + b  ( mt s ) , equation   1 where r ( mt s ) represents the received signal sampled at time instants mt s following the pulse - shaping filter , oversampling rate t s is related to the data symbol rate t as t s = t / 2 , a k is the arbitrary transmitted data , g ( t ) represents the pulse - shaping matched filter , τ is the timing offset , b ( mt s ) represents the filtered sampled awgn of noise spectral density n o , and exp ( jφ ) represents an exponential phase offset . the baseband received signal is first passed through an anti - aliasing filter in the if subsystem and then asynchronously sampled . it is known to an engineer in the technology that when the sampling frequency is greater than twice the maximum frequency of a bandlimited signal , the resulting samples contain the same information as the continuous time signal . in one embodiment , the received signal is sampled at two samples per symbol such that t s = t / 2 . the filtered received data stream 510 is fed into two nonlinearities . the first is a magnitude squarer operator 605 and the second nonlinearity is a delay 615 a , complex conjugation 615 b and multiply 610 operations subsystem . in one embodiment , a magnitude square nonlinearity and a delay , complex conjugation and multiply nonlinearity are used . however , other nonlinearities or combinations of nonlinearities may also be used . the advantage of using a magnitude square or delay , complex conjugation and multiply nonlinearity is that any phase offset , which may have been present on the received signal , is removed at its output . therefore , this estimator 600 can be used in the presence of a phase offset on the received signal . the average value of the received signal defined in equation 1 at the output of a magnitude squaring nonlinearity is a cyclostationary process a ( mt s ), which is exploited to estimate the timing offset . a cyclostationary process implies a ( 0 )= a ( mt s ), a ( t / 2 )= a (( 2m + 1 ) t s / 2 ) for all values of m . a cyclostationary process generates spectral lines in the frequency domain . however , due to the pulse - shaping filter , only those terms at 1 / t and 1 / t and the energy component at dc ( zero hertz ) are relevant to timing estimation . evaluating a ( mt s ) at two samples per symbol at mt s = 0 and mt s = t / 2 gives , a  ( 0 ) = 1 t  [ c 0 + 2  c 1  cos  ( 2   π   τ t ) ] a  ( t 2 ) = 1 t  [ c 0 - 2  c 1  cos  ( 2  πτ t ) ] , equation   2 where c 0 is the energy component at dc ( i . e ., zero hertz ) and c 1 is the energy of the pulse shaping filter g ( t ) when overlapped with a symbol rate shifted replica of itself as shown in equation 3 as follows : c 0 = ∫ - ∞ ∞  g 2  ( f )    f c 1 = ∫ - ∞ ∞  g  ( f + 1 2  t )  g  ( f - 1 2  t )    f = β   t 8 equation   3 expansion of the c 1 term gives βt / 8 for the case of a raised cosine filter , where β is the roll - off factor which takes on values in the range [ 0 , 1 ]. from equation 2 , an expression for the cosine function of the timing offset is generated . however , an expression for the sine function of the timing offset is necessary to isolate an expression for the timing offset . a suitable nonlinearity is a unit delay , complex conjugation and multiply operation as illustrated at blocks 615 a , 615 b and 610 . the output of this nonlinearity is also a cyclostationary process b ( mt s ). the sampled average values from the delay 615 a , complex conjugation 615 b and multiply unit 610 at mts = 0 and mts = t / 2 , at the output of the summation blocks 625 c and 625 d , are : b  ( 0 ) = 1 t  [ c 0 - 2  c 2  sin  ( 2   π   τ t ) ] b  ( t 2 ) = 1 t  [ c 0 + 2  c 2  sin  ( 2  πτ t ) ] , equation   4 where c 2 is c 2 = ∫ - ∞ ∞  g  ( f + 1 2  t )  g  ( f - 1 2  t )  cos  ( π   f   t )    f , equation   5 and g ( f ) is the fourier transform of the pulse shape g ( t ) in equation 1 . expansion of c 2 in equation 5 gives a value very close to c 1 , where the approximation c 1 = αc 2 is appropriate if α is chosen to be a value very close to one ( 1 ). note that a ( 0 ), a ( t / 2 ), b ( 0 ) and b ( t / 2 ) are four equations with the timing offset being the unknown parameter . the next stage in the timing estimator 600 is to average the instantaneous values at the outputs of both the square - law nonlinearity 605 and the delay 615 a , complex conjugation 615 b and multiply nonlinearity 610 , to form a ( 0 ), a ( t / 2 ), b ( 0 ) and b ( t / 2 ). however , this first requires isolating the even and odd samples from both nonlinearities to form the expressions for a ( 0 ), a ( t / 2 ), b ( 0 ) and b ( t / 2 ). the even samples at the output of the two nonlinearities are those corresponding to mt s = nt where n is an integer and the odd samples are those at mt s = nt + t / 2 . the demultiplexers in blocks 620 a and 620 b isolate the even and odd samples from both nonlinearities and are controlled using the sampling clock . the samples are then averaged over the observation interval to estimate a ( 0 ), a ( t / 2 ), b ( 0 ) and b ( t / 2 ) as illustrated at blocks 625 a , 625 b , 625 c and 625 d . equation 2 and equation 4 can now be solved as four simultaneous equations with two unknowns , namely cos ( 2πτ / t ) and sin ( 2πτ / t ). the cos ( 2πτ / t ) term is formed as the difference of a ( 0 ) and a ( t / 2 ) as can be noted by examining equation 2 . the sin ( 2πτ / t ) term is formed as the difference of b ( t / 2 ) and b ( 0 ) as can be seen by examining equation 4 . the cos ( 2πτ / t ) term is formed at subtraction unit 630 and the sin ( 2πτ / t ) term is formed at subtraction unit 635 . calculating the angle formed by the complex components derived at units 630 and 635 gives an expression for the timing offset . the timing estimate is formed as follows : τ ^ t = 1 2  π  arg [ α ( a ( 0 ) - a ( t 2 ) ) + j  ( b  ( t 2 ) - b  ( 0 ) ) ] equation   6 where α is a gain factor of value close to unity , which is ideally c 1 / c 2 . the estimator 600 thus provides immunity to the effect of phase offsets on the input signal . this gives a designer much more flexibility in the design of an all digital receiver . the advantage of the estimator is especially apparent for digital communication systems having high data rates . in such systems , oversampling the received signal at more than two samples per symbol may not always be possible or desirable ( tayebi et al ., “ wireless multimedia carrier system , ” u . s . patent application ser . no . 08 / 954 , 217 , filed oct . 20 , 1997 ). the estimator of the present invention uses a similar approach ( i . e ., feedforward design with asynchronous sampling ) as used for an alternative algorithm in the literature . the known algorithm requires a minimum oversampling rate of four samples per symbol ( h . meyr , m . moeneclaey and s . a . fechtel , “ digital communication receivers : synchronization , channel estimation and signal processing , ” john wiley publishers , pp . 289 - 295 , 1998 ). however , with the addition of a delay , complex conjugation and multiply nonlinearities , the present estimator avoids the requirement of having a minimum oversampling rate of four samples per symbol . yet even with reduced sampling , the estimator is immune to the presence of a slowly varying phase offset over the observation interval . while the above detailed description has shown ; described , and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to various embodiments , it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the system illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art , without departing from the intent of the invention .	7
hereinafter , a preferred embodiment for carrying out the invention will be described by reference to the drawings . fig1 is a perspective view , as seen from thereabove , which shows a state in which an electric wire cover 6 is being attached to a housing 1 that is provided on a connector of the embodiment . in addition , fig2 is a perspective view , as seen from thereabove , which shows an external appearance of the housing 1 . note that upward , downward , leftward and rightward directions used in the following description are shown in the respective drawings . these upward , downward , leftward and rightward directions so described are given for the purpose of explanation and may , of course , be different from an actual layout . as is shown in fig1 , a connector is configured to include a housing 1 which includes a plurality of terminal cavities in an interior thereof and an electric wire cover 6 for protecting electric wires d drawn out of the housing 1 . as is shown in fig2 , the housing 1 is configured to include a pair of main circumferential walls 2 which are formed wide and are made to face each other and connecting circumferential walls 3 which are situated on left - and right - hand sides of both the main circumferential walls 2 to connect together these main circumferential walls 2 and has a flat , substantially box - shaped external shape . the connecting circumferential walls 3 are made integral with the main circumferential walls 2 and each have a height which is slightly lower than the main circumferential wall 2 . the connecting circumferential walls 3 each include a pair of main wall portions 3 a which extend sideways from left - or right - hand side edge portions of the respective main circumferential walls 2 and a side wall portion 3 b which connects together edge portions of the main wall portions 3 a which lie in a direction in which both the main wall portions 3 a extend , and the connecting circumferential wall portion 3 a exhibits a frame shape having a collapsed u - shaped cross section as viewed from the top . the main wall portions 3 a extend outwardly to the left and right directions , respectively , from inner surfaces of the left - and right - hand side edge portions of the main circumferential walls 2 , and outer surfaces of the main wall portions 3 a are positioned further inwards by a distance equal to the thickness of the main circumferential wall 2 than outer surfaces of the main circumferential walls 2 ( refer to fig5 a and 5b ). the main wall portions 3 a are made to continue to the main circumferential walls 2 and make up main surfaces of the housing 1 . in addition , the side wall portions 3 b connect together the main wall portions 3 a which face each other at the left - and right - hand sides of the main circumferential walls 2 so as to make up left - and right - hand side surfaces of the housing . the housing 1 includes an electric wire outlet port 11 which communicates with the respective terminal cavities provided in the interior thereof and which is made to open at an upper end side thereof . the electric wire outlet port 11 has a substantially rectangular opening shape which is surrounded by the main circumferential walls 22 and the connecting circumferential wall portions 3 . as is shown in fig1 , the electric wire outlet port 11 is made for the electric wires d connected to terminals which are accommodated in the respective terminal cavities of the housing 1 to be drawn out to the outside . the main circumferential walls 2 and the pair of main wall portions 3 a which extend sideways from the left - and right - hand side edge portions of the main circumferential walls 22 make up , respectively , locked wall portions which constitute circumferential walls of the electric wire outlet port 11 . a connector attaching port or inlet port ( not shown ) is opened in the housing 1 at a lower end side thereof for a mating connector to be fitted therein for attachment . as is shown in fig2 , locking holes 21 each having a substantially rectangular opening shape are formed in both the main surfaces of the housing 1 in such a manner as to each pierce the main circumferential wall 2 from an outer surface side to an inner surface side . one locking hole 21 is provided to be disposed in each of upper left - and right - hand side corner portion of each of the main circumferential walls 2 . the locking holes 21 provided on one of the main circumferential walls 2 are disposed in positions which confront the locking holes 21 which are provided on the other main circumferential wall 2 which faces the one main circumferential wall 2 . projections 32 are provided on both the main surfaces of the housing 1 which are situated further sideways to the left and right than the locking holes 21 . the projections 32 are formed at upper edge portions of the main wall portions 3 a which are situated slightly further downwards than the locking holes 21 and project outwards from outer surfaces of the main wall portions 3 a . the projection 32 provided on one of the main wall portions 3 a is disposed in a position which confronts the projection 32 provided on the other main wall portion 3 a which faces the one main wall portion 3 a . the projection 32 exhibits a substantially angular block shape , and an upper surface 32 a is inclined outwardly downwards while a lower surface 32 b is erected vertically outwards . a guiding projecting portion 31 is formed on an outer surface of the side wall portion 3 b in such a manner as to extend along a height direction . as is shown in fig1 , a lever 4 is attached to the housing 1 . the lever 4 is provided to lie on both the main surfaces of the housing 1 for detaching the mating connector from the connector inlet port ( not shown ) at the lower end side of the housing . the lever 4 is attached to the housing 1 in such a manner as to cover an upper portion of the side wall portion 3 b of the connecting circumferential wall 3 provided at either the left - or right - hand side of the housing 1 and both the main surfaces of the housing 1 which extend from the main wall portions 3 a to central portions of the main circumferential walls 2 and holds the guiding projecting portion 31 provided on the side wall portion 3 b from both sides thereof . fig3 is a perspective view , as seen from therebelow , which shows an external appearance of the electric wire cover 6 . in addition , fig4 is a perspective view , as seen from therebelow , which shows an inside of the electric wire cover 6 . additionally , fig5 a and 5b show partial sectional views which illustrate structures of opening edge portions of the electric wire outlet port 11 of the housing 11 and an attaching port 71 of the electric wire cover 6 . as is shown in fig3 , the electric wire cover 6 is configured to include a cover main body 7 which is fitted in the housing 1 for attachment and a cover lock 8 which covers an outer surface of the cover main body 7 . the cover main body 7 has a flat , substantially box - shaped external shape is formed by connecting a pair of main inner walls 7 a , which face each other and make up a main surface of the cover main body 7 , with a side inner wall 7 b , which connects together side edge portions of both the main inner walls 7 a so as to constitute a side surface of the cover main body 7 , at upper edge portions of the respective inner walls 7 a , 7 b with a side portion provided with no side inner wall 7 b opened over a full area thereof . in the cover main body 7 , the attaching port 71 which is surrounded by lower edge portions of both the main inner walls 7 a and the side inner wall 7 b so as to have a substantially rectangular shape is made to open to a lower end side of the cover main body 7 . the main inner wall 7 a constitutes one locking wall portion which is brought into locking engagement with the main circumferential wall 2 of the housing 1 from the inner surface side . in addition , the opening which is formed over the full area of the side portion of the cover main body 7 constitutes an electric wire passing port 72 from which the electric wires d ( refer to fig1 ) are drawn out from the inside of the cover main body 7 to the outside . as is shown in fig4 , locking projections 73 are provided at both side portions of each of the main surfaces of the cover main body 7 . the locking projections 73 are positioned at a lower edge portion of the main inner wall 7 a and project outwards from an outer surface of the main inner wall 7 a . the locking projections 73 provided on one of the main inner walls 7 a are disposed in positions which confront the locking projections 73 provided on the other main inner wall 7 a which faces the one inner fall 7 a . as is shown in fig3 , the locking projection 73 exhibits a substantially angular block shape , and a lower surface 73 a is inclined outwardly upwards , and an upper surface 73 b is erected vertically outwards . as is shown in fig3 , the cover lock 8 is made integral with the cover main body 7 in such a manner as to cover an outer surface of a side portion of the cover main body 7 where the electric wire passing port 72 is formed and main outer walls 8 a formed at lower edge portions thereof are made to extend further downwards than the lower edge portions of the main inner walls 7 a . the main outer wall 8 a constitutes one locking wall portion which is brought into locking engagement with the main circumferential wall 2 of the housing 1 from the outer surface side . a swollen portion 81 is provided at the lower edge portion of the main outer wall 8 a , and the swollen portion 81 is made in such a manner that an inner surface of the main outer wall 8 a is swollen inwards . the swollen portion 81 exhibits a substantially angular block shape and has , as is shown in fig5 a , substantially the same thickness as the main circumferential wall 2 of the housing 1 . as is shown in fig3 , a locking groove 82 is formed on an end face of the swollen portion 81 which is oriented inwards of the electric wire cover 6 . the locking groove 82 provided on the swollen portion 81 of one of the main outer walls 8 a is disposed in a position which confronts the locking groove 82 provided on the other main outer wall 8 a which faces the one main outer wall 8 a . as is shown in fig4 , a gap 83 is provided between a portion of the main outer wall portion 8 a which lies closer to the side inner wall 7 b than the swollen portion 81 and the lower edge portion of the main inner wall 7 a . as is shown in fig5 b , the gap 83 has space which is slightly longer than the thickness of the main circumferential wall 2 provided on the housing 1 . in addition , as is shown in fig5 b , an accommodation groove 84 is provided on an inner surface of a portion of the main outer wall 8 a which lies closer to the side inner wall 7 b than the swollen portion 81 in such a manner as to extend in a width direction of the main outer wall 8 a along the position where the locking projection 73 is formed . next , an attaching and detaching operation of the electric cover 6 to and from the housing 1 will be described . fig6 a to 8b are sectional views showing partially the opening edge portions of the electric wire outlet port 11 provided on the housing 1 and the attaching port 71 provided on the electric wire cover 6 and are diagrams illustrating an attaching operation of the electric cover 6 to the housing 1 . as is shown in fig1 , the electric wire cover 6 is attached to the housing 1 in such a state that the lever 4 is attached to the side wall portion 3 b of one of the left - and right - hand side connecting circumferential walls 3 and the electric wires d connected to the terminals in the terminal cavities are drawn out from the electric wire outlet port 11 . in the example shown in the same figure , the electric wire cover 6 is attached to the housing 1 in such a state that the lever 4 is attached to the side wall portion 3 b of the right - hand side connecting circumferential wall 3 of the housing 1 . when attaching the electric wire cover 6 to the housing 1 , as is shown in fig1 , the attaching port 71 of the cover main body 7 is oriented to the electric wire outlet port 11 of the housing 1 in such manner that the side portion of the electric cover 6 on which the cover lock 8 is provided is made to face the left - hand side connecting circumferential wall 3 to which the lever 4 is not attached and the electric cover 6 is forced into the housing 1 in such a manner that a circumferential edge portion of the attaching port 71 is inserted into the electric wire outlet port 11 of the housing . by this operation , as is shown in fig5 a , each of the swollen portions 81 provided on the main outer walls 8 a of the cover lock 8 moves downwards of the housing 1 as is shown by an arrow therein towards the upper edge portion of the main wall portion 3 a which constitutes the opening edge portion of the electric wire outlet port 11 . in addition , as is shown in fig5 b , the inner surface of the portion of the main outer wall 8 a which lies closer to the side inner wall 7 b than the swollen portion 81 approaches or comes into abutment with the outer surface of the upper edge portion of the main circumferential wall 2 which makes up the opening edge portion of the electric wire outlet port 11 and moves downwards of the housing 1 as is indicated by an arrow in the figures . as is shown in fig6 a , the swollen portion 81 of the main outer wall 8 a which moves downwards of the housing 1 comes into abutment with the upper surface 32 a of the projection 32 provided on the outer surface of the upper edge portion of the main wall portion 3 a . the swollen portion 81 which has come into abutment with the upper surface 32 a of the projection 32 then rides on the projection 32 from the upper surface 32 a as is shown in fig7 a , and as this occurs , the swollen portion 81 is pressed from the projection 32 to thereby bend the main outer wall 8 a outwards and at the same time presses the projection 32 to thereby bend the main wall portion 3 a inwards . when the circumferential edge portion of the attaching port 71 is inserted into the electric wire outlet port 11 until the swollen portion 81 comes into abutment with the projection 32 , the locking projection 73 , which is provided on the outer surface of the main inner wall 7 a in such a manner as to be positioned at the opening edge portion of the attaching port 71 , is brought into abutment with the upper edge portion of the main circumferential wall 2 which makes up the opening edge portion of the electric wire outlet port 11 at the lower surface 73 a thereof , as is shown in fig6 b . then , the main circumferential wall 2 comes into abutment with the lower surface 73 a of the locking projection 73 and rides on the locking projection 73 from the lower surface 73 a as is shown in fig7 b . as this occurs , the main circumferential wall 2 is pressed by the locking projection 73 to thereby be bended outwards while pressing the locking projection 73 to bend the main inner wall 7 a inwards . in addition , as is shown in fig7 b , an upper edge portion of the main circumferential wall 2 which is being bended outwards is accommodated in the accommodation groove 84 provided on the main outer wall 8 a , whereby the main circumferential wall 2 presses a bottom surface of the accommodation groove 84 or an inner surface of the main outer wall 8 a to thereby bend the main outer wall 8 a outwards . as is shown in fig7 a , when the swollen portion 81 rides on the projection of the main wall portion 3 a and moves downwards of the housing 1 as indicated by an arrow in the same figure to arrive at a position where it faces the locking groove 82 , the swollen portion 81 falls in the locking hole 21 , as is shown in fig8 b . as this occurs , the pressure exerted on the main circumferential wall 2 on the locking projection 73 provided on the main inner wall 7 a is released . the bending of the main inner wall 7 a , the main outer wall 8 a and the main circumferential wall 2 is released by the pressing of the swollen portion 81 on the main outer wall 8 a by the projection 32 on the main wall portion 3 a and the pressing of the main circumferential wall 2 by the locking projection 73 on the main inner wall 7 a being released , whereby the cover main body 7 is fitted in the electric wire outlet port 11 and the cover lock 8 is fitted thereon , as a result of which the electric wire cover 6 is attached to the housing 1 , the attaching work of the electric wire cover 6 to the housing 1 being thereby completed . in the attaching structure of the electric wire cover 6 that is configured in the way described heretofore , by the projection 32 being fitted in the locking groove 82 as is shown in fig8 a , the main outer wall 8 a of the cover lock 8 comes into locking engagement with the main wall portion 3 a of the housing 1 from an outer surface side . in addition , as is shown in fig8 b , by the locking projection 73 being fitted in the locking hole 21 , the main inner wall 7 a of the cover main body 7 comes , together with the main wall portion 3 a , into locking engagement with the main circumferential wall 2 which makes up the locked wall portion from an inner surface side . furthermore , as is shown in fig8 b , the main inner wall 7 a which locks the main circumferential wall 2 from the inner surface side and the main outer wall 8 a which locks from the outer surface side the main wall portion 3 a which is consecutive to the main circumferential wall 2 are disposed in such a manner as to hold the main circumferential wall 2 therebetween from the inner surface side and from the outer surface side , respectively . when detaching the electric wire cover 6 from the housing 1 , firstly , both the main outer walls 8 a provided on the cover lock 8 are bended outwards by pulling them upwardly outwards so that the inner surfaces of both the main outer wall 8 a move apart from the outer surfaces of the main wall portions 3 a provided on the housing 1 . by this action , the locking grooves 82 in which the projections 32 are fitted as is shown in fig8 a move upwards to be apart from the projections 32 , whereby the fitting of the projections 32 in the locking grooves 82 is released . next , both the main inner walls 7 a provided on the cover main body 7 are bended inwards by pressing them inwards so that the outer surfaces of both the main inner walls 7 a move apart from the inner surfaces of the main circumferential walls 2 in such a state that the fitting of the projections 32 in the locking grooves 82 is released by bending the main outer walls 8 a outwards . by this action , as is shown in fig8 b , the locking projections 73 fitted in the locking holes 21 move downwards of the locking holes 21 , whereby the fitting of the locking projections 73 in the locking holes 21 is released . after the locking between the locking grooves 82 on the cover lock 8 and the projections 32 on the housing 1 and the locking between the locking projections 73 on the cover main body 7 and the locking holes 21 on the housing 1 have been released in the ways described above , the electric wire cover 6 is pulled out from the electric wire outlet port 11 of the housing 1 in an opposite direction to the direction in which the electric wire cover 6 was attached . by this action , the electric wire cover 6 is detached from the housing 1 . according to the connector of the embodiment , since the main inner walls 7 a of the cover main body 7 lock the main circumferential walls 2 of the housing 1 from the inner surface side and the main outer walls 8 a of the cover lock 8 locks the main wall portions 3 a which make up the locked wall portion together with the main circumferential walls 2 from the outer surface side , the locking by the main inner walls 7 a and the main outer walls 8 a is not released unless forces which move , respectively , the main inner walls 7 a inwards of the housing 1 and the main outer walls 8 a outwards of the housing 1 act on the electric wire cover 6 at the same time . because of this , even though a load is exerted on the main surfaces of the housing 1 and the cover main body 7 in one vertical direction , unless a load is exerted thereon in an opposite direction to the one vertical direction at the same time , there occurs no situation where the locking by the main inner walls 7 a and the main outer walls 8 a is released so as to allow the cover main body 7 to be detached from the housing 1 , and thus , the cover main body 7 can be made difficult to be detached from the housing 1 . as a result of this , the detachment of the electric wire cover 6 from the housing 1 can be prevented . in addition , according to the connector of this embodiment , since the main outer walls 8 a which are made integral with the main inner walls 7 a are disposed closely above the locking holes 21 situated at one of the left and right sides of the main circumferential walls 2 so that the locking holes 21 are restricted from moving outwards of the main inner walls 7 a to thereby release the locking thereof with the locking projections 73 by the main outer walls 8 a , the release of the locking between the locking holes 21 and the locking projections 73 can be prevented effectively . as a result of this , the detachment of the electric wire cover 6 from the housing 11 can be prevented effectively . additionally , according to the connector of this embodiment , even though the locking projections 73 move out of the locking holes 21 and the projections 32 move out of the locking grooves 82 , since the main inner walls 7 a which are pressed by the main circumferential walls 2 via the locking projections 73 to thereby be bended inwards and the main outer walls 8 a which are pressed by the projections 32 at the swollen portions 81 thereon to thereby be bended outwards exert spring - back forces generated by the bending on the locked wall portion which is made up of the main circumferential walls 2 and the main wall portions 3 a in such a manner as to hold it therebetween , the release of the locking between the locking holes 21 and the locking projections 73 can be prevented effectively by virtue of the bending of the main circumferential walls 2 and the main inner walls 7 a . as a result of this , the detachment of the electric wire cover 6 from the housing 1 can be prevented effectively . in the description of the embodiment that has been made heretofore , while the case has been described in which the main outer walls 8 a of the cover lock 8 extend further downwards than the main inner walls 7 a of the cover main body and the locking grooves 82 are made to be exposed to the inside of the attaching port 71 , a configuration may be adopted in which the main outer walls 8 a are positioned such that lower edge portions thereof confront lower edge portions of the main inner walls 7 a or lie thereabove and the locking grooves 82 are made to confront the main inner walls 7 a . in addition , the numbers of locking holes 21 provided on the main circumferential walls 2 and locking projections 73 provided on the main inner walls 7 a are arbitrary , provided that they are provided in pairs . in addition , the numbers of projections 32 provided on the main wall portions 3 a and locking grooves 82 provided on the main outer walls 8 a are arbitrary , provided that they are provided in pairs . for example , a configuration may be adopted in which a pair of locking hole 21 and projection 32 is provided at a left - hand side portion of one of the main surface of the housing 1 and another pair of locking hole 21 and projection 32 is provided at a right - hand side portion of the other main surface , and pairs of locking projection 73 and locking grooves 82 are provided on the cover main body 7 and the cover lock 8 in positions corresponding to the pairs of locking hole 21 and projection 32 . in addition , the shapes of the locking hole 21 and the locking projections 73 are arbitrary , provided that the locking projections 73 are fitted individually in the locking holes 21 so that the main inner walls 7 lock the main circumferential walls 2 from the inner surface side . for example , the locking projection 73 may have a shape in which the lower surface 73 rises vertically outwards . in addition , the locking holes 21 and the locking projections 73 do not necessarily have to be provided at the opening edge portions of the electric wire outlet port 11 and the attaching port 71 . additionally , the shapes of the projection 32 and the locking groove 82 are arbitrary , provided that the main outer walls 8 a are allowed to lock the main wall portions 3 a from the outer surface side by fitting the projections 3 a in the locking grooves 82 . for example , the projection 32 may have a shape in which the upper surface 32 a rises vertically outwards . in addition , the projections 32 and the locking grooves 82 do not necessarily have to be provided at the opening edge portion of the electric wire outlet port 11 and the lower edge portions of the cover lock 8 . additionally , the locking portions where the main inner walls 7 a are brought into locking engagement with the main circumferential walls 2 via the locking projections 73 are not limited to the locking holes 21 which pierce the main circumferential walls 2 but may take the form of a hole or groove which is formed on the inner surface of the main circumferential wall 2 . in addition , the locking portions where the main outer walls 8 a are brought into locking engagement with the main circumferential walls 2 via the projections 32 are not limited to the locking grooves 82 but may take the form of a hole which pierces the main outer wall 8 a or a hole formed on the inner surface of the main outer wall 8 a . additionally , provided that the main inner walls 7 a and the main outer walls 8 a can be brought into locking engagement with the main circumferential walls 2 from the outer surface side or the inner surface side , a configuration may be adopted in which projections provided on either of the main inner walls 7 a / the main outer walls 8 a and the main circumferential walls 2 are locked in locking portions such as holes provided on the other of the main inner walls 7 a / the main outer walls 8 a and the main circumferential walls 2 . in addition , in the description of the embodiment , the case has been described in which the main circumferential walls 2 and the main wall portions 3 a which are provided on the housing 1 constitute the single locked wall portion . however , the configuration of the locked wall portion is arbitrary , and for example , the locked wall portion may be made up of a single flat wall member . as this occurs , a configuration can be adopted in which no swollen portion 81 is provided on the main outer walls 8 a and the locking grooves 82 are provided directly on the inner surfaces of the main outer walls 8 a . in addition , in the description of the embodiment , while the case has been described in which the electric wire cover 6 includes the tow locking wall portions such as the main inner walls 7 a and the main outer walls 8 a , a configuration may be adopted in which three or more locking wall portions are provided . as this occurs , a configuration may be adopted in which respective locking wall portions are superposed one on another at predetermined intervals with main surfaces thereof oriented in the same direction or in which part of the locking wall portions are disposed parallel . additionally , also in a case where the housing 1 includes a plurality of locking wall portions , a configuration may be adopted in which respective locking wall portions are superposed one on another at predetermined intervals with main surfaces thereof oriented in the same direction or in which part of the locking wall portions are disposed in a rowl . in a case where one of the housing 1 and the electric wire cover 6 includes three or more locking wall portions , the number of locking wall portions which are brought into locking engagement with the outer surface side and the inner surface side of the one locked wall portion provided on the other can be determined arbitrary . in addition , in the description of the embodiment , while the case has been described in which the invention is applied to the attaching structure of the electric wire cover 6 provided on the connector , the invention can also be applied to attaching structures of other covers .	7
basically , the surfactant compositions of the present invention consist of four components , namely a linear alcohol , propylene oxide , ethylene oxide , and an epoxy cap . the epoxy cap and the linear alcohol serve as a hydrophobic , oil - soluble portion of the molecule . the ethylene oxide groups form the hydrophilic , water - soluble elements of the molecule . it has been surprisingly discovered in accordance with the present invention that significant improvements in biodegradability and rinsing characteristics , relative to conventional surfactants , are provided utilizing the compositions of the present invention to clean tableware . without wishing to be bound by any particular theory , the present inventors believe that this improvement is at least partly attributable to the ordered structure of the compositions in which limited numbers of propylene oxide groups are directly attached to the alcohol followed by addition of the ethylene oxide groups and capping using the 1 , 2 - epoxyalkane . while maintaining this ordered structure , it is desired to also have low ratios of propylene oxide groups to ethylene oxide groups . for example , preferred ratios of propylene oxide groups to ethylene oxide groups are in the range of about 1 : 5 to about 1 : 30 , and more preferably from about 1 : 10 to about 1 : 20 . generally , these poly ( oxyalkylated ) alcohols may be made by condensing an aliphatic alcohol , or mixture of alcohols , having an average chain length of from 4 to about 18 carbon atoms , preferably from about 4 to about 12 , and more preferably from about 6 to about 10 carbon atoms , initially with propylene oxide followed by capping this condensation product with ethylene oxide . the methods used for condensing and capping may be any of the well - known methods described in the art . preferably , these reactions occur at elevated temperatures in the range of about 120 ° c . to about 180 ° c ., and more preferably at from about 140 ° c .- 160 ° c . it is also preferred to carry out such reactions in the presence of an effective amount ( e . g . about 0 . 005 % to 1 % by weight of the alcohol ) of a suitable alkaline catalyst ( s ) such as hydroxides of alkali metals or alkaline earth metals as well as alkali metal alcoholates and bf 3 . the preferred catalyst is koh . epoxy compounds useful for making the epoxy - capped poly ( oxyalkylated ) alcohols of the present invention include any 1 , 2 - epoxyalkanes , or mixtures thereof , having a hydrocarbon chain containing an average of about 2 to about 26 carbon atoms . preferably , the 1 , 2 - epoxyalkane has a linear , aliphatic hydrocarbon chain containing an average of from about 8 to about 20 carbon atoms , and more preferably an average of from about 10 to about 16 carbon atoms . generally , 2 to 4 carbons is preferred if a high cloud point composition is desired , 6 to 10 carbons is preferred to optimize defoaming efficacy , and 12 to 22 carbons is desired to optimize rinsing efficacy . various 1 , 2 - epoxyalkane compounds are commercially available from atochem north america inc ., philadelphia , pa . under the product names vikalox 11 - 14 , vikalox 12 , vikalox 16 and others . the novel surfactant compositions of the present invention provide improved surface treatment of the tableware by the rinse water and subsequently reduces spotting and filming . these epoxy - capped poly ( oxyalkylated ) alcohols can be formulated in powder and liquid detergent products for automatic dishwashers or in hard surface cleaning products , such as bathroom tile , using methods commercially practised in the detergent industry . these formulations can include , for example , detergent builders , chelating agents , bleaches , anti - wear agents , and combinations thereof , among others . suitable detergent builders include inorganic builders such as sodium tripolyphosphate ( stpp ), sodium carbonate , zeolites and mixtures thereof . where stpp is the detergent builder , the stpp may be employed in the compositions in a range of about 8 to 35 wt . %, preferably about 20 to 30 wt %, and should preferably be free of heavy metal which tends to decompose or inactivate the preferred sodium hypochlorite and other chlorine bleach compounds . the stpp may be anhydrous or hydrated , including the stable hexahydrate with a degree of hydration of 6 corresponding to about 18 % by weight of water or more . organic builders can also be used including nitrilotriacetic acid and alkali metal salts of tartaric or citric acid . where used , a chelating agent can be any one of a wide range of organic or inorganic sequestering agents , examples including phosphoric acid , amino polycarboxylic acids such as edta , nta and detpa , and polycarboxylic acids such as lactic acid , citric acid , tartaric acid , gluconic acid , glucoheptonic acid , mucic acid , galactonic acid , saccharic acid , fumaric acid , succinic acid , glutaric acid , adipic acid and their alkali metal or ammonium salts . citric or tartaric acid are preferred chelating acids . the chelating agent if included is present in an amount of up to about 30 % and normally lies in the range from about 5 % to about 20 % by weight . highly preferred compositions use from about 5 % to about 10 % by weight of chelating agent in order to minimize any attack by the chelating agent on the glass . when a bleach is a component in the formulation , the bleach may be an organic chlorine containing bleach , for example , trichloroisocyanuric acid , dichloroisocyanuric acid or a salt of dichloroisocyanuric acid . preferably a sodium or potassium salt such as trichloroisocyanuric acid and is employed in an amount of , for example , 1 to 5 % and more preferably 2 to 3 % by weight in the cleaning composition . inorganic bleaching compounds such as chlorinated trisodium polyphosphate ( tspp ) or lithium hypochlorite may also be used . the dishwasher formulations may also include anti - wear or anti - corrosion agents such as an alkali metal silicate , preferably sodium silicate , and may be present in a ratio of 0 . 1 to 3 and preferably 0 . 2 to 1 mole per mole of alkali in the cleaning composition . alkalinity may be provided by an alkali metal compound , for example , sodium or potassium hydroxide and / or carbonate . further suitable conventional ingredients for inclusion in the compositions are hydrotropic agents such as xylene sulfonates , alcohols , perfumes and coloring agents . while the invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments thereof , it is apparent that many changes , modifications and variations can be made without departing from the inventive concept disclosed herein . accordingly , it is intended to embrace all such changes , modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims . all patent applications , patents and other publications cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety . the following examples are provided to further illustrate the invention . all parts and percentages are by weight unless otherwise specified . to a 1000 ml round bottom 3 - necked flask fitted with a thermometer , on which is placed a thermowatch sensor , a magnetic stirring bar , an equilibrated dropping funnel fitted with a nitrogen inlet , a dry - ice / acetone condenser , and a nitrogen outlet , was added 100 grams ( 0 . 6827 moles ) of alfol - 610 ( vista chemical ) and 0 . 4 grams ( 0 . 007 moles ) of koh . the alcohol is stirred and heated to 140 ° c . for 1 . 5 hours . at the end of this time 39 . 60 grams ( 0 . 6827 moles ) of propylene oxide was added dropwise over one hour . the reaction was complete when refluxing ceased in the dry - ice / acetone condenser . the mixture was post reacted for 1 . 5 hours at 140 ° c . ethylene oxide , 450 . 58 grams ( 10 . 24 moles ) was then added slowly over 6 - 8 hours under slow reflux . the reaction mixture was then post - reacted for 1 . 5 hours at 140 ° c . at the end of this time 151 . 1 grams ( 0 . 629 moles ) of 1 , 2 - epoxyhexadecane ( atochem ) was added through the dropping funnel . the addition took place over a period of less than 10 minutes . the reaction mixture was post - reacted at 160 °± 3 ° c . for 4 . 5 hours . at the end of this time the solid product was cooled and removed from the flask . the cloud point of a one percent solution of the product in water was & lt ; 1 ° c . the hydroxyl number was 56 . 2 and the primary hydroxyl content was 18 . 3 %. to the identical apparatus used in example 1 was added 100 grams ( 0 . 6827 moles ) of alfol - 610 ( vista chemical ) and 0 . 4 grams ( 0 . 007 moles ) of koh . the alcohol was stirred and heated to 140 ° c . for 1 . 5 hours . at the end of this time 39 . 60 grams ( 0 . 6827 moles ) of propylene oxide was added dropwise over one hour . when refluxing ceased in the dry - ice / acetone condenser the reaction was complete . the mixture was post reacted for 1 . 5 hours at 140 °° c . ethylene oxide , 600 . 78 grams ( 13 . 654 moles ) was then added slowly over 6 - 8 hours under slow reflux . the reaction mixture was then post - reacted for 1 . 5 hours at 140 ° c . to the reaction mixture 116 . 2 grams ( 0 . 480 moles ) of 1 , 2 - epoxyhexadecane ( atochem ) was added through the dropping funnel in less than 10 minutes . the reaction mixture was post - reacted at 160 °± 3 ° c . for 4 . 5 hours . at the end of this time the solid product was cooled and removed from the flask . the cloud point of a one percent solution of the product in water was 8 ° c . the hydroxyl number was 48 . 7 and the % primary hydroxyl was 19 . 7 . using the identical apparatus of examples 1 and 2 , 100 grams ( 0 . 6827 moles ) of alfol - 610 ( vista chemical ) and 0 . 4 grams ( 0 . 007 moles ) of koh were added to the flask . the alcohol was stirred and heated to 140 ° c . for 1 . 5 hours . at the end of this time 39 . 60 grams ( 0 . 6827 moles ) of propylene oxide was added dropwise over one hour . the reaction was completed when refluxing ceased in the dry - ice / acetone condenser . the mixture was post reacted for 1 . 5 hours at 140 ° c . ethylene oxide , 600 . 78 grams ( 13 . 654 moles ) was then added slowly over 6 - 8 hours under slow reflux . the reaction mixture was then post - reacted for 1 . 5 hours at 140 ° c . next 74 . 88 grams ( 0 . 480 moles ) of 1 , 2 - epoxydecane ( atochem ) was added through the dropping funnel in a period of less than 10 minutes . the reaction mixture was post - reacted at 160 °± 3 ° c . for 4 . 5 hours . at the end of this time the solid product was cooled and removed from the flask . the cloud point of a one percent solution of the product in water was 14 ° c . the hydroxyl number was 53 . 0 and the primary hydroxyl content was 25 . 6 %. loads of tableware including ten 9 inch dinner plates , 10 soda glasses , and assorted tableware were subjected to 5 washing cycles in a hobart superba model dishwasher . the washing cycles comprised one wash cycle and two rinses . the maximum temperature during the wash cycle is approximately 137 ° f . and the tableware washing is completed in 70 minutes . the tableware were washed with each of the products of examples 1 , 2 and 3 . in addition , the tableware was washed under identical conditions with a commercial surfactant , cascade ( procter & amp ; gamble co .). as additional comparisons , the formulation of comparison b was tested under identical conditions utilizing the surfactant of example 8 of u . s . pat . no . 3 , 956 , 401 , and comparison c utilized the surfactant of example 7b of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 925 , 587 . for each washing cycle 20 grams of detergent , including 0 . 6 grams of surfactant , were used . after each washing , the glassware was evaluated for spotting , streaking and filming using a scale of 1 to 5 in which 1 shows no spots , streaks or film , and 5 indicates the glasses were completely covered with spots , streaks and film . this testing procedure closely follows the chemical specialties manufacturing association ( csma ) test procedure dcc 05a . the results are given in table i below . table i______________________________________glassware rinsing in automatic dishwasherexample no . spotting streaking filming______________________________________4 . product of example 1 2 . 5 1 . 0 1 . 75 . product of example 2 2 . 1 1 . 0 2 . 16 . product of example 3 1 . 4 1 . 0 3 . 1comp . a , cascade 3 . 5 1 . 0 3 . 3comp . b , example of 3 . 5 1 . 0 3 . 4u . s . pat . no . 3 , 956 , 401comp . c , example 7b of 4 . 7 1 . 0 3 . 9u . s . pat . no . 4 , 925 , 587______________________________________ glassware cleaned using the products of the invention clearly show a significant improvement in spotting and filming over the commercial detergents . the spotting data is shown graphically in fig1 . an automatic dishwashing foam test ( csma dcc - 01 ) was used to evaluate products of this invention . also tested were a commercial product , cascade ( procter & amp ; gamble ) and the product of example 7b of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 925 , 587 . milk and egg soils were employed in these tests . measurements were made of the ratio of the revolutions of the dishwasher rotor with detergent and soil as a percentage of the revolutions with water alone . the higher the ratio , the more efficient is the detergent . from the results provided in table 2 hereinbelow , it is readily apparent that the product of this invention compares very favorably with the comparative example products . results are shown in table 2 . table 2______________________________________defoaming studies in automatic dishwasher milk soil egg soilexample # % % ______________________________________7 . product of example 3 99 98comp d ., cascade 91 94comp e ., example 7b of u . s . 100 67pat . no . 4 , 925 , 587______________________________________	2
turning to the drawings and referring first to fig1 a unipolar ignition system circuit includes a dc - to - dc converter 11 , a logic circuit 13 and solid state switch 15 . from a dc source 17 of relatively low voltage ( e . g ., 28 volts ), the dc - to - dc converter 11 delivers a potential of approximately 2500 volts to an energy storage device 19 which is most commonly a capacitor as illustrated in fig6 . a broad band filter 20 is provided between the voltage source 17 and the dc - to - dc converter 11 which prevents high frequency noise generated by the exciter from escaping via the dc power input . it also protects the converter 11 from transients present on the aircraft electrical power system . many types of dc - to - dc converters well known in the art may be utilized in the ignition system of the invention . one type of converter known in the art as a &# 34 ; flyback &# 34 ; type converter utilizes a charge pump technique to build up the voltage at the energy storage device over a number of charge cycles . once the charge cycles have built the voltage at the energy storage device 19 to a predetermined level , the charge pumping is interrupted , and the energy storage device discharges into a semiconductor ignitor plug 21 of the ignition system . although the embodiment of the dc - to - dc converter 11 illustrated in fig6 is a flyback type converter having the foregoing characteristics , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the design of ignition systems that other variations of flyback converters or other types of dc - to - dc converters may be substituted without deviation from the spirit of the invention . referring now to the logic circuit 13 , when the energy storage device 19 has been charged with a predetermined amount of energy from the dc - to - dc converter 11 , the energy sensor 23 responds by activating the trigger circuit 25 which turns on the solid state switch 15 and allows the energy in the storage device to be transferred to an output circuit which includes the commercially available semiconductor ignitor plug 21 . the output circuit also includes a saturable inductor 27 and a freewheeling diode 29 . the saturable inductor 27 introduces a phase lag between voltage and current such that the voltage first appears at the spark gap of the plug 21 in order to form a plasma before a current surge occurs . the freewheeling diode 29 prevents oscillation , resulting in a unipolar discharge current . the energy sensor 23 also starts a timer 30 which disables the dc - to - dc converter 11 so that the system does not attempt to simultaneously discharge and charge the storage device , and which holds it disabled to provide a delay before the next spark . the spark rate which is established by the timer 30 must be chosen as a compromise between adequate spark rate to ignite the turbine and low enough spark rate to ensure long ignitor plug life . also , modern safety standards increasingly require continuous operation of the ignition system in foul weather , and during critical operating conditions of an aircraft . the continuous operation assures a relight if a flame - out occurs . in accordance with one important aspect of the invention , in order to satisfy these constraints , an optional spark burst circuit 31 is added which alters the spark rate set by timer 30 , as will be discussed in reference to fig7 . when the ignition ( starting ) sequence begins , the spark burst circuit 31 switches the timer 30 to a high pulse rate condition . after sufficient time has elapsed for a normal ignition to have occurred , the spark burst circuit switches the timer back to a lower ( maintenance ) rate , which can be operated continuously for safety , but without prematurely wearing out the ignitor plug . the lower spark rate may also allow the exciter components to be smaller , since they would not have as high a thermal stress as would exist with continuous high - rate sparking . more generally , the spark burst circuit 31 generates a repetition of sparks for a predetermined time period where the repetition is at an average rate greater than the average rate of repetition which continues after ignition occurs . an important feature of this invention is that the spark burst circuit 31 is activated upon application of dc power 17 to the unit by closing of switch 32 . thus , the sparking sequence is initiated at a fixed time relative to the engine starting sequence automatically synchronizing the two without requiring extra wiring connections . the circuit is also reactivated any time the power is interrupted and reapplied . this provides a high spark rate for starting the engine , followed by a lower rate which provides relight capability without prematurely wearing out the ignitor plug 21 . in the design of unipolar ignition systems utilizing a solid state switch , requirements which appear on their face to be conflicting must be reconciled . to ensure a spark at the gap of the ignitor plug 21 has the proper characteristics needed for reliably igniting fuel in a variety of ambient conditions ( e . g ., cold and / or wet ), and with a high velocity flow of the mixture past the spark , a relatively high rate of current rise ( di / dt ) is required . however , a large di / dt has been found by applicant to place unacceptable stress on the solid state switch 15 since the rise time of the spark current is of the same order of magnitude as the turn - on time of the switch , which is typically several microseconds . in accordance with another important aspect of the invention , the inductor 27 includes a saturable core , thereby controlling the discharge current which both protects the solid state switch 15 and ensures a reliable ignition of fuel under all types of ambient conditions . initially , the saturable inductor 27 acts like a high inductance , limiting di / dt for the first few microseconds after the solid state switch 15 is closed . by limiting di / dt , the solid state switch 15 is given time to turn on before full current is achieved . this ensures a rate of current rise ( di / dt ) that will not stress the solid state switch 15 to an extent which shortens its rated life expectancy . when the inductor 27 saturates , its effective impedance is reduced , thereby providing a high pulse current at the gap which reliably ignites the mixture . moreover , the initially high inductance provides a highly desirable extended lag between voltage and high current at the gap of the plug 21 . although a complete understanding of the spark phenomenon at the gap of the plug 21 is not appreciated in the art , applicant hypothesizes that the lag produces several desirable effects . specifically , the ionization phase is completed before a current surge occurs ; thus , the arc is formed in the plasma above the semiconductor material , and less heat is lost by surface conduction to the plug and semiconductor . also , the less sudden application of power may result in less acoustic ( shock ), optical and electromagnetic radiation losses , and consequently more conversion to useful heat . additionally , since the electronic components have had adequate turn - on time , their losses are minimized and the high current that follows will deliver a larger percentage of the total energy to the spark . because the plasma is more completely formed , the arc resistance is low ( as is the arc voltage ); this results in a lower peak power and the savings is translated into a longer duration . by more evenly distributing the discharge current over time , applicant believes a superior spark is obtained in that it more reliably ignites fuel over a wide range of ambient conditions . in a unipolar ignition , according to the invention , the inductor 27 cooperates with a unidirectional device such as a freewheeling diode 29 in fig1 to maintain a spark after the energy storage device 19 has been fully discharged . energy stored in the inductor 27 during the discharge of the storage device 19 is released through the unidirectional diode 29 upon completion of the discharge by the storage device . referring to fig2 the energy dissipated at the ignitor plug 21 is initially sourced from the energy storage device 19 , forming the initial discharge current loop i 1 through the solid state switch 15 and inductor 27 . after the energy storage device 19 has been fully discharged , the inductor 27 cooperates with the unidirectional diode 29 to effectively shunt the discharge current away from the solid state switch 15 and the energy storage device 19 and forming a second current loop i 2 . by shunting the energy storage device 19 , &# 34 ; ringing &# 34 ; between the storage device and inductor 27 is prevented which accounts for the unipolar output , and the solid state switch 15 is not required to handle current for the entire life of the spark . as indicated by the parenthetic plus and minus signs associated with the inductor 27 in fig2 when the discharge current through the ignitor plug 21 changes from current loop i 1 to loop i 2 , the effective polarity of the inductor reverses . for the freewheeling current i 2 , the inductor 27 functions as an energy source rather than a passive element as in current loop i 1 . the change of the effective polarity of the inductor is virtually instantaneous and , once the bias of the freewheeling diode 29 is overcome , the current is very quickly diverted from the energy storage device 19 and through the diode . as illustrated by fig3 a and 3b , the characteristic di / dt provided by a conventional inductor ( fig3 a ) is substantially different from the di / dt of an inductor having a saturable core ( fig3 b ). in current waveforms resulting from a conventional inductor , the di / dt starts out very high and then more gradually builds to a peak as the di / dt decreases to zero . in contrast to the monotonic decrease of di / dt in an idealized waveform for a conventional inductor , a saturable core inductor at first is characterized by a monotonically increasing di / dt , and this condition continues to exist until the inductor saturates . the factor which causes this uncharacteristic shape is dl / di , which is the change of inductance with respect to current due to the saturating of the core material . as the core of the inductor saturates , the inductance drops and the net di / dt actually increases during the saturation process . as the core becomes fully saturated , the di / dt returns to a monotonically decreasing value which goes to zero when peak current is reached . in fig3 b , the idealized waveform has been bisected into an initial low current and low di / dt time and a subsequent high current and high di / dt time . in the time period immediately preceding the bisection line , the core of the inductor is saturating and the effective inductance of the inductor is decreasing , causing the di / dt to increase . after saturation , the inductance value no longer changes , dl / di = 0 , and the current continues to rise according to the normal ex - potential curve expected for a fixed inductance . referring to the experimental current waveforms a and b of fig4 waveform a is the current at an ignitor plug of a system utilizing a saturable core inductor in accordance with the invention . as can be seen from an inspection of waveform a , it has the characteristic shape described in connection with fig3 b . during the time period prior to saturation , the di / dt is low and the solid state switch of the system experiences only a relatively low level current as it turns on . as the core of the inductor reaches saturation , the current begins to rise relatively quickly as the inductance lessens . using a conventional inductor in place of the saturable core inductor , waveform b results . to avoid destructive heating of the solid state switch and premature failure of the ignition system , the peak energy delivered by the waveform b must be limited to significantly less than the peak energy from waveform a . if the peak energy from a conventional inductor is equal to that provided by a saturable core inductor as indicated by theoretical waveform c , the fast initial di / dt creates relatively high current levels before the solid state switch completes its transition from off to on . these high current levels destructively heat the solid state switch and make it an impractical device for use in a conventional unipolar ignition which does not incorporate this invention . the saturable - core inductor 27 will generally have a closed magnetic path , or at most a very small air gap . it is known in the art that a toroid configuration for the magnetically permeable material comprising the core of the inductor works well in providing a saturable core . many materials are available from which a core can be constructed , and the choice affects the di / dt characteristics that will be achieved . in the preferred embodiment of this invention , a very high density iron powder core was used for the toroid . the high density gives the toroid high permeability ( e . g ., approximately 75 ) which results in very high initial inductance for a given size and number of turns of winding . several other characteristics of the material make it a good choice . first , it is a relatively inexpensive material compared to alternative materials , such as the ferrites and metal , alloys . second , it has a high saturation level which is suitable for the large currents in an ignition . this results from the distributed gap property of iron powder cores due to the non - homogeneous makeup of discrete iron particles pressed together . third , its characteristics remain fairly consistent over the large temperature range experienced by an ignition system . due to the wide differences between engines and ignitor plug characteristics , the applicant believes that other materials may be preferred for some systems , and use of those materials is also within the scope of this invention . in keeping with the invention , the toroid and its main winding 33 as shown in fig5 must be sized so that three conditions are met . first , the saturated inductance of the inductor must be chosen to control the peak current during the discharge of energy at the gap of the plug . secondly , the initial inductance of the inductor must be sufficiently great to limit the initial current to a relatively small value by limiting the value of di / dt . the third condition that must be satisfied by the inductor is related to the physical volume of the toroid which affects how much energy the saturable inductor may store . the delay between the initial appearance of high voltage at the ignition plug and the occurrence of a high di / dt at the plug results from the inductor &# 39 ; s ability to absorb energy and later release it . because the saturable inductor is directly in the path of the spark current at the plug gap , the saturable core of the inductor may be used to provide monitoring of the spark characteristics and behavior over time . in accordance with another important aspect of the invention , by providing a secondary winding 35 of only one or two turns as shown in fig5 a sensing device can be realized for monitoring the behavior of the spark current . although the signal from the secondary winding 35 does not duplicate the waveform of the spark current , the secondary signal can be correlated to the current waveform in a manner which allows determination of the quality of the spark , conditions of the ignitor plug 21 , performance of the exciter circuitry and of the general combustion / ignition process . it is a well known laboratory problem that measuring currents in high voltage systems is potentially dangerous and requires careful isolation considerations so that the measuring signal can be maintained near ground potential . typically , auxiliary voltage and / or current transformers are used for this purpose , but they are additional hardware parts which invariably cause insertion losses and are physically difficult to place in a circuit such as the exciter circuit for an ignition system . furthermore , placement of an auxiliary transformer at an appropriate monitoring point can adversely affect the waveforms instead of only monitoring them . however , the addition of a secondary winding 35 on the same saturable - core toroid 27 as illustrated in fig5 provides an isolated signal which is safe , low - voltage and reflects the behavior of the inductor and the system . preferably , tape 36 wrapped about the toroid 27 as an insulation between the windings of the inductor 22 and the windings of the sensor 35 . in the ignition system of the invention , the main winding 33 of the inductor will generally have a large number of turns ( e . g ., 68 ). if the secondary winding 35 has one turn , the step - down ratio will be 1 / 68 . therefore , for an output voltage of 2 , 500 volts , the diagnostic output from the secondary will be limited to about 36 volts . from the secondary winding , the signal is delivered to a diagnostic unit 37 for analysis by a variety of conventional analog or digital methods . the results of any analysis provided by the diagnostic unit may be used to indicate performance of the spark current or to signal the need for maintenance or ignitor replacement . specifically , in a simplified form , the diagnostic system can distinguish the following conditions : 1 ) failed plug which appears as an open circuit ; 2 ) performance indication which is based on spark duration ; 3 ) electrical failure of the lead or severe fouling of the plug which appears as a short circuit ; and 4 ) failure of the exciter which results in no output pulse . an illustration of a specific embodiment of the ignition system circuit according to the invention is shown in fig6 and 8 . although this specific embodiment is presently applicant &# 39 ; s design choice , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other particular designs of unipolar ignition systems may be equally well suited for applicant &# 39 ; s invention . turning now to a detailed description of the operation of the system illustrated in fig6 when the ignition system is initially connected to the dc power source 17 , filtered power is delivered to the dc - dc converter 11 by the emi filter 20 which charges c1 . a small current flows from capacitor c1 to resistor r2 , zener diode z1 and resistor r1 to ground . this puts a positive bias on the gate of transistor q1 , causing it to partially turn on and allow current to flow between the drain and source of q1 . this current is delivered to the primary n1 of the transformer t1 by way of the capacitor c1 . from the transistor q1 , the current flows through the resistor r1 to ground . the transistor q1 is preferably a power mosfet , n - channel enhancement mode device . the secondary winding n2 of the transformer t1 is a feedback winding which causes a positive voltage to be fed back to the base of the mosfet q1 via the resistor r5 and capacitor c2 . the feedback of the positive voltage causes the mosfet q1 to be fully turned on by way of a hard forward bias . in order to protect the gate - to - source junction of the mosfet q1 , a zener diode z1 clamps the feedback voltage from the winding n2 at a level which does not exceed the rated value ( v gs ) of the gate - to - source junction of the mosfet q1 . during the time that the mosfet q1 is turned on , the polarity of the outputs from the secondary windings n2 and n3 of the transformer t1 are positive . the positive potential from the outputs of n2 and n3 cooperate with the diode d4 to effectively de - couple the dc - to - dc converter 11 ( including the primary and secondaries of the transformer t1 ) from the energy storage device 19 of the system which is the capacitor c5 in fig6 . it should be noted that the diode sees a positive voltage ( e . g ., approximately 1 , 000 volts ) when a new charging cycle begins . in the illustrated ignition , the main storage capacitor c5 becomes charged to a high negative voltage ( e . g ., approximately - 2 , 500 volts ); therefore , at the end of the charging cycle the diode d4 must block full range of the potential energy ( e . g ., at least 1 , 000 plus 2 , 500 volts or 3 , 500 volts ). in order to institute the flyback cycle of the converter 11 , the converter responds to a voltage across resistor r1 which is proportional to the current through the primary n1 of the transformer t1 . when the current reaches three amperes , the voltage across the current sensing resistor r1 is approximately 0 . 75 volts which is enough to turn on the transistor q2 via the voltage divider network of r3 , and r4 . by turning on the transistor q2 , the gate of mosfet q1 is forced low , thus turning off q1 and opening the current path of the primary current and thereby limiting the current to three amperes . this technique is known in the art as current - mode control . by interrupting the current through the primary n1 of the transformer t1 , the magnetic field coupling the windings n1 , n2 and n3 collapses , and the energy stored in the winding n1 is transferred to the secondary windings n2 and n3 . the windings n2 and n3 are typically a single winding with a tap . when the primary current is interrupted and the energy stored in the winding n1 is transferred to the secondary windings n2 and n3 , the polarity of the energy stored in the secondary windings is reversed , thereby causing the outputs of the secondary windings to assume a negative potential . the output voltage from the winding n3 is clamped by the diode d4 to a predetermined voltage relative to the negative plate of the main storage capacitor c5 . accordingly , the negative potential at the output of the secondary winding n3 creates an output current which charges the capacitor c5 in the negative direction . the tap output between the secondary windings n2 and n3 provides a relatively low voltage to the capacitor c4 which is used as a source of energy by the logic circuit 13 . the voltage v n2 charges the capacitor c4 through a diode d5 and resistor r8 to a predetermined voltage ( e . g ., - 80 volts ) as discussed hereinafter in connection with the trigger circuit 25 shown in fig7 . also , the voltage at the center tap between windings n2 and n3 is coupled back to the mosfet q1 in the dc - to - dc converter 11 via resistor r5 and capacitor c2 . this negative voltage from the secondary windings n2 and n3 , upon the initial turning off of the mosfet q1 , serves to complete the turnoff of q1 by providing a hard negative voltage to the gate of q1 , thereby ensuring that the mosfet q1 remains off until all of the energy in the secondary windings n2 and n3 is transferred to the main storage capacitor c5 . turning now to fig7 the energy sensor circuit 23 senses the voltage at the energy storage capacitor c5 by way of a voltage divider , r11 and r12 . in the illustrated embodiment , when the voltage at the negative terminal of the capacitor c5 reaches a predetermined level ( e . g ., - 2500 volts ), the solid state switch 15 is closed so as to transfer the energy stored in the capacitor c5 to the spark gap . the solid state switch 15 is preferably a single scr 41 or a series of scrs which are fired by way of pulse transformers 39 , as shown in fig8 . as the capacitor c5 charges toward a predetermined level , a voltage divider network comprising r10 , r11 , and r12 in fig7 biases the gate of an n - channel jfet q6 such that it remains on . in its on state , the jfet q6 holds the transistor q4 in an off condition because the jfet q6 provides an effective shunt circuit for the base of the transistor q4 . as the gate - to - source voltage of the jfet q6 becomes negative during the charging of the storage capacitor c5 , the jfet q6 approaches a cutoff condition . upon the turning off of jfet q6 , a switch in the trigger circuit 25 comprised of transistors q4 and q5 is closed , allowing the energy stored in capacitor c4 to be discharged into the pulse transformers 39 of the solid state switch in fig8 . when the voltage on the storage capacitor c5 reaches a predetermined fully charged value , the gate - to - source voltage of the jfet q6 is sufficiently negative to turn off the q6 , thereby allowing a current to flow in the base of the transistor q4 via the resistor r10 and zener diode z3 . as the transistor q4 turns on , the transistor q5 is also being turned on . the changing biasing of the collector , emitter and base of the transistor q4 complements the biasing of the transistor q5 such that it turns on and accelerates the turning on of the transistor q4 . as a result , the combination of transistors q4 and q5 will latch in the on - state until c4 is fully discharged . essentially , the transistors q4 and q5 and the resistors r16 and r17 function as an scr - type device for delivering a trigger signal to the scrs 41 comprising the solid state switch 15 via the aforementioned pulse transformers 39 , as shown in fig8 . in response to activating the trigger circuit 25 , a discharge current is developed from the capacitor c4 which must also flow through the resistor r9 and the zener diode z2 in the timer circuit 30 . the discharge current in cooperation with the resistor r9 and zener diode z2 causes a pulse to appear in the timer circuit 30 . the timer is an rc network composed of resistor r6 and capacitor c3 . the capacitor c3 is charged by the pulse via a diode d3 . however , the diode allows the capacitor c3 to discharge only through resistor r6 . the charged capacitor c3 turns on a mosfet q3 . as the voltage on the capacitor c3 is discharged through the resistor r6 , the mosfet q3 turns off . while the mosfet q3 is on , however , the timer circuit 30 sends a disable signal to the dc - dc converter 11 of fig6 . also shown in fig7 is an optinal spark burst circuit 31 which connects to the timer 30 at the gate of q3 . as was discussed in connection with fig1 the spark burst circuit 31 alters the spark rate either abruptly or gradually so that a temporary high spark rate exists when starting the engine , followed by a lowering of the rate thereafter . in fig7 the arrival of dc input power via the emi filter is used to indicate that an ignition sequence is beginning . the voltage is applied to an rc timing network comprised of r18 and c9 . when voltage is applied , the junction of r18 and c9 rises instantly with the applied voltage , and then decays slowly toward ground as r8 charges c9 . the initial rise of voltage at the junction is coupled to the gate of a mosfet q7 which turns on immediately with its gate pulled high . as the junction voltage decays toward zero , the gate - source voltage decreases until v gs off is reached ( i . e ., 1 - 2 volts ) and then the q7 switches off . during the time q7 is on ( i . e ., approximately 5 - 30 seconds ), the timer 30 is disabled , because the gate of q3 is pulled low by q7 . with q3 forced off , the dc - dc converter is not disabled , and will run continuously . this will charge and fire the exciter at a high rate . once q7 turns off , the high impedance of its drain - source circuit decouples it from the timer circuit . it should be obvious to those skilled in the art that other configurations for the spark burst time delay are possible , and also that the input which triggers the spark burst could be from an external signal , for example from the ecu . it should also be noted that an alternative digital method is anticipated which allows a preset number of sparks to occur at a fixed high rate , and then switches to a low rate . such an implementation could take the form of a preset digital counter , or could be implemented by an appropriate instruction sequence for a microcontroller which performs the complete logic functions of an ignition system . as illustrated in fig8 the solid state switch 15 of the ignition system is preferably realized by way of a series of connected scrs 41 , each having a high standoff voltage and very high pulse current capacity . applicant notes it would be preferable to use one scr , but it is unlikely to find an scr rated for the required voltage ( e . g ., 2 , 500 volts ). upon the firing of the series connected scrs , the energy stored in the storage capacitor c5 is discharged to the semiconductor ignitor plug 21 via the saturable inductor 27 . when the scrs are fired by the trigger circuit 25 , the negative plate of the capacitor c5 is effectively pulled to an electrical ground , thereby causing the positive plate of the capacitor c5 to swing from a ground potential to a high positive voltage ( e . g ., + 2 , 500 volts dc ). the positive voltage on the capacitor c5 reverses the bias on the diode d9 , thereby effectively de - coupling the positive plate of the capacitor from the ground potential , typically defined by the potential of the housing for the ignition system . the high potential at the positive plate of the capacitor c5 is presented to the ignitor plug 21 by way of the saturable inductor 27 . the energy for generation of a spark ( cv 2 ) is first stored as an electrical potential in the capacitor c5 and second is transferred to the saturable inductor 27 where it is stored as magnetic energy ( li 2 ). when the capacitor c5 is fully discharged , the diode d9 becomes forward biased and maintains the current across the gap of the plug 21 and through the diode d9 and the saturable inductor 27 . with the full discharge of the capacitor c5 , the solid state switch 15 is no longer part of the current path . although the presence of a saturable core inductor in the ignition system of the invention relieves the scrs of some severe operational requirements otherwise necessary , overall system efficiency and dependability nevertheless depend in part on a conservative choice for the scrs . it will be appreciated by those familiar with scrs that in the circuit of fig8 they must be able to withstand the maximum voltage to which the capacitor c5 is charged . when multiple scrs are used in a series string as in the illustrated embodiment , their effective standoff voltage is multiplied by the number of devices in the string . although applicant anticipates the use of other devices for solid state switch 15 , scrs are at this time preferred because of their ability to handle high current surges in their on - state and withstand high potentials in their off - state . in general , the preferred solid state switch 15 should have a good physical construction capable of withstanding repeated thermal cycling . the scrs 41 must have adequate chip area to give them a low forward voltage drop since the surge currents are very high and efficiency is compromised by losses in the switch 15 . these parameters for the solid state switch 15 must be maintained over the entire temperature and pressure ranges of the intended application . additionally , the turn - on time of the switch 15 must be fast relative to the delay available from the saturable core inductor 27 . however , the di / dt rating of the scr is not as important since the rate of current rise is controlled by the saturable inductor during the turn - on period when the switch 15 is most susceptible to damage . turning to an alternative embodiment of the invention illustrated in fig9 in certain high performance turbines , the ignition window ( the time interval when a spark most probably causes ignition ) may be very short , and fixed rate sparks can easily occur just before and after the ideal time . in the system of fig1 as well as most conventional ignition systems , the spark discharge occurs automatically when the voltage at the energy storage device 19 reaches a level at which the desired amount of spark energy , cv 2 , has been stored . in conventional arc - gap tube exciters , this level is fixed by the breakdown voltage of the arc - gap , which cannot maintain its off - state in the presence of a fully charged energy storage capacitor . timing the application of dc power to the exciter circuitry of the ignition system is not an acceptable solution for placing the spark within the ignition window since the charging time of the exciter circuitry depends upon the value of dc input voltage ( i . e ., 10 - 30 volts ) and thus the interval from the application of dc power until the initiation of a spark will vary considerably . as illustrated in fig9 the logic circuit 13 of fig1 may be modified to provide a configuration wherein the energy sensor 23 disables the dc - to - dc converter 11 , but does not cause the trigger circuit 25 to immediately fire the solid state switch 15 . instead , the firing of the solid state switch 15 is delayed until a command from an external input . after the energy storage device 19 has reached its full energy , the dc - to - dc converter is disabled as explained in connection with fig1 . however , in accordance with this alternative embodiment , the trigger circuit 25 must also wait for a synchronization command from the engine control unit ( ecu ) 43 . the ecu generally performs a sequence of functions to start the engine . the sequence usually includes the following : 1 ) apply dc voltage to the exciter circuitry ; 2 ) engage the starter motor to accelerate the turbine to a percentage of full speed ; 3 ) start fuel spray ; 4 ) fire the ignitor system at a precise moment of best ignition condition ; and 5 ) continue to fire the ignition system or allow it to continue at its own rate . the ecu is a commercially available unit which controls the operation of the turbine engine ; it most generally controls the fuel flow in response to altitude , torque , rpm and commands from the pilot . it is reasonably sophisticated and capable of providing commands to the ignition system to optimize performance . another useful signal that the ecu is capable of generating is a &# 34 ; spark energy &# 34 ; command signal which can directly control the energy sensor 23 to halt the charging of the energy storage device 19 at any particular level . an example of such a signal is one based on altitude which anticipates a more difficult ignition at high altitudes and would therefore request more energy . from a comparison of fig1 and 9 , it will be appreciated that like - numbered devices in the two illustrations indicate they are common to both embodiments of the invention . these common devices need not be discussed in detail again in connection with the embodiment of fig9 . referring to the alternative embodiment for the logic circuit 13 in fig9 the signal to the trigger circuit 25 which initiates the spark is made dependent upon two conditions . first , the energy sensor 23 must indicate that the energy storage device 19 is charged to the level commanded by the ecu 43 . second , the synchronizing &# 34 ; fire &# 34 ; command from the ecu must occur , and the ecu delays this command until it has established the correct fuel flow for the altitude ( mixture ) and the engine has reached the proper starting speed . at this time , conditions are optimum for the first spark to ignite the mixture . the and gate 45 in fig9 defines the two - condition requirement for the first spark ; it also allows the ecu 41 to control the successive sparks by several optional methods . if the ecu needs to generate just one spark , it returns the &# 34 ; fire &# 34 ; command line to an off condition -- thus it merely pulses the line . if the ecu decides additional sparks controlled by its own timing , then it successively pulses the &# 34 ; fire &# 34 ; command each time a spark is desired -- provided that it has allowed the exciter enough time to recharge the energy storage device . if the ecu decides to allow the exciter to generate sparks at its predefined rate , then it leaves the &# 34 ; fire &# 34 ; command line in the on condition . as is true for any and function , if one input of the and gate 45 is maintained in the on condition , then the other input is transmitted through to the output unaltered . thus , without an ecu interface , or if the ecu has delegated control to the exciter , the trigger circuit 25 will be responsive to the energy sensor 23 as discussed in reference to fig1 and will trigger a spark each time the energy sensor 23 detects that the energy storage device is recharged . from the foregoing , it will be appreciated that an ignition system is disclosed which provides improved performance relative to conventional ignition systems , particularly unipolar ignitions for turbine engines . the invention utilizes solid state switching and controls to provide a highly versatile ignition system having a characteristic high energy spark current which ensures reliable ignition without stressing the solid state components . in this connection , the characteristic spark current is thought to also reduce the stress of a semiconductor - type ignitor plug , thereby effectively extending the life of the plug . by utilizing solid state switching and controls , the invention provides for the precise timing of an ignition sequence by responding to an external signal , such as a timing signal from a control unit of the engine . the solid state devices also provide for an ignition sequence that begins with a burst of sparks for the purpose of igniting the engine fuel , followed by continued repeating of sparks at an average rate much less than the average rate of the burst . finally , the saturable output inductor of the ignition system is advantageously utilized to provide a diagnostics signal indicative of the quality of the spark at the plug .	5
the problem of stabilizing σ - δ electro - mechanical loops in the presence of high - q parasitic modes is addressed . in one embodiment , introducing a second order finite impulse response ( fir ) filter into the σ - δ electro - mechanical loop stabilizes the loop . this solution is supported by both theoretical and empirical results and is much simpler than other proposed techniques . in another embodiment , a method is provided of electronically interfacing with a mems sensor using an interface circuit , the mems sensor and the interface circuit together forming a sigma - delta modulator loop . in accordance with the method , a potential parasitic resonant mode of the mems sensor is identified , the potential parasitic resonant mode having a frequency and a quality factor . a filter is inserted into the sigma - delta modulator loop having characteristics chosen in accordance with at least one of the frequency and the quality factor of the potential parasitic resonant mode . in another embodiment , an interface circuit is provided for electronically interfacing with a mems sensor using an interface circuit , the mems sensor and the interface circuit together forming a sigma - delta modulator loop having a potential parasitic resonant mode characterized by a frequency and a quality factor . the interface circuit includes a capacitance to voltage converter ; a forward loop circuit coupled to the capacitance to voltage converter and comprising a quantizer ; a feedback loop coupled to the quantizer and providing a force feedback signal to the mems sensor ; and an fir filter inserted into the forward loop circuit and having characteristics chosen in accordance with at least one of the frequency and the quality factor of the parasitic resonant mode . in a further embodiment , a sensor subsystem includes a mems sensor ; and an interface circuit coupled to the mems sensor , the mems sensor and the interface circuit together forming a sigma - delta modulator loop having a potential parasitic resonant mode characterized by a frequency and a quality factor . the interface circuit in turn includes a capacitance to voltage converter ; a forward loop circuit coupled to the capacitance to voltage converter and comprising a quantizer ; a feedback loop coupled to the quantizer and providing a force feedback signal to the mems sensor ; and an fir filter inserted into the forward loop circuit and having characteristics chosen in accordance with at least one of the frequency and the quality factor of the parasitic resonant mode . an electro - mechanical modulator is shown in fig2 . a mems sensor s may be modeled by three blocks . a v / f ( voltage - to - force ) block 201 produces a signal representing an electrostatic force resulting from a feedback voltage fb . an h mec block 203 models a transfer function of the mems sensor , defined as the ratio of output displacement to the input force . a block k x / c 205 represents a displacement - to - capacitance gain . a capacitance to voltage converter c / v 207 senses the capacitance variation due to input signal f in and transforms it to a voltage signal that can processed by the subsequent electronic filter circuitry . the c / v converter is coupled to a feed - forward circuit 210 that includes a quantizer ( comparator ) 211 that produces a σ - δ output voltage signal out ( z ), an electronic filter 212 and a compensator c . ( a feed - forward summation architecture of the feed - forward circuit 210 is preferred over a distributed feedback architecture when building electromechanical loops ). the σ - δ output comparator voltage forms a feedback signal fb that is applied to the v / f block 201 of the sensor s , creating an electrostatic feedback force . h mech = x ⁡ ( s ) f ⁡ ( s ) = 1 m s 2 + d m ⁢ s + k m = 1 s 2 + q ω 0 ⁢ s + ω 0 2 . ( 1 ) where f ( s ) is the input force ( coriolis force in the case of gyroscopes or force , due to input acceleration , in the case of accelerometers ), x ( s ) is the displacement in the sensor proof mass , corresponding to the input force . m is the mass of the proof mass , d is the damping coefficient , and k is the spring constant . therefore , in an electro - mechanical σ - δ modulator , the mechanical sensor forms the first two integrators and the output of the first integrator is not accessible reducing the number of realizable feed - forward branches . that is , the feed - forward branch a 1 in fig1 is eliminated . one way to overcome the lack of accessibility of the first integrator , and hence , keep the electro - mechanical loop stable , is to use a first order compensator c as shown in fig2 . another way to achieve stability is to use an additional feed - back branch fb ′, as illustrated in fig3 . the later technique produces less out - of - band noise , resulting in larger quantizer effective gain , and therefore better noise shaping and higher stability . stability may be evaluated using the well - known root - locus plot . the root - locus plot of a gyroscope σ - δ interface circuit based on the architecture of fig3 is shown in fig4 . the gyroscope sensor has a resonance frequency in khz of 4 . 2 and a q of 20 , 000 . although the example of a gyroscope has been chosen , the analysis is applicable to mems sensor systems generally . the root locus illustrates two pairs of complex poles , each represented by “ x ”. one pair of the complex poles cp 1 is due to the mechanical filter of the sensor , and the other pair of the complex poles cp 2 is formed by the electronic filter of the σ - δ modulator . the root locus also illustrates four compensation zeros cz 1 - 4 , each represented by “ o ”. in absence of parasitic high - frequency modes , the system is stable as long as the effective quantizer gain ( k ) is greater than 0 . 4775 (− 6 . 42 db ), which is satisfied in the gyroscope σ - δ interface circuit of fig3 . the open loop response of the same system is shown in fig5 , which is plotted up to a frequency of f s / 2 , where f s is the sampling frequency of the system . the electronic filter forms a resonator ( pair of complex poles ) with a frequency equal to 3 . 47 khz , in addition to the mechanical resonator at 4 . 2 khz ( note that the x - axis in fig5 is in rad / sec not hz ), and the system is stable with phase margin of 44 . 7 degrees , for unity quantizer gain . the 0 - db crossing point , of the open - loop magnitude response , must occur in region b of fig5 of the phase response for the system to be stable . a 0 - db crossing point , at region a , results in a negative value for the phase margin , and hence cause instability . in general , a feedback system is stable if the phase shift at the 0 - db crossing points does not equal or exceed 180 degrees . without the presence of a high - q parasitic resonance mode , the system of fig3 is stable . when a high - q parasitic resonance mode is present , however , stability is compromised . the transfer function of the mems , assuming a single parasitic mode , can be modeled as follows : h mech p = x ⁡ ( s ) f ⁡ ( s ) = 1 s 2 + q ω 0 ⁢ s + ω 0 2 + 1 s 2 + q ω p ⁢ s + ω p 2 ( 2 ) where ω p is the frequency of the parasitic mode . the resulting transfer function is shown in fig6 . although practical gyroscopes may have many parasitic resonance modes , a hypothetical gyroscope with one parasitic mode is considered . in practical mems gyroscopes or accelerometers , the parasitic high frequency modes are clustered , with the result that the compensation solution considering a single parasitic resonance mode still stabilizes the system , as described hereafter . the root - locus plot and open loop response of a gyroscope σ - δ interface system , in the presence of a parasitic mode at 80 - khz , are shown in fig7 and fig8 , respectively . as seen in fig8 , the resulting system is unstable , since the parasitic mode introduces additional 0 - db crossing points , where at one of them the phase margin is of a negative value . if the loop gain is reduced to bring the peak of the parasitic mode below 0 db , a negative phase margin 0 - db point arises at another frequency . if the parasitic mode is of low q instead of high q , then it may not cause the magnitude response to cross the 0 - db , and hence may not cause instability . in general , introducing additional filtering to a σ - δ loop , with parasitic modes , to cancel or attenuate the parasitic resonance modes , increases system order and degrades the stability of the already unstable system , unless a particular arrangement of additional poles and zeros are introduced in a way considers the system original poles and zeros , and allows restoring system stability . in particular , as illustrated in fig9 , a pair of complex zeros cz 1 ′ and cz 2 ′ is introduced with magnitude y that is adjusted according to parasitic mode quality factor and an angle θ that depends on the parasitic mode frequency . however , complex zeros are not physically realizable in a discrete - time system . therefore , an additional two poles p 1 , 2 must be added . to avoid having these poles alter the response resulting of the complex zero , these two poles are added at the origin of the z - domain ( z = 0 ), as shown in fig9 . the introduced poles and zeros are represented by : the resulting transfer function of the introduced poles and zeros is of an fir nature . note that using standard analog filters , such as butterworth , chebyshev , elliptic or bessel , or their digital realization that has an infinite - impulse - response ( iir ) nature , introduces poles to the system that degrades the stability , as mentioned earlier . referring to fig1 , a compensated electro - mechanical σ - δ loop system is shown that includes a custom fir filter 1001 having the foregoing characteristics . another embodiment is shown in fig1 , in which a custom fir filter 1101 is placed directly preceding the loop comparator 1103 . in this case , the filter 1101 , besides working as a compensator , also provides feedback shaping . the root - locus plot and open loop response of a gyroscope σ - δ interface system stabilized using a filter built with complex zeros and poles at the origin of the z - domain as described are shown in fig1 and fig1 , respectively . as seen in fig1 , the compensated system is stable and has a gain margin of − 3 . 26 db , compared to − 6 . 42 db in the case where no parasitic modes are present . the circles in fig1 highlight the location of the parasitic mode , before compensation . a gyroscope test platform was constructed to demonstrate stabilization of an electronic - mechanical σ - δ modulator in the presence of parasitic high - q modes . the test platform was composed mainly of a c / v , interfacing with the mems sensor , followed by an a / d converter , a field - programmable - gate - array ( fpga ), and an actuation digital - to - analog converter . the fpga implemented the σ - δ loop filter and the fir block . the a / d - fpga arrangement provided the needed flexibility for testing stability . the frequency response of the mems gyro used with the test platform is shown in fig1 and was determined by applying a pseudo - random actuation sequence to the mems sensor and measuring the mems capacitance signal at its detection electrodes . the mems sensor had a main resonance mode close to 4 - khz and a cluster of many parasitic high - q modes around 80 - khz . the measured σ - δ loop output with the custom fir filter active is shown in fig1 , showing stable operation and proper σ - δ noise - shaping , in the presence of a bunch of parasitic modes clustered at 80 - khz . measurements showed that the stability achieved is robust against mems process and temperature variations . the test platform achieved a +/− 100 degrees / s input signal range and a noise floor of 1 m degrees / s /√ hz . practical mems sensors have parasitic modes that can lead to instability of σ - δ based feedback force feedback systems . as has been described , such systems can be stabilized by , in one embodiment , insertion of a pair of complex zeros and two poles located at the z - domain origin . stability analysis ( root locus plots and stability margins of open loop response ) indicates stable operation . this stabilization approach is much simpler than the prior approach of ezekwe . in addition , the proposed solution is not limited to second order and low - q parasitic modes , as the case of the design recommendations of seeger . a test platform was used to demonstrate stable operation in the presence of high - q modes . the test platform shows that the solution stabilizes the σδ electromechanical loop , in the presence of a number of parasitic modes clustered around a certain frequency .	7
referring to fig3 , one aspect of the disclosed system for connecting a sensor to a controller , generally designated 100 , may include a sensor 102 , an electronic controller 104 and a power source 106 , such as a battery ( e . g ., a 12 v automotive battery ). the system 100 may be connected to ground 108 , such as a vehicle chassis . the wiring inductance l w , wiring resistance r w and current noise source n of the system 100 may represent ground noise created by transient currents in the ground path of the controller 104 . in one aspect , sensor 102 may be a pedal feel emulator ( not shown ) that indicates a driver &# 39 ; s brake request and the controller 104 may be associated with a front right electric caliper ( not shown ) and may generate and communicate a braking signal to the caliper based upon signals received from the pedal feel emulator . the controller 104 may include resistors r 10 , r 11 , r 12 and capacitors c 6 , c 7 . the input to the controller 104 from the sensor 102 may be in the form of a single wire 110 that supplies a current . for example , a single pin connector may be used to connect the sensor 102 to the controller 104 . the use of a single wire connection between the sensor 102 and the controller 104 may provide several advantages , including reduced costs and manufacturing time . the current supplied by the wire 110 may be converted to a signal voltage by resistor r 11 , which may be filtered by a low pass filter 112 created by resistors r 10 , r 12 and capacitors c 6 , c 7 . the low pass filter 112 may eliminate signal noise and may provide an anti - aliasing filter . the sensor 102 may include a potentiometer r s , resistors r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r 6 , capacitors c 1 , c 2 , c 3 , c 4 , c 5 , a transistor q 1 , a voltage regulator 114 and an integrated circuit 116 . the potentiometer r s may represent the sensor function of the sensor 102 and may be capable of supplying a voltage corresponding to a sensor input ( e . g ., pedal travel ). however , those skilled in the art will appreciate that sensor 102 may have various sensor inputs . the integrated circuit 116 , resistors r 2 , r 3 , r 5 , r 6 and capacitors c 4 , c 5 may form a differential amplifier , generally designated 118 . the differential amplifier 118 and the transistor q 1 may function as a current source . the voltage regulator 114 of the sensor 102 may be connected to the positive terminal of the power source 106 at pin 3 of the regulator 114 and to ground 108 at pin 1 of the regulator 114 . for example , the power source 106 may apply 12 v to the sensor 102 and the voltage regulator 114 may regulate the applied voltage to 5 v . the regulated output voltage ( pin 2 ) from the regulator 114 may be applied to the potentiometer r s and the first input ( pin 1 ) of the amplifier 118 . the output of the potentiometer r s may be applied to the second input ( pin 2 ) of the amplifier 118 . the resulting output ( pin 3 ) of the amplifier 118 may control the transistor q 1 , thereby regulating the current output to the controller 104 by way of line 110 . in one aspect , unlike conventional sensors that operate from 0 v to 5 v , sensor 102 may operate from 7 v to 12 v with respect to ground 108 . the standard acceptable automotive battery voltage range is 9 v to 16 v . for example , when the power source 106 is a battery sourcing 16 v , the sensor 102 may operate between 11 v and 16 v with respect to ground 108 . when the battery 106 is sourcing 9 v , the sensor 102 may operate between 4 v and 9 v with respect to ground 108 . many automotive manufactures prefer electronic controllers to operate down to a controller voltage of 7 v to account for the transient ground noise . therefore , to provide a valid signal , transistor q 1 may source current to the controller 104 and remain in the active linear conduction range which requires a collector emitter voltage of greater than 0 . 5 v . when the maximum voltage across resistor r 4 is designed to be 1 v , the output voltage of the sensor 102 may be within 1 . 5 v of the positive battery voltage and the maximum signal generated across resistor r 11 in the controller is 5 v . with 1 . 5 v across the sensor output and 5 v across the controller signal input , the sensor system 100 can operate with a minimum battery voltage of 6 . 5 v . as the battery voltage rises above 6 . 5 v , the transistor q 1 remains in the active linear conduction range , thereby increasing the power dissipation of transistor q 1 . for cost considerations , the use of small signal transistors instead of power transistors may be preferred . to allow the use of small signal transistors , the maximum current sourced by the sensor interface electronics should be controlled to maintain acceptable power dissipation in transistor q 1 under maximum battery voltage conditions . to maintain a power dissipation of 50 mw in transistor q 1 with a 16 v battery , the maximum current that transistor q 1 can source is 5 ma . under this system condition , 1 v across resistor r 4 in the sensor interface electronics and 5 v across resistor r 11 in the controller leaves 10 v across transistor q 1 . referring to fig4 , one specific aspect of a sensor , generally designated 102 ′, useful with the system 100 of fig3 may include a potentiometer r s ′, resistors r 2 ′, r 3 ′, r 4 ′, r 5 ′, r 6 ′, r 7 ′, r 8 ′, r 9 ′, capacitors c 1 ′, c 2 ′, c 3 ′, c 4 ′, c 5 ′, transistors q 1 ′, q 2 ′, diodes d 1 ′, d 2 ′, a voltage regulator 114 ′ and amplifiers 116 a ′, 116 b ′ associated with integrated circuit . amplifier 116 b ′ may be unused . diode d 2 ′ may provide reverse voltage protection for the sensor 102 ′ and diode d 1 ′ and resistor r 9 ′ may provide input voltage transient protection for standard automotive voltage transients . capacitor c 1 ′ may filter the input battery supply . the sensor function of the sensor 102 ′ may be represented by resistors r 7 ′, r 8 ′ and potentiometer r s ′. for diagnostic reasons , many automotive sensors provide an output of 0 . 5 v for a signal representing a zero value and an output of 4 . 5 v for a signal representing the maximum value . resistors r 7 ′, r 8 ′ provide enough voltage offset such that the full range of potentiometer r s ′ is 0 . 5 v to 4 . 5 v . at this point , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the actual sensor may be a position sensor , a force sensor , an acceleration sensor or the like and resistors r 7 ′, r 8 ′ and potentiometer r s ′ have only been used to generally represent sensor electronics . in one aspect , the voltage regulator 114 ′ may be connected to the positive input of a power source ( e . g ., power source 106 in fig3 ) at pin 3 of the regulator 114 ′ and to ground ( e . g ., ground 108 in fig3 ) at pin 1 of the regulator 114 ′ such that the regulator 114 ′ may receive a negative input voltage with respect to the regulator ground pin 3 . the voltage output ( pin 2 ) of the regulator 114 ′ may deliver a regulated output voltage that is , for example , 5 v below the regulator ground pin 3 . this regulated voltage may become the common voltage for the sensor 102 ′ and associated interface electronics . for example , the regulated voltage may be about 4 v to 11 v above the vehicle chassis ground depending upon the battery voltage input . the positive battery input voltage may become the regulated + 5 v above the sensor common voltage for the sensor and interface electronics . for the purpose of this description , this voltage will be referred to as + 5 v although the actual voltage value is equal to the positive battery voltage with respect to ground . capacitor c 2 ′ may filter the output of the 5 v sensor power supply . capacitor c 3 ′ may filter the sensor supply locally at the power pins of amplifier 116 a ′. therefore , in one aspect , the sensor 102 ′ may convert a 0 v to 5 v sensor input into a 0 ma to 5 ma sensor signal . the amplifier 116 a ′, resistors r 2 ′, r 3 ′, r 5 ′, r 6 ′ and capacitors c 4 ′, c 5 ′ may form a differential amplifier , generally designated 118 ′. in one aspect , the value of resistor r 2 ′ may equal the value of resistor r 5 ′, the value of resistor r 3 ′ may equal the value of resistor r 6 ′ and the value of capacitor c 4 ′ may equal the value of capacitor c 5 ′, such that the gain of the differential amplifier 118 ′ may be defined by the ratio of resistor r 3 ′ to resistor r 2 ′. for example , resistor r 3 ′ may have a resistance of 49 , 900 ohms and resistor r 2 ′ may have a resistance of 249 , 000 ohms , resulting in a gain of the differential amplifier 118 ′ of about 0 . 2 ( 49 , 900 / 249 , 000 ). therefore , in one example , the differential amplifier 118 ′ may provide an output voltage that is equal to 0 . 2 times the input voltage . the output voltage ( pin 3 ) from the differential amplifier 118 ′ may be converted to a sensor output current by the transistors q 1 ′, q 2 ′ and the sensor output current may be supplied to the controller ( fig3 ) by line 110 ′. transistors q 1 ′, q 2 ′ may be configured as a darlington transistor pair 120 ′, which may be two individual transistors or a single transistor package designed specifically as a darlington transistor . the collectors of transistors q 1 ′, q 2 ′ may be the output current source of the sensor 102 ′ to the controller ( fig3 ). the darlington transistor configuration 120 ′ may be used since the collector current of a transistor equals the emitter current minus the base current . therefore , the darlington transistor configuration 120 ′ may increase the gain of the transistors q 1 ′, q 2 ′ such that the base current is very small with respect to the emitter current . therefore , the emitter current and collector current are very nearly equal . resistor r 4 ′ may be configured to sense and ultimately control the emitter current of transistor q 1 ′. the output voltage from the potentiometer r s ′ ( e . g ., between 0 . 5 and 4 . 5 v ) may be applied to pin 2 of the differential amplifier 118 ′. as discussed above , the sensor output voltage range may be , for example , between 0 . 5 and 4 . 5 v and , therefore , the input voltage to the differential amplifier 118 ′ may be , for example , between 0 . 5 and 4 . 5 v . if a sensor voltage of zero volts were possible , the output voltage of the differential amplifier 118 ′ would be zero . however , since resistor r 3 ′ is connected to + 5 v ( with respect to the sensor voltage ), the voltage on resistor r 6 ′ may be + 5 v and the output voltage of the differential amplifier 118 ′ will be at a voltage near + 5v such that transistors q 1 ′, q 2 ′ are in a non - conducting state . with a sensor voltage of 0 . 5 v applied to the input voltage ( pin 2 ) of the differential amplifier 118 ′, the output voltage goes lower in voltage below + 5 v . this change in voltage causes the amplifier 116 a ′ to sink current from the base of transistor q 2 ′. the emitter of transistor q 2 ′ sinks current from the base of transistor q 1 ′ which causes current flow in the emitter of transistor q 1 ′. this current flow is sensed by resistor r 4 ′ by creating a voltage as the output voltage of the differential amplifier 118 ′. the output pin 3 of amplifier 116 a ′ continues to decrease in voltage until the gain equation ( e . g ., output voltage = 0 . 2 × input voltage ) of the differential amplifier 118 ′ is satisfied . for example , the final voltage across resistor r 4 ′ with a sensor voltage of 0 . 5 v is 0 . 1 v . with the value of resistor r 4 ′ at 200 ohms , the emitter current of transistor q 1 ′ is 500 microamps , for example . since the collector current of transistors q 1 ′, q 2 ′ is nearly equal to the emitter current , the sensor and interface electronics source 500 microamps to the controller ( fig3 ). this current is significantly greater than prior art systems , thereby significantly improving the signal to noise immunity . similarly , with a sensor voltage of 4 . 5 v as the input voltage to the differential amplifier 118 ′, the output voltage of the differential amplifier 118 ′ across resistor r 4 ′ is 0 . 9 v , which , following the example above , sources 4 . 5 ma to the controller ( fig3 ). although various aspects of the disclosed sensor to controller connection system have been shown and described , modifications may occur to those skilled in the art upon reading the specification . the present application includes such modifications and is limited only by the scope of the claims .	6
with reference to the drawings , fig1 a shows a fragmentary corner portion of a movable panel that is insulated in accordance with the invention . the panel 10 is formed by a frame 20 with insulating strips 30 . the particular panel 10 of fig1 a serves as a window and for that purpose includes a central glass portion 40 . in order to achieve the desired slidability , an edge of the frame moves in a guide channel 51 of an associated supporting structure 50 . the panel 10 illustratively has a rectangular frame with upper and lower crosspieces , of which only the upper crosspiece 21 is visible in fig1 a . another pair of crospieces is provided to complete the frame 20 , of which only the additional crosspiece 23 is visible in fig1 a . each of the pieces , for example 21 and 23 , that can move into contact with another structure includes an insulating strip 30 . in particular , when contact is made at the side of the frame , the insulating strip 30 is set in a groove , such as the grooves 21g and 23g in fig1 b . the base of each groove 21g and 23g includes a slot 21s and 23s for the associated insulating strip 31 and 33 . each slot 21s and 23s has a relatively wide base 21b and 23b which leads to a restricted opening 21r and 23r . the associated insulating strips 31 and 33 are proportioned to be slidable into the slots 21s and 23s . accordingly , each strip 31 and 33 has an enlarged base 31b and 33b which converges to a neck 31n and 33n , and thereafter extends to a narrow tip 31t and 33t . it will be understood that the configuration of the base 31b and 33b is not critical , the only requirement being that it be able to engage and mate with the corresponding base 21b and 23b in the groove 21g and 23g . the extension of the strip 31 and 33 from their associated grooves 21g and 23g is limited only by the width of the aprons 21a and 23a associated with the grooves 21g and 23g . since the panel 10 is slidable it can come into contact with a support structure that will hold the tip 31t and 33t against the associated aprons 21a and 23a . consequently , the strip , when folded , should not extend beyond the edge of the apron . in the view of fig1 a , the strip 31 has not yet engaged in a proposed surface of the support structure but the strip 33 is shown in insulating contact with a side member 52 of the support structure 50 . this contact is more clearly visible in fig1 b . in addition , fig1 b indicates that where the panel 10 can make facial contact with another member , such as a second panel 10 &# 39 ;, an insulating strip 34 is provided on the face of the corsspiece 22 . the strip 34 has the same general configuration and the same kind of retention groove 22g as for the associated crosspiece 21 . however , the groove does not have a recess and is simply provided in the surface 22s of the crosspiece 22 . the relationship between the panels 10 and 10 &# 39 ; is indicated more clearly in fig2 a which is a cross - sectional view of fig1 b . the support structure , illustrative the casement of a dwelling , has channels 51 and 53 separated by an elevated runner 52 . the side member 23 of the panel 10 includes the insulating strip 33 discussed in conjunction with fig1 b . similarly , the side piece 23 &# 39 ; of the second panel 10 &# 39 ; includes an insulating strip 33 &# 39 ; corresponding to the strip 33 discussed previously . as also indicated in fig2 a , the side member 23 , also the associated side member 23 &# 39 ;, is provided with a gap g relative to the base of the channels 51 and 53 . under ordinary circumstances , these gaps permit air to pass through the spaces at the edges of the panel to the interior of the dwelling . however , in the case of the invention , the insulating strips 33 and 33 &# 39 ; seal the passages and curtail the flow , thus providing the desired insulating effect . the similar role of the insulating strips 31 and 32 , as well as the role of the lowermost strip 32 &# 39 ; is illustrated in the side sectional view of fig2 b .	4
fig1 is structural drawings of the linear ion trap of the present method . in this embodiment the linear ion trap contains a control unit / data collector unit 105 to regulate the voltages and collect data . a sample gasified by a gas sampling unit 70 is supplied by way of a heated capillary 1 through the orifice 2 to the interior of a linear ion trap comprised of an incap electrode 3 , a rod electrode 7 and an endcap electrode 10 . a gas chromatograph capillary may be utilized as the capillary . in this case separation can be accomplished by controlling the capillary temperatures . in order to ionize the gasified sample , an electron source 30 supplies the electrons to the linear ion trap in a movement direction 51 . the electron source 30 is comprised of an electrode 32 , a lens 33 and a filament 31 such as tungsten wire ( fig1 a ). adjusting the voltage potential on the filament 31 to approximately − 20 to − 100 volts relative to the linear ion trap makes the electrons pass through the orifice 11 formed in the rod electrode , and supplies the electrons into the interior of the linear ion trap . the electrons supplied so as to follow the movement direction 51 react with the specimen gas supplied from the capillary 1 and generate ions in the ionizing region 59 . this type of electron ionizing is called electron impact ionization . besides electrons from the electron source 30 , neutral gas and light emitted from the filaments are supplied via the orifice 11 and possess linearity along the movement direction 52 . electrons not contributing to ionization are diffused by the rf electric field within the trap . the neutral gas and diffused electrons adhering to the electrode cause contamination on the electrode . continuing to ionize a location while still in this state is known to cause the resolution to deteriorate . moreover , light entering the detector is known to cause noise . the generated ions on the other hand are trapped radially by a quadrupole electric field radially generated by applying a trap rf voltage 21 at 1 to 4 megahertz and a maximum amplitude of approximately one kilovolt to the rod electrode 7 . the present embodiment utilizes rod electrode 7 whose nearest distances axially from the central axis are different . the endcap electrode side for example is a distance farther away from the center axis than the incap electrode side . this placement generates an electric potential gradient along the axis from the incap electrode side to the endcap electrode side . the ions generated by this axial field move as shown by the movement direction 53 and move to the ion trap region 60 . the ions that moved to the ion trap region 60 can be selectively ejected radially ( along the radial direction 54 ) according to their specific mass number by applying a trap rf voltage 21 and a supplemental ac voltage 20 . these ions ejected selectively according to their mass , pass through the slit 12 and are detected by a detector 25 comprised of an electron multiplier , etc . the signal acquired by the detector 25 is sent to the data collector unit 24 for detection signals . the incap electrode traps ions along the axis by applying a direct current voltage to the endcap electrode . utilizing a cover 18 of insulating material on the linear ion trap as shown in fig1 a and fig1 b can provide a high degree of external control of the gas pressure in the linear ion trap unit . the internal pressure is maintained between approximately 10 − 2 pa to 1 pa within the ion trap . the gas types used may include air , nitrogen , argon , helium and so on but utilizing helium that has a low molecular mass can provide high resolution . the measurement sequence when conducting tandem mass spectrometric ( ms / ms ) analysis in the linear ion trap in fig1 is described next while referring to fig2 . the mass spectrometric ( ms / ms ) analysis sequence is comprised of four steps including : an ionizing and accumulation step to ionize and accumulate ions from the injection of electrons ; an isolation step to eject all ions other than ions of a specific mass outside the trap by applying a fnf ( filtered noise field ) waveform ( maximum amplitude of approximately 15 volts ) that is the summed component of an rf voltage of approximately 1 to 500 khz serving as the supplemental ac voltage 20 across the opposing rod electrodes ( 7 a , 7 c ); a dissociation step to dissociate or separate ions remaining in the ion trap by applying an rf voltage at a maximum amplitude of approximately five volts and a frequency of 70 khz as the supplemental ac voltage 20 across the opposing rod electrodes ( 7 a , 7 c ); and a mass scanning step to selectively eject and detect ions by mass in order from ion with a low mass number to ions with a high mass number by scanning ( sweeping ) the amplitude of the trap rf voltage 21 and the supplemental ac voltage 20 at a frequency of approximately 300 khz . a product spectrum can in this way be obtained of the fragment ions generated from parent ions of a specific mass . performing electron injection in the ionizing and accumulation sequence instead of during mass scanning has the advantage that the noise caused by light generated by the ionization source can be reduced . moreover , omitting the isolation step and the dissociation step from this sequence allows acquiring the ms 1 spectrum , or also acquiring the ms 3 spectrum by repeating this sequence once more . the other measurement sequences during ms / ms analysis of the linear ion trap are described next while referring to fig3 . unlike the measurement sequence in fig2 , this measurement sequence can maintain a fixed rf voltage amplitude so that the maximum power consumption used for generating the rf electric field can be suppressed to a lower figure and a satisfactory structure achieved in a compact device . the frequency of the trap rf voltage however utilizes a high value of 2 mhz or more ( preferably 3 mhz to 4 mhz ) in order to obtain a mass range capable of good resolution in one scan . this sequence is comprised of four sequences , however other large significant differences are the utilizing of a fixed trap rf amplitude and the scanning ( sweep ) of the supplemental ac voltage frequency in the mass scan step . by sequentially scanning the supplemental ac voltage frequency from a high frequency of approximately 1 mhz to a low frequency of approximately 50 khz in the scanning step , the ions can be selectively ejected and detected by mass in the order of ions with a low mass number to ions with a high mass number . utilizing the device as shown in fig1 provides the following described advantages compared to the device design known in the related art . electron injection in the related art accumulates ions and ejects ions at that same point and so possesses the problems that the quadrupole electric field utilized in mass dissociation ( or separation ) deforms due to contamination caused by electrons and neutral gas , and that the resolution deteriorates along with a long measurement ( analysis ) time . in the present embodiment however , though just the ions move axially towards the movement direction 53 , the electrons and neutral gas travels a path such as the movement directions 51 , 52 and do not reach the area near the ion trap region 60 , so that this type of resolution deterioration does not occur even during numerous repeated measurements . moreover , the light is irradiated so as to follow the movement direction 52 and therefore must be deflected a further two times in order to reach the detector 25 and so has the property that it is unlikely to be detected as noise . also , machining identical rod electrodes 7 c allows mounting the ionization source 30 and the detector 25 in the same direction relative to the linear ion trap . consequently , also granting the incidental advantages that the entire device may possess a compact design and that wiring is simplified . fig4 is drawings showing the structure of the linear ion trap of the second embodiment of the present method . the sample inlet and electron injection methods , the measurement sequence , and so on are identical to the first embodiment . however in the present embodiment the square rods 8 are utilized instead of round rods . the square rods 8 are also capable of forming a potential along the axis by changing the minimum distance axially from the center axis to the rods . the present embodiment also provides the advantages that the manufacture and the assembly of the rod electrodes is made easier by employing square rods compared to the first embodiment . on the other hand , the round rods provide higher resolution than square rods . fig5 is drawings showing the structure of the linear ion trap of the third embodiment of the present method . the sample inlet ( supply ), electron injection methods , the measurement sequence , and so on are identical to the first embodiment . in the present embodiment , an extrusion electrode 4 is inserted along the center axis of the rod in order to form an electric field along the axis . in the scanning step , the ions are pushed along the axis to the endcap electrode side by applying a voltage between several dozen volts to several hundred volts to the extrusion electrode 4 . besides the above described method , various other methods maybe utilized including for example , mounting a ring - shaped electrode on the outer circumference of the linear trap or inserting an electrode between the rods and applying a voltage . the example utilized in the first embodiment described utilizing rod electrodes whose minimum distances axially from the center axis were different . here however , rod electrodes maybe utilized that are a fixed distance from the center axis . whatever the method , the effect of the present invention can be obtained as long as a mechanism is installed for moving the ions along the axis to the endcap side . fig6 is a drawing showing the structure of the linear ion trap of the fourth embodiment of the present method . the sample inlet ( supply ), electron injection methods , the measurement sequence , and so on are identical to the first embodiment , however in the fourth embodiment the ions are ejected along the axis and not the radius . an orifice 54 is therefore formed on the endcap electrode 10 . installing mesh ( not shown in the drawing ) in the orifice can help prevent the high voltage applied to the detector from disturbing the electric field within the linear ion trap . during the ion ejection a voltage from several to several dozen volts is set as the endcap electrode 54 voltage . the ions excited by the supplemental ac voltage are extracted along the axial direction by a fringing field formed between the endcap electrode and the rod electrodes in the vicinity of the endcap electrodes and detected in the detector 25 . a different method for example may include ejecting the ions selectively by mass along the axis by forming a direct current extraction field across two wire electrodes among the rod electrodes . even during this type of axial ejection , the same effect of the present invention which is the maintaining of high resolution can be achieved . fig7 is drawings showing the structure of the linear ion trap of the fifth embodiment of the present method . the measurement sequence , the rod electrodes and the placement of the detector and so on are identical to the first embodiment , however in the fifth embodiment , ions and not electrons are injected into the linear ion trap . a sample gasified by a gas sampling unit 70 is supplied by way of a capillary 1 from the orifices 72 to the ionization source 71 . the ionization source 71 is comprised of an electrode 32 , a lens 33 , and a filament 31 such as tungsten wire . the ions generated within ionization source pass through the orifices 11 formed in the rod electrode , and are supplied into the linear ion trap . ions supplied as along the movement direction 55 are first trapped by the quadrupole electric field and then moved along the movement direction 53 by the electric field along the axial direction , and accumulated in the ion trap region 60 . the subsequent detection method is identical to the first embodiment . this embodiment also renders a large effect when the present invention is utilized in the case of contamination of the rod electrodes in the vicinity of the ionization source due to the linearity of the neutral noise along the movement direction 52 . the example in fig7 utilized an electron impact ionization source but the embodiment is also fully applicable to ionization sources in a vacuum such as utilizing chemical ionization , photo ionization , and plasma ionization sources . fig8 is a drawing showing the structure of the linear ion trap of the sixth embodiment of the present method . the measurement sequence , the rod electrodes and the placement of the detector and so on are identical to the fifth embodiment , however in the sixth embodiment the ionization source 71 is mounted along the axial direction . in contrast to the structure of the fifth embodiment where the ion supply efficiency is approximately 10 % due to the need to surmount the barrier imposed by the rf electric field from the ionization source to the linear ion trap , the structure of the sixth embodiment only utilizes a dc electric field from the ionization source 71 to the linear ion trap so that a value near 100 % can be obtained for the ion supply efficiency . this embodiment also renders a large effect when employed in the present invention as a countermeasure to contamination of the rod electrodes in the vicinity of the ion source from the linear progression of neutral noise along the movement direction 52 . fig9 is a drawing showing the structure of the linear ion trap of the seventh embodiment of the present method . the measurement sequence , the rod electrodes and the placement of the detector and so on are identical to the fifth embodiment , however in the seventh embodiment an atmospheric pressure ionization source is utilized as the ionization source 71 . the structure of the present embodiment is capable of utilizing various atmospheric pressure ionization sources such as electrospray ionization sources and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization sources . a capillary 27 is installed between the atmospheric ionization source and the linear ion trap in order to maintain a vacuum . this embodiment also renders a large effect when the present invention is employed as a countermeasure to contamination of the rod electrodes in the vicinity of the ion source from the linear progression of neutral noise along the movement direction 52 . there are various methods aside from the present embodiment for supplying ions at atmospheric pressure into the linear ion trap however applying the present invention will still prove effective for those methods . in all of the above embodiments , plating the surface of the rod electrode with gold , and so on the same as implemented in the related art for preventing contamination from adhering will prove effective for improving durability . the structure shown in the first , second , and third embodiments showed a structure that only applied the trap rf voltage to a pair of rod electrodes ( 7 b , 7 d ). this type of structure is preferable for enhancing electron efficiency in the first , second , third , fourth , and fifth embodiments that input electrons and ions radially . however , a trap rf voltage of an opposite phase can be applied to another pair of rod electrodes ( 7 a , 7 c ). this voltage application scheme is preferable for enhancing the ion supply efficiency in the sixth and seventh embodiments that supply the ions from along the axis . in the first , second , third , and fifth embodiments , the ionization source and the detector are mounted along the same direction as the linear ion trap . the advantages provided by this arrangement are described while referring to fig1 . a control voltage 109 output from the control unit of the control unit / data collector unit 105 is applied by way of a connector unit 104 to the ionization source 101 , the linear ion trap unit 102 , and the detector 103 . moreover , the signal 110 generated by the detector 103 is sent by way of the connector unit 104 to the data collector unit of the control unit / data collector unit 105 . the overall volumetric size can be made compact by mounting the ionization source 101 and the detector 103 to one side of the linear ion trap 102 as shown in fig1 . utilizing this arrangement provides the advantage that the wiring is simple even if the connector unit is mounted to one side . 1 . . . capillary , 2 . . . orifice , 3 . . . incap electrode , 4 . . . extrusion electrode , 7 . . . rod electrode , 8 . . . rod electrode , 9 . . . rod electrode , 10 . . . endcap electrode , 11 . . . supply orifice , 12 . . . ejection orifice , 18 . . . cover , 20 . . . supplemental ac voltage , 21 . . . trap rf voltage , 24 . . . data collector unit , 27 . . . capillary , 30 . . . electron source , 31 . . . filament , 32 . . . electrode , 33 . . . lens , 51 . . . electron movement direction , 52 . . . linear component movement direction , 53 . . . ion movement direction , 54 . . . ion ejection direction , 55 . . . ion ejection direction , 59 . . . ionizing region , 60 . . . ion trap region , 70 . . . sampling unit , 71 . . . ionization source , 72 . . . orifice , 74 . . . ionization source , 101 . . . ionization source , 102 . . . linear ion trap unit , 103 .. . detector , 104 . . . power supply connector unit , 105 . . . control section / data collector unit , 106 . . . control voltage , 107 . . . control voltage , 108 . . . control voltage , 109 . . . control voltage , 110 — signal .	7
before undertaking the description of the embodiments , the function and effect of the present invention will be explained . when the present invention is constructed as mentioned in items ( 1 )-( 4 ), it becomes possible that light with a narrow divergence angle , emitted from the light source , passes through the first transmissive - refractive surface and the second transmissive - refractive surface , while light with a wide divergence angle in which light collection is difficult travels in order of the first transmissive - refractive surface , the second reflecting surface , the first reflecting surface , and the second transmissive - refractive surface and thereby is collected . subsequently , reference is made to condition ( 1 ) with reference to fig2 . light with a wide divergence angle emitted from the light source travels in order of a first transmissive - refractive surface t 1 , a second reflecting surface r 2 , a first reflecting surface r 1 , and a second transmissive - refractive surface t 2 . here , when a light ray is reflected toward the first reflecting surface r 1 by the second reflecting surface r 2 , it is desirable that the light , like a ray l , is reflected toward the first reflecting surface . however , light , like a ray l ′, traveling toward the first transmissive - refractive surface t 1 may be produced , depending on the radius of curvature of the second reflecting surface . the light , like the ray l ′, traveling toward the first transmissive - refractive surface suffers the loss of the amount of light as a result in such a manner that the light is absorbed in the light source . thus , a condition for preventing such a loss is introduced . first , it is said to be good practice that the position of the virtual image of light incident on the second reflecting surface r 2 is located within the radius of curvature of the second reflecting surface . for example , when the position of the virtual image of the light incident on the second reflecting surface coincides with the radius of curvature of the second reflecting surface , the light incident on the second reflecting surface is naturally reflected back toward the first transmissive - refractive surface . as such , when the radius of curvature of the second reflecting surface is increased , the light , like the ray l , is reflected toward the first reflecting surface r 1 . when the refractive index of an optical member shown in fig2 is represented by n ′, a distance between a light source p and the first transmissive - refractive surface t 1 by d 0 , the radius of curvature of the first reflecting surface r 1 by r 1 , and a distance , measured along an optical axis o , between the first transmissive - refractive surface t 1 and the second transmissive - refractive surface t 2 by d 1 , the position of the virtual image of the light incident on the second reflecting surface r 2 is as shown below . from properties of paraxial rays shown in fig3 : θ = h / r 1 , u = h / s , u ′= h / s ′, ni = n ′ i ′ ( snell &# 39 ; s law ), i = θ − u , and i ′= θ − u ′, a formula , n ( 1 / r 1 − 1 / s )= n ′ ( 1 / r 1 − 1 / s ′), is established . finding the distance s ′ from this formula as n = 1 ( air ), a formula , s ′= n ′/( 1 / s −( 1 − n ′)/ r 1 ), is obtained . here , the signs of the distance s of fig3 and the distance d 0 of fig2 are opposite to each other , and thus s ′= n ′/(− 1 / d 0 −( 1 − n ′)/ r 1 ). however , when d 0 = 0 , the denominator of this formula becomes infinite and as a result , s ′= 0 . when the difference between d 1 / n ′ and s ′ is smaller than the radius of curvature r 2 of the second reflecting surface r 2 , as mentioned above , light is not reflected back toward the first transmissive - refractive surface . thus , a condition for making the light to be not reflected back toward the first transmissive - refractive surface is expressed by d 1 / n ′− s ′& lt ;− r 2 . however , for the sign , the traveling direction of light ( the right - hand direction in fig2 or 3 ) is to be positive . from the above condition , 1 & lt ; r 2 /( n ′/(− 1 / d 0 −( 1 − n ′)/ r 1 )− d 1 / n ′) ( 1 ) by satisfying this condition , light reflected by the second reflecting surface is reflected by the first reflecting surface without returning to the first transmissive - refractive surface and can be effectively collected . even when the radius of curvature of the second reflecting surface r 2 is too large with respect to the position of the virtual image of light incident on the second reflecting surface , light from the light source ceases to be effectively collectable . for example , if a light ray incident on the second reflecting surface r 2 , as shown in fig4 , is reflected like a ray l ″ by the second reflecting surface r 2 , light must be made to emerge at a larger angle θ ′ than the angle of incidence θ of light from the light source when an attempt is made to collect the light by the first reflecting surface r 1 . this reverses the fact that light with a wide divergence angle from the light source is changed to light with a narrow divergence angle by a lens function , and means that the light is made inefficiently incident on the light guide . in the endoscope or the microscope , to efficiently transmit light with a wide divergence angle emitted from a small bright spot of the light source to the light guide with a small numerical aperture , it is most efficient to collect light so that the divergence angle of the bright spot of the light source is matched with the small numerical aperture of the light guide . in order to do so , it is necessary to satisfy the above condition . using fig5 a and 5b , reference is made to this condition . fig5 a shows schematically the sectional view of the light collective optical system in the case where the condition is not satisfied . fig5 b shows schematically the sectional view of the light collective optical system in the case where the condition is satisfied . light diverging from a bright spot p of the light source is reflected by the second reflecting surface r 2 , travels toward the first reflecting surface r 1 , is reflected by the first reflecting surface r 1 , and emerges . in this case , when the divergence angle of light diverging from the light source is denoted by θ and the angle of light collection where the light reaches a point p ′ is denoted by θ ′, it is clear from the figures that θ & lt ; θ ′ in fig5 a and θ & gt ; θ ′ in fig5 b . in this way , it becomes possible that light is projected at the narrow divergence angle by the lens function and is made incident on the light propagation member such as the light guide and thereby bright light is efficiently propagated . in order to efficiently project the bright spot of the light source on the light guide , it is desirable that the power of the second reflecting surface is larger than that of the first reflecting surface . if the upper limit of condition ( 2 ′) is exceeded , the power of the second reflecting surface becomes too large with respect to the power of the first reflecting surface . as a result , aberration is produced and light collective optical performance is impaired . a change from light with a wide divergence angle to light with a narrow divergence angle means that the image of the bright spot of the light source is magnified by the lens function . thus , it becomes possible that the image of the bright spot of the light source is projected at the magnification more than 1 × to thereby make the light efficiently incident on the light guide while reducing and the divergence angle of the bright spot . by satisfying condition ( 3 ), it is possible that the magnification by the first reflecting surface r 1 and the second reflecting surface r 2 becomes more than 1 ×. the light from the bright spot of the light source is transmitted though the first transmissive - refractive surface t 1 and is projected in the proximity of the point p ′ in fig5 b ( namely , of the second transmissive - refractive surface t 2 ) by the second reflecting surface r 2 and the first reflecting surface r 1 . since the magnification is more than 1 ×, the image of the bright spot of the light source is magnified and projected . in the effective range α 1 of the first transmissive - refractive surface t 1 and the effective range α 2 of the second transmission - refraction t 2 , therefore , unless the effective range α 2 is wider , the image of the bright spot of the light source will be eclipsed and will cease to be efficiently projected . beyond the upper limit of condition ( 3 ′), light beams traveling directly from the effective range α 1 of the first transmissive - refractive surface to the effective range α 2 of the second transmissive - refractive surface are increased , which is inefficient . below the lower limit of condition ( 4 ), a lens thickness is decreased and light cannot be efficiently collected . beyond the upper limit , the lens thickness becomes large and a very bulky light collective optical system is obtained , which causes oversizing . below the lower limit of condition ( 5 ), the effective diameter of the first reflecting surface vanishes and light cannot be reflected by the first reflecting surface . beyond the upper limit , the outer diameter of the light collective optical system is enlarged and oversizing is caused . the embodiments will be described below . in each of the embodiments , r 1 denotes the radius of curvature of the first reflecting surface , r 2 denotes the radius of curvature of the second reflecting surface , n ′ denotes the refractive index of a medium between the first transmissive - refractive surface and the second transmissive - refractive surface at the d line , d 0 denotes a distance between the first reflecting surface and the bright spot of the light source , d 1 denotes a coaxial distance between the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface , α 1 denotes the effective range of the first transmissive - refractive surface , β 1 denotes the area of the effective range of the first transmissive - refractive surface , α 2 denotes the effective range of the second transmissive - refractive surface , β 2 denotes the area of the effective range of the second transmissive - refractive surface , and φ denotes the outer diameter of the first reflecting surface or the second reflecting surface . also , in the orthogonal coordinate systems where z is taken in the direction of the optical axis as an original point at the vertex of the surface , when the radius of curvature at the vertex is represented by r , the conic constant is represented by k , and aspherical coefficients are represented by c 4 , c 6 , c 8 , c 10 , and c 12 , the configuration of an aspherical surface of each of the fourth to sixth embodiments is expressed by the following equation : z = h 2 / r ( 1 +√{ square root over (( 1 −( 1 + k ) h / r 2 ))}+ c 4 h 4 + c 6 h 6 + c 8 h 8 + c 10 h 10 + c 12 h 12 ( light source ) d 0 = 0 . 2 r 1 = 33 . 3333 d 1 = 5 . 71 n ′= 1 . 51633 ( s - bsl7 ) r 2 =− 8 . 55556 α 1 = 3 ( dia . ), β 1 = 2 . 25π , α 2 = 5 ( dia . ), β 2 = 6 . 25π , φ = 9 . 5 r 2 /( n ′/(− 1 / d 0 −( 1 − n ′)/ r 1 )− d 1 / n ′)= 2 . 1 ( 1 ) fig6 shows the sectional view of the light collective optical system of the first embodiment . the first transmissive - refractive surface t 1 and the first reflecting surface r 1 are situated on the same surface , and the inside and the outside of the effective range α 1 are the first transmissive - refractive surface t 1 and the first reflecting surface r 1 , respectively . the second transmissive - refractive surface t 2 and the second reflecting surface r 2 are situated on the same surface , and the inside and the outside of the effective range α 2 are the second transmissive - refractive surface t 2 and the second reflecting surface r 2 , respectively . a region sandwiched between the first transmissive - refractive surface t 1 ( the first reflecting surface r 1 ) and the second transmissive - refractive surface t 2 ( the second reflecting surface r 2 ) is filled with glass . in this figure , reference symbol l denotes an led light source , m denotes the light - emitting surface of the led light source , and lg denotes a light guide . of light diverging from the light - emitting surface m of the led light source l , light with a narrow divergence angle passes through the first transmissive - refractive surface t 1 and the second transmissive - refractive surface t 2 and , like a ray n , is incident on the light guide lg . on the other hand , light with a wide divergence angle , like a ray n ′, passes through the first transmissive - refractive surface t 1 , is reflected by the second reflecting surface r 2 and the first reflecting surface r 1 , passes through the second transmissive - refractive surface t 2 , and is incident on the light guide lg . in this case , the image of the bright spot of the light - emitting surface m of the led light source is formed close to the second transmissive - refractive surface t 2 . the light incident on the light guide lg is propagated through the light guide to the distal end of an endoscope not shown in the figure and emerges as the illumination light of the endoscope . by this construction , it becomes possible to efficiently transmit the light with a wide divergence angle of the led light source to the light guide without any loss . the first transmissive - refractive surface t 1 and the first reflecting surface r 1 are situated on the same surface , the second transmissive - refractive surface t 2 and the second reflecting surface r 2 are situated on the same surface , and the first transmissive - refractive surface t 1 , the first reflecting surface r 1 , the second transmissive - refractive surface t 2 , and the second reflecting surface r 2 are constructed of the same optical member . whereby , since the light with a wide divergence angle from the led light source can be collected by a single optical member , the adjustment of the reflecting surface on assembly is unnecessary , time required for the assembly can be reduced , and an assembly adjusting mechanism is also unnecessary . it is needless to say that the light collective optical system of this embodiment can be applied not only to the endoscope , but also to a surgical microscope or anything light is propagated by the light guide . ( light source ) d 0 = 0 . 2 r 1 =− 70 d 1 = 20 . 545 n ′= 1 . 51633 ( s - bsl7 ) r 2 =− 26 . 1 α 1 = 3 ( dia . ), β 1 = 2 . 25π , α 2 = 6 ( dia . ), β 2 = 9π , φ = 34 r 2 /( n ′/(− 1 / d 0 −( 1 − n ′)/ r 1 )− d 1 / n ′)= 1 . 88 ( 1 ) fig7 shows the sectional view of the collective lens of the second embodiment . this embodiment , in contrast with the first embodiment , is designed so that the first reflecting surface r 1 and the second reflecting surface r 2 are modified , the image of the bright spot of the led light source formed close to the second transmissive - refractive surface t 2 is magnified and projected , and light emerges at a narrower distribution angle and is made incident on the light guide ( not shown ). in general , as the numerical aperture of the light guide is small , the transmittance becomes high and light is propagated without loss . thus , in the case where the light guide smaller in numerical aperture than that of first embodiment is used , when the light collective optical system of the second embodiment is employed , it becomes possible to propagate light without loss of the amount of light . ( light source ) d 0 = 0 . 2 r 1 =− 50 d 1 = 20 . 545 n ′= 1 . 51633 ( s - bsl7 ) r 2 =− 25 . 5 α 1 = 3 ( dia . ), β 1 = 2 . 25π , α 2 = 7 ( dia . ), β 2 = 9π , φ = 34 r 2 /( n ′/(− 1 / d 0 −( 1 − n ′)/ r 1 )− d 1 / n ′)= 1 . 84 ( 1 ) fig8 shows the sectional view of the collective lens of the third embodiment . this embodiment is constructed so that the numerical aperture is smaller ( the angle of emergence is smaller ) than that of the second embodiment . ( light source ) d 0 = 0 . 2 r 1 =∞ d 1 = 10 . 5 n ′= 1 . 51633 ( s - bsl7 ) r 2 =− 14 . 4 ( aspherical surface ) c 6 =− 2 . 0 × 10 − 7 , c 12 =− 2 . 0 × 10 − 13 α 1 = 3 , β 1 = 2 . 25π , α 2 = 5 , β 2 = 6 . 25π , φ = 17 r 2 /( n ′/(− 1 / d 0 −( 1 − n ′)/ r 1 )− d 1 / n ′)= 1 . 99 ( 1 ) fig9 shows the sectional view of the collective lens of the fourth embodiment . in this embodiment , the second reflecting surface r 2 ( the second transmissive - refractive surface t 2 ) is configured as an aspherical surface . by adopting the aspherical surface , light can be more efficiently collected to the light guide than in the first embodiment . the first reflecting surface r 1 ( the first transmissive - refractive surface t 1 ) is flat . ( light source ) d 0 = 0 . 1 r 1 = 50 d 1 = 10 . 27 n ′= 1 . 51633 ( s - bsl7 ) r 2 =− 15 . 4 ( aspherical surface ) c 6 = 2 . 24 × 10 − 7 , c 12 = 1 . 049 × 10 − 20 α 1 = 3 ( dia . ), β 1 = 2 . 25π , α 2 = 6 ( dia . ), β 2 = 9π , φ = 16 r 2 /( n ′/(− 1 / d 0 −( 1 − n ′)/ r 1 )− d 1 / n ′)= 2 . 22 ( 1 ) fig1 shows the sectional view of the collective lens of the fifth embodiment . in this embodiment , like the fourth embodiment , the second reflecting surface r 2 ( the second transmissive - refractive surface t 2 ) is configured as the aspherical surface . ( light source ) d 0 = 0 . 1 r 1 =∞ d 1 = 14 . 583 n ′= 1 . 51633 ( s - bsl7 ) r 2 =− 20 d 2 = 12 . 117 r 3 = 35 d 3 = 11 . 9 n ′= 1 . 51633 ( s - bsl7 ) r 4 =− 13 ( aspherical surface ) c 4 =− 5 . 4664723 × 10 − 5 , c 6 = 3 . 7186886 × 10 − 7 , c 8 =− 4 . 6483608 × 10 − 9 , c 10 = 1 . 8 × 10 − 11 , c 12 =− 1 . 5 × 10 − 13 α 1 = 3 , β 1 = 2 . 25π , α 2 = 5 , β 2 = 6 . 25π , φ = 25 r 2 /( n ′/(− 1 / d 0 −( 1 − n ′)/ r 1 )− d 1 / n ′)= 2 . 05 ( 1 ) the sixth embodiment is different from the first to fifth embodiments in which light is made incident on the light guide by the light collective optical system of the present invention , and is an example where the illumination optical system of the surgical microscope is constructed by combining the light collective optical system with another lens . fig1 shows the sectional view of the illumination optical system of this embodiment . an illumination optical system s is constructed so that a lens k is placed on the exit side of a light collective optical system t . in the lens data mentioned above , r 3 denotes the radius of curvature of an entrance - side surface r 3 of the lens k , r 4 denotes the radius of curvature of an exit - side surface r 4 of the lens k , d 2 denotes a distance between the second reflecting surface r 2 ( the second transmissive - refractive surface t 2 ) of the light collective optical system and the entrance - side surface r 3 of the lens k , d 3 denotes the thickness of the lens k , and n ″ denotes the refractive index of the medium of the lens k at the d line . the exit - side surface r 4 of the lens k is aspherical . light emitted from the led light source l is incident on the light collective optical system t , follows the same course as in the first to fifth embodiments , and is imaged in the proximity of the second transmissive - refractive surface to form the image of the bright spot of the led light source . after that , the light enters the lens k , the distribution angle is changed by the function of the lens k , and the light emerges . fig1 a and 12b illustrate the optical system of the surgical microscope applying the illumination optical system of the sixth embodiment . fig1 a is a front view thereof and fig1 b is a side view . an observation object o ′ is illuminated by the illumination optical system s and a reflecting mirror p , and an viewer observes the object through an objective lens ob , zoom lenses zb , image - forming lenses bi , and eyepieces oc . although in this embodiment the reflecting mirror p is placed on the exit side of the lens k , it may be interposed between the lens t and the lens k . since the sixth embodiment does not use a transmission means such as the light guide shown in other embodiments , it becomes possible to illuminate the observation object o ′ without loss of the amount of light . also , in the sixth embodiment , the led light source is used and thus is very darker than a high - luminance light source such as a xenon lamp . for the surgical microscope to which the sixth embodiment is applied , therefore , an electronic image microscope in which an image of an object is picked up and displayed as an electronic image is more suitable than an optical microscope in which the object is visually observed . rm = 20 dm = 20 ( light source ) d 0 = 0 . 2 r 1 = 50 d 1 = 20 . 545 n ′= 1 . 51633 ( s - bsl7 ) r 2 =− 38 α 1 = 3 ( dia . ), β 1 = 2 . 25π , α 2 = 6 ( dia . ), β 2 = 9π , φ = 34 r 2 /( n ′/(− 1 / d 0 −( 1 − n ′)/ r 1 )− d 1 / n ′)= 2 . 74 ( 1 ) here , rm stands for the radius of curvature of a spherical reflecting mirror and dm stands for a distance between the spherical reflecting mirror and the bright spot of the light source . fig1 shows the sectional view of the collective lens of the seventh embodiment . the light source is a xenon light source , and the bright spot of the xenon light source is located at the point p . in the seventh embodiment , a spherical reflecting mirror rm is placed behind the light source ( namely , on the opposite side of the collective lens ). a distance between the spherical reflecting mirror rm and the bright spot of the light source is equal to the radius of curvature of the spherical reflecting mirror rm . light diverging backward from the light source is reflected by the spherical reflecting mirror rm so as to turn back toward the point p and is incident on the lens t . on the other hand , light diverging forward from the light source ( toward the collective lens side ) is incident directly on the lens t . a light beam incident on the lens t follows the same course as in the first to sixth embodiments and enters the light guide lg . by placing the spherical reflecting mirror rm , light can be made efficiently incident on the light guide lg with the least loss of light even in the light source in which light is diffused 360 °, such as the xenon light source . in this embodiment , the xenon light source is used , but when such a spherical mirror is provided , a halogen lamp or a mercury vapor lamp may also be used . in the above embodiments , the range α 1 of the first transmissive - refractive surface and the range α 2 of the second transmissive - refractive surface are both circular in shape . however , it is needless to say that the shape analogous to the bright spot of the light source allows light to be more efficiently transmitted . in the led light source , for example , there is the possibility that a light - emitting surface is rectangular , not circular and thus , in this case , it is desirable that the ranges α 1 and α 2 are both rectangular . naturally , it is needless to say that the range α 1 of the first transmissive - refractive surface larger in size than the bright spot of the light source allows the light of the light source to be more efficiently transmitted . ( light source ) d 0 = 0 . 01 r 1 =∞ d 1 = 0 . 8 n ′= 1 . 51633 ( s - bsl7 ) r 2 =− 1 . 08 ( aspherical surface ) k =− 0 . 1 α 1 = 0 . 1 ( dia . ), β 1 = 0 . 0025π , α 2 = 0 . 8 ( dia . ), β 2 = 0 . 16π , φ = 2 r 2 /( n ′/(− 1 / d 0 −( 1 − n ′)/ r 1 )− d 1 / n ′)= 1 . 99 ( 1 ) fig1 shows the sectional view of the collective lens of the eighth embodiment . in this embodiment , like the fourth embodiment , the second reflecting surface r 2 ( the second transmissive - refractive surface t 2 ) is configured as the aspherical surface . ( light source ) d 0 = 0 r 1 =− 0 . 7 d 1 = 0 . 8 n ′= 1 . 51633 ( s - bsl7 ) r 2 =− 0 . 915 ( aspherical surface ) k = 0 . 035 α 1 = 0 . 1 ( dia . ), β 1 = 0 . 0025π , α 2 = 0 . 8 ( dia . ), β 2 = 0 . 16π , φ = 1 . 76 fig1 shows the sectional view of the collective lens of the ninth embodiment . in this embodiment , like the fourth embodiment , the second reflecting surface r 2 ( the second transmissive - refractive surface t 2 ) is configured as the aspherical surface .	6
the following description of certain embodiments of the present disclosure should not be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure . other examples , features , aspects , embodiments , and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description , which is by way of illustration , one of the best modes contemplated for carrying out the invention . as will be realized , various aspects of the present disclosure may take alternate forms , or have alternate or additional embodiments , without departing from the scope of the present disclosure . accordingly , the drawings and descriptions should be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive . fig1 illustrates a perspective view of foot stretcher assembly ( 10 ). foot stretcher assembly ( 10 ) comprises a handle ( 20 ) and a foot stretcher ( 30 ). as will be discussed in more detail below , foot stretcher ( 30 ) is releasably coupled to end ( 26 ) of handle ( 20 ). fig2 shows handle ( 20 ) in more detail . handle ( 20 ) comprises a smooth portion ( 24 ) positioned between a first end ( 22 ) and an opposing second end ( 26 ). first end ( 22 ) comprises a plurality of knobs ( 28 ) and a closed end ( 21 ). the present example shows first end ( 22 ) comprising three knobs ( 28 ), but any other suitable number of knobs ( 28 ) can be used . knobs ( 28 ) can be used to grip handle ( 20 ) and / or be used to massage the sole of a foot . accordingly , knobs ( 28 ) can align with pressure points located in the longitudinal arch of the foot . this may be where tightness in the foot is typically found . in some versions , knobs ( 28 ) are rotatably relative to handle ( 20 ). closed end ( 21 ) is shown to include a circular profile such that closed end ( 21 ) can further provide a targeted muscle massage by rubbing closed end ( 21 ) against a major muscle . knobs ( 28 ) are shown to include a spherical shape and closed end ( 21 ) is shown to include a circular profile . of course , knobs ( 28 ) and / or closed end ( 21 ) can include other suitable shapes ( square , rectangular , oval , etc .). in some versions , closed end ( 21 ) protrudes outwardly to continue the spherical shape of knob ( 28 ). in other versions , closed end ( 21 ) and / or knobs ( 28 ) are omitted such that first end ( 22 ) is smooth . other suitable configurations for first end ( 22 ) will be apparent to one with ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein . handle ( 20 ) further comprises a smooth portion ( 24 ). smooth portion ( 24 ) comprises a tube and may further include a padded roller positioned over the tube such that padded roller is rotatable relative to the tube . the padded roller may be made of foam , but other suitable materials can be used to provide a cushion for smooth portion ( 24 ). smooth portion ( 24 ) can therefore be used to massage the muscles of any major muscle group by rolling smooth portion ( 24 ) over the muscle group . it should be noted that the padded roller can be omitted such that the tube of smooth portion ( 24 ) is rubbed directly against the muscle . fig1 shows smooth portion ( 24 ) having a circular profile , but other suitable shapes can be used . second end ( 26 ) of handle ( 20 ) is similar to first end ( 22 ), except that in one embodiment second end ( 26 ) comprises a threaded opening ( 29 ) instead of closed end ( 21 ). threaded opening ( 29 ) is configured to releasably receive threaded portion ( 31 ) of foot stretcher ( 30 ). accordingly , handle ( 20 ) can be used as a handle with foot stretcher ( 30 ), or handle ( 20 ) can be used separately as a foot roller or a muscle massager for major muscle groups . handle ( 20 ) is sufficiently rigid to provide sufficient pressure for a massage of the foot and / or other major muscle groups . in some versions , handle ( 20 ) is configured not to flex . handle ( 20 ) can be made from plastic or other suitable materials . in some versions , smooth portion ( 24 ) is omitted such that knobs ( 28 ) extend along handle ( 20 ). in other versions , knobs ( 28 ) are omitted such that smooth portion ( 24 ) extends along handle ( 20 ). in still other versions , first end ( 22 ) and / or second end ( 26 ) are smooth , while smooth portion ( 24 ) comprises knobs ( 28 ). other suitable configurations for handle ( 20 ) will be apparent to one with ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein . for example , fig1 shows an alternative embodiment of a handle ( 120 ). handle ( 120 ) is similar to handle ( 20 ), except that handle ( 120 ) comprises symmetrical ends ( 122 ). each end ( 122 ) comprises a closed end ( 121 ), similar to closed end ( 21 ). handle ( 120 ) can thereby be used independently to massage the foot and / or any major muscle group . closed end ( 121 ) of the present embodiment comprises a substantially flat circular profile to simulate a user &# 39 ; s thumb during targeted massaging of a muscle . other suitable shapes for closed end ( 121 ) will be apparent to one with ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein . fig1 shows another alternative embodiment of a handle ( 220 ). handle ( 220 ) is similar to handle ( 120 ) in that handle ( 220 ) comprises a smooth portion ( 224 ) positioned between a first end ( 222 ) having a plurality of knobs ( 228 ) and a second end ( 226 ) having a plurality of knobs ( 228 ). first end ( 222 ) comprises a closed end ( 221 ) with a substantially flat circular profile similar to closed end ( 121 ). second end ( 226 ) comprises a closed end ( 229 ) with a spherical profile that extends outwardly from second end ( 226 ) to simulate a user &# 39 ; s knuckle during targeted massaging of a muscle . of course , other suitable shapes for closed end ( 229 ) will be apparent to one with ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein . in some versions , first and second ends ( 222 , 226 ) are symmetrical and both comprise a closed end ( 229 ) with a spherical profile . fig3 - 4 show foot stretcher ( 30 ) comprising a threaded portion ( 31 ), an achilles base ( 32 ), a heel base ( 34 ), an instep ( 36 ), and a sole ( 38 ). threaded portion ( 31 ), as discussed above , is configured to insert within threaded opening ( 29 ) of handle ( 20 ) to releasably couple foot stretcher ( 30 ) with handle ( 20 ). this allows foot stretcher ( 30 ) to be removed from handle ( 20 ) for easily transporting foot stretcher assembly ( 10 ). achilles base ( 32 ) is configured to align with the achilles tendon of a user during operation of foot stretcher ( 30 ). achilles base ( 32 ) comprises a low profile such that achilles base ( 32 ) does not engage the achilles area and / or calf muscle of the user during use of foot stretcher ( 30 ). for instance , the achilles area can include the achilles tendon , the flexor hallicus longus , the peroneal brevis , the peroneal longus , and / or the posterior tibialis . this relieves the achilles tendon and / or lower calf muscles from any pressure once the leg stretches to prevent discomfort and to allow a more intense stretch on the top of the foot . heel base ( 34 ) is positioned adjacent to achilles base ( 32 ) and extends inwardly relative to achilles base ( 32 ). heel base ( 34 ) is shaped to receive the heel of a foot . this shape allows foot stretcher ( 30 ) to receive both the left and right foot . for instance , the heel of a left foot can be positioned on a right side of heel base ( 34 ) and the heel of a right foot can be positioned on a left side of heel base ( 34 ). it also positions the foot in a safe and winged position with the toes of the foot pointing outward , which is desired by dancers . heel base ( 34 ) is configured to distract the calcaneus away from the calf , allowing the achilles tendon to relax , which avoids pressure in the achilles tendon to prevent injury . as best seen in fig4 , instep ( 36 ) is positioned adjacent to heel base ( 34 ) and is configured to receive an arch of a foot . instep ( 36 ) extends outwardly from a central portion of foot stretcher ( 30 ). the shape of instep ( 36 ) helps to mold the arch of the foot once maximum stretch is achieved . prior to achieving a maximum stretch , instep ( 30 ) does not impede the foot from being stretched further . sole ( 38 ) then extends from instep ( 36 ) in an arcuate profile to receive the sole of a foot . sole ( 38 ) is slightly flexible to provide a custom stretch for the user . for instance , sole ( 38 ) flexes upwardly toward the user &# 39 ; s foot for a user with less flexible feet , while sole ( 38 ) flexes less as the user &# 39 ; s foot becomes more flexible . sole ( 38 ) can be made of a plastic or any other suitable material . instep ( 36 ) supports sole ( 38 ) to prevent sole ( 38 ) from being too flexible . sole ( 38 ) further works with heel base ( 34 ) to release pressure from the heels of the user to prevent impingement and pain in the back of the ankle . other suitable configurations for foot stretcher ( 30 ) will be apparent to one with ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein . foot stretcher ( 30 ) and handle ( 20 ) may be made of plastic , such as polycarbonate . the material is of sufficient rigidity to provide stretching of the foot , but resilient enough to provide some flex to accommodate varying levels of user flexibility . as shown in fig5 - 7 , a stretch band ( 40 ) can further be provided for use with foot stretcher assembly ( 10 ). stretch band ( 40 ) comprises a sleeve ( 44 ) having an opening ( 42 ) defined by a first end of sleeve ( 44 ). fig7 shows that sleeve ( 44 ) comprises a closed end ( 46 ) on the opposing end of sleeve ( 44 ). however , sleeve ( 44 ) may have a second open end . closed end ( 46 ) of the present example comprises an oval profile shaped to correspond to the end of sole ( 38 ) of foot stretcher ( 30 ). closed end ( 46 ) can include other suitably shaped profiles . alternatively , the ends of sleeve ( 44 ) can be attached such that closed end ( 46 ) comprises a tip . other suitable configurations for closed end ( 46 ) will be apparent to one with ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein . stretch band ( 40 ) is configured to be placed over foot stretcher ( 30 ) to enclose a foot and foot stretcher ( 30 ). stretch band ( 40 ) includes an elastic and slightly flexible material to receive varying types of feet . stretch band ( 40 ) thereby applies uniform pressure throughout the foot being stretched to achieve a stretch from the ankle to the toes of the foot . stretch band ( 40 ) can be made of silicone rubber , among other materials known in the art to be elastic . in some versions , foot stretcher assembly ( 10 ) is provided as a kit . the kit can include foot stretcher assembly ( 10 ) with stretch band ( 40 ), and a bag for storing foot stretcher assembly ( 10 ) in an assembled and / or disassembled state . this may allow for easier transportation of foot stretcher assembly ( 10 ). the kit can further include an exercise band and / or instructions for using foot stretcher assembly ( 10 ) and / or the exercise band . such instructions can be provided on a memory stick . foot stretcher assembly ( 10 ) can be lightweight for easier transportion . foot stretcher assembly ( 10 ) can also be made of a transparent material , a translucent material , and / or an opaque material . fig8 a - 8e show a method of operating foot stretcher assembly ( 10 ). fig8 a shows foot stretcher ( 30 ) being coupled with handle ( 20 ). to couple foot stretcher ( 30 ) and handle ( 20 ), threaded portion ( 31 ) of foot stretcher ( 30 ) is inserted and screwed within threaded opening ( 29 ) of handle ( 20 ). alternatively , threaded portion ( 31 ) can be provided on handle ( 20 ) and threaded opening ( 29 ) can be provided on foot stretcher ( 30 ). in other versions , the end of foot stretcher ( 30 ) is configured to slide within an opening of handle ( 20 ) to provide a friction fit between foot stretcher ( 30 ) and handle ( 20 ). other suitable methods for releasably coupling foot stretcher ( 30 ) with handle ( 20 ) will be apparent to one with ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein . alternatively , handle ( 20 ) and foot stretcher ( 30 ) can be provided as a unitary component . fig8 b shows stretch band ( 40 ) being slid over foot stretcher ( 30 ) until closed end ( 46 ) of stretch band ( 40 ) contacts sole ( 38 ) of foot stretcher ( 30 ). this allows stretch band ( 40 ) to cover at least a portion of foot stretcher ( 30 ). in the present example , stretch band ( 40 ) is configured to cover sole ( 38 ), instep ( 36 ), heel base ( 34 ), and at least a portion of achilles base ( 38 ). this allows stretch band ( 40 ) to cover a majority of the user &# 39 ; s foot to provide a more intense stretch . of course , other suitable configurations for stretch band ( 40 ) will be apparent to one with ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein . once stretch band ( 40 ) is positioned over foot stretcher ( 30 ), stretch band ( 40 ) is rolled on top of itself toward sole ( 38 ) of foot stretcher ( 30 ), as shown in fig8 c . this allows the user to place his / her foot on foot stretcher ( 30 ), as shown in fig8 d . with the foot placed on foot stretcher ( 30 ), stretch band ( 40 ) is configured to receive at least a portion of the user &# 39 ; s toes on sole ( 38 ). the user &# 39 ; s foot is positioned on foot stretcher ( 30 ) such that the sole of the foot is positioned on sole ( 38 ), the arch of the foot is positioned on instep ( 36 ), and the heel of the foot is positioned within heel base ( 34 ). achilles base ( 32 ) is positioned adjacent to the achilles tendon , but achilles base ( 32 ) is configured to provide a gap between achilles base ( 32 ) and the achilles tendon . stretch band ( 40 ) is then rolled around the user &# 39 ; s foot and foot stretcher ( 30 ). stretch band ( 40 ) is rolled such that stretch band ( 40 ) is extended smoothly over the user &# 39 ; s foot and foot stretcher ( 30 ) to prevent wrinkles within stretch band ( 40 ). the user can then straighten his / her leg while sitting on the floor to stretch the foot within foot stretcher assembly ( 10 ), or the user can stretch the foot in a standing position , as shown in fig8 e . handle ( 20 ) of foot stretcher assembly ( 10 ) can be pulled toward the user &# 39 ; s leg to provide a more intense stretch . in some versions , stretch band ( 40 ) is merely optional such that a user can stretch the foot with foot stretcher ( 30 ) and handle ( 20 ). to remove the foot from foot stretcher assembly ( 10 ), stretch band ( 40 ) can be rolled toward closed end ( 46 ) to release the foot . foot stretcher ( 30 ) can then be removed from handle ( 20 ) by rotating foot stretcher ( 30 ) relative to handle ( 20 ) to unscrew threaded portion ( 31 ) from threaded opening ( 29 ). in addition to or instead of stretching a foot , handle ( 20 ) can be used to massage the foot and / or major muscle groups . for example , with handle ( 20 ) removed from foot stretcher ( 30 ), handle ( 20 ) can be placed on the ground or other a smooth surface to receive a foot , as shown in fig9 . the bottom of the user &# 39 ; s foot can be rolled over knobs ( 28 ) of handle ( 20 ) to massage the bottom of the foot . accordingly , a user places the bottom of the foot on top of knobs ( 28 ) and rolls his / her foot back and forth along knobs ( 28 ). alternatively , the user can grasp first and second ends ( 22 , 26 ) of handle ( 20 ) to roll smooth portion ( 24 ) of handle against any major muscle group . fig1 shows a user massaging the quadriceps muscles with handle ( 20 ). accordingly , the user grips first and second ends ( 22 , 26 ) of handle ( 20 ) and places smooth portion ( 24 ) against the desired muscle . the user then rolls smooth portion ( 24 ) back and forth across the muscle to massage the muscle . while the quadriceps muscles are shown , handle ( 20 ) can be used to massage any other suitable major muscle group . other methods of massaging the user &# 39 ; s muscles will be apparent to one with ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings herein . for example , the user can place closed end ( 21 ) of handle ( 20 ) against a muscle to provide a more targeted massage . it should be understood that any one or more of the teachings , expressions , embodiments , examples , etc . disclosed herein may be combined with any one or more of the other teachings , expressions , embodiments , examples , etc . that are disclosed herein . the teachings , expressions , embodiments , examples , etc . disclosed herein should therefore not be viewed in isolation relative to each other . various suitable ways in which numerous aspects of the present disclosure may be combined will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings disclosed herein . such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of both the present disclosure and the claims . having shown and described various embodiments of the present disclosure , further adaptations of the methods and systems described herein may be accomplished by appropriate modifications by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure . several of such potential modifications have been mentioned , and others will be apparent to those skilled in the art . for instance , examples , embodiments , geometries , materials , dimensions , ratios , steps , and the like discussed above are illustrative and are not required . accordingly , the scope of the present disclosure should be considered in terms of the following claims and is understood not to be limited to the details of structure and operation shown and described in the specification and drawings .	0
a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 shows an essential portion of an electronic still camera in accordance with the present invention . a photographing lens 14 is disposed at a light - incident side of a diaphragm or aperture 12 which is disposed on the light - incident side of a half mirror 10 . an imaging device 16 is disposed behind the half mirror 10 . the half mirror 10 is inclined at an angle of approximately 45 ° to the axis of the photographing lens 14 . the light from a photographing object ( not shown ) impinges upon the half mirror 10 through the photographing lens 14 and the aperture 12 and is split by the half mirror 10 into two portions , one of which penetrates the half mirror 10 so as to form an image on the light - receiving surface of the imaging device 16 while the other converges on a photometry device 18 , which converts this portion of light into an electric signal . the electric signal obtained through this photoelectric conversion is further converted into an ev value signal by a photometric circuit 20 . the ev value signal is supplied to a microcomputer 22 . upon receipt of the ev value signal , the microcomputer 22 operates to determine an aperture value av and shutter speed tv from the received ev value in accordance with a so - called program ae method . the microcomputer 22 controls the aperture opening of the aperture 12 through a driving circuit 24 , in accordance with determined the av value . the shutter speed signal tv thus obtained is delivered to an electronic shutter control circuit 26 . the electronic shutter control circuit 26 drives the imaging device 16 through a driving circuit 28 , so as to allow electrostatic charges obtained through the photoelectric conversion to be accummulated and stored over the period corresponding to the shutter speed signal tv . the microcomputer 22 then delivers successive pixel signals from the imaging device 16 to a signal processing circuit 36 through a sample and hold circuit 30 , agc circuit 32 and base clip circuit 34 . the signal processing circuit 36 forms a composite color image signal and conducts fm modulation of the composite color image signal . the modulated composite color image signal is delivered to a magnetic head 38 . the magnetic head 38 records composite color information carried by the composite color image signals corresponding to one picture frame in a predetermined track of a magnetic disk 40 . the electronic shutter control circuit 26 operates in accordance with the shutter speed signal tv from the microcomputer 22 to deliver a control signal to the base clip circuit 34 so as to optimally set the level of the bias current in the base clip circuit 34 for attaining a high s / n ratio . fig2 shows the detail of the base clip circuit 34 . the base clip circuit 34 comprises an input terminal 42 , an output terminal 44 , resistors r 1 to r 13 , capacitors c 1 to c 5 , diodes d 1 , d 2 , and analog switches s 1 to s 4 . resistors r 10 to r 13 are connected in series with respective analog switches s 1 to s 4 . therefore , combined resistance r formed between both terminals of the resistor r 9 by the resistors r 1 to r 13 varies , depending on the combination of states of the respective analog switches s 1 to s 4 . this causes a change in the level of the bias current which flows from the power supply terminal + vcc through the resistors r 5 , r 7 , diodes d 2 , d 1 , resistor r 6 and the combined resistance r . on the other hand , the a . c . component of image the signal input to the inputted terminal 42 passes through the capacitor c 1 . if the a . c . components are positive , a forward current corresponding to the positive component flows to the output terminal through the diode d 1 , capacitor c 3 and resistor r 8 , whereas , when the a . c . component is negative , a backward current is obtained at the output terminal 44 through the diode d 2 , capacitor c 4 and resistor r 8 . when the value of the combined resistor r is increased , the level of the bias current is decreased so that the range over which the amplitude components ( noise components ) of the input signal is suppressed is widened by the voltage / current characteristics of the diodes d 1 and d 2 . the states of the analog switches s 1 to s 4 are determined as follows : all the switches s 1 to s 4 are closed when the shutter speed is not lower than 1 / 60 second . when the shutter speed is 1 / 30 second , analog switch s 1 is opened . when the shutter speed is 1 / 15 second analog switches s 1 and s 2 are opened . at a shutter speed of 1 / 8 second , only analog switch s 4 is closed . all the analog switches s 1 to s 4 are opened when the shutter speed is 1 / 4 second . fig3 illustrates the input / output characteristics of the base clip circuit 34 , exhibited by the base clip circuit 34 having the described construction . the dark current component and the noise caused by the dispersion of dark current in each pixel signal increases as the shutter speed becomes lower , i . e ., as the charge storage time on the imaging device 16 becomes longer , with the result that the dynamic range of the pixel signal is narrowed and the s / n ratio is reduced . according to the invention , however , the reduction of the s / n ratio is well compensated for and a high s / n ratio through the whole system is obtainable by virtue of the fact that the range of suppression of low - amplitude components becomes wider as the storage time increases . in the described embodiment , the bias current in the base clip circuit 34 is changed in a non - linear , or stepped manner , through selection of combination of resistors which are connected in parallel . this , however , is not exclusive and the arrangement may be such that the bias current is linearly changed by , for example , selective use of resistors which are connected in series or by varying a resistance value of a voltage control resistance circuit which makes use of a fet ( field effect transistor ). it should also be noted that , when the non - linear change of the bias current is adopted , the bias current may be changed over two , three , four or more stages or six or more stages , although the described embodiment is constructed to enable the bias current to be varied over five stages . other changes and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the invention .	7
compounds of the formula i , and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts , may be prepared as described in the following reaction schemes and discussion . unless otherwise indicated , as referred to in the reaction schemes and discussion that follow , r 1 , r 1a , r 1b , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 , r 6 , r 7 , r 8 , r 9 , r 10 , r 11 , r 12 , z , and n are as defined above . the compounds of formula i may have asymmetric carbon atoms and may therefore exist as racemic mixtures , diastereoisomers , geometric isomers , or as individual optical isomers . separation of a mixture of isomers of compounds of formula i into single isomers may be accomplished according to conventional methods known in the art . the compounds of the formula i may be prepared by the methods described below , together with synthetic methods known in the art of organic chemistry , or modifications and derivatizations that are familiar to those of ordinary skill in the art . preferred methods include , but are not limited to , those described below . the reactions described below are performed in solvents that are appropriate to the reagents and materials employed and that are suitable for use in the reactions described . in the description of the synthetic methods described below , it is also to be understood that all reaction conditions , whether actual or proposed , including choice of solvent , reaction temperature , reaction duration time , reaction pressure , and other reaction conditions ( such as anhydrous conditions , under argon , under nitrogen , etc . ), and work up procedures , are those conditions that are standard for that reaction , as would be readily recognized by one of skill in the art . alternate methods may also be used . scheme i refers to a method of preparation of compounds of the formula i , 10 . an amino - thiadiazole 1 is coupled with a nitrogen - protected amino acid 2a - c using conventional coupling reagents and procedures . the nitrogen protecting group may be a carbamate - type such as butoxycarbonyl (“ boc ”, p ═ o - tert - butyl ) or benzyloxycarbonyl (“ cbz ”, p ═ o - benzyl ) that is prepared with either di - tert - butyl dicarbonate ( aldrich chemical company , milwaukee wis . ), or benzyl chloroformate ( aldrich ) in the presence of either an inorganic or organic base ( e . g ., sodium carbonate or triethylamine ) at 0 to 30 ° c . in an organic solvent ( e . g ., methylene chloride ) or in a mixture of water and an organic solvent ( e . g ., ethyl acetate ) ( see , muller , methoden der organischen chemie . “ vierte auglage — synthesis von peptiden i ”— houben weyl — georg - thieme verlag stuttgart , 1974 , band xv / 1 ). the amino - thiadiazoles 1 starting reagents may be prepared according to the procedure similar to the known in literature ( references acta universitatis palackianae olomucensis , facultas rerum naturalium , chemica ( 2001 ); journal of medicinal chemistry ( 2003 ), 46 ( 3 ), 427 - 440 . european journal of medicinal chemistry ( 2002 ), 37 ( 8 ), 689 - 697 . phosphorus , sulfur and silicon and the related elements ( 2002 ), 177 ( 4 ), 863 - 875 . chemistry of heterocyclic compounds ( new york , n . y ., united states )( translation of khimiya geterotsiklicheskikh soedinenii ) ( 2001 ), 37 ( 9 ), 1102 - 1106 . journal of the institution of chemists ( india ) ( 2001 ), 73 ( 3 ), 108 - 110 . russian journal of general chemistry ( translation of zhurnal obshchei khimii ) ( 2000 ), 70 ( 11 ), 1801 - 1803 . indian journal of chemistry , section b : organic chemistry including medicinal chemistry ( 1989 ), 28b ( 1 ), 78 - 80 . indian journal of chemistry , section b : organic chemistry including medicinal chemistry ( 1981 ), 20b ( 6 ), 518 - 20 . khimiya geterotsiklicheskikh soedinenii , ( 10 ), 1416 - 19 ; 1986 . journal of the institution of chemists ( india ), 61 ( 2 ), 54 - 6 ; 1989 journal of the institution of chemists ( india ), 73 ( 5 ), 193 - 195 ; 2001 . chimica acta turcica ( 1984 ), 12 ( 2 ), 305 - 14 . journal of heterocyclic chemistry , 21 ( 6 ), 1689 - 98 ; 1984 . journal of heterocyclic chemistry ( 1980 ), 17 ( 3 ), 607 - 8 . journal of heterocyclic chemistry ( 1969 ), 6 ( 6 ), 835 - 40 . huaxue shijie ( 2002 ), 43 ( 7 ), 366 - 368 . indian journal of chemistry ( 1970 ), 8 ( 6 ), 509 - 13 . ber . ( 1942 ), 75b 87 - 93 . journal of medicinal chemistry ( 1970 ), 13 ( 5 ), 1015 - 17 . farmaco , edizione scientifica ( 1971 ), 26 ( 1 ), 19 - 28 . journal of the indian chemical society ( 1989 ), 66 ( 2 ), 118 - 19 . journal of heterocyclic chemistry , 12 ( 3 ), 581 - 3 ; 1975 european journal of medicinal chemistry , 10 ( 2 ), 121 - 4 ; 1975 . journal of heterocyclic chemistry ( 1977 ), 14 ( 5 ), 853 - 5 . zhurnal obshchei khimii ( 1980 ), 50 ( 4 ), 860 - 3 . european journal of medicinal chemistry ( 1996 ), 31 ( 7 - 8 ), 597 - 606 . journal of heterocyclic chemistry ( 1980 ), 17 ( 3 ), 607 - 8 . journal fuer praktische chemie ( leipzig ), 332 ( 1 ), 55 - 64 ; 1990 ). for example , compounds of formula 1 can be obtained by reacting a compound of formula vii - ix , with thiosemicarbazide in a suitable solvent such as water , c1 - c4 alcohol in the presence of acid , preferably hcl , h 3 po 4 , polyphosphoric acid , sulfuric acid , meso 3 oh , et . c . compounds of formula 1 can also be obtained by reacting a compound of formula x with fecl 3 as described in the reference cited above ( journal of heterocyclic chemistry , 12 ( 3 ), 581 - 3 ; 1975 ; pharm . pharmacol . commun . 2000 , 6 , 31 - 33 ; russian j . org . chem . vol 33 , 1997 , pp567 - 568 ; eur . j . med . chem ( 1996 ) 31 , 597 - 606 ;). alternatively , compounds of formula 1 can be obtained by reacting a compound of formula vii , with thiosemicarbazide and phosphorous oxychloride at reflux , followed by hydrolysis ( j . heterocyclic chem . 8 : 835 - 837 .). numerous reagents that are well - known in the art may be used to couple 1 and 2a - c to form 3 by standard peptide coupling methods ( 2a ) or the trimethylaluminum coupling method ( 2b ) or a leaving group ( halogen or a mixed anhydride )( 2c ) known in art of organic chemistry ( scheme i ). activation of the carboxylic acid 2a with oxalyl halide , thionyl chloride , carbodiimidazole , or chloro -( c 1 - c 4 ) alkyl - formate , in the prepsence of an appropriate base ( e . g ., tialkylamine , pyridine , dimethylaminopyridine or sodium carbonate , or the like ) or carbodiimides with or without the use of known additives such as n - hydroxysuccinimide , 1 - hydroxybenzotriazole , etc . can be used to facilitate coupling . standard coupling agents include hatu ( o -( 7 - azabenzotriazole - 1y )- 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 ,- tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate ) or pybop ( benzotriazole - 1 - yl )- oxy - tris - pyrrolidino - phosphonium hexafluorophosphate ) or hbtu ( o - benzotriazole - 1yl )- n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate )/ trialkylamine , or 1 - hydroxybenzotriazole ( hobt )/ 1 -( 3 - dimethylaminopropyl )- 3 - ethyl carbodiimide hydrochloride ( edac )/ trialkylamine ( net3 ), in an appropriate solvent such as methylene chloride , chloroform , tetrahydrofuran ( thf ), acetonitrile , dimethylforamide ( dmf ), and the like or a mixture of two solvents to have reagents mixed well to form a clear solution . peptide coupling agents or resins for solid phase synthesis such as fmoc ( fluorenylmethylcarbonyl )- protected hydroxylamine bound to polystylene beads are common and well known in the literature . deprotection of the fmoc group under standard conditions using 20 % piperidine in dmf . references : o - benzotriazol - 1 - yl - n , n , n ,′ n ′- tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate (“ hbtu ”, aldrich chemical company ) and o -( 7 - azabenzotriazol - 1 - yl )- n , n , n ′, n ′- tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate (“ hatu ”, aldrich ) ( see , fieser , reagents for organic synthesis , 1986 , wiley interscience , new york , vol . 12 , p . 44 ; hruby , biorganic chemistry : peptides and proteins , 1998 , oxford university press , new york , pp . 27 - 64 ; muller , methoden der organischen chemie , vierte auflage — synthese von peptiden ii — houben weyl , george - thieme verlag stuttgart , 1974 , band xv / 2 ). when optically active reagents are employed , reaction conditions , such as temperature , time and the selection of the base , must be carefully controlled to avoid racemization . the protected amino group or carboxylic acid group may be prepared by methods well known in the literature for amino acid protecting groups as described in organic chemistry journal , textbook such as “ protective groups in organic syntehsis ” by t . w . green . alternatively , the coupling can be performed by reacting 1 with an ester 2b in the presence of trialkylaluminum in an appropriate solvent , eg ., thf , dioxane , toluene or a mixture of thf / toluene in an open or sealed tube at a temperature between 0 ° c .- 120 ° c . until the complete conversion to the desired product ( 3 in scheme i ); preferred temperature is room temperature to 80 ° c . intermediate 3 of scheme i , is deprotected to afford aminoamide 4 either through treatment with strong acid in the case of t - butoxycarbonyl or through hydrogenolysis in the case of carbobenzyloxycarbonyl . specifically , t - boc - 3 , on treatment with hydrochloric acid or trifluoroacetic acid in an organic solvent ( e . g ., dioxane , thf , or methylene chloride ), at room temperature to 30 ° c . for about 1 hour to about 19 hours , affords the corresponding salts 4 . alternatively , cbz - 3 may be deprotected through catalytic hydrogenolysis in the presence of hydrogen ( from about 1 to about 10 atmospheres ), a heavy metal catalyst ( e . g ., palladium on carbon or palladium hydroxide on carbon , 1 to 10 percent catalyst loading , present at about 0 . 01 to about 0 . 50 times the of substrate ), and a solvent ( e . g ., methanol , ethanol or ethyl acetate ) at 20 to 50 ° c . for about 1 hour to about 19 hours . the compound formula i 10 in scheme i may be prepared by the reaction of 4 with 9 where l is a leaving group ( e . g ., halide , mesylate , or triflate ) and z is as defined above . the reaction is carried out at 0 to 30 ° c . in an organic solvent ( e . g ., methylene chloride , ethyl acetate , or dmf ) in the presence of an organic base ( e . g ., triethylamine , diisopropylethylamine , or n - methylmorpholine ) for about 1 minute to about 24 hours . alternatively , the compound formula i 10 may be prepared according to the procedure of scheme ii ( z - l is a carboxylic acid or l is a leaving group ), employing the general conditions described for scheme i . in scheme ii , r can be alkyl or benzyl . the coupling of 9 and 11 in scheme ii may be performed at a temperature of about 0 to 30 ° c . in an organic solvent ( e . g ., methylene chloride , dichloroethane , ethyl acetate , or dmf ) in the presence of a base ( e . g ., triethylamine or diisopropylethylamine ). when r is alkyl , either acidic or basic hydrolysis may be used to covert 12 to 13 . if r is benzyl , catalytic hydrogenolysis may also be used to prepare 13 . the above amide bond formation may be achieved by coupling the ester ( 12 in scheme ii ) with 1 in the presence of trialkylaluminum ( e . g ., alme3 ) in an appropriate solvent , e . g ., thf , toluene or a mixture of thf / toluene , or similar like solvents in an open or sealed tube at a temperature of about 0 ° c .- 110 ° c . until there is complete conversion to the desired product ( 10 in scheme ii ). preferably , the temperature is about room temperature to about 80 ° c . the ester group of r 7 may be converted to the corresponding amide using a coupling method similar to those described in scheme i and ii for amide bond formation ( acid and amine with coupling agents to form an amide ), or employing trimethylaluminum in an appropriate solvent or a mixture of solvents , such as thf / toluene to the corresponding amide ( ester with an amine to form an amide ). the olefin containing r7 group may be converted to a ketone , cho , ch2oh , or cooh using ozonolysis followed by either reduction to give alcohol ( by quenching with bh3 . dms , journal of organic chemistry ( 1989 ), 54 ( 6 ), 1430 - 2 . ), or ketone or aldehyde ( by quenching with dimethylsulfide or triphenylphosphine ). the keto or formyl group of r 7 may be converted to the corresponding amine using a well - established reductive amination method by reacting a ketone with an appropriate amine with or without acid catalyst or lewis acid catalyst ( ti ( ipro ) 4 , zncl 2 , nicl 2 ,/ sodium acetate / dry agents ( such as activated molecular sieves 4a , anhydrous na 2 so 4 or mgso 4 ), and a reducing agent such as sodium triacetoxy borohydride , sodium cyanoborohydride , sodium borohydride , zn ( bh 4 ) 2 , bu 3 snh , bu 2 snclh , bu 2 snih , decaborane , silical gel - zn ( bh 4 ) 2 , et 3 sih - trifluoroacetic acid , pyridine - bh3 , phenylsilane - dibutyltin dichloride , or the corresponding polymer bound - nabh 4 , polymer bound - nabh 3 cn , polymer bound - nab ( oac ) 3 h , or any reducing agent ( e . g ., hydrogenation , pd ( oac ) 2 / potassium formate , pd / c / h 2 ) that is known in the literature for reducing the imine bond to the corresponding amine in an appropriate solvent , such as dichloroethane , chloroform , 2 - methoxyethyl ether , dichloroethane , dmf , thf , meoh , ethanol , about iso - propanol , t - butanol or toluene , at a temperature between room temperature to reflux , preferably at about room temperature to about 65 ° c . the starting materials used in the procedures of the above schemes , the syntheses of which are not described above , are either commercially available , known in the art or readily obtainable from known compounds using methods that will be apparent to those skilled in the art . the compounds of formula i , and the intermediates shown in the above reaction schemes , may be isolated and purified by conventional procedures , such as recrystallization or chromatographic separation , such as on silica gel , either with an ethyl acetate / hexane elution gradient , a methylene chloride / methanol elution gradient , or a chloroform / methanol elution gradient . alternatively , a reverse phase preparative hplc or chiral hplc separation technique may be used . in each of the reactions discussed or illustrated above , pressure is not critical unless otherwise indicated . pressures from about 0 . 5 atmospheres to about 5 atmospheres are generally acceptable , and ambient pressure , i . e ., about 1 atmosphere , is preferred as a matter of convenience . pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the compounds of formula i may be prepared in a conventional manner by treating a solution or suspension of the corresponding free base or acid with one chemical equivalent of a pharmaceutically acceptable acid or base . conventional concentration or crystallization techniques may be employed to isolate the salts . suitable acids , include , but are not limited to , acetic , lactic , succinic , maleic , tartaric , citric , gluconic , ascorbic , benzoic , cinnamic , fumaric , sulfuric , phosphoric , hydrochloric , hydrobromic , hydroiodic , sulfamic , sulfonic acids such as methanesulfonic , benzene sulfonic , p - toluenesulfonic and related acids . suitable bases include , but are not limited to , sodium , potassium and calcium . a compound of the formula i of the present invention may be administered to mammals via either the oral , parenteral ( such as subcutaneous , intravenous , intramuscular , intrasternal and infusion techniques ), rectal , intranasal , topical or transdermal ( e . g ., through the use of a patch ) routes . in general , these compounds are most desirably administered in doses ranging from about 0 . 1 mg to about 500 mg per day , in single or divided doses ( i . e ., from 1 to 4 doses per day ), although variations will necessarily occur depending upon the species , weight , age and condition of the subject being treated , as well as the particular route of administration chosen . however , a dosage level that is in the range of about 0 . 1 mg / kg to about 5 gm / kg body weight per day , preferably from about 0 . 1 mg / kg to about 100 mg / kg body weight per day , is most desirably employed . nevertheless , variations may occur depending upon the species of animal being treated and its individual response to said medicament , as well as on the type of pharmaceutical formulation chosen and the time period and interval at which such administration is carried out . in some instances , dosage levels below the lower limit of the aforesaid range may be more than adequate , while in other cases still larger doses may be employed without causing any harmful side effects , provided that such higher dosage levels are first divided into several small doses for administration throughout the day . a compound of the formula i of the present invention may be administered alone or in combination with pharmaceutically acceptable carriers or diluents by either of the routes previously indicated , and such administration may be carried out in single or multiple doses . suitable pharmaceutical carriers include solid diluents or fillers , sterile aqueous media and various non - toxic organic solvents , etc . the pharmaceutical compositions formed by combining a compound of the formula i , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , with a pharmaceutically acceptable inert carrier , can then be readily administered in a variety of dosage forms such as tablets , capsules , lozenges , troches , hard candies , powders , sprays , creams , salves , suppositories , jellies , gels , pastes , lotions , ointments , aqueous suspensions , injectable solutions , elixirs , syrups , and the like . moreover , oral pharmaceutical compositions may be suitably sweetened and / or flavored . for oral administration , tablets containing various excipients such as microcrystalline cellulose , sodium citrate , calcium carbonate , dicalcium phosphate and glycine may be employed along with various disintegrants such as starch ( preferably corn , potato or tapioca starch ), methylcellulose , alginic acid and certain complex silicates , together with granulation binders such as polyvinylpyrrolidone , sucrose , gelatin and acacia . additionally , lubricating agents such as magnesium stearate , sodium lauryl sulfate and talc are often useful for tabletting purposes . solid compositions of a similar type may also be employed as fillers in gelatin capsules . preferred materials in this connection include lactose or milk sugar as well as high molecular weight polyethylene glycols . when aqueous suspensions and / or elixirs are desired for oral administration , the active ingredient may be combined with various sweetening or flavoring agents , coloring matter or dyes , and , if so desired , emulsifying and / or suspending agents as well , together with such diluents as water , ethanol , propylene glycol , glycerin and various like combinations thereof . for parenteral administration , solutions containing a compound of the formula i of the present invention in either sesame or peanut oil or in aqueous propylene glycol may be employed . the aqueous solutions should be suitably buffered ( preferably ph greater than 8 ) if necessary and the liquid diluent first rendered isotonic with sufficient saline or glucose . these aqueous solutions are suitable for intravenous injection purposes . the oily solutions are suitable for intraarticular , intramuscular and subcutaneous injection purposes . the preparation of all these solutions under sterile conditions is readily accomplished by standard pharmaceutical techniques well known to those skilled in the art . the compounds of formula i of the present invention are useful in inhibiting aβ - peptide production ( thus , gamma - secretase activity ) in mammals , and therefore they are able to function as therapeutic agents in the treatment of the aforementioned disorders and diseases in an afflicted mammal . the ability of compounds of the formula i of this invention , and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts , to inhibit aβ - peptide production ( thus , gamma - secretase activity ) may be determined using biological assays known to those of ordinary skill in the art , for example the assays described below . the activity of compounds of the formula i of the present invention in inhibiting gamma - secretase activity was determined in a solubilized membrane preparation generally according to the description provided in mclendon et al . cell - free assays for γ - secretase activity , the faseb journal ( vol . 14 , december 2000 , pp . 2383 - 2386 ). using such assay , compounds of the present invention were determined to have an ic 50 activity for inhibiting gamma - secretase activity of less than about 100 micromolar . the following examples illustrate the present invention . it is to be understood , however , that the invention , as fully described herein and as recited in the claims , is not intended to be limited by the details of the following examples . a mixture of 3 , 5 - di - fluoro - phenyl acetic acid ( 51 . 6 mg , 0 . 3 mmol ), 2 - amino - pentanoic acid ( 5 - tert - butyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide ( 88 mg , 0 . 3 mmol ), hbot ( 43 mg , 0 . 315 mmol ), edc hcl ( 69 mg , 0 . 36 mmol .) and triethylamine ( 0 . 17 ml ) in methylene chloride was stirred at room temperature until product formation or disappearance of starting material . the mixture was quenched with water and extracted with methylene chloride . the organic layer was separated , washed with dilute hcl , brine , dried over sodium sulfate and the solvent was removed at reduced pressure to provide the title compound as a cude oil . the oil was purified by shimadzu hplc to provide the title compound as a white solid ( 56 mg ), lc - ms m + 1 = 411 . 2 , 1h nmr ( cdcl3 ) 8 . 7 ( d , 1h , nh ), 6 . 73 ( m , 2h ), 6 . 6 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 7 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 5 ( abq , 2h ), 1 . 6 - 1 . 9 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 3 - 1 . 6 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 5 ( s , 9h ), 0 . 92 ( t , 3h ) ppm . a mixture of 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 25 . 4 mg , 0 . 2 mmol ), 5 -( 2 - phenyl - propylsulfanyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - ylamine ( 50 mg , 0 . 2 mmol ), hbot ( 29 mg , 0 . 21 mmol ), edc hcl ( 46 mg , 0 . 24 mmol .) and triethylamine ( 0 . 12 ml ) in methylene chloride was stirred at room temperature until product formation or disappearance of starting material . the mixture was quenched with water and extracted with methylene chloride . the organic layer was separated , washed with dilute hcl , brine , dried over sodium sulfate and the solvent was removed at reduced pressure to provide the title compound as a cude oil . the oil was purified by shimadzu hplc to provide the title compound as a light yellow solid ( 26 mg ), lc - ms m + 1 = 505 . 0 a mixture of 2 -( s )- hydroxyl - 3 - methyl - butyric acid ( 35 . 4 mg , 0 . 3 mmol ), 2 - amino - pentanoic acid ( 5 - tert - butyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide ( 88 mg , 0 . 3 mmol ), hbot ( 43 mg , 0 . 21 mmol ), edc hcl ( 69 mg , 0 . 36 mmol .) and triethylamine ( 0 . 17 ml ) in 2 ml of methylene chloride was stirred at room temperature until product formation or disappearance of starting material . the mixture was quenched with water and extracted with methylene chloride . the organic layer was separated , washed with dilute hcl , brine , dried over sodium sulfate and the solvent was removed at reduced pressure to provide the title compound as a cude oil . the oil was purified by shimadzu hplc to provide the title compound as a light yellow solid ( 44 mg ), lc - ms m + 1 = 357 . 1 the following compounds were prepared by the methods analogous to those describered in examples 1 , 2 , or 3 . 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - phenyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 431 . 1 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 4 - methoxy - phenyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , m + 1 = 461 . 0 , rt = 2 . 7 min 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 3 , 4 - dimethyl - benzylsulfanyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , m + 1 = 504 . 9 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - adamantan - 1 - yl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amid , m + 1 = 489 . 1 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 4 - chloro - benzyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , m += 478 . 9 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 3 - trifluoromethyl - benzylsulfanyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , m + 1 = 545 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 3 - methoxy - benzylsulfanyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , m + 1 = 507 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 2 - fluoro - benzylsulfanyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , m + 1 = 495 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - propylsulfamoyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 476 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid { 5 -[ 2 -( 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenoxy )- ethylsulfanyl ]-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl }- amide , m + 1 = 574 . 9 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 3 , 4 - dichloro - benzylsulfanyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , m + 1 = 544 . 8 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - dipropylsulfamoyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 518 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - benzylsulfanyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 476 . 9 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid { 5 -[ 1 -( 2 , 4 - dichloro - phenoxy )- ethyl ]-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl }- amide , m + 1 = 543 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 4 - phenoxy - butylsulfanyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , m + 1 = 535 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid { 5 -[ 2 -( 4 - bromo - phenoxy )- ethylsulfanyl ]-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl }- amide , m + 1 = 586 . 8 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - diethylsulfamoyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 490 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - ethylsulfamoyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 461 . 9 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - phenethylsulfanyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m += 491 . 0 2 -( 2 - hydroxy - 2 - phenyl - acetylamino )- pentanoic acid ( 5 - tert - butyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 391 . 2 2 -( 2 - hydroxy - 3 , 3 - dimethyl - butyrylamino )- pentanoic acid ( 5 - tert - butyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 371 . 2 2 -( 2 - hydroxy - 3 - methyl - butyrylamino )- pentanoic acid ( 5 - tert - butyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 357 . 2 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- 2 -( s )- 2 - hydroxy - acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - tert - butyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 427 . 2 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- 2 -( r )- 2 - hydroxy - acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - tert - butyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 427 . 2 2 -[ 2 -( 5 - bromo - pyridin - 3 - yl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - tert - butyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 454 . 2 2 -( 2 - bicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 1 ] hept - 2 - yl - acetylamino )- pentanoic acid ( 5 - tert - butyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 393 . 3 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - ethyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 383 . 2 2 -( 2 - hydroxy - 3 - methyl - butyrylamino )- pentanoic acid ( 5 - ethyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 329 . 2 2 -[ 2 -( 5 - bromo - pyridin - 3 - yl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - ethyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 428 . 2 2 -( 2 - bicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 1 ] hept - 2 - yl - acetylamino )- pentanoic acid ( 5 - ethyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 365 . 3 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - methyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 369 . 1 2 -( s )-( 2 -( s )- hydroxy - 2 - phenyl - acetylamino )- pentanoic acid ( 5 - methyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 349 . 1 2 -( s )-( 2 -( r )- hydroxy - 2 - phenyl - acetylamino )- pentanoic acid ( 5 - methyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 349 . 1 hydroxy - phenyl - acetic acid [ 1 -( 5 - methyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - ylcarbamoyl )- butylcarbamoyl ]- phenyl - methyl ester , m + 1 = 483 . 2 2 -( 2 - hydroxy - 3 , 3 - dimethyl - butyrylamino )- pentanoic acid ( 5 - methyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 329 . 2 2 -( 2 - hydroxy - 3 - methyl - butyrylamino )- pentanoic acid ( 5 - methyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 315 . 1 2 -( s )-[ 2 -( r )-( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- 2 - hydroxy - acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - methyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 385 . 2 2 -( s )-[ 2 -( s )-( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- 2 - hydroxy - acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - methyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 385 . 2 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- n -( 5 - ethylsulfanyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- butyramide , rt = 2 . 3 min , m + 1 = 401 . 3 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- n -[ 5 -( 2 - dimethylamino - ethylsulfanyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- butyramide , rt = 1 . 4 min , m + 1 = 44 . 5 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- n -( 5 - ethoxymethyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- butyramide , rt = 2 . 1 min , m + 1 = 399 . 3 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- n -( 5 - dimethylamino -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- butyramide , rt = 2 . 0 min , m + 1 = 384 . 5 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- n -( 5 - isobutyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- butyramide , rt = 2 . 3 min , m + 1 = 397 . 4 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- n -( 5 - phenyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- butyramide , rt = 2 . 5 min , m + 1 = 417 . 3 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- n -( 5 - isopropyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- butyramide , rt = 2 . 2 min , m + 1 = 383 . 5 n -( 5 - benzyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- butyramide , rt = 2 . 5 min , m + 1 = 431 . 5 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- n -( 5 - phenoxymethyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- butyramide , rt = 2 . 6 min , m + 1 = 447 . 5 n -[ 5 -( 3 - chloro - phenyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- butyramide , rt = 2 . 7 min , m + 1 = 451 . 3 n -( 5 - cyclobutyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- butyramide , rt = 2 . 4 min , m + 1 = 395 . 5 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- n -[ 5 -( 5 - methyl - 3 - phenyl - isoxazol - 4 - yl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- butyramide , rt = 2 . 7 min , m + 1 = 498 . 5 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- n -( 5 - methoxymethyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- butyramide , rt = 2 . 0 min , m + 1 = 385 . 5 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- n -( 5 - isopropylsulfanyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- butyramide , rt = 2 . 6 min , m + 1 = 415 . 5 2 -[ 2 -( 3 - phenoxy - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - cyclohexyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 493 . 5 2 -[ 2 -( 3 - phenoxy - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - methylsulfamoyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 504 . 6 , rt = 2 . 7 min 2 -( 5 -{ 2 -[ 2 -( 3 - phenoxy - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoylamino }-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - ylsulfanyl )- propionic acid ethyl ester , m + 1 = 543 . 6 , rt = 3 . 0 min 2 -[ 2 -( 3 - phenoxy - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - phenethyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 515 . 4 , rt = 3 . 0 min 2 -[ 2 -( 3 - phenoxy - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 - phenoxy - ethyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , m + 1 = 531 . 4 , rt = 3 . 0 min 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- 2 - hydroxy - acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - methyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , rt = 2 . 0 min , m + 1 = 385 . 2 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - cyclopropyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , rt = 2 . 3 min , m + 1 = 395 . 3 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - formyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , rt = 2 . 1 min , m + 1 = 383 . 2 2 -[ 2 -( 2 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - tert - butyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , rt = 2 . 4 min , m + 1 = 411 . 3 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic ethyl - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , rt = 2 . 6 min , m + 1 = 425 . 3 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 2 , 4 , 4 - trimethyl - pentyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , rt = 3 . 0 min , m + 1 = 467 . 4 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 - ethyl - pentyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , rt = 2 . 8 min , m + 1 = 453 . 5 2 -( 2 -( s )- hydroxy - 3 , 3 - dimethyl - butyrylamino )- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 - ethyl - pentyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , rt = 2 . 7 min , m + 1 = 413 . 5 2 -( 2 -( r )- hydroxy - 3 , 3 - dimethyl - butyrylamino )- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 - ethyl - pentyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , rt = 2 . 7 min , m + 1 = 413 . 5 2 -( 2 -( r )- hydroxy - 3 , 3 - dimethyl - butyrylamino )- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 - ethyl - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , rt = 2 . 3 min , m + 1 = 385 . 5 2 -( 2 -( s )- hydroxy - 3 , 3 - dimethyl - butyrylamino )- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 - ethyl - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , rt = 2 . 3 min , m + 1 = 385 . 5 2 -( 2 -( r )- hydroxy - 2 - phenyl - acetylamino )- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 - ethyl - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , rt = 2 . 2 min , m + 1 = 405 . 5 2 -( 2 -( s )- hydroxy - 2 - phenyl - acetylamino )- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 - ethyl - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , rt = 2 . 2 min , m + 1 = 405 . 5 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - but - 3 - enyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , rt = 2 . 7 min , m + 1 = 437 . 1 2 -( 2 -( r )- hydroxy - 2 - phenyl - acetylamino )- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 - ethyl - pentyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , rt = 2 . 6 min , m + 1 = 433 . 5 2 -( 2 -( s )- hydroxy - 2 - phenyl - acetylamino )- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 - ethyl - pentyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , rt = 2 . 6 min , m + 1 = 433 . 5 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - butyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , rt = 2 . 7 min , m + 1 = 439 . 5 2 -( 2 - hydroxy - 2 - phenyl - acetylamino )- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - butyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , white solid , rt = 2 . 0 min , m + 1 = 419 . 5 2 -( 2 - hydroxy - 3 , 3 - dimethyl - butyrylamino )- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - butyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , white solid , rt = 2 . 6 min , m + 1 = 399 . 5 2 -( 2 - hydroxy - 3 - methyl - butyrylamino )- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - butyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , white solid , rt = 2 . 4 min , m + 1 = 385 . 5 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- 2 -( r )- hydroxy - acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - butyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , white solid , rt = 2 . 7 min , m + 1 = 455 . 5 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- 2 -( s )- hydroxy - acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - butyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , white solid , rt = 2 . 7 min , m + 1 = 455 . 5 2 -[ 2 -( 5 - bromo - pyridin - 3 - yl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - butyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , rt = 2 . 5 min , m + 1 = 484 . 4 2 -[ 2 -( 3 - trifluoromethoxy - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - butyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , rt = 3 . 0 min , m + 1 = 487 . 5 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 - methyl - but - 3 - enyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 6 min , m + 1 = 423 . 2 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- n -[ 5 -( 1 - methyl - but - 3 - enyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- butyramide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 4 min , m + 1 = 409 . 2 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 - methyl - butyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 5 min , m + 1 = 425 . 5 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- n -[ 5 -( 1 - methyl - butyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- butyramide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 5 min , m + 1 = 411 . 4 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- n -[ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - but - 3 - enyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- butyramide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 6 min , m + 1 = 423 . 4 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 3 , 3 - dimethoxy - 1 , 1 - dimethyl - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 6 min , m + 1 = 485 . 0 2 -( 2 - hydroxy - 3 , 3 - dimethyl - butyrylamino )- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - but - 3 - enyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , 1h nmr ( cdcl3 ) δ 7 . 7 ( d , 1h ), 5 . 65 ( m , 1h ), 5 . 1 ( m , 2h ), 4 . 7 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 8 ( s , 1h ), 2 . 5 ( d , 2h ), 1 . 7 - 2 . 0 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 5 - 1 . 6 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 45 ( s , 6h ), 0 . 98 ( s , 9h ), 0 . 94 ( t , 3h ) ppm 2 -( 2 - hydroxy - 2 - phenyl - acetylamino )- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - but - 3 - enyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 6 min , m + 1 = 416 . 9 2 -( 2 - hydroxy - 3 - methyl - butyrylamino )- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - but - 3 - enyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 4 min , m + 1 = 383 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- 2 -( s )- 2 - hydroxy - acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - but - 3 - enyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 9 min , m + 1 = 452 . 9 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- 2 -( r )- 2 - hydroxy - acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - but - 3 - enyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 8 min , m + 1 = 452 . 9 2 -( 2 - hydroxy - 3 , 3 - dimethyl - butyrylamino )- pentanoic acid ( 5 - cyclopropyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 2 min , m + 1 = 355 . 0 2 -( 2 - hydroxy - 3 - methyl - butyrylamino )- pentanoic acid ( 5 - cyclopropyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 0 min , m + 1 = 341 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- 2 - hydroxy - acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - cyclopropyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 3 min , m + 1 = 410 . 9 2 -( 2 - hydroxy - 2 - phenyl - acetylamino )- pentanoic acid ( 5 - cyclopropyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 2 min , m + 1 = 374 . 9 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 2 - chloro - 1 , 1 - dimethyl - ethyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 6 min , m + 1 = 444 . 8 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 2 - hydroxy - 1 , 1 - dimethyl - ethyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 1 min , m + 1 = 426 . 9 2 -( 5 -{ 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoylamino }-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - ylsulfanyl )- 2 - methyl - propionic acid ethyl ester , lc - ms rt = 2 . 8 min , m + 1 = 500 . 8 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid { 5 -[( isopropyl - phenyl - carbamoyl )- methylsulfanyl ]-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl }- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 8 min , m + 1 = 561 . 8 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 3 - fluoro - benzylsulfanyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 9 min , m + 1 = 494 . 8 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 4 - trifluoromethyl - pyrimidin - 2 - ylsulfanyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , 1h nmr ( cdcl3 / cd3od ) δ 8 . 74 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 37 ( d , 1h ), 6 . 70 ( m , 2h0 , 6 . 57 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 51 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 43 ( s , 2h ), 1 . 71 ( m , 1h ), 1 . 69 ( m , 1h ), 1 . 26 ( m , 2h ), 0 . 87 ( t , 3h ) ppm . 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 - methyl - allyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 6 min , m + 1 = 409 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 - methyl - propenyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 6 min , m + 1 = 409 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 2 - benzyloxy - 1 , 1 - dimethyl - ethyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , lc - ms rt = 3 . 0 min , m + 1 = 517 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- n -[ 3 -( toluene - 4 - sulfonylamino )-[ 1 , 2 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 5 - yl ]- butyramide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 5 min , m + 1 = 510 . 3 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 3 - ethylsulfanyl -[ 1 , 2 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 5 - yl )- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 7 min , m + 1 = 415 . 2 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 3 - methanesulfonyl -[ 1 , 2 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 5 - yl )- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 3 min , m + 1 = 433 . 2 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 3 -( 4 - nitro - benzenesulfonylamino )-[ 1 , 2 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 5 - yl ]- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 6 min , m + 1 = 555 . 3 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 3 - p - tolylamino -[ 1 , 2 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 5 - yl )- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 4 min , m + 1 = 460 . 4 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 3 - methyl -[ 1 , 2 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 5 - yl )- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 1 min , m + 1 = 369 . 2 a mixture of 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - but - 3 - enyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide ( 196 mg , 0 . 45 mmol ) and ˜ 60 % pure m - chloroperbenzoic acid ( 109 mg , 0 . 45 mmol ) in methylene chloride was stirred for 4 hr . the mixture was quenched with water , saturated na 2 s 2 o 3 and extracted with methylene chloride . the organic layer was washed with brine , separated , dried , and concentrated to give 114 mg of crude material with a mixture of desired title compound and undesired n - oxide and recovered starting material . the crude material was purified by hplc and the title compound was isolated , lc - ms , rt = 2 . 3 min , m = 1 = 453 . 5 . a stream of ozone was generated and passed through a solution of 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - but - 3 - enyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide ( 631 mg , 1 . 445 mmol ) in 40 ml of methylene chloride until the mixture turned to blue solution or until the disappearance of starting material at − 78 ° c . the mixture was stirred at − 78 ° c . for 10 min , then the excess ozone was replaced with n 2 at − 78 ° c . the mixture was quenched with excess of dimethylsulfide and stirred at r . t . overnight . the mixture was concentrated to dryness , purified by shimadzu hplc to give the title compound as a yellow solid , rt = 2 . 3 min , m + 1 = 439 . 5 . 3 -( 5 -{ 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoylamino }-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- 3 - methyl - butyric acid , was prepared as described above in which the ozonolysis provided small quantity of the title compound that was isolated as the title carboxylic acid , rt = 2 . 1 min , m + 1 = 455 . 5 . the following examples were prepared by the method analogous to that described in example 5 starting with an appropriate olefin and ozone , followed by quenching with dimethylsulfide . 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 - methyl - 3 - oxo - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 1 min , m + 1 = 425 . 5 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- n -[ 5 -( 1 - methyl - 3 - oxo - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- butyramide , apci , m + 1 = 411 . 1 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- n -[ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - 3 - oxo - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- butyramide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 2 min , m + 1 = 424 . 9 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- 2 - hydroxy - acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - 3 - oxo - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 4 min , m + 1 = 454 . 9 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 - acetyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 3 min , m + 1 = 396 . 9 a mixture of 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 2 - hydroxy - 1 , 1 - dimethyl - ethyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide ( 40 mg , 0 . 93 mmol ) and dess - martin periodinane ( 1 , 1 , 1 - tris ( acetyloxy )- 1 , 1 - dihydro - 1 , 2 - benziodoxol - 3 -( 1h )- one ) ( 90 mg ) in methylene chloride ( 3 ml ) was stirred at rt for 3 hr . the mixture was quenched with water , methylene chloride and filtered through celite . the filtrate was transferred to separatory funnel and the organic layer was separated , dried and concentrated to give 42 mg of crude material . the crude material was purified by silica gel column chromatography using methylene chloride to 1 % methanol in methylene chloride as eluent to give 20 mg of the title compound as a tan glass solid . apci m + 1 = 425 . 2 . a mixture of -[ 2 -( 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - 3 - oxo - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide ( 88 mg , 0 . 2 mmol ), isopropylamine ( 0 . 09 ml ) in dichloroethane ( 1 ml ) and methylene chloride ( 1 ml ) was stirred at r . t . for 10 min , sodium triacetoxyborohydride ( 76 mg ) was added and the resulting mixture was stirred at r . t . overnight . the mixture was quenched with water , diluted with sodium hydroxide , and extracted with methylene chloride . the organic layer was separated , dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered and concentrated to dryness . the residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography using 3 - 5 % methanol in methylene chloride , then 5 % methanol / 0 . 5 % ammonium hydroxide in methylene chloride as eluent to give the title compound as a free base form . the free base was treated with 4 n hcl in doxane ( 0 . 1 ml ) in methylene chloride ( 1 ml ) and concentrated to dryness . the residue was triturated with hexane , pumped to dryness to give a white solid , lc - ms rt = 1 . 8 min , m + 1 = 481 . 9 . a mixture of 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 - methyl - 3 - oxo - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide ( 63 mg , 0 . 148 mmol ), isopropylamine ( 0 . 2 ml ) in dichloroethane ( 1 ml ) and methylene chloride ( 1 ml ) was stirred at r . t . for 10 min . sodium cyanoborohydride ( 70 mg ), acetic acid ( 0 . 1 ml ), and sodium sulphate were added and the resulting mixture was stirred at 45 - 50 ° c . overnight . the mixture was quenched with water , basified with saturated sodium carbonate , extracted with methylene chloride . the organic layer was separated , dried over na2so 4 , filtered and concentrated to dryness . the residue was purified by shimadzu hplc to give the title compound lc - ms rt = 1 . 7 min , m + 1 = 467 . 9 . the following examples were prepared by the method analogous to that described in examples 8 or 9 starting from an appropriate aldehyde or ketone and an appropriate amine in an appropriate solvent or a mixture of solvents selected from methylene chloride , dichloroethane , thf , or dmf in the presence of a reducing agent selected from nabh 3 cn or nab ( oac ) 3 h with or without acetic acid . 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid { 5 -[ 1 , 1 - dimethyl - 3 -( 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoro - ethylamino )- propyl ]-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl }- amide , lc - ms , rt = 1 . 6 min , m + 1 = 522 . 6 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- n -[ 5 -( 3 - ethylamino - 1 - methyl - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- butyramide hcl salt , lc - ms , rt = 1 . 8 min , m + 1 = 440 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- n -[ 5 -( 3 - isopropylamino - 1 - methyl - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- butyramide , hcl salt , lc - ms , rt = 1 . 6 min , m + 1 = 453 . 9 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- n -[ 5 -( 3 - isopropylamino - 1 , 1 - dimethyl - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- butyramide , lc - ms , rt = 1 . 7 min , m + 1 = 467 . 9 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 3 - ethylamino - 1 , 1 - dimethyl - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , lc - ms , rt = 1 . 9 min , m + 1 = 467 . 9 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 3 - dimethylamino - 1 , 1 - dimethyl - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide hcl salt , lc - ms , rt = 1 . 6 min , m + 1 = 468 . 9 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - 3 - propylamino - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , hcl salt , lc - ms , rt = 1 . 9 min , m + 1 = 483 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid { 5 -[ 3 -( 2 - hydroxy - ethylamino )- 1 , 1 - dimethyl - propyl ]-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl }- amide , hcl salt , lc - ms , rt = 1 . 8 min , m + 1 = 484 . 9 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 3 - tert - butylamino - 1 , 1 - dimethyl - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide formic acid salt , lc - ms , rt = 1 . 7 min , m + 1 = 496 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 3 - cyclopropylamino - 1 , 1 - dimethyl - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide formic acid salt , lc - ms , rt = 1 . 9 min , m + 1 = 480 . 2 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - 3 - pyrrolidin - 1 - yl - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide formic acid salt , lc - ms , rt = 1 . 7 min , m + 1 = 494 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - 3 - morpholin - 4 - yl - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide formic acid salt , lc - ms , rt = 1 . 5 min , m + 1 = 510 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid { 5 -[ 3 -( 1 - ethyl - propylamino )- 1 , 1 - dimethyl - propyl ]-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl }- amide formic acid salt , lc - ms , rt = 1 . 8 min , m + 1 = 510 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- 2 - hydroxy - acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 3 - cyclopropylamino - 1 , 1 - dimethyl - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide formic acid salt , lc - ms , rt = 1 . 8 min , m + 1 = 495 . 9 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 -{ 3 -[ formyl -( 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoro - ethyl )- amino ]- 1 , 1 - dimethyl - propyl }-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , lc - ms , rt = 2 . 6 min , m + 1 = 549 . 9 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- 2 - hydroxy - acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid ( 5 -{ 3 -[ formyl -( 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoro - ethyl )- amino ]- 1 , 1 - dimethyl - propyl }-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , lc - ms , rt = 2 . 5 min , m + 1 = 566 . 9 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid { 5 -[ 1 -( 3 - methyl - butylamino )- ethyl ]-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl }- amide , hcl salt , lc - ms , rt = 1 . 9 min , m + 1 = 468 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 - butylamino - ethyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , hcl salt , lc - ms , rt = 1 . 9 min , m + 1 = 454 . 9 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid { 5 -[ 1 -( 3 , 3 - dimethyl - butylamino )- ethyl ]-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl }- amide hcl salt , lc - ms , rt = 2 . 2 min , m + 1 = 482 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 - cyclopropylamino - ethyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide hcl salt , lc - ms , rt = 1 . 7 min , m + 1 = 437 . 9 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid { 5 -[ 1 -( 4 - methyl - piperazin - 1 - yl )- ethyl ]-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl }- amide formic acid salt , lc - ms , rt = 1 . 7 min , m + 1 = 481 . 0 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid { 5 -[ 1 -( 4 - chloro - benzylamino )- ethyl ]-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl }- amide formic acid salt , lc - ms , rt = 2 . 3 min , m + 1 = 521 . 9 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid { 5 -[ 1 -( 3 - chloro - benzylamino )- ethyl ]-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl }- amide hcl salt , lc - ms , rt = 2 . 2 min , m + 1 = 521 . 9 a mixture of 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- n -[ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - 3 - oxo - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )]- butyramide ( 100 mg ) and sodium borohydride ( 40 mg ) in methanol was stirred at rt for 5 min . the mixture was quenched with water , extracted with methylene chloride . the organic layer was separated , dried , filtered and concentrated to give 90 mg of the tilte compound that was purified by silica gel column chromatography using hexane / etoac = 3 / 2 to etoac as eluent to give 80 mg of the title compound , lc - ms rt = 2 . 1 min , m + 1 = 426 . 9 the following examples were prepared by the method analogous to that described in example 10 starting from an appropriate aldehyde or ketone with excess of sodium borohydride in methanol . 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 3 - hydroxy - 1 , 1 - dimethyl - propyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , lc - ms rt = 2 . 2 min , m + 1 = 440 . 9 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 - hydroxy - ethyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide lc - ms rt = 1 . 9 min , m + 1 = 398 . 9 a mixture of 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - 2 - oxo - ethyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide ( 41 mg ), morpholine ( 25 mg ), acetic acid ( 0 . 02 ml ) in methylene chloride ( 1 ml ) was stirred at room temperature for 1 hr , and sodium triacetoxyborohydride ( 42 mg ) was added . the mixture was stirred at room temperature for at least two days . the mixture was quenched with diluted naoh and extracted with methylene chloride . the organic layer was separated , concentrated to dryness and the residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography using 35 % to 65 % ethyl acetate in hexane as eluent to give the title compound . the title compound was prepared as the corresponding hcl salt by adding hcl / doxane , followed by concentration to give a solid . lc_ms retention time 1 . 7 min m + 1 = 497 . 0 , m − 1 = 495 . 0 . a mixture of 2 -[ 2 -( 3 , 5 - difluoro - phenyl )- acetylamino ]- pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - 2 - oxo - ethyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide ( 22 mg ), pyrrolidine ( 0 . 02 ml ), acetic acid ( 0 . 01 ml ) in methylene chloride ( 1 ml ) was stirred at room temperature for 1 hr , and sodium triacetoxyborohydride ( 28 mg ) was added . the mixture was stirred at room temperature for at least two days . the mixture was quenched with diluted naoh and extracted with methylene chloride . the organic layer was separated , concentrated to dryness and the residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography using 35 % to 65 % ethyl acetate in hexane as eluent to give the title compound . the title compound was prepared as the corresponding hcl salt by adding hcl / doxane , followed by concentration to give a solid . lc_ms retention time 2 . 0 min m + 1 = 480 . 0 . a mixture of 2 - tert - butoxycarbonylamino - pentanoic acid ( 5 . 432 g , 25 mmol . ), 5 - tert - butyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - ylamine ( 3 . 925 g , 25 mmol ), hbot ( 3 . 540 g , 26 . 25 mmol ), edc hcl ( 5 . 73 g , 30 mmol .) and triethylamine ( 14 ml ) in methylene chloride was stirred at room temperature until product formation or disappearance of starting material . the mixture was quenched with water and extracted with methylene chloride . the organic layer was separated , washed with dilute hcl , brine , dried over sodium sulfate and the solvent was removed at reduced pressure to provide the title compound ( 9 . 2671 g ), lc - ms m + 1 = 357 . 2 . the following examples were prepared by the method analogous to that in preparation a . [ 1 -( 5 - methyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - ylcarbamoyl )- butyl ]- carbamic acid tert - butyl ester , m + 1 = 315 . 4 , 1h nmr ( cdcl3 ) d 6 . 6 ( d , 1h , nh ), 4 . 4 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 7 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 2 - 1 . 9 ( m , 4h ), 1 . 3 ( s , 9h ), 0 . 95 ( t , 3h ) ppm . [ 1 -( 5 - cyclopropyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - ylcarbamoyl )- butyl ]- carbamic acid tert - butyl ester , m + 1 = 341 . 3 [ 1 -( 5 - ethyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - ylcarbamoyl )- butyl ]- carbamic acid tert - butyl ester , m + 1 = 329 . 4 , 1h nmr ( cdcl3 ) d 7 . 0 ( s , 1h , nh ), 4 . 4 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 06 ( q , 2h ), 1 . 3 - 1 . 9 ( m , 4h ), 1 . 4 ( t , 3h ), 1 . 28 ( s , 9h ), 0 . 94 ( t , 3h ) ppm . [ 1 -( 5 - tert - butyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - ylcarbamoyl )- butyl ]- carbamic acid tert - butyl ester , lc - ms m + 1 = 357 . 2 { 1 -[ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - butyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - ylcarbamoyl ]- butyl }- carbamic acid tert - butyl ester , lc - ms rt = 2 . 9 min , m + 1 = 385 . 5 { 1 -[ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - but - 3 - enyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - ylcarbamoyl ]- butyl }- carbamic acid tert - butyl ester , lc - ms rt = 2 . 8 min , m + 1 = 383 . 4 { 1 -[ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - but - 3 - enyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - ylcarbamoyl ]- propyl }- carbamic acid tert - butyl ester , lc - ms rt = 2 . 6 min , m + 1 = 369 . 4 a mixture of [ 1 -( 5 - tert - butyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - ylcarbamoyl )- butyl ]- carbamic acid tert - butyl ester ( 8 . 9 g ) in dioxane ( 60 ml ) was treated with 4 n hcl in 1 , 4 - dioxane ( 20 ml ). the mixture was stirred at rt overnight , then concentrated to dryness and pumped in vacuo to give the title compounds as a white solid ( 7 . 0908 g , 93 %), apci m + 1 = 257 . 4 the following examples were prepared by the method analogous to that described in preparation b . 2 - amino - pentanoic acid ( 5 - methyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 215 . 3 2 - amino - pentanoic acid ( 5 - ethyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , m + 1 = 229 . 3 2 - amino - pentanoic acid ( 5 - cyclopropyl -[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl )- amide , 1h nmr ( cdcl3 ) 4 . 15 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 4 ( m , 1h ), 1 . 95 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 5 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 2 - 1 . 35 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 29 ( m , 2h ), 0 . 98 ( t , 3h ) ppm . 2 - amino - pentanoic acid [ 5 -( 1 , 1 - dimethyl - butyl )-[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] thiadiazol - 2 - yl ]- amide , 1h nmr ( cdcl3 ) d 4 . 14 ( m , 1h ), 1 . 95 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 7 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 5 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 45 ( s , 6h ), 1 . 25 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 01 ( t , 3h ), 0 . 89 ( t , 3h ) ppm . based on a reading of the present description and claims , certain modifications to the compounds , compositions and methods described herein will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art . the claims appended hereto are intended to encompass these modifications .	2
in the following detailed description , reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof , and in which are shown , by way of illustration , specific embodiments . these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to make and use them , and it is to be understood that structural , logical or procedural changes may be made . particularly , in the description below , processes are described by way of flowchart . in some instances , steps which follow other steps may be reversed , be in a different sequence or be in parallel , except where a following procedural step requires the presence of a prior procedural step . the disclosed processes may be implemented by an image processing pipeline or other circuit which processes an array of pixel values . the image processing can be implemented using hardware circuits , programmed processors , or a combination of the two . disclosed embodiments provide a motion detection method , system and apparatus for detecting motion based on statistics data that already exists within an imager for other purposes . disclosed embodiments base the determination of whether or not there is motion in the scene on the relative values of the statistics data between two frames of the imaged scene . this allows the disclosed embodiments to be easily implemented with minimal expense . one type of statistics data that is readily available within most imagers is a sharpness score . the sharpness score is a number representing the degree of contrast between adjacent areas within a zone . in a digital camera , sharpness scores are determined by measuring the difference between the intensities of adjacent areas of a pixel array . the pixel array is divided into multiple zones , and a sharpness score for each zone is calculated after an analysis of adjacent areas within each zone . in a red / green / blue ( rgb ) pixel array , the intensity of each pixel may be calculated by converting the rgb values into a hue / saturation / value ( hsv ) system , where the value v variable is used to represent intensity . in this way , intensity values for each pixel may be calculated , and differences in intensities of multiple pixels may be calculated . these differences in intensities represent sharpness scores . most cameras , including digital cameras , have an automatic focus feature in which scenes viewed through the camera can be focused automatically . when an image is out of focus , the sharpness score for the image decreases ; the sharpness score is used to implement the auto - focus functionality ( by changing the distance between lens and sensor based on the sharpness score ). another type of statistics data that is readily available within most imagers is luma . luma represents the brightness in an image and may also be referred to as a brightness value . each pixel of a pixel array has an associated brightness value , which is expressed as a combination of multi - bit digital data values ( e . g ., one each for red , green and blue ). if eight bits are used to describe each of red , green and blue , then the value of each may range from 0 to 255 . therefore , the brightness value may also range from 0 to 255 for such an rgb , 8 - bit imager . fig1 illustrates two image frames ( frame a and frame b ), each comprising a plurality of windows 30 arranged in a 4 × 4 grid . a conventional auto - focus statistics engine ( e . g ., statistics engine 122 , fig3 ) operates with a set of windows 30 arranged in an n × m grid and provides a sharpness score and an average brightness ( luma ) for each window 30 . each window 30 comprises a plurality of pixels . disclosed embodiments implement motion detection using these data ( sharpness score and brightness ) by calculating , for each window , changes in the statistics data received for two different frames . the plurality of windows 30 of frame a corresponds with the plurality of windows 30 of frame b , such that window a 1 corresponds with window b 1 , window a 2 corresponds with window b 2 , etc . in conventional auto - focus operations , the sharpness score and brightness are calculated for each window 30 . these values are the statistics data for the window 30 and are used in the disclosed embodiments for motion detection . two thresholds are stored in memory for use in motion detection : ( 1 ) a threshold th_ratio for an acceptable amount of change between frames a , b for a single window ( e . g ., between a 1 and b 1 ) and ( 2 ) a threshold th_motion_cnt for an acceptable amount of windows 30 with change above the threshold th_ratio . the statistics data for two frames a , b of each window 30 are obtained and the change between frames a , b is determined for each window 30 . then , a determination of how many windows 30 have statistics values that have changed more than the th_ratio threshold is made . if the determined number of windows having statistics that have changed more than the th_ratio threshold is larger than the th_motion_cnt threshold , then motion is detected . one disclosed embodiment is now described in more detail with reference to fig1 and 2 . fig2 is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a method 205 of using statistics data for motion detection in accordance with disclosed embodiments . at step 210 , the array of statistics data from frame a , the array of statistics data from frame b , the windows data change threshold th_ratio and the maximum number of changed windows threshold th_motion_cnt are obtained . in this embodiment , the statistics data includes sharpness scores and / or brightness for each window 30 of each frame a , b . these input parameters are previously stored within or determined by the image flow processor 110 ( fig3 ). at step 220 , motion counter motion_cnt is initialized ; e . g ., it is set to zero . at step 230 , the relative difference value for the first window , d 1 , is calculated as shown in equation ( 1 ): d i = \| a i − b i \| / max ( a i , b i ) , ( 1 ) where d i is the difference value for window i , a i is the value of the statistics data for window i of frame a , b i is the value of the statistics data for window i of frame b , and max ( a i , b i ) is the higher of the statistics data values for window i of frames a and b . it should be noted that disclosed embodiments may operate using only the change in sharpness score or only the change in average brightness ( luma ) or the results from these two statistics values could be combined in making a decision about motion . if the combination of the two statistics values is being used to make a decision about motion , then d i is determined as the sum of the absolute values for each of sharpness score and average brightness divided by the sum of the max value of each of sharpness score and average brightness . at step 240 , if d 1 is greater than the windows data change threshold th_ratio , the counter motion_cnt is incremented at step 250 , as shown in equation ( 2 ): at step 260 a determination is made as to whether window i is the last window 30 of the frame . if window i is not the last window ( e . g ., i is not equal to nwin ), then i is incremented at step 270 and the next difference value ( d i ) is calculated at step 230 , again using equation ( 1 ). the counter motion_cnt is incremented if necessary at step 250 , using equation ( 2 ), and i is again incremented until d i has been calculated for all windows in the frame . once a difference value has been calculated for each window 30 , a determination of whether or not there was motion is made at step 280 . this determination is made in accordance with equation ( 3 ): where m = 1 ( true ) corresponds to detected motion and m = 0 ( false ) corresponds to no detected motion . disclosed embodiments use statistics data that is already collected within the imager for use in other image processing functions , such as , e . g . focus . the method of the disclosed embodiments provides an additional benefit in that the costs for adding a motion detection feature are low since the method uses information for motion detection that is already available within the image flow processor 110 . in an additional disclosed embodiment , the motion detection may be weighted such that changes in a certain portion of the frame are more important than changes in a different portion of the frame , by using different weights for different windows . for example , if it is desired to make the motion detection in a central part of an image more sensitive than in the peripheral portions , windows at the center of the frame will be given a higher weight than windows at the periphery . a weighted motion score can be calculated in accordance with equation ( 4 ): where motion_score represents the total amount of motion in the image ( and is similar to motion_cnt ), motion i is a variable representing the amount of motion sensed in a particular window i of the imager array , weight i is the weight given to window i , and n win is the total number of windows . motion i is set to be equal to one if the change in the statistics data is more than threshold th_ratio for window i and is equal to zero if it is not . once the motion_score is calculated , it is compared with predefined threshold th_motion_cnt . if motion_score is greater than th_motion_cnt , motion is detected . if motion_score is less than th_motion_cnt , motion is not detected . fig3 illustrates a block diagram of a system - on - a - chip ( soc ) imager constructed in accordance with disclosed embodiments . the system - on - a - chip may use any type of imager technology , ccd , cmos , etc . the system - on - a - chip also includes the motion detection capabilities of the disclosed embodiments . the imager 100 comprises a sensor core 200 that communicates with an image flow processor 110 that is connected to an output interface 130 . sensor core 200 may include a pixel array . a phase - locked loop ( pll ) 244 is used as a clock for the sensor core 200 . the image flow processor 110 , which is responsible for image and color processing , includes interpolation line buffers 112 , decimator line buffers 114 , and a color processing pipeline 120 . the color processing pipeline 120 includes , among other things , a statistics engine 122 . one of the functions of the image flow processor 110 is the performance of motion detection in accordance with disclosed embodiments . the sharpness scores and brightness values for the individual windows ( fig1 ) are determined by the statistics engine 122 . the output interface 130 includes an output first - in - first - out ( fifo ) parallel buffer 132 and a serial mobile industry processing interface ( mipi ) output 134 , particularly where the imager 100 is used in a camera in a mobile telephone environment . the user can select either a serial output or a parallel output by setting registers in a configuration register within the imager 100 chip . an internal bus 140 connects read only memory ( rom ) 142 , a microcontroller 144 , and a static random access memory ( sram ) 146 to the sensor core 200 , image flow processor 110 , and output interface 130 . disclosed embodiments may be implemented as part of an image flow processor 110 , by a processor executing a program , by hardware circuits with a processing pipeline , or by a combination of both , etc . the method 205 may be implemented as computer instructions and stored on a computer readable storage medium . disclosed embodiments may be implemented as part of a camera such as e . g ., a digital still or video camera , or other image acquisition system . fig4 illustrates a processor system as part of , for example , a digital still or video camera system 800 employing a system - on - a - chip imager 100 as illustrated in fig3 , which imager 100 provides for motion detection as described above . the processing system includes a processor 805 ( shown as a cpu ) which implements system , e . g . camera 800 , functions and also controls image flow through the system . the processor 805 is coupled with other elements of the system , including random access memory 820 , removable memory 825 such as a flash or disc memory , one or more input / out devices 810 for entering data or displaying data and / or images and imager 100 through bus 815 which may be one or more busses or bridges linking the processor system components . the imager 100 receives light corresponding to a captured image through lens 840 when a shutter release button 842 is depressed . while described embodiments have been described in detail , it should be readily understood that the embodiments are not limited to those disclosed . rather the embodiments can be modified to incorporate any number of variations , alterations , substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described .	7
fig3 shows one embodiment of our inventive output buffer . high current transistor ql is coupled to ground through load device 50 . if input voltage v in , applied to the gate of transistor ql is low , transistor ql will be turned off and node 1 will be pulled low by load device 50 . load device 50 in the embodiment of fig3 may be a passive device , such as a resistor or other passive current source , or , alternately , may be an active switched load device , such as a transistor . if load device 50 is an active device , the active device must be made conductive when v in is low and nonconductive when v in is high . thus , when v in is low , output voltage v out , taken from node 1 , will also be low . coupled to node 1 is inverter 52 , whose output is connected to the gate of high current transistor q2 . transistor q2 is connected between supply voltage v s and the drain of transistor ql . since output voltage v out is low , a high voltage will be applied by inverter 52 , after a short inherent delay by inverter 52 , to the gate of transistor q2 . transistor q2 , after a short inherent delay , will turn on , but will have no effect on output voltage v out since transistor ql is nonconductive due to the low v in signal . input signal v in is also coupled to the gate of low current transistor q3 coupled between supply voltage v s and node 1 . thus transistor q3 will also be in its off state by the low v in signal . when input voltage v in now rises from a low state to a high state , this high voltage will turn transistor ql on , and since transistor q2 is already on , from when input voltage v in was in its low state , a high current flows from supply voltage v s through transistors ql and q2 to node 1 . this high current causes the voltage at node 1 to rise . thus the output buffer provides a high current signal v out to a subsequent stage coupled to node 1 . this high current provided at node 1 quickly charges any parasitic capacitance in the subsequent stage and raises any clamping load in the subsequent stage to the clamping voltage so that the subsequent stage is properly switched . meanwhile , the high voltage at node 1 is applied to inverter 52 , and , after an inherent delay by inverter 52 , a low output of inverter 52 is applied to the gate of transistor q2 . transistor q2 , after a short inherent delay , then turns off , causing the high current to node 1 to cease . low current transistor q3 , having been switched on when input voltage v in was raised to its present high voltage state , now provides all the necessary current to node 1 and to the subsequent stage to hold the subsequent stage in its present state . the combined delay of inverter 52 and transistor q2 must be greater than or equal to the delay needed to fully set the state of the subsequent stage . one way of insuring that the load of the subsequent stage reaches its threshold voltage before transistor q2 switches off is to use components for inverter 52 which are identical to those used by the subsequent stage . thus , as the voltage at node 1 rises , it will pass through the threshold voltage of the subsequent stage before inverter 52 operates to switch off transistor q2 . a graphic illustration of output voltage v out and output current i out versus time for a high input signal v in occuring at time t = 0 is shown in fig4 . as shown in fig4 when v in goes high at t = 0 , transistor ql becomes fully switched on , after an inherent delay of transistor ql , at time t = 2 . since transistor q2 has been previously turned on by a high output of inverter 52 when output voltage v out was in a low state , output current i out flows through node 1 . as the voltage v out at node 1 passes through the threshold voltage of the subsequent stage and the threshold voltage of inverter 52 at time t = 1 , the output of inverter 52 goes low . even after v out has risen sufficiently to switch the subsequent stage , i out keeps rising and levels off at a high current determined by the impedence of the output buffer and subsequent stage . output voltage v out is clamped at a voltage determined by the clamping load of the subsequent stage . at time t = 3 , transistor q2 , switched off by the low output of inverter 52 , causes output current i out to descend to the quiescent current provided by low current transistor q3 . shown in fig5 is a more detailed embodiment of our invention showing inverter 52 as being comprised of transistors q4 and q5 . also shown in fig5 is level shift means 60 , which makes the output buffer well suited for gaas technology since , to prevent any conduction from occurring in n - layer 12 of the gaas mesfet of fig1 the schottky diode may need to be reverse biased even with respect to grounded source 14 . thus , the voltage applied to schottky metal 18 must be a negative voltage supplied by negative voltage source - v l . if the subsequent stage has a mosfet input device , level shifting means 60 and load device 62 may not be necessary . in fig5 low current transistors q7 and q8 comprise an inverter . transistor q7 and depletion type transistor q8 are connected in series between supply voltage v s and ground , where the gate of transistor q8 is connected to its source , and the drain of transistor q8 is connected to supply voltage v s . input voltage v in is coupled to the gate of transistor q7 . the common terminal of transistors q8 and q7 are coupled to the gates of low current transistor q3 and high current transistor ql . the drain of transistor ql is connected to supply voltage v s through high current transistor q2 . transistors ql , q2 , and q3 operate identically to transistors ql , q2 , and q3 in fig3 . load device 50 is coupled between ground and the source of transistor ql . level shifting means 60 is coupled between node 1 and negative supply voltage - v l through load device 62 . level shifting means 60 is also coupled to the gate of transistor q4 . level shifting means 60 may comprise a plurality of diodes connected in series forward biased in the direction from node v s to - v l . load device 62 may comprise a depletion type transistor coupled through a resistor to negative voltage - v l , with the gate of the depletion type transistor coupled directly to negative voltage - v l and the drain of the depletion type transistor connected to level shifting means 60 . thus , incorporating the level shifting means 60 into the embodiment of fig5 enables a negative voltage output into a subsequent stage or a load when node 1 is low . as previously stated , this level shifting may be required for switching gaas mesfets . inverter means 52 comprising transistors q4 and q5 is coupled to the output of level shifting means 60 to provide an inverted voltage to the gate of high current transistor q2 , as previously described with respect to fig3 and 4 . if the device of fig5 is to provide a noninverted output , an inverting load , shown as inverter 64 , must be inserted before a subsequent stage so that a high input voltage v in will produce a high output voltage v out . fig6 shows an embodiment similar to that of fig5 except that load device 50 is an active device , such as transistor q6 , whose gate is coupled to v in . low current transistor q3 in fig3 is replaced by a pull - up means 66 , which may be a resistor 66 connected to supply voltage v s or an fet transistor with its gate coupled to its source so as to supply a fixed low current to node 1 . alternately , pull - up means 66 may be a transistor whose control gate is coupled to an inverted v in signal , as in the arrangement of transistor q3 in fig5 . as is apparent , the invention , generally shown in fig3 may be incorporated in virtually any output buffer to prevent excess current from being supplied to a subsequent stage . all that is needed is for inverter 52 , coupled to the output of the output buffer , to have a threshold voltage equal to or exceeding the threshold voltage of the subsequent stage to be controlled . in one application of the buffers of fig3 , and 6 , inverter 52 may actually be a part of a subsequent stage to be switched by the buffer so that a separate inverter 52 is not needed . while specific embodiments have been disclosed in this specification , these embodiments are merely illustrative of our invention and are not to be construed as limitations of our invention . other embodiments of our invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the teachings of our invention .	7
therefore , the present invention relates to compounds belonging to the substituted oxazole derivatives . these compounds are capable of selectively inhibiting signal transduction involving the tyrosine phosphokinase c - kit , bcr - abl , flt - 3 and mutant forms thereof . in a first embodiment , the invention is aimed at compounds of formula i , which may represent either free base forms of the substances or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof : wherein substituents a , b , b ′, q and r1 - r5 in formula i are defined as follows : iv ) ( ch2 ) r where n is 0 , 1 or 2 or when a and b ′ each are a nitrogen , they may be taken together to form a bivalent radical of formula : where s and t each independently is 1 or 2 and x1 being o , s , nr10 , n [ c (═ o ) r10 ] or ( ch2 ) n where n is 0 or 1 , and wherein each hydrogen in said formula ( a ) may be substituted with halo or c 1 - 4 alkyl . r6 and r7 each independently are hydrogen , c 1 - 4 alkyl , c 2 - 6 alkenyl , c 2 - 6 alkynyl , c 3 - 7 cycloalkyl , c 1 - 4 haloalkyl , c 1 - 4 alkoxy , c 1 - 4 hydroxyalkyl , c 1 - 4 alkylamino . ii ) an alkyl 1 group defined as a linear , branched or cycloalkyl group containing from 1 to 10 carbon atoms and optionally substituted with one or more hetereoatoms such as halogen ( selected from f , cl , br or i ), oxygen , and nitrogen ( the latter optionally in the form of a pendant basic nitrogen functionality ); as well as trifluoromethyl , carboxyl , cyano , nitro , formyl ; as well as co — r , coo — r , con — h — r , so2 - r , and so2nh — r wherein r is a linear or branched alkyl group containing 1 to 10 carbon atoms and optionally substituted with at least one heteroatom , notably a halogen ( selected from f , cl , br or i ), oxygen , and nitrogen , the latter optionally in the form of a pendant basic nitrogen functionality ; as well as a cycloalkyl or aryl 1 or heteroaryl 1 group optionally substituted by a pendant basic nitrogen functionality , or iii ) an aryl 1 group defined as phenyl or a substituted variant thereof bearing any combination , at any one ring position , of one or more substituents such as halogen ( selected from i , f , cl or br ); an alkyl 1 group ; a cycloalkyl , aryl or heteroaryl group optionally substituted by a pendant basic nitrogen functionality ; trifluoromethyl , o - alkyl 1 , carboxyl , cyano , nitro , formyl , hydroxy , nh - alkyl 1 , n ( alkyl 1 )( alkyl 1 ), and amino , the latter nitrogen substituents optionally in the form of a basic nitrogen functionality ; nhco — r or nhcoo — r or nhconh — r or nhso2 - r or nhso2nh — r or co — r or coo — r or conh — r or so2 - r or so2nh — r wherein r corresponds to hydrogen , alkyl 1 , aryl or heteroaryl , or iv ) a heteroaryl 1 group defined as a pyridyl , pyrimidinyl , pyrazinyl , pyridazinyl , thienyl , thiazolyl , imidazolyl , pyrazolyl , pyrrolyl , furanyl , oxazolyl , isoxazolyl , triazolyl , tetrazolyl , indolyl , benzimidazole , benzoxazole , benzothiazole , quinolinyl group , which may additionally bear any combination , at any one ring position , of one or more substituents such as halogen ( selected from f , cl , br or i ); an alkyl 1 group ; a cycloalkyl , aryl or heteroaryl group optionally substituted by a pendant basic nitrogen functionality , trifluoromethyl , o - alkyl 1 , carboxyl , cyano , nitro , formyl , hydroxy , nh - alkyl 1 , n ( alkyl 1 )( alkyl 1 ), and amino , the latter nitrogen substituents optionally in the form of a basic nitrogen functionality ; nhco — r or nhcoo — r or nhconh — r or nhso2 - r or nhso2nh — r or co — r or coo — r or conh — r or so2 - r or so2nh — r wherein r corresponds to hydrogern , alkyl 1 , or v ) an o - aryl 1 , or nh - aryl 1 , or o - heteroaryl 1 or nh - heteroaryl 1 group vi ) trifluoromethyl , o - alkyl 1 , carboxyl , cyano , nitro , formyl , hydroxy , nh - alkyl 1 , n ( alkyl 1 )( alkyl 1 ), and amino , the latter nitrogen substituents optionally in the form of a basic nitrogen functionality , or vi ) nhco — r or nhcoo — r or nhconh — r or nhso2 - r or nhso2nh — r or co — r or coo — r or conh — r or so2 - r or so2nh — r wherein r corresponds to hydrogen , alkyl 1 , aryl 1 or heteroaryl 1 . r2 , r3 , r4 and r5 each independently are selected from hydrogen , halogen ( selected from f , cl , br or i ), a linear or branched alkyl group containing from 1 to 10 carbon atoms and optionally substituted with one or more hetereoatoms such as halogen ( selected from f , cl , br or i ), oxygen , and nitrogen , the latter optionally in the form of a pendant basic nitrogen functionality ; as well as trifluoromethyl , c 1 - 6 alkyloxy , amino , c 1 - 6 alkylamino , di ( c 1 - 6 alkyl ) amino , carboxyl , cyano , nitro , formyl , hydroxy , and co — r , coo — r , conh — r , so2 - r , and so2nh — r wherein r corresponds to hydrogen , alkyl 1 , aryl or heteroaryl . in one particular embodiment , group q is a substituted alkyl , aryl or heteroaryl group bearing a pendant basic nitrogen functionality represented for example by the structures a to m shown below , wherein the wavy line and the arrow line correspond to the point of attachment to core structure of formula i . also , for g to m , the arrow may include a point of attachment to the core structure via a phenyl group . furthermore , among the preferred compounds of formula i , ii , iii and iv , the invention concerns the compounds in which r1 is pyridyl or benzonitrile which may additionally bear any combination , at any one ring position , of one or more substituents such as hydrogen ; halogen ( selected from f , cl , br or i ); an alkyl 1 group ; an aryl 1 group ; trifluoromethyl , o - alkyl 1 , carboxyl , cyano , nitro , formyl , hydroxy , nh - alkyl 1 , n ( alkyl 1 )( alkyl 1 ), and amino , the latter nitrogen substituents optionally in the form of a basic nitrogen functionality ; nhco — r or nhcoo — r or nhconh — r or nhso2 - r or nhso2nh — r or co — r or coo — r or conh — r or so2 - r or so2nh — r wherein r corresponds to hydrogern , alkyl 1 or aryl 1 group . unless stated otherwise , for the purpose of the present invention , the term “ alkyl group ” is intended to mean any linear or branched , substituted or unsubstituted , c1 - c10 alkyl group , such as c1 - c4 or c1 - c6 , in particular a methyl , ethyl group , propyl group , preferably methyl . the term “ alkenyl ” as used in the present invention refers to c1 - c6 , in particular c1 - c4 , straight or branched chain substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl radicals containing from 1 to 30 carbon atoms including , but not limited to , ethenyl , propenyl , butenyl , pentenyl , hexenyl and the like . the term “ alkoxy group ” is intended to mean any alkoxy group having 1 to 6 linear or branched , substituted or unsubstituted , carbon atoms , in particular the group och3 . the term “ aryl group ” is intended to mean one or more aromatic rings having 5 to 6 carbon atoms , which may be joined or fused , and substituted or unsubstituted . in particular , the aryl groups may be phenyl or pyridyl and the substituents may be halogen atoms , cyano , amino , alkoxy groups as defined above , alkyl groups as defined above or a nitro group . an example of preferred compounds of the above formula is depicted below : 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 , 300 mhz ) δ = 2 . 25 ( s , 3h ); 2 . 50 ( s , 3h ); 6 . 91 ( d , j = 8 . 1 , 1h ); 7 . 14 ( s , 1h ); 7 . 20 ( d , j = 8 . 4 , 1h ); 7 . 33 ( d , j = 8 . 1 , 1h ); 7 . 47 - 7 . 53 ( m , 3h ); 7 . 79 ( s , 1h ); 8 . 13 ( d , j = 2 . 1 , 1h ); 8 . 53 ( s , 1h ); 8 . 55 ( s , 1h ); 9 . 60 ( s , 1h ); 10 . 53 ( s , 1h ). among the particular compounds of formula i , the invention is directed to compounds of the following formula ii : wherein y is oxygen , sulfur , nh or n — cn , z is oxygen , sulfur , n ( r6 ) or ( ch2 ) n where n is 0 , 1 or 2 . l is selected from alkyl 1 , aryl 1 or heteroaryl 1 as defined above . r1 , r2 , r3 , r4 , r5 and r6 have the meaning described above . an example of preferred compounds of the above formula is depicted below : among the particular compounds of formula i , the invention is directed to compounds of the following formula iii : m is oxygen , sulfur or ( ch2 ) n where n is 0 , 1 or 2 . p is selected from n ( r8 )( r9 ), alkyl 1 , aryl 1 or heteroaryl 1 . r8 and r9 each independently is hydrogen , alkyl 1 , aryl 1 or heteroaryl 1 . r8 and r9 may be taken together to form a bivalent radical of formula where v and w each independently is 1 or 2 and x2 being ch2 , o , s , nr10 or n [ c (═ o ) r10 ] and wherein each hydrogen in said formula ( b ) may be substituted with halo or c 1 - 4 alkyl . r10 is hydrogen , c 1 - 4 alkyl , c 2 - 6 alkenyl , c 2 - 6 alkynyl , c 3 - 7 cycloalkyl , c 1 - 4 haloalkyl , c 1 - 6 alkoxy , c 1 - 4 hydroxyalkyl . r1 , r2 , r3 , r4 and r5 have the meaning described above . among the particular compounds of formula i , the invention is directed to compounds of the following formula iv : g is oxygen , sulfur , n ( r11 ) or ( ch2 ) n where n is 1 or 2 . h is oxygen , n ( r11 ) or ( ch2 ) n where n is 1 or 2 . j is selected from n ( r12 )( r13 ), alkyl 1 , aryl 1 or heteroaryl 1 . r12 and r13 each independently is hydrogen , alkyl 1 , aryl 1 or heteroaryl 1 . r12 and r13 may be taken together to form a bivalent radical of formula : where v and w each independently is 1 or 2 and x2 being ch2 , o , s , nr14 or n [ c (═ o ) r14 ] and wherein each hydrogen in said formula ( c ) may be substituted with halo or c 1 - 4 alkyl . r 11 and r14 each independently is hydrogen , c 1 - 4 alkyl , c 2 - 6 alkenyl , c 2 - 6 alkynyl , c 3 - 7 cycloalkyl , c 1 - 4 haloalkyl , c 1 - 6 alkoxy , c 1 - 4 hydroxyalkyl . r1 , r2 , r3 , r4 and r5 have the meaning described above . 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 , 300 mhz ) δ = 2 . 25 ( s , 3h ); 4 . 45 ( d , j = 5 . 7 , 2h ); 6 . 99 ( d , j = 7 . 2 , 1h ); 7 . 17 ( d , j = 7 . 2 , 1h ); 7 . 45 - 7 . 52 ( m , 5h ); 7 . 72 ( s , 2h ); 7 . 88 ( d , j = 7 . 2 , 2h ); 8 . 49 ( d , j = 5 . 1 , 2h ); 9 . 05 ( t , j = 5 . 7 , 1h ); 9 . 54 ( s , 1h ). 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 , 300 mhz ) δ = 2 . 14 ( s , 3h ); 3 . 00 ( s , 3h ); 4 . 96 ( s , 2h ); 6 . 37 ( d , j = 9 . 2 , 1h ); 6 . 95 ( d , j = 8 . 4 , 1h ); 7 . 13 ( s , 1h ); 7 . 42 ( d , j = 5 . 4 , 2h ); 7 . 52 - 7 . 65 ( m , 4h ); 7 . 99 . ( d , j = 7 . 2 , 2h ); 8 . 51 ( d , j = 5 . 7 , 2h ); 9 . 37 ( s , 1h ). the compounds of the present invention may be prepared using the general protocole as follows : compounds of formula 4 can be prepared by the condensation of an azide of general formula 1 with an isocyanate of the type 2 or an isothiocyanate of the type 3 . group e in formula 2 and 3 corresponds to nitro , cyano , ch2oh , co2ch3 , conh2 , coch3 or to a - b - b ′- q group . a - b - b ′- q group is as described in formula i . the reaction of 1 either with 2 or 3 in a solvent such as methylene chloride or dioxane in the presence of triphenylphosphine , leads to an oxazole - type product of formula 4 . r1 , r2 , r3 , r4 and r5 have the meaning described above . general : all chemicals used were commercial reagent grade products . solvents were of anhydrous commercial grade and were used without further purification . dioxane is freshly distilled under a stream of argon before use . the progress of the reactions was monitored by thin layer chromatography using precoated silica gel 60f 254 , merck tlc plates , which were visualized under uv light . multiplicities in 1 h nmr spectra are indicated as singlet ( s ), broad singlet ( br s ), doublet ( d ), triplet ( t ), quadruplet ( q ), and multiplet ( m ) and the nmr spectrum were realized on a 300 mhz bruker spectrometer . to a solution of the commercially available 4 - bromoacetyl - benzonitrile ( 5 g , 22 . 32 mmol ) in 150 ml of methanol was added sodium azide ( 1 . 74 g , 26 . 78 mmol ) and the contents stirred at room temperature for 2 h . after removal of the solvent , the residue was treated with water ( 50 ml ) and extracted with dichloromethane ( 3 × 50 ml ). the combined organic layers were dried over mgso 4 and concentrated to give a yellow solid ( 3 . 90 g , 94 %). this compound was used for the next step without any further purification . to a solution of 4 - azidoacetyl - benzonitrile ( 1 . 5 g , 8 . 06 mmol ) in dioxane 25 ml was added 2 - methyl - 5 - nitrophenyl isocyanate ( 1 . 43 mg , 8 . 06 mmol ) ( commercially available ), and triphenylphosphine ( 2 . 11 g , 8 . 06 mmol ). the reaction mixture was placed in an oil bath preheated to 100 ° c . and stirred for 30 min . after evaporation of the solvent under reduced pressure , the solid residue was recrystallized from ethanol to give the title compound as yellow micro crystals ( 1 . 16 g , 45 %). to a solution of 4 -[ 2 -( 2 - methyl - 5 - nitro - phenylamino )- oxazol - 5 - yl ]- benzonitrile ( 500 mg , 1 . 56 mmol ) in ethanol ( 15 ml ) was added tin ( ii ) chloride dihydrate ( 677 mg , 3 mmol ). the reaction mixture was heated under reflux for 4 h . the mixture was then concentrated , saturated aqueous nahco 3 was added and the resultant suspension was extracted with ethyl acetate ( 3 × 15 ml ). the combined organic layers were washed with brine ( 30 ml ), dried over anhydrous mgso 4 and concentrated . the residue was alumina column chromatographed ( dichloromethane / ethanol : 99 / 1 ). 4 -[ 2 -( 5 - amino - 2 - methyl - phenylamino )- oxazol - 5 - yl ]- benzonitrile was obtained as pale yellow powder ( 172 mg , 38 %). 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ = 2 . 14 ( s , 3h ); 4 . 91 ( br s , 2h ); 6 . 25 ( dd , j = 7 . 8 - 1 . 9 , 1h ); 6 . 82 ( d , j = 8 . 0 , 1h ); 7 . 01 ( d , j = 2 . 4 , 1h ); 7 . 68 ( m , 3h ); 7 . 84 ( d , j = 8 . 5 , 2h ); 9 . 22 ( s , 1h ). to a solution of 4 -[ 2 -( 5 - amino - 2 - methyl - phenylamino )- oxazol - 5 - yl ]- benzonitrile ( 60 mg , 0 . 207 mmol ) in dimethylacetamide ( 3 ml ) was added 4 - fluorophenacyl bromide ( 45 mg , 0 . 207 mmol ), nahco 3 ( 18 mg , 0 . 207 mmol ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 h . after removal of the solvent , the residue was treated with saturated aqueous nahco 3 ( 10 ml ) and extracted with ethyl acetate ( 3 × 10 ml ). the combined organic layers were washed with brine ( 20 ml ), dried over mgso 4 and concentrated . 4 -( 2 -{ 5 -[ 2 -( 4 - fluoro - phenyl )- 2 - oxo - ethylamino ]- 2 - methyl - phenyl amino }- oxazol - 5 - yl )- benzonitrile was obtained after silica gel column chromatography ( dichloromethane / ethanol : 98 / 2 ) ( 38 mg , 43 %) as beige solid . 1 h nmr ( dmso - d ) δ = 2 . 12 ( s , 3h ); 4 . 62 ( d , j = 4 . 8 , 2h ); 5 . 81 ( t , j = 4 . 8 , 1h ); 6 . 37 ( d , j = 6 . 0 , 1h ); 6 . 91 ( d , j = 8 . 1 , 1h ); 7 . 08 ( s , 1h ); 7 . 37 ( m , 2h ); 7 . 67 ( m , 3h ); 7 . 83 ( d , j = 8 . 4 , 2h ); 8 . 14 ( m , 2h ); 9 . 30 ( s , 1h ). in a similar manner as described for the preparation of 4 -[ 2 -( 2 - methyl - 5 - nitro - phenylamino )- oxazol - 5 - yl ]- benzonitrile , from 4 - azidoacetyl - benzonitrile ( 2 . 70 g , 14 . 5 mmol ) and 1 -( 3 - isothiocyanato - 4 - methyl - phenyl )- ethanone ( 2 . 22 g , 11 . 6 mmol ) was obtained the title compound ( 1 . 43 , 31 %), as a yellow solid . 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ = 2 . 41 ( s , 3h ); 2 . 59 ( s , 3h ); 7 . 41 ( d , j = 7 . 8 , 1h ); 7 . 67 ( dd , j = 7 . 8 - 1 . 6 , 1h ); 7 . 75 ( s , 1h ); 7 . 79 ( d , j = 8 . 4 , 2h ); 7 . 72 ( d , j = 8 . 4 , 2h ); 8 . 51 ( d , j = 1 . 6 , 1h ); 9 . 73 ( s , 1h ). to a stirred solution of 4 -[ 2 -( 5 - acetyl - 2 - methyl - phenylamino )- oxazol - 5 - yl ]- benzonitrile ( 100 mg , 0 . 315 mmol ) and benzaldehyd ( 0 . 035 ml , 0 . 35 mmol ) in ethanol , was added dropwise at 0 ° c ., 1 ml of aqueous naoh 30 %. after the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 16 h and poured into ice water ( ca . 10 ml ). the precipitate was filtered , washed diethyl ether and dried under vacuum . the yellow solid obtained was dissolved in ethanol ( 2 ml ) and thf ( 2 ml ), treated with palladium on carbon ( 10 %, 20 mg ) and hydrogenated . the catalyst was removed by filtration throught a pad of celite . the filtrate was evaporated under reduce pressure to give the title compound ( 77 mg , 60 %) as yellow powder . 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ = 2 . 41 ( s , 3h ); 2 . 98 ( t , j = 7 . 7 , 2h ); 3 . 36 ( t , j = 7 . 7 , 2h ); 7 . 23 ( m , 1h ); 7 . 32 ( m , 4h ); 7 . 40 ( d , j = 7 . 8 , 1h ); 7 . 69 ( dd , j = 7 . 8 - 1 . 6 , 1h ); 7 . 72 ( s , 1h ); 7 . 89 ( d , j = 8 . 4 , 2h ) 7 . 94 ( d , j = 8 . 4 , 2h ); 8 . 52 ( d , j = 1 . 6 , 1h ); 9 . 73 ( s , 1h ). bromine ( 24 g , 150 mmol ) in 4 ml of 45 % hbr was added drop wise under vigorous stirring to a solution at 70 ° c . of 4 - acetyl - pyridine ( 18 g , 148 mmol ) in acetic acid containing 45 % of hbr ( 165 ml ). the vigorously stirred mixture was kept at 70 ° c . for 3 h . the mixture was cooled and the precipitate collected by filtration and washed with petroleum ether ( 40 - 65 ° c . )/ methanol ( 1 / 1 , 100 ml ) to give 35 . 8 g of a white crystals of ( 85 %). to a solution of 4 - bromoacetylpyridine hydrobromide ( 5 g , 17 . 8 mmol ) in 80 ml of water was added sodium azide ( 1 . 16 g , 17 . 8 mmol ) and the contents stirred at room temperature for 30 min . the reaction mixture was cooled to 0 ° c ., treated slowly with saturated aqueous nahco 3 until ph = 6 - 7 , extracted with dichloromethane ( 3 × 30 ml ) and the combined organic phases were dried over mgso 4 , concentrated at room temperature under reduced pressure to a final volume of 25 ml , and diluted with dioxane ( 30 ml ). the resulting solution was concentrated to remove the remaining ( lower boiling ) dichloromethane . to the final volume ( 25 ml ) was added at 0 ° c ., 2 - methyl - 5 - nitrophenyl isocyanate ( 1 . 58 g , 8 . 9 mmol ) ( commercially available ) and portion wise triphenylphosphine ( 2 . 62 g , 8 . 9 mmol ). the reaction mixture was then stirred for 1 h at room temperature and heated for an additional 2 h at 100 ° c . after evaporation of the solvent under reduced pressure the residue was crystallized in dichloromethane / ethanol ( 10 ml / 5 ml ), to give the title compound as yellow crystals ( 0 . 9 g , 34 %). a solution of ( 2 - methyl - 5 - nitro - phenyl )-( 5 - pyridin - 4 - yl - oxazol - 2 - yl )- amine ( 1 g , 3 . 39 mmol ) in ethanol ( 50 ml ) was treated with 10 % pd / c ( 120 mg ) and hydrazine hydrate ( 3 . 50 ml , 112 . 5 mmol ) was added drop wise over 10 min . the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 30 min and then refluxed for 2 h . the hot solution was filtered through a short pad of celite , and the catalyst was washed with hot ethanol . the filtrates were concentrated under reduced vacuum to give the crude pruduct . this was silica gel column chromatographed ( dichloromethane / ethanol : 97 / 3 ). 720 mg ( 80 %) of ( 2 - methyl - 5 - amino - phenyl )-( 5 - pyridin - 4 - yl - oxazol - 2 - yl )- amine was obtained as pale yellow powder . 1 h nmr ( dmso - d ) δ = 2 . 14 ( s , 3h ); 4 . 96 ( bs , 2h ); 6 . 30 ( dd , j = 8 . 1 - 2 . 1 , 1h ); 6 . 87 ( d , j = 8 . 1 , 1h ); 7 . 04 ( d , j = 2 . 1 , 1h ); 7 . 50 ( d , j = 6 . 0 , 2h ); 8 . 58 ( d , j = 6 . 0 , 2h ); 7 . 76 ( s , 1h ); 9 . 28 ( s , 1h ). to a solution of ( 2 - methyl - 5 - amino - phenyl )-( 5 - pyridin - 4 - yl - oxazol - 2 - yl )- amine ( 500 mg , 1 . 88 mmol ) in dichloromethane ( 70 ml ) was added 1 , 1 ′- thiocarbonyldi - 2 ( 1h )- pyridine ( 525 mg , 2 . 26 mmol ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight . after evaporation of the solvent under reduced pressure , the residue was silica gel column chromatographed ( ethyl acetate / heptane : 50 / 50 ) to give 528 mg ( 91 %) of the title compound as a beige solid . 1 h nmr ( dmso - d ) δ = 2 . 36 ( s , 3h ); 7 . 10 ( dd , j = 8 . 1 - 2 . 1 , 1h ); 7 . 32 ( d , j = 8 . 1 , 1h ); 7 . 56 ( d , j = 6 . 0 , 2h ); 7 . 86 ( s , 1h ); 8 . 08 ( d , j = 2 . 1 , 1h ); 8 . 62 ( d , j = 6 . 0 , 2h ); 9 . 80 ( s , 1h ). to a solution of ( 5 - isothiocyanato - 2 - methyl - phenyl )-( 5 - pyridin - 4 - yl - oxazol - 2 - yl )- amine ( 120 mg , 0 . 39 mmol ) in dmf ( 8 ml ), was added 2 - amino - 4 - chloro - phenol ( 61 mg , 0 . 43 mmol ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight and yellow mercury ( ii ) oxide ( 72 mg , 0 . 39 mmol ) was added . the mixture was stirred at room temperature 1 h the precipitate was filtered through a short pad of celite . the filtrate was concentrated under reduced vacuum to give the crude product . this was silica gel column chromatographed ( dichloromethane / ethanol : 95 / 5 ) to give 112 mg ( 69 %) of the title compound as a yellow solid . 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ = 2 . 26 ( s , 3h ); 7 . 14 ( dd , j = 8 . 7 - 2 . 1 , 1h ); 7 . 22 ( d , j = 8 . 7 , 1h ); 7 . 40 ( d , j = 2 . 1 , 1h ); 7 . 47 - 7 . 53 ( m , 4h ); 7 . 79 ( s , 1h ); 8 . 12 ( d , j = 2 . 1 , 1h ); 8 . 53 ( s , 1h ); 8 . 55 ( s , 1h ); 9 . 61 ( s , 1h ); 10 . 77 ( s , 1h ). to a solution of 4 -[ 2 -( 5 - amino - 2 - methyl - phenylamino )- oxazol - 5 - yl ]- benzonitrile ( 558 mg , 2 mmol ) and chloroacetaldehyde ( 50 wt . % in water , 628 mg , 4 mmol ) in acetonitril ( 60 ml ), was added at rt nabh 3 cn ( 253 mg , 4 mmol ) and dropwise acetic acid ( 0 . 4 ml ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature 1 h . ethyl acetate ( 50 ml ) and saturated aqueous nahco 3 ( 50 ml ) were added . the organic layer was washed with brine ( 20 ml ), dried over mgso 4 and concentrated to give a yellow solid . this was dissolved in toluene ( 40 ml ) and treated withyl - fluoro - 3 - isocyanato - benzene ( 274 mg , 2 mmol ) at reflux for 2 h . after evaporation of solvent under reduced vacuum , the crude product was dissolved in isopropanol ( 60 ml ) and treated with potassium tert - butoxide ( 1 . 8 g , 16 mmol ) at rt for 5 h . water ( 20 ml ) was added , the organic layer was separated dried over mgso 4 and concentrated . the crude product was silica gel column chromatographed ( dichloromethane / ethanol 95 / 5 ) to give 408 mg ( 45 %) of the title compound as a beige solid . 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) δ = 2 . 26 ( s , 3h ); 3 . 98 ( s , 4h ); 6 . 90 ( t , j = 9 . 0 , 1h ); 7 . 20 ( bs , 2h ); 7 . 33 - 7 . 42 ( m , 2h ); 7 . 65 - 7 . 85 ( m , 6h ); 8 . 19 ( s , 1h ); 9 . 82 ( s , 1h ). compound 4 -( 2 -{ 5 -[ 3 -( 3 - fluoro - phenyl )- 2 - oxo - imidazolidin - 1 - yl ]- 2 - methyl - phenyl amino }- oxazol - 5 - yl )- benzonitrile ( 30 mg , 0 . 066 mmol ), was treated in etoh ( 2 ml ) with 3n naoh ( 1 ml ). the resulting mixture was stirred at reflux for 3 h . after cooling to rt , 1n hcl was added until ph = 6 - 7 and the precipitate filtered to give the title compound as a yellow solid ( 9 mg , 29 %). in a second embodiment , the invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound as depicted above . such medicament can take the form of a pharmaceutical composition adapted for oral administration , which can be formulated using pharmaceutically acceptable carriers well known in the art in suitable dosages . such carriers enable the pharmaceutical compositions to be formulated as tablets , pills , dragees , capsules , liquids , gels , syrups , slurries , suspensions , and the like , for ingestion by the patient . in addition to the active ingredients , these pharmaceutical compositions may contain suitable pharmaceutically - acceptable carriers comprising excipients and auxiliaries which facilitate processing of the active compounds into preparations which can be used pharmaceutically . further details on techniques for formulation and administration may be found in the latest edition of remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences ( maack publishing co ., easton , pa .). the composition of the invention can also take the form of a pharmaceutical or cosmetic composition for topical administration . such compositions may be presented in the form of a gel , paste , ointment , cream , lotion , liquid suspension aqueous , aqueous - alcoholic or , oily solutions , or dispersions of the lotion or serum type , or anhydrous or lipophilic gels , or emulsions of liquid or semi - solid consistency of the milk type , obtained by dispersing a fatty phase in an aqueous phase or vice versa , or of suspensions or emulsions of soft , semi - solid consistency of the cream or gel type , or alternatively of microemulsions , of microcapsules , of microparticles or of vesicular dispersions to the ionic and / or nonionic type . these compositions are prepared according to standard methods . the composition according to the invention comprises any ingredient commonly used in dermatology and cosmetic . it may comprise at least one ingredient selected from hydrophilic or lipophilic gelling agents , hydrophilic or lipophilic active agents , preservatives , emollients , viscosity enhancing polymers , humectants , surfactants , preservatives , antioxidants , solvents , and fillers , antioxidants , solvents , perfumes , fillers , screening agents , bactericides , odor absorbers and coloring matter . as oils which can be used in the invention , mineral oils ( liquid paraffin ), vegetable oils ( liquid fraction of shea butter , sunflower oil ), animal oils , synthetic oils , silicone oils ( cyclomethicone ) and fluorinated oils may be mentioned . fatty alcohols , fatty acids ( stearic acid ) and waxes paraffin , carnauba , beeswax ) may also be used as fatty substances . as emulsifiers which can be used in the invention , glycerol stearate , polysorbate 60 and the peg - 6 / peg - 32 / glycol stearate mixture are contemplated . as hydrophilic gelling agents , carboxyvinyl polymers ( carbomer ), acrylic copolymers such as acrylate / alkylacrylate copolymers , polyacrylamides , polysaccharides such as hydroxypropylcellulose , clays and natural gums may be mentioned , and as lipophilic gelling agents , modified clays such as bentones , metal salts of fatty acids such as aluminum stearates and hydrophobic silica , or alternatively ethylcellulose and polyethylene may be mentioned . as hydrophilic active agents , proteins or protein hydrolysates , amino acids , polyols , urea , allantoin , sugars and sugar derivatives , vitamins , starch and plant extracts , in particular those of aloe vera may be used . as lipophilic active , agents , retinol ( vitamin a ) and its derivatives , tocopherol ( vitamin e ) and its derivatives , essential fatty acids , ceramides and essential oils may be used . these agents add extra moisturizing or skin softening features when utilized . in addition , a surfactant can be included in the composition so as to provide deeper penetration of the compound capable of depleting mast cells , such as a tyrosine kinase inhibitor , preferably a c - kit and / or a bcr - abl inhibitor . among the contemplated ingredients , the invention embraces penetration enhancing agents selected for example from the group consisting of mineral oil , water , ethanol , triacetin , glycerin and propylene glycol ; cohesion agents selected for example from the group consisting of polyisobutylene , polyvinyl acetate and polyvinyl alcohol , and thickening agents . chemical methods of enhancing topical absorption of drugs are well known in the art . for example , compounds with penetration enhancing properties include sodium lauryl sulfate ( dugard , p . h . and sheuplein , r . j ., “ effects of ionic surfactants on the permeability of human epidermis : an electrometric study ,” j . ivest . dermatol ., v . 60 , pp . 263 - 69 , 1973 ), lauryl amine oxide ( johnson et . al ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 411 , 893 ), azone ( rajadhyaksha , u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 405 , 616 and 3 , 989 , 816 ) and decylmethyl sulfoxide ( sekura , d . l . and scala , j ., “ the percutaneous absorption of alkylmethyl sulfides ,” pharmacology of the skin , advances in biolocy of skin , ( appleton - century craft ) v . 12 , pp . 257 - 69 , 1972 ). it has been observed that increasing the polarity of the head group in amphotelic molecules increases their penetration - enhancing properties but at the expense of increasing their skin irritating properties ( cooper , e . r . and berner , b ., “ interaction of surfactants with epidermal tissues : physiochemical aspects ,” surfactant science series , v . 16 , reiger , m . m . ed . ( marcel dekker , inc .) pp . 195 - 210 , 1987 ). a second class of chemical enhancers are generally referred to as co - solvents . these materials are absorbed topically relatively easily , and , by a variety of mechanisms , achieve permeation enhancement for some drugs . ethanol ( gale et . al ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 615 , 699 and campbell et . al ., u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 460 , 372 and 4 , 379 , 454 ), dimethyl sulfoxide ( u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 740 , 420 and 3 , 743 , 727 , and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 575 , 515 ), and glycerine derivatives ( u . s . pat . no . 4 , 322 , 433 ) are a few examples of compounds which have shown an ability to enhance the absorption of various compounds . the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention can also be intended for administration with aerosolized formulation to target areas of a patient &# 39 ; s respiratory tract . devices and methodologies for delivering aerosolized bursts of a formulation of a drug is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 906 , 202 . formulations are preferably solutions , e . g . aqueous solutions , ethanoic solutions , aqueous / ethanoic solutions , saline solutions , colloidal suspensions and microcrystalline suspensions . for example aerosolized particles comprise the active ingredient mentioned above and a carrier , ( e . g ., a pharmaceutically active respiratory drug and carrier ) which are formed upon forcing the formulation through a nozzle which nozzle is preferably in the form of a flexible porous membrane . the particles have a size which is sufficiently small such that when the particles are formed they remain suspended in the air for a sufficient amount of time such that the patient can inhale the particles into the patient &# 39 ; s lungs . the invention encompasses the systems described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 556 , 611 : liquid gas systems ( a liquefied gas is used as propellent gas ( e . g . low - boiling fchc or propane , butane ) in a pressure container , suspension aerosol ( the active substance particles are suspended in solid form in the liquid propellent phase ), pressurized gas system ( a compressed gas such as nitrogen , carbon dioxide , dinitrogen monoxide , air is used . thus , according to the invention the pharmaceutical preparation is made in that the active substance is dissolved or dispersed in a suitable nontoxic medium and said solution or dispersion atomized to an aerosol , i . e . distributed extremely finely in a carrier gas . this is technically possible for example in the form of aerosol propellent gas packs , pump aerosols or other devices known per se for liquid misting and solid atomizing which in particular permit an exact individual dosage . therefore , the invention is also directed to aerosol devices comprising the compound as defined above and such a formulation , preferably with metered dose valves . the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention can also be intended for intranasal administration . in this regard , pharmaceutically acceptable carriers for administering the compound to the nasal mucosal surfaces will be readily appreciated by the ordinary artisan . these carriers are described in the remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences ” 16th edition , 1980 , ed . by arthur osol , the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . the selection of appropriate carriers depends upon the particular type of administration that is contemplated . for administration via the upper respiratory tract , the composition can be formulated into a solution , e . g ., water or isotonic saline , buffered or unbuffered , or as a suspension , for intranasal administration as drops or as a spray . preferably , such solutions or suspensions are isotonic relative to nasal secretions and of about the same ph , ranging e . g ., from about ph 4 . 0 to about ph 7 . 4 or , from ph 6 . 0 to ph 7 . 0 . buffers should be physiologically compatible and include , simply by way of example , phosphate buffers . for example , a representative nasal decongestant is described as being buffered to a ph of about 6 . 2 ( remington &# 39 ; s , id . at page 1445 ). of course , the ordinary artisan can readily determine a suitable saline content and ph for an innocuous aqueous carrier for nasal and / or upper respiratory administration . common intranasal carriers include nasal gels , creams , pastes or ointments with a viscosity of , e . g ., from about 10 to about 3000 cps , or from about 2500 to 6500 cps , or greater , may also be used to provide a more sustained contact with the nasal mucosal surfaces . such carrier viscous formulations may be based upon , simply by way of example , alkylcelluloses and / or other biocompatible carriers of high viscosity well known to the art ( see e . g ., remington &# 39 ; s , cited supra . a preferred alkylcellulose is , e . g ., methylcellulose in a concentration ranging from about 5 to about 1000 or more mg per 100 ml of carrier . a more preferred concentration of methyl cellulose is , simply by way of example , from about 25 to about mg per 100 ml of carrier . other ingredients , such as art known preservatives , colorants , lubricating or viscous mineral or vegetable oils , perfumes , natural or synthetic plant extracts such as aromatic oils , and humectants and viscosity enhancers such as , e . g ., glycerol , can also be included to provide additional viscosity , moisture retention and a pleasant texture and odor for the formulation . for nasal administration of solutions or suspensions according to the invention , various devices are available in the art for the generation of drops , droplets and sprays . a premeasured unit dosage dispenser including a dropper or spray device containing a solution or suspension for delivery as drops or as a spray is prepared containing one or more doses of the drug to be administered and is another object of the invention . the invention also includes a kit containing one or more unit dehydrated doses of the compound , together with any required salts and / or buffer agents , preservatives , colorants and the like , ready for preparation of a solution or suspension by the addition of a suitable amount of water . another aspect of the invention is directed to the use of said compound to manufacture a medicament . in other words , the invention embraces a method for treating a disease related to unregulated c - kit transduction comprising administering an effective amount of a compound as defined above to a mammal in need of such treatment . more particularly , the invention is aimed at a method for treating a disease selected from autoimmune diseases , allergic diseases , bone loss , cancers such as leukemia and gist , tumor angiogenesis , inflammatory diseases , inflammatory bowel diseases ( ibd ), interstitial cystitis , mastocytosis , infections diseases , metabolic disorders , fibrosis , diabetes and cns disorders comprising administering an effective amount a compound depicted above to a mammal in need of such treatment . the above described compounds are useful for manufacturing a medicament for the treatment of diseases related to unregulated c - kit transduction , including , but not limited to : neoplastic diseases such as mastocytosis , canine mastocytoma , solid tumours , human gastrointestinal stromal tumor (“ gist ”), small cell lung cancer , non - small cell lung cancer , acute myelocytic leukemia , acute lymphocytic leukemia , myelodysplastic syndrome , chronic myelogenous leukemia , colorectal carcinomas , gastric carcinomas , gastrointestinal stromal tumors , testicular cancers , glioblastomas , solid tumors and astrocytomas . tumor angiogenesis . metabolic diseases such as diabetes mellitus and its chronic complications ; obesity ; diabete type ii ; hyperlipidemias and dyslipidemias ; atherosclerosis ; hypertension ; and cardiovascular disease . allergic diseases such as asthma , allergic rhinitis , allergic sinusitis , anaphylactic syndrome , urticaria , angioedema , atopic dermatitis , allergic contact dermatitis , erythema nodosum , erythema multiforme , cutaneous necrotizing venulitis and insect bite skin inflammation and blood sucking parasitic infestation . interstitial cystitis . bone loss ( osteoporosis ). inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arhritis , conjunctivitis , rheumatoid spondylitis , osteoarthritis , gouty arthritis and other arthritic conditions . autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis , psoriasis , intestine inflammatory disease , ulcerative colitis , crohn &# 39 ; s disease , rheumatoid arthritis and polyarthritis , local and systemic scleroderma , systemic lupus erythematosus , discoid lupus erythematosus , cutaneous lupus , dermatomyositis , polymyositis , sjogren &# 39 ; s syndrome , nodular panarteritis , autoimmune enteropathy , as well as proliferative glomerulonephritis . graft - versus - host disease or graft rejection in any organ transplantation including kidney , pancreas , liver , heart , lung , and bone marrow . other autoimmune diseases embraced by the invention active chronic hepatitis and chronic fatigue syndrome . subepidermal blistering disorders such as pemphigus . vasculitis . hiv infection . melanocyte dysfunction associated diseases such as hypermelanosis resulting from melanocyte dysfunction and including lentigines , solar and senile lentigo , dubreuilh melanosis , moles as well as malignant melanomas . in this regard , the invention embraces the use of the compounds defined above to manufacture a medicament or a cosmetic composition for whitening human skin . cns disorders such as psychiatric disorders , migraine , pain , memory loss and nerve cells degeneracy . more particularly , the method according to the invention is useful for the treatment of the following disorders : depression including dysthymic disorder , cyclothymic disorder , bipolar depression , severe or “ melancholic ” depression , atypical depression , refractory depression , seasonal depression , anorexia , bulimia , premenstrual syndrome , post - menopause syndrome , other syndromes such as mental slowing and loss of concentration , pessimistic worry , agitation , self - deprecation , decreased libido , pain including , acute pain , postoperative pain , chronic pain , nociceptive pain , cancer pain , neuropathic pain , psychogenic pain syndromes , anxiety disorders including anxiety associated with hyperventilation and cardiac arrhythmias , phobic disorders , obsessive - compulsive disorder , posttraumatic stress disorder , acute stress disorder , generalized anxiety disorder , psychiatric emergencies such as panic attacks , including psychosis , delusional disorders , conversion disorders , phobias , mania , delirium , dissociative episodes including dissociative amnesia , dissociative fugue and dissociative identity disorder ; depersonalization , catatonia , seizures , severe psychiatric emergencies including suicidal behaviour , self - neglect , violent or aggressive behaviour , trauma , borderline personality , and acute psychosis , schizophrenia including paranoid schizophrenia , disorganized schizophrenia , catatonic schizophrenia , and undifferentiated schizophrenia , neurodegenerative diseases including alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease , parkinson &# 39 ; s disease , huntington &# 39 ; s disease , the prion diseases , motor neurone disease ( mnd ), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ( als ). substance use disorders as referred herein include but are not limited to drug addiction , drug abuse , drug habituation , drug dependence , withdrawal syndrome and overdose . cerebral ischemia fibrosis duchenne muscular dystrophy regarding mastocytosis , the invention contemplates the use of the compounds as defined above for treating the different categories which can be classified as follows : the category i is composed by two sub - categories ( ia and ib ). category ia is made by diseases in which mast cell infiltration is strictly localized to the skin . this category represents the most frequent form of the disease and includes : i ) urticaria pigmentosa , the most common form of cutaneous mastocytosis , particularly encountered in children , ii ) diffuse cutaneous mastocytosis , iii ) solitary mastocytoma and iv ) some rare subtypes like bullous , erythrodermic and teleangiectatic mastocytosis . these forms are characterized by their excellent prognosis with spontaneous remissions in children and a very indolent course in adults . long term survival of this form of disease is generally comparable to that of the normal population and the translation into another form of mastocytosis is rare . category ib is represented by indolent systemic disease ( sm ) with or without cutaneous involvement . these forms are much more usual in adults than in children . the course of the disease is often indolent , but sometimes signs of aggressive or malignant mastocytosis can occur , leading to progressive impaired organ function . the category ii includes mastocytosis with an associated hematological disorder , such as a myeloproliferative or myelodysplastic syndrome , or acute leukemia . these malignant mastocytosis does not usually involve the skin . the progression of the disease depends generally on the type of associated hematological disorder that conditions the prognosis . the category iii is represented by aggressive systemic mastocytosis in which massive infiltration of multiple organs by abnormal mast cells is common . in patients who pursue this kind of aggressive clinical course , peripheral blood features suggestive of a myeloproliferative disorder are more prominent . the progression of the disease can be very rapid , similar to acute leukemia , or some patients can show a longer survival time . finally , the category iv of mastocytosis includes the mast cell leukemia , characterized by the presence of circulating mast cells and mast cell progenitors representing more than 10 % of the white blood cells . this entity represents probably the rarest type of leukemia in humans , and has a very poor prognosis , similar to the rapidly progressing variant of malignant mastocytosis . mast cell leukemia can occur either de novo or as the terminal phase of urticaria pigmentosa or systemic mastocytosis . the invention also contemplates the method as depicted for the treatment of recurrent bacterial infections , resurging infections after asymptomatic periods such as bacterial cystitis . more particularly , the invention can be practiced for treating fimh expressing bacteria infections such as gram - negative enterobacteria including e . coli , klebsiella pneumoniae , serratia marcescens , citrobactor freudii and salmonella typhimurium . in this method for treating bacterial infection , separate , sequential or concomitant administration of at least one antibiotic selected bacitracin , the cephalosporins , the penicillins , the aminoglycosides , the tetracyclines , the streptomycins and the macrolide antibiotics such as erythromycin ; the fluoroquinolones , actinomycin , the sulfonamides and trimethoprim , is of interest . in one preferred embodiment , the invention is directed to a method for treating neoplastic diseases such as mastocytosis , canine mastocytoma , solid tumours , human gastrointestinal stromal tumor (“ gist ”), small cell lung cancer , non - small cell lung cancer , acute myelocytic leukemia , acute lymphocytic leukemia , myelodysplastic syndrome , chronic myelogenous leukemia , colorectal carcinomas , gastric carcinomas , gastrointestinal stromal tumors , testicular cancers , glioblastomas , and astrocytomas comprising administering a compound as defined herein to a human or mammal , especially dogs and cats , in need of such treatment . in one other preferred embodiment , the invention is directed to a method for treating allergic diseases such as asthma , allergic rhinitis , allergic sinusitis , anaphylactic syndrome , urticaria , angioedema , atopic dermatitis , allergic contact dermatitis , erythema nodosum , erythema multiforme , cutaneous necrotizing venulitis and insect bite skin inflammation and blood sucking parasitic infestation comprising administering a compound as defined herein to a human or mammal , especially dogs and cats , in need of such treatment . in still another preferred embodiment , the invention is directed to a method for treating inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis , conjunctivitis , rheumatoid spondylitis , osteoarthritis , gouty arthritis and other arthritic conditions comprising administering a compound as defined herein to a human in need of such treatment . in still another preferred embodiment , the invention is directed to a method for treating autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis , psoriasis , intestine inflammatory disease , ulcerative colitis , crohn &# 39 ; s disease , rheumatoid arthritis and polyarthritis , local and systemic scleroderma , systemic lupus erythematosus , discoid lupus erythematosus , cutaneous lupus , dermatomyositis , polymyositis , sjogren &# 39 ; s syndrome , nodular panarteritis , autoimmune enteropathy , as well as proliferative glomerulonephritis comprising administering a compound as defined herein to a human in need of such treatment . in still another preferred embodiment , the invention is directed to a method for treating graft - versus - host disease or graft rejection in any organ transplantation including kidney , pancreas , liver , heart , lung , and bone marrow comprising administering a compound as defined herein to a human in need of such treatment . cells were washed two times in pbs before plating at 5 × 10 4 cells per well of 96 - well plates in triplicate and stimulated either with hematopoietic growth factors ( hgf ) or without . after 2 days of culture , 37 bq ( 1 . 78 tbq / mmol ) of [ 3 h ] thymidine ( amersham life science , uk ) was added for 6 hours . cells were harvested and filtered through glass fiber filters and [ 3 h ] thymidine incorporation was measured in a scintillation counter . for proliferation assay , all drugs were prepared as 20 mm stock solutions in dmso and conserved at − 80 ° c . fresh dilutions in pbs were made before each experiment . dmso dissolved drugs were added at the beginning of the culture . control cultures were done with corresponding dmso dilutions . results are represented in percentage by taking the proliferation without inhibitor as 100 %. ba / f3 murine kit and human kit , ba / f3 mkitδ27 ( juxtamembrane deletion ), and hkitd816v are derived from the murine il - 3 dependent ba / f3 prob lymphoid cells . the fma3 and p815 cell lines are mastocytoma cells expressing endogenous mutated forms of kit , i . e ., frame deletion in the murine juxtamembrane coding region of the receptor - codons 573 to 579 . the human leukaemic mc line hmc - 1 expresses a double point mutation ( i . e . mutations jm - v560g and the kinase domain mutation kitd816v ), whereas the hmc1 subclone α155 expresses only the mutation jm - v560g . for each assay , 5 . 106 ba / f3 cells and ba / f3 - derived cells with various c - kit mutations were lysed and immunoprecipitated as described ( beslu et al ., 1996 ), excepted that cells were stimulated with 250 ng / ml of rmkl . cell lysates were immunoprecipitated with rabbit immunsera directed against the kit cytoplasmic domain either with an anti murine kit ( rottapel et al ., 1991 ) or an anti human kit ( santa cruz ). western blot was hybridized either with the 4g10 anti - phosphotyrosine antibody ( ubi ) or with the appropriate rabbit immunsera anti kit or with different antibodies ( described in antibodies paragraph ). the membrane was then incubated either with hrp - conjugated goat anti mouse igg antibody or with hrp - conjugated goat anti rabbit igg antibody ( immunotech ), proteins of interest were then visualized by incubation with ecl reagent ( amersham ). the experimental results for various compounds according to the invention using above - described protocols are set forth at table 1 :	2
fig1 - 3 show a screwdriver 100 , according to an exemplary embodiment . the screwdriver 100 includes a handle unit 10 , a head reception unit 20 , a pole unit 40 , and a plurality of head units 50 . the handle unit 10 is substantially frustoconical - shaped and suitable for being manually held together with the head reception unit 20 . the head reception unit 20 is substantially spherical . the pole unit 40 is substantially cylindrical . the head reception unit 20 , the pole unit 40 , and the handle unit 10 cooperatively form one tool . the plurality of head units 50 are configured to operate ( i . e ., to screw and unscrew ) fasteners ( e . g ., screws and bolts ) of different shapes and sizes . each of the head units 50 can be attached on the pole unit 40 for use , and can be received in the head reception unit 20 when not in use . in particular , the head reception unit 20 includes a substantially spherical main body 21 and a plurality of head lock members 23 . the main body 21 is fixed on the larger end of the handle unit 10 and is coaxial with the handle unit 10 . the main body 21 defines a plurality of recessed reception portions 22 for receiving the head lock members 23 . in this embodiment , the screwdriver 100 includes four head units 50 , and the head reception unit 20 includes four head lock members 23 . each of the head lock members 23 can receive one of the head units 50 . the main body 21 defines four equidistantly spaced reception portions 22 , and each of the four head lock members 23 is received in a corresponding one of the four reception portions 22 . each of the reception portions 22 is laid in a direction that is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle portion 10 , and has two parallel side surfaces 221 and an upper , inner , stepped retaining surface 223 between the side surfaces 221 . each of the side surfaces 221 defines a pivot hole 224 and a sliding groove 225 . the pivot hole 224 is defined adjacent to a lower end of the reception portion 22 ( that is , opposite to the end of the reception portion 22 having the retaining surface 223 ). the sliding groove 225 is defined in the middle portion of the side surface 221 , and is curved . in particular , the sliding groove 225 begins at a point near an outer extremity of the middle portion of the side surface 221 and continues inwards along the middle portion of the side surface 221 , substantially following a line tracing part of a circle centered on the pivot hole 224 . a substantially bar - shaped lock protrusion 226 is formed on the retaining surface 223 . each of the head lock members 23 includes a base portion 231 and an arm portion 232 connected to the base portion 231 . the base portion 231 is a substantially fan - shaped block , which includes two planar end surfaces , an arc - shaped end surface , and two substantially fan - shaped and planar side surfaces . the two planar end surfaces are substantially perpendicular to each other . one of the two planar end surfaces is oriented approximately horizontally , and the other planar end surface is oriented approximately vertically . the arc - shaped end surface intersects with both the planar end surfaces . the two side surfaces intersect with both the planar end surfaces and with the arc - shaped end surface . the arm portion 232 is a bent board that includes an arc - shaped outer surface and a curved inner surface . a bottom end of the inner surface of the arm portion 232 is connected to the horizontal planar end surface of the base portion 231 . a bottom end of the outer surface of the arm portion 232 is connected to the arc - shaped end surface of the base portion 231 , and the arc shape of the outer surface of the arm portion 232 is a smooth , seamless continuation of the arc - shaped end surface of the base portion 231 . the width of the base portion 231 ( i . e ., the distance between the two side surfaces ) and the width of the arm portion 232 are substantially equal to each other . that is , the head lock member 23 has a uniform width , which is substantially equal to a corresponding width of the respective reception portion 22 , such that the head lock member 23 can be inserted into the reception portion 22 and rotated out from the reception portion 22 . a reception groove 233 is defined in the horizontal planar end surface of the base portion 231 . each of the head lock members 23 further includes a pair of rotation protrusions 234 corresponding to the pivot holes 224 , a pair of sliding protrusions 235 corresponding to the sliding grooves 225 , a retaining groove 236 corresponding to the lock protrusion 226 , and an operation portion 237 . in particular , each of the side surfaces of the base portion 231 has one of the rotation protrusions 234 and one of the sliding protrusions 235 formed thereon . the rotation protrusion 234 is formed adjacent to the intersection of the arc - shaped end surface and the vertical planar end surface of the base portion 231 . the sliding protrusion 235 is formed adjacent to the intersection of the two planar end surfaces . the retaining groove 236 is defined in the arm portion 232 , and is positioned adjacent to the distal end of the arm portion 232 . in this embodiment , the operation portion 237 is a bar - shaped protrusion extending from the distal end of the arm portion 232 . a horizontal width of the operation portion 237 is less than the width of the arm portion 232 . referring particularly to fig3 , the pole unit 40 includes a substantially cylindrical pole body 41 and a pair of latch components 42 . the pole body 41 is connected to the smaller end of the handle unit 10 and is coaxial with the handle unit 10 . a polygonal assembling hole 411 for receiving and gripping any selected one of the head units 50 is defined in the pole body 41 . the latch components 42 can be common resilient latch apparatuses . when attached in the assembling hole 411 , the selected head unit 50 can be locked in position by spring pressure , and can be released by pressing the latch components 42 toward each other . furthermore , the latch components 42 can instead be any other kind of common latch apparatuses , such as magnetic latch apparatuses . each of the head units 50 has a polygonal head base 51 corresponding to the assembling hole 411 and a head tip 52 connected to the head base 51 . the head tips 52 are contoured with different shapes and sizes , and each may be used to screw and unscrew a different kind of fastener ( e . g ., a screw or a bolt ). in assembly , the head base 51 of each of the head units 50 is received in the reception groove 233 of a corresponding one of the head lock members 23 . the pair of rotation protrusions 234 of the head lock member 23 of each head unit 50 are rotatably received in the two pivot holes 224 of a corresponding one of the reception portions 22 , respectively . the pair of sliding protrusions 235 of the head lock member 23 are slidably received in the two sliding grooves 225 of the corresponding reception portion 22 , respectively . in this way , the head lock members 23 with the head units 50 received therein are rotatably attached to the main body 21 , and can be rotated inward to retracted ( closed ) positions inside the main body 21 . when the screwdriver 100 is not in use , the head lock members 23 are pushed towards the center of the main body 21 to be in the closed positions . the lock protrusion 226 of each of the reception portions 22 engages in the retaining groove 236 of the corresponding head lock member 23 to retain the head lock member 23 in the closed position . the outer surface of the arm portion 232 and the arc - shaped end surface of the base portion 231 of each of the head lock members 23 are substantially flush with the outer surface of the main body 21 to form a substantially spherical outer surface of the head reception unit 20 . in this way , the head reception unit 20 is substantially smooth and round , which helps protects the head reception unit 20 from impact and scratching . when one of the head units 50 is selected for use , the operation portion 237 of the head lock member 23 that holds the selected head unit 50 is operated by a user to open the head lock member 23 , and the selected head unit 50 is taken out of the reception groove 233 of the head lock member 23 . the head lock member 23 is then closed . the head base 51 of the selected head unit 50 is inserted into the assembling hole 411 , and secured by the latch components 42 . thus , the screwdriver 100 is ready to screw and unscrew a fastener ( e . g ., a screw ) of a type corresponding to the selected head unit 50 . when another of the head units 50 needs to be used , the latch components 42 are operated to release the installed head unit 50 , and the other head unit 50 is fixed on the pole unit 40 according to the aforementioned method . the previously installed head unit 50 is replaced in the reception groove 233 of its corresponding head lock member 23 , and the corresponding head lock member 23 is closed . this provides safekeeping for the previously installed head unit 50 , and facilitates use of the screwdriver 100 . in summary , the screwdriver 100 has a plurality of changeable head units 50 received therein , and can be used to screw and unscrew fasteners ( e . g ., screws and bolts ) of different shapes and sizes . furthermore , the head reception unit 20 functions as an efficient , safe and portable storage for the head units 50 . it is to be further understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description , together with details of structures and functions of various embodiments , the disclosure is illustrative only , and changes may be made in detail , especially in matters of shape , size , and arrangement of parts within the principles of the present invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed .	1
with respect to the following description of examples , reference is also made to ep - 0 167 658 b1 , which is mentioned in the above introduction to the description . this reference shows in fig8 details of the basic design of a grate with the help of frame elements . several frame elements , which are connected with one another and which are arranged side - by - side with reference to the conveying direction , result in a row of grates ; several rows of grates arranged one behind the other in conveying direction make up the grate . the frame elements lying and next to the other in conveying direction can thereby be arranged steplike as indicated in the present fig1 . the frame element 8 , which is preferably formed of a one - piece frame 2 and a plurality of plate members 6 arranged one next to the other in the conveying direction identified by the arrow 4 , is supported on a grate carrier 10 . the grate carrier 10 is connected to a gas - supply line in a manner not illustrated . as can be seen particularly in fig3 the frame 2 includes two side members 12 , 14 designed as upstanding sidewalls oriented perpendicularly to the main plane of the frame . the sidewalls 12 , 14 are connected at their front ends 15 , which is a leading end in conveying direction , by a front wall 16 , an upper edge of which is lower compared with the upper edge of the sidewalls 12 , 14 so that the upper edges of the sidewalls 12 , 14 project upwardly beyond the upper edge of the front wall 16 . fig2 and 3 show that longitudinally extending grooves 18 , 20 are provided on the opposing inner surfaces of the sidewalls 12 , 14 . the longitudinally extending grooves serve as longitudinally extending guide profiles for supporting the plate members 6 , are arranged at a level above the level of the upper edge of the front wall 16 and open outwardly in the region of the front end of the frame so that the grooves are accessible from the front facing end . fig4 shows a plate member 6 . the plate member consists essentially of a main section 22 forming a grate surface and a shoulder 24 arranged on the main section , which shoulder extends , in the manner illustrated in fig1 beneath a main section of an adjacent plate member . tongue - like flanges 26 , 28 are provided on the lateral edges of the main section 22 , which tongue - like flanges are formed to conform complementarily with respect to the longitudinally extending grooves 18 , 20 . the plate members 6 are inserted one after the other into the longitudinally extending grooves 18 , 20 from the front end 15 of the frame . two spacing projections 30 , 32 are provided on the edges of the main section 22 facing away from the front end , which spacing projections engage the opposite edges of the main section 22 of the respectively earlier inserted plate member 6 . these spacing projections serve to define a gas - venting slot 34 between the mutually adjacent plate members 6 ( see fig1 ). the spacing projections can easily be reduced in size by a metal shaving process or can be increased in size by building the area up through welding so that the width of the slot can be varied . in order to secure the plate members 6 in the frame , an end plate member 36 is inserted last . the end plate member 36 differs from a regular plate member 6 in that the main section 38 thereof has at its end , which is the trailing end relative to the insertion direction , a downwardly extending end flange 40 extending essentially to the upper edge of the front wall 16 . means for facilitating a locking of the end plate member 36 to the frame 2 are provided on the end flange 40 , on the one hand , and on the front wall 16 , on the other hand . at least one of the two adjacent edges of the end flange 40 or of the front wall 16 has preferably , in the illustrated exemplary embodiment , a bevel enabling in a simple manner the creation of a connecting welding seam 42 . fig6 shows a detail of another exemplary embodiment of the longitudinal guide for the plate members in the frame . fig6 shows two adjacent sidewalls 44 , 46 of two frame elements arranged side - by - side in a row of grates . the sidewalls 44 , 46 have at their respective upper ends a tongue - like flange 48 , 50 serving as a longitudinally extending guide profile , while the conforming profiles arranged on the plate members 52 , 54 are constructed as grooves 56 , 58 conforming complimentarily with respect to the tongue - like flanges . fig6 shows further more that the plate members 52 , 54 have on each of their lateral edges a longitudinally extending flange 56 , 58 designed to cover the upper edge of an associated sidewall 44 , 46 . these flanges prevent the sidewalls 44 , 46 from coming into contact with goods lying on the grate so that wear is limited to those plate members which can be exchanged easily . fig1 and 3 show that the frame 2 has in its end area associated with the front end 15 a bottom wall 60 covering from below the area between the sidewalls that projects outwardly beyond the grate carrier 10 . the area of the frame placed onto the grate carrier 10 is open at the bottom so that gas can enter from the grate carrier into the frame element 8 and can flow to the gas - venting slots 34 . the bottom wall 60 closes off the frame 2 in the area projecting outwardly beyond the grate carrier 10 in a gas tight manner in a downward direction . the end of the frame 2 remote from the front end 15 is covered by a top wall 62 . the first plate member rests against an end edge of the top wall , which edge faces the front end . the top wall is in its area facing the front end preferably profiled similar to the profile of the main section 22 of a plate member so that between the top wall and the shoulder 24 of the first plate member there is also formed a gas - venting slot . fig1 and 2 each show a shaded area identified by the reference numeral 64 which characterizes the usual wear pattern of a frame element . from this results that it is preferably the leading areas in transporting direction that are subjected to material wear . the welding seam 42 fixing the end plate member 36 is separated in the case of the exemplary embodiment described in connection with fig1 to 5 when the wear has reached a permissible limit so that the front plate members can be removed and can be replaced with new ones . the wear on the upper edges of the sidewalls 12 , 14 is , for example , compensated for by building the area up through welding . it thereby helps the easy exchange of the plate members that the plate members subjected to the greatest wear are arranged in the area of the front end 15 so that they can be exchanged without disassembly of the not worn plate members . an exchange of the plate members 52 , 54 is sufficient in the exemplary embodiment described in connection with fig6 since the sidewalls 44 , 46 cannot be exposed to wear . fig1 shows schematically the arrangement of a further frame element 70 having a further row of grates , which frame element 70 is arranged in transporting direction 4 in front of the frame element 2 . the row of grates is arranged offset steplike in a downward direction . the upper frame element 8 overlaps thereby the lower frame element 70 at most in the area of the top wall 62 so that the active grate surface area is not reduced . furthermore it can be seen that the front end of all frame elements is always accessible because of the stepped arrangement so that an exchange of the most worn plate members 6 is possible without disassembling the frame elements . also other repairs due to wear can be addressed from above , as for example building the area up through welding of the sidewalls 12 , 14 , is possible without disassembling the frame elements .	5
fig3 generally shows a prom to which a first embodiment of a signature circuit according to the present invention may be applied . the prom shown in fig3 includes a memory cell array 11 , a row decoder 12 , a column decoder 13 , a sense amplifier 14 and a bus line selection circuit 15 . fig4 shows an essential part of the first embodiment together with related parts of the prom shown in fig3 . in this embodiment , it is assumed for the same of convenience that two kinds of signature information are to be stored . for this reason , bit lines b 0 through b 2m + 1 are divided into two blocks . the bit lines b 0 through b m are connected to a bus line bus1 via respective fets q 0 through q m which receive corresponding bit line selection signals y 0 through y m . the bit lines b m + 1 through b 2m + 1 are connected to a bus line bus2 via respective fets q m + 1 through q 2m + 1 which also receive the corresponding bit line selection signals y 0 through y m . the bus lines bus1 and bus2 are connected to the sense amplifier 14 via respective n - channel fets q x and q x + 1 and a bus line bus3 . the fets q x and q x + 1 respectively receive bus line selection signals z 0 and z 1 . memory cells ms 0 through ms 2m + 1 for storing information are connected to word lines w 0 through w n which respectively receive word line selection signals x 0 through x n . rom cells ss 0 through ss 2m + 1 for storing first and second kinds of signature information are connected to a word line w n + 1 which receives a word line selection signal x n + 1 . the first signature information is stored in the rom cells ss 0 through ss m which correspond to the bit lines b 0 through b m , and the second signature information is stored in the rom cells ss m + 1 through ss 2m + 1 which correspond to the bit lines b m + 1 through b 2m + 1 . when reading the first signature information , only the word line selection signal x n + 1 out of the word line selection signals x 0 through x n + 1 is set to a high level in response to an address signal , and the other word line selection signals are set to low levels . in addition , only the bus line selection signal z 0 is set to a high level in response to the address signal , and the other bus line selection signal z 1 is set to a low level . as a result , the fet q x is turned on , and the first signature information is read out from the rom cells ss 0 through ss m by successively selecting the bit lines b 0 through b m by the bit line selection signals y 0 through y m . similarly , when reading the second signature information , only the word line selection signal x n + 1 out of the word line selection signals x 0 through x n + 1 is set to the high level in response to the address signal , and the other word line selection signals are set to the low levels . in addition , only the bus line selection signal z 1 is set to the high level in response to the address signal , and the other bus line selection signal z 0 is set to the low level . as a result , the fet q x + 1 is turned on , and the second signature information is read out from the rom cells ss m + 1 through ss 2m + 1 by successively selecting the bit lines b m + 1 through b 2m + 1 by the bit line selection signals y m + 1 through y 2m + 1 . the bus line selection signals z 0 and z 1 are generated by an address buffer circuit 19 shown in fig5 . a signal pd which has a high level in a standby mode is applied to a terminal 20 , and an address signal a in for setting one of the bus line selection signals z 0 and z 1 to a high level is applied to a terminal 21 during a memory access mode . the signals pd and a in are supplied to a nor circuit 22 , and an output signal of the nor circuit 22 is supplied to a buffer 25 via inverters 23 and 24 . the buffer 25 includes p - channel fets p1 through p3 and n - channel fets n1 through n3 . the buffer 25 receives a low - level signal a and a high - level signal b in the memory access mode . hence , the output signal of the inverter 24 is inverted by an inverter which is made up of the fets p1 and n1 and is thereafter supplied to a terminal 27 via an inverter 26 . on the other hand , the output signal of the inverter of the buffer 25 is supplied to a terminal 30 via inverters 28 and 29 . the bus line selection signal z 0 is output from the terminal 27 , and the bus line selection signal z 1 is output from the terminal 30 . when reading the first signature information , the signals a and b are both set to the high level to turn off the fets p2 and p3 and turn on the fets n2 and n3 . thus , the bus line selection signal z 0 has a high level and the bus line selection signal z 1 has a low level in this case . when reading the second signature information , the signals a and b are both set to the low level to turn on the fets p2 and p3 and turn off the fets n2 and n3 . thus , the bus line selection signal z 0 has a low level and the bus line selection signal z 1 has a high level in this case . therefore , in this embodiment , types of signature information are stored in the rom cells which are connected to the single word line w n + 1 , and the desired signature information is read out by selecting this word line w n + 1 and selecting one bit line block by the bus line selection signals z 0 and z 1 . hence , only one word line is required exclusively for the signature circuit , and the area occupied by the signature circuit can be reduced effectively . of course , the number of types of signature information which can be stored is not limited to two , and more than two types of signature information can be stored using the single word line w n + 1 . on the other hand , it is also possible to provide more than one word line for the signature circuit . in other words , the important thing is to store a plurality types of signature information using one word line . next , a description will be given of a second embodiment of the signature circuit according to the present invention . fig6 generally shows a prom to which the second embodiment of the signature circuit according to the present invention may be applied . in fig6 those parts which are the same as those corresponding parts in fig3 are designated by the same reference numerals , and a description thereof will be omitted . fig7 shows an essential part of the second embodiment together with related parts of the prom shown in fig6 . in this embodiment , the bit lines b 0 through b 2m + 1 are divided into a pair of sub - blocks , and a plurality of such pairs of sub - blocks are provided . plural pairs of bus lines bus1a and bus2a , . . . , and bus1x and bus2x are respectively connected to plural bus lines bus3a , . . . , and bus3x via the respective , plural pairs of fets q 1a and q 2a , . . . , and q 1x and q 2x which respectively receive the bus line selection signals z 0 and z 1 . in addition , the plural pairs of fets t1a and t2a , . . . , and t1x and t2x are respectively connected to the plural pairs of bus lines bus1a and bus2a , . . . , and bus1x and bus2x as the rom cells for storing the signature information . the bus lines bus3a through bus3x are connected to the sense amplifier 14 via respective fets q 3a through q 3x and a bus line bus4 . the fets q 3a through q 3x respectively receive bus line selection signals z 2 and z 3 . the respective gates of the plural pairs of fets t1a and t2a , . . . , and t1x and t2x , for storing the signature information , are respectively commonly connected to the word line x n + 1 . the signature information is stored by forming a short - circuit or an open circuit between the drains of the fets t1a and t2a , . . . , and t1x and t2x and the corresponding one of the bus lines bus1a and bus2a , . . . , and bus1x and bus2x . the short - circuit is indicated by a mark &# 34 ; o &# 34 ; while the open circuit is indicated by a mark &# 34 ; x &# 34 ;. in this embodiment , the first type signature information is stored in the fets t1a through t1x which correspond to the bus line selection signal z 0 , and the second type signature information is stored in the fets t2a through t2x which correspond to the bus line selection signal z 1 . when reading the first type signature information , only the word line x n + 1 is set to the high level in response to the address signal , and only the bus line selection signal z 0 is set to the high level to select a first block . the first block is made up of one of the sub - blocks from each of the pairs of sub - blocks . hence , the fets q 1a . . . q 1x are turned on , and the first signature information is read by successively selecting the bus lines bus3a through bus3x by the bus line selection signals z 2 and z 3 and successively selecting the bit lines . similarly , when reading the second type signature information , only the word line x n + 1 is set to the high level in response to the address signal , and only the bus line selection signal z 1 is set to the high level to select a second block . the second block is made up of the other of the sub - blocks from each of the pairs of sub - blocks . hence , the fets q 2a . . . q 2x are turned on , and the second signature information is read by successively selecting the bus lines bus3a through bus3x by the bus line selection signals z 2 and z 3 and successively selecting the bit lines . therefore , in this embodiment , a plurality signature information are stored in the rom cells which are connected to the single word line w n + 1 , and the desired signature information is read out by selecting this word line w n + 1 and selecting the bit line blocks by the bus line selection signals z 0 and z 1 . hence , only one word line is required exclusively for the signature circuit , and the area occupied by the signature circuit can be reduced effectively . it is also possible to provide more than one word line for the signature circuit . in other words , the important thing is to store a plurality of signature information using one word line , similarly as in the case of the first embodiment . in addition , the word line x n + 1 and the rom cells ( t1a , t1x , etc .) are provided between the column decoder 13 and the sense amplifier 14 in fig6 and does not form a part of the memory cell array 11 . however , the word line x n + 1 and the rom cells may of course form a part of the memory cell array 11 as in the case of the first embodiment by providing necessary interconnections between the rom cells and the circuit part which is located between the column decoder 13 and the sense amplifier 14 . further , the present invention is not limited to these embodiments , but various variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention .	6
the aim of the invention is , from the electrical point of view , to make the electric field , when passing from the excitation device to the corrugated source itself , no longer dependent on the conditions at the limits on the internal wall of the guide -- particularly on the orthogonality of the field e -- on the internal walls of the guide . as was shown in fig3 which is a section of a smooth guide through a cross section , the field lines are curved on the inner edge of the guide so that , if the excitation device is a smooth guide , the field lines thus generate undesirable parasite modes in the corrugated source . this is why , in accordance with the invention , the dual band corrugated source is excited in free space , that is to say by means mechanically decoupled from said source . by this mechanical decoupling between the excitation device and the corrugated source , this latter is excited by near zone radiation , called the rayleigh zone , for which the energy emitted by the excitation device remains canalized without dispersion effect . if the excitation device is a circular guide of diameter d and if the operating wavelength is λ , the rayleigh zone , defined at the output of the guide along the propagation axis thereof , has a limit length equal to d 2 / 2λ . fig5 shows one embodiment of the invention , seen in longitudinal section . the ultra - high frequency corrugated source 1 operating in two frequency bands is formed by a corrugated horn of revolution excited by two means mechanically decoupled from said source and having respective perpendicular propagation axes δ and α &# 39 ;. horn 1 comprises two series of alternating grooves 2 and 3 in its internal wall . these grooves are repeated according to a period d &# 39 ;. the means for low band excitation of the corrugated source 1 is formed by a smooth guide 5 of circular cross section placed at a distance d from the mouth 4 of the source 1 , less than the limit of the rayleigh zone of the guide . the propagation axis of this guide merges with that δ &# 39 ; of the corrugated guide 1 . this guide radiates in mode te 11 , for example , in which the configuration of the electromagnetic field is the closest to that of the useful low band hybrid mode . the high band excitation means is , in the case shown , a corrugated horn 6 , radiating in a mode close to the high band hybrid mode . it is placed so that its propagation axis δ &# 34 ; is perpendicular to the axis of guide 5 , at a distance d &# 39 ; therefrom , where d &# 39 ; is less than the limit of the rayleigh zone of the horn 6 . so as to be able to be excited by these two means successively or simultaneously , a spatial frequency filter 7 is placed between them and the corrugated source 1 , at 45 ° to the axes δ and δ &# 39 ;. thus , the low band wave passes through this filter 7 to excite the mouth 4 of the dual band source 1 and the high band wave undergoes a reflection of 90 ° at this filter to excite source 1 in its turn . this spatial frequency filter allows at least two beams of different frequencies coming from two separate sources to be re - united in a single electromagnetic wave beam . but fig5 is only one non limiting example of implementation of the invention . in fact , the two excitation means may be smooth guides , or corrugated guides , and have a right - angled or rectangular section . similarly , the low band excitation means is not necessarily in the axis of the mouth of the corrugated source and may be perpendicular thereto . if this means is more readily placed in the axis of the source , it is for reasons of space , since it generally has larger dimensions than the high band excitation means . thus , a smaller spatial filter may be used . this spatial filter 7 which separates the electromagnetic waves of a given mean incidence angle situated in different frequency bands , may be a multi - layer dielectric or a simple polarizing network with parallel wires if the excitation means emit waves with orthogonal rectilinear polarizations . other more elaborate arrangements , more especially periscopic , may be envisaged when the corrugated source itself is to effect a rotation . however , in all the embodiments of the invention , the distances d and d &# 39 ;, at the output of the means for exciting the corrugated source , are chosen so as to obtain optimum coupling between the excitation means and the corrugated source , that is to say so that the energy emitted by the two excitation means is transmitted as completely as possible to the mouth of the corrugated source . the passband of such a biperiodic source is an octave , as for a simple corrugated source . the advantages of the invention are the following . first of all from the electrical point of view , the problems of exponential transition between a smooth excitation guide and a corrugated guide are removed since it is no longer necessary to adjust the first grooves , the exciting field lines entering the corrugated guide under the best geometric configuration and coupling conditions . in addition , since there is no longer any problem of transition between guides , guides with a rectangular cross section may advantageously be used , inside which is propagated their fundamental mode te 10 , whose rectilinear field lines are well suited to the excitation of a corrugated source , thus providing a distinct improvement . then , from a mechanical point of view , the invention allows a simplification of construction since the contour of the excitation guide is independent of that of the mouth of the corrugated source . for an even better matching , rectangular guides may be used having a bell - mouthed opening thus becoming sectoral horns . in this case , the wave impedance corresponds better to that of the corrugated guide and correlatively the rayleigh zone is broadened thereby , thus allowing better use of the principle . for the high band , it may even be advantageous to use an exciting corrugated horn , itself fed by the conventional device , so as to better eliminate the parasite modes . from the space - saving point of view , it can be seen from fig4 and 5 , which are to the same scale , that the dual band source of the invention takes up less space than the dual band source of the prior art , since this source of the invention has approximately the same dimensions as the low band source of the prior art . in so far as the radiation patterns are concerned , fig6 and 7 bear witness to the appreciable improvement provided by the excitation device of the invention . the patterns of these two figures relate to a corrugated remote band source ( x and ku ) formed by a guide with alternating grooves of diameter 52 . 5 mm ( 2 . 9 in ku ). the excitation device is a smooth circular section guide having the same section as the corrugated guide , comprising plates on its inner wall to rectify the field lines thereof . in fig6 the poor quality of the electric and magnetic patterns can be seen when the excitation guide -- smooth guide -- is coupled to the corrugated source of the prior art . parasite modes combine with the useful mode and cause great disproportions between planes e and h . fig7 relates to excitation in free space , according to the invention , the smooth guide being spaced from the corrugated source by 62 mm . the patterns shown are practically identical with the theoretical ones of the useful hybrid mode , the divergences being explained by the residual presence of parasite modes which excitation by a rectangular section guide would easily eliminate . while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it is understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment but , on the contrary , is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures .	7
as shown in fig1 , the disclosed spacecraft , generally designated 10 , may include a primary structural frame that may be in the form of a cylindrical central thrust tube 12 that extends substantially the entire length of the spacecraft . the thrust tube 12 also may support stiffener panels 14 , solar wing drives 16 and thrusters 18 . thrusters 18 may be used for attitude control and / or moving the spacecraft 10 to a different orbit . the solar wing drives 16 may support solar panels 20 . the thrusters 18 may be include an electric propulsion units connected to a propellant tank 22 . in embodiments , the thrusters 18 may be gridded electrostatic ion thrusters , or hall effect thrusters . the propellant tank 22 may contain xenon gas propellant under pressure and may be dimensioned to be spaced from the inner surface 24 of the central thrust tube 12 . although shown in fig1 as having a cylindrical shape , in embodiments the propellant tank 22 may be spherical , elliptical or oval in shape . in an embodiment , the propellant tank 22 may be a metallic pressure vessel with a composite overwrap reinforcement . in embodiments , the propellant tank 22 may be made of aluminum or titanium , and may or may not have overwrap reinforcement . as shown in fig1 and 3 , the spacecraft 10 may include a tank mount , generally designated 26 . the tank mount 26 may serve to attach the spacecraft 10 to the base 28 of a launch vehicle 30 , so that the spacecraft 10 may be positioned within the payload region 32 of the launch vehicle . the tank mount 26 may include a conical shell 34 that may be made of a lightweight , strong composite material . in an embodiment , the material may include graphite or carbon fiber and may have a honeycomb structure . in other embodiments , the conical shell 34 may be made of metal , such as titanium , steel or aluminum alloy . the conical shell 34 may be attached to a launch vehicle interface ring 36 , which may be part of the base 28 of a launch vehicle 30 . at an opposite end of the propellant tank 22 , the tank mount 26 may include a forward tank support panel 38 . the forward tank support panel 38 may be disk - shaped and sized to engage the inner periphery 24 of the central thrust tube 12 . the forward tank support panel 38 may be a solid disk , as shown , or may have voids to reduce weight . the forward tank support panel 38 may be attached to the propellant tank 22 by a pivotal mount 40 , such as the monoball bearing axial slip joint shown . other types of pivotal mounts may be employed . the forward tank support panel 38 may be attached to the inner periphery 24 of the central thrust tube 12 by welding , brazing , adhesives or other means . as shown in fig4 and 4a , the propellant tank 22 may include an axially extending forward tank boss 42 that may extend through and is captured by the monoball bearing joint 40 . the monoball bearing joint 40 may be attached to the forward tank support panel 38 by fasteners such as bolts 44 . in other embodiments , the monoball bearing joint 40 may be attached to the forward tank support panel 38 by a suitable adhesive , by welding , by rivets , or a combination of the foregoing . the monoball bearing joint 40 may be made of metal , such as an aluminum alloy or titanium . as shown in fig4 and 4b , the upper end 44 of the conical shell 34 may be attached to a cap 46 that may be made of a hardened material such as titanium or other metal . the attaching mechanism may be by adhesives , or bolts 48 as shown in fig4 b . as shown in fig4 and 4c , the cap 46 may include a pivotal mount 50 , such as the moment - free monoball bearing mount shown . monoball bearing mount 50 may receive an aft tank boss 52 of the propellant tank 22 . the aft tank boss 52 may be attached to the propellant tank by screws 54 and may include an adapter tube 56 that extends through and is captured by the monoball bearing mount 50 . the tube 56 may be hollow and shaped to receive an outlet tube 57 of the propellant tank 22 . in one embodiment , the tube 56 may be slidable relative to the monoball bearing mount to allow for expansion and contraction of the propellant tank 22 , and accommodate any out - of - tolerance conditions . similarly , the forward tank boss 42 ( fig4 a ) may be slidably retained by the monoball bearing slip joint 40 . in embodiments , both joints 40 and 50 may allow axial ( i . e ., in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the spacecraft 10 ) and pivotal movement of the propellant tank 22 relative to the spacecraft 10 , central thrust tube 12 and conical support 34 . as shown in fig4 and 4d , the lower end 58 of the conical shell 34 may be attached to the launch vehicle interface ring 36 by bolts 60 that extend through the lower end and through tabs 62 formed on the interface ring 36 . as shown in fig4 d , the interface ring 36 also may include an angular slot 64 shaped to receive the bottom of the central thrust tube 12 ( fig1 ), and the joint may be secured by means such as an adhesive , welding or brazing , mechanical fasteners such as screws ( not shown ), or a combination of the foregoing . as shown in fig2 , a spacecraft 10 ′ may include a central thrust tube 12 ′ that is flared outwardly at the bottom of 66 to accommodate a greater thrust load , in the event that the central thrust tube 12 ′ may support the thrust tube 68 of a second spacecraft ( not shown ) to be launched in tandem with the spacecraft 10 . in this embodiment , the propellant tank 22 may be supported in a similar fashion as that described with reference to fig1 , except that the conical shell 34 ′ may be shaped to flare outwardly at a greater angle than shell 34 engage a larger interface ring 70 . the disclosed spacecraft 10 , 10 ′ and tank mount 26 , 26 ′ provide a low - cost mounting system that may transfer launch loads from the lower propellant tank nozzle 52 through the conical shell 34 and to the launch vehicle interface ring 36 . therefore , the launch load of the propellant tank 22 may be conveyed directly to the interface ring 36 without transferring a load to the central thrust tube 12 . because the connection between the propellant tank 22 and the forward tank support panel 38 is by way of a slip joint 40 , there is not thrust load transmitted to the central thrust tube 12 at that location . thus , the entire thrust load of the propellant tank may be borne by the interface ring 36 and not the structural frame of the spacecraft 12 , 12 ′. further , because the propellant tank is attached to the spacecraft 12 , 12 ′ at its upper and lower ends by boss 42 and nozzle 56 , the support system will accommodate a variety of propellant tank dimensions and diameters . while the forms of apparatus and method described herein may constitute preferred embodiments of the spacecraft and propellant tank mount system , it is to be understood the invention is not limited to these precise forms of apparatus , and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention .	1
the clustering of mutations within pik3ca make it an excellent marker for early detection or for following disease progression . testing focused in the clustered regions will yield most of the mutant alleles . the human pik3ca coding sequence is reported in the literature and is shown in seq id no : 1 . this is the sequence of one particular individual in the population of humans . humans vary from one to another in their gene sequences . these variations are very minimal , sometimes occurring at a frequency of about 1 to 10 nucleotides per gene . different forms of any particular gene exist within the human population . these different forms are called allelic variants . allelic variants often do not change the amino acid sequence of the encoded protein ; such variants are termed synonymous . even if they do change the encoded amino acid ( non - synonymous ), the function of the protein is not typically affected . such changes are evolutionarily or functionally neutral . when human pik3ca is referred to in the present application all allelic variants are intended to be encompassed by the term . the sequence of seq id no : 1 is provided merely as a representative example of a wild - type human sequence . the invention is not limited to this single allelic form of pik3ca . for purposes of determining a mutation , pik3ca sequences determined in a test sample can be compared to a sequence determined in a different tissue of the human . a difference in the sequence in the two tissues indicates a somatic mutation . alternatively , the sequence determined in a pik3ca gene in a test sample can be compared to the sequence of seq id no : 1 . a difference between the test sample sequence and seq id no : 1 can be identified as a mutation . tissues suspected of being cancerous can be tested , as can body samples that may be expected to contain sloughed - off cells from tumors or cells of cancers . suitable body samples for testing include blood , serum , plasma , sputum , urine , stool , nipple aspirate , saliva , and cerebrospinal fluid . mutations in pik3ca cluster in exons 9 ( seq id no : 4 ) and 20 ( seq id no : 5 ). other mutations occur , but these two exons appear to be the hotspots for mutations . many mutations occur in pik3ca &# 39 ; s helical domain ( nt 1567 - 2124 of seq id no : 2 ) and in its kinase domain ( nt 2095 - 3096 of seq id no : 2 ). fewer occur in pik3ca &# 39 ; s p85bd domain ( nt 103 - 335 of seq id no : 2 ). mutations have been found in exons 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 9 , 13 , 18 , and 20 . any combination of these exons can be tested , optionally in conjunction with testing other exons . testing for mutations can be done along the whole coding sequence or can be focused in the areas where mutations have been found to cluster . particular hotspots of mutations occur at nucleotide positions 1624 , 1633 , 1636 , and 3140 of pik3ca coding sequence . pik3ca mutations have been found in a variety of different types of tumors . thus any of a variety of tumors can be tested for pik3ca mutations . these tissues include , without limitation : colorectal tissue , brain tissue , gastric tissue , breast tissue , and lung tissue . any type of intragenic mutation can be detected . these include substitution mutations , deletion mutations , and insertion mutations . the size of the mutations is likely to be small , on the order of from 1 to 3 nucleotides . mutations which can be detected include , but are not limited to g1624a , g1633a , c1636a , a3140g , g113a , t1258c , g3129t , c3139t , and g2702t . any combination of these mutations can be tested . the mutations that are found in pik3ca appear to be activating mutations . thus therapeutic regimens involving inhibition of p110α activity or expression can be used to inhibit progression of a tumor in a human . inhibitory molecules which can be used include antisense oligonucleotides or antisense constructs , a molecule comprising an antibody binding region , and sirna molecules . molecules comprising an antibody binding region can be full antibodies , single chain variable regions , antibody fragments , antibody conjugates , etc . the antibody binding regions may but need not bind to epitopes contained within the kinase domain ( nt 2095 - 3096 of seq id no : 2 ) of pik3ca , the helical domain ( nt 1567 - 2124 of seq id no : 2 ) of pik3ca , or the p85bd domain ( nt 103 - 335 of seq id no : 2 ) of pik3ca . antisense constructs , antisense oligonucleotides , rna interference constructs or sirna duplex rna molecules can be used to interfere with expression of pik3ca . typically at least 15 , 17 , 19 , or 21 nucleotides of the complement of pik3ca mrna sequence are sufficient for an antisense molecule . typically at least 19 , 21 , 22 , or 23 nucleotides of pik3ca are sufficient for an rna interference molecule . preferably an rna interference molecule will have a 2 nucleotide 3 ′ overhang . if the rna interference molecule is expressed in a cell from a construct , for example from a hairpin molecule or from an inverted repeat of the desired pik3ca sequence , then the endogenous cellular machinery will create the overhangs . sirna molecules can be prepared by chemical synthesis , in vitro transcription , or digestion of long dsrna by rnase iii or dicer . these can be introduced into cells by transfection , electroporation , or other methods known in the art . see hannon , g j , 2002 , rna interference , nature 418 : 244 - 251 ; bernstein e et al ., 2002 , the rest is silence . rna 7 : 1509 - 1521 ; hutvagner g et al ., rnai : nature abhors a double - strand . curr . opin . genetics & amp ; development 12 : 225 - 232 ; brummelkamp , 2002 , a system for stable expression of short interfering rnas in mammalian cells . science 296 : 550 - 553 ; lee n s , dohjima t , bauer g , li h , li m - j , ehsani a , salvaterra p , and rossi j . ( 2002 ). expression of small interfering rnas targeted against hiv - 1 rev transcripts in human cells . nature biotechnol . 20 : 500 - 505 ; miyagishi m , and taira k . ( 2002 ). u6 - promoter - driven sirnas with four uridine 3 ′ overhangs efficiently suppress targeted gene expression in mammalian cells . nature biotechnol . 20 : 497 - 500 ; paddison p j , caudy a a , bernstein e , hannon g j , and conklin d s . ( 2002 ). short hairpin rnas ( shrnas ) induce sequence - specific silencing in mammalian cells . genes & amp ; dev . 16 : 948 - 958 ; paul c p , good p d , winer i , and engelke d r . ( 2002 ). effective expression of small interfering rna in human cells . nature biotechnol . 20 : 505 - 508 ; sui g , soohoo c , affar e - b , gay f , shi y , forrester w c , and shi y . ( 2002 ). a dna vector - based rnai technology to suppress gene expression in mammalian cells . proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 99 ( 6 ): 5515 - 5520 ; yu j - y , deruiter s l , and turner d l . ( 2002 ). rna interference by expression of short - interfering rnas and hairpin rnas in mammalian cells . proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 99 ( 9 ): 6047 - 6052 . antisense or rna interference molecules can be delivered in vitro to cells or in vivo , e . g ., to tumors of a mammal . typical delivery means known in the art can be used . for example , delivery to a tumor can be accomplished by intratumoral injections . other modes of delivery can be used without limitation , including : intravenous , intramuscular , intraperitoneal , intraarterial , local delivery during surgery , endoscopic , subcutaneous , and per os . in a mouse model , the antisense or rna interference can be adminstered to a tumor cell in vitro , and the tumor cell can be subsequently administered to a mouse . vectors can be selected for desirable properties for any particular application . vectors can be viral or plasmid . adenoviral vectors are useful in this regard . tissue - specific , cell - type specific , or otherwise regulatable promoters can be used to control the transcription of the inhibitory polynucleotide molecules . non - viral carriers such as liposomes or nanospheres can also be used . using the p110α protein according to the invention , one of ordinary skill in the art can readily generate antibodies which specifically bind to the proteins . such antibodies can be monoclonal or polyclonal . they can be chimeric , humanized , or totally human . any functional fragment or derivative of an antibody can be used including fab , fab ′, fab2 , fab ′ 2 , and single chain variable regions . so long as the fragment or derivative retains specificity of binding for the endothelial marker protein it can be used . antibodies can be tested for specificity of binding by comparing binding to appropriate antigen to binding to irrelevant antigen or antigen mixture under a given set of conditions . if the antibody binds to the appropriate antigen at least 2 , 5 , 7 , and preferably 10 times more than to irrelevant antigen or antigen mixture then it is considered to be specific . techniques for making such partially to fully human antibodies are known in the art and any such techniques can be used . according to one particularly preferred embodiment , fully human antibody sequences are made in a transgenic mouse which has been engineered to express human heavy and light chain antibody genes . multiple strains of such transgenic mice have been made which can produce different classes of antibodies . b cells from transgenic mice which are producing a desirable antibody can be fused to make hybridoma cell lines for continuous production of the desired antibody . see for example , nina d . russel , jose r . f . corvalan , michael l . gallo , c . geoffrey davis , liise - anne pirofski . production of protective human antipneumococcal antibodies by transgenic mice with human immunoglobulin loci infection and immunity april 2000 , p . 1820 - 1826 ; michael l . gallo , vladimir e . ivanov , aya jakobovits , and c . geoffrey davis . the human immunoglobulin loci introduced into mice : v ( d ) and j gene segment usage similar to that of adult humans european journal of immunology 30 : 534 - 540 , 2000 ; larry l . green . antibody engineering via genetic engineering of the mouse : xenomouse strains are a vehicle for the facile generation of therapeutic human monoclonal antibodies journal of immunological methods 231 11 - 23 , 1999 ; yang x - d , corvalan j r f , wang p , roy c m - n and davis c g . fully human anti - interleukin - 8 monoclonal antibodies : potential therapeutics for the treatment of inflammatory disease states . journal of leukocyte biology vol . 66 , pp 401 - 410 ( 1999 ); yang x - d , jia x - c , corvalan j r f , wang p , c g davis and jakobovits a . eradication of established tumors by a fully human monoclonal antibody to the epidermal growth factor receptor without concomitant chemotherapy . cancer research vol . 59 , number 6 , pp1236 - 1243 ( 1999 ); jakobovits a . production and selection of antigen - specific fully human monoclonal antibodies from mice engineered with human ig loci . advanced drug delivery reviews vol . 31 , pp : 33 - 42 ( 1998 ); green l and jakobovits a . regulation of b cell development by variable gene complexity in mice reconstituted with human immunoglobulin yeast artificial chromosomes . j . exp . med . vol . 188 , number 3 , pp : 483 - 495 ( 1998 ); jakobovits a . the long - awaited magic bullets : therapeutic human monoclonal antibodies from transgenic mice . exp . opin . invest . drugs vol . 7 ( 4 ), pp : 607 - 614 ( 1998 ); tsuda h , maynard - currie k , reid l , yoshida t , edamura k , maeda n , smithies o , jakobovits a . inactivation of mouse hprt locus by a 203 - bp retrotransposon insertion and a 55 - kb gene - targeted deletion : establishment of new hprt - deficient mouse embryonic stem cell lines . genomics vol . 42 , pp : 413 - 421 ( 1997 ); sherman - gold , r . monoclonal antibodies : the evolution from &# 39 ; 80s magic bullets to mature , mainstream applications as clinical therapeutics . genetic engineering news vol . 17 , number 14 ( august 1997 ); mendez m , green l , corvalan j , jia x - c , maynard - currie c , yang x - d , gallo m , louie d , lee d , erickson k , luna j , roy c , abderrahim h , kirschenbaum f , noguchi m , smith d , fukushima a , hales j , finer m , davis c , zsebo k , jakobovits a . functional transplant of megabase human immunoglobulin loci recapitulates human antibody response in mice . nature genetics vol . 15 , pp : 146 - 156 ( 1997 ); jakobovits a . mice engineered with human immunoglobulin yacs : a new technology for production of fully human antibodies for autoimmunity therapy . weir &# 39 ; s handbook of experimental immunology , the integrated immune system vol . iv , pp : 194 . 1 - 194 . 7 ( 1996 ); jakobovits a . production of fully human antibodies by transgenic mice . current opinion in biotechnology vol . 6 , no . 5 , pp : 561 - 566 ( 1995 ); mendez m , abderrahim h , noguchi m , david n , hardy m , green l , tsuda h , yoast s , maynard - currie c , garza d , gemmill r , jakobovits a , klapholz s . analysis of the structural integrity of yacs comprising human immunoglobulin genes in yeast and in embryonic stem cells . genomics vol . 26 , pp : 294 - 307 ( 1995 ); jakobovits a . yac vectors : humanizing the mouse genome . current biology vol . 4 , no . 8 , pp : 761 - 763 ( 1994 ); arbones m , ord d , ley k , ratech h , maynard - curry k , otten g , capon d , tedder t . lymphocyte homing and leukocyte rolling and migration are impaired in l - selectin - deficient mice . immunity vol . 1 , no . 4 , pp : 247 - 260 ( 1994 ); green l , hardy m , maynard - curry k , tsuda h , louie d , mendez m , abderrahim h , noguchi m , smith d , zeng y , et . al . antigen - specific human monoclonal antibodies from mice engineered with human ig heavy and light chain yacs . nature genetics vol . 7 , no . 1 , pp : 13 - 21 ( 1994 ); jakobovits a , moore a , green l , vergara g , maynard - curry k , austin h , klapholz s . germ - line transmission and expression of a human - derived yeast artificial chromosome . nature vol . 362 , no . 6417 , pp : 255 - 258 ( 1993 ); jakobovits a , vergara g , kennedy j , hales j , mcguinness r , casentini - borocz d , brenner d , otten g . analysis of homozygous mutant chimeric mice : deletion of the immunoglobulin heavy - chain joining region blocks b - cell development and antibody production . proceedings of the national academy of sciences usa vol . 90 , no . 6 , pp : 2551 - 2555 ( 1993 ); kucherlapati et al ., u . s . pat . no . 6 , 1075 , 181 . antibodies can also be made using phage display techniques . such techniques can be used to isolate an initial antibody or to generate variants with altered specificity or avidity characteristics . single chain fv can also be used as is convenient . they can be made from vaccinated transgenic mice , if desired . antibodies can be produced in cell culture , in phage , or in various animals , including but not limited to cows , rabbits , goats , mice , rats , hamsters , guinea pigs , sheep , dogs , cats , monkeys , chimpanzees , apes . antibodies can be labeled with a detectable moiety such as a radioactive atom , a chromophore , a fluorophore , or the like . such labeled antibodies can be used for diagnostic techniques , either in vivo , or in an isolated test sample . antibodies can also be conjugated , for example , to a pharmaceutical agent , such as chemotherapeutic drug or a toxin . they can be linked to a cytokine , to a ligand , to another antibody . suitable agents for coupling to antibodies to achieve an anti - tumor effect include cytokines , such as interleukin 2 ( il - 2 ) and tumor necrosis factor ( tnf ); photosensitizers , for use in photodynamic therapy , including aluminum ( iii ) phthalocyanine tetrasulfonate , hematoporphyrin , and phthalocyanine ; radionuclides , such as iodine - 131 ( 131 i ), yttrium - 90 ( 90 y ), bismuth - 212 ( 212 bi ), bismuth - 213 ( 213 bi ), technetium - 99m ( 99m tc ), rhenium - 186 ( 186 re ), and rhenium - 188 ( 188 re ); antibiotics , such as doxorubicin , adriamycin , daunorubicin , methotrexate , daunomycin , neocarzinostatin , and carboplatin ; bacterial , plant , and other toxins , such as diphtheria toxin , pseudomonas exotoxin a , staphylococcal enterotoxin a , abrin - a toxin , ricin a ( deglycosylated ricin a and native ricin a ), tgf - alpha toxin , cytotoxin from chinese cobra ( naja naja atra ), and gelonin ( a plant toxin ); ribosome inactivating proteins from plants , bacteria and fungi , such as restrictocin ( a ribosome inactivating protein produced by aspergillus restrictus ), saporin ( a ribosome inactivating protein from saponaria officinalis ), and rnase ; tyrosine kinase inhibitors ; ly207702 ( a difluorinated purine nucleoside ); liposomes containing antitumor agents ( e . g . antisense oligonucleotides , plasmids which encode for toxins , methotrexate , etc . ); and other antibodies or antibody fragments , such as f ( ab ). those of skill in the art will readily understand and be able to make such antibody derivatives , as they are well known in the art . the antibodies may be cytotoxic on their own , or they may be used to deliver cytotoxic agents to particular locations in the body . the antibodies can be administered to individuals in need thereof as a form of passive immunization . given the success of small molecule protein kinase inhibitors , one can develop specific or non - specific inhibitors of p110α for treatment of the large number of patients with these mutations or cancers generally . it is clearly possible to develop broad - spectrum pi3k inhibitors , as documented by studies of ly294002 and wortmannin ( 2 , 21 , 22 ). our data suggest that the development of more specific inhibitors that target p110α but not other pi3ks would be worthwhile . candidate chemotherapeutic agents can be identified as agents which inhibit p110α activity or expression . test compounds can be synthetic or naturally occurring . they can be previously identified to have physiological activity or not . tests on candidate chemotherapeutic agents can be run in cell - free systems or in whole cells . p110α activity can be tested by any means known in the art . these include methods taught in references 2 , 22 and in truitt et al ., j . exp . med ., 179 , 1071 - 1076 ( 1994 ). expression can be monitored by determining pi3kca protein or mrna . antibody methods such as western blotting can be used to determine protein . northern blotting can be used to measure mrna . other methods can be used without limitation . when testing for chemotherapeutic agents , the p110α used in the assay can be a wild - type or an activated form . the activated form may contain a substitution mutation selected from the group consisting of e542k , e545k , q546k , and h1047r . moreover , inhibitors can be tested to determine their specificity for either p110α or an activated form of p110α . comparative tests can be run against similar enzymes including pik3cb , pik3cg , pik3c2a , pik3c2b , pik3c2g , pik3c3 , a - tm , atr , frap1 , lat1 - 3tm , smg1 , prkdc , and trrap to determine the relative specificity for the p110α enzyme . once a non - synonymous , intragenic mutation in a pik3 ca coding sequence is identified in a test tissue of a patient , that information can be used to make therapeutic decisions . patients with such mutations are good candidates for therapy with a p110α inhibitor . such inhibitors can be specific or general for the family of inhibitors . such inhibitors include ly294002 and wortmannin . such inhibitors further include molecules comprising an antibody binding region specific for p110α . such molecules are discussed above . sets of primers for amplifying and / or sequencing pik3ca can be provided in kits or assembled from components . useful sets include pairs of forward and reverse primers optionally teamed with sequencing primers . the forward primers are shown in seq id no : 6 to 158 . the reverse primers are shown in seq id no : 159 to 310 . the sequencing primers are shown in : seq id no : 311 to 461 . pairs or triplets or combinations of these pairs or triplets can be packaged and used together to amplify and / or sequence parts of the pik3ca gene . pairs can be packaged in single or divided containers . instructions for using the primers according to the methods of the present invention can be provided in any medium which is convenient , including paper , electronic , or a world - wide web address . while the invention has been described with respect to specific examples including presently preferred modes of carrying out the invention , those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variations and permutations of the above described systems and techniques that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims . this example demonstrates that the pik3ca gene is the predominant target of mutations in this gene family to evaluate whether pi3ks is genetically implicated in tumorigenesis , we directly examined the dna sequences of members of this gene family in colorectal cancers . pi3k catalytic subunits are divided into three major classes depending on their substrate specificity ( 5 ). additionally , a set of more distantly related proteins , including members of the mtor family , constitute a fourth class ( 6 ). we used hidden markov models to identify 15 human genes containing kinase domains related to those of known pi3ks in the human genome ( 7 ). these comprised seven pi3ks , six members of the mtor subfamily and two uncharacterized pi3k - like genes ( table 1 ). * pi3k genes are grouped into previously described classes ( s3 , s4 ). class i , ii and iii comprise pi3k catalytic subunits , while class iv comprises pi3k - like genes including members of the mtor ( target of rapamycin ), atm ( ataxia telangiectasia mutated ), and dnapk ( dna - dependent protein kinase ) subfamilies , as well as two previously uncharacterized genes . we initially examined 111 exons encoding the predicted kinase domains of these genes ( table 2 ). the exons were polymerase chain reaction ( pcr ) amplified and directly sequenced from genomic dna of 35 colorectal cancers ( 8 ). only one of the genes ( pik3ca ) contained any somatic ( i . e ., tumor - specific ) mutations . * exon number with nucleotide and amino acid change resulting from mutation . nucleotide position refers to position within coding sequence , where position 1 corresponds to the first position of the start codon . functional domains are described in fig1 legend . # number of non - synonymous mutations observed in indicated tumors . colon , colorectal cancers ; gbm , glioblastomas ; gastric , gastric cancers ; breast , breast cancers ; lung , lung cancers ; pancreas , pancreatic cancers ; medulloblastomas ; adenomas , benign colorectal tumors . all mutations listed were shown to be somatic except for five colorectal cancers and one glioblastoma where no corresponding normal tissue was available . mutations were identified in 58 of 201 mismatch repair ( mmr ) proficient colorectal cancers , and 16 of 33 mmr - deficient colorectal cancers . some tumors with pik3ca mutations contained mutations in kras or braf while others did not , suggesting that these genes operate through independent pathways . seven tumors contained two somatic alterations . in addition to the 92 nonsynonymous mutations recorded in the table , we detected 3 synonymous alterations . this example demonstrates that the mutations in pik3ca occur late in tumorigenesis to determine the timing of pik3ca mutations during neoplastic progression , we evaluated 76 pre - malignant colorectal tumors of various size and degree of dysplasia . only two pik3ca mutations were found ( e542k and e542v ), both in very advanced adenomas greater than 5 cm in diameter and of tubuluvillous type . these data suggest that pik3ca abnormalities occur at relatively late stages of neoplasia , near the time that tumors begin to invade and metastasize . this example demonstrates that pik3ca mutations in a variety of different cancer types we then evaluated pik3ca for genetic alterations in other tumor types ( table 1 ). mutations were identified in four of fifteen ( 27 %) glioblastomas , three of twelve ( 25 %) gastric cancers , one of thirteen ( 8 %) breast , and one of twenty four ( 4 %) lung cancers . no mutations were observed in eleven pancreatic cancers or twelve medulloblastomas . in total , 89 mutations were observed , all but 3 of which were heterozygous . the sheer number of mutations observed in pik3ca in five different cancer types strongly suggests that these mutations are functionally important . this conclusion is buttressed by two additional independent lines of evidence . first , analysis of the ratio of non - synonymous to synonymous mutations is a good measure of selection during tumor progression , as silent alterations are unlikely to exert a growth advantage . the ratio of non - synonymous to synonymous mutations in pik3ca was 89 to 2 , far higher than the 2 : 1 ratio expected by chance ( p & lt ; 1 × 10 − 4 ). second , the prevalence of non - synonymous changes located in the pi3k catalytic and accessory domains was 120 per mb tumor dna , over 100 times higher than the background mutation frequency of nonfunctional alterations observed in the genome of cancer cells ( p & lt ; 1 × 10 − 4 ) ( 9 ). although the effect of these mutations on kinase function has not yet been experimentally tested , their positions and nature within pik3ca imply that they are likely to be activating . no truncating mutations were observed and & gt ; 75 % of alterations occurred in two small clusters in exons 9 and 20 ( table 2 and fig1 ). the affected residues within these clusters are highly conserved evolutionarily , retaining identity in mouse , rat , and chicken . the clustering of somatic missense mutations in specific domains is similar to that observed for activating mutations in other oncogenes , such as ras ( 10 ), braf ( 11 , 12 ), β - catenin ( 13 ), and members of the tyrosine kinome ( 14 ). these genetic data suggest that mutant pik3ca is likely to function as an oncogene in human cancers . this example demonstrates that gene amplification of pik3ca is not common quantitative pcr analysis of pik3ca in 96 colorectal cancers showed no evidence of gene amplification , suggesting that gene copy alterations are not a significant mechanism of activation in this tumor type . the primers used were : the sequence listing appended to the end of this application contains the following sequences : seq id no : 1 = coding sequence only ( nt 13 to 3201 of seq id no : 2 ) seq id no : 2 = rna sequence ( nm — 006218 ) seq id no : 3 = protein sequence ( np — 006209 ) seq id no : 4 = exon 9 seq id no : 5 = exon 20 seq id no : 6 to 165 = forward primers seq id no : 166 to 325 = reverse primers seq id no : 326 to 485 = sequencing primers seq id no : 486 and 487 amplification primers 1 . r . katso et al ., annu rev cell dev biol 17 , 615 - 75 ( 2001 ). 2 . i . vivanco , c . l . sawyers , nat rev cancer 2 , 489 - 501 ( july , 2002 ). 3 . w . a . phillips , f . st clair , a . d . munday , r . j . thomas , c . a . mitchell , cancer 83 , 41 - 7 ( jul . 1 , 1998 ). 4 . e . s . gershtein , v . a . shatskaya , v . d . ermilova , n . e . kushlinsky , m . a . krasil &# 39 ; nikov , clin chim acta 287 , 59 - 67 ( september , 1999 ). 5 . b . vanhaesebroeck , m . d . waterfield , exp cell res 253 , 239 - 54 ( nov . 25 , 1999 ). 6 . s . djordjevic , p . c . driscoll , trends biochem sci 27 , 426 - 32 ( august , 2002 ). 7 . catalytic subunits of pi3ks were identified by analysis of interpro ( ipr ) pi3k domains ( ipr000403 ) present within the celera draft human genome sequence . this resulted in identification of 15 pi3ks and related pi3k genes . the kinase domain of pik3cd gene was not represented in the current draft of human genome sequence and was therefore not included in this study . 8 . sequences for all annotated exons and adjacent intronic sequences containing the kinase domain of identified pi3ks were extracted from the celera draft human genome sequence ( url address : www host server , domain name celera . com ). celera and genbank accession numbers of all analyzed genes are available in table 1 . primers for pcr amplification and sequencing were designed using the primer 3 program ( url address : http file type , www - genome . wi . mit . edu host server , cgi - bin domain name , primer directory , primer3_www . cgi subdirectory ), and were synthesized by mwg ( high point , n . c .) or idt ( coralville , iowa ). pcr amplification and sequencing were performed on tumor dna from early passage cell lines or primary tumors as previously described ( 12 ) using a 384 capillary automated sequencing apparatus ( spectrumedix , state college , pa .). sequence traces were assembled and analyzed to identify potential genomic alterations using the mutation explorer software package ( softgenetics , state college , pa .). of the exons extracted , 96 % were successfully analyzed . sequences of all primers used for pcr amplification and sequencing are provided in table s1 . 9 . t . l . wang et al ., proc natl acad sci usa 99 , 3076 - 80 . ( 2002 ). 10 . j . l . bos et al ., nature 327 , 293 - 7 ( 1987 ). 13 . p . j . morin et al ., science 275 , 1787 - 90 ( 1997 ). 14 . a . bardelli et al ., science 300 , 949 ( may 9 , 2003 ). 16 . p . a . steck et al ., nat genet . 15 , 356 - 62 ( 1997 ). 17 . t . maehama , j . e . dixon , j biol chem 273 , 13375 - 8 ( may 29 , 1998 ). 18 . m . p . myers et al ., proc natl acad sci usa 95 , 13513 - 8 ( nov . 10 , 1998 ). 19 . l . shayesteh et al ., nat genet . 21 , 99 - 102 ( january , 1999 ). 20 . j . q . cheng et al ., proc natl acad sci usa 89 , 9267 - 71 ( oct . 1 , 1992 ). 21 . l . hu , j . hofmann , y . lu , g . b . mills , r . b . jaffe , cancer res 62 , 1087 - 92 ( feb . 15 , 2002 ). 22 . j . luo , b . d . manning , l . c . cantley , cancer cell 4 , 257 - 62 ( 2003 ).	2
before any embodiments of the disclosure are explained in detail , it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings . the disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of 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 . the use of “ including ,” “ comprising ,” or “ having ” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items . fig1 shows a plan view of an underlayment section 1 in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure . the underlayment section 1 includes a number of routing hubs 2 , comprising four protrusions 2 a arranged in an equally - spaced circular array about an array axis 2 b , in a matrix configuration . the matrix is configured in the form of an eight row by twelve column matrix of routing hubs 2 . the matrix provides heating element receiving cavities 3 in the x - direction , y - direction , and in directions approximately 45 degrees to the x - direction and / or the y - direction . a sample routing 4 of the heating element 5 is shown in fig1 . in particular , the heating element section 5 shown runs along the y - direction between the first and second columns of routing hubs 2 , proceeds around the routing hub 2 in the first row and second column ( 2 , 8 ) and along the negative y - direction between the second and third columns to the ( 3 , 1 ) routing hub 2 , proceeds along the y - direction between the third and fourth columns until about the ( 3 , 4 ) routing hub 2 , and then proceeds diagonally through the heating element receiving cavities 3 in the ( 4 , 5 ), ( 5 , 6 ), ( 6 , 7 ), and ( 7 , 8 ) routing hubs 2 , and so on . fig2 shows a cross - sectional view of an area of the underlayment 1 taken along line a - a . in some embodiments , one or more of the protrusions 2 a can extend from the base material surface 6 to a contact surface 7 . the contact surface 7 may be configured to support tile , flooring , or other material . the distance from the base material 6 to the contact surface 7 is called the protrusion height 7 a . the thickness of the base material 6 is called the base thickness 6 a . in some embodiments , the protrusions 2 a may be formed from the base material 6 , and as such , may have a wall thickness approximately equal to that of the base thickness 6 a . fig3 shows a detail cross - sectional view of an area of the underlayment 1 in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure . in one embodiment , the areas adjacent to each protrusion 2 a can form a heating element receiving cavity 3 . each heating element receiving cavity 3 can include an interference fit 8 , or contained area , to hold a heating element 5 or wire in place . in some cases , the heating element 5 may be inserted into the heating element receiving cavity 3 with a predetermined amount of force required to part ( e . g ., elastically deform , plastically deform , flex , and / or deflect , etc .) at least one of the receiving surfaces 9 of the cavity . in one embodiment , when the heating element 5 is inserted into the heating element receiving cavity 3 the at least one of the receiving surfaces 9 may return to an original position thereby closing the heating element receiving cavity 3 and containing the heating element 5 . fig4 shows a detail plan view of a routing hub 2 of the underlayment 1 in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure . the heating element receiving cavities 3 are shown disposed between protrusions 2 a and / or routing hubs 2 . in some embodiments , one or more of the heating element receiving cavities 3 can be configured differently from another heating element receiving cavity 3 . for instance , several heating element receiving cavities 3 may be configured to provide a frictional fit for holding a heating element 5 , while other heating element receiving cavities 3 may be configured to merely contain a heating element 5 . in any event , the underlayment 1 can include one or more configurations of heating element receiving cavity 3 . fig5 shows a plan view of routing hubs 2 of an underlayment 1 in accordance with a first embodiment of the present disclosure . as described above , the protrusions 2 a , base material 6 , and / or other features of the underlayment 1 may include a number of cutouts 10 , or holes . in some embodiments , the cutouts 10 can extend at least partially into the protrusion 2 a , base material 6 , and / or the underlayment 1 . in some embodiments , the cutouts 10 are shown as extending at least partially into at least one side of at least one protrusion 2 a . fig6 shows a plan view of routing hubs 2 of an underlayment 1 in accordance with a second embodiment of the present disclosure . the underlayment 1 section includes a number of routing hubs 2 , comprising four protrusions 2 a arranged in an equally - spaced circular array about an array axis 2 b , in a matrix configuration . a sample routing 4 of the heating element 5 is shown in fig6 . in particular , the heating element section 5 shown runs along the y - direction of the first column of routing hubs 2 , proceeds around the routing hub 2 in the second row and first column ( 1 , 2 ) and along the negative y - direction between the first and second columns , and then proceeds diagonally through the heating element receiving cavity 3 in the ( 2 , 1 ) routing hub 2 . fig7 shows a detail cross - sectional view of a first embodiment of the routing hubs 2 taken along line d - d shown in fig6 . as shown , the heating element receiving cavity 3 in fig7 includes arcuate receiving surfaces 9 . the arcuate receiving surfaces 9 may be configured as concave , curvilinear , arched , and / or other shape configured to receive the heating element 5 . in some cases , at least one of the arcuate receiving surfaces 9 of the routing hubs may be configured to contact the heating element receiving cavity 3 . the contact may provide a frictional force that retains the heating element 5 in the underlayment 1 . in some embodiments , the arcuate receiving surfaces 9 may contain the heating elements 5 in the heating element receiving cavity 5 without frictional contact . additionally or alternatively , the underlayment 1 may include a pad layer 11 . the pad layer 11 may include a sound dampening material , heat reflective material , insulative material , porous substrate , vapor barrier , waterproof material , energy reflective material , etc ., and / or combinations thereof . examples of pad layers 11 can include , but are in no way limited to , foil , cork , rubber , plastic , concrete , wood , organic materials , inorganic materials , composites , compounds , etc ., and / or combinations thereof . the pad layer 11 may be attached to the base material 6 via adhesive , thermal bonding , welding , mechanical attachment , etc ., and / or combinations thereof . as can be appreciated , the pad layer 11 may include adhesive on the side opposite the base material 6 side for affixing to a surface , such as a subfloor , floor , etc . in one embodiment , the pad layer 11 may be configured to receive adhesive for affixing to a surface . it should be appreciated that any of the underlayment 1 embodiments as disclosed may include such a pad layer 11 . in some embodiments , there may be additional pad layers 11 , one above another ( e . g ., a stack of two , three , four , five , or more pad layers 11 ) for strengthening and controlling anti - fracture . this enables isolation of cracks in a substrate from traveling to the tile layer . fig8 shows a detail cross - sectional view of a second embodiment of the routing hubs 2 taken along line d - d shown in fig6 . as shown , the heating element receiving cavity 3 in fig8 includes angular receiving surfaces 9 . the angular receiving surfaces 9 may be configured as a draft angle 9 a , a dovetail , a “ v ” shape , or other channel shape configured to receive the heating element 5 . in some cases , at least one of the angular receiving surfaces 9 of the routing hubs 2 may be configured to contact the heating element receiving cavity 3 . the contact may provide a frictional force that retains the heating element 5 in the underlayment 1 . in some embodiments , the angular receiving surfaces 9 may contain the heating elements 5 in the heating element receiving cavity 5 without frictional contact . the exemplary systems and methods of this disclosure have been described in relation to electronic shot placement detecting systems and methods . however , to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure , the preceding description omits a number of known structures and devices . this omission is not to be construed as a limitation of the scopes of the claims . specific details are set forth to provide an understanding of the present disclosure . it should , however , be appreciated that the present disclosure may be practiced in a variety of ways beyond the specific detail set forth herein . while the flowcharts have been discussed and illustrated in relation to a particular sequence of events , it should be appreciated that changes , additions , and omissions to this sequence can occur without materially affecting the operation of the disclosed embodiments , configuration , and aspects . a number of variations and modifications of the disclosure can be used . it would be possible to provide for some features of the disclosure without providing others . the present disclosure , in various aspects , embodiments , and / or configurations , includes components , methods , processes , systems and / or apparatus substantially as depicted and described herein , including various aspects , embodiments , configurations embodiments , subcombinations , and / or subsets thereof . those of skill in the art will understand how to make and use the disclosed aspects , embodiments , and / or configurations after understanding the present disclosure . the present disclosure , in various aspects , embodiments , and / or configurations , includes providing devices and processes in the absence of items not depicted and / or described herein or in various aspects , embodiments , and / or configurations hereof , including in the absence of such items as may have been used in previous devices or processes , e . g ., for improving performance , achieving ease and / or reducing cost of implementation . the foregoing discussion has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . the foregoing is not intended to limit the disclosure to the form or forms disclosed herein . in the foregoing detailed description for example , various features of the disclosure are grouped together in one or more aspects , embodiments , and / or configurations for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure . the features of the aspects , embodiments , and / or configurations of the disclosure may be combined in alternate aspects , embodiments , and / or configurations other than those discussed above . this method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claims require more features than are expressly recited in each claim . rather , as the following claims reflect , inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed aspect , embodiment , and / or configuration . thus , the following claims are hereby incorporated into this detailed description , with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the disclosure . moreover , though the description has included description of one or more aspects , embodiments , and / or configurations and certain variations and modifications , other variations , combinations , and modifications are within the scope of the disclosure , e . g ., as may be within the skill and knowledge of those in the art , after understanding the present disclosure . it is intended to obtain rights which include alternative aspects , embodiments , and / or configurations to the extent permitted , including alternate , interchangeable and / or equivalent structures , functions , ranges or steps to those claimed , whether or not such alternate , interchangeable and / or equivalent structures , functions , ranges or steps are disclosed herein , and without intending to publicly dedicate any patentable subject matter .	5
hereinbelow , referring to fig1 to 9 , embodiments of the present invention will be described . in the figures , the same reference numerals and symbols are used for common portions , and duplicated descriptions will be omitted . hereinbelow , a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig1 to 4 . fig1 shows a circuit configuration of a dram module 1 according to a first embodiment , and fig2 shows a timing diagram of the circuit . in the present embodiment , eight sdrams sdram - 1 to sdram - 8 mounted on a module 1 are separated into two groups , i . e ., a first group a and a second group b , each group consisting of four pieces of the sdrams . specifically , the first group a ( first group sdrams -( a )) is comprised of sdram - 1 to sdram - 4 and the second group b ( second group sdrams -( b )) is comprised of sdram - 5 to sdram - 8 . in this configuration , refresh - operation timings in the groups a and b are differentiated from each other . specifically , the timings are differentiated by providing a time difference corresponding to one cycle of a clock signal ( ck or / ck ). in order to provide the time difference in the refresh - operation timing , delay circuits 2 ( d ), mode switches 3 ( sw ), and a refresh detection circuit 4 are additionally mounted on the module 1 . each of four circuit blocks 5 to 8 is formed of the delay circuit 2 and the mode switch 3 ( sw ) coupled together , and the four circuit blocks 5 to 8 are individually coupled between the output terminals of the internal control signals int ./ s , int ./ we , int ./ cas , and int ./ ras of a register buffer 9 and the sdram groups ( a ) and ( b ). the refresh detection circuit 4 is coupled between the individual output terminals of the register buffer for the internal control signals int ./ s , int ./ we , int ./ cas , and int ./ ras and the mode switches 3 ( sws ) in the individual circuit blocks 5 to 8 . in this configuration , the mode switch 3 ( sw ) operates to switch between a refresh mode ( shown by ref = h ) and a non - refresh mode ( shown by ref = l ). when a switch terminal 3 a is selected to enter the refresh mode ( ref =“ h ”), control is performed to cause a difference in delay time for transferring a refresh command to the sdrams in the individual groups . more specifically , the refresh command is directly transferred to the first group sdrams -( a ) without passing through the delay circuits 2 ( d ). meanwhile , a delayed refresh command ( int ./ s ′, int ./ we ′, int ./ cas ′, and int ./ ras ′) is transferred to the second group sdrams -( b ) via the delay circuits 2 ( d ). in the figure , in order to set a delay amount d in the delay circuit 2 to substantially correspond to one cycle of the clock ck , the circuit configuration is arranged such that , when the frequency of the base clock ck is 100 mhz , a delay of about 10 ns is obtained . in this case , the configuration can be arranged such that , as shown in the operational timing diagram in fig2 sdram - 1 to sdram - 4 in the first group sdrams -( a ) receive a refresh command at the time t 2 , and at time t 3 after one cycle thereof , sdram - 5 to sdram - 8 of the second group sdrams -( b ) receive the delayed refresh command . in the configuration arranged as described above , the sdrams simultaneously performing refresh operations on the module can be divided to the two groups , i . e ., the first and second groups each consisting of the four sdrams . thereby , the peak current can be significantly reduced in comparison to the conventional configuration in which all the eight sdrams simultaneously perform the refresh operations . when a switch terminal 3 b for setting to the non - refresh mode ( ref =“ l ”) is selected by switching operation of the switch 3 ( sw ), as in the conventional configuration , the internal control signals int ./ s , int ./ ras , int ./ cas , and int ./ we are simultaneously transferred to all the sdram - 1 to sdram - 8 . that is , the command thereof is simultaneously transferred to all the sdram - 1 to sdram - 8 . in fig2 a delay time tdp ( ref ) occurring in an output signal of the refresh detection circuit 4 represents the sum of the operational delay in the register buffer , operational delay in the refresh detection circuit , and wiring delay caused in a field up to the switching device . [ 0042 ] fig3 shows an example configuration of the refresh detection circuit 4 . fig4 is an operational timing diagram in a case where an activation command ( act command ) is input after a refresh command is input . in the configuration shown in fig3 an output signal ref of the refresh detection circuit is driven to the h level ( i . e ., refresh mode ) only when a chip - selecting signal is is in an l level and a refresh command defined by the combination of / ras = l , / cas = l , and / we = h is input . as shown in fig3 a delay device 31 setting a delay amount do is used , and on / off operation of a mosfet is controlled using a signal n 1 generated via , for example , an inverter and a nand gate , and thereby input to a latch circuit is controlled . this configuration prevents that , in fig4 the signals int ./ ras , int ./ cas , and int ./ we change to cause the output signal ref to be in l level before the chip - selecting signal int ./ s returns to the h level . hereinbelow , referring to fig2 to 5 , a dram module 1 of a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described . the present embodiment has a feature in that in each of the blocks 5 to 8 shown in fig1 explained in the first embodiment , a second delay devices 51 ( delay amount dl ) is provided in addition to the delay circuits 2 . other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment . as shown in fig2 the aforementioned second delay device 51 is added to achieve a preferable condition of tdp ( ref )& lt ; tdp . specifically , the condition is that the delay time tdp ( ref ) occurring in the output signal ref of the refresh detect circuit 4 is less than a value representing the sum of the delay tdp occurring in the signal int ./ s . as described above , the delay time tdp ( ref ) is the sum of the operational delay in the register buffer , the operational delay in the refresh detect circuit 4 , and the wiring delay in the field up to the mode switch 3 ( sw ). meanwhile , the delay tdp represents the sum of the delay caused in the operation within the register buffer and the wiring delay time in the field from the register - buffer output to the sdram input . the reason for the above arrangement is that the command signals are transferred to each of the sdrams after the mode - setting of the switch device 3 is fixed , and more stable operation can be expected . for the above reason , the present embodiment further includes the second delay device 51 in each of the circuit blocks 5 to 8 to effectively increase the delay time tdp . however , when the delay amount of the second delay device 51 is excessively large , the time of signal transfer to the sdram is excessively increased , causing malfunction . to prevent this , the delay amount ( dl ) of the second delay device 51 is set so that tpd is slightly larger than tpd ( ref ). hereinbelow , a dram module of a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig6 to 7 . a configuration example of the present embodiment is shown in fig6 in which the delay circuits 2 , switches 3 , and refresh detection circuit 4 shown in fig1 explained in the first embodiment are included in a register buffer . in specific , a register buffer 61 shown in fig6 has a configuration in a manner such that the register buffer having the conventional configuration shown in fig1 is further provided with the refresh detection circuit 4 and four circuit blocks 5 to 8 each including the delay circuit 2 ( d ) connected to the switch 3 ( sw ). the circuit blocks 5 to 8 are coupled to flip - flop circuits ( f / f ) corresponding to the external control signals ext ./ s , ext ./ we , ext ./ cas , and ext ./ ras , respectively . in this configuration , the register buffer 61 per se outputs the internal control signals int ./ s , int ./ we , int ./ cas , and int ./ ras and delayed internal control signals int ./ s ′, int ./ we ′, int ./ cas ′, and int ./ ras ′ individually delayed by the delay circuits 2 thereof . the refresh detection circuit 4 is coupled between the flip - flop circuits ( f / f ) and the switch devices 3 ( sws ) of the individual circuit blocks 5 to 8 . in the configuration , an output signal ref of the refresh detection circuit 4 is input to the individual switch device 3 which is switched based on the level of ref between the refresh mode ( ref = h ) and the non - refresh mode ( ref = l ). [ 0054 ] fig7 shows a configuration example of a sdram dimm which is formed by mounting the register buffer 61 on the module . in this configuration , when the signal ref is h level for setting the refresh mode , the non - delayed refresh command ( i . e ., internal control signals int ./ s , int ./ we , int ./ cas , and int ./ ras ) issued from the register buffer 61 is directly transferred to the first group sdrams -( a ). meanwhile , the delayed refresh command ( i . e ., int ./ s ′, int ./ we ′, int ./ cas ′, and int ./ ras ′) issued from the register buffer 61 is transferred to the second group sdrams -( b ). by using the register buffer having the above - described configuration , the peak current in the refresh operation can be minimized without increasing the number of components on the dimm . hereinbelow , referring to fig8 a dram module according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described . in each of the circuit blocks 5 to 8 shown in fig1 explained in the first embodiment , two pairs of the delay circuit 2 and switch device 3 are included therein . the sdrams that perform refresh operations on the module are separated into three or more groups , and the refresh timings are differentiated by providing time differences in executing the refresh operations of the groups . [ 0058 ] fig8 shows a configuration example in which sdrams that perform the refresh operations on the module are separated into three groups a , b , and c , and a time difference is provided for the refresh timings of the sdrams in each of the groups . each of the circuit blocks 5 to 8 includes first and second delay devices 41 and 42 and first and second switching devices 43 and 44 in pairs . in this configuration , the delay control is implemented such that , when the refresh mode ( ref = h level ) is selected , a time difference is produced in the timings at which a refresh command is transferred to the sdrams in each of the groups . the time difference between the group a of sdram - 1 to sdram - 3 and the group b of sdram - 4 to sdram - 6 is set according to the delay amount of the first delay device 41 , and a one - cycle delayed refresh command ( int ./ s ′, int ./ we ′, int ./ cas ′, and int ./ ras ′) is transferred to the second group sdrams -( b ). in addition , the time difference between the group b of sdram - 4 to sdram - 6 and the group c of sdram - 7 and sdram - 8 is set according to the delay amount of the second delay device 42 , and a two - cycle delayed refresh command ( int ./ s ″, int ./ we ″, int ./ cas ″, and int ./ ras ″) is transferred to the third group sdrams -( c ). according to the above - described configuration , as shown in the figure , the eight sdrams that perform refresh operations on the module can be distributed into , for example , three groups individually consisting of three sdrams , three sdrams , and two sdrams . as such , compared to the conventional example in which all the eight sdrams simultaneously perform refresh operations , the configuration of the present embodiment enables the peak current to be significantly reduced . when the non - refresh mode ( ref = l level ) has been selected , as in the conventional configuration , non - delayed internal control signals int ./ s , int ./ ras , int ./ cas , and int ./ we are simultaneously transferred to all the eight sdrams . accordingly , all the eight sdrams simultaneously execute the transferred commands . referring to fig9 a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described . in the fifth embodiment , variable delay circuits are used as the delay circuits 2 ( or , 41 and 42 ) which are individually set to have the delay amount d in the above - described embodiments 1 to 4 . as shown in fig9 a delay circuit 200 includes a first variable delay circuit 201 provided on a command signal line and a second variable delay circuit 202 provided on a base clock ck line on the dimm . the first variable delay circuit 201 and the second variable delay circuit 202 have identical configurations . in addition , a pll circuit is configured of the second variable delay circuit 202 and a phase - comparing circuit 203 . with the pll circuit configured as described above , the delay amount d of the delay circuit 200 is furnished with a self - adjusting function that self - adjusts the delay amount to be always kept as that corresponding to one cycle of the frequency at that time according to a frequency variation of the base clock ck . in specific , the phase - comparing circuit 203 compares and checks the phase difference between the base clock ck and the delay amount output of the second variable delay circuit 202 . according to the comparison result , the second variable delay circuit 202 is controlled . more specifically , the delay amount of the second variable delay circuit 202 is adjusted so that the phases of the base clock ck and the output of the second variable delay circuit 202 are the same ( that is , the adjustment makes the phase difference to be zero therebetween ). then , the adjusted delay amount just corresponds to one cycle of the frequency of the base clock ck . when every time the frequency of the base clock ck varies , the second variable delay circuit 202 is controlled to produce the delay amount corresponding to just one cycle of the frequency at that time . on the other hand , since the first variable delay circuit 201 provided on a command signal line on the dimm is also configured identical to the second variable delay circuit 202 , the two circuits are controlled by the same output signal of the phase - comparing circuit 203 . consequently , the delay amount of the first variable delay circuit 201 is also controlled to always correspond to one cycle of the frequency at that time . by employing the delay circuit 200 configured as described above as the delay circuit 2 ( or 41 , 42 ) in each configuration of the embodiments 1 to 4 , at the time t 3 in fig2 for example , the configuration enables the prevention of reduction in a timing margin when sdram - 5 to sdram - 8 of the second group receive the refresh command . suppose a case occurs in which the delay amount d greatly differs from the cycle time of the base clock ck . this case represents a phenomenon in which the data of the refresh - command signals int ./ s ′, int ./ ras ′, int ./ cas ′, and int ./ we ′ to be received by sdram - 5 to sdram - 8 are not valid , and a malfunction is thereby caused . this phenomenon can be prevented by employing the delay circuit having the self - adjusting function according to the present embodiment . as described above , the present invention enables the provision of a semiconductor memory module and the register buffer used in the semiconductor memory module in which refresh - command execution timings are differentiated and distributed . this inhibits occurrence of a phenomenon in which a plurality of drams simultaneously enter refresh modes to cause a great peak current to flow to cause a vdd / gnd noise . thus , the present invention thereby enables a stable operation to be implemented . although the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art . such changes and modifications are to be understood as included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims , unless they depart therefrom .	6
in order to clarify the design and unique features of the present invention a detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention is facilitated by referring to fig1 - 10 with the same element shown in different figures being labeled the same . fig1 illustrates the assembled version of the present invention for a ˜ 100 mm tall squeeze bottle having a 90 milliliter air volume . fig2 illustrates an exploded view of the same embodiment . referring to fig1 , the assembly consists of a threaded , rigid cap 1 having multiple passages and secured to a compliant yet resilient squeeze bottle 2 via the semi - rigid threaded collar 3 . collar 3 fits over the top lip of squeeze bottle 2 to allow a hermetic seal to be formed between the top lip of bottle 2 and the underside of the cap 1 . cap 1 is fitted with nozzle plate 4 having an orifice 5 through which the atomized spray expels . nozzle plate 4 is secured to cap 1 via fasteners 6 . slide lock 7 actuates a plunger that seals off the liquid contents of bottle 2 to prevent inadvertent discharge or siphoning . referring to fig2 , several details of the present invention are further clarified . housed within bottle 2 is the liquid containing flexible pouch 8 having septum 9 . in this embodiment , pouch 8 has a threaded form that allows it to be threaded into the underside of cap 1 and sealed via o - ring 10 . hypodermic needle 11 is secured in cap 1 and positioned to puncture septum 9 and allow the fluid contents of pouch 8 to communicate with internal passages of cap 1 . rigid cage 12 protects punch 8 from excess deformation of bottle 2 without shielding pouch 8 from the hydrostatic air pressure created when bottle 2 is squeezed . cap 1 can be made of a rigid polymer such as delrin or a high density polyethylene while compliant bottle 2 can be made of a number of flexible yet resilient polymers such as a low density polyethylene , silicone rubber , or even a polyethylene terephthalate ( pet ). pouch 8 is made of a compliant material sufficient to allow it to compress during the squeezing process . for a moderate to firm squeeze with human gripping , static air pressure within bottle 2 of nominally 10 , 000 pa to 25 , 000 pa above normal atmospheric pressure ( 101 , 325 pa ) can easily be obtained . a thin polymer wall having a thickness of a few mills ( 1 mill = 0 . 001 inch ) for pouch 8 , will typically deform sufficiently for fluid transfer . depending on the geometry of bottle 2 and contents of pouch 8 , the mechanical and barrier properties of pouch 8 can be customized for a variety of applications . referring still to fig2 , passage 13 in cap 1 communicates with needle 11 and is fitted with stainless steel tube 14 . tube 14 protrudes slightly from the face of cap 1 and into nozzle plate 4 , and is aligned coaxially with orifice 5 . tube 14 is typically hypodermic tubing ranging in diameter from 24 to 19 gauge for a 90 ml bottle 2 . liquid passage 15 intersects with passage 13 and needle 11 and is shaped so that the bottom of passage 15 accepts plug 16 and can seal off the liquid flow from needle 11 to passage 13 . spring 17 and set screw 18 are configured to provide slight pressure to plug 16 to prevent siphoning of liquid from pouch 8 , but insufficient pressure to prevent opening during the squeezing of bottle 2 . rod 19 fits coaxially into plug 16 and protrudes slightly above the recessed face of cap 1 so that when slide lock 7 is moved inward , leaf spring 20 of slide lock 7 presses against rod 19 to firmly seal plug 16 . this prevents inadvertent discharge of liquid from pouch 8 . referring again to fig2 , passage 21 communicates with the interior of bottle 2 and air passage 22 which also communicates with nozzle plate 4 . passage 21 is shaped so that ball 23 , spring 24 , and set screw 25 form a check valve for air , to allow air expelled during the squeezing of bottle 2 to flow to nozzle plate 4 . passage 26 also communicates with the interior volume of bottle 2 and is similarly fitted with a check valve , but with the valve configured to block air from escaping during squeezing yet allow ambient air entry as bottle 2 recovers after squeezing . the cracking pressure of the check valve formed in passage 21 is set sufficient to force plug 16 to open , whereas the cracking pressure of the check valve of passage 26 is sufficiently small to allow easy entry of air into bottle 2 during recovery after squeezing . for the 90 milliliter silicone bottle of fig1 , a suction pressure of 6 , 200 pa to 7 , 500 pa can be generated by recovery of the compressed bottle 2 . hole 27 is a cross passage connecting to passage 26 with opening closed by plug 28 . hole 29 is a threaded hole for fastener 6 . fig3 b is a front view of the assembled bottle of fig1 . fig3 a and fig3 c are section views for illustrating fluid passages within cap 1 along section lines b - b and c - c , respectively . the cross section views fig3 a and fig3 c show a second pouch 30 nested within protective cage 12 . the second pouch allows a different fluid to be dispensed by simply inverting the cage and pouch assembly . to provide adequate working air volume of bottle 2 , the volume of the pouch and cage assembly is typically kept to ¼ of or less that of bottle 2 . section b - b of fig3 details fluid passages 21 and 22 that communicate air flow from squeeze bottle 2 to nozzle plate 4 . ball 23 , spring 24 and set screw 25 can be seen forming a check valve assembly in passage 21 . as bottle 2 is squeezed , air pressure within bottle 2 increases to the point where ball 23 moves , allowing air to escape and travel via passage 22 to nozzle plate 4 . fig4 illustrates an enlarged view of detail d of fig3 c and details the passage network connecting the liquid of pouch 8 to nozzle plate 4 and the location of plug 16 in passage 15 . the clearance between plug 16 and passage 15 is sufficient to allow a slip fit between plug 16 and the wall of passage 15 , yet small to minimize fluid leakage around plug 16 when plug 16 moves to allow fluid transfer to tube 14 . tube 14 is shown extending into the nozzle cavity 31 having a converging geometry in nozzle plate 4 . fig5 shows an isometric view of the back side of nozzle plate 4 . recess 32 aligns with passage 22 ( fig3 a , section b - b ) and couples to nozzle cavity 31 via passage 33 to introduce airflow tangentially into nozzle cavity 31 . the width , depth and offset of passage 33 along with the shape of nozzle cavity 31 have significant influence on the amount of swirl generated within nozzle cavity 31 and correspondingly the characteristics of the spray pattern . these dimensions were determined in part through computational fluid dynamics or cfd of the nozzle geometry for a desired flow regime as well as through experimental tests . an additional preferred embodiment of the present invention is the use of a “ pre - filming ” type of nozzle design . fig6 b shows the front view of a smaller 60 ml squeeze bottle assembly similar to that of the bottle of fig3 b except without a valve mechanism and supply air passages 21 and 22 moved to the mid - plane of cap 1 . fig6 a and fig6 c are section views for illustrating the internal fluid passages of the configuration along section lines g - g and k - k . respectively . locating fluid passages 21 and 22 on the mid - plane allows passage 13 to be extended to passage 21 to provide airflow into nozzle cavity 31 . referring now to fig7 , an enlarged view of detail l of fig6 a , a second feed tube 34 is fitted into the extension of passage 13 and located coaxially with feed tube 14 . feed tube 14 is positioned short of liquid passage 15 and pick - up tube 35 so that the annular region between the inner diameter of tube 14 and outer diameter of tube 34 communicates liquid into nozzle cavity 31 . both tube 14 and tube 35 extend into the throat of nozzle cavity 31 having a converging — diverging geometry in this embodiment . the left end of tube 34 extends slightly past the exit of tube 14 to allow transferred liquid to wick along its outer surface . the combination of strong swirl airflow within nozzle cavity 31 and axially directed airflow escaping tube 34 , creates a region of strong shear between the liquid and air to atomize the liquid . this method of creating a thin film of fluid on a surface followed by exposing the fluid to two streams of airflow along a trailing edge is sometimes referred to as a “ pre - filming ” nozzle design and is frequently used on large fuel nozzles having high flow rates on the order ˜ kg / sec . fig8 is are exploded view of a bottle configuration utilizing a pinch technique for sealing pouch 8 liquid contents when the squeeze bottle in not in use . fig9 a is a front view of the assembled bottle of fig8 . fig9 b is a mid - plane section view along section m - m of fig9 a for detailing the pinch technique valve . cap 1 is configured so that flexible transfer tube 35 extends into cap 1 and can be pinched closed by the inward movement of dowel 36 . plunger ball 37 is forced inward by a downward motion of slide 7 which in turn forces dowel 36 inward . plunger body 38 guides ball 37 and is spring loaded . for this configuration , transfer tube 35 should be made of a resilient polymer having a minimum of set so that it reopens when dowel 36 retracts . o ring 10 seals both pouch 8 and the outside of tube 35 to cap 1 . nozzle plate 4 has a disc shape in this configuration and fits into a counter bore in the face of cap 1 with pin 39 serving to properly align nozzle plate 4 . collar 3 in this configuration is fitted with slip ring 40 for product identification . fig1 presents an alternative embodiment of the present invention having a swivel cap 1 to allow three separate pouches 8 to be accessed independently . fig1 a is a front view of the assembled bottle of fig1 . fig1 b is mid - plane section view along section n - n of fig1 a to clarify the positioning of fluid passages 21 and 15 . cap base 41 is designed with a recess to accept cap 1 with o ring 42 acting as a retainer . the coaxial geometry allows cap 1 to rotate about its vertical axis and selectively couple fluid passage 15 individually to one of the three fluid pouches 8 . o rings 10 seal the fluid passages of cap base 41 to the base of cap 1 while plunger ball 37 seats in an array of detents 43 in the face of cap base 41 for alignment at specific angular positions . this allows the fluid passage of cap 1 to correctly align with a specific hypodermic needle 11 communicating with a specific pouch 8 for liquid transfer , or be misaligned and thereby seal all three pouches 8 . baffle 44 positions pouches 8 for alignment with cap base 41 and the hypodermic needles 11 . fig1 is an exploded view of an individual pouch assembly of fig1 . fitment 45 is designed to heat seal to flexible film pouch 8 and mate with baffle 44 of fig1 . fitment 45 is also shaped to accommodate an array of pouches and is configured with a septum 9 . fig1 a and fig1 b illustrate two characteristic profiles 11 for nozzle cavity 31 , a converging - diverging profile and a converging profile ( see for example fig7 and fig4 ). air flow would be from left to right with a nozzle cavity 31 being a volume of rotation generated by rotating the profile about the horizontal center line . both nozzle profiles have been shown to work effectively with the present invention . although the converging - diverging profile allows for a broader range of flow control , the converging - only profile is more desirable from a fabrication perspective . for mass production using injection molding techniques , the converging - only design allows for a simpler mold design . computational fluid dynamics or cfd was used to predict flow patterns for various nozzle designs . chart 1 below is a section view of the converging - diverging nozzle design of fig7 and the streamlines derived by a cfd analysis . the size and positions of the coaxial feed tubes configured to form the pre - filming nozzle design were varied in a design study in order to produce a desired flow pattern . the air flow rates determined by the cfd analysis were based on pressure boundary conditions and the geometry of the device rather than prescribed flow rates . the pressure conditions used were in line with basic measurements taken on manually squeezed sample bottles . chart 1 also depicts the strong swirl generated within the nozzle cavity with the small arrowheads on streamlines indicating flow direction . the more directed airflow due to the air exiting the center coaxial tube can also be seen in the central region of the flow field . chart 2 is a cross section view of the nozzle geometry of chart 1 , illustrating the air pressure gradients within the nozzle cavity calculated using cfd . due to increased air velocity in the converging section of the nozzle cavity 31 , a region of sub - atmospheric pressure is generated . in this configuration , this low pressure region connects with both the outlet of the center coaxial feed tube 14 and the annular gap formed by the inner tube 34 and outer tube 14 ( see fig7 ). due to the hydrostatic pressure acting on inner pouch 8 , annular gap does not necessarily need to be in a region of sub - atmospheric pressure to facilitate transfer of the liquid contents of inner pouch 8 . chart 3 illustrates the airflow streamlines predicted by a cfd simulation of the nozzle geometry of fig3 . the spray pattern also includes the trajectories predicted for small , 30 micron droplets as depicted by the small spheres in the image . the pattern appears as a fan shape because the image captures only a segment of the flow field which is rotating about the nozzle axis . by looking at droplet patterns for particle sizes ranging from 10 to 100 microns , an approximation of how the nozzle will behave can be developed . the cfd analysis did not predict the formation of droplets , only the trajectories of particles due to the flow field . test bottles based on the above teachings were fabricated and tested . of particular interest were the spray patterns and ease of use or the device . photograph 1 illustrates the spray pattern for a squeeze bottle based on the design of fig2 having a single liquid feed tube 14 and converging nozzle profile . the spray pattern was visually enhanced by adding a small amount of fluorescing dye to a 70 % isopropyl alcohol / 30 % water solution and illuminating the spray pattern with a uvb light source . photos were taken at f5 and 1 / 250 second shutter speed with a # 15 deep yellow filter to enhance the fluorescence . a scale was placed in the foreground for size reference , inside the 46 × 46 × 46 cm enclosure . by referencing the shutter speed and scale , the higher velocity fluorescing droplets emerging from the nozzle were estimated to be on order of 1 . 5 to 3 m / sec , which was in line with those predicted by the cfd analysis . for the 3 oz squeeze bottle used , short burst volume flow rates on the order of 3 - 5 liters / minute were generated with fluid transfer estimated on the order of 20 - 40 microliters / second . photograph 2 illustrates the flow pattern of the present invention squeeze bottle configured with a pre - filming nozzle design . due to the directed air flow emerging through inner feed tube 34 ( see fig7 ), the spray pattern is narrower and more focused . the fine annular gap between coaxial tubes restricts the volume of liquid sprayed to approximately ¼ that of the single feed tube design of fig7 . additionally , the cracking pressure of the check valve for expelled air was adjusted slightly higher for this configuration to assist liquid transfer into the annular gap of the coaxial feed tubes . nozzle plate 14 for this example had a converging - diverging nozzle profile similar to that shown in fig1 . photograph 3 illustrates the spray pattern for the squeeze bottle design of fig8 dispensing pure water . the pattern is illuminated with a 150 w metal halide lamp having a color temperature of 4000 ° k . nozzle plate 4 has a converging nozzle geometry with a 0 . 025 ″ o . d .× 0 . 013 ″ i . d . feed tube 14 . the spray pattern has a well - directed fine mist cloud with a radial pattern produced by the larger droplets . the spray pattern of the present invention was qualitatively compared to a recently introduced commercial pump type atomizer used for dispensing perfume . a portion of the women &# 39 ; s perfume from a commercially available product was transferred into the fluid pouch of a squeeze bottle having the design of fig8 and a converging nozzle plate 4 . photograph 4 shows the spray pattern observed . the cracking pressure of the check valve for the nozzle air supply was minimized to reduce the hydrostatic pressure generated with the squeezing action and slow the introduction of fluid into the nozzle . introducing the fluid into the nozzle slightly later during the squeezing process allows the fluid to be introduced into a higher velocity air stream for correspondingly greater shear and finer droplet production . this in conjunction with the lower viscosity and higher volatility of the perfume aid to produce a finer spray mist than that observed with water in photograph 3 . photograph 5 shows the spray pattern generated by a commercial pump style dispenser . the perfume atomized was the same for both tests depicted in photograph 4 and paragraph 5 . the volume of liquid dispensed in photograph 4 was estimated to be ¼ to ⅕ that of the commercial pump of photograph 5 which dispenses 100 - 140 microliters per action . the pump dispenser produces a large , fine mist cloud as well as a radial pattern of larger droplets . the present invention being described above by various embodiments and examples is now defined and limited by the following claims .	1
fig1 shows an industrial - type molded case circuit breaker 10 of the type described within u . s . pat . no . 3 , 564 , 184 to george e . gauthier et al . this patent is incorporated herein for purposes of reference and a more detailed description of a circuit breaker operating mechanism can be found therein . for this invention , it suffices to indicate a molded case 11 containing an operating mechanism generally indicated at 12 and consisting of an upper and lower link 13 , 14 joined together by a toggle pin 16 which also anchors one end of an operating spring 15 . the other end of the operating spring is connected to an on / off handle 24 . a movable s - shaped contact arm 18 is supported by means of a pin 17 extending through the lower link 14 and contact carrier 25 for lifting the movable contact arm 18 from a closed position wherein the movable and fixed contacts 19 , 20 are in electrical connection with each other to the open position ( not shown ). a contact carrier 25 is attached to the circuit breaker crossbar 26 by means of a staple 27 and by means of tabs 33 as shown . the movable contact arm 18 is pivotally attached to the contact carrier by means of a hook - shaped end 36 on the contact arm and a pivot pin 37 . a contact spring 28 , fabricated from a continuous length of spring wire and having a plurality of body windings 29 arranged on either side of the movable contact arm 18 , is attached to the contact carrier 25 by means of a pair of hooked ends 31 which are supported by a corresponding surface 32 on the contact carrier 25 . a pair of spring legs 30 connect between the hooked ends 31 and the body windings 29 . a crossover arm 34 , best seen in fig2 connects between the body windings 29 and rests in a v - shaped groove 35 cut within the top of the movable contact arm 18 . the contact spring provides a downwardly directed force between the movable and fixed contacts 19 , 20 to insure a low resistance connection therebetween . a terminal strap 21 provides electrical connection with the fixed contact 20 and is supported by a bottom support 22 formed within the molded case 11 . electrical connection with the movable contact arm 18 is provided by means of a wire braid 38 which is fixedly attached to the movable contact arm 18 by a welding or brazing operation . it can be seen by comparing the movable contact arm between its closed position and the blow open position indicated in phantom that the contact spring 28 also moves along with the movable contact arm to a new position also indicated in phantom . the movement of the contact arm 18 from a first to a second blow open position forces the crossover arm 34 on the spring to move the contact spring 28 to the second position since the hooked spring ends 31 pivot on the surface 32 of contact carrier 25 . the movable contact arm 18 shown in fig2 has a configuration similar to that described within the aforementioned u . s . patent application ser . no . 479 , 617 . a movable contact 19 , consisting of a good electrically conducting metal such as silver , is welded at one end of the movable contact arm 18 which is generally fabricated from a flat plate of copper or copper alloy . the hook - shaped end 41 contains a slot 42 for pivotally attaching to the contact carrier , generally indicated as 49 , in a manner to be described below . a kneebend 39 is formed within the movable contact arm 18 having a well - defined contact arm support pin receiver 48 formed therein . the hook - shaped bend 40 to which the wire braid 38 is attached has a v - shaped cut 35 to accept the spring crossover arm 34 . in assembling the movable contact arm 18 to the contact carrier 25 , the contact carrier is first attached to the crossbar 26 by inserting the crossbar within the crossbar slot 43 and the crossbar is later pivotally mounted within the circuit breaker by means of the pivot projection 44 . a pivot carrier 49 having a formed yoke 51 and a pair of holes 52 is arranged over the contact carrier by bottoming the yoke against the projecting tab 53 on the contact carrier and inserting the staple tabs 33 through a corresponding pair of parallel slots 46 on the top of the carrier 25 and slots 50 in carrier 49 and folding the tabs down as shown in fig3 . the contact carrier spring 28 , described earlier as having a pair of hooked ends 31 interconnecting with a pair of spring body windings 29 by means of spring legs 30 and interconnecting the spring body windings by means of a crossover arm 34 , is attached in the following manner . the hooked ends 31 are placed against the corresponding surface 32 on contact carrier 25 . the contact arm pivot pin 54 is inserted through the pivot carrier yoke hole 52 . the contact arm 18 is then mounted by placing slot 42 over bearing diameter 56 on pin 54 and rotating the arm counterclockwise until the crossover arm 34 of contact spring 28 is trapped within the &# 34 ; v &# 34 ; slot 35 on the movable contact arm 18 . the movable contact arm is further rotated counterclockwise about the attached pivot pin 54 winding up contact spring 28 . the kneebend 39 passes between the parallel pair of contact carrier legs 45 and a contact arm support pin 17 is inserted through a pair of holes 47 at the bottom end of the contact carrier legs . the movable contact arm 18 is held within the contact carrier 25 by contact spring 28 biasing the formed surface 48 of arm 18 against pin 17 . the provision of a v - shaped groove 35 on the movable contact arm 18 forces the contact spring crossover arm 34 to move as described earlier with reference to fig1 . this differs from the arrangement described within aforementioned u . s . patent application ser . no . 479 , 617 wherein the contact spring body windings are retained by the contact arm pivot pin which prevented the contact spring from changing positions . this resulted in a nearly constant spring force on the movable contact arm as the contact arm moved from a first position to a second position due to magnetic forces as described earlier . the instant design differs from that disclosed within u . s . patent application ser . no . 479 , 616 wherein the contact spring crossover arm was allowed to move in relation to the contact arm , but the contact spring was restrained from motion . this resulted in a high initial torque on the movable contact arm which dropped nearly to zero in a short period of time . as described earlier , allowing the movable contact arm to separate the contacts early in the current waveform provided current limiting function to the breaker , but resulted in higher arc voltages when used within high interruption rated circuit breakers . the provision of a contact spring 28 which allows the body windings 29 to move from a first position with the contacts closed to a second position with the contacts blown open , as shown in fig1 and 3 , allows the contacts to open at a controlled rate . in the case of high voltage low current circuits , it is important to control the rate of contact opening with respect to the current waveform to minimize the amount of arcing energy that must be dissipated within the breaker . the rate of contact opening is controlled by allowing the contact spring force to increase at a controlled rate during the short circuit fault condition . this is seen by comparing the location of the contact spring 28 when the movable contact arm 18 is in its closed position as indicated in solid lines in fig3 to the location of the contact spring when the movable contact arm is in the blow open position indicated in phantom . when contact arm 18 is forced to the blow open position shown in phantom in fig3 contact spring 28 is forced to rotate to the position also shown in phantom . it can be seen that force f 2 , which is the force exerted by contact spring 28 when contact arm 18 is in the blow open position , is considerably higher than force f 1 , which is the force exerted by the contact spring 28 when contact arm 18 is in the closed position . this is not only due to the spring gradient exerted by the stressed contact spring 28 , but also because the lever arm l 2 exerted against the contact spring by contact arm 18 when the contact arm is in the blow open position is smaller than the lever arm l 1 exerted by the contact arm 18 on the contact spring when the contact arm is not in the blow open position . l 1 and l 2 are both measured from the center of the spring body windings 29 to the center of the spring crossover loop 34 as indicated . this results in a resisting force exerted by contact spring 28 on contact arm 18 greater than could be exerted by the spring gradient alone . l 3 , l 3 &# 39 ; represents the lever arms measured from the contact arm pivot pin 54 to the center of spring ends 31 where the spring forces f 1 and f 2 are concentrated , when the contact arm 18 is in the closed and blow open positions respectively . since l 3 and l 3 &# 39 ; are equal , the resisting force on contact arm 18 increases as rapidly as the contact spring force increases . the increased resisting force on the contact arm 18 now controls the rate of opening of the contact arm relative to the current waveform . since current limiting is more effective at high rated currents within low voltage circuits , and less effective at low rated currents within high voltage circuits , this arrangement of the contact arm 18 and contact spring 28 results in a nearly constant arc energy within a single breaker design for all current and voltage ratings . the wire braid 38 shown in fig3 is forced by the movable contact arm 18 to the position shown in phantom when contact arm 18 moves to the blow open position . it is thus seen that the contact arm 18 positions the wire braid 38 in the manner described earlier for positioning contact spring 28 . this allows the wire braid 38 to occupy the space vacated by the contact spring 28 . it is thus seen that the arrangement of the movable contact arm 18 and the dual position contact spring 28 multifunctionally allows a fixed breaker geometry to cover a wide range of breaker voltage and current ratings without substantial redesign of the breaker housing or components . the provision of the second location of the contact spring is also seen to allow the braid to move with the contact arm without interfering with the other breaker components .	7
the invention will now be described by way of exemplary embodiments shown by the drawing figures ( which are not necessarily to scale ), in which like reference numerals indicate like elements in all of the several views . turning to fig1 a , 1b and 1 c , a discussion of asperities and their effect on magnetic head - media interactions will be briefly set forth to acquaint the reader with physics principals underlying operation of the present invention . in fig1 a , a magnetic disk drive slider 2 carries a read / write head 4 that is assumed to incorporate a magneto - resistive read element and a magneto - inductive write element . as the disk 6 rotates in the direction of the arrow 8 , the slider 2 is carried on an air bearing that causes the head 4 to be positioned at a very small distance from the nominal upper disk surface 11 . this distance is referred to as the flying height of the slider 2 and is shown by reference numeral 12 . the distance 12 can also be referred to as the head - disk air gap . it will be seen in fig1 a that the disk 6 is not perfectly flat or smooth . rather , as is well known in the disk drive art , the disk 6 will normally have a number of irregularities on its upper surface . one of these is shown as a raised protruberance 14 that extends above the nominal upper disk surface 10 . as the disk 6 rotates beneath the slider 2 and the slider is moved around from track to track during read / write operations , the protruberance 14 will at some point pass under the read / write head 4 . if the protruberance 14 is tall enough , it will cause contact between the disk and the read / write head 4 . this contact may cause frictionally induced heating of the read / write head 4 . such heating will cause the magneto - resistive read element of the read / write head 4 to experience a proportional increase in resistance local to the point of contact . the effect of this frictionally induced heating and resistance increase is to produce a momentary change in readback signal , which is considered undesirable in conventional magnetic disk drives . in the disk drive art , an imperfection on a magnetic disk surface that causes contact with a read / write head , such as the protruberance 14 , is sometimes referred to as a “ contact thermal asperity ” or “ contact ta .” fig1 b illustrates the same components as shown in fig1 a , the only difference being that there is a smaller raised protruberance 16 on the disk 6 instead of the larger protruberance 14 . the protruberance 16 is small enough that its does not cause contact between the disk and the read / write head 4 . however , the protruberance 16 produces changes in readback signal strength by changing the thermodynamic equilibrium between the read / write head 4 and the disk 6 . this thermodynamic equilibrium is achieved as a result of heat generated by the magneto - resistive read element of the read / write head 4 during read operations being dissipated ( in part ) across the air gap 12 to the disk 6 at a relatively constant rate ( provided the size of the air gap is relatively constant ). the protruberance 16 upsets the thermal equilibrium by reducing the size of the air gap 12 as the protruberance passes under the read / write head 4 . this allows more heat to dissipate from the magneto - resistive read element to the disk 6 , causing a momentary decrease in read element temperature , and a proportional decrease in resistance . the effect of this cooling and resistance decrease is to produce a momentary change in readback signal . in the disk drive art , a raised imperfection on a magnetic disk surface that is not large enough to cause contact with a read / write head 4 , such as the protruberance 16 , is sometimes referred to as a “ positive non - contact thermal asperity ” or “ positive non - contact ta .” the protuberance 16 may also be referred to as a “ cooling asperity ,” insofar as it produces read element cooling . fig1 c illustrates the same components as shown in fig1 a and 1b , the only difference being that there is a depression 18 on the disk 6 instead of a protruberance 14 or 16 . the depression 18 produces changes in readback signal strength in a manner that is analogous to the effect produced by the non - contacting protruberance 16 , except with an opposite result . in particular , the depression 18 upsets the thermal equilibrium between the read / write head 4 and the disk 6 by increasing the size of the air gap 12 as the depression passes under the read / write head 4 . this allows less heat to dissipate from the magneto - resistive read element to the disk 6 , causing a momentary increase in read element temperature , and a proportional increase in resistance . the effect of this heating and resistance increase is to produce a momentary change in readback signal strength . in the disk drive art , a low spot on a magnetic disk surface , such as the depression 18 , is sometimes referred to as a “ negative non - contact thermal asperity ” or “ negative non - contact ta .” the depression 18 may also be referred to as a “ heating asperity ,” insofar as it produces read element heating . turning now to fig2 , the present invention contemplates a new form of data storage wherein asperities ( positive or negative , contacting or non - contacting ), shown by reference numeral 20 , are purposely placed on a storage medium 22 in an encoded pattern in order to influence an asperity reader 24 in close proximity thereto . more particularly , as the storage medium moves in the direction of the arrow 26 ( this direction being arbitrary ), each asperity 20 will cause an impulsive ( e . g ., approximately 1 microsecond ) temperature change in the asperity reader 24 that produces a proportional change in resistance and a corresponding change in readback signal . the change in readback signal can be processed by a read channel 28 that is adapted to interpret the change as information to produce an output representing information corresponding to the encoded pattern of asperities 20 on the medium 22 . the read channel 28 can be based on the design of a conventional disk drive or tape drive read channel . however , modifications are required so that the thermal asperity readback signal is isolated , amplified and otherwise processed to provide the desired information signal , instead of being filtered out or otherwise eliminated , as is common in conventional read channel circuitry . the asperities 20 represent discrete regions on the medium surface that are elevated or depressed relative to the neighboring surface . they can be localized , typically to a few micrometers or less . ideally , the asperities 20 are durable in the sense that they are not worn down during use . as described in more detail below , the asperities 20 can be formed using several methods , each of which produces asperities having unique characteristics . the asperity reader 24 can be implemented using a temperature sensitive thin film resistor , the electrical resistance of which increases or decreases during the thermal event . as discussed relative to fig1 a - 1c , a conventional magneto - resistive read head typically has temperature - dependent electrical resistance properties and thus could be used to provide the sensing portion ( sensor ) of the asperity reader 24 . exemplary materials that may be used to provide the sensor include tantalum ( ta ) and platinum ( pt ). fig3 illustrates an exemplary design 30 that may be used to construct the asperity reader 24 for use in either a disk drive or a tape drive implementation of the invention . the asperity reader design 30 is based on thin film fabrication techniques of the type commonly used to construct magneto - resistive read elements . a multilayer structure is thus contemplated wherein a hard disk drive - type ceramic substrate material such as aluminum oxide - titanium carbide ( altic ) is used to form as a relatively thick ceramic substrate layer 32 . an insulative material such as alumina is deposited onto the ceramic substrate layer 32 to form a relatively thin first insulative layer 34 . a sensor layer 36 ( sensor ) having a temperature - dependent electrical resistance is formed on the first insulative layer 34 . as indicated above , the sensor 36 can be fabricated using tantalum , platinum or any other material with suitable resistive properties . a relatively thin second insulative layer 38 is formed on the sensor 36 . a thin closure layer 40 made from ( for example ) hard ceramic similar to the substrate material or the like is formed on or bonded to the insulative layer 38 . the thicknesses of the various layers 32 - 40 of the asperity reader design 30 can be selected according to design requirements and taking into account the relative heat transfer characteristics of the materials chosen . a linear temperature - resistance profile for the asperity reader 24 is acceptable , but is not required insofar as appropriate compensation circuitry can be provided in the read channel 28 to provide a desired readback signal . the thermal pulse amplitude for a cooling asperity on the medium 22 is a function of the power dissipation of the sensor 36 , the thermal diffusivity of the sensor plus neighboring films , and the detailed shape of the asperity itself . for example , for a given cooling asperity , the time constant for temperature change ( ignoring the temperature rise of the asperity itself ) is calculated by the product r * c , where r is the parallel combination of the thermal resistance between the sensor 36 and the remainder of the asperity reader 24 and the characteristic thermal resistance for heat flow from the sensor 36 into the asperity ( e . g ., in degrees celsius per watt ), and where c is the characteristic heat ( thermal ) capacity of the sensor 36 ( e . g ., in joules per degree celsius ). the characteristic thermal resistance value r is ( in part ) a function of the thermal resistance of the gap between the sensor and the medium 22 . the characteristic heat capacity value c indicates the ability of the sensor 36 to store heat and represents the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of the sensor by one degree , or conversely , the amount of energy that needs to be transferred out of the sensor 36 to drop its temperature by one degree . the time constant for temperature change ( r * c or rc ) is the time required for the sensor 36 to reach 63 . 2 % of its maximum temperature differential when undergoing a temperature change event . high diffusivity corresponds to low rc . for the sensor 36 , a high thermal diffusivity value ( low rc ) thus means there will be a rapid large temperature drop in the brief time period that the sensor is influenced by an asperity , which translates to large pulse amplitude . the response of the sensor design 30 to cooling asperities can therefore be adjusted by altering its thermal diffusivity . apart from sensor material selection , the thermal diffusivity of the sensor 36 is largely dictated by its geometry . for example , as shown in fig3 a , one way to increase thermal diffusivity is to reduce sensor thermal resistance , for example by increasing the cross - sectional area for heat flow from the sensor to the medium . as shown in fig3 b , another way that thermal resistance can be reduced is to provide a heat sink shield 46 in close proximity to the sensor 36 . the shield 46 can be a thin film - deposited metal , such as one of the alloys of iron , nickel or cobalt commonly used in magnetic head fabrication , except that the shield does not posses magnetic properties . the sensor 36 transfers heat to the shield 46 , and the shield 46 dissipates heat into the medium 22 , thereby increasing the thermal diffusivity of the sensor 36 , depending on its design . generally speaking , shield volume and specific heat must be considered when designing for low heat capacity c , for lowering the sensor &# 39 ; s rc value . although not shown in fig3 b , a second shield 46 could be placed on the opposite side of the sensor 36 , thereby further reducing thermal resistance ( like fins on a conventional transistor heat sink ). fig3 c shows another construction that illustrates the sensor 36 at a location which is recessed from the air bearing surface . in comparison to fig3 b , this minimizes the cross - sectional area of the sensor - shield structure at the air bearing surface , thereby allowing higher areal asperity densities on the medium 22 . fig3 d also shows another recessed sensor construction with shields 46 on both sides of the sensor 36 . returning now to fig3 , and as further illustrated in fig4 a and 4b , the side portions of the sensor 36 can be extended perpendicularly away from the plane of the medium 22 to provide leads 42 for attachment to a sense current source , such as the read channel 28 ( see fig2 ). when the sense current is applied , a voltage drop will develop across the leads 42 according to the net electrical resistance of the sensor 36 . as indicated above , the electrical resistance of the material of the sensor 36 will vary depending on its temperature . fig4 a illustrates a first state of the sensor layer 36 wherein there is no asperity proximate thereto on the medium 22 . a hypothetical voltmeter 44 placed across the leads 42 indicates a first voltage level . fig4 b illustrates a second state of the sensor layer 36 wherein there is an asperity 20 proximate thereto moving at the velocity of the medium 22 . the hypothetical voltmeter 44 placed across the leads 42 now shows a second voltage level that is different than the first . in particular , if the sensor 36 has a positive temperature coefficient , and if the asperity 20 is a contact thermal asperity as shown in fig1 a , or a negative non - contact thermal asperity as shown in fig1 c , the second voltage level will be higher than the first voltage level due to an asperity - induced temperature / resistance increase in the sensor 36 . if the asperity 20 is a positive non - contact thermal asperity as shown in fig1 b ( and the sensor layer 36 has a positive temperature coefficient ), the second voltage level will be lower than the second voltage level due to an asperity - induced temperature / resistance decrease in the sensor 36 . after the asperity 20 moves past the sensor 36 , the effects of the asperity will be quickly removed , the resistance of the sensor will return to its original level , and first voltage level will resume . as persons skilled in the art will appreciate , the read channel 28 can be designed so that the momentary change in voltage level caused by the asperity 20 is interpreted as information , such as a digital “ 1 ” or “ 0 .” it should be further understood that the signal response characteristics of the sensor 36 can be controlled by asperity geometry and operating characteristics . relative to asperity geometry , the height of the asperities 20 will influence readback signal - to - noise ratio . for non - contact asperity configurations , the temperature / resistance change in the sensor 36 will be greatest when positive asperities are tall and negative asperities are deep . thus , asperity height is a candidate for increasing storage density . for contact asperity configurations , the higher the relative speed between the medium 22 and the sensor 36 , the larger the signal . this means that data access burst speeds can be increased without sacrificing performance , and perhaps even increasing performance . turning now to fig5 a - 5d , there are a number of ways that the asperities 20 can be formed on the medium 22 in accordance with the invention . in fig5 a , the asperities 20 are formed using a texturing writer 50 a constructed , for example , as a laser writer that directs a laser beam 52 onto the medium 22 . the asperities 20 may thus be created by way of laser texturing . this process is best suited for producing negative non - contact asperity configurations ( heating asperities ), but could also be used to produce contact and positive non - contact asperities ( cooling asperities ), by removing material on each side of an asperity to be defined . in fig5 b , the asperities 20 are formed using an impact writer 50 b constructed as an imprinting writer that impresses a stylus 54 into the medium 22 . the asperities 20 may thus be created by way of indenting . this process is again best suited for producing negative non - contact asperity configurations ( heating asperities ), but could also be used to produce contact and positive non - contact asperities ( cooling asperities ). in fig5 c , the asperities 20 are formed using a toner writer 50 c constructed as a laser print head that applies toner 56 onto the medium 22 after it has been scanned with a pattern - defining laser . the asperities 20 may thus be created by way of laser toner printing . this process is best suited for producing contact or positive non - contact asperity configurations ( cooling asperities ), but could also be used to produce negative non - contact asperities ( heating asperities ) by depositing material on each side of an asperity to be defined . in fig5 d , the asperities 20 are formed using an ink jet writer 50 d constructed as an ink jet print head that applies ink 58 onto the medium 22 . the asperities 20 may thus be created by way of ink jet printing . this process is again best suited for producing contact or positive non - contact asperity configurations ( cooling asperities ), but could also be used to produce negative non - contact asperities ( heating asperities ). it will be appreciated that other techniques for forming the asperities 20 may also be used in accordance with the invention . for any of the foregoing asperity writing techniques , nanotechnology principles may be brought to bear on the asperity formation process . thus , the laser writer of fig5 a , the impact writer of fig5 b , the toner writer of fig5 c and the inkjet writer of fig5 d , may all be constructed using nanofabrication techniques in order to create high density nanoscale asperities . the present invention thus contemplates high density asperities being formed using techniques such as nano - imprinting , nano - indenting , nano - particle deposition , etc . for example , arrays of carbon - 60 spheres ( so - called “ bucky balls ”) may be used for encoding data . the principles of the present invention can be embodied in either a disk drive storage system or a tape drive storage system , or perhaps some other data storage system not based on disk or tape media , such as systems in which a storage medium is fixed and a transducing apparatus having one or more transducers moves relative to the medium ( e . g ., as per the arrangement used in highly parallel very dense afm data storage systems ). fig6 represents an enlarged plan view of a rigid ( or flexible ) disk medium 60 wherein the asperities 20 shown in fig2 are recorded in concentric tracks 62 in a manner analogous to the recording of data on magnetic , optical and magneto - optical disks . asperities that represent user data can be formed in data sectors 64 . servo sectors 66 may also be provided in which asperities representing information analogous to magnetic disk servo fields are formed for positioning an asperity reader and / or writer relative to the disk medium 60 . fig7 a represents an enlarged plan view of a flexible tape medium 70 a wherein the asperities 20 shown in fig2 are recorded in linear tracks 72 a in a manner analogous to the linear recording of data on magnetic tape . asperities that represent user data can be formed in data sectors 74 a . servo sectors 76 a may also be provided in which asperities representing information analogous to magnetic tape servo fields are formed for positioning an asperity reader and / or writer relative to the tape medium 70 a . fig7 b represents an enlarged plan view of a flexible tape medium 70 b wherein the asperities 20 shown in fig2 are recorded in helical tracks 72 b in a manner analogous to the helical recording of data on magnetic tape . asperities that represent user data can be formed in data sectors 74 b . servo sectors 76 b may also be provided in which asperities representing information analogous to magnetic tape servo fields are formed for positioning an asperity reader and / or writer relative to the tape medium 70 b . the media 60 , 70 a and 70 b may be either uncoated or coated using conventional materials . turning now to fig8 , an exemplary asperity disk drive 80 is shown that may be constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention . the disk drive 80 includes a base casting 82 that supports drive components ( not shown ) for spinning a disk 84 at high rotational speed . the disk 84 can be either fixedly mounted in the disk drive 80 , or it could be removable . if the disk 84 is fixed , other disks ( not shown ) may also be carried by the drive components to form a spaced vertically stacked disk platter arrangement . the disk 84 is formed from a suitable disk substrate that is capable of being configured with a pattern of asperities , as shown in fig6 . for example , disk 84 could be made from the same material used to manufacture magnetic , optical or magneto - optical disks . data access to the disk 84 is achieved with the aid of an actuator / suspension 86 that is mounted for rotation relative to the base casting 82 . the free end of the actuator / suspension 84 mounts a transducer - carrying slider 86 that mounts an asperity transducer ( not shown in fig8 ) constructed in accordance with the present invention . as described in more detail below in connection with fig1 , this asperity transducer can be implemented using the asperity reader 24 of fig2 , or any of the asperity writers 50 a - 50 d of fig5 a - 5d , or as a merged head that combines an asperity reader and an asperity writer so as to be capable of performing asperity read / write operations . as is conventional , the actuator / suspension 86 moves the slider 88 generally radially across the surface of the disk 84 so that the transducer is able to trace concentric data tracks on the disk . as further described in more detail below relative to fig1 , the asperity disk drive 80 further includes onboard electronics that allow it to communicate with a host , such as a general purpose computer or other information processing system . turning now to fig9 a , an exemplary asperity tape drive 90 is shown that may be constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention . the asperity tape drive 90 includes a slot 92 for receiving a tape cartridge 94 into engagement with an internal tape interface system ( not shown ). the tape cartridge 94 carries a tape medium 96 within a housing 98 . the tape medium 96 is formed from a suitable tape substrate that is capable of being configured with a linear pattern of asperities , as shown in fig7 a . for example , tape medium 96 could be made from the same material used to manufacture magnetic recording tape . the tape medium is carried on a supply reel 100 and feeds a take up reel 102 around an optional capstan tape guide roller 104 . although not shown , the internal tape interface system within the tape drive 90 conventionally includes a pair of drive motors that are adapted to engage and drive the supply reel 100 and the take - up reel 102 when the cartridge 94 is inserted in the slot 92 . in addition , an asperity transducer ( not shown in fig9 a ) will be operatively positioned relative to the tape medium 96 when the cartridge 94 is so engaged . as described in more detail below in connection with fig1 , this asperity transducer can be implemented using the asperity reader 24 of fig2 , or any of the asperity writers 50 a - 50 d of fig5 a - 5d , or as a merged head that combines an asperity reader and an asperity writer so as to be capable of performing asperity read / write operations . as further described in more detail below relative to fig1 , the asperity tape drive 90 additionally includes onboard electronics that allow it to communicate with a host , such as a general purpose computer or other information processing system . fig9 b illustrates an alternative asperity tape drive 105 that employs a helical encoding scheme in which a tape medium 106 streams around guide rollers 107 and across the surface of an obliquely angled rotating drum 108 . an asperity transducer 109 is operatively mounted on the drum 108 to scan the tape medium 106 in helical fashion ( as per fig7 b ). as described in more detail below in connection with fig1 , the asperity transducer 109 can be implemented using the asperity reader 24 of fig2 , or any of the asperity writers 50 a - 50 d of fig5 a - 5d , or as a merged head that combines an asperity reader and an asperity writer so as to be capable of performing asperity read / write operations . as further described in more detail below relative to fig1 , the asperity tape drive 105 additionally includes onboard electronics that allow it to communicate with a host , such as a general purpose computer or other information processing system . turning now to fig1 , a functional block diagram illustrates an exemplary asperity drive subsystem 110 that may be used to implement either the asperity disk drive 80 of fig8 , the asperity tape drive 90 of fig9 a , or the asperity tape drive 105 of fig9 b . the asperity drive subsystem 110 includes plural components providing control and data transfer functions for reading and / or writing host data on an asperity disk or tape medium in one or more tracks for the benefit of a host 112 . by way of example only , such components may include a channel adapter 114 , a microprocessor controller 116 , a data buffer 118 , a read / write data flow circuit 120 , a motion control / servo control system 122 , and a media interface system 124 that includes a motor driver unit 125 and an asperity transducer 126 . the microprocessor controller 116 provides overhead control functionality for the operations of all other components of the asperity subsystem 110 . as is conventional , the functions performed by the microprocessor controller 116 can be programmed via microcode routines ( not shown ) according to desired storage system operational characteristics . during data write operations ( with all dataflow being reversed for data read operations ), the microprocessor controller 116 activates the channel adapter 114 to perform the required host interface protocol for receiving an information data block . the channel adapter 114 communicates the data block to the data buffer 118 that stores the data for subsequent read / write processing . the data buffer 118 in turn communicates the data block received from the channel adapter 114 to the read / write dataflow circuitry 120 , which formats the device data into physically formatted data that may be recorded on an asperity storage medium . the read / write dataflow circuitry 120 is responsible for executing all read / write data transfer operations under the control of the microprocessor controller 116 . formatted physical data from the read / write circuitry 120 is communicated to the media interface system 124 . as stated , the media interface system 124 includes a motor driver unit 125 and an asperity transducer 126 . the motor driver unit 125 contains components for controlling the movement between an asperity medium 128 , be it a disk , tape or fixed medium , and an asperity transducer 126 in operational proximity thereto . for example , if the asperity drive subsystem 110 is implemented in the disk drive 80 of fig8 , the drive components of the media interface system 124 will be controlled by the motion control system 122 and the motor driver circuit 125 to execute such actions as spinning the disk medium 84 up and down , and manipulating the transducer / suspension 86 to position the transducer - carrying slider 88 during such track positioning operations as seek , settle and track following . note that conventional servo - control techniques can be used with servo sectors recorded as asperity servo information . by way of further example , if the asperity drive subsystem 110 is implemented in the linear tape drive 90 of fig9 a , the drive components of the media interface system 124 will be controlled by the motion control system 122 and the motor driver circuit 125 to execute such actions as forward and reverse recording and playback , rewind and other tape motion functions . in addition , in a multi - track tape drive system , the motion control system 122 will transversely position the tape drive &# 39 ; s asperity transducer ( s ) relative to the direction of longitudinal tape movement in order to read or write data in a plurality of tracks . note that head servo - control can be accomplished using tape edges and / or tracks with prewritten asperity servo information . compensating for tape width changes can be accomplished via in situ calibration prior to reading . the asperity transducer 126 can be implemented as part of the transducer carrying slider 88 in the asperity disk drive 80 of fig8 , or as a tape head transducer in the asperity tape drive 90 of fig9 a or the tape drive 105 of fig9 b . in each environment , the asperity transducer unit 126 can embody ( 1 ) an asperity reader 130 of the type shown and described in connection with fig3 a and 4 b , or ( 2 ) an asperity writer 140 of the type shown in fig5 a - 5b , or ( 3 ) both . in the first configuration , which is shown in fig1 a , a read - only capability would be provided in a manner analogous to a conventional cdrom drive . in the second configuration , which is shown in fig1 b , a write - only capability would be provided in a manner that is analogous to conventional devices used to produce prerecorded storage media . in the third configuration , which is shown fig1 c , a read - write capability would be provided in a manner analogous to a conventional magnetic disk or tape drive or an optical or magneto - optical disk drive with write - once - read - many data recording capability . accordingly , an asperity data storage system , method and medium have been disclosed . applications for the inventive subject matter include , but are not limited to , those requiring immunity from the degrading effects that magnetic fields can have on conventional magnetic storage media , applications involving high readback speeds ( which actually increase asperity detection ), and applications involving write - once - read - many ( worm ) media that require long shelf life . the achievable asperity areal densities that can be read back by an asperity reader as described above are expected to be on the order of 1 × 10 6 to 1 × 10 7 asperities per square inch , or better . the limit is set by the asperity characteristics and by the thermal response of the asperity reader . when the asperities are closer together than several micrometers , the cooling pulses will begin to overlap , making decoding more difficult . in general , it is advantageous to have the sensor dimensions smaller than those of the asperities for ease of decoding . because the asperities are written along discrete tracks , the track pitch needs to be large enough to prevent two sensors from detecting the same asperity . track pitch and linear densities are on the order of 10 micrometers . while various embodiments of the invention have been shown and described , it should be apparent that many variations and alternative embodiments could be implemented in accordance with the teachings herein . for example , in addition to using an asperity reader as disclosed herein for reading asperity patterns representing stored information , such a reader could be used for characterizing asperity distributions on magnetic recording media , where asperities are generally undesirable . the disclosed asperity reader could be used , for example , in a tape transport system that runs the tape media at relatively high speed , such as 10 - 20 meters / second . this high speed makes some asperities more easily detected and counted . this could help a manufacturer understand and monitor media surface quality . it is understood , therefore , that the invention is not to be in any way limited except in accordance with the spirit of the appended claims and their equivalents .	6
fig1 is a circuit diagram illustrating an embodiment of the variable capacitance means of this invention for providing selective variation in the drain load capacity for a crystal oscillator circuit . fig4 and 5 illustrate specific features of the circuit shown in fig1 and , therefore , like elements in both figures carry the same numerical identification . the circuit of fig4 and 5 is fabricated as a semiconductor integrated circuit employing complementary mos ( cmos ) technology . however , other types of integrated circuit technology may be employed , e . g ., bipolar or t 2 l technology . the present invention basically differs from current technology in providing a plurality of electrical potentials through a d / a converter to the gates of a plurality of fet switching elements which function as capacitor switches and are described in connection with the description of fig1 . in fig1 there is an oscillator portion comprising components 23 - 27 , a temperature compensating portion comprising components 1 - 8 , a plurality of fet switching elements 10 1 , 10 2 . . . 10 n and capacitor array 22 comprising capacitor elements 20 1 , 20 2 . . . 20 n . capacitor elements 20 are preferably of equal value but may also be of weighted value or a combination of weighted and equal values . in the oscillator section , quartz crystal resonator 25 is connected across the gate and drain of inverter 27 in parallel with feedback resistor 26 . the gate of inverter 27 and one side of resonator 25 is connected to a capacitor element circuit comprising input load capacitor 21 coupled to ground , and the drain of inverter 27 and the other side of resonator 25 is connected to a capacitor element circuit comprising output load capacitor 23 coupled to ground . the drain of inverter 27 is also connected to drain line 28 which forms a common node for connection of one electrode of all capacitor elements 20 1 , 20 2 . . . 20 n . each capacitor element 20 1 , 20 2 . . . 20 n has its other electrode connected to the drain of a fet 10 1 , 10 2 . . . 10 n which has its source connected to ground . fet switching elements 10 may be comprised of n - channel mos transistors . the individual combinations of each capacitor element 20 together with a corresponding fet switching element 10 represent capacitor element circuits 24 , all of which together constitute capacitor array 22 . each capacitor element circuit 24 has a combination equivalent impedance circuit 24 &# 39 ; illustrated in fig2 wherein capacitor element 20 has a capacitance , c a , and fet switching element 10 has a combination impedance represented by parasitic capacitance , c x , of the switching element and variable capacitance , r s , which is the switching element resistance . this combination impedance , in particular r s , varies in magnitude dependent upon the applied gate voltage of switching element 10 above threshold voltage , v th . this variance in magnitude of impedance is illustrated in fig3 wherein at v th , the switching on or off of element 10 , the capacitance is c x but just above v th , there is a sudden jump or change in capacitance comprising the combination of c x and c a . thus the capacitance or impedance comprising circuit 24 &# 39 ; is an important consideration in this invention in reducing rapid fluctuations or variations in oscillator frequency caused by switch - in or switch - out of capacitor element circuits 24 in capacitor array 22 during correction in operating frequency of resonator 25 based upon determined temperature compensation values . the gates of fet switching elements 10 are connected to switching control circuit 8 in the temperature compensating portion through which selected fet gates are raised to threshold value to insert selected capacitance values in series with resonator 25 to change the operation frequency thereof in accordance with temperature compensating data received from the temperature compensating portion . the temperature compensating portion includes temperature sensor 1 comprising , for example , a thermistor or other such temperature sensing device in proximity to resonator 25 to detect its ambient temperature and produce an analog signal on its output representative of the ambient temperature at resonator 25 . this analog signal is converted by a / d converter 2 into a digital signal , portions of which are respectively provided on outputs 31 and 32 from a / d converter 2 . the most significant bits of the digital signal from a / d converter 2 are provided as output 31 to memory 3 and the least significant bits of the digital signal are provided as output 32 to reversing circuit 6 . memory 3 may be a rom , eprom or eeprom or other such memory circuit and functions to store binary versions of temperature compensation data comprising a plurality of digital values representing ambient temperature values relative to resonator 25 . each digital value , therefore , corresponds to a specific temperature value within the overall range of temperature excursion encountered in the operation of resonator 25 . output 31 , comprising the most significant bits of the sensed temperature value , functions as an address signal to memory 3 in order to retrieve the corresponding temperature compensating value stored in the memory represented by this address . in the embodiment here , the temperature compensating value is represented by the most significant bits , e . g ., d2 and d3 . output 32 comprises the least significant bits , d0 and d1 , of the sensed temperature value and is provided as an input to d / a converter 7 via reversing circuit 6 . since a part of the temperature compensating value is supplied directly to d / a converter 7 for signal control of switching elements 10 , i . e . two bits are supplied directly to reversing circuit 6 , the capacity of memory 3 can be reduced , in the particular case here by one fourth . the temperature compensation byte values stored in memory 3 are four bits comprising signals , d / u , d0 , d1 , and d2 . while the number of bits employed here for these values is four , it is clear to those skilled in the art that a greater number of bits may be employed to improve the control accuracy of the oscillation frequency of resonator 25 . output 34 from memory 3 comprises d / u signal and is provided as an input to both reversing circuit 6 and d / a converter 7 . d / u is a digital value that distinguishes the gradient of or change in the frequency vs . temperature characteristic curve relative to the oscillator circuit . in the case where such a characteristic is inclined upwardly , the signal value is low or &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;. in the case where such a characteristic is declined downwardly , the signal value is high or &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. as will be explained in greater detail later , reversing circuit 6 provides a reversal in signal values for d / a converter 7 which are employed to generate multiple voltage levels employed to change the impedance value of fet switching elements 10 during their change in switching state . such a change in the switching element impedance level is a change in the equivalent impedance and capacitance of combination capacitor 20 and switching elements 10 comprising capacitor element circuits 24 . output 33 of memory 3 is represented by three signals d0 , d1 and d2 , which are passed to ( bcd ) decoder 4 and their decoded values provided to linear converter circuit 5 . as will be seen more clearly later , at least one of the outputs of decoder 4 will be rendered active by the decoding of signals d0 , d1 and d2 . alternatively , decoder 4 and linear circuit 5 can be eliminated if the output 33 from memory 3 is such that selected gate signals for selected fet switching elements 10 1 . . . 10 n can be provided directly to switching control circuit 8 as gate control signals . however , by directly turning the fet switch on and off by means of the output from decoder 4 , it is necessary for capacitor element circuits 24 to take on a weighted capacitance value . for this reason , this invention has been designed so that weighting control can be provided even with the presence of a linear conversion circuit 5 and even if each weighted capacitance value of each capacitor element circuit 24 in array 22 is to be equal . by doing this , the total required capacitance value of capacitor array 22 can be minimized , low - level switching noise can be achieved and a greater level of freedom of compensation becomes available . the output of the d / a converter 7 is interpolated to an intermediate value that has been compensated for by the output of linear converter 5 via switching control circuit 8 . in this invention , when intermediate interpolation takes place via the operation of d / a converter 7 and switching control circuit 8 , the on - resistance of fet switching elements 10 1 , 10 2 , . . . 10 n changes when these devices are activated and this change in resistance , in turn , changes the cr time constant of circuit 24 established between drain line 28 and ground . reference is now made to fig4 and 5 for a more detailed description of the temperature compensating portion . as shown in fig4 capacitor element circuits 24 1 . . . 24 n are selectively connected or disconnected relative to ground or reference potential by means of respective switching control circuits 81 1 . . . 81 n , and selected connection of individual capacitor elements 20 1 , 20 2 . . . 20 n to drain line 28 varies the total capacitance value provided from array 20 . as an example , the switching in or out of capacitor elements 20 takes place via the combination of outputs from 3 - bit - input decoder nand circuits 41 in decoder 4 and outputs from d / a converter 7 . the three inputs of each of the decoder circuits 41 are connected to receive either input d0 , d1 or d2 or the inverted input of d0 , d1 or d2 via inverters 44 , 45 and 46 . the outputs from decoder circuits 41 are provided as inputs to linear conversion circuit 5 comprising nand gates 53 1 , 53 2 , . . . 53 n connected to inverters 54 1 , 54 2 , . . . 54 n . conversion takes place so that the boundary at which a capacitor circuit 10 is turning on and off is always one that corresponds with the relative physical position of capacitor element circuits 20 1 , 20 2 . . . 20 n . in other words , based upon the respective three inputs d0 - d2 from memory 3 to all the decoder circuits 41 , one of the outputs from a selected decoder circuit 41 m of a designated control unit circuit a a will be low , which is its active state , and all the outputs of all the other decoder circuits 41 will be high . when these outputs are provided as inputs to linear converter circuits 53 1 , 54 1 . . . 53 n , 54 n , providing connection laterally to all immediately adjacent or neighboring control unit circuits a 1 . . . a n , via lines 55 1 , 55 2 , . . . 55 n , control unit circuit a a as well as all control units a m , i . e ., all those to the right in fig4 of activated control unit circuit a a ( i . e ., n : m & gt ; a ), will be activated so that the selected capacitor element circuit 24 a , corresponding to the activated decoder circuit 41 a of unit a a will be activated ( a ), i . e ., connected to ground , and all the immediately adjacent capacitor element circuits 24 m of units a m will also be activated , i . e ., connected to ground . all control units a i , i . e ., all those to the left in fig4 of activated control unit circuit a a ( i . e ., n : m & gt ; a & gt ; i ), will be or remain inactivated ( i ). as a result the drain capacitance of oscillator 25 is controlled by selective connection of one or more capacitor element circuits 24 in order to gradually monotonically increase or monotonically decrease the oscillator output . thus , the drain capacitance can be gradually increased or decreased by incremental voltages , v ee , as applied to one or more capacitor element circuits 24 via switching element 10 . as previously indicated , the most significant bits d2 and d3 are provided as output 31 to decoder 4 . however , because the least significant bits , d0 and d1 , on output 32 represent a secondary or tertiary curve of oscillator frequency - temperature characteristics , it is necessary to reverse the sequence of these bits in order to have temperature compensation that is smooth relative to different directional inclination or declination of inflection . in order to accomplish this , signals d0 and d1 are supplied to d / a converter 7 through reversing circuit 6 . the reverse control signal , d / u , is provided from memory 3 to reversing circuit 6 . reversing circuit 6 comprises xor gates 61 and 62 , as shown in fig5 . the function of reversing circuit 6 in conjunction with converter 7 is to provide different v ee values for dynamic application as gate voltages to the gates of switching elements 10 , which voltages are monotonically applied as an increasing or decreasing value to monotonically increase or decrease drain capacitance on oscillator 25 according to increases or decreases in ambient temperature . thus , the drain capacitance of oscillator 25 can be controlled in fine increments by applying monotonically increasing or decreasing voltage gate values during the switching on / off of switching elements 10 according to decoded inputs d0 , d1 and d2 , as illustrated in tables i and ii further below . with particular reference to fig3 potentials , v ee , are greater than threshold voltage , v th , but less than v cc so that they fall within the steep region of the c - v g characteristic curve of fig3 between c x and c a . thus , for example , voltages , v ee , may be v g = v 0 , v 1 , or v 2 , where v cc & gt ; v 2 & gt ; v 1 & gt ; v 0 & gt ; v th , which are fairly equally distributed along the steep portion of the fig3 curve providing either monotonically increasing or decreasing values of corresponding drain capacitance , c , i . e ., c 0 , c 1 , or c 2 where c a & gt ; c 2 & gt ; c 1 & gt ; c 0 & gt ; c x . in fig4 the control circuits for respective capacitor element circuits 24 form part of a circuit control unit , a , for each such circuit , which are , respectively , indicated by column rectangular dotted boxes a 1 , a 2 . . . a n . each switching control circuit 81 1 , 81 2 , . . . 81 n comprises control circuit gates 84 , 85 and 86 for controlling transfer transistors 184 , 185 and 186 . gates 84 , 86 receive inputs from circuits 4 and 5 , comprising decoder circuit 41 and gates 53 and 54 , to control the applied gate potential of respective fet switching elements 10 via operation of corresponding transfer transistors 84 , 85 or 86 . the three transfer transistors 184 - 186 in switching control circuit 81 respectively transmit the on electrical potential ( v cc ), the off electrical potential ( connection to ground ), or an intermediate electrical potential , v ee , relative to the on / off potential status of fet switching elements 10 . these intermediate potentials , v ee1 and v ee2 , are respectively on lines 181 and 182 and are applied alternately across array 22 to respective gates of switching transistors 10 via transfer transistors 186 , which transistors are alternately connected to lines 181 and 182 across array 22 . these intermediate potentials enable the drain capacitance to be incrementally changed from ground ( off ) to v cc ( on ) in a monotonically increasing manner , or from v cc ( on ) to ground ( off ) in a monotonically decreasing manner via variable potentials , v ee . this functionality is particularly illustrated in tables i and ii below and discussed in further detail later . as an example of the forgoing , in unit a 2 of fig4 when the output for decoder circuit 41 2 is low ( active ), the intermediate potential , v ee2 , which is an output from d / a converter 7 , is transferred by means of operation of transfer transistor 186 2 . in the next adjacent unit to the left , a 1 , the on potential or connection to v cc will be transferred by means of transfer transistor 184 1 . in the next adjacent unit to the right , a m ( i . e ., n : m & gt ; a & gt ; 1 ), the off electrical potential or connection to ground will be transferred by means of transfer transistor 185 m . as a result , because fet switching elements 10 2 , . . . 10 n function as variable impedance or resistance , the active equivalent circuit 24 &# 39 ; comprising capacitor element circuit 24 is as previously explained relative to fig2 . the equalization capacitance , c , as viewed from drain line or common node 28 , may be expressed as follows : ## equ1 ## also , for a given fet gate potential , v g , r s =∝ 1 / v g . relative to this expression , the relationship between applied voltage , v g , and the equivalent capacitance , c , is illustrated in fig3 . it is important to note from fig3 that the equivalent capacitance , c , rapidly changes in value in the region of the threshold voltage , v th , of fet switching element 10 . to control fet switching element 10 with a simple time constant circuit will , therefore , result in a rapid change in the equalization capacitance , c due to this relationship . the switching in or out of a capacitor element circuit 24 will cause an initial jump or drop in potential on drain line 28 , as illustrated in fig5 of the previously referred to reference of nishihara . however , because of the intermediate potentials , v ee1 or v ee2 , developed in d / a converter 7 , the application of these intermediate potentials with large time constants , such as , several hundreds of μs to several ms , will be applied to a selected gate of a fet transistor 10 that prevent a rapid transition in equivalent capacitance just above threshold voltage , v th . in fig5 mos transistor 161 in converter circuit 7 has the same channel length as fet switching transistors 10 and , further is fabricated to operate as a constant current source with a voltage close to threshold voltage , v th . the gate potential , v 0 , of transistor 161 , therefore , is close to v th . resistances 162 and 163 together with mos transistor 164 form a voltage divider circuit providing respective output v ee potentials v 1 , v 2 and v 3 wherein v 3 & gt ; v 2 & gt ; v 1 & gt ; v 0 . potential , v 3 , is designed to be at a potential close to power supply voltage , v cc . load transistors 161 , 164 provide a constant current source for resistances 162 , 163 . electrical potentials v 0 - v 3 are selected by analog mos transistor switches 171 - 178 controlled by gates 72 - 79 , and these potentials are selectively supplied to transfer transistors 185 , 186 , via supply lines 181 and 182 , as intermediate voltage potentials , v ee1 and v ee2 . since electrical potentials v 0 - v 3 are generated through high impedances comprising resistances 162 , 163 in combination with the impedance of analog transfer mos transistors 171 - 178 , these intermediate voltage potentials are supplied to the gates of fet switching elements 10 with significantly large rc time constants and , as a result , provide for a smoother transitional change in equivalent capacitance , c , value during the switching in and out of switching elements 10 . when switching of control circuit units a m occurs relative to an activated control circuit unit , a a , the v ee potential applied to the on switching elements 10 m will change from v 0 to v 2 or from v 3 to v 0 . thus , there are instances when the gate potential of switching elements 10 are made to widely fluctuate through operation of transfer transistors 186 . in order to prevent this wide change in intermediate voltage potential , there is provided two intermediate potentials , v ee1 and v ee2 , thereby preventing a rapid and significant change in equivalent capacitance . when transfer gates 186 are off , the logic of gates 72 - 79 is configured so as to cause a change in the potential of v 0 and v 3 . this logic is illustrated in tables i and ii . tables i and ii illustrate the functionality of converter circuit 7 relative to monotonic increase of capacitance in the case where input d / u is low or &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ;, shown in table i , and relative to monotonic decrease of capacitance in the case where input d / u is high or &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;, shown in table ii . in these illustrations , voltage changes for active control circuit unit a a are shown together with voltage changes for the adjacent control units a m , in the example here limited to units a m + 1 and a m + 2 . table i______________________________________when d / u = &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; ( capacitance , c , monotonically increased ) ______________________________________d0 0 1 0d0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 d1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1v . sub . ee1 v . sub . 0 → v . sub . 1 v . sub . 2 → v . sub . cc v . sub . cc v . sub . 0 v . sub . 0 → v . sub . 1 v . sub . 2 → v . sub . ccv . sub . ee2 v . sub . cc v . sub . 0 v . sub . 0 → v . sub . 1 v . sub . 2 → v . sub . cc v . sub . cc v . sub . 0unit a . sup . a a . sup . m + 1 a . sup . m + 2a . sup . n______________________________________ in table i , for monotonic increase in equivalent capacitance during switch - on , active unit a n , e . g ., unit a 1 in fig4 is switched , via v ee1 on line 181 , from v 0 to v 1 to v 2 to v cc ( v 3 ). the next adjacent unit , a m + 1 , such as unit a 2 in fig4 is similarly switched , via v ee2 on line 182 , from v 0 to v 1 to v 2 to v cc . the next further adjacent unit a m + 2 is switched , via v ee1 on line 181 , from v 0 to v 1 to v 2 to v cc and so on . table ii______________________________________when d / u = &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; ( capacitance , c , monotonically decreased ) ______________________________________d0 0 1 0d0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 d1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1v . sub . ee1 v . sub . cc → v . sub . 2 v . sub . 1 → v . sub . 0 v . sub . 0 v . sub . cc v . sub . cc → v . sub . 2 v . sub . 1 → v . sub . 0v . sub . ee2 v . sub . 0 v . sub . cc v . sub . cc → v . sub . 2 v . sub . 1 → v . sub . 0 v . sub . 0 v . sub . ccunit a . sup . a a . sup . m + 1 a . sup . m + 2a . sup . n______________________________________ in table ii , for monotonic decrease in equivalent capacitance during switch - off , active unit a n , e . g ., unit a 1 in fig4 is switched , via v ee1 on line 181 , from v cc ( v 3 ) to v 2 to v 1 to v 0 . the next adjacent unit , a m + 1 , is similarly switched , via v ee2 on line 182 , from v cc to v 2 to v 1 to v 0 . the next further adjacent unit a m + 2 is switched , via v ee1 on line 181 , from v cc to v 2 to v 1 to v 0 and so on . it is to be noted that the testing of such a capacitor array switching circuit shown in fig4 and 5 generally cannot be effectively performed with an lsi tester . for this reason , an on - chip test circuit 90 is provided and comprises transfer gates 93 1 , 94 1 ; 93 2 , 94 2 , . . . 93 n , 94 n for respective control units a 1 , a 2 , . . . a n , wherein the gate potential of switching elements 10 can be monitored at monitoring output terminal , mo , via pairs of series connected test and transfer gates 93 , 94 . test transistors 93 provide a lead directly to the gate potential of switching elements 10 which are directly monitored through respective transfer transistors 94 . transistors 94 are required because without them , terminal , mo , transistors would be connected directly to some of the gates of switching elements 10 and , as a result , interference or crosstalk from terminal , mo , would tend to significantly change the on resistance for switching elements 10 . therefore , transistors 94 provide an isolation or cutoff from this path of interference during normal circuit operation and usage . thus , for testing circuits 24 of capacitor array 22 , test terminal , test , is provided with a high level signal and transfer transistors 94 are operated , via inverter 97 , to observe and check the gate potentials of switching elements 10 , via test transistors 93 , at terminal , mo . test mos transistors 93 are functionally operated from decoder 41 , via inverter 86 in switching control circuit 8 . thus , a test circuit is fabricated relative to each capacitor element circuit 24 so that the gate potential of the respective fet switching elements 10 can be monitored via monitoring output pin terminal , mo . therefore , only units a in which the output of decoder 4 is active will be selected and provide an output at terminal , mo , relative to the gate potential of the fet switching element 10 of the activated unit a . in this manner , the operation of the circuit units responsible for controlling the voltage level applied to the gates of fet switching elements 10 is rendered directly testable by test circuit 90 thereby allowing for direct on - chip testing for immediate determination of the reliability of capacitor array 22 and the variable impedance operation brought about by operation of circuits 4 - 8 . while the invention has been described in conjunction with several specific embodiments , it is evident to those skilled in the art that many further alternatives , modifications and variations will be apparent in light of the forgoing description . for example , the capacitance means of this invention is not limited to just the temperature compensation of oscillator circuits , but may be used in other applications that employ variable capacitance means , such as filters and tuning devices and applications utilizing circuit time constants as well as to electronic circuits that require the fine programmable adjustments of variable capacitance means of this invention without rapid changes in equivalent capacitance during capacitor element circuit switch - in or switch - out in the compensation network . further , while the above example of the capacitor array has been fabricated on the output side of the oscillator inverter 27 , the capacitor array could also be fabricated on the input side of the oscillator amplifier 27 or on both the input and output sides of the oscillator inverter 27 . also , the possible potentials , v g = v 0 , v 1 , v 2 , or v 3 , for intermediate potentials , v ee , between ground and v cc can be a greater number than illustrated above . thus , the invention described herein is intended to embrace all such alternatives , modifications , applications and variations as may fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims .	7
exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying figures . like items in the figures are shown with the same reference numbers . in embodiments of the invention , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the invention . however , it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details . in other instances , well - known features have not been described in detail to avoid obscuring the invention . embodiments of the invention relate to methods and apparatus for a quick eject mechanism for a module of a computer . more specifically , one or more embodiments of the invention relate to methods and apparatus for a cable detection device integrated into the ejection mechanism of a module . the invention may be implemented on virtually any type of computer regardless of the platform being used . for example , as shown in fig1 , a computer 500 includes a computer tower 502 , monitor 504 , keyboard 506 , a mouse 508 , and numerous other elements and functionalities typical of computers today ( not shown ). the computer tower 502 normally includes , among other components , a module such as multi - function module 200 . the computer system 500 may be connected to a local area network (“ lan ”) or a wide area network ( e . g ., the internet ) via a network interface connection ( not shown ). those skilled in the art will appreciate that the computer tower 502 could also be any computer case having an internal mounting bracket for modules known in the art . referring now to fig2 and fig3 , according to one or more embodiments of the present invention , the multi - function module 200 includes an optical disk drive 514 (“ odd ”). the odd 514 is a device for reading from and writing to an optical disk 100 . optical disks 100 are a common data storage medium , and include such formats as compact disc , digital versatile disc , multi - layer disc , hd dvd , blue - ray disc , and other formats known in the art . the multi - function module 200 includes a housing 201 which has a front face panel 210 with an opening 206 through which the optical disk 202 is inserted or ejected . a disk eject button 204 is also on the front face panel 210 for ejecting an optical disk tray ( not shown ) on which the optical disc 100 is placed . those skilled in the art will appreciate that depending on the type of odd employed , the disk eject button 204 may instead directly eject the optical disk 100 without use of the optical disk tray . the front face panel 210 also has usb ports 208 and sound ports 209 . on the back of the housing 201 is an usb cable port 204 and an integrated drive electronics ( ide ) cable port 202 . the odd 514 has on the back face an odd cable port 206 . as mentioned above , it often becomes necessary for a computer operator to remove a multi - function module 200 , or similar component , from a computer tower 502 . fig4 shows an example of removal of multi - function module 200 . an ide cable 320 is unplugged from the ide cable port 202 , usb cable 321 is unplugged from usb cable port 204 , and odd cable 323 is unplugged from odd cable port 206 . then , the quick eject button 302 is pressed down , thereby disengaging the multi - function module 200 from the module casing 330 . the multi - function module can then be removed from the computer tower 502 by the operator . in one or more embodiments , the ide cable is an integrated power and audio cable . if the ide cable 320 , usb cable 321 , or odd cable 323 is not unplugged prior to removal of the multi - function module 200 from the module casing 330 , the cable still plugged into the multi - function module 200 could be damaged by the removal . accordingly , in one or more embodiments of the present invention , disengagement of the multi - function module 200 is prevented when one or more of ide cable 320 , usb cable 321 , or odd cable 323 are plugged into the respective ide cable port 202 , usb cable port 204 , or odd cable port 206 . referring now to fig5 , a method of ejecting a module according to one or more embodiments of the invention is shown . first , the operator presses down on the module release mechanism , e . g ., an eject button st 601 . pressing down on the module release mechanism does not necessarily fully activate the ejection of the module because in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention , when the operator puts pressure on the release mechanism and a cable is connected to the module ( yes at st 603 ), then the ejection of the module is prevented st 603 . on the other hand , if the cables are not connected ( no at st 603 ), then the module is ejected st 607 . referring now to fig6 , and 8 , an ejection mechanism according to one or more embodiments of the present invention is shown . the ejection mechanism includes a quick eject button 302 , a module casing 330 , and a tension spring 322 . the tension spring 322 is disposed in an opening 304 in the quick eject button 302 , with one end of the tension spring 322 attached to the quick eject button 302 , and the other end of the tension spring 322 attached to the module casing 330 . when the quick eject button 302 is pressed , the tension spring 322 is stretched , and the resisting force returns the quick eject button 302 to its pre - pressed position . the quick eject button 302 also has a guided portion 306 , which is guided by a guiding protrusion 308 on the module casing 330 . the quick eject button 302 wraps around the module casing 330 and a cable interference tab 310 protrudes to a position immediately above the ide cable 320 . in this embodiment , the quick eject button 302 wraps around the back face of the housing 201 between the usb cable port 204 and the ide cable port 204 . when an attempt to press down the quick eject button 302 is made while the ide cable 320 is plugged into the ide cable port 202 as in fig7 , the cable interference tab 310 contacts the top of the ide cable 320 , and thereby the quick eject button 302 is prevented from being pressed down . when the ide cable 320 is not plugged into the ide cable port 202 as in fig8 , there is nothing for the cable interference tab 310 to contact , and the quick eject button 302 therefore is able to be pressed . when the quick eject button 302 is pressed down , the multi - function module 200 is disengaged from the module casing 330 , and can be removed by the operator . although in this embodiment the cable interference tab 310 protrudes to a position above the ide cable 320 , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the cable interference tab 310 could also be placed immediately above the usb cable 321 or the odd cable 323 , such that the quick eject button 302 is prevented from being pressed when the usb cable 321 is plugged into the usb cable port 204 or the odd cable 323 is plugged into the odd cable port 206 . in one or more embodiments , by including a cable detection mechanism , such as a cable interference tab , on a release mechanism for a module casing in a computer tower or the like , potential damage to the cables connected to the module due to removal of the module prior to disconnection of the cables can be prevented . in one or more embodiments , the release mechanism allows quick ejection of disconnected modules and provides for easy and safe replacement thereof . while the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments , those skilled in the art , having benefit of this disclosure , will appreciate that other embodiments can be devised which do not depart from the scope of the invention as disclosed herein . accordingly , the scope of the invention should be limited only by the attached claims .	8
in accordance with the practice of the present invention , a dry granulation apparatus a is provided as shown in the figure . variables such as the compaction pressure , roll speeds , attrition device and operation speed , and screening operations are used to control the particle densification and particle size distribution . these properties control the dissolution behavior of the polyacrylic acid when exposed to water or electrolyte solutions and its effectiveness as an additive in tablet formulations and controlled release applications . referring now to the figure , the dry granulator a is provided with an original powder feed 10 which feeds powdered polyacrylic acid into a lower hopper 12 . the powdered acrylic acid in lower hopper 12 is then fed through feed channel 14 into an upper hopper 16 . the upper hopper 16 collects the virgin powdered polyacrylic acid and recycled powder which does not meet quality controlled sizing parameters . the powdered acrylic acid in the upper hopper is then initially fed into the granulation system via a horizontal feed screw 18 . the rate of rotation of the horizontal feed screw 18 can be adjusted to permit continuous flow of the powdered polyacrylic acid into the granulation system without clogging . next , a vertical screw 20 pre - compresses and deaerates the powered polyacrylic acid before feeding it into compaction rollers 22 . pressure is applied to compaction rollers 22 via a hydraulic actuator 24 . the compaction rollers rotate in opposite directions so that powdered material fed from above will be pulled between the rollers , compressed and dropped into a prebreak mechanism 26 below . the prebreak mechanism 26 provides an initial breakup of the compressed polyacrylic acid into chips and flakes , which drop into attritor 28 . the attritor 28 breaks up the compressed polyacrylic acid into desired particle sizes in conjunction with screen 30 . granulated polyacrylic acid falls into a screening system 32 wherein particles are separated via various sieves 34 , the final product having the desired particle sizes being deposited into finished product hopper 36 . the oversized and undersized particles 38 are processed via a recycle feed mechanism 40 back into feed channel 14 , 42 to be reprocessed through the system . various powdered polyacrylic acids , or mixtures of polyacrylic acids , may be granulated according to the process of the present invention wherein the resulting granulated polyacrylic acid has enhanced handling and performance properties compared to the powder . the granulated polyacrylic acid prepared in accordance with the method described herein , when formulated into tablets retains an ability to slow down the release rate of an active material , compared to tablets formed from granules prepared by other known granulation processes . the granules also maintain more of their ability to thicken , emulsify , and suspend in water based formulations and formulations based on other polar solvents than prior art granules . polymeric powders which may be formed into granules that have improved handling , while retaining thickening and controlled release properties , include various acrylic acid homopolymers , copolymers , and interpolymers having a bulk density below about 0 . 3 g / cc . the term polyacrylic acid or acrylic acid polymers is used to encompass a variety of polymers having high percentages of polymerizable monomers therein with pendant carboxylic acid groups or anhydrides of polycarboxylic acid . these are described in more detail in u . s . pat . nos . 2 , 798 , 053 ; 3 , 915 , 921 ; 4 , 267 , 103 ; 5 , 288 , 814 ; and 5 , 349 , 030 hereby incorporated by reference . the term polyacrylic acid is used to include various homopolymers , copolymers , and interpolymers , wherein at least 50 or 75 mole percent of the repeating units have pendant carboxylic acid groups or anhydrides of dicarboxylic acid groups . while acrylic acid is the most common primary monomer used to form polyacrylic acid the term is not limited thereto but includes generally all α - β unsaturated monomers with carboxylic pendant groups or anhydrides of dicarboxylic acids as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 349 , 030 . the term consisting essentially of anhydrous polyacrylic acid will be used to exclude more than 3 weight percent water and to exclude more than 0 . 2 mole percent multivalent metal cations based on the moles of carboxylic acid . desirably , the amount of water is less than 1 or 2 weight percent . desirably , the amount of multivalent metal cations is less than 0 . 1 mole percent and preferably less than 0 . 01 mole percent . in particular , the process according to the present inventions is useful for granulating various powdered polycarboxylic acids including cross - linked polyacrylic acids . specific types of cross - linked polyacrylic acids include carbopol ® 971p ( polymerized in ethyl - acetate and partially neutralized with potassium ); copolymers of acrylic acid and alkyl acrylates ; copolymers of acrylic acid and alkyl vinyl ethers ; copolymers of ethylene and maleic anhydride ; and copolymers of maleic anhydride and alkyl vinyl ethers . an approved polyacrylic acid for pharmaceutical applications , described in a carbomer monograph in the u . s . pharmocopia 23 nr 18 , is a polyacrylic acid crosslinked with polyalkenyl ethers . the polymeric agents useable in the present invention are typically polymerized by precipitation polymerization in a non - aqueous medium and subsequently dried to strip off the solvent . the acrylic polymers typically have a flow index of above 30 , apparently due to their low bulk density and electrostatic charge . the acrylic polymers of interest when dispersed in water and neutralized to a ph of 7 at a concentration of 10 g / l generally can impart a viscosity of at least 500 centipoise and more desirably at least 2000 centipoise to the water solution as measured by a brookfield viscometer using 20 rpm at 25 ° c . and selecting a spindle resulting in a torque reading between 10 and 90 % of full scale . the improved handling properties of the granules prepared in accordance with the present invention are reflected by improvements over the powdered form of polyacrylic acid in areas such as powder flow rate , bulk density , percentage of fines ( i . e . particles less than 325 u . s . standard screen size ), static adherence and total dust . the granulated product desirably retains the at least 70 , 80 or 90 % of the thickening capacity of the original fine powder when dispersed in water and neutralized to a ph of 7 at a concentration of 10 g / l . thus the viscosity of such a solution is desirably at least 350 , 400 , or 450 centipoise and more desirably at least 1400 , 1600 or 1800 centipoise . with respect to powder flow rate , the granules according to the present invention may have a flow index value of less than or equal to 25 , desirably less than or equal to 20 , and preferably less than or equal to 15 . the flow index is measure by the flodex ™ equipment , which comprises a 35 - 45 mm diameter tube approximately 8 - 10 cm long . bottom caps with incrementally larger diameter apertures are used in the apparatus until an aperture is found of sufficient diameter that the contents of the tube are substantially emptied from the tube when the aperture is unblocked by the operator . a flow index value is assigned equal to the diameter of the aperture used in mm through which the material flows easily . if the aperture is too small then bridging over occurs with a substantial amount of the tube contents being retained in the tube . the bulk density of the granules is measured according to a typical bulk density method for powders . a 30 - 100 ml cup is used which can be lightly tapped one time after filling . the powder is dropped from a powder funnel which discharges about 4 to 8 cm above the rim of the cup . the excess material which accumulates above the rim of the cup can be removed by scraping with a spatula and the weight of the contents determined . the bulk density is the weight of the contents divided by their volume . a tap density can also be determined using a 100 ml graduated cylinder instead of a cup . the powder is discharged from the bottom of a powder funnel as set forth above . a tap density apparatus such as a j . engelsmann a - g tap density apparatus is used to tap the cylinder and contents 1000 times . the volume and weight of the powder after tapping is recorded and the density is calculated as the weight divided by the volume . due to the propensity of very small particles to cause dusting , it is desirable to screen the granules to remove and recycle those granules which pass through a 325 u . s . standard mesh screen . this is not to say that particles smaller than a 325 mesh screen are dust but rather that this size fraction includes more dust and / or carries more dust with it into other steps . desirably the amount of granules that pass through said 325 mesh screen are less than 10 weight percent of the total granules , more desirably less than 5 weight percent , and preferably less than 2 weight percent of the granulated product after screening . the amount of granules passing through a 325 mesh screen can be determined by screening the granules until the weight of the material passing through the 325 mesh screen appears to be constant . if a screen analysis on the polyacrylic powder ( before granulation ) is desired , small sample sizes or air filtration techniques are recommended due to the substantial amount of very small particles in the powder and static charge problems that occur during screening . static charging for polyacrylic acid is generally visually determined . powder samples in bags will exhibit a strong tendency for dust to adhere to the bag and any equipment and / or the operator . samples of polyacrylic acid powder in glass and plastic jars ( generally nonconductive ) will exhibit large amounts of dust adhered by static electricity to the walls of the jar above the samples . static charged dust particles will appear to exit the glass jar as a smoke due to static repulsion combined with browman particle diffusion . in order to achieve production of polyacrylic acid granules , which possess both the improved handling properties over the powder and retain acceptable tablet formation and controlled release properties compared to the powder , a number of adjustable parameters must be controlled . these parameters include horizontal feed screw rate of rotation , vertical screw rotation speed , pressure applied to compaction rolls , speed of compaction rolls , attritor configuration and speed , and screen size . the speeds of the horizontal and vertical screws should be set to feed powder to the compaction rollers at a rate just fast enough to cause a slight separation ( about 0 . 01 to about 0 . 2 or 0 . 5 inches , more desirably from about 0 . 02 to about 0 . 07 or 0 . 2 inch gap ) between the rollers . pressure is applied to the compaction rollers via the hydraulic actuator or other compaction device to produce a compacted material having a density of about 0 . 3 g / cc to about 1 . 5 g / cc . preferably , the density of the compacted material is from about 0 . 9 g / cc to about 1 . 1 g / cc . these densities form strong enough aggregates and / or agglomerates that the amounts of undersized particles can be reduced without removing so much of the voids , cracks , and crevices ( void volume ) within the aggregates and agglomerates to prevent them uniformly swelling in water or electrolyte solutions . the compaction rolls may have circumferential corrugations , pocket indentations or corrugations in the axial direction across the width of the roll . applicants define the pressure via the result due to the complexity of specifying a compaction pressure applied from a curved surface to a powder . densification obviously is the result of compacting the aggregates and / or agglomerates ( particles ) present in the powder into larger particles . this reduces the void volume within the particles . it is believed that the void volume , to the extent that it is open to the surface of the particles , is a pathway for water or electrolyte solutions to enter each particle uniformly swelling the polyacrylic acid therein . thus densification usually makes the interior of the particles less accessible to water or electrolyte solutions . increased compaction also results in more interpolymer penetration between the surface polymers on aggregates and / or agglomerates , which can slow dissolution times of a particle due to the need for the interpenetrated polymers to separate and due to the possibility that the interpenetrated polymers may remain entangled and not be able to separate . it is to be noted that if the polyacrylic acid is over - densified then the resulting granules will only swell with water or electrolyte on their surfaces . this results in occlusions of nonswollen polymer ( occluded polymer ) within some or all granules . the occluded ( non - swellable ) polyacrylic acid is not available to modify the viscosity of liquid solutions and is not available to control release rates in a tablet . therefore there is an inverse relationship between the amount of occluded polyacrylic acid and the thickening and release controlling properties of the polyacrylic acid . the compaction roller speed is set to maximize productivity without exceeding the horsepower limitation of the compaction equipment . slower roller speeds allow the polyacrylic acid more time to flow and accommodate the stresses uniformly throughout the thickness of the compressed samples . faster roller speeds may force the polyacrylic acid in direct contact with the roller surface to do most of the accommodation . the speed and configuration of the attritor are chosen to provide optimal particle size distributions for a particular application . smaller particles , such as those sized between the opening of a 100 and 200 mesh screen are desirable as they maximize the number of particles and total surface area . these properties are important , as smaller polyacrylic acid particles tend to form a tablet with better integrity and slower release rates for active material . increases in the number of smaller particles decreases bulk density and decrease powder flow characteristics . it has also been observed that smaller particles form tablets with better tablet integrity in the dissolution tests . larger particles , e . g . those sized between a 20 and 80 mesh screen , maximize bulk density and flow characteristics but contribute less to tablet formation and slow release rates . in most embodiments it is desirable to minimize generation of granules smaller than 325 mesh , more desirable less than 200 mesh ( u . s . standard ) due to their contribution to dust . screen size is about 5 mesh to about 325 mesh ( u . s . standard ); more desirably from about 20 to about 250 , and preferably , screen size is from about 40 mesh to about 200 mesh . thus , granules having a particle size of less than about 5 mesh ( passing through 5 mesh ) but greater than about 325 mesh ( retained on 325 mesh ) will be discharged as product . particles which have sizes outside these parameters ( oversized and undersized ( fines )) will desirably be recycled back into the system if present in a significant amount . vacuum deaeration may be used to reduce air from becoming trapped in the powder prior to compaction . the vacuum may be adjusted to be from about 0 . 5 in . hg . to about 30 in . hg . preferably 5 to 20 . desirably this vacuum is applied around the compaction rolls and optionally within the vertical and / or horizontal screw feeds . if alternative compaction or powder conveyance means are used they could include vacuum deaeration . entrained air in the material from the initial compaction tends to expand uncontrollably as the compacted material comes out of the compaction rolls and fracture the compacted material . the controlled release tablet formulations of the present invention include granulated polyacrylic acid prepared in accordance with the process of the invention . amounts of polyacrylic acid used in tablet formulations are preferably from about 5 or 10 % w / w to about 50 % w / w . the polyacrylic acid aids in tablet formation and tablet integrity . during controlled release applications the polyacrylic acid can swell which limits the porosity of the tablet ( or application device ) by restricting the flow of the electrolyte solution into and out of the tablet . desirably the tablets made according to this disclosure have a release rate of from about 0 . 6 to about 24 hours or more for pharmaceutically active materials . longer release rates are available for non - pharmaceutical applications where the longer release rates may be desirable . other conventional tableting adjuvants , including pharmaceutically acceptable tableting adjuvants , can be included in the tablet formulations . such adjuvants include fillers , excipients , compression aids , binders , flavorings , coating agents , etc . various active materials , e . g . pharmaceuticals , may be formulated into the controlled release tablet formulations . other active materials include biocides , disinfectants , stimulants , moisturizers , aromas , scents , chemicals ( e . g . chlorine ), proteins , etc which are beneficially applied from a table or gelled or thickened liquid formulation . typically , pharmaceuticals dosages are designed to be administered in specific amounts over a broad time range to avoid toxicity problems , thus the need for controlled release formulations . pharmaceutical can include pain relievers , stimulants , muscle relaxants , antibiotics , pain blockers , and a variety of other medications . theophylline , for example , is one such agent , which is generally formulated in a controlled release tablet composition . other pharmaceutical agents typically or desirably used in controlled release form are within the scope of acceptable pharmaceutical agents useable in the present invention &# 39 ; s formulations . the following examples illustrate the processes for preparing polyacrylic acid granules , which possess the desired handling and controlled release properties . the following examples utilized a fitzpatrick model 4l × 10d chilsonator and dkas012 fitzmill system . this equipment is illustrated in fig1 . the fitzpatrick company has a compaction division in elmhurst , ill ., which sells this type of equipment . another supplier of similar equipment is alexanderwerk based in germany and having a sales office in new jersey . the chilsonator used two 4 ″ long rolls having diameters of 10 ″. vacuum was applied in the area of the vertical screw . the material granulated was carbopol ® 971 p , a lightly crosslinked polyacrylic acid powder . * sgf = simulated gastric fluid ( ph 1 . 2 ); sif = simulated intestinal fluid ( ph 6 . 8 ); t 70 is time ( in minutes ) for 70 % of the active ingredient ( theophylline to be released in sgf or sif . tables i and ia show that drug release time can be adjusted by manipulating roll compaction pressure . the tablet from table ia release rate tests was formulated with a similar recipe to table iii , and compacted with sufficient pressure to result in a tablet with a hardness of 9 - 11 kilopounds using a standard u . s . p . crushing strength tester . viscosities measured with brookfield viscometer , 20 rpm , 25 ° c . using a spindle for which the total torque is 10 to 90 % of full scale on the torque meter . tables i and ib show how thickening ability decreases only slightly with increasing compaction pressure . however , it should be noted that the gel surface may appear rougher with increasing compaction pressure . the following examples illustrate the physical characteristics of granules produced according to the present invention . the samples were prepared using a fitzpatrick ir - 520 chilsonator roll compactor and a m5a fitzmill attritor . carbopol ® 971 p was used in the following examples . * smallest hole diameter ( mm ,) in flodex ™ through which material flows easily . the following examples illustrate pharmaceutical tablet formulations comprising theophylline . examples 1 and 2 utilize carbopol granules from table ii above . comparative examples include powdered polyacrylic acid and polyacrylic acid granules produced by fluidized bed granulation . all amounts used in % w / w . table iv , below , shows properties of powder mixtures and tablets formed from granules prepared according to the present invention compared to powder mixtures and tablets formed from either powdered polyacrylic acid ( ex . 3 ) or granules produced via the fluidized bed technique ( ex . 4 ). t 70 and t 90 are time ( in minutes ) for 70 % and 90 % of active ingredient ( theophylline ) to be released in sgf / sif . * sgf ( ph 1 . 2 ) = simulated gastric fluid ; sif ( ph 6 . 8 ) = simulated intestinal fluid . table iv shows that the flowability ( flow - index ) of the tableting powder mixture prepared from various granular forms of polyacrylic acid is not fundamentally related to the drug release performance of the granules . the compressibility index is 100 times the difference between the tap density and bulk density divided by the tap density . in free flowing powders , the compressibility index is less than 15 % while values above 25 % indicate poor flow characteristics . the following tables v - vii illustrate the dramatic effect of compression pressure during compaction of the polyacrylic acid granules on the properties of the tablet blends when using the polyacrylic acid as a 10 weight percent ingredient . the polyacrylic acid of example 5 was compacted under a pressure of 10 bar on an alexanderwerk granulating machine , example 6 was compacted under a pressure of 30 bar , and example 7 was compacted under a pressure of 60 bar . the tablet blends in table v were formed in a 0 . 375 - inch diameter die with a blend loading of 300 mg for each of examples 5 - 7 . the force used for examples 5 was 300 lbs , that for example 6 was 364 lbs , and that for examples 7 was 367 lbs . these values were calculated based on the hausner ratio and the compressibility index of the tablet blend . the hausner ratio is the tap density divided by the bulk density . it is to be noted that the hardness of the tablets from examples 5 - 7 were 8 . 7 , 8 . 8 , and 8 . 4 lbs indicating that examples 6 and 7 were not compressed into harder tablets than example 5 . the above table vi illustrates what a dramatic effect 10 weight percent of polyacrylic acid , granulated under different conditions , can have on the properties of blends used to make tablets and table vii illustrates the dramatic effect on the release rate of theophylline . as is well known to the pharmaceutical industry , theophylline is a very effective medication , but it can be toxic if released in concentrations above the pharmaceutically effective amounts . therefore uniform and controlled safe dosages of theophylline are critical in preparing effective tablets . in table vi the blend before tablet making from the polyacrylic acid compacted under the lowest compaction pressure resulted in the densest blend with the highest compressibility ( facilitating tablet formation at lower pressures ). when these blends were compressed into tablets the compaction pressures used to form granules of polyacrylic acid had little effect on the disintegration times . the release time of theophylline by the tablets was dramatically decreased by increasing compaction roll pressure . as can be seen from the tables above , granules produced in accordance with the present invention have enhanced flowability compared to the control powder ( table ii ). additionally , table ii shows the importance of screening out fines to achieve increased flowability . in addition to enhanced flowability , tablets prepared from granules of polyacrylic acid made in accordance with the process of the present invention possess enhanced ( slowed down ) controlled release properties over granules of polyacrylic acid prepared by other known granulation processes ( i . e ., fluidized bed ). while the controlled release properties of tablets prepared from granulated polyacrylic acid according to the present invention are not quite as slow as tablets prepared from powdered polyacrylic acid , the undesirable handling properties of prior art powders are avoided as the granules have improved flowability , lower static adherence and lower dust compared to the powdered polyacrylic acid itself . these major advantages in pre - tableting handling characteristics more than compensate for the somewhat lowered thickening efficiency or slight changes in the controlled release properties . while in accordance with the patent statutes the best mode and preferred embodiment has been set forth , the scope of the invention is not limited thereto , but rather by the scope of the attached claims .	1
we have discovered that statins and α7 - nachr agonists in combination have the potential to alter the pathophysiology of alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease and symptoms . the different mechanisms by which statins and α7 - nachr agonists operate — statins by reducing the formation of the neurotoxic substance aβ and α7 - nachr agonists by blocking the cognitive impairing and neurotoxic effects of aβ — imply that a statin and an α7 - nachr in combination will synergistically benefit patients suffering with neurological degenerative diseases and particularly patients suffering with alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease . in one aspect the invention is a method for treating neurological degenerative diseases and particularly alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease comprising treatment with a combination comprising an α7 - nachr agonist and a statin . a combination suitable for practicing the invention comprises a statin selected from atorvastatin , cerivastatin , fluvastatin , lovastatin , pravastatin sodium , simvastatin or rosuvastatin , or a pharmaceutically - acceptable salt thereof and an α7 - nachr agonist selected from spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 5 ′- oxazolidine ]- 2 ′- one , (+)- spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 5 ′- oxazolidine ]- 2 ′- one , (−)- spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 5 ′- oxazolidine ]- 2 ′- one , spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 1 ] heptan - 3 , 5 ′- oxazolidin - 2 ′- one ], 3 ′- methyl spiro -[ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 5 ′- oxazolidin - 2 ′- one ], spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′- bromospiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′- phenylspiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′- nitrospiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 1 ′- chlorospiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] isoquinoline ], 5 ′-( phenylcarboxamido ) spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′-( phenylaminocarbonylamino ) spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′-( phenylsulfonylamido ) spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′- aminospiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′- n - methylaminospiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′- n , n - dimethylaminospiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′- n , n - diethylaminospiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′- n - ethylaminospiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′- n - benzylaminospiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′- n - formamidospiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′- n - acetamidospiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] isoquinoline ], spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] quinoline ], 5 ′- ethenylspiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′-( e )-( phenylethenyl ) spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′-( 4 - morpholino ) spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′-( 1 - azetidinyl ) spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′-( e )-( 2 -( 4 - pyridyl ) ethenyl ) spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′-( e )-( 2 -( 2 - pyridyl ) ethenyl ) spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′-( 2 - trimethylsilylethynyl ) spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′- ethynylspiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′-( 2 - furyl ) spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′-( 3 - pyridyl ) spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′- methylspiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine - 5 ′ carbonitrile ], spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine - 5 ′ carboxamide ], 5 ′- n ′-( 3 - chlorophenyl ) aminocarbonylminospiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 5 ′- n ′-( 2 - nitrophenyl ) aminocarbonylaminospiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 4 ′- chlorospiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 4 ′- methoxyspiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 4 ′- phenylthiospiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 4 ′-( n - 2 - aminoethyl ) aminospiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 4 ′- phenylaminospiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 4 ′- methylaminospiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 4 -( 4 - n - methylpiperazin - 1 - yl ) spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 4 ′- chloro - spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 3 , 2 - c ] pyridine ], spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 3 , 2 - c ] pyridine ], spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine - 7 ′- oxide ], spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine - 6 ′- carbonitrile ], 6 ′- chlorospiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], 6 ′- fluorospiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ], n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 - phenylfuran - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - fluorophenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 3 - thienyl ) benzamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 - phenylbenzamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 3 - pyridyl ) benzamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 - phenylthiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 3 - methoxyphenyl ) benzamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 2 - methoxyphenyl ) benzamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 3 -( n - acetylamino ) phenyl ) benzamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 3 - fluorophenyl ) benzamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 3 - methylphenyl ) benzamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 2 - thienyl ) benzamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 3 , 5 - dichlorophenyl ) benzamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 2 - naphthyl ) benzamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 4 - fluorophenyl ) benzamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - pyridyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - thienyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 2 - benzo [ b ] furanyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 4 - pyridyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 2 - thienyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - methoxyphenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 2 - methoxyphenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 4 - fluorophenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 2 - naphthyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - methylphenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - furyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 2 - furyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 2 - pyridyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 4 - pyridyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - pyridyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 2 - pyridyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 4 -( 2 - pyridyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 4 -( 4 - pyridyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 4 -( 3 - pyridyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 -( n - acetylamino ) phenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - nitrophenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - trifluoromethylphenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - chlorophenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 -( n - acetylamino ) phenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - fluorophenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - methoxyphenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - ethoxyphenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 , 5 - dimethylisoxazol - 4 - yl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 , 5 - dimethylisoxazol - 4 - yl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - aminophenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - pyridyl ) thiophene - 3 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 4 - chlorophenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - pyridyl ) thiazole - 3 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 4 - pyridyl ) thiazole - 3 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 -( n , n - dimethylamino ) phenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 8 - quinolinyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 - phenylthiophene - 3 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 4 - phenylthiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - cyanophenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 -( n - methylamino ) phenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - hydroxyphenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - pyridylamino ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - chlorophenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - aza - bicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 -( 4 - morpholinyl ) phenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 -( aminomethyl ) phenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 - phenoxythiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - aminophenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 -( n , n - dimethylamino ) phenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - formylphenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ); n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 -( hydroxymethyl ) phenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 - phenylfuran - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - fluorophenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 3 - thienyl ) benzamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 - phenylbenzamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 3 - pyridyl ) benzamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 - phenylthiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 3 - methoxyphenyl ) benzamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 2 - methoxyphenyl ) benzamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 3 -( n - acetylamino ) phenyl ) benzamide ); ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 3 - fluorophenyl ) benzamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 3 - methylphenyl ) benzamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 2 - thienyl ) benzamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 3 , 5 - dichlorophenyl ) benzamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 2 - naphthyl ) benzamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 3 -( 4 - fluorophenyl ) benzamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - pyridyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - thienyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 2 - benzo [ b ] furanyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 4 - pyridyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 2 - thienyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - methoxyphenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 2 - methoxyphenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 4 - fluorophenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 2 - naphthyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - methylphenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - furyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 2 - furyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 2 - pyridyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 4 - pyridyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - pyridyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 2 - pyridyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 4 -( 2 - pyridyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 4 -( 4 - pyridyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 4 -( 3 - pyridyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 -( n - acetylamino ) phenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - nitrophenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - trifluoromethylphenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - chlorophenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 -( n - acetylamino ) phenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - fluorophenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - methoxyphenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - ethoxyphenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 , 5 - dimethylisoxazol - 4 - yl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 , 5 - dimethylisoxazol - 4 - yl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - aminophenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - pyridyl ) thiophene - 3 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )[ 5 -( 4 - chlorophenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - pyridyl ) thiazole - 3 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 4 - pyridyl ) thiazole - 3 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 -( n , n - dimethylamino ) phenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 8 - quinolinyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( s )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - pyridyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ); ( s )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 4 - pyridyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( s )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 2 - pyridyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( s )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 - phenylthiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 - phenylthiophene - 3 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 4 - phenylthiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - cyanophenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 -( n - methylamino ) phenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - aza - bicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - hydroxyphenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - pyridylamino ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - chlorophenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 -( 4 - morpholinyl ) phenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 -( aminomethyl ) phenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 - phenoxythiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - aminophenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 -( n , n - dimethylamino ) phenyl ) furan - 2 - carboxamide ), ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 - formylphenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), or ( r )- n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )( 5 -( 3 -( hydroxymethyl ) phenyl ) thiophene - 2 - carboxamide ), or a pharmaceutically - acceptable salt thereof . in general , it is contemplated that any statin when used in combination with any alpha - 7 - nachr agonist will be useful in practicing the present invention . alpha - 7 - nachr agonists contemplated to be useful in the present invention are described in international publications wo9606098 , wo9730998 , wo 9903859 , wo9956745 , wo0042044 , wo0129034 , wo0160821 , wo0132622 , wo0136417 , wo0132619 , wo0132620 , wo0136417 , wo0244176 , wo0220521 , wo0216358 , wo0216357 , wo0216356 , wo0216355 , wo0215662 and wo0217358 and in publications ep1219622 , ep1184383 , ep1184384 , ep1184385 , jp200203084 . statins contemplated to be useful in the present inventions are atorvastatin calcium ( lipitor ), cerivastatin sodium ( baycol ), fluvastatin sodium ( lescol ), lovastatin ( mevacor ), pravastatin sodium ( pravachol ), simvastatin ( zocor ) and rosuvastatin ( crestor ). in another aspect the invention is a pharmaceutical composition comprising a combination of an α7 - nachr agonist and a statin as described herein together with a pharmaceutically - acceptable diluent or excipient . in another aspect the present invention comprises providing neuroprotection or analgesia in a method of treatment or prophylaxis of a condition or disorder involving reduced cholinergic function selected from alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease , cognitive or attention disorders , anxiety , depression , smoking cessation , schizophrenia , tourette &# 39 ; s syndrome , and parkinson &# 39 ; s disease which method comprises administering a therapeutically effective amount of a combination as defined in claim 1 to a patient . in a particular aspect the method of the invention is a method for the treatment or prophylaxis of alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease . a further aspect of the invention is the use of a combination of an α7 - nachr agonist and a statin as described herein in the preparation of a medicament for providing neuroprotection or analgesia in the treatment of a condition or disorder involving reduced cholinergic function selected from alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease , cognitive or attention disorders , anxiety , depression , smoking cessation , schizophrenia , tourette &# 39 ; s syndrome , and parkinson &# 39 ; s disease . in a particular aspect the use of a combination of an α7 - nachr agonist and a statin as described herein is in the preparation of a medicament for the treatment or prophylaxis of alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease . a particular combination for use in the present invention comprises rosuvastatin or a pharmaceutically - acceptable salt thereof and an α7 - nachr agonist selected from spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 5 ′- oxazolidine ]- 2 ′- one , n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )[ e - 3 -( 2 - thienyl ) propenamide ], or ( 2 ′ r )- 5 ′-( 3 - furanyl ) spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h ) furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ] or a pharmaceutically - acceptable salt thereof . a particular pharmaceutical composition for use in the present invention comprises rosuvastatin or a pharmaceutically - acceptable salt thereof and an α7 - nachr agonist selected from spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 5 ′- oxazolidine ]- 2 ′- one , n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )[ e - 3 -( 2 - thienyl ) propenamide ], or ( 2 ′ r )- 5 ′-( 3 - furanyl ) spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ] or a pharmaceutically - acceptable salt thereof together with a pharmaceutically acceptable diluent or carrier . a particular method of the present invention is the provision of neuroprotection or analgesia for the treatment or prophylaxis of a condition or disorder involving reduced cholinergic function selected from alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease , cognitive or attention disorders , anxiety , depression , smoking cessation , schizophrenia , tourette &# 39 ; s syndrome , and parkinson &# 39 ; s disease which method comprises administering a therapeutically effective amount of a combination of rosuvastatin or a pharmaceutically - acceptable salt thereof and an α7 - nachr agonist selected from spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 5 ′- oxazolidine ]- 2 ′- one , n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl ) [ e - 3 -( 2 - thienyl ) propenamide ], or ( 2 ′ r )- 5 ′-( 3 - furanyl ) spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h )- furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ] or a pharmaceutically - acceptable salt thereof to a patient . in particular the method is useful for the treatment or prophylaxis alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease . a particular embodiment of the invention is the use of a combination rosuvastatin or a pharmaceutically - acceptable salt thereof and an α7 - nachr agonist selected from spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 5 ′- oxazolidine ]- 2 ′- one , n -( 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] oct - 3 - yl )[ e - 3 -( 2 - thienyl ) propenamide ], or ( 2 ′ r )- 5 ′-( 3 - furanyl ) spiro [ 1 - azabicyclo [ 2 . 2 . 2 ] octane - 3 , 2 ′-( 3 ′ h ) furo [ 2 , 3 - b ] pyridine ] or a pharmaceutically - acceptable salt thereof in the preparation of a medicament providing neuroprotection or analgesia for the treatment of a condition or disorder involving reduced cholinergic function selected from alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease , cognitive or attention disorders , anxiety , depression , smoking cessation , schizophrenia , tourette &# 39 ; s syndrome , and parkinson &# 39 ; s disease . in particular the invention comprises the use of such a combination in the preparation of a medicament for the treatment of alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease . statins are compounds that inhibit hmg - coa reductase , a rate - limiting enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway to cholesterol . statins are conventionally used to reduce plasma levels of cholesterol in patients with cardiovascular disease but can also reduce aβ serum levels in patients . alpha - 7 - nachr agonists beneficially activate α7 - nach receptors and are useful for treating cognitive deficits and in the treatment of a range of disorders involving reduced cholinergic function such as alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease , cognitive or attention disorders , anxiety , depression , smoking cessation , neuroprotection , schizophrenia , analgesia , tourette &# 39 ; s syndrome , and parkinson &# 39 ; s disease . accordingly , the hypothetical basis of the present invention lies in the realization that statins , by reducing the formation of aβ , may be particularly effective in combination with α7 - nachr agonists , which ameliorate cognitive deficits and inhibit neurodegeneration induced by aβ , in the treatment of alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease . therefore , the treatment of alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease with a combination of a statin and an α7 - nachr agonist will result in enhanced efficacy over either type of agent if administered alone . assessment of the efficacy of a statin and an α7 - nachr agonist in combination in animal models is not straightforward . existing experimental models of alzhiemer &# 39 ; s disease include transgenic mice , which over express aβ , and animals with surgically generated fimbria - fornix lesions . these models and the uses to which they may be put are known , understood and appreciated by those of skill in the relevant art . transgenic mice which over express aβ exhibit some of the clinical manifestations of alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease , e . g . plaque deposition and , in some cases , cognitive deficits , but neurodegeneration is not observed . animals with fimbria - fornix lesions have cognitive and learning deficits and have been used to assess potential approaches to treat neurodegeneration . no single experimental model exhibits the entire pathophysiological complex of alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease . however , to the extent that these models do mimic the pathophysiology of alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease they may be used to assess the effect of a statin and an α7 - nachr agonist in combination .	0
the present invention will be explained more in details by way of preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings . fig1 shows a schematic configuration of an ion trap mass spectrometer as a preferred embodiment according to the present invention . in fig1 the polarity of voltage applied to each of electrodes is selected depending on the polarity of ions to be analyzed . for the sake of simplicity , explanation is to be made for a case for analyzing positive ions . a sample solution is introduced by way of a liquid feed pump 1 and a pipeline 2 to a metal tube 3 of about 0 . 4 mm outer diameter ( stainless steel tube ). a positive high voltage at about 3 . 5 kv is applied to the metal tube 3 . the sample solution is subjected to electrospray by the application of a high voltage from the end of the metal tube 3 to ionize the sample components . ions formed by the electrospray are introduced while passing through a first aperture of about 0 . 3 mm inner diameter , introduced into a differential pumping region 7 evacuated by a vacuum system 6 a to about 0 . 8 torr and further entered therefrom through a second aperture 8 of about 0 . 3 mm inner diameter into a vacuum region 20 evacuated by the exhaust system 6 b to about 8 × 10 − 6 torr . when the ions are introduced by way of the aperture into a region at a lower pressure , the ions are cooled by adiabatic expansion and solvent molecules are attached to the cooled ions , which is a so - called clustering phenomenon . in order to prevent this phenomenon , the electrode 4 provided with the first aperture 5 and electrode 9 provided with the second aperture 8 are heated to about 100 ° c . by a heating means not illustrated . a drift voltage at about several tens volt is applied between the electrode 4 having the first aperture 5 and the electrode 9 having the second aperture 8 with the electrode 4 being positive . for decelerating ions accelerated by the drift voltage and introducing them at a low injection energy into the mass spectrometer 11 , a voltage lower than that for the endcap 12 a provided with an ion entrance opening 14 is applied to the electrode 9 having the second aperture 8 . that is , a voltage v applied to the electrode 9 having the second aperture 8 and the voltage v ′ applied to the endcap 12 a having the ion entrance opening 14 are set as : v & lt ; v ′. v ′ is often set to zero volts in the ion trap mass spectrometer . in the device used in this embodiment , also , v ′ is set to 0 v , v is set as v & lt ; 0 , so that a negative voltage is applied to the electrode 9 having the second aperture 8 . the present invention has a feature in making the voltage on the endcap 12 a having the ion entrance opening 14 higher than the voltage on the electrode 9 having the second aperture 8 irrespective of the injection of the positive ions into the mass spectrometer 11 . the positive ions decelerated by the potential difference between v and v ′ are injected in the mass spectrometer 11 at a low injection energy . the positive injection ions collide against the collision gas in the inner space 21 of the mass spectrometer 11 and are confined in the space 21 . since the energy of the injection ions is low , the ion confinement efficiency is improved . a gate electrode 17 disposed between an electrostatic lens 10 c constituted with electrodes 106 , 107 and 108 and the mass spectrometer 11 has a function of on / off control for the injection of the ions to the mass spectrometer 11 . fig2 shows a relation between the voltages applied to the ring electrode 13 and the gate electrode 17 for one scanning period . during accumulation of ions , the voltage applied to the gate electrode 17 ( gate voltage ) is lowered to allow the passage of the ions . on the other hand , during the so - called scanning period in which ions accumulated in the mass spectrometer 11 are taken out depending on mass successively from the exit opening 15 by changing the amplitude of the high frequency voltage applied to the ring electrode 13 ( scanning ) and detected by a detector 16 for mass analysis , the gate voltage is increased to prevent further injection of ions into the mass spectrometer 11 . in fig1 are shown power supplies 50 , 51 , 52 and 53 for supplying necessary voltages to the metal tube 3 , electrode 4 , electrode 9 and the gate electrode 17 , respectively , power supplies 54 , 55 and 56 for supplying lens voltages necessary for electrodes 106 , 107 , 108 constituting an electrostatic lens 10 c , respectively , and power supplies 57 , 58 and 59 for supplying voltages to be applied to the endcap 12 a , the ring electrode 13 and the endcap 12 b , respectively . according to the present invention , since the ions accelerated under the effect of the drift voltage are introduced into the mass spectrometer after deceleration , the ions can be confined efficiently in the ion trap mass spectrometer . accordingly , polar compounds such as peptides can be analyzed in a state of using a sufficiently high drift voltage , by which detection sensitivity to the ions can be improved to obtain high analyzing sensitivity . the endcaps 12 a and 12 b are sometimes applied with dc or ac voltage with an aim of improving the resolution power or with an aim of ejecting the heavy ions . further , the voltage may be sometimes different between the ion accumulation period and the scanning period . in such a case , the voltage v ′ means the dc component of the voltage applied to the endcap 12 a upon ion accumulation . the effect obtained by the present invention will be explained with reference to fig3 . fig3 shows a result of the study on the relation between the ion intensity and the drift voltage observed by the mass spectrometer 11 by forming protonated doubly charged ions ( m / z = 571 ) of gramicidin - s ( molecular weight : 1140 ) as a sort of peptides by an electrospray method and using the voltage on the electrode 9 having the second aperture 8 as a parameter . analyzing conditions in this case are shown below . a solvent for a sample solution used was a mixture of water , methanol and formic acid at a 50 : 50 : 0 . 5 ratio . the concentration of the sample was 5 × 10 − 6 mol / l , the flow rate of the sample solution was 3 μl / min , and sc voltages of − 400 v , − 200 v , and − 400 v were applied , respectively , to the electrodes 106 , 107 , 108 constituting the electrostatic lens 10 c . further , the dc component v ′ for the voltage applied to the endcap 12 a was zero volts . when the voltage v on the electrode 9 having the second aperture 8 was set to zero volts ( that is at an equal potential for the electrode 9 and the endcap 12 a ), detected ion intensity was maximum at the drift voltage of 10 v ( that is , + 10 v is applied to the electrode 4 having the first aperture 5 ). further , the detected ion intensity was maximum at the drift voltage of 20 v when the voltage v on the electrode 9 having the second aperture 8 was set to − 5 v ( that is , + 15 v was applied to the electrode 4 having the first aperture 5 ) and at the drift voltage of 30 v when the voltage v on the electrode 9 having the second aperture 8 was set to − 10 v ( that is , + 20 v was applied to the electrode having the first aperture 5 ), respectively . the detected ion intensity under the above conditions was twice as large as the detected ion intensity obtained in a case of setting the voltage on the electrode 9 having the second aperture 8 to zero v . as described above , it was confirmed that the detected ion intensity is increased upon detection of positive ions of the peptides by applying a negative voltage relative to the endcap 12 a on the electrode 9 having the second aperture 8 . while an optimum drift voltage varies depending on device parameters such as vacuum degree in a differential pumping region or the like and the sample , a drift voltage about from 20 v to 30 v is suitable for the case of analyzing gramicidin - s by the device according to this embodiment . however , as can be seen from fig3 the detection ion intensity is lowered , in the prior art method , making it difficult for highly sensitive analysis . while an optimum value for the drift voltage has to be sought in accordance with the sample substance as an object for analysis , since the energy of the ions injected to the mass spectrometer 11 changes in accordance with the drift voltage , the voltage v applied on the electrode 9 having the second aperture 8 has also to be investigated in a case of optimizing the drift voltage . in the constitution of the device used in this embodiment , when the drift voltage is changed by δvd , high detection ion intensity is obtained by changing the voltage v applied on the electrode 9 having the second aperture 8 by about δvd / 2 . for example , when the drift voltage is increased by 10 v , the voltage v applied on the electrode 9 having the second aperture 8 is preferably lowered by about 5 v . in this way , the drift voltage can be optimized more conveniently by a constitution of controlling such that the voltage v applied on the electrode 9 having the second aperture 8 is changed in association with a value of change δvd of the drift voltage multiplied with a predetermined coefficient c ( c =− ½ in this embodiment ). more specifically , in the device constitution used in this embodiment , the voltage applied on the electrode 9 having the second aperture 8 may be controlled so as to be lowered by so much as the increase of the voltage applied on the electrode 4 having the first aperture 5 by using a gang control device 60 . when negative ions are analyzed in the device constitution shown in fig1 it will be apparent that the relation regarding the applied voltage is just opposite to the case of analyzing the positive ions described above with respect to positive and negative polarities . in this case , a voltage ( positive ) higher than that on the endcap 12 a having the ion entrance opening 14 is applied on the electrode 9 having the second aperture 8 . that is , the energy of the ions injected into the mass spectrometer 11 can be lowered to improve the ion confining efficiency by setting the relation as : v & gt ; v ′ between the voltage v applied on the electrode 9 having the second aperture 8 and the voltage v ′ applied on the endcap 12 a having the ion entrance opening 14 . fig4 shows a schematic constitution of an entire device in a case of applying the present invention to a combined device of lc and ms ( hereinafter simply referred to as lc / ms ). an lc section 70 comprises a mobile phase reservoir 71 , a feed pump 72 , a sample injector 73 , a separation column 74 and a pipeline 75 connecting them to each other . the pump 72 delivers a mobile phase solution in the mobile phase reservoir 71 at a constant flow rate into the pipeline 75 . the sample is introduced from the sample injector 73 and sent together with the mobile phase solution into a separation column 74 . a filler is charged in the separation column 74 . the sample is separated in each of components by the interaction with the filler . the separated sample is sent by way of a connector 76 into an ion source 80 , and subjected to electrospray by way of a metal tube 3 applied with a high voltage into an atmospheric pressure to be transferred into gaseous ions . the sample components of gaseous ions thus formed are analyzed in the same method as in the method shown in fig1 . according to this embodiment , higher analysis sensitivity can be attained also in lc / ms analysis for a mixed sample as compared with the prior art . further , the present invention is also effective when applied to a combined device of other separation means such as ce and ms . the present invention is particularly effective when it is applied to an atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometer for forming ions under an atmospheric pressure . accordingly , the present invention is effective when it is applied not only to the mass spectrometer using the electrospray method as described specifically for the previous embodiment but also to all types of ion trap mass spectrometer using atmospheric pressure ionization such as an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization method utilizing chemical reactions in an atmospheric pressure , a sonic spray method using a high velocity gas stream and an atmospheric pressure spray method of heat spraying the solution . as has been described above specifically , according to the present invention , ions can be accumulated efficiently in an ion trap mass spectrometer even when a high drift voltage is used . accordingly , a sufficiently high drift voltage can be used upon analysis of polar compounds and , as a result , analyzing sensitivity for polar compounds such as peptides can be improved .	7
drawing fig1 illustrates a neck collar 10 from an external elevation view . the broken line displays the edges of an internal core comprising a smooth pliable sheet material such as , inter alia , an aluminum foil 12 , while the edging with full stroke line indicated the coating 14 , constructed of an elastic material , such as for example a polyurethane foam , an expanded elastomer , ethylene vinyl acetate foam , ( eva ), or similar foam thermoplastic elastomers capable of functioning as an energy absorbing or padding material . the foil core 12 and the coating 14 are congruent and make a unique single planar piece which constitutes the main body of the neck collar 10 forming a functionally shaped support panel element . the core 12 can have for example a thickness of approx . 0 . 5 mm , ( 0 . 01968 in ), but it can also be realized with thicknesses between 0 . 3 mm and 0 . 8 mm , ( 0 . 01181 in . to 0 . 03149 in . ); lower ranges of thickness fail to provide a requisite collar stiffness , while higher thicknesses increase difficulty in shaping the collar . aluminum behaves elastically under loading conditions with the ability to resume both shape and size , a preferred characteristic when flexible strength is required . the foil thickness is critical to preserve the core &# 39 ; s energy absorption when deformed elastically wherein the cervical collar is conformed around a patient &# 39 ; s neck by a mild hand pressure without the need for special tools or any other intervention , and to return it when unloaded in a resilient recall of the formed shape . resilience is measured by the modulus of resilience , which is the strain energy per unit volume required to stress the material from zero stress to the yield stress . the ability to withstand such stress without fracturing is particularly desirable in medical devices , namely in this case cervical collars . a laminate layer of padding forms a coating 14 , which is essentially co - extensive with the foil core 12 . since thickness of the laminate coating 14 affects bulk of the collar , the coating is generally set so that the collar can have a total thickness included between 4 mm and 8 mm , ( 0 . 1574 in . to 0 . 3149 in . ), for example a thickness of approx . 5 mm , ( 0 . 1968 in .). in any case it is better to establish a noticeable thickness on the edges and on the internal side , so the parts which are directly in contact with the patient are thicker , while the coating thickness on the external surface is reduced . the main body of the neck collar 10 is shaped as a single planar member that is defined to form different functional support parts or plates adapted to patient structures contacted by the collar 10 ; in particular a plate 20 for the support of the chin which is flanked by two plates 30 for supporting the lower jaw , a part or plate 40 for anchoring the collar 10 against the breastbone and a part 50 for backing at the nape . between plates 20 and 40 of the collar 10 there is an opening 60 in order to allow to the ems staff to practice any tracheotomy even when the collar has already been applied to the patient . a second opening 70 is realized in the part 50 of the body of the collar 10 in order to favor the nape &# 39 ; s ventilation . the collar 10 is moreover equipped with a repositionable closing device , such as a device with a system matching opposite bands of loops and hooks of velcro ® or similar devices . the closing device presented here includes in this case a plate 80 equipped with hooks which is fixed , for example by gluing it , to the external side of the body of the collar 10 , to the extremity which is positioned corresponding to one of the parts 30 supporting the lower jaw . at the opposite side there is opposed a band 90 equipped with loops and fixed to the internal side of the body of the collar 10 by means of rivets 91 or similar fixing devices ; the band comes outside the body of the collar 10 through a slot 59 and has a length which is duly chosen to adapt the collar 10 to the several sizes for which it is intended . drawing fig2 illustrates the neck collar 10 of drawing fig1 in an open , planar condition , i . e . the one assumed when it is applied to the patient &# 39 ; s neck . it is notable that the section 20 comprises a chin adapter for supporting the chin and includes several repositioning upright wings or pegs 25 allowing quick and easy adaptation of the collar to the shape of the patient &# 39 ; s jaw and chin . the wings 25 , represented in fig2 with full stroke line in their own original position can be therefore moved forward or back and shaped by a simple bend or folding in order to give them the configuration represented for example with the broken line . a neck collar 10 according to the invention can also be shaped in a suitable condition to be shipped or stored in a small space , for example by shaping the main body of the collar 10 in a roll ( drawing fig3 ) or in a folded and flat condition ( drawing fig3 ). in summary , the particular construction characteristic of a collar 10 according to the invention makes it easy to be folded , rolled up or anyway allows to give it reduced and compact shape and dimensions , adequate for placing it inside a rescue backpack . once applied to the neck of the patient , the collar 10 becomes rigid so that it can immobilize it steadily . a neck collar 10 according to the invention is additionally quite light , around 100 g , ( 3 . 5274 oz . ), and lends itself therefore to be adopted in a transportable ems rescue kit without having any significant impact on their total weight . referring to fig5 , a cross - section view taken on line 101 - 101 of fig1 , there is shown the smooth pliable aluminum foil sheet 12 encased within the energy absorbing padding of a thermoplastic foam material 14 . the core can also be formed of an aluminum alloy having a proof resilience , that is , a range of maximum energy that can be absorbed within the elastic limit , without creating a permanent distortion . the core modulus of resilience is computed by the formula , where u r is the modulus of resilience , σy is the yield strength , and e is young &# 39 ; s modulus . of course , the core disclosed here is preferably constructed of an aluminum alloy which is within the proof resilience range so that the collar is not permanently deformed when manually molded on a patient &# 39 ; s neck . several modifications can be made by an expert in this field without departing from the spirit of the invention . for example , the closing device can also be different from the one which is now represented by loops and hooks . similarly , the device can also include more than one plate of hooks 80 and even more than one strip of loops 90 .	0
the embodiments have as their object to reduce adverse influences by micro - bubbles in an immersion liquid such as an imaging failure when the micro - bubbles shield the optical path , and damage to a photosensitive film by the impact of a pressure acting upon extinction of the bubbles . to solve this problem , the embodiments are characterized by comprising a means for generating an electric field or magnetic field in the path of the immersion liquid , and changing the distribution of bubbles in the immersion liquid . as disclosed in japanese patent laid - open no . 2002 - 143885 , for example , micro - bubbles in a liquid are negatively charged . therefore , the coulomb force ( electrostatic attraction or electrostatic repulsion ) given below acts on each micro - bubble in an electric field : f : the coulomb force [ n ] which acts between the micro - bubble and a portion where the electric field is generated q mb : the charge amount [ c ] of the micro - bubble q t : the charge amount [ c ] of the portion where the electric field is generated ε : the permittivity [ f / m ] of the liquid r : the distance [ m ] between the micro - bubble and the portion where the electric field is generated e : the electric field [ v / m ] also , the lorentz force given below acts on each micro - bubble in a magnetic field : f : the lorentz force [ n ] which acts on the micro - bubble q mb : the charge amount [ c ] of the micro - bubble v : the velocity [ m / s ] of the micro - bubble b : the magnetic flux density [ t ] in this manner , when the coulomb force or lorentz force acts on the micro - bubbles in the liquid , it is possible to change the behaviors of the micro - bubbles . an electric field of 1 mv ( megavolt ) can give a moving velocity of 2 . 51 nm / s to the bubble . a magnetic field of 10 t ( tesla ) can give a moving velocity of 0 . 18 nm / s to the bubble . controlling to prevent the micro - bubbles from entering the exposure optical path in the immersion liquid using a means for controlling the electric field and magnetic field makes it possible to reduce adverse influences by the micro - bubbles such as an imaging failure when the micro - bubbles shield the optical path , and damage to a photosensitive film by the impact of a pressure acting upon extinction of the bubbles . to effectively practice the embodiments , a means for measuring a generated electric field and magnetic field is desirably provided to reflect the measured value in the manipulated variable of the control means . also , to effectively practice the embodiments , for example , a negatively charged member is arranged before a region in which a immersion liquid passes through the exposure optical path . as described above , micro - bubbles are negatively charged . therefore , the micro - bubbles receive the coulomb force which acts to keep them away from the region . in addition , a positively charged member is arranged in a region of the path of the immersion liquid where it is desirable to attract the micro - bubbles . with this arrangement , the micro - bubbles receive the coulomb force which acts to attract them to the region . in this manner , an electric field is desirably generated depending on the region in the path . also , to effectively practice the embodiments , a means for controlling at least one of the path , flow rate , velocity , pressure , and temperature of an immersion liquid is desirably provided . also , to effectively practice the embodiments , an electric shield and magnetic shield are desirably provided to prevent an electric field and magnetic field from influencing portions other than micro - bubbles . also , to effectively practice the embodiments , a switching valve to make a path branch and control the flow rate in each branching path is desirably provided to make an immersion liquid branch into a liquid portion containing micro - bubbles in large quantities and a liquid portion containing micro - bubbles in small quantities , which liquid portions are generated due to action of an electric field or magnetic field . also , to effectively practice the embodiments , the apparatus desirably has a means for applying ultrasound or laser light to bubbles to apply vibration to them so as to extinguish bubbles guided by an electric field or magnetic field or separate bubbles attracted to the wall surface from it . embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings . note that the embodiments to be described hereinafter are examples as practice means of the present invention , and should be appropriately modified or changed in accordance with various conditions and the arrangement of an apparatus to which the present invention is applied . fig1 is a view showing the schematic arrangement including the main part of a liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig1 , a pattern drawn on an original plate 1 is imaged and transferred onto a substrate 4 through a projection optical system 3 with exposure light emitted from an illumination optical system 2 . a region which can be exposed at once has an area smaller than that of the substrate . for this reason , to expose the entire substrate , the substrate 4 is placed on a stage 5 which can be driven by a linear motor . a liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to this embodiment fills the region between the exit surface of the projection optical system 3 and the exposure target surface of the substrate 4 with an immersion liquid 6 . the immersion liquid 6 is deaerated by a degasser 7 , supplied between the substrate 4 and the exit surface of the projection optical system 3 through a liquid supply pipe 8 and liquid supply nozzle 9 , and recovered into a liquid recovery pipe 11 through a liquid recovery nozzle 10 . the components 7 to 11 form a liquid immersion system . an electric field generator 12 which generates an electric field is arranged at the peripheral portion of the exit surface of the projection optical system 3 . the electric field generator 12 functions to reduce an imaging failure and damage to a photosensitive film . the imaging failure occurs when micro - bubbles suspended in the immersion liquid 6 in the region between the substrate 4 and the exit surface of the projection optical system 3 shield the exposure optical path . the photosensitive film is damaged by the impact of a pressure acting upon extinction of the bubbles . fig2 is a view when the region between the exit surface of the projection optical system 3 and the exposure target surface of a substrate 4 in fig1 is viewed from above . the electric field generator 12 consists of three conductive plate members ( electrodes ) arranged in an arc around the exit surface of the projection optical system 3 . the electric field generator 12 can control to positively or negatively charge each conductive plate member . the immersion liquid 6 is supplied from the liquid supply nozzle 9 , passes through a region below the electric field generator 12 and a region ( including a region 14 including the exposure region ) below the exit surface of the projection optical system 3 , and is recovered from the liquid recovery nozzle 10 opposing the liquid supply nozzle 9 . at this time , the electric field generator 12 negatively charges a part 12 a with which the immersion liquid 6 which is to flow through the region 14 ( the region including the optical axis of the projection optical system ) including the exposure region comes into contact before it passes through the region 14 . then , since the micro - bubbles in the immersion liquid 6 are negatively charged , they receive repulsion which acts to keep them away from the plate member 12 a . this makes the micro - bubbles difficult to pass near the center of the region 14 . moreover , the electric field generator 12 positively charges a part 12 b which comes into contact with the immersion liquid 6 which is to flow outside the region 14 ( by bypassing the projection optical system ). then , the micro - bubbles in the immersion liquid 6 receive attraction which acts to attract them closer to the plate member 12 b . this makes the micro - bubbles easy to pass outside the region 14 . as a result , the micro - bubbles in the immersion liquid 6 can hardly enter the region 14 . hence , an imaging failure that occurs when the micro - bubbles shield the optical path , and damage to a photosensitive film by the impact of a pressure acting upon extinction of the bubbles can be reduced . a measurement means 21 consisting of sensors to measure at least one of the electric field strength and the amount of bubbles in the immersion liquid , and a control means 20 for forming the electric field on the basis of the measurement result to change the behaviors or distribution of bubbles in the immersion liquid are arranged near the electric field generator 12 . with this arrangement , the state of the micro - bubbles can be evaluated on the basis of the electric field strength and the bubble amount . simultaneously , at least one of the path , flow rate , velocity , pressure , and temperature is controlled , thus realizing micro - bubble control with a higher accuracy . an electric shield 13 made of a material such as copper or silver that is excellent in conductivity surrounds regions ( regions above and below the immersion liquid ( e . g ., partial regions of the projection optical system 3 and the linear motor of the stage 5 ) which should not be influenced by the electric field . this makes it possible to shield the electric field generated by the electric field generator 12 . furthermore , when a control means including a switching valve which makes the path branch and controls the flow rate of each branching path is provided , it is possible to make the immersion liquid branch into a liquid portion containing micro - bubbles in large quantities due to action of the electric field and a liquid portion containing micro - bubbles in small quantities due to action of the electric field . a mechanism which applies ultrasound or laser light to micro - bubbles guided by the electric field to extinguish them or applies vibration to bubbles attracted to the wall surface of the path to separate them from it can also be adopted . fig3 is a view showing the schematic arrangement including the main part of a liquid immersion exposure apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . the same reference numerals ( 1 to 11 ) as in fig1 denote the same constituent elements . in this embodiment , a magnetic field generator 15 is provided in place of the electric field generator 12 in fig1 . fig4 is a view when the region between the exit surface of a projection optical system 3 and the exposure surface of a substrate 4 in fig3 is viewed from above . on both sides of a liquid supply nozzle 9 and liquid recovery nozzle 10 , the magnetic field generator 15 includes a pair of parallel conductive rod - like members 15 a and 15 b arranged along a direction in which an immersion liquid 6 flows . electricity can be supplied to the rod - like members 15 a and 15 b . the immersion liquid 6 is supplied from the liquid supply nozzle 9 , passes through a region below the magnetic field generator 15 and a region ( including a region 14 including the exposure region ) below the exit surface of the projection optical system 3 , and is recovered from the liquid recovery nozzle 10 opposing the liquid supply nozzle 9 . an exciting current is then supplied in a direction , as indicated by an arrow , opposite to the direction in which the immersion liquid 6 flows . at this time , a magnetic field is generated around each of the rod - like members 15 a and 15 b in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the immersion liquid 6 flows . the magnetic field is right - handed with respect to the exciting current . hence , in a region 15 c around one rod - like member 15 a , the magnetic field generates downward to the sheet surface . in a region 15 d around the other rod - like member 15 b , the magnetic field generates upward to the sheet surface . since micro - bubbles in the immersion liquid 6 flow upon carrying negative charges , the lorentz force acts on them . on the basis of the relationship between the signs of the charge and magnetic field , the micro - bubbles in the immersion liquid 6 receive the lorentz force which acts in a direction to keep them away from the center of the region 14 . as a result , the micro - bubbles in the immersion liquid 6 can hardly enter the exposure region . hence , an imaging failure that occurs when the micro - bubbles shield the optical path , and damage to a photosensitive film by the impact of a pressure acting upon extinction of the bubbles can be reduced . a measurement means 21 consisting of sensors to measure the amount of bubbles in the immersion liquid , the charge , or the magnetic field , and a control means 20 for generating the magnetic field on the basis of the measurement result to change the behaviors or distribution of bubbles in the immersion liquid are arranged near the magnetic field generator 15 . with this arrangement , the state of the micro - bubbles can be evaluated on the basis of the magnetic field strength and the amount of charge generated . simultaneously , at least one of the path , flow rate , velocity , pressure , and temperature is controlled , thus realizing micro - bubble control with a higher accuracy . a magnetic shield 16 made of a material such as permalloy having a high permittivity surrounds regions ( regions above and below the immersion liquid ( e . g ., partial regions of the projection optical system 3 and the linear motor of the stage 5 )) which should not be influenced by the magnetic field . this makes it possible to shield the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generator 15 . as another embodiment , the electric field generator 12 of the first embodiment may be appropriately combined with the magnetic field generator 15 of the second embodiment . furthermore , when a control means including a switching valve which makes the path branch and controls the flow rate of each branching path is provided , it is possible to make the immersion liquid branch into a liquid portion containing micro - bubbles in large quantities due to action of the magnetic field and a liquid portion containing micro - bubbles in small quantities due to action of the magnetic field . a mechanism which applies ultrasound or laser light to micro - bubbles guided by the magnetic field to extinguish them or applies vibration to bubbles attracted to the wall surface of the path to separate them from it can also be adopted . a semiconductor device manufacturing process using the above exposure apparatus will be described next . fig5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the overall semiconductor device manufacturing process . in step s 1 ( circuit design ), a semiconductor device circuit is designed . in step s 2 ( mask fabrication ), a mask ( also called a reticle ) is fabricated on the basis of the designed circuit pattern . in step s 3 ( wafer manufacture ), a wafer is manufactured using a material such as silicon . in step s 4 ( wafer process ) called a pre - process , the above - described exposure apparatus forms an actual circuit on the wafer by lithography using the mask and wafer . in step s 5 ( assembly ) called a post - process , a semiconductor chip is formed by using the wafer manufactured in step s 4 . this step includes an assembly step ( dicing and bonding ) and packaging step ( chip encapsulation ). in step s 6 ( inspection ), the semiconductor device manufactured in step s 5 undergoes inspections such as an operation confirmation test and durability test . after these steps , the semiconductor device is completed and shipped in step s 7 . the semiconductor device process in step s 4 includes the following steps ( fig6 ): an oxidation step of oxidizing the wafer surface ; a cvd step of forming an insulating film on the wafer surface ; an electrode formation step of forming an electrode on the wafer by vapor deposition ; an ion implantation step of implanting ions in the wafer ; a resist processing step of applying a photosensitive agent to the wafer ; an exposure step of causing the above - described exposure apparatus to expose the wafer having undergone the resist processing step through the mask on which the circuit pattern is formed ; a development step of developing the wafer exposed in the exposure step ; an etching step of etching portions other than the resist image developed in the development step ; and a resist removal step of removing any unnecessary resist remaining after etching . by repeating these steps , a multilayered structure of circuit patterns is formed on the wafer . the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment , and various changes and modifications can be made thereto within the spirit and scope of the present invention . therefore , to apprise the public of the scope of the present invention , the following claims are made . this application claims the benefit of japanese patent application no . 2005 - 088931 , filed mar . 25 , 2005 , which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety .	6
embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for cooling the environment around a user by misting . misting systems are gaining popularity as alternatives to cooling systems such as fans and air conditioners . this is in part because misters are more effective at cooling the environment than fans , and because misters are generally cheaper and environmentally friendlier as compared to air conditioners . portability of misting systems , however , is a problem . specifically , to operate , misting systems require as inputs both a source of water and electrical power . and , at outdoor events or gatherings ( e . g ., picnics , tail gaiting events , camping , et cetera ), one or both of these inputs may not be easily available . portable coolers for keeping food and beverages at desirably low temperatures , on the other hand , are a common sight at outdoor gatherings . portable coolers include insulated chambers for housing food and beverages along with ice . the insulated chambers prevent the ice from melting quickly , and the ice may keep the contents of the coolers at low temperatures . over time , however , the ice in the coolers melts and turns to water . this water is normally emptied out from the coolers ( e . g ., by drains or by turning the coolers sideways or upside down ) to reduce the weight of the coolers for transporting . embodiments of the present invention utilize water from coolers ( i . e ., melted ice ), which is generally discarded in a manner that provides little or no benefit , for cooling the environment around a user by misting . attention is now directed to fig1 , which shows one embodiment 100 of a misting beverage system . the misting beverage system 100 comprises an outer shell or housing 102 in which a beverage cooler ( or “ inner liner ”) 200 ( fig4 ) and a misting system 300 ( fig3 ) may reside . fig2 shows the housing 102 without the inner liner 200 . as can be seen , the housing 102 has a front wall 106 , a back wall 108 , a bottom wall 109 , and first and second side walls 110 , 112 , respectively . the front wall 106 may have an exterior surface 106 e and an interior surface 106 i ; the back wall 108 , the bottom wall 109 , the first sidewall 110 , and the second sidewall 112 may also each have an interior surface 108 i , 109 i , 110 i , 112 i and an exterior surface 108 e , 109 e , 110 e , and 112 e , respectively . these interior surfaces 106 i , 108 i , 109 i , 110 i , 112 i of the front wall 106 , back wall 108 , bottom wall 109 , first sidewall 110 , and second sidewall 112 collectively define a cavity or chamber 116 . the inner liner 200 and the misting system 300 are housed within the chamber 116 . the housing 102 may be made of any durable material ( s ) and blends , such as polyethylene , polypropylene , nylon , thermoplastic olefin , polyvinyl chloride , or other plastics and / or metals . three recessed openings 120 may extend from the exterior surface 106 e of the front wall 106 of the housing 102 to its interior surface 106 i ; three recessed openings 120 may also extend from the exterior surface 108 e of the back wall 108 to its interior surface 108 e . the recessed openings 120 may allow the chamber 116 to be accessed from the exterior surfaces 106 e , 108 e of the front and back walls 106 , 108 , respectively . while the front and back walls 106 , 108 have been shown in the figures as having three recessed openings 120 each , people of skill in the art will appreciate that a different number of recessed openings 120 may be provided , and that the number of recessed openings 120 in the front wall 106 need not equal the number of recessed openings in the back wall 108 . each recessed opening 120 may have a corresponding nut 122 permanently secured to the interior surfaces 106 i , 108 i of the front and back walls 106 , 108 , respectively . the nuts 122 may be internally threaded , or may be otherwise configured to secure stops ( e . g ., fasteners or snap rivets ) that are inserted into the openings 120 from the exterior surfaces 106 e , 108 e of the front and back walls 106 , 108 , respectively . the exterior surface 106 e of the front wall 106 may have a first logo placement portion 124 a . the first logo placement portion 124 a is shown in the figures as being generally rectangular ; however , people of skill in the art will appreciate that the first logo placement portion 124 a may be of other shapes , and that the exterior surface 108 e of the back wall 108 may also ( or alternatively ) include the first logo placement portion 124 a . the first logo placement portion 124 a may provide a convenient space for advertising or other indicia . in some embodiments , the first logo placement portion 124 a is transparent and may allow users to view the misting system 300 from the outside . embodiments where the first logo placement portion 124 a is absent are also contemplated . the exterior surfaces of the sidewalls 110 , 112 may also include strips 128 on which logos ( or other indicia ) may be placed . one handle 126 may be secured to each of the exterior surfaces 110 e , 112 e of the first and second sidewalls 110 , 112 , respectively ( e . g ., by being coupled to the sidewalls 110 , 112 by appropriate fasteners or by being molded with the sidewalls 110 , 112 ). the handles 126 may be sturdy and ergonomic , and may allow a user to conveniently lift and transport the housing 102 . attention is now directed to fig4 and 5 , which show the inner liner 200 . in some embodiments , the inner liner 200 is made of the same materials as the housing 102 . the inner liner 200 may have a front wall 202 , a back wall 204 , a bottom wall 206 , a first sidewall 208 , and a second sidewall 210 , with each having exterior surfaces 202 e , 204 e , 206 e , 208 e , 210 e ( see fig7 ) and interior surfaces 202 i , 204 i , 206 i ( not specifically shown ), 208 i , and 210 i , respectively . a recessed portion 211 ( see fig7 ) having an exterior surface 211 e and an interior surface 211 i ( see fig4 ) may extend between the front wall 202 and the second sidewall 210 of the inner liner 200 . the interior surfaces 202 i , 204 i , 206 i , 208 i , 210 i , and 211 i of the front wall 202 , back wall 204 , bottom wall 206 , first sidewall 208 , second sidewall 210 , and recessed portion 211 may collectively define a beverage retaining cavity 212 within the inner liner 200 . the beverage retaining cavity 212 may be substantially insulated ( e . g ., by placing a hard foam between the exterior and interior surfaces of some or all the walls of the inner liner 200 ). a user may fill the beverage retaining cavity 212 with ice , beverages ( e . g ., soda cans , beer bottles , juice boxes , et cetera ), food ( e . g ., ice cream , fruit , et cetera ), and / or other items that the user desires to store at a low temperature . a protective cover or lid 218 ( see fig6 ) may be provided to substantially close the beverage retaining cavity 212 . the inner liner 200 may include two opposing lid swivel receptacles 217 a , 217 b ( fig4 ) to which the lid 218 may be secured , and which may allow the lid 218 to be swiveled open . in other embodiments , the lid 218 may be removable . a first handle or gripping portion 216 a may extend outward from the exterior surface 208 e of the first sidewall 208 , and a second handle or gripping portion 216 b may extend outward from the exterior surface 210 e of the second sidewall 210 . the inner liner 200 may be conveniently handled and transported by using the first and second handles 216 a , 216 b , respectively . as can be seen in fig5 , the exterior surface 206 e of the bottom wall 206 of the inner liner 200 may include a drain 220 . the drain 220 may allow liquids in the beverage retaining cavity 212 to be drained out from the cavity 212 . the drain 220 may be adjustable ( i . e ., it may be closed , opened , slightly opened , et cetera ) so as to allow the liquids in the beverage retaining cavity 212 to be drained out at varying rates . the exterior surface 206 e of the bottom wall 206 may include anchors 222 ( e . g ., dowels ), which , along with the recessed openings 120 as discussed below , allow the inner liner 200 to be anchored within the housing 102 . the exterior surface 206 e of the bottom wall 206 may also include tabs 223 which allow for securement of a filter to the exterior surface 206 e of the bottom wall 206 . recessed openings 214 may extend from the exterior surface 202 e of the front wall 202 of the inner liner 200 to its interior surface 202 i ; these openings 214 correspond to the openings 120 in the front wall 106 of the housing 102 . the openings 214 , which may correspond to the openings 120 in the back wall 108 of the housing 102 , may similarly extend from the exterior surface 204 e of the back wall 204 to its interior surface 204 i . a connecting portion 224 may extend generally horizontally from the top of the recessed portion 211 to the inside of the second handle 216 b , and the connecting portion 224 may include a first aperture 226 and a second aperture 228 . an electrical controller ( or electrical switch or connector ) 230 ( see fig1 ) may be housed within the first aperture 226 , and a quick connect misting attachment port 232 may be housed within the second opening 228 . attention is now directed to fig3 , which shows the housing 102 with its back wall 108 removed . as can be seen , a first supporting member 230 a may be placed on the interior surface 109 i of the bottom wall 109 of the housing 102 adjacent the interior surface 110 i of the first sidewall 110 . the supporting member 230 a may span the length of the interior surface 110 i of the first sidewall 110 . a second supporting member 230 b may similarly be placed on the interior surface 109 i of the bottom wall 109 of the housing 102 adjacent the interior surface 112 e of the second sidewall 112 . the second supporting member 230 b may span the length of the interior surface 112 i of the second sidewall 112 . as can be seen , the inner liner 200 may be placed within the chamber 116 of the housing 102 such that the legs 222 of the inner liner 200 are anchored ( e . g ., doweled ) to the support members 230 a , 230 b , and the exterior surface 204 e of the back wall 204 of the inner liner 200 is adjacent the interior surface 108 i of the back wall 108 of the housing 102 . other embodiments may use four support members ( i . e ., one for doweling each leg 222 of the inner liner 200 ) instead of the two support members 230 a , 230 b . once the inner liner 200 is placed within the chamber 116 in this fashion , each of the three recessed openings 120 in the front wall 106 of the housing 102 correspond to and become adjacent one of the three openings 214 in the front wall 202 of the inner liner 200 , and each of the three recessed openings 120 in the back wall 108 of the housing 102 correspond to and become adjacent one of the three recessed openings 214 in the back wall 204 of the inner liner 200 . stops 120 s ( see fig1 ), such as fasteners or rivets , may then be inserted into the recessed openings 120 from the exterior surface 106 e of the front wall 106 of the housing 102 such that the stops 120 s penetrate the openings 214 in the front wall 202 of the inner liner 200 . similarly , stops 120 s may be inserted into the recessed openings 120 from the exterior surface 108 e of the back wall 108 of the housing 102 such that the stops penetrate the openings 214 in the back wall 204 of the inner liner 200 . the stops 120 s help ensure secure retention of the inner liner 200 within the housing 102 . in one embodiment , the stops 120 s permanently secure the inner liner 200 within the housing 102 . where such permanent securement is desired , a cover or logo may be adhered to one ( or both ) of the exterior surfaces 106 e , 108 e of the front and back walls 106 , 108 respectively of the housing 102 to cover the stops 120 s ( e . g ., over a second logo placement portion 124 b ); tampering of the cover or logo on the second logo placement portion 124 b may then indicate that a user has attempted to remove the inner liner 200 from the housing 102 by manipulating the stops 120 s . underneath the inner liner 200 , and between the supporting members 230 a , 230 b in the housing 102 , rests the misting system 300 ( fig3 ). the misting system 300 may include a filter 302 , a pump 304 , and a battery 306 . the filter 302 may be secured by the tabs 223 to the exterior surface 206 e of the bottom wall 206 of the inner liner 200 . the filter 302 may have an input port 302 i and an output port 302 o . the input port 302 i of the filter 302 may be connected via tubing 303 ( see fig3 ), part of which is not shown in the figures for clarity , to the drain 220 of the inner liner 200 . the output port 302 o of the filter 302 may be connected via the tubing 303 to an input port 304 i of the pump 304 ( see fig8 ). the filter 302 may prevent sediments , food particles , hard water , and other undesirable materials from being fed to the pump 304 . a user of the misting beverage system 100 may place food and beverages that he desires to keep at lower temperatures in the beverage retaining cavity 212 of the inner liner 200 , along with ice . eventually , as the ice melts , the spent water may drain out of the drain 220 in the bottom wall 206 of the inner liner 200 into the input port 302 i of the filter 302 . the filtered water may then be fed from the output port 302 o of the filter 302 to the input port 304 i of the pump 304 . the pump 304 may have an output port 304 o ( fig3 ), and the pump 304 may be configured to force water that is inputted at its input port 304 i out the output port 304 o at high pressure . specifically , tubing 303 may be connected to the output port 304 o of the pump 304 , and the tubing 303 may be routed adjacent the exterior surface 211 e of the recessed portion 211 ( see fig7 ) to the quick connect misting attachment port 232 in the inner liner 200 . in this way , the pump 304 may direct the water ( i . e ., spent ice ) of the inner liner 200 to the misting attachment port 232 at a high pressure . power to operate the pump 304 may be provided by the battery 306 that is electrically coupled to the pump 304 . the battery 306 may be rechargeable , and an electrical cable may be routed from the battery ( e . g ., adjacent the exterior surface 211 e of the recessed portion 211 ) to the electrical controller or switch 230 . the switch 230 may allow the pump 304 to be turned on and off for providing misting on demand . the switch 230 may also allow the pump 304 to pump the water up to the quick connect misting attachment port 232 at varying rates . the switch 230 ( or a separate attachment thereto ) may also include an electrical connector ( not specifically shown ) into which a charging cable can be inserted to recharge the battery 306 with standard electrical power ( e . g ., at one hundred and ten or two hundred and twenty volts ). the quick connect misting attachment port 232 may be configured for the quick attachment of a misting member that may spray the water ( i . e ., the spent ice ) that is fed to the misting attachment port 232 by the pump 304 into its surroundings . the fine droplets of water sprayed out the misting member may evaporate before they reach the ground , and in so doing , may cool the surroundings of the misting beverage system 100 by evaporative cooling . the misting member may also be used to create a make - shift fountain for kids to play in , particularly in more humid climates where the air is less conducive to evaporative cooling . the inner liner 200 of the misting beverage system 100 may also include a telescoping misting mast receiver 233 . the second sidewall 112 of the housing 102 may have an opening 117 ( fig2 ) which allows the telescoping misting mast receiver 233 to be accessed from outside the housing 102 while the beverage retaining chamber 212 is closed by the lid 218 . the misting mast receiver 233 may allow for a misting mast ( not shown in the figures ) to be removably coupled to the housing 102 . the misting mast may output mist from water ( i . e ., the spent ice ) originating in the inner liner 200 ( e . g ., via the quick connect misting attachment port 232 ). the misting mast may have multiple misting nozzles and / or an adjustable height or direction , and provide the misting beverage system 100 with increased versatility . thus , as has been described , the highly advantageous misting beverage system 100 allows users to cool their surroundings by evaporative cooling and concurrently keep their food and beverages at lower temperatures . it will be appreciated , however , that the beverage retaining chamber 212 need only be filled with water to effectuate misting . attention is now directed to fig9 through 12 , which depict a stand - alone mister 400 according to another embodiment of the current invention . a key difference between the stand - alone mister 400 and the misting beverage system 100 is that the stand - alone mister 400 does not include its own beverage cooler / inner liner ; rather , the stand - alone mister 400 is configured to interact with commonly available stand - alone beverage coolers . the mister 400 includes an outer shell or housing 402 having a front wall 404 , a back wall 406 , a top wall 408 , a bottom wall 409 , and two sidewalls 410 , 412 , respectively . fig1 shows the housing 402 with its front wall 404 removed , exposing a misting system compartment 414 . a misting system 416 that may be generally the same as the misting system 300 ( e . g ., the misting system 400 may also include filter , a pump , and a rechargeable battery ) resides in the misting system compartment 414 . the bottom wall 409 of the housing 404 may include an inlet or connector 418 ( see fig1 ), and water from coolers ( i . e ., spent ice ) or from other sources ( e . g ., taps , water bodies , et cetera ) may be routed into the inlet 418 by tubing . from there , the water may be filtered and pushed out by the pump towards a misting attachment port 420 ( see fig9 ). the misting attachment port 420 , as with port 232 in embodiment 100 , may be configured for the attachment of a misting member . an electrical connector or switch 422 may also be provided adjacent the front wall 404 to recharge the battery and to control the misting operations . and similar to embodiment 100 , the top wall 408 of the housing 402 may include a gripping portion 424 that is sturdy and ergonomic to allow the mister 400 to be conveniently handled . as shown in fig1 , the mister 400 may have a top rotatable support 426 . the top rotatable support 426 may include a first v - shaped portion 428 and a second v - shaped portion 430 . the first v - shaped portion 428 may comprise a first leg 432 having ends 432 a , 432 b , and a second leg 434 having ends 434 a , 434 b . the ends 432 b , 434 b of legs 432 , 434 , respectively , may intersect to form the v - shape . the second v - shaped portion 430 may similarly comprise a first leg 436 having ends 436 a , 436 b , and a second leg 438 having ends 438 a , 438 b . the ends 436 b , 438 b of the legs 436 , 438 may intersect to form the v - shape . a connecting portion 440 may extend between the end 434 a of the second leg 434 of the first v - shaped portion 428 and the end 438 a of the second leg 438 of the second v - shaped portion 430 . an insertion member 442 may extend from the end 432 a of the first leg 432 of the first v - shaped portion 428 ; an insertion member 444 may similarly extend from the end 436 a of the first leg 436 of the second v - shaped portion 430 . the top rotatable support 426 may be configured such that in its initial position , the first v - shaped portion 428 is adjacent the first sidewall 410 of the housing 402 , the second v - shaped portion 430 is adjacent the second sidewall 412 of the housing 402 , and the connecting portion 440 is adjacent the top wall 408 of the housing 402 . the first and second sidewalls 410 , 412 may each include openings into which the insertion members 442 , 444 may be respectively inserted to secure the top rotatable support 426 to the housing 402 . as the inlet 418 of the housing 402 may be located at its bottom wall 409 , it may be desirable to rest the housing 402 on its back wall 406 so that the inlet is easily accessible . however , resting the housing 402 on its back wall 406 may cause the housing 402 to get dirty . to avoid this problem , the top rotatable support 426 may be rotated along direction d ( see fig9 ) such that the connecting member 440 becomes adjacent the back wall 406 . the housing 402 may also have a bottom rotatable support 446 that is generally similar to the top rotatable support 428 and which has a connecting member 448 adjacent the bottom wall 409 of the housing 409 in its initial position ; the bottom rotatable support 446 may be rotated along direction d ′ to cause the connecting member 448 to also become adjacent the back wall 406 of the housing 402 . the housing 402 may then be rested such that its back wall 406 is adjacent but spaced apart from the ground . as will be appreciated , when not in use , the rotatable supports 428 , 446 may be rotated back to their original positions . the front wall 404 of the housing 402 may also include a telescoping misting mast receiver 421 . as with the embodiment 100 , the misting mast receiver 421 may allow an adjustable misting mast ( not shown ) to be secured to the housing 402 . the rotatable supports 428 , 446 may allow the back wall 406 to be adjacent ( and spaced from ) from the ground to enable the misting mast to extend vertically upwards from the front wall 404 . many different arrangements of the various components depicted , as well as components not shown , are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . embodiments of the present invention have been described with the intent to be illustrative rather than restrictive . alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not depart from its scope . a skilled artisan may develop alternative means of implementing the aforementioned improvements without departing from the scope of the present invention . it will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations and are contemplated within the scope of the claims . not all steps listed in the various figures need be carried out in the specific order described .	8
fig1 shows an ion beam - generating system . as shown in this example , it is adapted to produce an ion beam for transport to an ion implantation chamber for implant into semiconductor wafers or flat - panel displays . shown are ion source 400 , extraction electrode 405 , vacuum housing 410 , voltage isolation bushing 415 of electrically insulative material , vacuum pumping system 420 , vacuum housing isolation valve 425 , reactive gas inlet 430 , feed gas and vapor inlet 441 , vapor source 445 , feed gas source 450 , reactive gas source 455 , ion source high voltage power supply 460 , and resultant ion beam 475 . an ion beam transport housing is indicated at 411 . the ion source 400 is constructed to provide cluster ions and molecular ions , for example the borohydride ions b 10 h x + , b 10 h x − , b 18 h x + , and b 18 h x − or , or in addition , more conventional ion beams such as p + , as + , b + , in + , sb + , si + , and ge + . ion source 400 may be a bernas - style arc - discharge ion source , which is most commonly used for ion implantation , or a “ bucket ”- type water - cooled ion source which uses an immersed rf ( radio frequency ) antenna forming an rf field to create ions , a microwave ion source , or an electron - impact ionization source , for example . the gas and vapor inlet 441 for gaseous state feed material to be ionized is connected to a suitable vapor source 445 , which may be in close proximity to gas and vapor inlet 441 or may be located in a more remote location , such as in a gas distribution box located elsewhere within a terminal enclosure . a terminal enclosure is a metal box , not shown , which encloses the ion beam generating system . it contains required facilities for the ion source such as pumping systems , power distribution , gas distribution , and controls . when mass analysis is employed for selection of an ion species in the beam , the mass analyzing system may also be located in the terminal enclosure . in order to extract ions of a well - defined energy , the ion source 400 is held at a high positive voltage ( in the more common case where a positively - charged ion beam is generated ), with respect to the extraction electrode 405 and vacuum housing 410 , by high voltage power supply 460 . the extraction electrode 405 is disposed close to and aligned with the extraction aperture 504 of the ionization chamber . it consists of at least two aperture - containing electrode plates , a so - called suppression electrode 406 closest to ionization chamber 500 , and a “ ground ” electrode 407 . the suppression electrode 406 is biased negative with respect to ground electrode 407 to reject or suppress unwanted electrons which are attracted to the positively - biased ion source 400 when generating positively - charged ion beams . the ground electrode 407 , vacuum housing 410 , and terminal enclosure ( not shown ) are all at the so - called terminal potential , which is at earth ground unless it is desirable to float the entire terminal above ground , as is the case for certain implantation systems , for example for medium - current ion implanters . the extraction electrode 405 may be of the novel temperature - controlled metallic design , described below . ( if a negatively charged ion beam is generated the ion source is held at an elevated negative voltage with other suitable changes , the terminal enclosure typically remaining at ground .) fig1 shows the reactive gas source 455 at terminal potential , with reactive gas inlet 430 incorporating a high voltage break 431 , which can be fabricated of an insulating ceramic such as al 2 o 3 , for example . since ion sources for ion implantation can in general be biased up to a maximum voltage of about 90 kv , this high voltage break 431 must stand off 90 kv for that application . as will be described below , the cleaning system is used only with the ionizing source and high voltages off ( de - energized ), so that there is only high voltage across break 431 when the vacuum housing 410 is under high vacuum , which makes high voltage standoff clearance requirements easier to meet . a dedicated endpoint detector 470 , in communication with the vacuum housing 410 , is used to monitor the reactive gas products during chemical cleaning . for ion sources suitable for use with ion implantation systems , e . g . for doping semiconductor wafers , the ionization chamber is small , having a volume less than about 100 ml , has an internal surface area of less than about 200 cm 2 , and is constructed to receive a flow of the reactive gas , e . g . atomic fluorine or a reactive fluorine - containing compound at a flow rate of less than about 200 standard liters per minute . it is seen that the system of fig1 enables in situ cleaning , i . e . without the ion source being removed from its operating position in . the vacuum housing , and with little interruption of service . fig2 illustrates another embodiment the principal difference in fig2 over fig1 is that the reactive gas source 455 and reactive gas inlet 430 are at ion source potential . the benefits of this approach are twofold : it is a more compact arrangement , and it allows the reactive gas source 455 and its associated gas supplies to be contained in the gas box which , at ion source potential supplies gas and power to the ion source 400 , as is typical in commercial ion implantation systems . the embodiment of fig3 , having many features similar to fig1 , is constructed to generate , selectively , both cluster ions and monomer ions . it has a dedicated gas inlet 435 for feed material in normally gaseous state and is in communication , through valve 443 , with a vapor source 445 for producing borohydride and other vaporized feed materials . for conducting in - situ chemical cleaning of the ion source and electrode , a remote plasma source 455 disassociates gas supplied by a cleaning gas supply 465 , for example nf 3 , into decomposition products such as f , f 2 , and n - containing compounds . when cleaning is desired , after de - energizing the ion source , the decomposition products are fed into the ionization chamber from the outlet 456 of the remote plasma source 455 by dedicated reactive gas inlet 430 . the remote plasma source 455 is mounted on the terminal potential side of voltage isolation bushing 415 . since the ion source 400 runs at high voltage , a high voltage break 431 in vacuum provides voltage isolation . to initiate a cleaning cycle , the ion source is shut down and vacuum housing isolation valve 425 is closed ; the high vacuum pump 421 of the vacuum pumping system 420 is isolated and the vacuum housing 410 is put into a rough vacuum state of & lt ; 1 torr by the introduction of dry n 2 gas while the housing is actively pumped by backing pump 422 . once under rough vacuum , argon gas ( from ar gas source 466 ) is introduced into the plasma source 455 and the plasma source is energized by on - board circuitry which couples radio - frequency ( rf ) power into the plasma source 455 . once a plasma discharge is initiated , ar flow is reduced and the f - containing cleaning gas feed 465 , e . g . nf 3 , is introduced into plasma source 455 . reactive f gas , in neutral form , and other by - products of disassociated cleaning gas feed 465 , are introduced through reactive gas inlet 430 into the de - energized ionization chamber 500 of ion source 400 . the flow rates of ar and nf 3 ( for example ) are high , between 0 . 1 slm ( standard liters per minute ) and a few slm . thus , up to about 1 slm of reactive f as a dissociation product can be introduced into the ion source 400 in this way . because of the small volume and surface area of ionization chamber 500 , this results in very high etch rates for deposited materials . the ionization chamber 500 has a front plate facing the extraction electrode , containing the extraction aperture 504 of cross sectional area between about 0 . 2 cm 2 and 2 cm 2 , through which , during energized operation , ions are extracted by extraction electrode 405 . during cleaning , the reactive gas load is drawn from ionization chamber 500 through the aperture 504 by vacuum of housing 410 ; from housing 410 the gas load is pumped by roughing pump 422 . since the extraction electrode 405 is near and faces aperture 504 of ionization chamber 500 , the electrode surfaces intercept a considerable volume of the reactive gas flow . this results in an electrode cleaning action , removing deposits from the electrode surfaces , especially from the front surface of suppression electrode 406 , which is in position to have received the largest deposits . thus , it is beneficial to fabricate extraction electrode and its mounting of f - resistant materials , such as al and al 2 o 3 . the embodiment of fig3 also has an endpoint detector consisting of a differentially - pumped , residual gas analyzer ( rga ), constructed for corrosive service . analyzer rga is in communication with vacuum housing 410 . it is to be used as a detector for the end point of the cleaning action by monitoring partial pressures of f - containing reaction products ( for example , bf 3 gas resulting from b combining with f ). other types of endpoint detectors can be used , the rga being shown to illustrate one particular embodiment . when the boron - containing partial pressures decline at rga , the cleaning process is largely completed . once the cleaning process is ended , the plasma source 455 is turned off and is briefly purged with ar gas ( which also purges the ionization chamber 500 , the housing 410 and elements contained therein ). the roughing pump 422 is then isolated from direct communication with vacuum housing 410 , the high vacuum pump 421 isolation valve is opened , and vacuum housing 410 is restored to high vacuum ( about 1 × 10 − 5 torr or below ). then , vacuum housing isolation valve 425 is opened . the system is now ready to resume ion beam generation . the ion source voltage supply 460 can be energized and ion source 400 operated normally . an advantage of the embodiment of fig3 is that the service facilities needed to support the remote plasma source 455 , such as cooling water circulation and electrical power , can be at the terminal potential of an ion implanter ( see 208 in fig1 ). this enables sharing facilities denoted at s such as cooling water and electrical power , with the mass - analyzer magnet 230 of the implanter . during cleaning mode , when plasma source 455 is energized , the analyzer 230 is de - energized and therefore does not need water or power , and vise versa , during ion beam production mode . this “ sharing ” can be accomplished by suitable control arrangements represented diagrammatically at s ′, which direct service facilities such as cooling water circulation and power supply connection alternatively to the analyzer magnet 230 , dashed arrow s , or to the remote plasma source 455 , solid arrow s , depending upon the mode of operation being employed . fig4 shows an implementation similar to fig2 for conducting in - situ chemical cleaning of an source 400 and extraction electrode 405 . three inlet passages are integrated into ion source 400 , respectively for reactive gas 430 from plasma source 455 , feed gas 435 from one of a number of storage volumes 450 selected , and feed vapor 440 from vaporizer 445 . unlike fig3 , the embodiment of fig4 has the plasma - based reactive gas source 455 at the high voltage of ion source 400 . this enables the remote plasma source 455 to share control points of the ion source 400 , and also enables the cleaning feed gas 465 and argon purge gas from storage 466 to be supplied from the ion source gas distribution box , which is at source potential , see also fig6 and 6a . also shown is a different type of endpoint detector , namely a fourier transform infrared ( ftir ) optical spectrometer . this detector can function ex - situ ( outside of the vacuum housing ), through a quartz window . instead , as shown in fig4 , an extractive type of ftir spectrometer may be used , which directly samples the gas in the vacuum housing 410 during cleaning . also a temperature sensor td may sense the temperature of the de - energized ionization chamber by sensing a thermally isolated , representative region of the surface of the chamber . the sensor id can monitor heat produced by the exothermic reaction of f with the contaminating deposit , to serve as an end - point detection . fig5 shows an ion beam - generating system similar to that of fig4 , but incorporating a fundamentally different type of reactive gas source 455 . in this case , reactive clf 3 gas contained in a gas cylinder is fed directly into ion source 400 without use of a remote plasma source . this potentially reduces equipment cost and footprint since power and controls for a remote plasma source are not required . however , since clf 3 is pyrophoric , it is dangerous and requires special gas handling , whereas nf 3 ( for example ) is primarily an asphyxiant , and is less toxic than many semiconductor gases , such as bf 3 , ph 3 , or ash 3 , and therefore safer . fig6 shows plasma source 455 , vapor source 445 , source electronics , and service facilities s for the plasma source contained within a gas box b meant for retrofit into an existing ion implanter installation . the embodiment of fig6 a differs from the embodiment of fig6 above , by incorporating a preferred vaporizer and flow control system described below . fig6 b is a valve schematic diagram for the ion source and self - cleaning system of fig4 . fig7 is a diagram of a preferred ion source 10 and its various components , and see fig7 a . the details of its construction , as well as its preferred modes of operation , are similar to that disclosed by horsky et al ., international application no . pct / us03 / 20197 , filed jun . 26 , 2003 : “ an ion implantation device and a method of semiconductor manufacturing by the implantation of boron hydride cluster ions ”, and by horsky , u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 183 , 768 , “ electron impact ion source ”, filed jun . 26 , 2002 , both herein incorporated by reference . the ion source 10 is one embodiment of a novel electron impact ionization system . fig7 is a cross - sectional schematic diagram of the source construction which serves to clarify the functionality of the components which make up the ion source 10 . the ion source 10 is made to interface to an evacuated vacuum chamber of an ion implanter by way of a mounting flange 36 . thus , the portion of the ion source 10 to the right of flange 36 , shown in fig7 , is at high vacuum ( pressure & lt ; 1 × 10 − 4 torr ). gaseous material is introduced into ionization chamber 44 in which the gas molecules are ionized by electron impact from electron beam 70 , which enters the ionization chamber 44 through electron entrance aperture 71 such that electron beam 70 is aligned with ( i . e . extends adjacent , parallel to ) ion extraction aperture 81 . thus , ions are created adjacent to the ion extraction aperture 81 , which appears as a slot in the ion extraction aperture plate 80 . the ions are then extracted and formed into an energetic ion beam 475 by an extraction electrode 220 ( fig8 and 9 ) located in front of the ion extraction aperture plate 80 . referring to fig7 , gases such as argon , phosphine , or arsine , for example , may be fed into the ionization chamber 44 via a gas conduit 33 . solid feed materials 29 such as decaborane or octadecaborane can be vaporized in vaporizer 28 , and the vapor fed into the ionization chamber 44 through vapor conduit 32 within the source block 35 . typically , ionization chamber 44 , ion extraction aperture plate 80 , source block 35 ( including vapor conduit 32 ), and vaporizer housing 30 are all fabricated of aluminum . solid feed material 29 is held at a uniform temperature by closed - loop temperature control of the vaporizer housing 30 . sublimated vapor 50 which accumulates in a ballast volume 31 feeds through conduit 39 and through throttling valve 100 and shutoff valve 110 . the nominal pressure of vapor 50 between throttling valve 100 and shutoff valve 110 is monitored by heated pressure gauge 60 , preferably a capacitance manometer . since the vapor 50 feeds into the ionization chamber 44 through the vapor conduit 32 , located in the source block 35 , and gases feed in through gas conduit 33 , both gaseous and vaporized materials may be ionized by this ion source , which is capable of creating ion beam 475 consisting of either molecular ions ( such as b 18 h x + ) or monomer ions ( such as as + ), as needed . the flow of vapor to ionization chamber of fig7 , and see fig7 b , is determined by the vapor pressure in the region just before vapor feed passage 32 , i . e ., within shutoff valve 110 in fig7 . this is measured by pressure gauge 60 , e . g . a capacitance monometer , located between throttling valve 100 and shut - off valve 110 . in general , the flow rate is proportional to the vapor pressure . this allows the pressure signal to represent flow , and to be used as a set point to select flow . to generate a desired vapor flow into the ion source , vaporizer housing 30 is brought to a temperature such that when throttling valve 100 is in its fully open position , the desired flow rate is exceeded . then the throttling valve 100 is adjusted to reach the desired pressure output . to establish a stable flow over time , separate closed loop control of the vaporizer temperature and vapor pressure is implemented using dual pd controllers , such as the omron e5ck control loop digital controller . the control ( feedback ) variables are thermocouple output for temperature , and gauge output for pressure . the diagram of fig7 b shows a digital vapor feed controller 220 for performing these closed loop control functions . in fig7 b gauge output 250 from pressure gauge 60 is applied to throttle valve position control 245 which applies throttle valve position control signal 247 to throttle valve 100 . thermocouple output 225 from vaporizer 28 is applied to vaporizer heater control 215 which controls heater power 248 applied to the vaporizer 28 . a second , slow level of control is implemented by digital feed controller 220 , accommodating the rate at which solid feed material vaporizes being a function of its open surface area , particularly the available surface area at the solid - vacuum interface . as feed material within the vaporizer is consumed over time , this available surface area steadily decreases until the evolution rate of vapors cannot support the desired vapor flow rate , resulting in a decrease in the vapor pressure upstream of the throttle valve 100 . this is known as “ evolution rate limited ” operation . so , with a fresh charge of feed material in the vaporizer , a vaporizer temperature of , say , 25 c might support the required vapor flow at a nominal throttle valve position at the low end of its dynamic range ( i . e ., the throttling valve only partially open ). over time ( for example , after 20 % of the feed material is consumed ), the valve position would open further and further to maintain the desired flow . when the throttle valve is near the high conductance limit of its dynamic range ( i . e ., mostly open ), this valve position is sensed by the controller 220 , which sends a new , higher heater set point temperature to the vaporizer heater control 215 . the increment is selected to restore , once the vaporizer temperature settles to its new value , the nominal throttle valve operating point near the low end of its dynamic range . thus , the ability of the digital controller 220 to accommodate both short - timescale changes in set point vapor pressure and long - timescale changes in vaporizer temperature makes the control of vapor flow over the lifetime of the feed material charge very robust . such control prevents over - feeding of vapor to the ionization chamber . this has the effect of limiting the amount of unwanted deposits on surfaces of the ion generating system , thus extending the ion source life between cleanings . fig8 shows a top view ( looking down ) of an ion extraction electrode 220 facing the novel ion source 10 . the ion source 10 is held at a positive potential v a with respect to the ion extraction electrode 220 , which is at local ground potential , i . e ., at the potential of the vacuum housing . the ion extraction electrode 220 is a simple diode ; electrode plate 302 is the “ ground ” electrode and plate 300 the “ suppression ” electrode , typically held a few thousand volts below ground potential by suppression power supply v s . the ionization chamber 44 and ion extraction aperture plate 80 of ion source 10 are shown facing extraction electrode 220 . the three plates 80 , 300 , 302 contain rectangular slots or apertures through which ions 90 are extracted ; fig8 illustrates the slot profiles in the “ short ”, or dispersive , direction . during the decaborane lifetime tests shown in fig1 , a novel heated aluminum electrode was used . fig9 shows a top view of the basic optical design of the extraction system , in the dispersive plane of the one - dimensional “ slot ” aperture lenses . in the implanter used , the ionization chamber 490 of the ion source was held at the desired ion beam energy by positive high voltage power supply v a , fig8 . for example , if a 20 kev ion beam is desired , then v a = 20 kv . ion extraction aperture plate 500 is electrically isolated from ionization chamber 490 such that it can be biased by bipolar power supply v b from − 750v - 750v . the isolation is accomplished by a thermally conductive , electrically insulating polymeric gasket which is sandwiched between the ion extraction aperture plate 500 and ionization chamber 490 . the parts of the ion source body that are exposed to vapor ( source block 35 , ionization chamber 44 , and extraction aperture plate 80 in fig7 ) are maintained in good thermal contact with each other to maintain	8
reference is made first to fig1 for a brief overview of the nomenclature associated with the movement of a small to medium sized watercraft positioned adjacent to and moving towards or away from a dock or quay . in fig1 , watercraft 10 is positioned generally parallel to dock 11 as it might be moving towards the dock 11 or away from the dock 11 . in this configuration , the four directional orientations for watercraft 10 are shown . these include the bow ( towards the top of the figure ), the stern or aft ( towards the bottom of the figure ), the starboard side ( toward the right hand side of the figure ), and the port side ( to the left hand side of the drawing figure ). in this configuration , the watercraft 10 is shown with its starboard side toward dock 11 . the motions that are controlled by the apparatus and methods of the present invention include each of the six motions identified in fig1 . as is typical with most small to medium sized watercraft , the motor control system is capable of a basic forward and a basic reverse motion . in most cases the operator of the watercraft must manipulate the steering rudders ( typically by a steering wheel or the like ) in conjunction with the forward and reverse motions of the watercraft in order to effect docking with the stationary dock 11 . the present invention provides additional control devices and methods that allow for improved motion control over the watercraft during the docking maneuver . in addition to the basic forward and reverse motions , the present invention permits control over a starboard lateral motion ( towards the dock in this case ) as well as a port lateral motion ( away from the dock in this case ). in addition , control mechanisms within the throttle handle system allow for bow to starboard turning , as well as bow to port turning as indicated in fig1 . the bow to starboard turning may be accomplished by directing the stern toward port , the bow towards starboard , or a combination of the two ( shown by dashed connecting line between the arrow vectors in fig1 ). likewise , a bow to port turning may be accomplished by directing the stern toward starboard , the bow towards port , or a combination of the two ( again , indicated by the connecting dashed line in fig1 ). in summary , the various slower motion actions associated with the docking or undocking of a watercraft are exhibited in fig1 for which the apparatus and methods of the present invention provide specific control . reference is now made to fig2 for an overview of the system of the present invention described in a functional block diagram . in fig2 , the overall system of the present invention is shown to include throttle handle 14 which is mechanically connected ( double lines ) to throttle arm 12 comprising the components surrounded by the dashed line . throttle handle 14 is mechanically connected to starboard / port turning motion director / sensor 20 , as well as starboard / port lateral motion director / sensor 22 , and forward / reverse fine motion director / sensor 24 . in addition , by way of mechanical neutral lock 26 , throttle handle 14 is connected to forward / reverse director / sensor 28 , and the associated forward / reverse acceleration director / sensor 30 . as suggested by the dashed outline boxes in fig2 , the various structural components of the throttle assembly are mechanically connected to each other and include electrical / electronic connections to convey control signal data to the watercraft motor controller 32 . in particular , throttle handle 14 is mechanically connected to throttle arm 12 and through this mechanical connection couples a motion sensor to mechanical components on throttle handle 14 so as to translate the motion of throttle handle 14 into a control signal directed motion for the watercraft . the shaded plates shown in fig2 associated with each of the director / sensor components are intended to imply a moving component that is sensed by an electronic sensor that then provides a control signal reflective of the throttle motion to watercraft controller 32 . motion director / sensors 20 , 22 and 24 serve to sense manual movement of the throttle handle 14 relative to the throttle arm 12 . in their most basic form , such motion director / sensors 20 , 22 and 24 may be split component sensors , which means that ( i ) they have two components or groups of components and ( ii ) that they function to detect movement of one of the components or groups relative to the other . as evident to those of skill in the art , one of the two split components or groups of components of each of motion director / sensors 20 , 22 and 24 is on ( or in fixed relation to ) the handle 14 , and the other of the two split components or groups of components is on ( or in fixed relation to ) the throttle arm 12 . such motion director / sensors 20 , 22 and 24 may be split component sensors comprising a plurality or an array of permanent magnets whose motion relative to a spaced - apart , but magnetically adjacent , sensor , may be measured and utilized to sense the manual motion of the handle 14 relative to the throttle arm 12 , which in turn reflects the intended motion of the watercraft as manually indicated by the operator . the positioning and placement of these split sensors 20 , 22 , and 24 must , of course , relate to the particular manner in which the throttle handle 14 moves with respect to throttle arm 12 , or in the case of one of the alternate embodiments described below , the manner in which an upper section of the throttle arm moves with respect to a lower section of the throttle arm . the other motion director / sensor — namely forward / reverse director / sensor 28 — serves to sense motion for the customary function of throttle arms — to sense manual pivotal movement of the throttle arm 12 relative to its base . forward / reverse director / sensor 28 also may be a split component sensor , such that one of its split components or groups of components is on ( or in fixed relation to ) the throttle arm 12 , and the other of the two split components or groups of components is on ( or in fixed relation to ) the base about which throttle arm 12 pivots . likewise , motion director / sensor 28 may be a split component sensor comprising a plurality or an array of permanent magnets whose motion relative to a spaced - apart , but magnetically adjacent , sensor , may be detected and utilized to sense the manual motion of the throttle arm 12 relative to its base , which in turn reflects the intended gross forward / reverse motion of the watercraft as manually indicated by the operator . the positioning and placement of split sensor 28 must , of course , also relate to the particular manner in which the throttle arm 12 moves with respect to its base . the forward / reverse motion director / sensor component 28 associated with the gross forward and reverse motion of watercraft 10 may reside in its ordinary place at or near the rotating / pivoting base 18 of the throttle arm 12 . each of the throttle handle and arm motion sensors are electrically or electronically connected to watercraft motor controller 32 . motor controller 32 includes engine speed controls , rudder controls , and trim plate controls . motor control is therefore electrically or mechanically connected to the watercraft motor 34 , the watercraft rudders 36 , and the watercraft trim plates 38 . reference is next made to fig3 for a description of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the throttle handle and arm structure of the apparatus implemented in a moveable throttle handle configuration . in this perspective view , throttle arm 12 is shown to support and retain throttle handle 14 , which in this embodiment is capable of selected movement on its otherwise fixed position at the end of throttle arm 12 . throttle base rotating disc 16 connects throttle arm 12 to throttle arm stationary sensor apparatus 18 as is typically configured with mechanical / electrical throttles . the throttle assembly as described above is typically mounted on the interior of boat hull 10 , usually on the inboard starboard side of the boat adjacent the operator &# 39 ; s chair and steering mechanism . the throttle assembly shown in fig3 retains the standard operational and functional structures associated with a gross forward / reverse control 46 . this forward and reverse control is typically associated with a mechanical neutral lock linkage ( not shown ) that allows the operator to move the throttle arm from a generally vertical locked position ( neutral ) to either a forward or reverse position as control of the watercraft requires . in most cases , the removal of the throttle arm from its neutral lock position is accomplished by way of a gripped push button or other electromechanical control button to release the throttle base rotating disc 16 from a locked condition with respect to stationary throttle components 18 to a rotating or pivoting condition . in addition to the standard forward / reverse gross motor control typical with most throttle mechanisms , the first embodiment of the present invention adds additional controls associated with the motion of throttle handle 14 with respect to throttle arm 12 . in this first embodiment , throttle handle 14 is configured to either remain fixed with respect to throttle arm 12 or to be released from its fixed configuration to effect the additional and finer controls over the motion of the watercraft . in the first preferred embodiment , this released motion of throttle handle 14 with respect to throttle arm 12 would typically only occur when the watercraft is in an otherwise locked neutral condition . the same mechanism that locks and releases the throttle arm from its standard neutral condition could effect the lock release function for throttle handle 14 with respect to throttle arm 12 . alternately , a second electromechanical control could serve to release and lock the new motion of throttle handle 14 with respect to throttle arm 12 . the basic control motions of throttle handle 14 with respect to throttle arm 12 are shown in fig3 with the three axes of motion shown in dotted / dashed lines . a first rotational control ( turning motion ) 40 may be effected by simply turning throttle handle 14 in a clockwise or counter - clockwise rotation . this effects the bow to port or bow to starboard motions described in fig1 above . in addition , a fine forward / reverse motion control 42 may be effected by laterally moving throttle handle 14 in a forward or reverse direction , effectively “ sliding ” across the top of throttle arm 12 a short but measurable distance . various mechanisms for effecting this type of lateral motion are anticipated . in any event , this lateral motion effects the fine forward or reverse motions described in fig1 above . finally , a port / starboard lateral control motion 44 is effected by moving (“ sliding ”) throttle handle 14 to the left or right across the top of throttle arm 12 . this lateral motion effects the port or starboard movement ( towards or away from the dock or quay 100 ) described in fig1 below . those skilled in the art will recognize that the fine forward / reverse motion control 42 may be omitted and the continued use of the gross forward / reverse control 46 may achieve the required forward and reverse motions . in the preferred embodiment , however , a smoother and less abrupt forward and reverse control over the motor may be effected by this finer motion of throttle handle 14 with respect to throttle arm 12 . in summary , a finer and more accurate control of the watercraft adjacent a dock may be effected by the three basic control motions functionally associated with throttle handle 14 in its released movement with respect to throttle arm 12 . reference is next made to fig4 for a detailed description of a second preferred embodiment of the present invention shown implemented in conjunction with a variation of the basic throttle configuration for a small to medium sized watercraft . the basic motions of the throttle shown in fig4 are the same as that shown in fig3 except that the relative motion associated with the additional controls are situated within throttle arm 52 rather than between the throttle arm and the throttle handle . the throttle handle 54 in this embodiment is fixed on the top of throttle arm 52 , but the throttle arm is divided into two parts , an upper throttle arm section 60 and a lower throttle arm section 62 . the two throttle arm sections are retained in close proximity to each other and are capable of both a rotational motion with respect to each other , as well as orthogonal sliding translational motion , as described in more detail below . various mechanisms for retaining the throttle arm sections together , while still permitting the above described motions , are anticipated . as with the first preferred embodiment , the relative motions of the throttle arm sections may be effected by a mechanical / electrical release mechanism controlled through the throttle handle as with the neutral position release mechanism controlled through the same . in this second preferred embodiment , the same basic motions that are effected on the throttle handle in the first preferred embodiment may be effected on the upper portion of the throttle handle / throttle arm configuration as shown . these include the rotational control ( turning ) 40 , the fine forward / reverse control 42 , and the port / starboard lateral control 44 . in this second preferred embodiment , imparting each of these three motions to the “ split ” throttle arm section may preferably be accomplished by tilting motions rather than sliding motions . in other words , while the rotational motion 40 may still be effected by simply turning throttle handle 54 and thereby turning upper throttle arm section 60 with respect to lower throttle arm section 62 , the remaining two motions of the system of the present invention , fine forward / reverse control 42 , and port / starboard lateral control 44 , may best be effected by a tilting motion of the handle as opposed to a sliding motion . again , various mechanical structures associated with the junction 64 between upper throttle arm section 60 and lower throttle arm section 62 are anticipated . the basic requirement in either of the two sub - embodiments described within fig4 is that the relative motion between the two throttle arm sections can be measured by means of sensor elements 72 and 74 ( shown in dashed outline form in fig4 ). fig5 shows in additional detail the structure of the embodiment shown in fig4 , wherein the relative motion between the upper throttle arm section 60 and the lower throttle arm section 62 are sensed by way of sensor elements 72 and 74 . in the preferred embodiment , sensor element 72 may be a fixed permanent magnet , for example , or an array of permanent magnets , whose positions are detected and whose motions are identified by way of electronic sensor 74 which thereafter provides a control signal to the motor control systems of the watercraft responsive to the motion of the throttle . reference is finally made to fig6 for a detailed description of a third preferred embodiment of the present invention , implemented again in conjunction with the motion of the throttle handle with respect to the throttle arm . in the perspective view shown in fig6 , throttle handle 84 is positioned on and retained by throttle arm 82 . the remaining components associated with attachment of the throttle assembly to the boat hull 10 are as shown in fig3 , namely with throttle base rotational disc 86 and throttle arm stationary sensor assembly 88 serving their usual functions . in this embodiment , however , rather than the lateral motions of the throttle handle shown and described in fig3 , tilting and turning motions at throttle handle 84 may be made to effect the three basic motions of the watercraft . in this case , a rotational motion of throttle handle 84 once again effects a rotational control ( turning motion ) 90 for the watercraft , while a tilting forward or tilting backward around the lateral axis effects the fine forward / reverse motion control 92 . in a similar manner , a tilting to the side around the longitudinal axis effects the port / starboard lateral control motion 94 . the electromechanical connections between the various moving components of the throttle handle assembly are as described above , or , with regard to gross forward / reverse control , are as is typical in the industry . the objective of the present invention is to provide finer , more sensitive motion control to the throttle handle , as in the nature of a joystick controller , to effect the finer motions required by the operator of the watercraft when approaching or departing from a dock . these finer motions are imparted to either the connection between the throttle handle and the throttle arm , as in the first and third embodiments , or between an upper and lower section of the throttle arm , as in the second embodiment . once again , the second embodiment may operate in one of two manners , either through the sliding motion of the joint between the upper and lower sections of the throttle arm , or preferably through a tilting motion of the joint , again through mechanical structures capable of functioning much in the nature of a joystick or sliding controller . although the present invention has been described in conjunction with the above described preferred embodiments , alternate structures and functions will be anticipated by those skilled in the art that do not depart from the basic structures and method steps of the present invention . as there are many different types of small watercraft throttle assemblies , the basic principles of the present invention are generally capable of being implemented on most , if not all , of these various throttle assemblies . the electrical / electronic control signals that are required by the watercraft controller system may also vary depending upon the watercraft . the principles of the present invention are anticipated to operate well in conjunction with a wide variety of electrical / electronic control signal requirements . various existing throttle control assemblies may utilize separate or alternate control mechanisms for some of the finer motions associated with a watercraft in a docking or undocking mode . these alternate control mechanisms , however , are not integrated into the handle component of the throttle and therefore do not provide the same ease of use as the systems and methods of the present invention . as indicated above , one objective of the present invention is to provide all of the fine motor control necessary to effect a smooth and accurate docking action for the watercraft without the necessity of moving the operator &# 39 ; s hand from the throttle control mechanism to some other steering control mechanism . further modifications of the systems and methods of the present invention are anticipated that still fall within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention . it is also recognized that the systems and methods of the present invention might be implemented in oem products or as a retrofit device adaptable to any of a number of existing throttle / shift control systems . still other alternatives are also within the scope of the invention for purposes of integrating a versatile throttle handle of the present teachings in boats with electronic engine interface , zf transmissions and “ smart command ” control . as will be evident , in some retrofit environments , intermediate electronics may be necessary to translate the various rotational and translational displacements of the throttle handle to a signal recognizable by an existing electronic control unit . various signal translators may be provided in order to match the sensor associated with such movements to the particular signal input requirements of a specific electronic engine control unit . such modifications to achieve a retrofit application versus an original equipment system installation will be apparent to those skilled in the art . numerous other features , objects , advantages , alternatives , variations , equivalents , substitutions , combinations , simplifications , elaborations , distributions , enhancements , improvements or eliminations ( collectively , “ variations ”) will be evident from these descriptions to those skilled in the art , especially when considered in light of a more exhaustive understanding of the numerous difficulties and challenges faced by the art , all of which should be considered within the scope of the invention , at least to the extent substantially embraced by the invention as defined in the claims ( including any added claims and any amendments made to those claims in the course of prosecuting this and related applications ). in all respects , it should also be understood that the drawings and detailed description herein are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive manner , and are not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms and examples disclosed . rather , the invention includes all variations generally within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed . any current , amended , or added claims should be interpreted to embrace all further modifications , changes , rearrangements , substitutions , alternatives , design choices , and embodiments that may be evident to those of skill in the art , whether now known or later discovered . in any case , all substantially equivalent systems , articles , and methods should be considered within the scope of the invention and , absent express indication otherwise , all structural or functional equivalents are anticipated to remain within the spirit and scope of the present inventive system and method .	1
fig2 shows a first dual mode television tuner 200 capable of processing both digital and satellite television signals according to the first embodiment of the present invention . the dual mode television tuner 200 includes a digital tv preamp stage 202 and a satellite tv preamp stage 204 . the digital tv preamp stage 202 comprises a digital tv low - noise amplifier 232 and a first digital tv bandpass filter 230 . the satellite tv preamp stage 204 comprises a satellite tv low - noise amplifier 236 and a first satellite tv band - pass filter 234 . the dual mode television tuner 200 further comprises a first switch 206 , a first mixer 208 , a first local oscillator 210 , a second switch 212 , a digital tv band - pass filter 214 , a satellite tv band - pass filter 216 , a processor 228 , and a second stage 238 . the first digital tv band - pass filter 230 has a frequency range of 50 mhz to 860 mhz and the second digital tv band - pass filter 214 has a center frequency of 1220 mhz . the first satellite tv band - pass filter 234 has a frequency range of 950 mhz to 1800 mhz and the second satellite band - pass filter 216 has a center frequency of 480 mhz . in the first embodiment of the present invention , the second stage 238 includes a second mixer 218 , a second local oscillator 220 , an output amplifier 222 , a band - pass filter 224 , and a variable amplifier 226 . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the mixers 208 , 218 are implemented as harmonic mixers as shown in fig2 . the operation and implementation of the harmonic mixer is explained in application ser . no . 10 / 604 , 018 , filed on jun . 22 , 2003 , entitled “ passive harmonic mixer ” and assigned to the same assignee . because harmonic mixers 208 , 218 are used , the first local oscillator 210 and the second local oscillator 220 run at half the frequency that would otherwise be required if non - harmonic mixers were used . the first local oscillator 210 operates at a variable frequency range between 635 mhz to 1140 mhz and provides a 0 ° phase signal and a 90 ° phase signal . the second local oscillator 210 operates at a first fixed frequency or a second fixed frequency depending on a mode selection signal and provides a 0 ° phase signal and a 90 ° phase signal . it should also be noted that , although the preferred embodiment of the present invention uses harmonic mixers , non - harmonic mixers can also be used with the present invention . if non - harmonic mixers are used , the operating frequency of the first local oscillator 210 and the second local oscillator 220 will be twice that of the frequencies described for the preferred embodiment of the present invention . additionally , the local oscillators 210 , 220 only need to provide a 0 ° phase signal . the operation of the first dual mode tv tuner 200 shown in fig2 is as follows . when the source of the tv signals ( rf_in ) is determined ( usually by the user ), the processor 228 sets the mode selection signal to configure the dual mode tv tuner 200 for the proper operation . if digital tv mode is selected by the processor 228 using the mode selection signal mode , the digital tv low - noise amplifier 232 is turned on , the satellite tv low - noise amplifier 236 is turned off , the first switch 206 couples the output of the first digital tv preamp stage 202 to the input of the first mixer 208 , and the second switch 212 couples the output of the first mixer 208 to the input of the second digital tv band - pass filter 214 . in this way , a received radio frequency signal rf_in is amplified by the digital tv low - noise amplifier 232 and is filtered by the first digital tv band - pass filter 230 . the output of the first mixer 208 is a first intermediate signal and has a desired channel in the received rf signal positioned at 1220 mhz , which is the center frequency of the bandwidth of the second digital tv band - pass filter 214 . the output of the second digital tv band pass filter 214 is coupled to the input of the second mixer 218 . the second local oscillator 220 operates at a constant frequency of 588 mhz and the output of the second mixer 218 is a second intermediate frequency centered at 44 mhz . the second intermediate frequency signal is amplified , filtered , and amplified again by the output amplifier 222 , the band - pass filter 224 , and the variable amplifier 226 , respectively . alternatively , if satellite tv mode is selected by the processor 228 using the mode selection signal mode , the satellite tv low - noise amplifier 236 is turned on , the digital tv low - noise amplifier 232 is turned off , the first switch 206 couples the output of the first satellite tv preamp stage 204 to the input of the first mixer 208 , and the second switch 212 couples the output of the first mixer 208 to the input of the second satellite tv band - pass filter 216 . in this way , the received radio frequency signal rf_in is amplified by the satellite tv low - noise amplifier 236 and is filtered by the first satellite tv band - pass filter 234 . the output of the first mixer 208 is a first intermediate signal and has a desired channel in the received rf signal positioned at 480 mhz , which is the center frequency of the bandwidth of the second satellite tv band - pass filter 216 . the output of the second satellite tv band pass filter 216 is coupled to the input of the second mixer 218 . the first local oscillator operates at a constant frequency of 218 mhz and the output of the second mixer 218 is a second intermediate frequency centered at 44 mhz . the second intermediate frequency signal is amplified , filtered , and amplified again by the output amplifier 222 , the band - pass filter 224 , and the variable amplifier 226 , respectively . fig3 is a second dual mode television tuner 300 capable of processing both digital and satellite television signals according to the second embodiment of the present invention . the second dual mode television tuner 300 comprises similar components and structure as the first dual mode television tuner 200 shown in fig2 . components having the same operation as already described for fig2 have been shown in fig3 having the same numerical label and a repeated description of these components is hereby omitted . the difference between the first dual mode television tuner 200 shown in fig2 and the second dual mode television tuner 300 shown in fig3 is that the second dual mode television tuner 300 comprises a modified second stage 302 . the second stage 302 acts as a direct conversion receiver ( dcr ) and includes a second local oscillator 304 , a second mixer 306 , a third mixer 314 , an in - phage output amplifier 308 , an in - phase low - pass filter 310 , an in - phase variable amplifier 312 , a quadrature output amplifier 316 , a quadrature low - pass filter 318 , and a quadrature variable amplifier 320 . the operation and implementation of the dcr are explained in application ser . no . 10 / 707 , 319 , filed on dec . 4 , 2003 , entitled “ harmonic mixer based television tuner and method of processing a received rf signal ” and assigned to the same assignee if digital tv mode is selected by the processor 228 using the mode selection signal mode , the second local oscillator 304 operates at a constant second frequency of 610 mhz and provides a 0 ° phase - delayed reference signal , a 45 ° phase - delayed reference signal , a 90 ° phase - delayed reference signal , and a 135 ° phase - delayed reference signal . the second harmonic mixer 306 mixes the 0 ° phase - delayed reference signal , the 90 ° phase - delayed reference signal , and the output of the second digital tv band - pass filter 214 to form an in - phase baseband signal . the in - phase baseband amplifier 308 , the in - phase low - pass filter 310 , and the in - phase variable amplifier 312 filter and amplify the in - phase baseband signal to produce an in - phase baseband output signal i for processing in later stages in the tv receiver . the third harmonic mixer 314 mixes the 45 ° phase - delayed reference signal , the 135 ° phase - delayed reference signal , and the output of the second digital tv band - pass filter 214 to form a quadrature baseband signal . likewise , the quadrature baseband amplifier 316 , the quadrature low - pass filter 318 , and the quadrature variable amplifier 320 filter and amplify the quadrature baseband signal to produce an quadrature baseband output signal q for processing in later stages in the tv receiver . together , the output i of the in - phase variable amplifier 312 and the output q of the quadrature variable amplifier 320 form a baseband video signal , which can then passed on to other video processing elements . if satellite tv mode is selected by the processor 228 using the mode selection signal mode , the operation of the second mixer stage 302 is the same as for digital tv mode with the exception that the second local oscillator 304 operates at a constant second frequency of 240 mhz and the filtered first intermediate frequency signal is received from the output of the second satellite band - pass filter 216 . fig4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of processing a received rf signal according to the embodiment of the present invention . the received rf signal can be a digital tv signal or a satellite tv signal . the flowchart includes the following steps : step 400 : pre - amplify and filter the received rf signal for a first frequency range or a second frequency range depending on the type of the received rf signal . for digital tv signals , the first frequency range is from 50 mhz to 860 mhz , and for satellite tv signal , the second frequency range is from 950 mhz to 1800 mhz . step 402 : mix the output of step 400 with a first reference signal to a particular channel selected from an incoming rf signal and produce a first intermediate signal . when using a harmonic mixer to perform step 402 , the first reference signal is variable between 635 mhz to 1140 mhz . step 404 : band - pass filter the first intermediate signal centered at a first center frequency or a second center frequency depending on the type of the received rf signal . for digital tv signals , the center frequency is 1220 mhz , and for satellite tv signals , the center frequency is 480 mhz . step 406 : mix the output of step 404 with a second reference signal to produce an output signal . as previously mentioned , step 406 may involve a single mixer wherein the output signal is a second intermediate signal . alternatively , step 406 may involve an in - phase mixer and a quadrature mixer wherein the output signal is a baseband signal . the frequency of the second reference signal depends on the type of the received rf signal . in a first embodiment having a second intermediate frequency output signal using a harmonic mixer , the second reference signal is 588 mhz for digital tv signals and 218 mhz for satellite tv signals . in another embodiment having a baseband output signal using dual harmonic mixers , the second reference signal is 610 mhz for digital tv signals and 240 mhz for satellite tv signals . those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention . accordingly , the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims .	7
rosin , one of the reactants of the process of the invention , is primarily a mixture of c 20 , fused - ring , monocarboxylic acids , typified by levopimaric and abietic acids , both of which are susceptible to numerous chemical transformations . exemplary of such rosins are the gum rosins , wood rosins , and tall oil rosins . also included with the ambit of the term rosin , as used herein , are the rosin acids contained in said rosins , such as , for example , abietic acid , pimaric acid and dehydroabietic acid . preferably , the rosin employed is tall oil rosin . the natural separation and gradual conversion of some of the hydrophilic components of sap and related plant fluids from the cambium layer of a tree into increasingly hydrophobic solids comprise the generic processes of forming diverse gums , resins and waxes . the oleoresin intermediate in this process is typified in pine gum , which flows from hacks on the trunks of southern yellow pine found primarily in brazil , china and portugal as well as in other countries . pine gum contains about 80 % gum rosin and about 20 % turpentine . resinification from oleoresin can result from either natural evaporation of oil from an extrudate or slow collection in ducts in sapwood and heartwood . pinus stumps are valuable enough to be harvested , chipped , and extracted with hexane or higher - boiling paraffins to yield wood rosin , wood turpentine , and other terpene - related compounds by fractional distillation . in the kraft , i . e ., sulfate , pulping process for making paper , pinewood is digested with alkali producing crude tall oil and crude sulfate turpentine as by - products . fractionation of the crude tall oil yields tall oil rosin and fatty acids . the gum , wood , tall oil and other rosins may be employed in the processes of the present invention as is , or alternatively may be subjected to other treatments prior to use in the present esterification process . for example , the rosin material may be subjected to distillation , disproportionation , hydrogenation or polymerization , or some combination of these and / or other treatments , prior to use in the subject processes . polyhydric alcohols , also sometimes referred to as polyols , the other reactant employed in the subject process , are also well known . exemplary of such compounds are ethylene glycol , propylene glycol , diethylene glycol , triethylene glycol , tetraethylene glycol , trimethylene glycol , glycerol , pentaerythritol , dipentaerythritol , tripentaerythritol , trimethylolethane , trimethylolpropane , mannitol and sorbitol . preferably , the polyhydric alcohols employed are glycerol or pentaerythritol . the amount of the alcohol employed in the esterification process may be varied widely . generally , however , at least about an equivalent amount of polyhydric alcohol , based on the amount of rosin , is employed , with the upper limit generally being about 50 % excess over the equivalent . phosphite esters , also sometimes termed esters of phosphorus acids , are employed in combination with phenyl sulfides to catalytically accelerate and mediate the present esterification process . the phosphite esters used in the present invention are either aliphatic or aromatic esters of phosphorus acid . the phosphorus acid may be completely or only partially esterified . typical of the phosphite esters which may be employed are triphenylphosphite , triparacresylphosphite , tri -( 2 - ethylhexyl )- phosphite , di -( 2 - ethyl - hexyl ) phosphite , trisnonylphenylphosphite and tris ( 2 , 4 - di - tert - butylphenyl ) phosphite . preferably , the phosphite esters are trisnonylphenylphosphite or tris ( 2 , 4 - di - tert - butylphenyl ) phosphite . various phenyl sulfides are employed in the subject invention . preferably , the phenol sulfides utilized are those set forth in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 780 , 013 and 4 , 650 , 607 , the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference . as stated in the aforementioned patents , such phenol sulfides may be represented by the formula : ## str1 ## wherein n is an integer from 1 to 3 inclusive , p is an integer from 0 to 100 and preferably about 5 to 20 inclusive , and the sum of m and n on each aryl is between 1 and 5 inclusive , x is 1 , 2 or 3 , and r is a hydrocarbon group , e . g ., alkyl cycloalkyl and substituted alkyl , e . g ., c 1 - c 8 , wherein the substituents are cycloalkyl , aryl , alkaryl , and the like . r desirably contains from 1 to 22 carbon atoms inclusive . preferred alkyl groups are straight chain secondary and tertiary alkyl groups containing up to 8 carbon atoms inclusive . preferred aryl groups are those containing 6 to 18 carbon atoms , inclusive , typically phenyl , naphthyl and anthracyl . typical cycloalkyl groups contain 3 - 8 carbon atoms in the ring , e . g ., cyclopropyl , cyclopentyl and cyclohexyl . a catalytically effective amount of the foregoing phosphite esters and phenol sulfides are employed in the process of the invention . generally , a catalytically effective amount is from about 0 . 01 % to about 2 . 0 % phosphite ester , and from about 0 . 05 % to about 1 . 0 % phenol sulfide , each based on the weight of the rosin . in general , esterification is effected by introducing the rosin , usually up to about 50 % equivalent excess of a polyhydric alcohol , preferably about 15 % to about 20 % equivalent excess of polyhydric alcohol , and from about 0 . 1 % to about 2 . 0 % phosphite ester , and from about 0 . 05 % to about 1 . 0 % phenol sulfide , based on the weight of the rosin , into a reaction vessel . the temperature of the reactor vessel is then preferably raised to from about 180 ° c . to about 300 ° c ., most preferably to from about 250 ° c . to about 280 ° c ., generally for up to about 15 hours or until the rosin acid number is reduced to about 15 or below . longer reaction times may be employed , but the additional time and energy costs often outweigh any benefits received . the preferred amount of phosphite ester is from about 0 . 2 % to about 0 . 5 %, based on the weight of the rosin , with no appreciable benefit generally observed in employing amounts of 0 . 5 % or more of the phosphite ester . the preferred amount of phenol sulfide is from about 0 . 2 % to about 0 . 5 %, based on the weight of the rosin . advantageously , the esterification reaction is carried out in the presence of an inert atmosphere , provided by , for example , a nitrogen or carbon dioxide purge on the reaction vessel prior to addition of the reactants , and , for example , a nitrogen or carbon dioxide sparge during the reaction . the minimization of oxygen exposure through such means is helpful in achieving a light color rosin ester , since the rosin ester is apt to darken when exposed to excessive amounts of oxygen . in a particularly preferred embodiment of the process of the invention , the rosin starting material is melted in an inert atmosphere in the reaction vessel , followed by the addition of about 0 . 2 % ( based on the weight of the rosin ) of phosphite ester , about 0 . 5 % ( based on the weight of the rosin ) of a phenol sulfide , and about 15 - 20 % equivalent excess glycerol or pentaerythritol . a very low inert gas sparge , such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide , is maintained as the mixture is heated to about 250 ° c . with agitation , which temperature is maintained for about three hours . the reaction temperature then is increased to about 275 ° c . until the reaction product acid number is decreased to about 15 or below , or for a time of about 2 to 12 hours . the catalyst combination of the present invention provides an accelerated process which results in a superior rosin ester product possessing properties making it highly useful as a tackifier ingredient in hot melt adhesive formulations , as well as in other applications . one advantage of the combined phosphite ester and phenol sulfide catalyst is minimal color degradation during esterification , the combined catalysts of the invention acting to produce an ester of an essentially equivalent color of the starting rosin . the product is also relatively clear , rather than cloudy , hazy or char - containing ( containing very fine black particles ), as is the case with many of the phosphoric or phosphinic acid catalyzed esterification products , and the product exhibits little or no odor unlike some of the phosphite ester catalyzed reaction products . in hot melt applications , the product exhibits good viscosity stability and evidences minimal skin formation . moreover , the esterification process is relatively straight - forward , not requiring an additional post - esterification step such as neutralization , as required in the acid catalyzed processes . the following examples serve to illustrate the unexpected color improvement and enhanced hot melt properties of rosin esters prepared by the processes of the invention . these examples , however , are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the appended claims . in each of the following examples , the color of the rosin ester product was reported , based on a gardner scale , and the presence or absence of char noted . each rosin ester was then also tested as a tackifier in a hot melt adhesive formulation , and percent skin and viscosity change , each after 96 hours , was noted . examples 1 , 2 , 6 , and 7 and 8 are comparative examples . examples 3 , 4 , 5 and 9 are examples of the invention . in a suitable reaction vessel , tall oil rosin was melted under a nitrogen blanket . glycerol ( 20 % excess ) was added slowly at 180 ° c ., followed by addition of 0 . 4 % vultac ® 2 phenol sulfide ( an amyl phenol sulfide polymer sold by penwalt , atochem north america , philadelphia , pa ., 19102 ) and 0 . 025 % phosphoric acid . the mixture was then heated at 230 ° c . for 4 hours with agitation , after which the temperature was increased to 270 ° c . and held until the acid number was below 15 . the product was observed and then tested as a tackifier . the results are shown in table 1 . in a suitable reaction vessel , tall oil rosin was melted under a nitrogen blanket . glycerol ( 20 % excess ) was added slowly at 180 ° c ., followed by addition of 0 . 4 % vultac ® 2 phenol sulfide and 0 . 05 % phosphinic acid . the mixture was then heated at 230 ° c . for 4 hours with agitation , after which the temperature wa increased to 270 ° c . and held until the acid number was below 15 . the product was then observed and tested as a tackifier . the results are shown in table 1 . in a suitable reaction vessel , tall oil rosin was melted under a nitrogen blanket . glycerol ( 20 % excess ) was added slowly at 180 ° c ., followed by addition of 0 . 4 % vultac ® 2 phenol sulfide and 0 . 20 % trisnonylphenylphosphite ( hereinafter tnpp ) ( weston ® tnpp , available from ge specialty chemicals , inc . parkersburg , w . va . 26102 ). the mixture was then heated at 230 ° c . for 4 hours with agitation , after which the temperature was increased to 270 ° c . and held until the acid number was below 15 . the product was observed and then tested as a tackifier . the results are shown in table 1 . in a suitable reaction vessel , tall oil rosin was melted under a nitrogen blanket . glycerol ( 20 % excess ) was added slowly at 180 ° c ., followed by addition of 0 . 4 % vultac ® 2 phenol sulfide and 0 . 20 % irgafos ® 168 tris ( 2 , 4 - di - ter - butylphenyl ) phosphite ( irgafos ® 168 available from ciba - geigy corp ., hawthorne , n . y ., 10532 ). the mixture was then heated at 230 ° c . for 4 hours with agitation , after which the temperature was increased to 270 ° c . and held until the acid number was below 15 . the product was observed and then tested as a tackifier . the results are shown in table 1 . in a suitable reaction vessel , tall oil rosin was melted under a nitrogen blanket . glycerol ( 20 % excess ) was added slowly at 180 ° c ., followed by addition of 0 . 4 % vultac ® 2 phenol sulfide and 0 . 20 % agerite geltrol ® alkylated - arylated bisphenolic phosphite , available from rt vanderbilt , norwalk , conn ., 06855 ). the mixture was then heated at 230 ° c . for 4 hours with agitation , after which the temperature was increased to 270 ° c . and held until the acid number was below 15 . the product was observed and then tested as a tackifier . the results are shown in table 1 . in a suitable reaction vessel , tall oil rosin was melted under a nitrogen blanket . glycerol ( 20 % excess ) was added slowly at 180 ° c ., followed by addition of 0 . 4 % vultac ® 2 phenol sulfide and 0 . 20 li 2 co 3 . the mixture was then heated at 230 ° c . for 4 hours with agitation , after which the temperature was increased to 270 ° c . and held until the acid number was below 15 . the product was observed and then tested as a tackifier . the results are shown in table 1 . in a suitable reaction vessel , tall oil rosin was melted under a nitrogen blanket . pentaerythritol ( 15 % excess ) was added slowly at 180 ° c ., followed by addition of 0 . 4 % vultac ® 2 phenol sulfide and 0 . 10 % phosphinic acid . the mixture was then heated at 230 ° c . for 4 hours with agitation , after which the temperature was increased to 270 ° c . and held until the acid number was below 15 . the product was observed and then tested as a tackifier . the results are shown in table 2 . an additional reaction was carried out as in example 7 , except that the phosphinic acid was first neutralized according to example 1 in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 725 , 384 . the product was observed and then tested as a tackifier . the results are shown in table 2 . in a suitable reaction vessel , tall oil rosin was melted under a nitrogen blanket . pentaerythritol ( 15 % excess ) was added slowly at 180 ° c ., followed by addition of 0 . 4 % vultac ® 2 phenol sulfide and 0 . 25 % trisnonylphenylphosphite ( weston ® tnpp , available from ge specialty chemicals , inc ., parkersburg , w . va . 26102 ). the mixture was then heated at 230 ° c . for 4 hours with agitation , after which the temperature was increased to 270 ° c . and held until the acid number was below 15 . the product was observed and then tested as a tackifier . the results are shown in table 2 . various modifications of the invention in addition to those shown and described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description . such modifications are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims . table 1__________________________________________________________________________glycerol esters of rosin ( 20 % excess glycerol ) hot melt properties % visc . rosin ester % skin changeexample catalyst % cat . color , g char 96 hrs 96 hrs__________________________________________________________________________1 phosphoric 0 . 025 5 - yes 40 + 19 ( comp . ex .) acid2 phosphinic 0 . 05 4 yes 1 + 24 ( comp . ex . ) 3 tnpp 0 . 20 3 + no 8 + 84 irgafos ® 0 . 20 3 no 15 + 1 1685 alkylated - arylated 0 . 20 3 + no 0 + 16 bisphenolic phosphite6 li . sub . 2 co . sub . 3 0 . 20 6 no 65 - 25 ( comp . ex . ) __________________________________________________________________________ table 2__________________________________________________________________________pe esters of rosin ( 15 % excess pentaerythritol ) hot melt properties % visc . rosin ester % skin changeexample catalyst % cat . color , g char clarity 96 hrs 96 hrs__________________________________________________________________________7 phosphinic 0 . 10 3 + no clear 15 + 50 ( comp . ex .) acid8 neutralized 0 . 10 -- -- hazy 25 + 20 phosphinic acid9 tnpp 0 . 25 4 no clear 20 + 14__________________________________________________________________________	2
hereinafter , certain exemplary embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . here , when a first element is described as being coupled to a second element , the first element may be not only directly coupled to the second element , but may also be indirectly coupled to the second element via one or more third elements . further , some of the elements that are not essential to the complete understanding of the invention are omitted for clarity . also , like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout . hereinafter , exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a diagram showing a mobile communication terminal including a dc - dc converter according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . in particular , fig1 shows a display unit 20 related to the subject matter of the present invention and components related to a dc - dc converter 60 , but other components included in a mobile communication terminal are known , and therefore they are not shown in fig1 and will be omitted in the following description . in addition , the mobile communication terminal may be a cellular phone , a smart phone , etc ., that uses a mobile communication network . fig2 is a diagram showing a pixel of a display unit according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention . in particular , fig2 shows pixels connected to an n - th scan line sn and an m - th data line dn . the mobile communication terminal according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is configured to include a display unit 20 , a scan driver 30 , a data driver 40 , and a dc - dc converter 60 . in addition , the mobile communication terminal may further include a timing controller for controlling the scan driver 30 and the data driver 40 . the display unit 20 displays various screens such as a user interface image ( ui ) on the mobile communication terminal . in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the display unit 20 may be an organic light emitting display . in addition , the display unit 20 is formed of a plurality of pixels 10 connected to scan lines s 1 to sn and data lines d 1 to dm . in addition , each pixel 10 is connected to a first power supply elvdd and a second power supply elvss , and each of pixel 10 supplied with a first power elvdd ′ of the first power supply elvdd and a second power elvss ′ of the second power supply elvss , generates light corresponding to data signals in accordance with the current flowing to the second power supply elvss from the first power supply elvdd via an organic light emitting diode . referring to fig2 , each pixel 10 includes an organic light emitting diode ( oled ) and a pixel circuit 12 connected to the data line dm and the scan line sn to control the organic light emitting diode ( oled ). an anode electrode of the organic light emitting diode ( oled ) is connected to the pixel circuit 12 , and a cathode electrode thereof is connected to the second power supply elvss . the above - mentioned organic light emitting diode ( oled ) generates light having set or predetermined luminance corresponding to current supplied from the pixel circuit 12 . the pixel circuit 12 controls the amount of current supplied to the organic light emitting diode ( oled ) in accordance with the data signals supplied to the data line dm when the scan signals are supplied to the scan line sn . to this end , the pixel circuit 12 is configured to include a second transistor m 2 connected between the first power supply elvdd and the organic light emitting diode oled , a first transistor m 1 connected between the second transistor m 2 and the data line dm and is controlled by the scan line sn , and a storage capacitor cst connected between the gate electrode and the first electrode of the second transistor m 2 . here , the gate electrode of the first transistor m 1 is connected to the scan line sn , and the first electrode is connected to the data line dm . the second electrode of the first transistor m 1 is connected to one terminal of the storage capacitor cst . in this configuration , the first electrode is set as any one of a source electrode and a drain electrode , and the second electrode is set as an electrode different from the first electrode . for example , when the first electrode is set as the source electrode , the second electrode is set as the drain electrode . the first transistor m 1 connected to the scan line sn and the data line sm supplies the data signal supplied from the data line dm to the storage capacitor cst when the scan signal is supplied from the scan line sn . in this case , the storage capacitor cst charges the voltage corresponding to the data signal . the gate electrode of the second transistor m 2 is connected to one terminal of the storage capacitor cst , and the first electrode of the second transistor m 2 is connected to other terminal of the storage capacitor cst and the first power supply elvdd . the second electrode of the second transistor m 2 is connected to the anode electrode of the organic light emitting diode ( oled ). the second transistor m 2 controls the amount of current flowing to the second power supply elvss from the first power supply elvdd via the organic light emitting diode oled corresponding to the voltage value stored in the storage capacitor cst . in this case , the organic light emitting diode ( oled ) generates light corresponding to the amount of current supplied from the second transistor m 2 . the above - mentioned pixel structure of fig2 is only the exemplary embodiment of the present invention , and the pixel 10 of the present invention is not limited to the pixel structure of fig2 . the scan driver 30 generates the scan signals by the control of the timing controller 50 and supplies the generated scan signals to the scan lines s 1 to sn . the data driver 40 generates the data signals by the control of the timing controller 50 and supplies the generated data signals to the data lines d 1 to dm . fig3 is a diagram showing the dc - dc converter according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention . the dc - dc converter 60 converts input power vin and generates the first power elvdd ′ of the first power supply elvdd and the second power elvss ′ of the second power supply elvss and supplies them to the display unit 20 . in particular , the dc - dc converter 60 includes a resistor unit 100 electrically connecting a set or predetermined resistor r to a first output terminal out 1 from which the first power elvdd ′ is output , when the input power vin has the voltage of the specific range . therefore , when the voltage of the input power vin is in the specific range and when a call is placed during the pulse skip mode , the flicker phenomenon occurring in the display unit 20 may be removed by changing the pulse skip mode into either a discontinuous mode ( dcm ) or a continuous mode by increasing the load of the first output terminal out 1 which is done by connecting the first output terminal out 1 to the resistor r . referring to fig3 , the dc - dc converter 60 further includes a boost circuit 80 and a buck circuit 90 , together with the resistor unit 100 . the boost circuit 80 , which is a boost converter , generates the first power elvdd ′ boosting the input power vin applied to the input terminal input and outputs the first power elvdd ′ to the first output terminal out 1 . the buck circuit 90 , which is a buck converter , generates the second power elvss ′ bucking the input power vin applied to the input terminal input and outputs the second power elvss ′ to the second output terminal out 1 . the boost circuit 80 and the buck circuit 90 may be formed to have any suitable configuration as long as they are formed for boosting and bucking voltage and also may use any suitable circuit . the first power supply elvdd is a power supply boosting the input power vin and the second power supply elvss is a power supply bucking the input power vin , such that the first power supply elvdd supplies voltage larger ( higher in voltage level ) than the second power elvss . the input power vin may be transferred from the battery 70 installed in the mobile communication terminal . in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the resistor unit 100 includes a resistor r , a switching element t 1 , and a comparator 110 . the resistor r is a device having a set or predetermined resistance value , wherein the resistance value may be variously changed according to the experiment or the characteristics of the converter , etc . the switching element t 1 is disposed between the first output terminal out 1 outputting the first power elvdd and the resistor r and is on / off controlled by a comparison signals vcmp transferred from the comparator 110 . fig3 shows the case where the switching element t 1 is configured as an noms type transistor as an exemplary embodiment , but the present invention is not limited thereto . the comparator 100 compares the input power vin with reference voltage vref to perform the on / off control of the switching element t 1 through the comparison signal vcmp . in more detail , when the input power vin has voltage larger than the reference voltage vref , the switching element t 1 is turned - on to connect the resistor r to the first output terminal out 1 , and when the input power vin has voltage lower than the reference voltage vref , the switching device t 1 is turned - off to disconnect the resistor r from the first output terminal out 1 . describing the case where the switching device t 1 is the nmos type transistor as an example , the comparator 110 supplies the high - level comparison signal vcmp to the gate electrode of the transistor when the input power vin has the voltage larger than the reference voltage vref , to turn - on the switching element t 1 , and supplies the low - level comparison signal vcmp to the gate electrode of the transistor when the input power vin has voltage lower than the reference voltage vref , to turn - off the switching element t 1 . in this case , the reference voltage vref that is a comparison reference may be 4 . 0v . that is , when the input power vin is fluctuated above 4 . 0v , the resistor r may be connected to the first output terminal out 1 by determining the fluctuation of the input power vin . fig3 shows the case where the resistor unit 100 of the present invention is installed in the dc - dc converter 60 including both the boost circuit 80 and the buck circuit 90 , but the resistor unit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be installed in the dc - dc converter including only the boost circuit 80 . while the present invention has been described in connection with certain exemplary embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments , but , on the contrary , is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims , and equivalents thereof .	7
fig1 a through 8 , discussed below , and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure in this patent document are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the disclosure . those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably arranged system or device . the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of example embodiments of the invention as defined by the claims and their equivalents . it includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely example . accordingly , those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . also , descriptions of well - known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness . the terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings , but , are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the invention . accordingly , it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of example embodiments of the present invention are provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents . more particularly , the present disclosure relates to a method and an apparatus for enabling to take a self - portrait picture via a predetermined user input instead of inputting an exclusive button for taking a self - portrait picture . hereinafter , a method and an apparatus for a self - camera image capturing are described . though a self - camera image capturing indicates a self - portrait image capturing , the present disclosure is applicable to other general camera image capturing . a user input in the present disclosure includes both a user &# 39 ; s touch and a user &# 39 ; s input other than the user &# 39 ; s touch . fig1 a - c illustrate a user input operation for enabling a user to perform the self - camera image capturing conveniently and stably in a mobile terminal according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure . referring to fig1 a - c , a special key for the self - camera image capturing is not provided . instead , when a specific user input is detected on a preview screen , the image capturing is performed . that is , when a user performs a certain motion on a preview screen with his finger , the image capturing is performed . in fig1 a - c , the certain motion is “ v ”. the certain motion in fig1 a - c can be designated by the user . in addition , a user - designated certain motion setting is performed via an exclusive menu provided to the mobile terminal , and the user performs the certain motion on a touch screen of the mobile terminal to configure the certain motion . first , in fig1 a , the user takes a posture for the self - camera image capturing , and enters a user input in a lower diagonal direction in order to input “ v ” on the screen , that is , the preview screen . after that , in fig1 b , the user touches his / her finger on the screen , that is , the preview screen , and stands by for a predetermined time . the predetermined time is for improving the accuracy of “ v ” input recognition . at this point , the camera enters a half shutter mode . after that , in fig1 c , the user performs an input in an upper diagonal direction in order to complete an input “ v ” on the screen , that is , the preview screen . then , the camera image capturing is performed . fig2 a - c is a second view illustrating a user input operation for enabling a user to perform the self - camera image capturing conveniently and stably in a mobile terminal according to another example embodiment of the present disclosure . referring to fig2 a - c , a special key for the self - camera image capturing is not provided . instead , when a certain user input is detected on a preview screen , the image capturing is performed . in fig2 a - c , when a user enters a user input on the preview screen ( fig2 a ), a popup menu appears ( fig2 b ). the popup menu is shown on a popup . when the user provides a user input to the popup , a picture is taken ( fig2 c ). that is , the popup can be located on a position where a user can provide a user input conveniently . fig3 illustrates a process for allowing a user to take a self - portrait picture conveniently and stably in a mobile terminal according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure . referring to fig3 , when the mobile terminal enters a self - portrait image capturing mode ( step 305 ) and then detects a user input 1 ( step 310 ), the mobile terminal determines the validity of the user input 1 ( step 315 ). an example of determining the validity of the user input 1 is described below . a step of determining whether the user input 1 is valid can include determining whether the position ( ex : x , y coordinates ) of a user input and the length of the user input in fig1 a are between respective upper and lower thresholds , and determining whether the standby time shown in fig1 b is between another upper and lower thresholds . in addition , the upper threshold and the lower threshold can be set by the user beforehand or can be a predetermined value . alternatively , an algorithm for determining the validity of the user input 1 can be a generally suitable known algorithm . when the user input 1 is valid ( step 315 ), the mobile terminal enters a half shutter mode ( step 320 ). when the user input 1 is not detected ( step 310 ) or the user input 1 is not valid ( step 315 ), the mobile terminal monitors whether the user input 1 is detected again ( step 310 ). after that , when the mobile terminal detects a user input 2 ( step 325 ), the mobile terminal determines whether the user input 2 is valid ( step 330 ). a step of determining whether the user input 2 is valid can include determining whether the position ( x , y coordinates ) of a user input and the length of the user input in fig1 c are between respective upper and lower thresholds . in addition , the upper and lower thresholds can be configured by the user beforehand or can be a predetermined value . alternatively , an algorithm for determining the validity of the user input 2 can adopt any generally known suitable algorithm . when the user input 2 is valid ( step 330 ), the mobile terminal takes a picture ( step 335 ). when the user input 2 is not detected ( step 325 ) or the user input 2 is not valid ( step 330 ), the mobile terminal monitors whether the user input 2 is detected again ( step 325 ). after that , the mobile terminal displays a taken image ( i . e ., an image captured by the mobile terminal ) ( step 340 ), and when an instruction to store the taken image is received from the user ( step 345 ), the mobile terminal stores the taken image ( step 350 ). fig4 illustrates a process for allowing a user to take a self - portrait picture conveniently and stably in a mobile terminal according to another example embodiment of the present disclosure . referring to fig4 , when the mobile terminal enters a self - portrait image capturing mode ( step 405 ) and then detects a user - defined user input 1 ( step 410 ), the mobile terminal determines whether the user - defined user input 1 is valid ( step 415 ). here , the user - defined user input 1 indicates a user input pattern defined by the user . when the user - defined user input 1 is valid ( step 415 ), the mobile terminal enters a half - shutter mode ( step 420 ). when the user - defined user input 1 is not detected ( step 410 ), or the user - defined user input 1 is not valid ( step 415 ), the mobile terminal monitors whether the user - defined user input 1 is detected again ( step 410 ). after that , when the mobile terminal detects a user - defined user input 2 ( step 425 ), the mobile terminal determines whether the user - defined user input 2 is valid ( step 430 ). here , the user - defined user input 2 indicates a user input pattern defined by the user . an algorithm for determining whether the user - defined user input 1 and the user - defined user input 2 are valid can be the algorithm described in association to fig3 , or any other generally known suitable algorithm . when the user - defined user input 2 is valid ( step 430 ), the mobile terminal takes a picture ( step 435 ). when the user - defined user input 2 is not detected ( step 425 ), or the user - defined user input 2 is not valid ( step 430 ), the mobile terminal monitors whether the user - defined user input 2 is detected again ( step 425 ). after that , the mobile terminal displays a taken image ( i . e ., an image taken by the mobile terminal ) ( step 440 ) and when an instruction to store the taken image is received from the user ( step 445 ), the mobile terminal stores the taken image ( step 450 ). fig5 illustrates a process for allowing a user to perform a self - camera image capturing conveniently and stably in a mobile terminal according to still another example embodiment of the present disclosure . referring to fig5 , when the mobile terminal enters a self - camera image capturing mode ( step 505 ) and then detects a user input 1 on a screen ( step 510 ), the mobile terminal displays a popup ( step 515 ). here , the popup locates at a position at which the user entered a user input on the screen . after that , the mobile terminal enters a half shutter mode ( step 525 ). then , when detecting a user input with respect to the popup ( step 530 ), the mobile terminal takes a picture ( step 535 ). when not detecting the user input with respect to the popup ( step 530 ), the mobile terminal monitors whether a user input with respect to the popup is detected again . after that , the mobile terminal displays a taken image ( i . e ., an image taken by the mobile terminal ) ( step 540 ), and a command to store the taken image is received from the user ( step 545 ), the mobile terminal stores the taken image ( step 550 ). fig6 illustrates a process for indicating a half shutter mode according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure . referring to fig6 , when successfully detecting the user input 1 , the mobile terminal enters a half shutter mode . in this example , when the mobile terminal informs the user using the mobile terminal of that the mobile terminal enters the half shutter mode , more convenience can be provided to the user . when successfully detecting the user input 1 ( step 605 ), the mobile terminal enters the half shutter mode ( step 610 ) and generates a half shutter mode output informing that the mobile terminal enters the half shutter mode ( step 615 ). the half shutter mode can be notified by voice or sounds , vibration , or a message on a screen . in addition , the half shutter mode can be notified by a blinking of a light emitting diode ( led ) provided to the mobile terminal , or a blinking of a flash provided to the mobile terminal , which do not limit to the scope of the invention . fig7 illustrates a process for the image capturing by a detection of a user input 2 in a half shutter according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure . referring to fig7 , after outputting the half shutter mode ( step 705 ), the mobile terminal makes a preparation for a detection of the user input 2 ( step 710 ). the preparation for the detection of the user input 2 includes determining whether a process for detecting the user input 2 is configured to adopt an automatic image capturing mode . when the automatic image capturing mode is adopted ( step 715 ), the mobile terminal automatically performs the camera image capturing in a predetermined time ( step 725 ). in this example , a counter time remaining until taking a picture can be displayed . when the automatic picture taking mode is not configured ( step 715 ), the mobile terminal determines whether the user input 2 is detected ( step 720 ). when detecting the user input 2 ( step 720 ), the mobile terminal performs a camera image capturing ( step 730 ). the processes after this are the same as the above - described processes ( ex : store a taken image ). when detecting the user input 2 , instead of the user &# 39 ; s operation of providing the user input on the screen of the mobile terminal , the mobile terminal determines whether predetermined voice or sound is detected , and when the predetermined voice or sound is detected , the mobile terminal can determine that the user input 2 has been detected . in addition , when detecting the user input 2 , the mobile terminal determines whether the user &# 39 ; s specific gesture is input , and when the certain gesture is detected , the mobile terminal can determine that the user input 2 has been detected . fig8 illustrates a mobile terminal allowing a user to perform the self - camera image capturing conveniently and stably according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure . referring to fig8 , the mobile terminal includes a modem 810 , a controller 820 , a storage unit 830 , a user input detector 840 , a display unit 850 , an input unit 860 , and a camera 870 . the controller 820 controls the user input detector 840 . in addition , the user input detector 840 performs the self - camera image capturing using the camera 870 . the modem 810 serves as a module for communicating with other apparatuses , and includes a radio processor , a baseband processor , etc . the radio processor converts a signal received via an antenna into a baseband signal to provide the same to the baseband processor , and converts a baseband signal from the baseband processor into a radio frequency ( rf ) signal so that the signal can be transmitted on an actual rf path , to transmit the same via the antenna . all types of rf communication protocols currently in use can be used as an rf communication protocol used by the modem . the controller 820 controls an overall operation of the mobile terminal , and more particularly , controls the user input detector 840 according to the present disclosure . the storage unit 830 stores a program for controlling an overall operation of the mobile terminal and temporary data generated during execution of the program . particularly , the storage unit 830 stores a taken or generated image according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure . the display unit 850 displays an output of the controller 820 , and can be a liquid crystal display ( lcd ), for example . the input unit 860 serves as a unit for receiving a user input , and is positioned on the display unit 850 , and feeds the user input to the controller 820 . when the mobile terminal enters a self - camera image capturing mode and then detects the user input 1 , the user input detector 840 determines whether the user input 1 is valid . a step of determining whether the user input 1 is valid can include determining whether the position ( ex : x , y coordinates ) of a user input and the length of the user input in fig1 a is within the upper and lower thresholds , and determining whether the standby time in fig1 b is between the upper and lower thresholds . the upper threshold and the lower threshold can be configured by the user in advance or can be a predetermined value . when the user input 1 is valid , the user input detector 840 enters a half shutter mode . when the user input 1 is not detected , or the user input 1 is not valid , the user input detector 840 monitors whether the user input 1 is detected again . after that , when detecting the user input 2 , the user input detector 840 determines whether the user input 2 is valid . a step of determining whether the user input 2 is valid can include determining whether the position ( x , y coordinates ) of a user input and the length of the user input in fig1 c is between the upper and lower thresholds . likewise , the upper thresholds and the lower thresholds can be set by the user in advance or can be a predetermined value . when the user input 2 is valid , the user input detector 840 takes a picture from a camera . when the user input 2 is not detected , or the user input 2 is not valid , the user input detector 840 monitors whether the user input 2 is detected again . after that , the user input detector 840 displays a taken image on the display unit 850 , and when a user selects to store a taken image , the user input detector 840 stores the taken image in the storage unit 830 . after the mobile terminal enters a self - portrait picture mode , when detecting the user - defined user input 1 , the user input detector 840 determines whether the user - defined user input 1 is valid . here , the user - defined user input 1 is a user input pattern defined by the user . the position , the length , and the time of the user - defined user input 1 , and the upper threshold and the lower threshold can be arbitrarily set by the user . when the user - defined user input 1 is valid , the user input detector 840 enters a half shutter mode . when the user - defined user input 1 is not detected , or the user - defined user input 1 is not valid , the user input detector 840 monitors whether the user - defined user input 1 is detected again . after that , when detecting a user - defined user input 2 , the user input detector 840 determines whether the user - defined user input 2 is valid . here , the user - defined user input 2 is a user input pattern defined by the user . the position , and the length of the user - defined user input 2 , and the upper threshold and the lower threshold can be arbitrarily set by the user . when the user - defined user input 2 is valid , the user input detector 840 takes a picture from a camera . when the user - defined user input 2 is not detected , or the user - defined user input 2 is not valid , the user input detector 840 monitors whether the user - defined user input 2 is detected again . after that , the user input detector 840 displays a taken image on the display unit 850 , and when a user selects to store the taken image , the user input detector 840 stores the taken image in the storage unit 830 . alternatively , after the mobile terminal enters the self - camera mode , when the user input detector 840 detects a user input on the screen , the user input detector 840 displays a popup . here , the popup locates at a position at which the user entered the user input on the screen . after that , the user input detector 840 enters a half shutter mode ( step 525 ). after that , when detecting a user input with respect to the popup , the user input detector 840 performs the camera image capturing . when not detecting the user input with respect to the popup , the user input detector 840 monitors whether the user input with respect to the popup is detected again . after that , the mobile terminal displays a taken image on the display 850 , and when a user determines to store the taken image , the mobile terminal stores the taken image in the storage unit 830 . when successfully detecting the user input 1 , the user input detector 840 enters a half shutter mode . in this example , when the user input detector 840 informs the user who uses the mobile terminal that the user input detector 840 enters the half shutter mode , more convenience can be provided to the user . that is , when successfully detecting the user input 1 , the user input detector 840 enters a half shutter mode , and generates a half shutter mode notification informing that the user input detector 840 enters the half shutter mode . entering the half shutter mode can be notified by voice or sound , vibration , or a visual message on a screen . in addition , entering the half shutter mode can be notified by a blinking of a light emitting diode ( led ) provided to the mobile terminal , or a blinking of a flash provided to the mobile terminal , which does not limit the scope of the invention . after notifying of entering a half shutter mode , the user input detector 840 makes a preparation for detection of a user input 2 . the preparation for the detection of the user input 2 includes determining whether a process for detecting the user input 2 is configured to adopt an automatic image capturing mode . when the automatic image capturing mode is adopted , the user input detector 840 automatically takes a picture in a predetermined time . in this example , a counter showing a remaining time until taking a picture can be displayed . when the automatic image capturing mode is not adopted , the user input detector 840 monitors whether the user input 2 is detected . when detecting the user input 2 , the user input detector 840 takes a picture from a camera . the processes after this are the same as the above - described processes ( ex : store a taken image ). when detecting the user input 2 , instead of the user &# 39 ; s operation of providing the user input on the screen of the mobile terminal , the user input detector 840 determines whether certain user &# 39 ; s voice or sound is detected using an algorithm realized in advance , and when the certain user &# 39 ; s voice or sound is detected , the user input detector 840 can determine that the user input 2 has been detected . in addition , when detecting the user input 2 , the mobile terminal determines whether the user &# 39 ; s certain gesture is input , and when the certain gesture is detected , the mobile terminal can determine that the user input 2 has been detected . the present disclosure allows a user to take a self - portrait picture in a stable posture , thereby providing a convenience to the user . although the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain example embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents . therefore , the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the above - described embodiments but should be determined by not only the appended claims but also the equivalents thereof .	7
the parts illustrated in fig1 a to 1 c show the principle construction of a motor vehicle door , for which the seal according to the invention can be used . accordingly the door consists substantially of the following three sub - systems : the frame structure 3 of the depicted driver door has a window frame 30 with a vertical post - like frame region 300 on the b - pillar side which is connected to the edge of a transverse beam 33 on the window sill side . two fastening parts 31 , 32 are spaced apart and extend out from the side edges of the beam 33 functioning as the window sill reinforcement and serve to connect the frame structure 3 to the door body . the wet / dry space partition 2 generally represents a support plate made from metal or plastics or as a so - called outsert part with a sealing element 20 around the edge and on which a number of function units such as e . g . window lifter drive 21 , speaker 22 , lock 23 , cable harness and others are prefitted . the said sealing element 20 need not necessarily be formed as a separate strip - like part which is to be connected to the support plate 2 . it can also be provided in the form of a large surface sealing mat or sealing foil which is placed as a lining over the support part 2 . when using a wet / dry space partition 2 of plastics it is possible to injection mould the sealing element 20 in the same injection tool as the wet / dry space partition by using socalled multi - component injection moulding technology . the modular parts described above , namely the frame structure 3 and the wet / dry space partition 2 , can advantageously be connected together to form one superposed module . this is best carded out by fixing points which extend along the upper edge of the wet / dry space partition 2 and the window sill reinforcement 33 . thus during subsequent assembly on the door body only one part then has to be handled . the high degree of integration of the overriding module makes it possible to carry out an extensive prechecking of the parts systems and to meet the highest demands regarding quality . the door body 1 consists of a door outer skin 1 a and a door inner skin 1 b which are connected together through a surround - like region . a large surface cut out section 10 which opens upwards is incorporated in the door inner skin 1 b and after completing the door assembly will be closed and sealed by the wet / dry space partition 2 . for this purpose the overlapping edges of the door inner skin 1 b and the support plate 2 are pressed onto each other with the seal 20 interposed through fixing means ( preferably screws or rivets ). in the illustrated embodiment in fig1 c , a window sill reinforcement 1 aa is additionally provided in the upper edge region of the door outer skin . by leaving out the wet / dry space partition 2 fig2 a shows the interfaces between the door body 1 and the frame structure 3 , thus the fastening parts 31 , 32 of the frame structure 3 and the associated fastening regions 11 b , 12 b of the door body 1 . the base surfaces 40 thereby also form through the join 123 between the parts 1 , 3 a cohesive support surface for the outside seal 4 of the door . fig2 b shows the addition of the wet / dry space partition 2 so that the cut out section 10 and the fixing regions 11 a , 11 b , 31 , 32 are likewise covered in part , like the intermediate region of the window sill 33 . furthermore the door outside seal 4 is indicated diagrammatically in a partial area of the base surface 40 . in order to allow a better description of some of the possible variations of the interfaces between the three partial systems frame structure 3 , wet / dry space partition 2 and door body 1 fig3 a - 3 cc show different embodiments of the fastening parts 31 on the frame side and the fastening regions 11 ba of the door body 1 which can be combined therewith . the differences thereby relate solely to the arrangement of the sealing elements . according to these embodiments the fastening parts 31 are made from light metal casting and have fixing points 3100 provided with internal threads . the window sill 33 and the vertical frame region 300 are fixed or moulded thereon . the edge of the wet / dry space partition 2 supporting the sealing element 20 , 20 a engages at the sides ( on the outside ) over the fastening part 31 and thus also the adjoining fastening region 11 ba on the door side as well as the interposed gap which is to be sealed . a first combination variation exists between the fixing part 31 of fig3 a and the beam - like fastening region 11 ba of fig3 ab whose screw surface 110 ′ and upwardly aligned end surface 111 ′ are covered with sealing elements . the path of the outer seal 20 a which is illustrated diagrammatically shows that this intersects with contact the seal arranged on the screw face 110 ′. the door inside seal ( not shown ) which is in contact with the sealing element of the end face 111 ′ extends on the base surface 40 of the door inner skin 1 b . a secure protection of the vehicle interior from the outside dampness is ensured through this combination of sealing elements 20 , 20 a , 4 , 40 , 110 ′, 111 ′. the sealing variation of the door body according to fig3 ab can obviously also be combined with the frame structure variations of fig3 a and 3 c . it is however more advantageous to assign only one sealing element to one sealing gap so that with a combination of the variations of fig3 b and 3 ab the sealing element of the support surface 111 ′ ought to be omitted . in this case the one side edge of the sealing element arranged on the downward facing end surface 301 ′ would adjoin against the door outside seal 4 . for the embodiment variation of fig3 c with the sealing elements on the screw face 310 ′ and end face 301 ′ there is the seal - free variation of fig3 cc . the corresponding sealing elements can thus be combined in very different ways and are preferably fixed by adhesive on the selected surfaces 110 ′, 111 ′, 301 ′, 310 ′. in each case these sealing elements arranged between the fastening regions 11 b , 11 ba , 11 bb , 11 bc , 12 b , 31 , 32 of the frame structure 3 and door body 1 and having the sealing elements 20 , 20 a , 20 b , 20 c , 20 d of the wet / dry space partition 2 and the outer seal 4 of the door body 1 form a composite or cohesive bond without restricting the freedom of design for the door . fig3 d shows the corresponding door section after assembly in the region of the join 123 between the frame structure 3 and the door body 1 as well as the indicated path of the outer seal 4 . the path of the sealing element 20 extends over a part of the fastening region 11 ba on the body side , the fastening part 31 of the frame structure 3 as dwell as the shaft reinforcement 33 . in fig3 e a design element 1230 is shown which covers the join 123 and which is covered in part by a door inside trim ( not shown ) whose external contour 5 is indicated by a chain - dotted line . according to a further variation of the invention , see fig4 aa - 4 cc , the strut - like fastening region 11 bb on the body side is adjoined by side support faces 112 , 112 ′, 113 , 113 ′ which are associated with faces 302 , 302 ′, 310 , 310 ′, 311 , 311 ′ of the fastening part 31 on the frame structure side . the path of the sealing element 20 , 20 a of the support plate 2 is unchanged relative to the variation described above ( fig3 a - 3 e ). according to this the designs according to fig4 a and 4 aa are to be combined with each other whereby the fastening part on the frame structure side supports all the sealing elements which are attached to the faces 301 ′, 302 ′, 310 ′, 311 ′ in three planes and correspond with associated faces 110 , 111 , 112 , 113 of the fastening region 11 bb of the door body 1 . the outer seal 4 running on the side face 40 can thus be formed and arranged so that it contacts both the seal on the surface 301 ′ and the seal on the surface 302 ′. with the embodiment of fig4 b and 4 bb the sealing elements are spread out over the fastening regions 11 bb , 31 of the frame structure 3 and the door body 1 whilst according to the variation of fig4 c and 4 cc all the sealing elements are prefitted on the fastening region 11 bb on the door body side . the embodiments illustrated in fig4 d and 4 e differ only through the design element 1130 formed in one piece on the seal which covers the acute angled corner of the door outer skin 1 a . to this end a fastening part 31 can advantageously be combined with a seal arranged on the downward facing surface 301 of the window frame section 300 and supported on the upward facing surface 111 of the fastening region 11 bb . from the perspective view of fig5 a a variation of the invention is shown whose fastening region 11 bc on the door body side has an outward opening angled socket for receiving the fastening part 31 ′ on the frame side ( see fig5 b ). this fastening part 31 ′ is formed as a direct extension of the window frame region 300 ′ and is covered on its screw face 310 ′ and the downward facing support surface 312 ′ with sealing elements . furthermore the side support face 113 a can also be provided with a sealing element which is not shown in this illustration and which extends up to the outer seal 4 which extends along the vertically aligned base surface 40 . in the described embodiment the sealing element 20 can extend corresponding to the contour 20 d indicated over surface 112 a and up to the interface between the surface 114 and 312 ′. if however the sealing element is to be omitted between the faces 114 and 312 then the path of the seal 20 can correspond to the contour 20 c which does not intersect the corresponding interface areas 114 , 312 to prevent penetration of dampness . if in addition the sealing element at the screw surface 310 ′ is to be omitted then as a replacement a sealing element can be provided between the faces 111 a , 111 a ′ and 313 . the permissible region of the sealing element 20 would then be restricted to the path of the contour 20 b wherein the interface between the surfaces 110 a and 310 ′ is no longer crossed . fig5 c shows only the assembly of the door body and frame module in the region of the binding areas 11 bc , 31 ′.	1
the retractor of the invention comprises a rack bar 8 and a pair of spreader arms 10 and 12 . the position of arm 12 is fixed at one end of rack bar 8 , while arm 10 is movable along the rack bar by a pinion ( not shown ) on shaft 14 , which is manually rotatable through crank 16 . arm 10 carries retractor blades 18 and 20 , and arm 12 carries retractor blades 22 and 24 . arm 10 comprises a first part 26 , which is a body movable along the rack , a second part 28 which is preferably in the form of an elongated arm having a chamfered rectangular cross - section , and a slide 30 . elongated second part 28 is rotatable relative to first part 26 about an axis along its direction of elongation , but the two parts are normally locked against such rotation . slide 30 is movable along elongated part 28 , but is likewise normally locked against such movement . arm 12 consists of a similar first part 32 , an elongated second part 34 and a slide 36 . as shown in fig2 part 32 , which is preferably fixed at one end of rack 8 , has a circular cylindrical through passage 38 extending from a face 40 at one end to a face 42 at its opposite end . a cylindrical projection 44 of arm 34 is designed to fit into passage 38 , conforming closely to the interior wall thereof . cylinder 44 extends almost to the opening at face 42 , as shown in fig1 . a collar 46 on part 34 is engageable with face 40 , and has a pair of pins 48 and 50 which are adapted to enter any adjacent pair of holes in a series of holes , including holes 52 and 54 , arranged about the opening of passage 38 equidistant from the axis thereof . engagement of the pins in the holes in face 40 locks part 34 against rotation relative to part 32 . screw 56 is threaded into a threaded opening at the end of cylinder 44 by tightening head 58 until shoulder 60 of the screw engages face 42 , as shown in fig1 . in this manner , part 34 is releasably locked to part 32 in one of several selectable discrete rotational relationships . part 28 of the movable spreader arm 10 is similarly adjustably locked to part 26 . as shown in fig1 and 3 , slide 36 is clamped to elongated part 34 of arm 12 by set screw 62 . slide 30 is likewise clamped to part 28 by set screw 63 , as illustrated in fig4 and 5 . parts 28 and 34 of the spreader arms are substantially parallel to each other . so that the retractor can lie as near as possible to the patient &# 39 ; s chest during surgery , part 28 is preferably bent slightly at 64 , as shown in fig5 and part 34 is similarly bent . at the bend is only a slight one , parts 28 and 34 can be considered as substantially straight and as extending along their axes of rotation . slides 30 and 36 are adjustable along the straight major portions of the elongated elements by releasing set screws 62 and 63 . slide 30 is adapted to receive an auxiliary retractor 65 , which can be used in mitral valve surgery . referring to fig1 and 5 , retractor 65 is clamped to a post 66 , which engages the upper face of slide 30 . this face has a slot 68 extending at least to one end of the slide and preferably to both ends . the slot is undercut at 70 to receive rectangular head 72 of a screw , the shank 74 of which extends upwardly through the slot and into a threaded opening in the bottom of post 66 . post 66 is tightened against the upper face of slide 30 by rotation of its knurled collar 76 . rectangular head 72 is not rotatable in the undercut portion of the slot , and consequently it is possible to secure post 66 in position merely by rotation of the post itself . each of blades 18 , 20 , 22 and 24 has two degrees of freedom for pivoting movement relative to the spreader arm on which it is mounted . for example , as shown in fig3 blade 24 is supported on pivot pin 78 , which extends substantially through bifurcated element 80 , perpendicular to the direction of the axis of rotation of part 34 . the bifurcated element has an extension 82 , which extends substantially perpendicular to pin 78 , through a hole in a flange extending lengthwise along the bottom of slide 36 . extension 82 terminates at a point slightly beyond the outer face of the flange . a screw 84 is threaded into the end of extension 82 , and its head is tightened against the end of the extension , but not against the face of the flange . this way , element 80 can rotate about the axis of extension 82 . consequently , blade 84 is pivotable about the axis of pin 78 and about the axis of extension 82 , these two axes being substantially perpendicular to each other and to the axis of rotation of part 34 . blade 24 , however , is prevented by pin 78 and bifurcated element 80 from rotation about the axis of rotation of part 34 . each of the other blades is similarly mounted for pivoting movement about two substantially perpendicular axes , and is prevented from rotation about a spreader arm rotation axis to which the other two axes are both substantially perpendicular . the blades are pivotable at least to a limited degree to allow them to conform automatically to the sternal edges . the blades , however , cannot rotate about axes extending lengthwise of the spreader arms , the attitude of the blades on these axes being determined by the relationship of the second parts of the spreader arms to the cylindrical bodies attached to the rack bar . as shown in fig6 the fixed spreader arm of the retractor is adjusted counterclockwise , and positioned against the sternal edge on the right side of the patient . the movable spreader arm is likewise adjusted counterclockwise and positioned against the sternal edge on the left side of the patient . when the retractor is in place , the surgeon tilts the retractor so that the movable arm is slightly raised . thereafter , when the elements of the retractor are moved apart by the operation of the rack and pinion , the counterclockwise adjustment of the spreader arms causes the left side 86 of the sternum to be automatically lifted to provide access to the left internal thoracic vascular pedicle 88 for dissection . the ability to adjust blade attitude also has the advantage that it allows the blades to be positioned to grasp the sternal edges firmly to avoid possible slippage and disengagement , which could occur with a conventional sternal spreader . an important advantage of allowing the blades to pivot in two directions is that it provides improved compensation for misalignments between the blades and the sternal edges which result when the retractor arms are twisted . if the retractor were reversed , so that the rack bar is positioned toward the patient &# 39 ; s head , but with the attitudes of the blades unchanged , the right side of the patient &# 39 ; s chest would be lifted when the retractor arms are spread apart . the several discrete positions for adjustment of the blade attitudes allow the surgeon to adjust the retractor as desired to take into account differences between patients . furthermore , different degrees of tilting of the blades may be needed , depending on whether the instrument is being used for left or right internal mammary dissection . the engagement of pins in holes to secure the blades at the desired attitude relative to the rack bar insures against accidental slippage , while still providing a high degree of flexibility for the surgeon . additional adjustability is provided by longitudinal adjustment of the slides . their positions relative to the rack bar can be adjusted by the surgeon to adapt the retractor the length of the patient &# 39 ; s sternum . the slides are independently adjustable relative to each other , and such adjustment may be desirable in certain cases . to dissect the right internal mammary artery , preferably the blade - carrying slides are moved toward the rack bar and locked in position . the rack bar is positioned toward the patient &# 39 ; s head . the arms are both rotated counterclockwise about thirty degrees , and the blades are positioned at the level of the distal portion of the sternum and opened progressively by operation of the rack . when the rack is operated , the right side of the sternum is raised . to dissect the left internal mammary artery , the retractor is preferably adjusted so that the blades are near the ends of the retractor arms remote from the rack bar . the arms are rotated counterclockwise about thirty degrees , or more if necessary , and the rack bar is located toward the patient &# 39 ; s abdomen , with the blades placed either at the mid third or slightly toward the lower third of the sternum . when the rack is operated , the left side of the sternum is raised . in bilateral internal mammary artery dissection , the right artery is preferably dissected first , which the rack bar toward the patient &# 39 ; s head . after dissection of the right artery the retractor is removed , readjusted and reversed so that the rack bar is toward the patient &# 39 ; s abdomen . the surgeon then proceeds to expose the left artery . following internal mammary dissection , the arms of the retractor can be rotated to a neutral position , and the retractor can then be used as a standard sternal retractor . the retractor , while specially adapted for internal mammary artery dissection , can be used wherever sternal retraction is required in surgery . if it is equipped with one or more slotted slides corresponding to slide 30 , auxiliary retractors can be conveniently supported on the slides with a minimum of intrusion into the space available for the surgeon . numerous modifications can be made to the retractor specifically described . for example , instead of using pins and holes to accomplish locking of the movable part of the spreader arms to the fixed parts , as depicted in fig2 the engaging faces of body 32 and collar 45 can be provided with interengaging teeth , which will hold the parts of the spreader arm in fixed relationship to each other when screw 56 is tightened . alternative forms of rack bars can be used , such as rack bars with ratchet teeth . if desired , both spreader arms can be made movable along the rack bar . numerous other modifications can be made to the apparatus herein described without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims .	0
[ 0014 ] fig1 shows the generation of a status bit that displays the occurrence of slip and that is capable of being processed further . as indicated in the illustration according to fig1 two input variables 1 , 2 are forwarded to a comparison step 3 . input variable 1 represents the rotational speed of the alternator n gen . input variable 2 represents the instantaneous crankshaft rotational speed n kw of the internal combustion engine that drives the alternator . input variable 2 is picked off by a communication interface of the vehicle electronics and it is picked off in cyclic fashion by a speed sensor , so that instantaneous value of the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine present at the comparison step 3 is always current . in the comparison step shown in fig1 as a schematic representation only , the actual instantaneous slip value 4 s is calculated according to the relationship : ( n kw · u ¨ - n gen ) n kw · u ¨ = s the output value for the instantaneous slip 4 s determined in the comparison step 3 that was determined according to the relationship shown hereinabove is forwarded to a threshold value step 5 . a freely specifiable maximum slip value s max is stored in the threshold value step 5 . in the threshold value step 5 , it can be determined whether the values for the instantaneous slip 4 s transmitted continuously by the comparison step 3 are above the maximum permissible slip value s max stored in the threshold value step 5 . if the instantaneously determined value of the slip 4 s exceeds the maximum slip value s max stored in the threshold value step 5 , this value is investigated for its plausibility and chronologically filtered in a plausibility - check and filtering step 7 , 8 . after the plausibility - check and filtering step 7 , 8 is passed , its output variable is a status bit that contains the event : “ instantaneous slip 4 s is occurring that exceeds the maximum permissible slip value s max ”. this status bit 9 can be entered in a fault memory . the further processing of the generated status bit for instantaneously occurring slip that is used as a triggering signal to limit the drive torque of the alternator is shown in fig2 . before being transmitted to a first limiting step for the drive torque of the alternator , the status bit 9 is picked off at a branch 11 and entered as a fault entry 13 in a fault memory 12 . the fault memory 12 itself can be read out via a diagnostics device in a workshop , where the necessary actions can be taken to rectify the impermissibly high slip occurring in the belt drive . it is also possible to use the status bit 9 to notify the driver of the presence of an impermissibly high slip in a display in the instrument panel of the vehicle , so that said driver can rectify the problem himself if possible . in a first limiting step 18 to limit the drive torque of the alternator , a torque limitation 14 of the maximum torque 15 to a reduced torque 16 takes place . the transition from the maximum torque 15 to the reduced torque 16 is indicated by a torque jump δm in the illustration according to fig2 . this torque jump is triggered by the status bit 9 , so that a variable is obtained by means of the first limiting step 18 for the drive torque of the alternator at a summing point 19 downstream from the torque limitation 14 , which said variable represents a reduced torque 16 for the driving of the alternator . the output variable present at the summing point 19 after the first limiting step 18 represents a value for the reduced torque 16 with which the alternator can be driven if the maximum slip value 6 s max is exceeded , so that the instantaneous slip value 4 s drops below the maximum slip value 6 s max . a limiting step is indicated by reference numeral 20 , the output variable 22 of which is forwarded , with a sign , to the heretofore - mentioned summing point 19 . by means of the second limiting step 20 , the variable — that corresponds to the reduced drive torque 16 of the alternator — forwarded to the summing point 19 at first limiting step 18 on the output side can be reduced once more . on the input side , the second limiting step 20 is acted upon by the input variable 2 n kw representing the instantaneous speed 2 of the internal combustion engine . in the second limiting step 20 , the respective instantaneous speed 2 of the internal combustion engine is evaluated so as to detect an acceleration phase in which a slipping - through of the v - belt on the alternator is make obvious by a loud squealing noise . for this purpose , the input variable 2 , which represents the instantaneous rotational speed of the internal combustion engine , is chronologically differentiated , and an input variable 22 is generated that has a negative sign and is forwarded to the aforementioned summing point 19 . the input variable of the second limiting step 20 represents a variable by which the drive torque of the alternator must be further reduced in order to prevent the slipping belt from slipping through on the alternator in this unfavorable operating state . by means of the second limiting step 20 , the coincidence of unfavorable operating states is taken account to the extent that the occurrence of instantaneous slip 4 s itself , as well as the rotational speed behavior of the internal combustion engine during an acceleration phase are taken into consideration in the determination of the maximum permissible drive torque for the alternator at the summing point 19 by means of appropriate proportions . a variable for the drive torque of the alternator reduced via the first limiting step 18 and the second limiting step 20 is therefore present at the summing point 19 , which said variable can be forwarded as an input variable to the closed - loop control 23 of the alternator . using this input value , representing a drive torque variable reduced one or two - fold , the generator output power can be limited and the transferrable drive torque - transferred by the belt drive - can be adjusted . as a result , on the one hand , the drive torque to be transferred can be adjusted for the service life of the belt with slippage , so that the service life of the belt can be extended , and , on the other hand , the noise emission produced by belts slipping through on the pulley - whether they are open - flank belts or belts with ribbed “ v ” cross - sections - can be prevented . a limiting of the generator output power can be activated , but this is not absolutely necessary , since the electrical components required in the motor vehicle can be supplied for a short period of time by the automotive battery present in the motor vehicle . [ 0024 ] reference numerals 1 input variable alternator speed n gen 2 input variable crankshaft rotational speed n kw 3 comparison step 4 output variable slip s 5 threshold value step 6 maximum slip value s max 7 plausibility - check step 8 filtering step 9 output variable status bit 10 signal further processing 11 branch 12 fault memory 13 fault entry 14 torque limiting 15 maximum torque 16 reduced torque 17 torque jump δm 18 first limiting step 19 summing point 20 second limiting step 21 evaluation step acceleration d n kw / dt 22 output variable 23 closed - loop control of alternator to reduced drive torque 24 reduced output power	5
fig1 illustrates an nmosfet device in accordance with the present invention . except for the specific processing employed to carry out the purposes of the present invention , device fabrication is accomplished in a conventional fashion . fig1 particularly indicates underlying n - doped substrate 99 . in accordance with conventional processes , field oxide layer 115 is grown on substrate 99 by exposing the substrate to oxygen at a high temperature , so as to form an insulating layer of silicon oxide 115 . this layer is etched in a patterned fashion so as to define active areas on the chip or wafer . p - doped well 100 is typically thereafter formed by ion implantation through the active area openings in the field oxide . a thin silicon oxide layer is then grown over the entire substrate . this oxide layer ultimately forms gate oxide 116 which comprises the structure which is subject to the hot electron trapping effect discussed above . over this thin oxide layer , a layer of polycrystalline silicon is deposited and heavily doped with an n - type dopant so as to provide a material exhibiting high electrical conductivity . this layer eventually forms gate electrode 130 . alternatively , metal rather than doped polycrystalline silicon may be employed for the gate electrode material . in any event , at this stage in the process , a mask is generally employed to produce gate electrode and electrode interconnection patterns where desired . these patterns are created by selective removal of the polycrystalline silicon or metal gate electrode material which typically leaves a thin oxide layer in the active area . at this stage in the semiconductor manufacturing process , special process steps are employed to effect the formation of the structure illustrated in fig1 . more particularly , at this point in the process , a light concentration of n - type dopant such as arsenic is deposited in a buried layer . this deposition occurs by means of ion implantation at a voltage of approximately 200 kev . this results in the formation of lightly doped n - regions 103 and 104 ( between the dotted lines ) at a depth of approximately 1 , 000 angstroms below the silicon / oxide interface . doped n - regions 103 and 104 extend inwardly toward the gate region to form the protrusions shown . it is these protrusions which provide for reduced hot electron trapping effects in the buried channel device herein . in accordance with the present invention , a second doping is performed at a reduced potential . thus , n - - regions 105 and 106 are formed by doping with a light concentration of dopant such as arsenic . it should be noted that regions 103 , 104 , 105 , and 106 extend from field oxide 115 inwardly to the left and right edges of gate electrode 130 . this doping is performed at an implant dosage of between approximately 10 12 and 10 14 dopant atoms per square centimeter of source or drain region . in contrast , prior art doping process steps are carried out at much lower implantation voltages and do not produce the graded , buried spacer structures shown in fig1 . it is noted that regions 103 and 104 may be formed before or after regions 105 and 106 , but that is possible to perform the deeper implant first . at this stage of the process , another silicon oxide layer is deposited on the surface of the wafer or chip . however , in contrast to other methods for depositing an oxide layer , in this process step chemical vapor deposition is typically employed since it is desired to cover the entire surface of the device . a reactive ion etching step is then carried out , typically in an atmosphere of trifluoromethane ( chf 3 ) to anisotropically etch away most of this silicon layer except in those areas exhibiting sharp vertical transitions such as on either side of gate electrode 130 . the anisotropic etching is advantageous in that it leaves oxide spacers 117 &# 39 ; on either side of gate electrodes 130 . these spacers provide an important function in mitigating the effects of hot electrons generated near the oxide / semiconductor interface below the gate and more particularly in the vicinity between the gate the device drain . additionally , spacers 117 &# 39 ; also provide a form of self aligned mask for the next process step which is the ion implantation or diffusion of the source and drain regions . in accordance with the present invention , a heavier , n + , doping is applied to the source and drain regions of the active area . typically , this second doping process step is performed at an implant dosage of about 8 × 10 15 dopant atoms per square centimeter . this results in the formation of regions 101 and 102 in fig1 these regions typically extending to a depth of between about 1 , 500 and 4 , 000 angstroms . because of the masking effect produced by spacers 117 &# 39 ;, only a small n and n - doped region of the source and drain are left to extend inwardly from regions 101 and 102 . these are the protrusions which form a part of layers 103 , 104 , 105 , and 106 as shown . typically each gate side spacer 117 &# 39 ; is between about 0 . 1 and 0 . 2 microns in width . accordingly , the more lightly doped source and drain protrusions extend inwardly toward the gate for a corresponding distance of between approximately 0 . 1 and 0 . 2 microns . in accordance with the present invention , it is also possible to employ gate spacers 117 &# 39 ; which comprise polysilicon material . in this embodiment , lightly doped regions 103 , 104 , 105 , and 106 can be implanted at more conventional voltage levels , say for example , 90 kev . in this embodiment , buried channels are formed as the doped polysilicon or metal spacer is biased to a positive voltage via a doped polysilicon gate . in the event that it is desired to employ doped polycrystalline silicon spacers , reactive ion etching is employed to effect removal of the polycrystalline silicon material in the gate masking portion of the process . in the present invention , regions 105 and 106 are lightly doped , preferably with a dopant such as arsenic at an implant dosage of between approximately 10 12 to 10 14 dopant atoms per square centimeter . the dopant implant dosage in regions 103 and 104 is slightly higher , being between approximately between 10 13 to 10 14 dopant atoms per square centimeter . it is noted , however , that these implant dosages produce dopant concentrations in these regions prior to the heavy dopant implant n + in source region 101 and drain region 102 . nonetheless , the lighter dopant concentrations are preserved in the portions of the source and drain which protrude and extend toward one another , as a result of the shielding effect provided by shoulders spacers 117 &# 39 ;. the heavier , n + dopant implant dosage is typically about 8 × 10 15 dopant atoms per square centimeter . fig2 illustrates the relative improvement in the lateral electrical field in the gate region achieved by various subsurface spacer configurations . in particular , fig2 illustrates computer simulated variation in electrical field strength as a function of channel position . the electrical field strength is measured in megavolts per centimeter and the channel position is given in microns . fig2 also indicates the various device regions across the gate region of the semiconductor material in a mosfet device . more particularly , fig2 illustrates the variation from the source to the drain region through the gate region and includes spacers on either side of the gate electrode . in all cases shown , the source - to - drain voltage , and the source - to - gate voltage was fixed at 5 . 5 volts . in the event that conventional arsenic - doped spacers are employed at the surface of the semiconductor substrate , it is seen that the lateral field reaches a peak of approximately 0 . 21 megavolts per centimeter in the vicinity between the gate and the drain . if the hybrid spacer structure of the present invention is employed , it is seen that the peak simulated electric field strength is reduced to approximately 0 . 15 megavolts per centimeter . however , in the structure in which only buried spacers are present , it is seen that a maximum lateral electric field strength of only approximately 0 . 12 megavolts per centimeter is produced . however , this device is somewhat lacking in gate control capabilities . these capabilities are restored by the structure of the present invention . in any event , the reduction in lateral electric field strength is greatly desired for controlling the hot electron effect . accordingly , it is seen from the above that the methods and structure of the present invention provide a viable solution to the problem of hot electron entrapment in the oxide layer of a mosfet device . it is also seen that the present invention provides a simplified process for producing the desired structural implant modifications without departing from conventional processing methodologies . it is also seen that the present invention permits the shrinkage of mosfet circuits to densities which are even greater than those currently achievable without the necessity of scaling down supply voltages . accordingly , devices manufactured in accordance with the present invention are much more readily incorporated in currently existing systems . it is also seen that the devices of the present invention are much better able to undergo voltage stress without significant device characteristic impairment . it is additionally noted that , while it is generally preferred that both the source and drain regions possess the buried channel structure of the present invention , it is possible to employ such a structure in only one of these regions . however , in transistors in which current flow is unidirectional , it is genrally preferred to employ such structures only in the drain region . while the invention has been described in detail herein in accord with certain preferred embodiments thereof , many modifications and changes therein may be effected by those skilled in the art . accordingly , it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention .	8
the disclosed invention and method provides a highly automated system for testing for salmonella enterica bacteria ( 2 ). fig1 shows an externalized view of the entire testing apparatus as a whole . a base station unit ( 600 ) utilizes a built - in lcd ( 602 ) for display of data . examples of data shown would be progress of testing , current temperature , average temperature , current power level of the batteries , time to finishing of testing , and other such information . fig1 exhibits a wireless antenna for data transmission ( 601 ), a standard usb connection ( 603 ) for data and power transfer to an externalized programming device such as a personal computer ( not shown ), and external power supply connector ( 604 ) for power which can be utilized from an ac or dc power source . an additional externalized battery ( not shown ) can be connected via the power port ( 604 ) or via the usb port ( 603 ) by means known in the art . fig2 a depicts a testing device specimen cup ( 500 ) and lid ( 501 ). a usb communication port ( 406 ) within the lid ( 501 ) to the base station ( 600 ) is visible . fig2 b is an inverted view of the liquid sealed container ( 500 ) for the food sample and container lid ( 501 ) that is shown in fig2 a . because the orientation is changed in this view , a salmonella aptamer sensor ( 502 ) coupled to the underside of the lid ( 501 ) is visible . fig2 c shows the container lid ( 501 ) and its internalized components . the usb connection ( 406 ) is visible again , and is shown coupled to a printed circuit board ( pcb ) ( 400 ) in the lid ( 501 ). also coupled to the underside of the pcb ( 400 ) in the lid ( 501 ) is a salmonella aptamer sensor ( 502 ). fig2 d is a perspective view of the pcb ( 400 ) coupled within the lid ( 501 ) and the coupled salmonella aptamer sensor ( 502 ). fig2 e depicts the reverse side of the pcb ( 400 ) shown in fig2 d . in fig2 e , the pcb ( 400 ) and an array of electrodes coded with salmonella sensors forming capacitive plates ( 103 ) is seen . note that these sensors are grooved . in this configuration , no pumping device is needed inside the sample cup ( 500 ) to assist the aptamer sensors ( 502 ) with proper flow . however , it should be expressly understood that a pumping device can be added as an alternative embodiment of the invention to improve flow without departing from the original spirit and scope of the invention . fig3 shows a preferred embodiment of the internal components of the base station unit ( 600 ). the wireless antenna ( 601 ) is shown again , along with the lcd ( 602 ), usb connection ( 603 ), and power port ( 604 ), as previously described . in addition , a base pcb ( 610 ) in the base station ( 600 ) is visible , which houses a cpu , flash memory , and other solid state components of the base station ( 600 ). a plurality of batteries ( 615 ) are also comprised within the base station ( 6000 . here it is envisioned that two c size rechargeable batteries known in the art may be used , but other battery power sources or sizes can be used without straying from the scope of the invention . fig4 a depicts the width ( wcap ) ( 52 ) of the salmonella aptamer sensors ( 502 ) and the relative distance ( dcap ) ( 51 ) between the aptamer sensors ( 502 ). these gaps ( 51 , 52 ) are important in determining proper capacitance for the sensing of the presence of salmonella enterica bacteria . fig4 b is a magnified view of an individually immobilized aptamer sensor ( 502 ). a salmonella enterotica ( 2 ) is visible with its binding domain on an outer membrane protein ( 1 ). an immobilized s . typhimurium aptamer ( 11 ) is shown , linked via a linker ( succinic anhydride ) ( 12 ) to an amino - silanization molecule ( 13 ). the amino - silanization molecule ( 13 ) is connected to a sio2 insulator ( 14 ), a p - si substrate ( 15 ), and finally to a conductive electrode ( 16 ) for the electronics interface . together , these elements form the smallest working construct of the aptamer sensor plate ( 502 ). the insulation plate ( 17 ) ( not shown ) would be placed directly between the pcb ( 400 ) in the lid ( 501 ) and the aptamer biosensor plate ( 502 ). fig4 c is a diagram showing the molecular shape of the immobilized s . typhimurium aptamer ( 11 ). the linker ( succinic anhydride ) ( 12 ) and the amino - silanization molecule ( 13 ) are also shown in their placement and orientation . the sio2 insulator ( 14 ) is also viewable where it is connected to the amino - silanization molecule ( 13 ). fig5 is a schematic representation of the preferred embodiment of the invention depicting an equivalent electrical circuit of the capacitor array ( 103 ) shown in fig2 e . an effective sensor geometry gx ( 300 ) is shown , coupled to an electrode plate assembly ( 100 ). an op amp buffer ( 201 ) increases the input impedance of a detector circuit ( 200 ), and ensures a near perfect square wave from an input signal ( 207 ). a current signal ( 208 ), which is proportional to the amount of hybridization of the analytes with the capture reagents , is detected at the output of circuit ( 200 ) due to its impedance . an active amplifier ( 202 ), transforms the current signal ( 208 ), into a voltage signal ( 209 ), whose area under the curve is proportional to the hybridization . fig6 is a schematic representation of the preferred embodiment of the invention depicting an equivalent electrical circuit of the capacitor array , and an alternate representation of the detector circuit shown in fig5 . the circuit schematic , noted by reference designator ( 110 ), comprises a resistance of the interface between electrode a and test sample solution ( ra ) ( 105 ), a double - layer capacitance between electrode a and test sample solution ( ca ) ( 106 ), the resistance ( rs ) ( 107 ) of the test sample solution within the sensor body ( 100 ), a resistance of electrode b / solution interface ( rb ) ( 108 ), and a double - layer capacitance of electrode b / solution interface ( cb ) ( 109 ). the capacitor array ( 110 ) forming the biosensor , is interfaced with the capacitive detector circuit ( 200 ). the op amp buffer ( 201 ) increases the input impedance of the detector circuit ( 200 ), and ensures a near perfect square wave from the input signal ( 207 ). a current signal ( 208 ), which is proportional to the amount of hybridization of the analytes with the capture reagents , is detected at the output of detector circuit ( 110 ) due to its impedance . the active amplifier ( 202 ) transforms the current signal ( 208 ) into a voltage signal ( 209 ), whose area under the curve is proportional to the hybridization . fig7 shows an equivalent circuit to that of the detector circuit ( 110 ) of the salmonella biosensor and how the circuit can be decomposed to model for each pair of capacitive plates ( 103 ) in the capacitor matrix array ( 300 ). each pair of capacitive plates ( 103 ) forms an electrode - electrolyte interface with the solution which can be represented with an equivalent circuit ( 120 ). because the solution medium is dynamic , the circuit for each plate pair is shorted at the electrode and solution interface . thus , the equivalent circuit of the entire sensor can be written as the combined circuits of each plate pair , which is electrically in parallel to its neighbor pair . equations 9 - 13 allow the parameters of the detector circuit ( 110 ) be derived from the parameters of each plate pair ( 120 ). fig8 is a visual schematic of a temperature sensor ( 403 ) disposed on the pcb ( 400 ) coupled within the lid ( 501 ). a microcontroller ( 401 ) in the lid ( 501 ) acts as the master control by reading a salmonella aptamer sensor ( 402 ) and the temperature sensor ( 403 ) and then writing this data to a memory present on the base pcb ( 610 ) in the base station ( 600 ). an optional circulation pump ( 404 ) is also controlled by the microcontroller ( 401 ), while the power supply ( 405 ) for the cup ( 500 ) is provided by means of usb communication from the lid usb port ( 406 ) to the base station ( 600 ). fig9 is a schematic block diagram of the computations performed by a central processing unit ( cpu ) ( 611 ) on the base pcb ( 610 ). the cpu ( 611 ) in the base station ( 600 ) communicates and commands all other aspects of the base pcb ( 610 ). wireless communication via the antenna ( 601 ) to an external receiver ( 612 ) allows communication between the aptamer based salmonella detection system and a central control location such as an external computer for data collection . the lid usb communication ( 613 ) to the lid ( 501 ) provides the input from the sample analysis taking place in the cup ( 500 ). further , a power supply ( 614 ) for the base station ( 600 ) is provided via batteries ( 615 ) under normal operation . the use of the antenna ( 601 ) and batteries ( 615 ) allows cordless and wireless use of the device . the invention described herein is designed to be highly automated so as to allow minimal training to be needed in order to carry out the examination . for example the device can be installed on the container that is transporting the goods to be tested . the device is housed in a weatherproof box ( not shown ), and is attached securely to the outside of the container to travel with the goods . this would allow testing to be verified on the other end of the route , if needed . to prepare a testing cycle , broth ( such as bhi broth ) will be added in a set amount to the cup ( 500 ), allowing enough room for addition of a sample of the food . the food sample is then added to the specimen cup ( 500 ). next , the lid detection device ( 501 ) is prepared for use by pulling a plastic tabbed cover ( not shown ) from the aptamer sensing plate ( 502 ). subsequently , the lid ( 501 ) is placed firmly on the specimen cup ( 500 ), and this combination unit is then turned upside down and placed into the base station ( 600 ) as seen in fig1 . after this preparation procedure , the remainder of the testing is automated . results can be wirelessly transmitted at any wifi access point via the antennae ( 601 ), such as those present in warehouses and at weigh stations . after the testing procedure is accomplished , the cup ( 500 ) and lid ( 501 ) are disposed of , and the base station ( 600 ) is utilized with a new cup ( 500 ) and lid ( 501 ). standard off - the - shelf components are utilized whenever possible for the purpose of diminishing the cost of the device , while also maintaining the high level of quality and versatility that can be garnered by utilizing standardized parts . the custom components involved in the making of the device , including the base station ( 600 ), lid ( 501 ), and cup ( 500 ), are the pcb boards ( 610 , 400 ), the aptamer plate ( 100 ), the software , and the various device housings . programming of the device can be accomplished via the usb connection ( 603 ) on the base station ( 600 ). the base ( 600 ) of the device utilizes a liquid crystal display ( lcd ) screen ( 602 ) to output visually the state and results of the testing procedure without the need to connect to a standard personal computer . the device is programmed at a central location so that the field use of the device is as simplified as possible , and also to avoid tampering with the device via manipulation of the controls . the device may be powered by an electrical source of any kind , including the batteries ( 615 ), the dc current from a truck or car or externalized battery ( not shown ) attached via the power charging port ( 604 ), or by ac current from a wall socket , or other source ( not shown ) to the charging port ( 604 ). in an alternative embodiment , if the device is mounted on the outside of a shipping container , the device may utilize a solar power photo - electric cell layer on the outside of the weatherproof enclosure ( not shown ) for the device as a power source . finally , the device allows for previously unavailable simplified collection of data on food spoilage . because the device runs at all times , and utilizes a real - time clock along with a temperature sensor , the device is capable of recording conditions within the sample at all times during the transit of the device . this kind of information has not been available previously , and will allow for the designing of higher accuracy predictions in regards to food spoilage , based upon time and temperature conditions . in summary , the disclosed invention allows for highly automated , accurate testing for salmonella enterica bacteria in food sources , during transit , accomplished by lightly trained personnel , but also providing high accuracy and reasonable cost . further , the device will collect information on salmonella enterica over time and record this information , allowing for greater accuracy and more dependable results . many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . therefore , it must be understood that the illustrated embodiment has been set forth only for the purposes of example and that it should not be taken as limiting the invention as defined by the following invention and its various embodiments . therefore , it must be understood that the illustrated embodiment has been set forth only for the purposes of example and that it should not be taken as limiting the invention as defined by the following claims . for example , notwithstanding the fact that the elements of a claim are set forth below in a certain combination , it must be expressly understood that the invention includes other combinations of fewer , more or different elements , which are disclosed in above even when not initially claimed in such combinations . a teaching that two elements are combined in a claimed combination is further to be understood as also allowing for a claimed combination in which the two elements are not combined with each other , but may be used alone or combined in other combinations . the excision of any disclosed element of the invention is explicitly contemplated as within the scope of the invention . the words used in this specification to describe the invention and its various embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings , but to include by special definition in this specification structure , material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly defined meanings . thus if an element can be understood in the context of this specification as including more than one meaning , then its use in a claim must be understood as being generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word itself . the definitions of the words or elements of the following claims are , therefore , defined in this specification to include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth , but all equivalent structure , material or acts for performing substantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result . in this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements in the claims below or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim . although elements may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such , it is to be expressly understood that one or more elements from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination and that the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination . insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art , now known or later devised , are expressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of the claims . therefore , obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements . the claims are thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above , what is conceptionally equivalent , what can be obviously substituted and also what essentially incorporates the essential idea of the invention .	6
the present invention can best be understood with reference to the accompanying drawing . the schematic diagram in fig1 shows the particles and component arrangement of one embodiment of a basic electronegative particle analyzer incorporating the principles of the invention . my invention also comprehends alternative embodiments . for example , weight limitations and other factors may well dictate that in lieu of the conventional magnetic deflection shown in fig1 the apparatus which identifies the high - velocity particles at ground level may include for example , a combination of a velocity filter , a radio - frequency mass filter , or an electrostatic deflector . a preferred embodiment of the apparatus 20 of the present invention is shown diagrammatically in fig2 . in the first stage of the proposed analysis apparatus , a continuous flow of the gas 21 to be analyzed would be passed into the conversion region of an efficient negative ion generator 22 at the rate equivalent to a few atm . cc / hr . this ion generator 22 is at a potential of v 1 . it would be constructed along lines similar to those used in a reliable and proven ion source that is presently marketed by general ionex under the tradename hiconex , the principles of which have been described by myself in purser , k . h ., ieee transactions on nuclear science , vol . 20 , p . 136 ( 1973 ). measurements indicate that this device converts approximately 3 % of the chlorine atoms in the incoming gas sample into a well defined beam of cl ions having a particle energy of approximately 20 kev and an emittance less than 3 mrad . cm . mev 1 / 2 . the high efficiency of this device is related to the physical fact that the electronegative atoms leaving a cesiated surface with an energy of a few electron - volts have a high probability of being in a negative charge state . ion sources based on this fact have become reliable tools for the nuclear physicist and frequently operate for hundreds of hours with little or no attention between vacuum openings . the ion source 22 could equally well be a duoplasmatron , similar to that described by lawrence and mckibben , or it could be some other conventional type of negative ion source such as a radio frequency source or philips - ion - guage ( pig ) discharge source . alternatively , within the scope of this invention the negative ion source 22 used could be based upon a scanning cesium beam which would raster the surface of the material to produce negative ions and hence produce an analysis of the surface on a point by point basis . after leaving the ion source 22 , the particles are selected on the basis of mass . the particles are mass - analyzed in a conventional manner , such as via a mass analysis magnet 23 . this step of the analysis process consists of accelerating the ions to an energy of few kev followed by a deflection in an appropriate magnetic field of magnetic induction b o . the mass resolution of this part of the apparatus need not be high by conventional mass spectrometer standards . for example , in experiments where the concentration of atomic cl is to be measured a low resolution mass selector 23 would be set at 35 or 37 ; in those experiments where a measurement of clo is needed the mass selector 23 would be set at 51 or 53 . while ions of other mass will be strongly rejected , it is inevitable that some background particles will leave the mass selector 23 . these backgrounds will come from molecular fragments , from negative particles that have been scattered in from the walls or from the residual gas and from neutral or positive particles that have been charge - exchanged in the residual gas . it is these backgrounds which must be eliminated by the dissociator 25 and filter sections that follow . upon leaving the mass selector ( i . e ., the mass analysis magnet 23 ) the particles are injected through a defining aperture 24 into the dissociator and stripper section 25 of the apparatus 20 . the principle of the dissociator 25 is that selected particles are accelerated to an energy of the order of 1 mev using the potential v 2 of the dissociator 25 , after which the particles pass through a thin target 26 . such thin targets are well known in the art of tandem accelerators and are generally defined as a target through which the particles in the beam passing therethrough lose an amount of kinetic energy which is small compared to their kinetic energy . such a target may comprise a thin foil or , as shown in fig2 a gas canal . ideally , the accelerating potential v 2 should be of sufficient magnitude that the particles reach a velocity high compared to that of the valency electrons . under these conditions outer electrons tend to be stripped from the ions and rotational and vibrational bands are excited in molecules . each of these processes can lead to a high probability that molecules will dissociate and atoms such as cl will assume a positive charge state of 2 + or 3 +. this process is an extremely effective rejector of molecular background fragments . it is difficult to visualize a process where the initial mass selected particles ( m - ) can lose four electrons to become m 3 + without coulomb disruption of the original molecule . apart from this simple coulomb argument any vibrational or rotational excitation of the molecule that is introduced during the dissociation process will tend to make the molecules even more unstable . it is interesting to note that because the dissociation and charge exchange is carried out at energies that are high compared to the binding energies , the transverse momentum introduced during dissociation is small and the individual particles leave the dissociator with their momentum virtually unchanged . consequently , the particles can be efficiently collected by succeeding sections of the apparatus 20 . this fact tends to make the particle losses in these devices small . during the dissociation and charge exchange process described above the fragments become positively charged to a value of qe ( e is the electronic charge and q is a small positive integer ). they are further accelerated by a second passage through v 2 and emerge at 27 with a final kinetic energy that is given by the equation : e = e [ v . sub . 2 ( q + m / m . sub . 1 ) + v . sub . 1 ( m / m . sub . 1 )] ( 1 ) where m 1 is the particle mass before the stripping canal 25 and m is the particle mass after the stripping canal 25 . because m / m 1 ≦ 1 and v 1 & lt ;& lt ; v 2 the energy is dominated by q . in other words , the charge number q acts as a multiple of the accelerating voltage v 2 . the energy of the wanted particles at this point is of the order of a few mev . it should be noted , however , that because the charge state of the ion is a small positive integer , there are only a few discrete energies that particles can have for specified v 2 and v 1 if they have travelled the full distance from the ion source through the accelerating potentials , and q is uniquely identifiable because m / m 1 ≦ 1 . in the apparatus 20 shown in fig2 the particles are now magnetically deflected by a magnetic bending element 28 and directed into an energy sensitive detector 29 such as a proportional counter , surface barrier detector , or scintillation detector . this detector 29 would be calibrated to provide an output signal proportional to the energy , e , of the detected particle . upon magnetic deflection particles must satisfy a second equation : here , r is the radius of curvature and b is the magnetic induction along the path of the central ray 30 . while it is not essential to the execution of this invention , it would be advantageous if the energy sensitive detector 29 described in the previous paragraph were of the type to provide also positional information . such information gives the arrival location of the event in space as well as time and makes it possible to record several lines simultaneously and assist with background substraction . if we consider equations ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) together , the only two quantities that are not specified by measurable physical quantities are the final charge state of the ion q and the mass m . thus , the event is completely determined with q and m calculated by a miniprocessor 31 . as mentioned earlier , the charge state must be a small positive integer 1 , 2 , 3 . . . , and m must satisfy the conservation law of being less than m 1 . thus , each event can be checked in real time for internal consistency and only those with the correct mass recorded . the system as described in the previous paragraphs is extremely efficient . the transmission between the exit slit of the first spectrometer 23 and the dissociator region 25 can be close to 100 % efficient . because of the high momentum of the particles , the fragments at the dissociation 25 are all directed into a small forward cone allowing them to be collected by the filtering section with an efficiency that is also close to 100 %. because q can take on a small range of values , the particles leaving the dissociator will be distributed among several charge states and some loss of intensity is expected ( for the numbers proposed the efficiency of this stage would be at least 20 %). overall , the system will be highly efficient and it is expected that for strongly electronegative particle species such as fluorine , chlorine and sulphate ions , there will be between 0 . 1 % and 1 % efficiency between the gas which enters the ion source and the particles which reach the final detector . as a further refinement of this invention , it is possible to include further filtering elements such as a velocity filter . a velocity filter , consists of electric and magnetic fields arranged at right angles . in its simplest form it will transmit particles with a velocity , given by : where e 1 is the electric field in the filter and b 1 is the magnetic field in the filter . if a velocity selector is included the ratio of the fields would be set to the value given by : such a filter could be turned off until the apparatus was tuned . on being energized it would eliminate all particles which did not have the correct velocity without attenuating the wanted particles . having thus described the principles of the invention , together with several illustrative embodiments thereof , it is to be understood that , although specific terms are employed , thay are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation , the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims .	6
fig1 illustrates an authentication and verification system 100 , also referred to as system 100 . system 100 may be used in the context of user access to a secure system . system 100 may include one or more servers 12 , one or more processors 110 , one or more physical storage media 50 , one or more computer program components , one or more interfaces 120 , and / or other components . physical storage media 50 may be configured to store information that represents audio characteristics of sounds generated by users . as used herein , the term “ user ” may be used interchangeably with the term “ speaker .” in some implementations , speaker - specific audio characteristics may be determined prior to a particular user using system 100 . in some implementations , physical storage media 50 may be configured to store personal identification sequences , including but not limited to personal identification numbers . in some implementations , individual personal identification sequences may be associated with individual users of system 100 . as used herein , the term “ authentication ” and derivatives thereof are related to the knowledge of a user , e . g . whether the user knows a particular personal identification number or password . as used herein , the term “ verification ” and derivatives thereof are related to personal biophysical characteristics of a user , e . g . whether the user &# 39 ; s voice characteristics match previously recorded and / or determined voice characteristics , or whether the user &# 39 ; s biometrics are matching . as used herein , an “ unidentified ” user refers to a user who is not both authenticated and verified using the authentication and verification described herein . server ( s ) 12 may include physical storage media 50 , as depicted in fig1 . in some implementations , functionality attributed herein to processor 110 of server 12 or to a computer program component of server 12 may be not limited to server 12 , but rather may be provided by resources of client computing platform ( s ) 14 , and / or jointly provided by both server 12 and one or more client computing platforms 14 . the depiction in fig1 is not intended to be limiting in any way with regard to the location of any particular functionality described herein . the terms “ client computing platform ” and “ client ” may be used interchangeably herein . server 12 , client computing platforms 14 , and / or external resources 16 may be operatively linked via one or more electronic communication links . for example , such electronic communication links may be established , at least in part , via a network 13 such as the internet and / or other communication networks . it will be appreciated that this is not intended to be limiting , and that the scope of this disclosure includes implementations in which servers 12 , client computing platforms 14 , and / or external resources 16 may be operatively linked via some other communication media . the computer program components may include one or more of a personal identification component 22 , a mapping component 23 , a target prompt component 24 , a presentation component 25 , an audio component 26 , a prompt authentication component 27 , a speaker verification component 28 , an access component 29 , a time component 30 , an audio characteristics component 31 , and / or other components . personal identification component 22 may be configured to obtain and / or determine target personal identification sequences , including but not limited to personal identification numbers . individual target personal identification sequences may be associated with individual users . as used herein , the term “ obtain ” ( and derivatives thereof ) may include active and / or passive retrieval , determination , derivation , transfer , and / or exchange of information , and / or any combination thereof . as used herein , the term “ determine ” ( and derivatives thereof ) may include measure , calculate , compute , estimate , approximate , generate , and / or otherwise derive , and / or any combination thereof . as used herein , any association ( or correspondency ) involving personal identification sequences , users , and / or another entity that interacts with any part of the system , may be a one - to - one association , a one - to - many association , a many - to - one association , and / or a many - to - many association or n - to - m association ( note that n and m may be different numbers greater than 1 ). mapping component 23 may be configured to obtain , generate , and / or determine mappings between user - selectable input options ( e . g . input options available for selection by users through client computing platforms 14 , interfaces 120 , and / or other components ) and prompts that represent words . by way of non - limiting example , user - selectable input options may include buttons , keys , selectable fields in a user interface ( e . g . interface 120 ), a microphone , and / or other input options available for use or selection by users , including but not limited to input options on a keypad , keyboard , panel , touch screen , and / or other implementation of a user interface . mappings may be implemented as a set of associations and / or correspondencies . for example , in some implementations , the user - selectable input options include the digits from zero to nine . a mapping may be defined as an association of individual ones of the digits from zero to nine to a particular prompt . in some implementations , one or more prompts may be associated with more than one user - selectable input option . this concept may be referred to as word redundancy . by virtue of word redundancy , a nearby onlooker would not learn the particular user &# 39 ; s pin merely by seeing which user - selectable input options are selected by a user . prompts may include visual , graphic , textual , auditory , and / or otherwise sensory representations of words , concepts , numbers , and / or other objects . as an example , a set of prompts may include a set of words including “ cat ,” “ dog ,” “ huddle ,” etc . a mapping may be defined in which the number 1 is associated with the word “ cat ,” 2 with “ dog ,” 3 with “ huddle , and so forth . based on this mapping , the sequence 1 - 2 - 3 corresponds to the sequence “ cat ”-“ dog ”-“ huddle ”. in some implementations , a prompt may include a written word . by way of non - limiting example , fig3 a illustrates a mapping 301 that includes an association between the sequence of user - selectable input options or buttons “ 1 - 2 - 3 ” and the sequence of prompts “ cat ”-“ dog ”-“ huddle ”. note that the set of user - selectable input options as depicted in fig3 a includes the digits from zero to nine , and symbols for “ star ” and “ hash ,” or “*” and “#”, as may be commonly found on telephones . the depicted set of user - selectable input options is not intended to be limiting . in some implementations , depicted prompts may be selectable through a microphone . in other words , the depicted mapping in fig3 a may include no buttons or keys , but merely prompt the user to say words , e . g . into a microphone . in some implementations , mapping component 23 may be configured to obtain , generate , and / or determine new mappings as needed , e . g . for each attempt to authenticate and verify a particular user , and / or for each number , latter , symbol , object , and / or other item in a personal identification sequence . for example , as illustrated in fig3 b - 3 c - 3 d , subsequent attempts to authenticate and verify users using system 100 may use mapping 302 ( fig3 b ), mapping 303 ( fig3 c ), and mapping 304 ( fig3 d ) in turn . based on these mappings , the same sequence 1 - 2 - 3 would respectively correspond to “ orange - shimmer - circle ” using mapping 302 , to “ cat - doll - muddy ” using mapping 303 , and to “ flagstaff - bromide - traction ” using mapping 304 . the particular mappings depicted in fig3 a - 3 b - 3 c - 3 d are not intended to be limiting in any way . in some implementations , mappings may be randomized , at least in part . for example , mapping component 23 may be configured to randomize mappings . in some implementations , the mappings illustrated in fig3 a - 3 b - 3 c - 3 d may be used in a single attempt to authenticate and verify a particular user using system 100 and using a 4 - digit pin . for example , if the particular user &# 39 ; s pin is 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 , the corresponding sequence of prompts , by virtue of using mappings 301 , 302 , 303 , and 304 , respectively , would be “ cat - shimmer - muddy - bromide .” by virtue of the mappings changing frequently , a nearby onlooker / listener would not learn the particular user &# 39 ; s pin merely by listening in , in particular if , in certain mappings , a particular prompt is used to more than one prompt . for example , mapping 304 depicted in fig3 d includes the prompts “ bromide ,” “ cat ,” “ flagstaff ,” “ circle ,” “ orange ,” and “ traction ” twice . target prompt component 24 may be configured to obtain and / or determine sequences of prompts , e . g . a target sequence of prompts . in some implementations , a sequence of prompts may correspond to a ( target ) personal identification sequence . for example , referring to fig3 a , according to mapping 301 , a sequence of prompts “ cat ”-“ dog ”-“ huddle ” may correspond to a target personal identification sequence 1 - 2 - 3 . presentation component 25 may be configured to effectuate presentation of prompts to users . in some implementations , such a presentation may be made in accordance with a mapping , e . g . as obtained and / or determined by mapping component 24 . in some implementations , individual ones of the presented prompts to a particular unidentified user may be associated with individual ones of the user - selectable input options according to a particular mapping . for example , in some implementations , prompts may be presented to a user through interface 120 . for example , each field on an electronic screen may display a combination of a digit and a prompt in accordance with a mapping . by way of non - limiting example , fig3 a illustrates that the first field may indicate the number 1 and the word “ cat ,” the second field may indicate the number 2 with the word “ dog ,” the third field may indicate the number 3 with the word “ huddle ,” and so forth . note that fig3 a - 3 b - 3 c - 3 d illustrate mappings between user - selectable input options and prompts , as well as one or more user interfaces ( e . g . interface 120 ) that may be used by users to provide and / or enter user - selectable input options , including but not limited to vocalizations of prompts . in some implementations , presentation component 25 may be configured to include animations in the presentation of prompts . for example , the displayed prompt may disappear gradually ( e . g . by removing some letters at a time and / or replacing some letters with other characters ), e . g . in response to receiving a user - selectable input option . for example , as soon as a user provides a first user - selectable input option , presentation component 25 may be configured to change , animate , and / or remove a first set of displayed prompts in preparation for the next character in a target personal identification sequence . audio component 26 may be configured to obtain and / or determine audio files ( and / or other electronic representations ) comprising sound provided , entered , and / or otherwise generated by users . in some implementations , the sound may be generated in response to a presentation by presentation component 25 . in some implementations , one or more audio files ( and / or other electronic representations ) may be obtained through a microphone . for example , in response to a presentation of a particular mapping , a user may say a sequence of words that correspond to a personal identification sequence . for example , referring to fig3 a , according to mapping 301 , a target personal identification sequence 1 - 2 - 3 may correspond to a sequence of prompts “ cat ”-“ dog ”-“ huddle ”. instead of entering or saying “ 1 - 2 - 3 ,” a particular user may authenticate ( or initiate authentication ) by saying the words “ cat ”-“ dog ”-“ huddle ”. audio component 26 may be configured to obtain one or more audio files comprising sound generated by the particular user saying “ cat ”-“ dog ”-“ huddle ”. a nearby onlooker would not learn the particular user &# 39 ; s pin by watching the particular user use system 100 . by virtue of the mappings changing frequently , a nearby onlooker would also not learn the particular user &# 39 ; s pin merely by listening in . as used herein , the term “ file ” may refer to an electronic audio stream , a separate electronic file or document , and / or any part , fragment , and / or section thereof . an audio file may be associated with one or more speakers . in some implementations , individual audio files may have 1 - to - 1 associations with individual speakers . a set of audio files , associated with a set of speakers may be used as and / or referred to as a training set or training data . training data may be used to train system 100 , e . g . to classify a feature , audio parameter , audio characteristic , individual speaker , and / or any combination thereof . prompt authentication component 27 may be configured to make determinations regarding audio files ( and / or other electronic representations ). for example , prompt authentication component 27 may be configured to determine whether one or more particular audio files ( e . g . as obtained and / or determined by audio component 26 ) represent a vocalization of one or more prompts , e . g . a target sequence of prompts . for example , prompt authentication component 27 may be configured to determine whether one or more particular audio files represent a vocalization by a user of a prompt , e . g . “ cat ,” or a sequence of prompts , e . g . “ cat ”-“ dog ”-“ huddle ”. in some implementations , prompt authentication component 27 may operate based on and / or using speech recognition techniques . in some implementations , speech recognition techniques may be speaker - independent . in some implementations , prompt authentication component 27 may be configured to make a determination per prompt whether one or more particular audio files represent a vocalization by a user of a particular prompt . in some implementations , prompt authentication component 27 may be configured to made a determination per prompt based on speaker - dependent models , e . g . using speaker - verification techniques in combination with previously recorded audio samples for a speaker . for example , in some implementations , prompt authentication component 27 may be configured to determine a likelihood that a particular vocalization matches a particular prompt . for example , in some implementations , prompt authentication component 27 may be configured to determine a similarity between a particular vocalization and one or more prompts . in some implementations , prompt authentication component 27 may not need to perform speech recognition for a large set of possible words , but rather may be optimized to perform speech recognition for a small set of possible words , e . g . the set of words that correspond to the set of prompts used for a mapping by mapping component 23 ( or a limited set of words used by mapping component 23 to obtain , generate , and / or determine a mapping ). such a limited set of words may be referred to as a codebook . the codebook for a particular user need not be static , but rather may change over time . for example , certain words may be removed from the codebook and / or added to the codebook . in some implementations , speech recognition techniques involve probabilities of a match or mismatch , rather than certainties . for this reason , determinations based on speech recognition techniques may interchangeably be referred to as estimations . speaker verification component 28 may be configured to make determinations regarding identities of speakers . for example , speaker verification component 28 may be configured to determine whether one or more particular audio files ( and / or other electronic representations ) match a particular speaker , a particular speaker model , particular parameters representing audio characteristics , sounds generated by a particular speaker , audio samples generated by a particular speaker , audio characteristics of sounds generated by a particular speaker , and / or other speaker - specific audio characteristics . in some implementations , the one or more particular audio files may be obtained by audio component 26 . in some implementations , speaker - specific audio characteristics may be determined prior to a particular user using system 100 for authentication and verification , e . g . through recorded audio of the particular user generating sounds ( e . g . vocalizing a set of words ). in some implementations , speaker - specific audio characteristics may be determined for a set of users of system 100 , a set of actual people , a set of account holder , and / or other speakers . in some implementations , speaker verification component 28 may be configured to assess , determine , estimate , confirm , and / or otherwise reach a decision on whether a particular recorded audio file ( or a particular speaker model ) appears to ( and / or are deemed to ) represent and / or match a known speaker , and / or which known speaker in particular . in some implementations , speaker verification component 28 may be configured to assess , determine , estimate , confirm , and / or otherwise reach a decision on whether an unidentified speaker ( represented by an audio file including sound generated by the unidentified speaker ) is and / or appears to be the same person as a known speaker ( represented e . g . by a speaker model ). in some implementations , operations by speaker verification component 28 may be performed based on one or more similarity scores and / or other speaker verification techniques ( in particular for speaker - dependent analysis and / or user - specific analysis ). for example , an unidentified speaker may be assessed as being the same person as a known speaker if their respective similarity score is higher than a threshold . in some implementations , the particular similarity score ( for example after normalizing and / or calibration ) may need to surpass a minimum threshold level of similarity . in some implementations , the particular similarity score may need to outrank and / or outscore the one or more next closest similarity scores by at least a specific predetermined factor . other tests based on the similarity scores , as well as combinations of multiple such tests , are contemplated within the scope of this disclosure . the usage of similarity scores is exemplary , and not intended to be limiting . in some implementations , speaker verification techniques used by system 100 may involve assessing and / or otherwise reaching a decision on whether a particular speaker is the same person as any of a set of identified speakers . sound generated by identified speakers may be stored in recorded audio files . access component 29 may be configured to effectuate grants or denials of access to users . access component 29 may be configured to effectuate a grant or denial of access to a user based on determinations by , e . g . prompt authentication component 27 , speaker verification component 28 , and / or other components of system 100 . for example , in some implementations , a user may be considered unidentified until the user has been authenticated by prompt authentication component 27 and verified by speaker verification component 28 . access component 29 may be configured to grant a user access once the user has been identified . grants of access may include access to one or more secure systems . for example , access may include physical or virtual access to a certain area , a restricted area , certain features , certain transactions , a secure website , and so forth , and / or any combination thereof . time component 30 may be configured to enforce restrictions , limitations , and / or other requirements to users seeking a grant of access . for example , in some implementations , a user may be required to provide an audio response ( e . g . a vocalization of one or more prompts ) within a time limit . for example , in some implementations , time component 30 may be configured to require a user to provide multiple prompts at a certain pace , tempo , and / or rhythm . in some implementations , a required tempo may be indicated visually , e . g . using interface 120 . in some implementations , certain aspects of speech recognition technology and / or speaker verification technology , including but not limited to word boundary detection , may be made easier , simpler , better , and / or no longer needed by virtue of the user providing individual words or phrases at a predetermined and / or known pace , tempo , and / or rhythm . in some implementations , certain aspects of speech recognition technology may be made easier , simpler , better , and / or no longer needed by virtue of using a limited codebook covering a restricted set of prompts instead of a much larger cookbook as may be needed for common speech recognition . audio characteristics component 31 may be configured to determine one or more audio characteristics of audio files and / or other representations of sound generated by users . for example , sound generated by a particular user may be used by audio characteristics component 31 to change , modify , update , and / or otherwise affect speaker - specific audio characteristics associated with the particular user . in some implementations , a set of files representing audio of a particular user generating sounds may be augmented by adding new files representing audio of a previous user deemed to match the particular user . for example , audio characteristics component 31 may be configured to add new files to the codebook of a particular user . in some implementations , mapping component 23 may be configured to obtain , generate , and / or determine redirection mappings for user - selectable input options ( e . g . input options available for selection by users through client computing platforms 14 , interfaces 120 , and / or other components ). a redirection mapping redirects a user from one user - selectable input option or prompt to another user - selectable input option or prompt . in some implementations , a newly generated redirection mapping may be presented to a user for each character in a target personal identification sequence . by way of non - limiting example , fig5 illustrates a redirection mapping 501 . for example , redirection mapping is presented to a user briefly , prior to presentation of , e . g . the user interface of fig3 a . assume that the user &# 39 ; s target pin is 1 - 2 - 3 . the redirection mapping instructs the user , based on the direction of the arrow associated with number 1 , to say “ dog ” instead of “ cat ” ( without redirection ). for the next prompt , the redirection mapping instructs the user , based on the direction of the arrow associated with number 2 , to say “ orange ” instead of “ dog ” ( without redirection ). for the next prompt , the redirection mapping instructs the user , based on the direction of the arrow associated with number 3 , to say “ dog ” instead of “ huddle ” ( without redirection ). note that a new redirection mapping may be used between prompts . interface 120 may be configured to provide an interface between system 100 and a user through which the user can provide and / or receive information . this enables data , results , and / or instructions and any other communicable items , collectively referred to as “ information ,” to be communicated between the user and system 100 . a non - limiting example of information that may be conveyed to a subject is one or more prompts . examples of interface devices suitable for inclusion in interface 120 include a keypad , buttons , switches , a keyboard , knobs , levers , a display screen , a touch screen , speakers , a microphone , an indicator light , an audible alarm , and a printer . information may be provided to the subject by interface 120 in the form of auditory signals , visual signals , tactile signals , and / or other sensory signals . by way of non - limiting example , interface 120 may include a light source capable of emitting light . the light source may include , for example , one or more of at least one led , at least one light bulb , a display screen , and / or other sources . interface 120 may control the light source to emit light in a manner that conveys to the subject information related to operation of system 100 . it is to be understood that other communication techniques , either hard - wired or wireless , are also contemplated herein as interface 120 . for example , in one embodiment , interface 120 may be integrated with a removable storage interface provided by physical storage media 50 . in this example , information is loaded into system 100 from removable storage ( e . g ., a smart card , a flash drive , a removable disk , etc .) that enables the user ( s ) to customize the implementation of system 100 . other exemplary input devices and techniques adapted for use with system 100 as interface 120 include , but are not limited to , an rs - 232 port , rf link , an ir link , modem ( telephone , cable , ethernet , internet or other ). in short , any technique for communicating information with system 100 is contemplated as interface 120 . the computer program components of system 100 may be configured to enable a user of system 100 to interface with system 100 and / or external resources 16 , for example through the client computing platforms 14 . server 12 may include communication lines , or ports to enable the exchange of information with a network 13 and / or other computing platforms . illustration of server 12 in fig1 is not intended to be limiting . server 12 may include a plurality of hardware , software , and / or firmware components operating together to provide the functionality attributed herein to server 12 . for example , server 12 may be implemented by a cloud of computing platforms operating together as server 12 . by way of non - limiting example , client computing platforms 14 may include one or more of a desktop computer , a laptop computer , a handheld computer , a netbook , a smartphone , a tablet , a mobile computing platform , a gaming console , a television , a device for streaming internet media , and / or other computing platforms . in some implementations , interaction with system 100 may be accomplished through web pages , ( mobile ) applications , apps , stand - alone applications , desktop applications , and / or other types of software applications capable of interacting with one or more networks , for example the internet . as used herein , content provided through any type of software application capable of interacting with a network may be referred to as a web page ( including , but not limited to , mobile applications or “ apps ”). web pages may be rendered , interpreted , and / or displayed for presentation using a computing platform , such as a client computing platform 14 . as used herein , displaying information through a mobile application — or app — is included in the term presentation . presentation of web pages may be supported through a display , screen , monitor of the computing platform , and / or projection by the computing platform . web pages may be accessible from a local computing platform 14 ( e . g . not currently connected to the internet ) and / or hosted by a remote web server ( e . g . connected to the internet and / or one or more other networks ). web pages may be accessed through a browser software application being executed on a computing platform . as used herein , mobile applications may be included in the term browser software application . the browser software application may be configured to render , interpret , and / or display one or more web pages for presentation using a computing platform . a set of linked and / or organized web pages may form a website . a website may include a set of related and / or linked web pages hosted on one or more web servers and accessible via one or more networks , e . g . including the internet . external resources 16 may include sources of information , audio files , speaker models , speech recognition technology , speaker verification techniques , similarity scores , hosts and / or providers of computing environments and / or virtual environments outside of system 100 , external entities participating with system 100 , and / or other resources . in some implementations , some or all of the functionality attributed herein to external resources 16 may be provided by resources included in system 100 . referring to fig1 , server ( s ) 12 and client computing platform ( s ) 14 may include physical storage media 50 ( interchangeably referred to herein as “ physical storage media ”). physical storage media 50 may comprise physical storage media that electronically stores information . the functionality of physical storage media 50 may be similar between different instantiations , even if the stored information may be different . the storage of physical storage media 50 may include one or both of system storage that is provided integrally ( i . e ., substantially non - removable ) and / or removable storage that is removably connectable to server ( s ) 12 and / or client computing platform ( s ) 14 via , for example , a port ( e . g ., a usb port , a firewire ™ port , etc .) or a drive ( e . g ., a disk drive , etc .). physical storage media 50 may include one or more of optically readable storage media ( e . g ., optical disks , etc . ), magnetically readable storage media ( e . g ., magnetic tape , magnetic hard drive , floppy drive , etc . ), electrical charge - based storage media ( e . g ., eeprom , ram , etc . ), solid - state storage media ( e . g ., flash drive , etc . ), and / or other electronically readable storage media . physical storage media 50 may refer to ram , sram , dram , edram , sdram , volatile memory , non - volatile memory , and / or other types of electronic memory , in particular non - transitive physical storage media . physical storage media 50 may include one or more virtual storage resources ( e . g ., cloud storage , a virtual private network , and / or other virtual storage resources ). physical storage media 50 may store software algorithms , information determined by processor ( s ) 110 , information received from components of system 100 , and / or other information that enables server ( s ) 12 and / or client computing platform ( s ) 14 to function as described herein . server ( s ) 12 and client computing platform ( s ) 14 may include processor ( s ) 110 . processor ( s ) 110 may be configured to provide information - processing capabilities in server ( s ) 12 and / or client computing platform ( s ) 14 . the functionality of processor ( s ) 110 may be similar between different instantiations , even if the processing capabilities may be different . processor ( s ) 110 may include one or more of a digital processor , an analog processor , a digital circuit designed to process information , an analog circuit designed to process information , and / or other mechanisms for electronically processing information . although processor ( s ) 110 is shown in fig1 as a single entity , this is for illustrative purposes only . in some embodiments , processor ( s ) 110 may include a plurality of processing units . these processing units may be physically located within the same device , or processor ( s ) 110 may represent processing functionality of a plurality of devices operating in coordination . the processor ( s ) 110 may be configured to execute components 22 - 31 , and / or other components . processor 110 may be configured to execute components 22 - 31 , and / or other components by software ; hardware ; firmware ; some combination of software , hardware , and / or firmware ; and / or other mechanisms for configuring processing capabilities on processor ( s ) 110 . it should be appreciated that although components 22 - 31 are illustrated in fig1 as being co - located within the same processing unit , one or more of components 22 - 31 may be located remotely from the other components . the description of the functionality provided by the different components 22 - 31 described herein is for illustrative purposes , and is not intended to be limiting , as any of components 22 - 31 may provide more or less functionality than is described . for example , one or more of components 22 - 31 may be eliminated , and some or all of its functionality may be provided by other ones of components 22 - 31 . as another example , processor 110 may be configured to execute one or more additional components that may perform some or all of the functionality attributed herein to one of components 22 - 31 . it is noted that the division of functionality between server ( s ) 12 and client computing platform ( s ) 14 is not intended to be limited by this disclosure . functions described in relation with server ( s ) 12 may be performed and / or shared by one or more other components of system 100 , including client computing platform ( s ) 14 , and vice versa . fig2 illustrates a method 200 for implementing an authentication and verification system , in accordance with one or more embodiments . fig4 illustrates a method 400 for implementing authentication , in accordance with one or more embodiments . the operations of methods 200 and 400 presented below are intended to be illustrative . in some embodiments , methods 200 and 400 may be accomplished with one or more additional operations not described , and / or without one or more of the operations discussed . additionally , the order in which the operations of methods 200 and 400 are illustrated in fig2 and fig4 and described below is not intended to be limiting . in some embodiments , methods 200 and 400 may be implemented in one or more processing devices ( e . g ., a digital processor , an analog processor , a controller , a digital circuit designed to process information , an analog circuit designed to process information , and / or other mechanisms for electronically processing information ). the one or more processing devices may include one or more devices executing some or all of the operations of methods 200 and 400 in response to instructions stored electronically on an physical storage media medium . the one or more processing devices may include one or more devices configured through hardware , firmware , and / or software to be specifically designed for execution of one or more of the operations of methods 200 and 400 . referring to fig2 , at an operation 202 , information is stored that represents audio characteristics of sounds generated by a speaker . in some embodiments , operation 202 is performed by physical storage media the same as or similar to physical storage media 50 ( shown in fig1 and described herein ). at an operation 204 , a target personal identification sequence is obtained . the target personal identification sequence is associated with the speaker . in some embodiments , operation 204 is performed by a personal identification component the same as or similar to personal identification component 22 ( shown in fig1 and described herein ). at an operation 206 , a mapping is obtained between user - selectable input options and a set of prompts that represent words . in some embodiments , operation 206 is performed by a mapping component the same as or similar to mapping component 23 ( shown in fig1 and described herein ). at an operation 208 , a target sequence of prompts is obtained that corresponds to the target personal identification sequence . in some embodiments , operation 208 is performed by a target prompt component the same as or similar to target prompt component 24 ( shown in fig1 and described herein ). at an operation 210 , presentation is effectuated of the set of prompts to an unidentified user such that individual ones of the presented prompts are associated with individual ones of the user - selectable input options in accordance with the obtained mapping . in some embodiments , operation 210 is performed by a presentation component the same as or similar to presentation component 25 ( shown in fig1 and described herein ). at an operation 212 , one or more audio files comprising sound generated by an unidentified user are obtained in response to the presentation . in some embodiments , operation 212 is performed by an audio component the same as or similar to audio component 26 ( shown in fig1 and described herein ). at an operation 214 , a first determination is made whether the obtained one or more audio files represent a vocalization of the target sequence of prompts . in some embodiments , operation 214 is performed by a prompt authentication component the same as or similar to prompt authentication component 27 ( shown in fig1 and described herein ). at an operation 216 , a second determination is made whether the obtained one or more audio files match the audio characteristics of sounds generated by the speaker . in some embodiments , operation 216 is performed by a speaker verification component the same as or similar to speaker verification component 28 ( shown in fig1 and described herein ). at an operation 218 , a grant of access is effectuated to the unidentified user responsive to a positive first and second determination . in some embodiments , operation 218 is performed by an access component the same as or similar to access component 29 ( shown in fig1 and described herein ). referring to fig4 , at an operation 402 , a target personal identification sequence is obtained . the target personal identification sequence is associated with a known user . the target personal identification sequence includes a first personal identification character and a second personal identification character . in some embodiments , operation 402 is performed by a personal identification component the same as or similar to personal identification component 22 ( shown in fig1 and described herein ). at an operation 404 , a first mapping is obtained between user - selectable input options and a set of prompts . the set of prompts includes a first representation of the first personal identification character . the first mapping includes an individual one of the set of prompts that is mapped to more than one user - selectable input option . in some embodiments , operation 404 is performed by a mapping component the same as or similar to mapping component 23 ( shown in fig1 and described herein ). at an operation 406 , presentation of the set of prompts is effectuated to an unidentified user such that individual ones of the presented prompts are associated with individual ones of the user - selectable input options in accordance with the obtained first mapping . in some embodiments , operation 406 is performed by a presentation component the same as or similar to presentation component 25 ( shown in fig1 and described herein ). at an operation 408 , a first user - selectable input option is obtained from the unidentified user in response to the presentation . in some embodiments , operation 408 is performed by an audio component the same as or similar to audio component 26 ( shown in fig1 and described herein ). in some embodiments , the first user - selectable input option may be received through a non - auditory input mechanism , including but not limited to a keypad . at an operation 410 , a first determination is made whether the first user - selectable input option matches the first personal identification character in accordance with the obtained first mapping . in some embodiments , operation 410 is performed by a prompt authentication component the same as or similar to prompt authentication component 27 ( shown in fig1 and described herein ). at an operation 412 , a second mapping is obtained between user - selectable input options and a second set of prompts . the second set of prompts includes a second representation of the second personal identification character . the second mapping includes a second individual one of the second set of prompts that is mapped to more than one user - selectable input option . in some embodiments , operation 412 is performed by a mapping component the same as or similar to mapping component 23 ( shown in fig1 and described herein ). at an operation 414 , a second presentation of the second set of prompts is effectuated to the unidentified user such that individual ones of the presented prompts are associated with individual ones of the user - selectable input options in accordance with the obtained second mapping . in some embodiments , operation 414 is performed by a presentation component the same as or similar to presentation component 25 ( shown in fig1 and described herein ). at an operation 416 , a second user - selectable input option is obtained from the unidentified user in response to the second presentation . in some embodiments , operation 416 is performed by an audio component the same as or similar to audio component 26 ( shown in fig1 and described herein ). in some embodiments , the second user - selectable input option may be received through a non - auditory input mechanism , including but not limited to a keypad . at an operation 418 , a second determination is made whether the second user - selectable input option matches the second personal identification character in accordance with the obtained second mapping . in some embodiments , operation 418 is performed by a prompt authentication component the same as or similar to prompt authentication component 27 ( shown in fig1 and described herein ). at an operation 420 , a grant of access to the unidentified user is effectuated responsive to a positive first and second determination . in some embodiments , operation 420 is performed by an access component the same as or similar to access component 29 ( shown in fig1 and described herein ). the present invention , in accordance with one or more various implementations , is described above in detail with reference to the accompanying figures . the drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only and merely depict exemplary implementations . these drawings are provided to facilitate the reader &# 39 ; s understanding of the systems and methods described herein and shall not be considered limiting of the breadth , scope , or applicability of any of the claims . although the invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration based on what is currently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments , but , on the contrary , is intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit and scope of the appended claims . for example , it is to be understood that the present invention contemplates that , to the extent possible , one or more features of any embodiment and / or claim can be combined with one or more features of one or more other embodiments and / or claims .	7
fig3 shows one embodiment of a unitary - bodied flowmeter 12 in accordance with the present invention . the flowmeter can be a welded assembly of injection molded fluoropolymer plastic components , generally pfa components or fluoropolymers having translucent qualities , wherein at least two of the three main body components are joined through a compactable welding process . other fluoropolymer plastics are also envisioned for component and part use in the flowmeters in accordance with the present invention . for example , but not for limiting purposes , ptfe , etfe , and other plastics are envisioned . the translucent characteristics of the preferred fluoropolymers can vary in the degree to which it is translucent , such that translucent characteristics permit gauging of a float device within the sight tube , as will be discussed in detail herein . referring to fig3 - 10 , flowmeter 10 generally comprises the joining of at least two of three main body components into a unitary flowmeter body 12 . unitary - bodied can mean the joining two of the three main body components to the third component through a weldment bond ( discussed herein ) such that two of components are initially molded as one piece . for instance , one molded piece could comprise of the second fitting 18 and sight tube 16 , with the first fitting 14 being later welded or otherwise joined with the available end of the sight tube 16 . it is preferred that at least one of the three main body components is constructed of a translucent fluoropolymer for preferred embodiments . the three main body components are first fitting 14 , sight tube 16 , and second fitting 18 . once each component is positionally joined to properly form the unitary flowmeter body 12 , as will be explained in detail , body conduit 20 is formed which provides a flow channel beginning with and running through first fitting 14 , continuing through sight tube 16 , and running through and out of the end of second fitting 18 . first fitting 14 generally comprises an entering end 22 and an exiting end 24 . in one embodiment , these ends 22 , 24 are generally in a perpendicular relationship to each other . a first fitting conduit 26 defines an inner bore of some diameter within first fitting 14 , traveling along the longitudinal axis of first fitting 14 for the entire distance beginning with entering end 22 and ending with exiting end 24 . first fitting conduit 26 results in first fitting openings 28 at each end 22 , 24 of first fitting 14 . known fittings , connectors , and other devices known to one skilled in the art for connecting to sight tubes and other components of flowmeters are envisioned for first fitting 14 . in one embodiment , as shown in fig3 - 4 , sight tube 16 comprises a generally cylindrical tube with first fitting end 30 and second fitting end 32 . the sight tube 16 has a tube conduit 34 running through it so that an inner bore of some diameter generally larger than the inner diameters of first fitting conduit 26 and second fitting conduit 52 is defined . tube conduit 34 traverses the longitudinal axis of sight tube 16 for the entire distance of sight tube 16 so that sight tube openings 42 are formed at each of the ends 30 , 32 . the diameter of tube conduit 34 can gradually taper the distance of the tube conduit 34 . it is preferred that the diameter at second fitting end 32 is larger than the diameter at first fitting end 30 . while preferred embodiments are generally cylindrical with visual gauging characteristics , other shapes and constructions for the tube 16 are envisioned without deviating from the unitary characteristic of the flowmeter in accordance with the embodiments of the present invention . as shown in fig5 - 6 , the outer surface of sight tube 16 can comprise flow indicia 44 . this flow indicia 44 generally consists of molded or etched marks depicting specific volumetric flow rate information for use in visual gauging . in another embodiment , as shown in fig7 - 9 , sight tube 16 can comprise a generally hourglass - shaped tube with a first fitting end 30 , and second fitting end 32 . sight tube 16 has a tube conduit 34 running through it to permit fluid flow communication between the first fitting 14 and the second fitting 18 . the conduit 34 is generally divided into three fluid flow channels or conduits : an entry conduit 36 , an exit conduit 38 , and an intermediate narrowed channel 40 . the portion proximate the center of the hourglass sight tube 16 and the inner tube conduit 34 defines a division between the entry conduit 36 and the exit conduit 38 and defines the intermediate narrowed channel 40 . the intermediate narrowed channel 40 serves as the communication channel between the conduits 36 , 38 and is some size smaller in diameter and cross - section than conduits 36 , 38 . preferably , the diameter of entry conduit 36 gradually tapers such that the diameter at the portion of the conduit 36 proximate the first fitting end 30 is larger than the diameter proximate the intermediate channel 40 . the diameter of the exit conduit 38 is substantially consistent along its length , with only a diameter increase or tapered effect at the end 32 , 38 connectable to and in communication with the second fitting 18 . similarly , the diameter or cross - section of intermediate channel 40 is generally consistent along its entire length , but could be varied . tube conduit 34 traverses the longitudinal axis of sight tube 16 for the entire distance of sight tube 16 through conduit / channels 36 , 38 , 40 such that a continuous fluid flow path is established and sight tube openings 42 are formed at each of the ends 36 , 38 . as best shown in fig1 , the outer surface of the hour - glass shaped sight tube 16 also comprises flow indicia 44 . this flow indicia 44 generally consists of molded or etched marks depicting specific volumetric flow rate information for use in visual gauging . for each of the preferred embodiments , second fitting 18 generally takes the form of a t - shaped fitting comprising entering end 46 , exiting end 48 , and valve end 50 . entering end 46 is generally perpendicular to exiting end 48 and valve end 50 with exiting end 48 and valve end 50 sharing a common linear plane , with the shared linear plane intersecting the linear plane of entering end 46 so that the longitudinal axis of entering end 46 is nearly positioned at the center of the distance between the far ends 48 , 50 . second fitting 18 has a second fitting conduit 52 traversing the longitudinal axis of second fitting 18 so that an inner bore of some diameter is defined . second fitting conduit 52 traverses the entire distance of entering end 46 , exiting end 48 , and valve end 50 so that second fitting conduit 52 begins at entering end 46 and traverses toward the herein described plane intersection where it opens into and is one continuous shared channel with the portion of second fitting conduit 52 traversing the entire distance between exiting end 48 and valve end . 50 . known fittings , connectors , and other devices known to one skilled in the art for connecting to sight tubes and other components of flowmeters are envisioned for first fitting 14 . in certain embodiments , such as the flowmeters shown in fig4 - 5 , regardless of the sight tube and float assembly configurations , the flowmeter 10 can be constructed without a valve device . in those embodiments having a valve device , second fitting conduit 52 at valve end 50 can define valve member opening 54 . valve member opening 54 can be internally threaded some distance from valve end 50 inward toward exiting end 48 . this threading is designed for receiving a threaded valve assembly 56 . such valve devices are best shown in fig3 and 6 - 9 . valve assembly 56 comprises valve shaft 58 , and valve top portion 60 . valve shaft 58 comprises a first end portion 62 , a valve member 64 , and can have a threaded portion 66 . valve top portion 60 affixes to the first end 62 via a valve aperture 68 in valve top portion 60 which traverses some longitudinal distance not equal to the entire length of the valve top portion 60 . in an embodiment having external threading , threaded portion 66 is capable of threadably engaging internal threading in second fitting 18 such that the assembly 56 , and particularly the valve member 64 , can be adjustably moved in and out of the opening 54 . other means of moving such a valve member 64 in and out of such an opening known to one skilled in the art are also envisioned . the valve member 64 portion can include a valve needle protrusion 70 or extension shaped for insertion in and out of compatible area of the opening 54 with the relative linear movement of the valve assembly 56 . the valve needle 70 can be tapered or non - tapered , depending on the sealing performance desired , and the particular manufacturing requirements or limitations . generally , in those flowmeters 10 utilizing a valve assembly , valve top portion 60 is affixed to valve shaft 58 via a snapping means , as shown best in fig3 and 7 - 9 . the snapping means comprises the valve shaft 58 , valve shaft groove 72 , valve top portion 60 , and valve top groove 74 . valve shaft groove 72 is located distal the valve needle 70 end of the shaft 58 , begins some distance inward from the end opposite to the valve needle 70 end , and travels the entire outer circumference of the shaft with the recess of valve shaft groove 72 recessed into the shaft 58 some distance . valve top groove 74 is located at the end of valve aperture 68 and is designed to receive valve shaft groove 72 of valve shaft 58 so that the valve shaft 58 and valve top portion 60 become interlocked in a rotationally limiting manner . alternative embodiments can use other means of affixing valve top portion 60 to the valve shaft 58 . these alternative embodiments can include fasteners such as screws or bolts . single piece molding of valve top portion and valve shaft portion together is also an available embodiment . as stated , yet other embodiments can exclude any valve assembly at all . various known or inventive float assemblies can be employed with the flowmeter of the present invention . for instance , a spherical float or an elongate float and corresponding assemblies can be employed without deviating from the spirit and scope of the present invention . for those flowmeter embodiments utilizing a spherical float 78 , as shown in fig3 - 6 , float assembly 76 is contained within sight tube 16 . such a float assembly 76 comprises spherical float 78 , guide rod 79 , and resting apertures 81 . spherical float 78 further comprises a float bore 83 that intersects substantially the center of float 78 and defines the receiving channel for insertion of the guide rod 79 . the diameter of float bore 83 is some size larger than the outside diameter of guide rod 79 . guide rod 79 is generally a small diameter cylindrical rod with a first and second end . the outside diameter of guide rod 79 is significantly smaller than the diameter of tube conduit 34 . guide rod 79 centrally traverses the entire distance of the tube conduit 34 of sight tube 16 , traversing completely through float bore 83 . guide rod 79 is rested securely in its final assembled position when the first and second ends of guide rod 79 travel into and rest within resting apertures 81 . resting apertures 81 can be located within an area inside the first fitting conduit 26 and second fitting conduit 52 . the inside diameter of resting apertures 81 are some size larger than the outside diameter of guide rod 79 so that selective insertion and removal of guide rod 79 from resting apertures 81 is possible . for those flowmeter embodiments utilizing an elongate float 80 , referring primarily to fig7 - 10 , float assembly 76 is within sight tube 16 at the completed assembly of flowmeter 10 . float assembly 76 generally comprises an elongate float 80 , and at least one float guide stop 84 . the float 80 preferably has a circular cross - section , but can also take on a myriad of other shapes , such as triangular , rectangular , oval , variations thereof , and the like . the elongate float 80 is preferably tapered for some length of the float 80 . generally , the float 80 is tapered such that the diameter or cross - section of the float 80 gradually increases until it reaches an integrated float flange 82 . the flange can have bores , notches , or like features to enable fluid flow through a portion of the flange 82 to control the movement sensitivity of the float 80 . while the flange 82 is generally cylindrical , it can take on various other shapes as well . in one embodiment the flange 82 is located at an end of the float 80 , as shown in fig8 - 10 . in another embodiment , the flange 82 is located proximate the center portion of the float 80 , but can be located anywhere along the length of the float 80 , as shown in fig7 . the outside diameter , or the cross - section , of the float 80 at the widest or largest portion is substantially smaller than that of either conduit 36 , 38 but is minimally smaller than the width or cross - section of channel 40 . the float guider 84 can take the form of at least one guide 86 and / or at least one guide stop 88 . the guides 86 can be rectangular , oval , circular , spherical or a myriad of other shapes . the guides 86 can include a plurality of bores to permit fluid flow , as shown in fig1 . the guide stops 88 are preferably of a t - shaped cross - section and can also include a plurality of guide stop bores 92 to permit fluid flow , as best shown in the cross - section view of fig9 . the t - shaped form is substantially defined by the extension of a guide stop protrusion 94 . the stop protrusion 94 can be of varying lengths . fig9 shows an embodiment implementing a relatively long stop protrusion 94 . mounting needs and locations for the guide stops 88 and a litany of other factors will influence the length . a receiving bore 96 is generally included which is some size larger than the diameter of the portion of the float 80 it is designed to receive . the receiving bore 96 generally traverses the longitudinal axis of the stop protrusion 94 to completely penetrate the guide stop 88 . the diameter of the stop protrusion 94 is generally smaller than the diameter or cross - section of the flange 82 such that contact or abutment of the flange 82 against the proximate end of the stop protrusion 94 will limit the upward movement of the float 80 within exit conduit 38 . in one embodiment , as shown best in fig8 - 9 , there are a plurality of float guiders 84 within the sight tube 16 . in particular , two guides 86 having a guide bore 90 are fixed within the entry conduit 36 , and a single guide stop 88 , with or without a protrusion 94 , is fixed within the exit conduit 38 . both guide / stops 86 , 88 can be fixed at the end of the corresponding conduits 36 , 38 , or fixed some distance inward of the ends 30 , 32 . alternatively , there can simply be one guide 86 , with at least one bore shaped and located such that it is capable of receiving the float 80 and restricting lateral movement in much the same manner as if two guides were implemented . the flange 82 is preferably located at a region proximate one end of the float 80 with such an embodiment , with said end of the float 80 being greater in cross - section or diameter than the distal end . the largest diameter cross - section of the float 80 at the tapered end is still some size smaller than the diameter of channel 40 to facilitate free movement through the channel 40 . the diameter or cross - section of the flange is larger than that of the proximate portion of the float 80 to limit upward movement against the stop 88 , and the protrusion 94 in particular . if there are a plurality of guides 86 , then they are fixedly spaced some distance from each other such that a guide channel 98 is created . the portion of the float 80 traveling within this channel distance is small enough so that it can move freely without binding or wedging , while at the same time limiting lateral movement of the float 80 within the entry conduit 36 . in another embodiment , as best shown in fig7 a single guide stop 88 is utilized and fixed within the exit conduit 38 . movement of the float 80 is significantly limited to a region within conduit 38 , and thus lateral movement within conduit 36 is not a concern , and a guide 86 may not be needed . accordingly , the flange 82 is located some distance along the float 80 away from the ends . preferably , the flange 82 is proximate the center region of the float 80 in such an embodiment . at a lower region of the float 80 , the tapering gets smaller as it moves away from the flange 82 , while the cross - section of the float 80 remains substantially constant for the region approaching the opposite end or upper region above the flange 82 . the tapered end below the flange 82 at its largest diameter is still some size smaller than the diameter of channel 40 . the non - tapered end of the float 80 in this embodiment is generally sized smaller than the receiving bore 96 of the guide stop 88 and can be moved in and out of the bore until stopped by contact with the flange 82 against the guide stop protrusion 94 . while the elongate float 80 described herein has been described with a unitary - bodied flowmeter , the elongate float and sight tube components and configurations detailed are also envisioned for use with conventional flowmeters . referring generally to the processes shown in fig1 - 13 , a process of manufacture of one embodiment of the unitary - bodied flowmeter in accordance with the present invention involves the following steps : first , designated pfa , or similarly at least translucent fluropolymer , components used in the manufacturing of the flowmeter 10 are injection molded in a mold 100 with a retractable insert 102 . this injection molding process permits the construction and shaping of thin pfa tubular components in order to achieve the desired result with regard to component translucence , which is particularly important with respect to the sight tube 16 . each of the three body components 14 , 16 , 18 can be molded separately to be welded as described herein , or at least two of the components can be molded as a single component to be welded with the final component . following the injection molding process , each designated pfa component is baked in an oven 103 at a temperature range of approximately 300 ° f . to 500 ° f ., forming the pfa components into their final sizes and construction for joining to form the final unitary - bodied flowmeter 10 . the pfa components can shrink substantially during the baking process . this injection molding and baking can be adjusted greatly with various jigs and other manufacturing processes and tools . as stated , various component configurations and combinations can be implemented . further , component 14 , 16 , 18 shapes and sizes can be altered or re - designed while still leaving the remaining components untouched . this allows focused re - configuration to reduce manufacturing costs . for instance , if the manufacturer is desirous of changing only the configuration of the sight tube 16 , such a change can be made without altering the configurations of the fittings 14 , 18 . referring to fig1 , once the components have been properly injection molded and baked , final joining of the components into a unitary - bodied fluoropolymer flowmeter 10 is possible . generally , at least two of the three main body components , 14 , 16 , 18 are non - contact welded together creating a weldment bond 104 . for instance , first fitting end 30 of sight tube 16 can be non - contact welded to exiting end 24 of first fitting 14 , creating a weldment bond 100 . further , second fitting end 32 of sight tube 16 can be non - contact welded to entering end 46 of second fitting 18 . details of such non - contact welding are found in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 929 , 293 which is incorporated herein by reference . in addition , other non - contaminating techniques and methods of bonding the fluoropolymer components known to one skilled in the art can be employed as well . referring primarily to fig1 - 14 , the non - contact welding and manufacturing process for one spherical float 78 embodiment is shown . float assembly 76 for the spherical float 78 embodiment is calibrated prior to the joining or welding of second fitting 18 to a previously joined assembly of first fitting 14 and sight tube 16 . spherical float 78 is positioned in the juncture of first fitting 14 and sight tube 16 so that float 78 rests at the resting aperture 81 integral to first fitting conduit 26 . a calibration guide rod 112 is positioned through the float into the guide rod aperture 81 of first fitting 14 so that it extends upwardly . a calibration fitting 114 engages the top opening of sight tube 16 . the calibration guide rod 112 is received by the fitting 114 . the calibration fitting 114 is temporarily sealingly attached to sight tube 16 and is removed upon completion of the calibration process . fluid , typically water , is forced into entering end 22 of first fitting 14 , traveling through first fitting conduit 26 and into the tube conduit 34 of sight tube 16 where it forces float 78 up guide rod 112 some distance depending on the applied flow rate . spherical float 78 is replaced with others of different size , shape , or weight until the desired flow readings are obtained consistent with actual flow rates provided by calibration circulator 106 . once calibration readings are ideal , the calibration fixture 114 and guide rod 112 are removed , guide rod 79 is inserted through aperture 81 in place of the calibration guide rod 112 , and aperture 81 is sealed by heating and pinching the boss 110 . referring primarily to fig1 and 15 , the non - contact welding and manufacturing process for an elongate float 80 embodiment is shown . assembly 76 is generally calibrated prior to the joining of second fitting 18 to the already joined assembly of first fitting 14 and sight tube 16 . fluid , typically water , is forced into entering end 22 of first fitting 14 , traveling through first fitting 14 and into sight tube 16 where it forces float 80 up body conduit 20 . float 80 is replaced with others of different size , shape , or weight until the desired flow readings are obtained consistent with actual flow rates provided by calibration circulator 106 . various low and ultra - low rates can be easily metered with such precision calibration . once calibration readings are ideal , the calibration fixture is removed . in addition , aperture 108 is generally sealed by heating and pinching the boss 110 . with calibration complete , on either float assembly embodiments , the next step generally consists of joining second fitting 18 and sight tube 16 by non - contact welding second fitting end 32 of sight tube 16 to entering end 48 of second fitting 18 . however , as stated herein , it is envisioned that non - contact welding could be implemented to attach or bond only two of the three main body components 14 , 16 , 18 . completion of the assembly and calibration processes results in the final flowmeter body 12 assembly with body conduit 20 consisting of a continuous flow channel beginning with entering end 22 of first fitting 14 , continuing through sight tube 16 , and running through and out of exiting end 48 opening of second fitting 18 . during operation of the flowmeter 10 having a generally elongate float 80 , fluid is introduced into entering end 22 of first fitting 14 . as the fluid traverses through the conduit 26 into conduit 34 it puts anti - gravitational pressure on float 80 , which has a gravitational bias . the vertical force of the fluid consequently moves float 80 upward closer to second fitting 18 . in preferred elongate float embodiments having a flange , the flange 82 begins in an initial seat or rest position against the region where the upper portion of channel 40 and the lower portion of conduit 38 join . in this initial seated position , the flange 82 substantially closes off fluid communication through channel 40 , and thus measurably restricts fluid from entering into conduit 38 from conduit 36 . in conventional flowmeter float designs , a relatively significant amount of vertical fluid force is needed to counter the gravitational bias of the float . in the present invention , however , the fluid flow required to move the float 80 is significantly reduced . this is possible because of the initial closed position of the flange 82 against the channel 40 and the narrowing distance provided by the narrow channel 40 . fluid force builds up rather easily behind the flange 82 since there is substantially no room between the float 80 and the proximate walls of the channel 40 . this reduced fluid travel space coupled with the inability of the fluid to travel past the blockage created by the flange 82 creates a highly sensitive configuration where fluid metering of low fluid flow is possible . fluid pressure behind the flange 82 and channel 40 is easily created despite low or ultra low fluid flows . as the low flowing fluid builds up within the channel 40 and against the flange 82 , the float 80 will move correspondingly . because of the relative narrowness of the channel 40 , and the reduced size of conduit 38 in comparison to conduit 36 , fluid pressure on the float 80 will continue despite consistent low or ultra - low fluid flow rates within the body conduit 20 even after the flange 82 has moved some distance upward beyond its initial seated position against the opening of channel 40 . once the vertical force of the fluid is equal to that of the gravitational bias of float 80 , vertical movement will stabilize . if not , movement of the float 80 upward will continue until the flange 82 abuts the guide stop 88 , or protrusion 94 . the distance between the flange 82 in its resting position , and the protrusion 94 can be adjusted by altering the length of the conduit 38 , adjusting the length of the protrusion 94 , the fixed location of the guide stop 88 , and like techniques and configurations . indications of the fluid flow rates can be measured by metering a portion of the float 80 against the marked or etched indicia 44 on the sight tube 16 . preferably , flow rates can be measured according to the alignment of the flange 82 in relationship to the indicia 44 . needed adjustments to fluid flow rates can be made based on the obtained flow readings . during operation of the flowmeter 10 employing a generally spherical float 78 , fluid is introduced into entering end 22 of first fitting 14 . as the fluid traverses through the body conduit 20 into tube conduit 34 it puts and anti - gravitational pressure on float 78 which has a gravitational bias . the vertical force of the fluid consequently moves float 78 along guide rod 79 , moving float 78 closer to second fitting 18 . once the vertical force of the fluid is equal to that of the gravitational bias of float 78 , vertical movement will stabilize . flow rate readings during this stabilization period can be made according to flow indicia 44 . needed adjustments to fluid flow rates can be made based on the obtained flow readings . although the invention hereof has been described by way of example of preferred embodiment , it will be evident that other adaptations and modifications may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope thereof . the terms and expressions employed herein have been used as terms of description and not of limitation ; there is no intent of excluding equivalents and it is intended that the description cover any and all equivalents that may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	1
throughout the specification and claims , the term &# 34 ; diphenylsulfone tetracarboxylic acids ( dsta )&# 34 ; represents tetracarboxylic acids having the following formula : ## str1 ## wherein r 1 and r 2 are each hydrogen , alkyl having 1 to 5 carbon atoms , halogen , nitro , amino , hydroxyl , sulfonic acid residue , alkoxyl having 1 to 5 carbon atoms , phenoxy or substituted phenoxy , m and n are each an integer of 0 to 4 , the sum of m and n is 4 , a is an integer of 5 - n and b is an integer of 5 - m . examples of dsta are diphenylsulfone - 2 , 2 &# 39 ;, 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- tetracarboxylic acid , diphenylsulfone - 2 , 3 , 3 &# 39 ;, 4 &# 39 ;- tetracarboxylic acid , diphenylsulfone - 3 , 3 &# 39 ;, 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- tetracarboxylic acid , 2 - chlorodiphenylsulfone - 3 , 3 &# 39 ;, 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- tetracarboxylic acid , 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- dichlorodiphenylsulfone - 3 , 3 &# 39 ;, 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- tetracarboxylic acid , 2 - methyldiphenylsulfone - 3 , 3 &# 39 ;, 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- tetracarboxylic acid , 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- dimethyldiphenylsulfone3 , 3 &# 39 ;, 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- tetracarboxylic acid , etc . the crude dsta or dsta crude to be purified in this invention includes unpurified dsta and reaction products obtained by various processes for synthesizing dsta . in accordance with the present method the crude dsta produced by any synthesis process can be purified effectively . for example , the present method can purify any crude dsta produced by oxidizing the corresponding tetraalkyldiphenylsulfone with an oxidizing agent such as nitric acid , chromic acid , dichromate , permanganate or the like or with air in liquid phase . the crude dsta usually contains impurities , which are various in accordance with the synthesis process , such as a heavy metal ion used as a catalyst or oxidizing agent , organic solvent , byproducts and the like . the heavy metal ions include , for example , those of cr , mn , v , w , cu , co , fe , ni , zr , mo , ru , rh , pd , pt , ce , etc . according to the present invention , the crude dsta is purified by recrystallization from a solvent mixture of water and acetic acid . the concentration of acetic acid in the solvent mixture is in the range of 2 to 90 vol . %, preferably about 10 to about 70 vol . %. according to the present invention the dsta crude to be purified is dissolved in the solvent mixture of water and acetic acid at an elevated temperature ranging from about 40 ° to about 200 ° c ., preferably about 50 ° to about 150 ° c . when crude dsta contains as an impurity the acetic acid used in the preparation process , the crude can be dissolved only in water to form a solution of the crude in a solvent mixture of water and acetic acid . the amount of the solvent mixture relative to the crude is about 1 to about 200 times , preferably about 3 to about 50 times , the weight of the crude . when used in less than the equal amount , the solvent mixture displays a poor dissolving power when mixed with the crude , while it shows no significant superiority in purifying effect , when used in more than 200 times . when the crude contains a heavy metal ion , it is preferable to treat the crude with a cation exchange resin or chelating resin prior to the recrystallization step to remove the heavy metal ion more effectively from the crude . in this case the solution of dsta crude in the mixed solvent is passed a column packed with the resin , or the resin is added to the crude solution and mixed thoroughly , followed by filtration or centrifugation . preferred examples of the cation exchange resins are &# 34 ; diaion - sk &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; diaion - pk &# 34 ; ( each a trade name , product of mitsubishi kasei corporation , japan ), duolite - c ( trade name , product of sumitomo chemical co ., ltd ., japan ), etc . the preferable chelating resins to be used include , for example , sumichelate ( sumitomo chemical co . ltd ., japan ), etc . the amount of resin to be added to the solution is in the range of about 1 . 2 to about 100 equivalents ( exchange volume ), preferably about 2 to about 50 equivalents per equivalent of the heavy metal ion . the treatment with the resin can be carried out at any temperature which is lower than a heat resisting temperature of the resin but at which no crystallization of dsta occurs . it is preferably in the range of about 25 ° to about 60 ° c . the treatment completes within 1 minute to 4 hours irrespective of the treatment methods . in the present invention oxalic acid can be used in place of the cation exchange resin or chelating resin in order to remove the heavy metal ion effectively . in this case oxalic acid is added to the solution of dsta crude containing heavy metal ion and the mixture is refluxed with heating , followed by filtering off the resulting heavy metal oxalate . the amount of oxalic acid to be used is usually in the range of about 1 . 0 to about 20 moles , preferably about 1 . 2 to about 10 moles , per mole of the heavy metal ions contained in the dsta crude . the refluxing is carried out preferably for 0 . 1 to 10 hours . then the dsta crude dissolved in the solvent mixture is recrystallized by direct cooling or concentration and cooling to give highly purified dsta . the dsta concentration in the solvent at the time of recrystallization is preferably about 2 to about 70 wt . %, more preferably about 10 to about 50 wt . %. the crystals thus precipitated are separated by filtration or centrifugation , washed with a small amount of cold solvent such as water , when required , and dried to obtain a highly purified dsta . the purified dsta obtained in the present invention can be employed as starting materials for or modifiers of various resins such as polyimide , polyester , polyamideimide , polyesterimide or the like , as curing agents for epoxy resin or as starting materials for plasticizers , lubricating oils , medicines , agricultural chemicals , dyes , etc . for example , the polyimide resin prepared from diphenylsulfone - 3 , 3 &# 39 ;, 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- tetracarboxylic acid as a starting monomeric compound is excellent in heat resistance , mechanical characteristics , electrical characteristics , etc . and has useful properties such as high solvent solubility , good processability , etc . the invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the following examples , which in no way limit the invention . in examples purity or removal ratio of impurities in % shows the value as calculated from neutralization value . in acetic acid were dissolved 274 g ( 1 . 0 mole ) of 3 , 3 &# 39 ;, 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- tetramethyldiphenyl sulfone , 2 . 8 g ( 0 . 11 mole ) of cobalt acetate and 44 g ( 0 . 45 mole ) of ammonium bromide to obtain 2 . 7 liter of a solution . the solution was placed in an autoclave and heated at 140 ° c . the pressure in the autoclave was increased to 50 kg / cm 2 . g by injecting air . oxidation reaction was conducted at the same temperature for 3 hours while air was injected continuously . the resulting reaction mixture was cooled and the precipitate was separated by filtration to obtain 366 g of crude of diphenylsulfone - 3 , 3 &# 39 ;, 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- tetracarboxylic acid ( hereinafter referred to as dsta - 1 ). the dsta - 1 crude thus obtained had a purity of 95 . 4 %, and contained 16 % of acetic acid and 5800 ppm of cobalt . thedsta - 1 crude ( 366 g ) was dried to obtain 308 g of a crude of dsta ( hereinafter referred to as dsta - 2 ) which had a purity of 95 . 4 %, and contained 0 . 7 % of acetic acid and 5800 ppm of cobalt . crude diphenylsulfone - 2 , 3 , 3 &# 39 ;, 4 &# 39 ;- tetracarboxylic acid ( hereinafter referred to as dsta - 3 ) was obtained in the same manner as in reference example 1 except that 2 , 3 , 3 &# 39 ;, 4 &# 39 ;- tetramethyldiphenyl sulfone was used as a starting material . the dsta - 3 crude thus obtained had a purity of 94 . 8 % and contained 17 % of acetic acid and 6200 ppm of cobalt . the dsta - 2 crude ( 308 g ) obtained in reference example 1 was dissolved in 1 . 5 liter of 7 : 3 volume ratio mixture of water and acetic acid at 100 ° c . the solution was cooled to room temperature ( 23 ° c .) for recrystallization . the precipitate was filtered off , washed with a small amount of cold water and dried to obtain 277 g of highly purified dsta - 2 . the yield , removal ratio of impurities and cobalt content are shown in table 1 below . the crude dsta - 2 ( 308 g ) obtained in reference example 1 was dissolved in the predetermined amount of the solvent shown in table 1 below at 100 ? c ., and the solution was treated in the same manner as in example 1 to obtain purified dsta - 2 . the yield , removal ratio of impurities and cobalt content are shown in table 1 . table 1______________________________________ removal ratio of cobalt amount yield impurities contentsolvent ( l ) (%) (%) ( ppm ) ______________________________________ex . 1 water - acetic 1 . 5 70 90 . 2 113 acid mixturecomp . water 2 . 0 72 17 . 4 117ex . 1comp . glacial 3 . 0 63 69 . 1 536ex . 2 acetic acidcomp . dioxane 1 . 5 57 46 . 4 2100ex . 3comp . water - dioxane 1 . 5 49 47 . 1 188ex . 4 mixture ( 7 : 3 in volume ) comp . water - methanol 1 . 0 52 37 . 0 124ex . 5 mixture ( 8 : 2 in volume ) ______________________________________ the dsta - i crude ( 366 g ) obtained in reference example 1 was dissolved in 1 . 5 liter of 7 : 3 volume ratio mixture of water and acetic acid at 100 ? c . the solution was cooled to room temperature ( 23 ° c .) for recrystallization . the precipitate thus obtained was filtered off , washed with a small amount of cold water and dried to obtain 283 g of highly purified dsta - 1 ( yield 72 %, purity 99 . 0 %, cobalt content 121 ppm ). the dsta - 1 crude ( 366 g ) obtained in reference example 1 was dissolved in 3 . 0 liter of 9 : 1 volume ratio mixture of water and acetic acid at 100 ° c . to the solution was added 350 ml of &# 34 ; diaion pk - 216 &# 34 ; ( trade name , cation exchange resin , product of mitsubishi kasei corporation , japan ). the mixture was stirred at 60 ° c . for 1 hour . the resin was filtered off and the filtrate , after concentrated to about 1 / 2 volume , was cooled to room temperature ( 23 ° c .) for recrystallization . the precipitate was filtered off , washed with a small amount of cold water and dried to obtain 279 g of highly purified dsta - 1 ( yield 71 %, purity 99 . 4 %, cobalt content 16 ppm ). the dsta - 1 crude ( 366 g ) obtained in reference example 1 was dissolved in 2 . 5 liter of 4 : 6 volume ratio mixture of water and acetic acid at 100 ° c . to the solution was added 20 g ( 0 . 22 mole ) of oxalic acid . the mixture was refluxed at 102 ° c . for 1 hour and the resulting insoluble ( oxalate ) was filtered off at about 80 ° c . the filtrate was cooled to room temperature ( 23 ° c .) for recrystallization . the precipitate was filtered off , washed with a small amount of cold water and dried to obtain 264 g of highly purified dsta - 1 ( yield 67 %, purity 99 . 0 %, cobalt content 14 ppm ). the dsta - 3 crude obtained in reference example 2 was dissolved in 1 . 5 liter of 7 : 3 volume ratio mixture of water and acetic acid at 100 ° c . the solution was cooled to room temperature ( 23 ° c .) for recrystallization . the precipitate thus obtained was filtered off , washed with a small amount of cold water and dried to obtain 271 g of highly purified dsta - 2 ( yield 69 %, purity 99 . 1 %, cobalt content 108 ppm ).	2
prior to describing the light receiving device of this invention , the light receiving device of the prior art will be described in order to ensure the invention is easily understood . fig1 is an oblique view of an embodiment of the light receiving device of the prior art . as shown in the figure , an optical fiber ( not shown ) is placed in a groove 15 formed in a substrate 12 . a reflector 16 is formed at the end of the groove . the light beamed from the optical fiber mounted in the groove 15 is reflected upwards by this reflector 16 . silicon substrates are generally employed as the substrate 12 since the v groove can be formed with high precision by etching . a light receiving element 13 is mounted with a light sensitive surface 2 facing downwards , above the reflector 16 . the light reflected from the light receiving element 13 by the reflector 16 is received , converted into a electrical signals and extracted externally . this light receiving element 13 has a cathode 3 and a anode 4 and a connecting section on the surface corresponding to the positions on the substrate 12 . these electrodes 3 and 4 , and the pad ( not shown ) formed on the substrate 12 are connected by soldering . however in the structure of the light receiving device of the prior art about half of the lower surface of the light receiving element 13 is in the groove 15 so the electrode cannot be mounted directly beneath it or in the vicinity . therefore , the connection with the substrate 12 must be made at a position where the groove 15 is not formed . however as shown in fig1 the electrodes 3 and 4 cannot be mounted securely when installed at positions tilted with respect to the light receiving element 13 . also , even if the self - alignment method by means of the solder bump is utilized , the solder bump will only be performed at two locations which is insufficient and the tilted position will prevent adequate self adjustment of position , making high precision mounting difficult to achieve . next , the light receiving device of this invention will be explained in detail while referring to the drawings . fig2 is an oblique view of one embodiment of the light receiving element utilized in the light receiving device of this invention . fig3 is a cross sectional view of the light receiving device of fig2 as seen from the a direction and the b direction . the device with the light receiving element shown in fig2 and fig . 3 is generally formed with inp as light receiving element material on a substrate 1 which is formed with a light sensitive surface 2 , a anode 3 , a cathode 4 , a mounting precision test mask 5 , and a conductive electrode wire 6 . the light receiving element of this embodiment has two cathodes 4 enclosing the light sensitive surface 2 and in a position opposite the anode 3 . these two cathodes 4 , as can be seen in ( b ) of fig3 make electrical contact with a metal thin film 8 on the surface of the substrate 1 . this will be explained in detail later , however this metal thin film 8 also connects all cathodes of the adjoining light receiving element joined as an uncut bar providing a common electrode . it is understood , however , that electrodes 3 and 4 may be swapped with 4 being the anode and 3 being the cathode without departing from the spirit of the invention . the structure of said light receiving device mounted on the substrate installed with the optical fiber and light receiving element is described next . fig4 is an oblique view showing the first embodiment of the light receiving device of this invention . an optical fiber , ( not shown ) is mounted on a v groove 15 formed on a silicon substrate 12 by etching . a reflector 16 ( not shown ) is provided at the end of the optical fiber . the light receiving element 13 so that the light sensitive surface 2 is above the reflector 16 . here , the light receiving element 13 having the two cathodes shown in fig2 reveals the unique aspect of this invention . one piece of the adjoining light receiving elements 14 adjacent to the light receiving element 13 is cut off from the bar along with the light receiving element 13 . this adjacent light receiving element 14 is cut off so as to leave only one of the two cathodes remaining . when the light sensitive surface 2 of light receiving element 13 on the silicon substrate is at the optimal position versus the reflector 16 , the cathodes 4 of adjacent light receiving element 14 and the anode 3 of the light receiving element 13 are at corresponding positions on the pad . the electrodes at these three positions ( shown with a crosshatch on the drawing of fig . 2 ) are attached by the solder bump method to the pad on the silicon substrate 1 . the anode 3 and the light sensitive surface 2 are in close proximity so a solder resist 7 is provided to prevent flow of solder onto the light sensitive surface . in the light receiving device of the related art , the electrodes must be mounted at a tilted position versus the light sensitive surface of the light receiving element due to the v groove . however , in this invention the electrodes are attached with a good balance in three locations so that a good effect from self alignment can be obtained . this means that the highly precise positioning can be achieved . further , after attachment , this mounting is stable even under external environmental changes and changes over time . fig5 is an oblique view showing the second embodiment of the light receiving device of this invention . fig5 and fig4 employ basically the same structure , however fig5 shows a coupling of two optical fibers with two array type light receiving elements . the two light receiving elements 13 employed here are the same as the two elements in fig4 . however , when cut off from the bar , the two adjoining light receiving elements 14 are cut off along with the two light receiving elements 13 . even here , the anode 3 ( far side on the drawing ) at a position with no v groove , is connected unchanged , and the electrode of light receiving element 13 is connected to the substrate 12 . however , the cathode which is positioned at a location with a v groove , is not connected to light receiving element 13 but instead the cathode 4 is connected to the substrate 12 . this configuration is made possible by the fact as mentioned above , that the cathodes are all connected by the thin metal film 8 between the light receiving element so that electrical conductivity is obtained . by employing this structure which is one feature of this invention , stable positioning having high precision can be achieved even when comprising an array type light receiving device . here we will describe the evaluation of mounting precision of the light receiving element 13 after mounting was performed . fig6 illustrates the mounting process used for the light receiving element 13 . fig6 ( a ) is a drawing for respectively evaluating positioning precision prior to mounting in ( b ) and after mounting ( c ). the mounting process is fundamentally the same as explained previously however as shown in the figure , a mounting precision test mask 10 is provided on the surface of the substrate 12 . a mounting alignment mark 9 is also provided on the light receiving element 13 . as shown in fig6 ( c ), the alignment marks 9 and 10 have been positioned beforehand to align with each other when the light beam reflected from the reflector 16 on the substrate 12 matches the light sensitive surface 12 of the light receiving element 13 as explained for fig2 . therefore , when the light receiving device is viewed from above after mounting , the actual mounting precision can be evaluated by measuring the relative positions of both alignment marks . the light receiving device of this invention can be used not only with the 2 - channel array type light receiving devices as shown in fig5 but also with array type light receiving devices having a plurality of channels . fig7 shows a light receiving element array in a bar configuration planned for use in an 8 - channel array type light receiving device . in this case also , the bar is cut to include a piece allowing use of the cathode with the light receiving element 14 on both adjoining sides . fig8 and 9 are oblique views of said light receiving element array . fig8 is a view from the light sensitive surface 2 and fig9 is a view as seen from the opposite side ( upper side after mounting ). the third embodiment of the light receiving device of this invention will be explained next . here , return to fig4 and consider the structure of the single channel light receiving device . to achieve the light receiving device of this invention , the structure in fig4 has a limited cutoff of the adjacent light receiving elements 14 . in other words , by providing two electrodes positioned above the v groove , the cutoff of the adjacent light receiving elements 14 can be reduced to half and the remaining light receiving elements adjacent to light receiving elements 14 can themselves be used as the main light receiving elements . however if this approach is not used , the structure shown in fig1 is applicable . in the structure shown in fig1 , the light receiving element 13 and adjacent light receiving elements 14 each have only one cathode 4 . in this case too , if just one ( total of 2 on both sides ) adjacent light receiving element 14 is cut off , then stable mounting of a flip - flop chip can be obtained . fig1 shows the fourth embodiment of the invention which corresponds to the structure in fig5 . this structure is applicable to array type light receiving devices as can be seen in the figure . fig1 shows a light receiving element structure used in an array type light receiving device having a plurality of channels . the light receiving device of this invention as explained above has a plurality of electrode external connecting sections so that high precision mounting on a substrate can be obtained such as when mounting flip - flops by utilizing the solder bump method on light receiving elements . further , the light receiving elements utilize alignment marks that not only permit efficient mounting on the substrate but also allow measurement of mounting position accuracy after being mounted . also , in light receiving devices having an array structure , the wiring is easily performed since power can be supplied by installing at least one wire from the power supply to feed voltage lo the substrate . while this invention has been described in connection with certain embodiments , it should be understood that the scope of the subject matter encompassed by this invention is not limited to those specific embodiments . on the contrary , the subject matter of this invention is intended to include all alternatives , modifications and equivalents as can be included within the spirit and scope of the following claims .	7
referring now to the drawing , the heat exchanger 10 comprises a plurality of flat parallel plates 12a , 12b , 12c , 12d , 12e and 12f having preferably a rectangular shape and separated being from each other by a plurality of ribs 14 can be inserted through the plates 12 and bonded to the plates 12 proximate their intersection to ensure that the plates 12 and the ribs 14 remain fixedly positioned with respect to each other . the heat exchanger 10 preferably comprises an array of composite ribs is used to separate the composite parallel plates 12 and to transfer heat from one passageway to the other . in the preferred configuration the ribs 14 are continuous from one end of the stack of parallel plates to the other , thus providing the most direct heat flow path from passageway to passageway . the diameter and spacing of the ribs 14 can be varied together with the plate spacing to provide the best match to the desired total exchange of heat . it is intended that fluids 22 and 24 , such as air or any other fluid , flow between the plates 12 in alternating layers . thus , a first fluid 22 can flow between plates 12a and 12b in the direction shown by arrow a while a second fluid 24 can flow between plates 12b and 12c in the direction shown by arrow b . the two passageways formed by the plates 12a , b and c are identified as the hot passageway 18 and the cold passageway 20 respectively . the second passageway 20 is most frequently oriented to facilitate the flow of the second fluid 24 transverse to the flow of the first fluid 22 in the first passageway 18 . the first and second passageways 18 and 20 may also be oriented in parallel to provide the parallel flow stream arrangement of a counterflow heat exchanger . in this instance special provision must be added to assist the fluid entry and exit . in a preferred embodiment the plates 12 can be stacked to form an array of alternating first and second passageways 18 and 20 until the assembly as a whole provides the required heat transfer or exchange capability . in fig1 the heat exchanger 10 includes the plurality of ribs 14 separating the plates 12a , 12b , 12c , 12d , 12e and 12f from each other are configured as substantially cylindrical pins 14a . the pins 14 provide a smoothly contoured surface for positioning in the fluid flow to minimize surface obstruction to the fluid . referring now to fig2 a heat exchanger 10 similar to that of fig1 is shown wherein the ribs 14 are shown as a plurality of fins 14b which can be considered as an extreme case , of the pins flattened to form thin flat ribbons 14b as shown . the fins 14 preferably have a wide dimension in the direction of flow and narrow dimension transverse to the flow so that the ribbons are disposed in parallel with the fluid flow to define the flow path with the minimum resistance . it should however be noted that the inasmuch as the ribbons 13 are continuous through the complete stack of parallel plates 12 , the minimum resistance flow path for the fluids 22 and 24 is only achieved if the two flow streams are in parallel as in a counter flow heat exchanger . where ribs 14 are used it is also possible to use transverse flow streams . if the flow 22 is parallel to the ribbons then the flow 24 will impinge directly on the flat faces of the ribbons in passageway 20 . this provides a very high pressure differential in the flow 24 while maintaining the minimum resistance to the flow of the fluid 22 . the angle between the plates 12 and ribs 14 may be set at any angle relative to the edge of the plates 12 and to the fluid streams 22 and 24 to provide a range of compromises in the resistance to the two fluid streams . in this invention the ribs 14 may also have other cross sectional shapes , such as those illustrated in fig3 as a circular cross section 14a , a linear cross section 14b , a square cross section 14c , a triangular cross section 14d , a diamond cross section 14e or a rectangular cross section 14f . many variations in rib cross section and spacing may be considered to best match the desired performance . in operation , the first and second fluids 22 and 24 flowing in the first and second passageways 18 and 20 respectively are preferably at different temperatures to facilitate the heat transfer from one passage to the other . for instance the first fluid 22 can be hotter than the second fluid 24 . when this hotter fluid 22 flows in the first passageway 18 heat is transferred from the fluid to the ribs 14 exposed in passageway 18 and to the plates 12a and 12b . heat is then conducted through the ribs 14 the fluid 24 in the passageway 20 . the second fluid 24 exits and flows from the heat exchanger 10 and carries the exchanged heat away from the heat exchanger 10 allowing the continuous flow of the hot fluid to be continuously cooled be the continuous flow of the cold fluid . in accordance with the present invention the higher thermal conductivity of the composite material can be used to facilitate the heat transfer between the two fluids . the possible anisotropic nature of some composite materials can also be used to further enhance this transfer of heat . the lower density of the material can be used to reduce weight . the two fluids in addition to the inherently unequal temperatures are at unequal pressures . the plates 12 must be of a thickness sufficient to provide structural integrity between fluid passages 18 and 20 but sufficiently thin to minimize weight and not interfere with the fluid flow but the rib 14 must have sufficient structural integrity and help keep the plates flat . the purpose of the heat with heat transfer . plate thickness must be gaged to account for the fluid pressure difference between passageways 18 and 20 as this difference tends to bend the plates . the close spacing of the ribs results in small unsupported cross sectional areas of the plates 12 . therefore , the ribs 14 enhance structural integrity and help keep the plates flat . the purpose of the heat exchanger is to transfer heat from one fluid to the other . therefore if a hot fluid enters the passageway 18 as shown in the drawing , the inlet end of passage 18 is hotter than the exit end . similarly , the cold fluid entering the passageway 20 is colder at the inlet and warmer at the exit . thus , the corner of the heat exchanger where the hot fluid enters and the cold fluid exits 22 may be at a much higher temperature than the opposite corner 24 where the cold fluid enters and the hot fluid exits . this thermal gradient within the heat exchanger structure reduces the amount of heat which can be transferred . in metal heat exchangers the hot section expands much more than the cold section which sets up adverse stresses within the material and reduces heat exchanger life . repeated cycling of temperatures caused by varying operating conditions and by turning flows off and on still further reduces strength and life by the repeated expansion and contraction of all parts of the heat exchanger . a method of improving heat exchanger performance and extending life is to use the correct selection of composite materials . fibers , used in the construction of composite materials , are presently available which have a wide range of thermal conductivity &# 39 ; s . additionally , composite materials may be anisotropic or isotropic dependent on how the fibers are oriented within the material . isotropic materials conduct heat substantially uniformly along all three orthogonal axes x , y and z while anisotropic materials conduct heat predominantly along a first axis such as the z - axis and to a lesser extent along the remaining two x and y axes . in the plate and rib heat exchanger of this invention high conductivity in the ribs 14 in the direction between the two plates 12 ( the z axis ) is essential . plate conductivity in this axis also affects performance but as the cross section area is large and the heat flow length is very short ( plate thickness ) this is much less important than the fin conductivity . by using a high conductivity anisotropic composite material for the ribs with the conduction path in the z axis and a low conductivity , anisotropic material for the plates , with the conductive plane oriented to minimize heat flow in the material from the hot corner to the cold corner , performance is maximized . an additional and very significant benefit in the use of composite materials is that the coefficient of expansion is also much lower than conventional heat exchanger metals and this greatly reduces thermal expansion and the resultant stresses . in accordance with this invention , it is recognized that a number of different carbon fiber and polymeric resin composites , which may be either isotropic or anisotropic , can be selected to fabricate compact parallel plate heat exchangers such that the thermal flux exceeds the value which would be achieved with an identical heat exchanger fabricated from metal . various other modifications may be contemplated by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention as here and after defined by the following claims . in addition to the fin geometry and flow configurations mentioned above , the heat exchangers could be formed in other than the illustrated rectangular shape ; accordingly heat exchangers of cylindrical , circular or conical configuration are within the scope of the present invention .	8
for the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the novel technology and presenting its currently understood best mode of operation , reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same . it will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the novel technology is thereby intended , with such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device and such further applications of the principles of the novel technology as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the novel technology relates . a first embodiment of the present novel technology is illustrated in fig1 and 3 - 9 c , a system 10 for automatically preventing a track hoe bucket , back hoe bucket , loader bucket , skid loader bucket or like bucket or shovel from digging substantially deeper than a predetermined grade depth parameter . while the following example and drawings focus on a hoe bucket , the claimed novel technology is not limited to a hoe system and includes other digging machines , such as front loaders and the like . the system 10 includes a position sensor 15 and a depth sensor 20 operationally connected to a microprocessor 25 and likewise connected in communication with a reference signal 30 . the sensors 15 , 20 may be separate , or may both be the same ( such as a gps transceiver ). further , some embodiments may only have a depth sensor 20 , while others may only have a position sensor 15 . the reference signal 30 may be from a gps satellite , a laser , or the like . the microprocessor 25 is also connected to an actuator assembly 37 . the actuator assembly typically 37 includes a pressure source or pump 40 , such as a hydraulic or pneumatic pump 40 is connected in fluidic communication with at least one hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder 45 . the hydraulic cylinder 45 is fixedly , and typically pivotably , connected to a hoe or shovel bucket or blade 50 having a cutting edge or teeth 53 . while actuator assembly 37 is described herein as being of the pressurized piston / cylinder type , actuator assembly 37 may likewise include other types of actuators , such as mechanical , electromechanical , or the like . bucket 50 is likewise connected to the distal portion of a hoe armature 51 . the hydraulic cylinder 45 is also operationally connected to an interrupt bar 55 , which is likewise pivotably connected to the bucket 50 . the position and depth sensors 15 , 20 are likewise operationally connected to the bucket 50 such that the depth of the bucket , and the cutting edge 53 , is either directly measured ( such as by direct attachment of the sensor ( s ) 15 , 20 to the bucket 50 ), or calculated ( such as by connection of the sensor ( s ) 15 , 20 to a predetermined position on the distal portion of the armature 51 connected to the bucket 50 ). in operation 100 , as schematically illustrated in fig7 , microprocessor 25 is first programmed with the location and depth parameters of the grade or excavation to be dug 105 . the reference signal 30 is received 110 by the depth sensor 20 and / or microprocessor 25 when the digging machine is in operation , and the depth of the bucket 50 is calculated in substantially real - time . the location of the bucket 50 is also typically calculated from information supplied by the location sensor 15 and received 115 by the microprocessor 25 . in some embodiments , the position sensor 15 may also be used to calculate the orientation of the bucket 50 , such as its degree of pivot relative to a predetermined base orientation , such as teeth down and parallel to the horizontal . the depth , location and orientation information are used to calculate the position of the bucket 50 and this is compared 120 by the microprocessor 25 to the programmed grade information . if the bucket 50 begins exceed 125 programmed grade parameters , such as moving deeper than the programmed grade , an actuation signal 130 , typically a voltage , is generated by the microprocessor 25 and sent to the hydraulic pump 40 , energizing the pump 40 and actuating the cylinder 45 to extend 145 and pivot the interrupt bar 55 into position to engage the ground ahead of the bucket 50 . this operation is shown sequentially in fig9 a - 9c , wherein the interrupt bar 55 connected to a skid loader bucket 50 is moved from a standby position ( fig9 a ) into an engaged position ( fig9 c ), preventing the bucket 50 from digging into the ground and , typically , slightly lifting the front end of the loader . if the bucket position does not exceed 135 the programmed grade parameters , a null signal 140 is sent to the pump 40 . engagement of the ground by the interrupt bar 55 prevents the shovel or bucket 50 from penetrating deeper into the ground . the microprocessor 25 may then query the sensors 15 , 20 for bucket location information , and the cycle starts over . it should be noted that although the process of digging to grade is typically one of vertically removing dirt , the programmed grade may likewise be a substantially horizontal parameter , such as the walls of a dug basement . the microprocessor 25 may likewise combine vertical , horizontal , and / or bucket orientation parameters to govern the excavation of curved and / or complex shape surfaces . the interrupt bar 55 is typically an elongated member made of a structural material , such as steel . the interrupt bar 55 is more typically rounded or generally cylindrical . the interrupt bar 55 is generally u - shaped , having an elongated and generally rounded middle portion 70 and parallel connection members 75 extending from either end of the middle portion at generally right angles from the axis of the middle portion 70 . the middle portion 70 and connection members 75 may define a unitary piece ( see fig1 - 12b ), or may be connected together as separate pieces . fig2 illustrates one specific configuration of the system 10 wherein a single hydraulic cylinder 45 is used to pivot the interrupt bar 55 , while fig3 - 9c illustrate a configuration wherein a pair of cylinders 45 are used . the cylinders 45 are illustrated as positioned in the interior of the bucket 50 , but may likewise be positioned adjacent the exterior of the bucket 50 . fig1 - 12b illustrate a variation of the bucket 50 illustrated in fig2 and discussed above , wherein the interrupt bar 55 and piston - cylinder actuator 45 are enclosed in a recess 200 formed in the bucket 50 . in this embodiment , the recess 200 is defined by inner bucket wall 205 and outer bucket wall 201 which create the double - walled bottom portion or recess 200 . the actuator 45 is positioned in the recess 200 and is fixedly mounted to the bucket 50 at one end and to the interrupt bar 55 at the other . energization of the actuator 45 advances the interrupt bar 55 out of the recess 200 to a position adjacent the cutting edge 53 , where it is interposed between the bucket 50 and the ground . bottom wall 210 acts to protect the actuator 45 from clogging by dirt and debris , as well as from impact damage and the like . in other embodiments , the grade predetermination function of the microprocessor may be replaced by a mechanical grade indicator , such as a string , line or surface , and the microprocessor voltage or signal generation function may be replaced mechanically , such as by a contact switch or control armature or member . in one embodiment , as shown in fig1 , a kit 250 is provided for retrofitting existing buckets . the kit 250 includes an interrupt bar 55 operationally connected to a piston actuator 45 and connectable to and / or slidingly disposed in a housing 210 . the housing 210 is structurally connectable to a bucket , such as by bolting , welding , or the like , to define a bottom wall 210 . one or more s sensors 15 , 20 are typically connected to , and more typically disposed within , the housing 210 and are likewise operationally connectable to a controller 25 ( as shown in previous figs .). the piston actuator 45 is connectable to a hydraulic pressure source . in another embodiment , as shown in fig1 a and 14b , a system 310 is shown wherein hydraulic cylinders 345 are connected to a bucket 350 and may be energized to pivot an interrupt plate 355 pivotably connected thereto , urging the plate 355 into engagement with the ground to maintain controlled contact of the bucket 350 with the ground and ensure a maximum depth of cut . the cylinders 345 are illustrated as positioned in the exterior top portion of the bucket 350 . the bucket 350 is illustrated as a wide bucket having an aspect ratio similar to that of a loader or dozer bucket or blade , but may have any convenient shape . fig1 is a block diagram 1500 illustrating am example method of maintaining a back hoe bucket on grade during a digging operation . in some implementations , the system 10 receives initial configuration information ( 1510 ) concerning the length of the segments of the boom assembly ( the entire actuated arm assembly to which the bucket is distally attached ), dimensions of the bucket 50 , dimensions of the hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders 45 , chassis assembly , and the like . in some implementations , the system 10 is also configured by operating the system to move to various set points . the set points include the boom fully extend , the boom at a 90 degree angle , and the like . in some implementations , the system is preconfigured with the configuration information for industry common back hoes and back hoe assemblies . in these implementations , a user can select his back hoe from the list of preconfigured back hoes rather enter in the configuration information . the configuration information is stored in a non - volatile memory . if the system 10 has already been configured , the user begins by zeroing the system 10 ( 1520 ). zeroing the system 10 is performed by maneuvering the bucket to just touch the ground . in some implementations , the system &# 39 ; s sensors will automatically zero the system 10 ( 1520 ). for example , a laser range finder may automatically determine the zero point for the system 10 . the user then enters the desired digging depth ( 1530 ). alternatively , if a trench or hole or the like is already partially existing , the user can simply maneuver the bucket to rest upon the bottom of the trench or hole or the like to enter the desired digging depth ( 1530 ). in some implementations , the system 10 will emit a sound , in addition to automatically leveling the bucket , when the bucket has reached the desired digging depth or grade . the system 10 then receives the remainder of the parameters of the excavation from the user ( 1540 ). for example , some excavations may require the sides of the excavation have a slope different than perpendicular to the bottom of the hole or trench . in such a case , the user can enter a desired slope . alternatively , the user can have the system 10 register and duplicate an existing slope by maneuver the bucket to press flat against an already existing sloped partial excavation . for example , a water retention pond may already be partially dug . a user can have the system 10 register and duplicate the existing slope of the partially dug water retention pond by maneuvering the bucket such that the back of the bucket is pressed against the existing side of the retention pond . note that a user can also simply enter in the entire profile of an excavation ( length , width , slope , and depth of the excavation ) rather than enter the data in a piecemeal manner . the use of a profile also enables the user to register a stop point in the excavation and begin from that point at a later time . for example , a user could register a stop point , break for lunch , and then begin from that stop point after lunch . additionally while presented singularly , multiple values can be entered into the system 10 for more complex excavations . for example , a terraced retention pond with multiple plateaus and multiple angled sloped sides could also be entered and excavated by the system 10 . during the excavation , the system will automatically tilt the bucket ( 1550 ) accordingly as the excavation nears the desired grade or depth . for example , the system 10 will tilt the bucket upwards as the dug depth nears the desired grade . in this way , the system 10 prevents digging the user from digging too deep . in some implementations , the angle of the bucket &# 39 ; s teeth with respect to the horizon when the bucket is near grade is modeled by the system 10 as the angle =( gain * 2 . 5 )( inches above grade ) or angle =−( gain 2 . 5 )*( inches below grade ), where the maximum value of inches is 24 and gain is a user configured parameter . the angle is continuously adjusted as the bucket moves . upon reaching the desired grade , the system 10 will emit a tone ( 1560 ) that instructs the operator that the desired grade has been achieved . the system 10 will also emit a second tone in the event that a grade greater than the desired grade has been reached . the second tone functions to instruct the operator to stop digging and to possibly put back some of the removed dirt back into the area that was being dug . while the novel technology has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description , the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character . it is understood that the embodiments have been shown and described in the foregoing specification in satisfaction of the best mode and enablement requirements . it is understood that one of ordinary skill in the art could readily make a nigh - infinite number of insubstantial changes and modifications to the above - described embodiments and that it would be impractical to attempt to describe all such embodiment variations in the present specification . accordingly , it is understood that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the novel technology are desired to be protected .	4

Subsets and Splits

No community queries yet

The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.