Split (3)

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referring to fig1 the power supply b + through the deck leaf switch sw 1 or sw 2 is applied to the head switching ic 10 through the resistors r 1 and r 2 and the capacitors c 1 and c 2 respectively , and the head switching ic 10 switches the head h 1 or h 2 on / off . more particularly , an electronic switch ( not illustrated ) constituted within the head switching ic 10 is connected to the head h 1 or h 2 by means of the deck leaf switch sw 1 or sw 2 so that the head switching ic 10 outputs the left and right channel audio signals . the on - off operation of the deck leaf switches sw 1 and sw 2 is dectected by a detector section 20 and during the on - off operation of the deck leaf switches sw 1 and sw 2 , control signals generated from the detector section 20 are fed to a muting section 30 . firstly , when the deck leaf switch sw 1 is on , the power supply b + through the deck leaf switch sw 1 is applied to the base of a transistor q 1 in the muting section 30 through a first timing circuit consisting of resistors r 6 and r 7 connected in parallel , diodes d 2 and d 3 and a capacitor c 4 in the detector section 20 as well as to the base of a transistor q 2 through a third timing circuit consisting of a diode d 1 , a capacitor c 3 and a resistor r 5 . on the other hand , when the deck leaf switch sw 2 is on , the power supply b + through the deck leaf switch sw 2 is applied to the collector of the transistor q 2 through a resistor r 3 , and to the base of the transistor q 1 through a second timing circuit consisting of a resistor r 4 , a capacitor c 5 and a diode d 4 . when the transistor q 1 in the muting section 30 is turned on , the power supply b + applied to the collector of the transistor q 1 passes to ground through the collector / emitter conductive path of the transistor q 1 . on the contrary , when the transistor q 1 is turned off , the power supply b + applied to its collector is then applied to the bases of transistors q 3 and q 4 through a diode d 6 and bias resistors r 9 and r 10 for respectively muting the left and right channel audio signals from the head switching ic 10 . referring again to fig1 when both of the deck leaf switches sw 1 and sw 2 are off , the power supply b + is not applied to the head switching ic 10 and the electronic switch in the head switching ic 10 cuts out the connection with the heads h 1 and h 2 . at this moment , the base voltage of the transistor q 1 becomes low and the transistor q 1 is turned off . therefore , the transistors q 3 and q 4 are both turned on because the power supply b + through the resistor r 8 and the diode d 6 is applied to the bases of the transistors q 3 and q 4 through the resistors r 9 and r 10 respectively . thus , when the deck leaf switches sw 1 and sw 2 become off , output terminals of the left and right channel audio signals are connected to ground through the collector / emitter conductive paths of the transistors q 3 and q 4 and thus the left and right channel audio signals are muted . when the deck leaf switch sw 1 is on as shown in fig2 ( a ), the waveform of fig2 ( c ) appears at point c due to the power supply b + applied through the deck leaf switch sw 1 . however , the pop noise as shown in fig2 ( b ) occurs in the head switching ic 10 due to the difference between switching times of the head switching ic 10 and the deck leaf switch sw 1 . the power supply b + through the deck leaf switch sw 1 is applied to the head switching ic 10 after somewhat moderated by the resistor r 1 and the capacitor c 1 and drives the head h 1 . but the left and right channel output signals becomes unstable because the pop noise is not thoroughly removed . however , at this moment , the left and right channel output signals from the head switching ic 10 pass to ground because both of the transistors q 3 and q 4 are turned on as described above . simultaneously , the power supply b + is charged to the capacitor c 4 through the resistors r 6 and r 7 in the detector section 20 and accordingly , the voltage waveform as shown in fig2 ( e ) appears at point e . as this voltage waveform is applied to the base of the transistor q 1 through the diode d 3 , the transistor q 1 is turned on , making the power supply b + applied through the resistor r 8 pass to ground . thus , the transistors q 3 and q 4 are turned off because each of their base voltages becomes low and the waveform as shown in fig2 ( g ) appears at point g which is connected to the collector of the transistor q 1 , resulting in that the left and right channel signals are muted during the time set by the first timing circuit . in this state , if the deck leaf switch sw 1 becomes off , the waveform of fig2 ( c ) appears at point c . thus , the power supply b + charged in the capacitor c 4 is instantaneously discharged to ground through the diode d 2 and the resistor r 6 and the waveform of fig2 ( e ) appears at point e , making the transistor q 1 turned off . therefore , the power supply b + having the waveform of fig2 ( g ) appears at point g , turns on the transistors q 3 and q 4 and thus the left and right channel signals pass to ground through the transistors q 3 and q 4 , resulting in that the pop noise of fig2 ( b ) mixed with the left and right channel signals is removed . at this moment , the transistor q 2 is turned off by the deck leaf switch sw 1 which maintains the off state . on the other hand , if the deck leaf switch sw 2 becomes on as shown in fig2 ( a ), the waveform of fig2 ( d ) appears at point d and the pop noise of fig2 ( b ) occurs in the head switching ic 10 . the power supply b + is applied to the head switching ic 10 through the resistor r 2 and the capacitor c 2 and drives the head h 2 . at this moment , however , the left and right channel signals are muted by the transistors q 3 and q 4 which are turned on as described above . simultaneously , the power supply b + through the deck leaf switch sw 2 is charged to the capacitor c 5 through the resistors r 3 and r 4 , making the transistor q 1 turned on , and thus the voltage at point g has the waveform of fig2 ( g ). therefore , the transistors q 3 and q 4 are turned off , resulting in that the left and right channel signals are normally fed to the next stage after the pop noise is removed . if the deck leaf switch sw 2 becomes off again in the above - described state , the waveform of fig2 ( d ) appears again at point d and the power supply b + applied to the base of the transistor q 1 is cut off , causing this transistor q 1 turned off . therefore , the power supply b + having the waveform of fig2 ( g ) appears at point g and is applied to the bases of the transistors q 3 and q 4 . accordingly , the transistors q 3 and q 4 are turned on and the left and right channel output signals are muted , resulting in that the pop noise of fig2 ( b ) mixed with the signals is removed . at this moment , the transistor q 2 is turned off because the power supply b + applied to its base is cut off by the off - stated deck leaf switch sw 1 . on the other hand , if the deck leaf switch sw 2 becomes on or off when the other deck leaf switch sw 1 remains in the on state , the pop noise is not mixed with the left and right channel output signals because the electronic switch in the head switching ic 10 is connected to the head h 1 . on the contrary , if the deck leaf switch sw 1 becomes on or off when the deck leaf switch sw 2 remains in the on state , the waveforms of fig2 ( c ) and 2 ( d ) appear at point c and d respectively , and the electronic switch in the head switching ic 10 is switched from the head h 2 to the head h 1 in response to the power supply b + applied through the deck leaf switch sw 1 . therefore , when the deck leaf switch sw 1 is on , the power supply b + through the deck leaf switch sw 1 is applied to the base of the transistor q 2 through the diode d 1 , the capacitor c 3 and the resistor r 5 , causing the transistor q 2 turned on , and the power supply b + at point d as shown in fig2 ( d ) passes to ground through the resistor r 3 and the transistor q 2 . thus , the transistor q 1 is then turned off , the waveform of fig2 ( g ) appears at point g and the transistors q 3 and q 4 are turned on , resulting in that the pop noise mixed with the left and right channel output signals is removed . as described above , every time when the deck leaf switch sw 1 or sw 2 is activated , the detector section 20 outputs the control signal to the muting section 30 and the left and right channel output signals from the head switching ic 10 can be muted by the muting section 30 , causing the audio signals stably fed to the next stage after the pop noise is removed . from the foregoing , it will be apparent that the present invention provides the advantage that the pop noise which occurs during the actuation of the deck leaf switches of audio systems can be removed thoroughly .	6
referring to fig1 there is shown the overall arrangement of a wafer sorter / prober 11 including a loader portion 13 and a prober portion 15 . the loader portion 13 includes a &# 34 ; pre - probe &# 34 ;, gross defect -- inspection unit 17 and a &# 34 ; post - probe &# 34 ;, single chip -- inspection unit 19 . the inspection units 17 and 19 can be allowed to operate within the automatic prober because they require no more manual intervention than the typical automatic prober . the inspection process is carried out entirely within the idle time of the wafers and actually increases the throughput and yield of the electrical test operation by eliminating waste and maximizing the potential &# 34 ; good &# 34 ; chips . the loader portion 13 has a robotic wafer handler 21 which serves to transport a wafer 23a from one of two storage cassettes 25 or 27 first to the pre - probe inspection unit 17 and later to the prober portion 15 . still later , the handler 21 serves to move the wafer from the prober portion 15 to the post - probe inspection unit 19 . the prober portion 15 includes the usual probe card 29 held securely by a probe card ring 31 . in addition , it includes a prober stage 33 and an alignment unit 35 which perform the usual functions of properly aligning the wafer 23b and positioning it for electrical testing by placing each bonding pad of the wafer into contact with the probe needles on the probe card 29 . the pre - probe , gross defect inspection unit 17 performs the pre - alignment , identification , mapping and gross defect inspection of each wafer . each task yields improvements to the conventional wafer sorting or probing operations . with pre - alignment , the wafer can be aligned to the chip pattern flat in addition to the orientation flat , thereby avoiding rejects and speeding up wafer alignment in the prober . ( the flat is not always very accurately parallel to chip pattern ) the wafer identification location can be accessed directly from the scanned image . no separate ocr or bcr readers are required . the inspection software makes the image acquisition and identification from the virtual wafer image while or after the wafer is moved on to other operations . a unique wafer map is generated from each wafer , which precisely identifies chip centers with actual wafer outline . a potential good chip is judged from completeness of actual pattern image and the coordinate reference based on actual re - recognizable edge images . the pre - probe unit utilizes a rigorous image based coordinate system . images show standard chips where sub - images are given arbitrary numerical values ( e . g . 1 , 2 , 4 , 8 and 16 ) to identify the completeness of the chip . if a sub - image is missing or flawed , the chip &# 39 ; s &# 34 ; score &# 34 ; is reduced by that value . the image illustrates the values of some edge chips . clearly , the reference system provides unique identification even after the wafer is diced apart . gross defect damages such as multi - chip scratches , large foreign materials and metalization errors are located through search procedures simulating the visual inspection by an operator looking for such defects . random defects are noted in the wafer map for potential test exclusion if it cannot be positively identified as a pattern defect . repeatable damages can be correlated and flagged to qc ( quality control ). fig2 a and 2b show one embodiment of the pre - probe , gross defect , inspection element 17 of fig1 . the wafer 23b is held with vacuum by a handler arm 41 , which has the ability to move the wafer under the scanner rail 37 at a constant speed and at the correct vertical ( z ) displacement for reading the image data . the arm clears the vacuum chuck 39 by a comfortable margin . referring specifically to fig2 a and 2b , the pre - probe inspection unit 17 includes a scanner array 37 and a vacuum chuck 39 which can be commanded to rotate a precise number of degrees . the robotic wafer handling arm 41 provides horizontal y - motion of the wafer , as shown by the arrow 43 , as well as the required vertical z - displacement , as shown by the arrow 45 . the robotic wafer handling arm 41 which holds the wafer 23b by vacuum moves the wafer to the pre - probe station 17 , then , at constant speed , moves the wafer past the scanner array while the scanner records the reflected wafer image in memory . as an alternative , the scanner rail 37 can make the motion which may in some installations be more practical , considering available space and existing elements in the prober . referring to fig3 there is shown an example of an image from the pre - probe scanner 17 prior to any orientation correction . the resulting scan is first used to calculate the position of the flat and the wafer center as well as the relative positions of the wafer and chuck centers . in this case the image data is not used with full resolution and a pixel thresh - hold is used rather than the full details of the gray scale value . the image control software calculates the angle of the flat and rotates the image data to a normalized position , then the precise chip locations are determined . in the prober , the wafer must be delivered at a certain orientation to match the needles to the pads . hence , the system controller receives the angular and center corrections needed to operate the chuck 39 and handler arm 41 so that wafer 23b can be delivered to the prober stage 33 centered and be properly oriented to the probe card 29 . this operation is not necessary if the wafer is returned to one of the storage cassettes 25 or 27 rather than being immediately electrically tested . a separate microprocessor controls the pre - probe inspection station 17 interfacing with the handler 21 , scanner 37 , vacuum chuck 39 and a dedicated image - processing unit . the control system executes only one scanning operation , storing the data sequentially in a two dimensional array so that the array addressing relates uniquely to the handler arm position in one dimension and the individual pixel data points in the scan line in the other . to this effect , the hardware is so arranged that the center pixel of the scanning array 37 is stored at the half point in the allocated memory block ( array ) as illustrated in fig3 . the center of the vacuum chuck 39 lies on the scanner array pixel - line . the image analysis is to determine the position of the orientation flat 47 and the center of the wafer 49 . this is accomplished by examining each scan line of data from the first reflection found at starting line position 51 to the last line at position 53 . between scan lines 51 and 53 the image reveals two flats , a minor one 55 and the major orientation flat 47 . from line 51 to the flat 55 the half point calculation gives a constant value for the x - center line of the wafer each half changing in value according to the symmetry of a circle . beginning at the flat 55 , the right half changes faster than a circle and , from the beginning of flat 47 , the left half deviates from the circle . from this data the larger flat 47 is recognized as the desired orientation flat and the end point coordinates yield the exact flat angle . likewise , the symmetry of data locations converts into the wafer center position 49 by having determined the x - center line 57 and the y - center line 59 of the wafer 23 . it should be pointed out that for the wafer shown in fig3 the black , largely non - reflective stripe inside the flat 47 is easily detected as a wafer id field and thus line 61 is determined as the &# 34 ; pattern flat &# 34 ; which is more desirable and more accurate . this is an additional benefit from scanning a wafer instead of the customary detection of edge . having found the data location representing the wafer image center 49 and the flat angle , the image is rotated around the center 49 until the virtual wafer has an image shown in fig4 . this makes the chip search sometimes easier . when the real wafer must be reoriented , as is the case for the prober application , the image control must supply two angles and one y - motion offset . since the wafer can only be moved along the y - axis it is first necessary to rotate the wafer clockwise ( the shorter angle to the y - axis in this example ) around the chuck center 63 until line 65 passing through the chuck center 63 and the wafer center 49 , coincides with the x - center line 67 of the chuck 39 . this is executed by lowering the wafer vertically transferring the vacuum hold from the handler arm to the chuck . the chuck is then controlled to rotate the exact clockwise degrees around its center 63 formed by the y - axis 67 and the x - axis 69 of the chuck 39 . next , the handler arm 41 again picks up the wafer and displaces it along the y - axis 67 until the wafer center 49 coincides with the chuck center 63 . finally , the handler arm 41 transfers the wafer to the chuck 39 which can be controlled to rotate the orientation flat 47 or the pattern flat 61 to its final position prescribed by the probing operation . to arrive at the position in fig4 this amounts to counterclockwise rotation of 180 ° plus the angle between the line 71 passing through wafer center 49 and perpendicular to the pattern flat 61 and the line 65 . as seen in fig4 the image data from the rotated virtual wafer in memory provides sufficient information to determine the exact chip positions , wafer i . d . and gross defects . simultaneously with the operation of the pre - probe inspection unit 17 , the post - probe inspection unit 19 will proceed independently to inspect a wafer . key to the embodiment in fig1 is the asynchronous operation of electrical testing by the prober section 15 and the inspections in the loader portion 13 . the prober is the pacing operation and the priorities of the handler are to unload and load wafers , maximizing the wafer throughput . the second wafer storage cassette 27 provides the means for continuous operation between lots . after the wafer has been electrically tested it is directly delivered to the post - probe inspection station 19 ( fig1 ). the wafer is there held by vacuum while the robotic wafer handler 21 delivers the next wafer to the probing operation and pre - orients and inspects the following wafer in the pre - probe inspect station 17 . the essential post - probe inspection station configuration is outlined in fig5 . one embodiment of the post - probe inspection station is shown in fig5 . as detailed , the wafer handler 72 is ready to deliver a wafer 23 to the large vacuum chuck 73 . the wafer may be pre - aligned by virtue of just having been electrically tested or be randomly oriented . the wafer handler 72 transfers the wafer 23 to the vacuum chuck 73 and a dedicated control system proceeds with the post - probe defect inspection . it should be noted that even though the vacuum chuck 73 is somewhat larger in diameter than the wafer for stability purposes when supporting finer focus requirements for high magnification , the outer rim is black and does not reflect ; hence , scanning the wafer gives an image of the wafer as shown in fig6 . the inspection sequence begins by making a complete scan like the gross defect inspection station . as in the pre - probe station , the memory addressing relates uniquely to x - y positioning mechanisms , but in this case , the scanner rail 75 moves in the y - direction 77 while the chuck is stationary . the x - dimension is given directly by the pixel elements in the scanner array . the virtual wafer image shown in fig6 is correlated with the test map resulting from the probing identifying the x - y center coordinates of the chips to be inspected . from this information a table is generated which is sequentially used to position the ccd camera 79 so that its center coincides with the center pixel of the chip . the rail motion as shown by the arrow 77 is recalculated to include the fixed camera offset 80 and the angular position of the physical wafer . during a one - time setup procedure the camera optics , which includes a zoom lens , is adjusted to capture one chip and the offset is adjusted aligning the camera picture center with the chip center . the accuracy requirement is determined by uniquely capturing the image of one targeted chip and seeing all of the chip . it is to be understood that micro motion can also be installed in the camera . fig7 a shows the camera 79 being positioned by the scanner rail 75 over the wafer 23 . referring to fig7 b , a detail of the current image 95 as seen by the camera shows a questionable probe mark 97 . the single chip inspection station is completely self - sufficient and can generate its own wafer map or correlate the wafer with a previously generated wafer map . thus , a previously inked wafer can be processed directly , inspecting both ink dots from the scanner image representing failed chips , and chip details from good chips using the camera image . another embodiment of the post - probe or single chip inspection system is detailed in fig8 a . in this case , the camera 79 is fixed in the probing center by a special insert ring 99 and the wafer 23 is positioned by the prober stage . here , the prober control takes full responsibility for positioning a particular chip under the camera to produce a chip image as shown in fig8 b . the inspection process takes place on the virtual chip in memory . thus , the indexing time from chip to chip is utilized for inspection making this a very efficient operation the post - probe embodiment can be adapted to printed circuit board ( pcb ) inspection by substituting a suitable handling and holding device for rectangular pcb &# 39 ; s or films . the coarse inspection performed on the image data scanned into memory with direct positional relationship extract suspicious defect candidates . these are often resolvable at the scanner resolution level into harmless or damaging defects . in ambiguous cases the camera is moved in automatically to obtain the necessary details for a decision . the post - probe inspection is usually planned as inspecting every wafer but at least initially only a limited number of chips . if the initially tested chips fail it may be desirable to conduct a 100 % inspection . only electrically good chips are inspected , thus , the main criteria is to locate defects which may cause failure during assembly or , more seriously , failure after the chip package is installed in the field . the rules are set according to manual observation and judgments based on experience . the result from the gross defect inspection can also logically influence the sample selection for detailed inspection . fig7 b shows a critically positioned probe mark 97 , which may have damaged the &# 34 ; glassification &# 34 ;. the main performance advantage of the single die inspection is the clear and unambiguous classification in automatic mode using the mammex criteria . in the post - probe inspection station the wafer 23 is largely stationary after it is placed on the chuck 73 apart from minor corrective chuck motions to reach optimum focus during image scan - in . the scanner rail 75 on the other hand can move horizontally in the y - direction 77 and the attached ccd camera 79 can be positioned in the x - direction 81 . in terms of positional accuracy it must only be sufficient to locate any unique chip from the wafer map . the combined effect is the ability to scan in an image of the whole wafer and position the camera over any one uniquely identified chip . the single chip inspection station can equally well process previously inked wafers , using the wafer image as a direct map for picking &# 34 ; good &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; bad &# 34 ; chips for the inspection process . after post - probe inspection the wafer can be optionally inked or have the map updated , then replaced in its original wafer storage cassette . other embodiments of the invention include running the loader inspection unit 13 as a separate , free - standing optical inspection system . the handler 21 will in this case only move wafers between the inspection units and storage . such a system can be made to qualify for class 1 clean room operation . it is also possible to mount the post - probe inspection unit 19 in place of the probe card ring assembly 29 , 31 . in this case the prober becomes a dedicated optical inspection station which can alternate its operation with regular probing . as shown in fig4 a and 4b the image data reveals , when displayed , sufficient details to read the wafer id 83 , chip coordinate references 101 , 103 and 105 , special chips 107 and 109 , process defects 89 and 91 . while all information including chip size can be found by global search , the process is simplified by introducing standard data available from each wafer type . normally this includes : wafer sizes , chip size , flat orientation , wafer id location and type . to simplify the inspection process it is also common to include the image of a typical standard chip 93 . this sort of &# 34 ; training &# 34 ; is typically performed only once when the first wafer of this type appears . the data is then stored as part of the retrievable &# 34 ; set - up data &# 34 ; identified by the wafer type name . using a standard chip , such as the chip 93 shown in fig4 as a model , the wafer image in memory is analyzed identifying each chip and classifying them . depending on an established criteria a coordinate reference chip 101 is established and the adjacent chips recorded . in fig4 a and 4b , chip 103 is marginal and 105 is partial . in this example , the chips are given a binary number based on the completeness of the image . the exact chip image is then stored in a separate memory location for future reference . all special chips like 107 and 109 are recorded with image and pattern defects like 89 and 91 noted as defects as well as defining the chip as testable and not testable . each defect is analyzed and reduced to a numerical value by a criteria based on human inspection methods . the resulting coordinate chip log , duly identified by the wafer id 83 is the most efficient wafer map based on actual images . it maximizes the testable chips that are potentially good and minimizes total testing time . since the wafer map created is based on actual images it is usable even after the chips are diced apart , thus , applicable to pick - and - place assembly operations . the analysis technique is similar when the single chip image is reviewed . each defect is extracted from the regular pattern and subjected to numerical analysis which is based on industry specification ( customer modifiable ) and skilled human inspection methodology . the mammex procedures are adopted to give the desired extraction and classification reliability .	6
to further describe the present invention , reference is made to the accompanying drawing , which represents a schematic diagram of the process of the invention wherein methanol is carbonylated in the presence of a rhodium - or iridium - containing catalyst system . by way of example , the catalyst system can be formed by introducing rhodium iodide and hydrogen iodide into reactor 10 that has been partially filled with acetic acid and water as a reaction medium . carbon monoxide can be sparged into the reactor through line 11 . methanol feed is introduced into the reactor through line 12 . the reactor is maintained at a temperature of from about 160 ° to about 220 ° c . and the pressure in the reactor is maintained from about 200 to 750 psig . unreacted carbon monoxide , along with any gaseous impurities or by - products can be withdrawn from the reactor through line 13 . a portion of the liquid reaction mass is withdrawn from reactor 10 through line 14 . pressure let - down valve 15 is disposed in line 14 to let the pressure down at least 20 psi as it enters separation zone 16 . as the reaction mass enters separation zone 16 , a portion of the carbonylation products vaporize and can be withdrawn from the separation zone through line 17 . the remaining liquid reaction mass containing the catalyst system in separation zone 16 can be recycled to reactor 10 via line 18 . the vapors withdrawn from the separation zone through line 17 are introduced into distillation zone 20 via line 19 and distilled therein to remove an overhead product and a bottoms product . the bottoms product consisting mainly of acetic acid with some water and a small amount of hydrogen iodide is recycled to the separation zone via line 22 . the overhead product which contains water , acetic acid , a major proportion of methyl iodide and alkanes is withdrawn through line 21 , condensed and passed to separator 23 where it is allowed to settle to form two phases . the light phase consisting essentially of acetic acid and water is returned to the reactor 10 via line 24 . the major part of the heavy phase consisting of methyl iodide , acetic acid , water and alkanes is returned to the reactor 10 via line 25 . to effect removal of the alkanes , a slipstream 26 representing about 1 % or less by weight of the total heavy phase is withdrawn through line 26 and introduced into distillation zone 27 at the upper end thereof while a stream of carbon monoxide is fed through line 28 to facilitate stripping of the methyl iodide from the alkane mixture . an overhead product substantially free of alkanes and consisting predominantly of methyl iodide with some acetic acid is withdrawn through line 29 and recycled to the separation zone 16 . the bottoms product consisting essentially of alkanes , some acetic acid and traces of methyl iodide leaves the system through line 30 and is sent to waste disposal facilities . crude acetic acid leaves the system through line 31 and is passed to downstream distillation for further purification . the basic process for the production of carboxylic acids and esters to which the present invention applies is described in full detail and claimed in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 769 , 329 and 3 , 772 , 380 , both of which are incorporated herein by reference . the separation of the carbonylation products from the reaction mixture without catalyst deomposition as has been mentioned earlier is described and claimed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 845 , 121 , which is likewise incorporated herein by reference . the process of the present invention constitutes an improvement whereby alkanes are removed from the product obtained when preparing carboxylic acids using the process resulting from combination of methods described in the above - mentioned patents . in the process of the present invention briefly described above and illustrated in the drawing , the distillation zones can comprise any distillation columns normally used for separation of fluids and can be either the packed or tray type or they can be a combined packed - tray type . distillation column 20 will contain from about 10 to about 20 plates and preferably about 15 plates . distillation column 27 requires only about 15 plates . distillation column 27 requires only about 5 plates for satisfactory operation . however , from 5 to 10 plates can be employed if desired . the associated condensers employed with either or both of the distillation columns described are of generally conventional design and manufacture . various pumps , compressors , reboilers etc . normally employed in carrying out distillations in chemical processes are employed in the process described herein . since these do not form part of the invention , the details of their use in various phases of the process description have not been included . the temperatures and pressures employed in the distillation zones of the present invention as described above will vary considerably depending on the particular carboxylic acid being produced . as a practical matter , the distillation zones are most often operated at pressures from about atmospheric to about 100 psig . the pressure employed in column 20 for example , when acetic acid is the carboxylic acid produced is from about 5 to about 20 psig and in column 27 it is about 30 - 35 psig with this acid . however , sub - atmospheric pressures may be employed if desired as well as superatmospheric pressures well in excess of 100 psig in either or both of these columns . temperatures within the distillation zones will normally lie between approximately atmospheric temperature and at or slightly above the boiling point of the particular carboxylic acid being recovered and purified . when employing the process in the manufacture of acetic acid , the bottoms temperature of column 20 , for example , will generally be within the range from 120 ° to 135 ° c . but preferably will be maintained at about 130 ° c . the bottoms temperature of column 27 will generally be higher and will be in the range from about 130 ° to about 140 ° c . and preferably is maintained at about 136 ° - 139 ° c . the temperatures at the top of the distillation zones can likewise vary . overhead temperatures in column 20 , for example , in the process wherein acetic acid is produced can be from about 100 ° to about 120 ° and preferably are maintained at about 112 ° c . to 116 ° c . in column 27 , over head temperatures are lower being in the range of 75 ° c . to 85 ° c . and preferably about 80 ° c . the point of introduction of the feed stream to the first distillation zone ( column 20 ) can be anywhere intermediate the ends of the zone but the feed stream preferably is introduced into the lower half of that zone . the feed stream to the second distillation zone ( column 27 ) can be introduced anywhere in the upper half of that zone . generally , this feed is introduced at a point about two - thirds of the height of that distillation zone or into the upper one - third thereof . the slipstream 26 removed from the heavy phase overhead of the first distillation zone may vary in the size from about 0 . 1 to about 1 . 0 % by weight of the total heavy phase . for most efficient removal of alkanes , however , this stream constitutes from about 0 . 3 to about 0 . 5 % by weight of the heavy phase . the carbon monoxide introduced into the distillation zone to facilitate the removal of alkanes is generally fed at a rate to provide from about 0 . 01 to about 1 lb . of co per pound of feed introduced into the zone . other gases can be used for stripping if desired such as hydrogen and co 2 , for example . to demonstrate the effectiveness and to illustrate the application of the process improvement of the present invention , the following non - limiting example is set forth . unless otherwise indicated , all parts and percentages given are on a weight basis . methanol was carbonylated in the presence of a catalyst system that formed on mixing rhodium iodide with methyl iodide in the presence of carbon monoxide in an acetic acid - water reaction medium using apparatus substantially the same as is presented in the drawing . approximately 267 parts / hr . of methanol were charged to the reactor 10 through line 12 while 244 parts / hr . of carbon monoxide were charged to the reactor through line 11 . the reactor was maintained at a temperature of about 187 ° c . and a pressure of about 400 psig . unreacted carbon monoxide was withdrawn from the reactor through line 13 and passed to a flare . approximately 5545 parts / hr . of liquid reaction mass was withdrawn from the reactor through line 14 and passed into separation zone 16 . the pressure in separation zone 16 was about 20 psig and the liquid temperature was about 127 ° c . no heat was added to transfer line 14 or separation zone 16 . the overhead vapor product containing 8 % of acetic acid , 15 % h 2 o , 34 % methyl iodide , 2 % alkanes , and 0 . 02 % hydrogen iodide , leaving separation zone 16 via line 17 is introduced at a rate of about 1748 parts / hr . into distillation column 20 having about 15 plates at about the second plate . about 3843 parts / hr . of unvaporized liquid reaction mass containing the stable homogeneous catalyst system was recirculated through line 18 to the reactor 10 . in distillation column 20 operated at about 17 psig , an overhead temperature of about 118 ° c . and a bottoms temperature of about 129 ° c ., acetic acid , water and some hydrogen iodide were separated from the other products in the reaction effluent and removed as the bottoms stream for return to the separation zone 16 via line 22 at a rate of about 28 parts / hr . the overhead from column 20 containing 52 % methyl iodide , 3 % alkanes , 22 % acetic acid and 23 % water was condensed and introduced into a separator 23 where it formed two phases . the light phase consisting essentially of 44 % acetic acid and 49 % water and 7 % methyl iodide was returned to the reactor 10 by way of line 24 . the major part of the heavy phase containing approximately 87 % methyl iodide , 3 . 64 % alkanes , 3 . 5 % acetic acid , 5 % methyl acetate and 0 . 9 % h 2 o was returned to the reactor 10 . a slipstream 26 of this heavy phase constituting about 0 . 4 % of the total heavy phase was withdrawn through line 26 and introduced in column 27 , a five - plate column at about the fourth plate at a rate of about 2 . 4 parts / hr . a stream of carbon monoxide was sparged into column 27 at the lower end via line 28 at a rate of 0 . 075 parts / hr . the overhead temperature in column 27 was maintained at about 75 ° c . while the bottoms stream was kept at 142 ° c . the mid column temperature was 90 ° c . the overhead product consisting of 94 % methyl iodide , 5 % methyl acetate , and 1 % water was withdrawn at a rate of about 2 . 3 parts / hr . and recycled to the separation zone . the bottoms product containing 43 % alkanes , 52 % acetic acid and traces of methyl iodide was continously removed from the system through line 30 at a rate of 0 . 1 part / hr . and burned . it will be seen from the above data that the alkanes present in the reactor effluent are continuously removed by the process of the invention thus preventing their build - up in the system and obviating the problems arising therefrom .	2
fig1 - 3 schematically illustrate a printing process of the present invention . in fig1 a substrate 10 is provided with a surface layer 12 . the substrate 10 may be made of any suitable material such as metal , plastic , wood or the like . for example , the substrate 10 may comprise aluminum , tin plate , steel , copper , polyester , polyurethane , acrylic , maplewood , oak , etc . the substrate 10 may be substantially planar as shown in fig1 or may be provided with any desired contour . when a contoured substrate is desired , the shaping operation may be performed prior , during and / or after the printing process . the substrate 10 may be of any desired thickness . for many applications , a substrate thickness of from about 0 . 1 mil to about 3 inches may be suitable . for certain types of substrates , a thickness of from about 0 . 1 to about 1 mil may be preferred , while a thickness of from about { fraction ( 1 / 16 )} inch to about 3 inches may be preferred for other types of substrates . for many applications , the substrate may be substantially rigid . the surface layer 12 shown in fig1 preferably comprises an absorptive and / or an adsorptive and / or bondable material which may include one or more of polyesters , acrylics , polypropylenes , polycarbonates or other polymers . for example , the surface layer 12 may comprise a polyester polymer sold as a “ clear coating ” by ppg industries . the thickness of the surface layer 12 is preferably from about 0 . 5 mil to about 25 mils , more preferably from about 1 mil to about 3 . 5 mils . although a separate surface layer 12 is shown in fig1 in an alternative embodiment , the substrate 10 itself may be sufficiently absorptive and / or adsorptive and / or bondable such that a separate surface layer is not necessary . as shown in fig1 an impregnated membrane 14 is applied on the surface layer 12 . the impregnated membrane 14 preferably comprises a gas permeable membrane made of hollow fiber paper , polymers or other absorbent materials such as nylon , felt , etc . in accordance with the present invention , the membrane is impregnated with an ink comprising a thermal transfer dye , a thermal transfer pigment and alternatively a protective polymer , as more fully described below . as used herein , the term “ impregnated ” means that the ink is deposited on the surface of the membrane and / or within the membrane . the impregnated membrane 14 preferably has a thickness of from about 2 mils to about 8 mils , more preferably from about 3 mils to about 5 mils . as shown in fig2 the substrate 10 , surface layer 12 and impregnated membrane 14 are positioned between two platens 22 and 24 . the platens 22 and 24 apply heat and pressure in order to cause thermal transfer of at least a portion of the thermal transfer dye , thermal transfer pigment and protective polymer from the membrane 14 to the surface layer 12 . in the preferred embodiment , the thermal transfer results in the diffusion of at least a portion of the thermal transfer dye and thermal transfer pigment into the surface layer 12 . the platens 22 and 24 are preferably heated to a temperature of from about 280 to about 650 ° f ., more preferably to a temperature of from about 350 to about 450 ° f . for medium and high energy dyes , the temperature being a function of the amount of pressure and time and the micronization of ingredients in the inks . the platens 22 and 24 preferably apply a pressure of from about 5 psi to about 40 psi , more preferably from about 15 psi to about 25 psi during the transfer process . as shown in fig3 after the thermal transfer process , an image 16 applied to the surface of the substrate 10 is revealed by removing the spent membrane 18 . as more fully described below , due to the use of a thermal transfer dye , a thermal transfer pigment and a protective polymer , the deposited image 16 is characterized by brilliant colors , good color control and precise pattern definition , as well as improved physical and / or visual characteristics provided by the protective polymer . in accordance with the present invention , the ink used in the printing process may comprise a thermal transfer dye , a thermal transfer pigment and / or a protective polymer , and a carrier . in addition , the ink may further comprise other ingredients such as lubricants , dryers , varnish , polyurethanes , polypropylenes , acrylics and / or polycarbonates . the thermal transfer dye component of the ink may comprise azo , amino , anthraquinone or other disperse dyes . for example , the thermal transfer dye may comprise crompton & amp ; knowles yellow 54 , yellow 238 , orange 25 , red 1 , red 60 , brown 26 , blue 359 and / or blue 360 . other suitable transfer dyes are commercially available from gants under the designation disperse dyes , and from coates under the designation disperse dyes . the thermal transfer dyes are preferably chosen according to color , molecular weight and dye strength . it is noted that fluorescence may be added when the image requires . the thermal transfer pigment component of the ink may comprise single or multiple pigment systems . for example , the thermal transfer pigment may comprise micronized or nonmicronized blue , red , yellow , or other colorized binding , bonding and / or pigments which may be mixed directly with thermal transfer dyes or microencapsulated within the ink mixture . suitable transfer pigments are commercially available from american colors under the designation single pigment systems , from sun chemical under the designation colors group - organic pigments , and from hangzhou pigment chemicals under the designation c . i . pigments ( organic ). the volume ratio of the thermal transfer dye to thermal transfer pigment preferably ranges from about 2 : 1 to about 5 : 1 . a particularly preferred ratio is about 3 : 1 . preferably , the thermal transfer dye and pigment particles are sized below about 11 microns . the thermal dye and pigment particles preferably have an average particle size range of from about 0 . 1 to about 1 micron , more preferably from about 0 . 3 to about 0 . 4 micron . in some cases , the thermal transfer pigment particles may serve as a binder for the thermal transfer dye particles in the ink and the whole may form a matrix in which the thermal transfer dye , thermal transfer pigment and protective polymer are intermingled . the protective polymer component of the ink may comprise polyurethanes , acrylics , polypropylenes , polyesters , polycarbonates or polystyrenes , one or more of which may crosslink with the layer on the rigid substrate under the heat and pressure conditions applied . organic and inorganic polymers serve to facilitate in combination with pigments or separately , under specified heat and pressure , molecular cross - linking and / or bridging among coupling agents . some suitable protective polymers are commercially available from ppg industries , ciba gigy , akzo corporation , coates , universal coatings and others . the protective polymer may be provided as a separate constituent of the ink composition , or may be provided as a microencapsulant at least partially surrounding the dye and / or pigment particles . in accordance with the present invention , the use of a protective polymer may facilitate the thermal transfer process , and improves the visual and / or physical characteristics of the printed article . the protective polymer may facilitate the transfer process by controlling dispersion . the amount of polymer depends on the amount of micronized pigments in the inks . polymers may act in concert with or in lieu of pigments as agents for dispersion control , color stabilization and / or bonding . dye or pigment stabilization means that dyes or pigments are transferred accurately from the membrane to the exact point of reference on the metal , plastic or wood substrate without color blowouts or excessive dispersion . bonding of the dyes and / or pigments with polymers and / or pigments in the layer on the substrate is facilitated through polymeric cross - linking . the protective polymer also improves the visual and / or physical characteristics of the printed article . for example , the presence of the protective polymer may substantially improve hardness , wear resistance , flexibility , bonding , color fastness , ultraviolet ray protection , dye stabilization and pigment stabilization . in the case of ultraviolet ray protection , tinuvin series and other uv blockers and uv scavengers have doubled the life of images placed in outdoor test areas . in the case of deformation , elastomers supplied by ppg industries have been found to improve the bendability to 90 ° to 120 ° dependent upon the application and the substrate . these additives may be included in the ink mixture , the printable and bondable layer or both . in addition , applying an overcoat comprising these polymer additives has proven to enhance the final product . the carrier component may comprise free - flow varnish , base varnish , dryers , oils and / or lubricants . for example , the carrier may comprise free - flow varnish , base varnish , cobalt dryer , magie oil and / or manganese dryer . suitable carriers are commercially available from sheppard corp . under the designation kseries varnishes , magie corp . under the designation magie 51 oil , and sheppard corp . under the designation fast - acting print dryers . the ink of the present invention may be made , for example , by mixing the thermal transfer dye , thermal transfer pigment and protective polymer into the carrier . before or after mixing , the thermal transfer dye and pigment particles are preferably milled to reduce the majority of the particles to a size range of 11 microns or less . in accordance with the present invention , the ink is impregnated onto or into a membrane . the membrane may comprise hollow fiber paper , polymer coated paper , synthetic paper , polished paper or other plasticized - media . suitable membranes are commercially available from international paper under the designation hollow fiber print stock or from mead paper corp . the membrane may be impregnated with the ink by any suitable process such as flexographic offset printing , lithography or computer ink dispersement and deposit devices . for example , a separate ink composition may be prepared for each color - to be used . each ink is then transferred to a printing plate and then by the printing plate to a substrate on which the final image is to be placed either directly or through an intermediate step . a printing plate , as the term is used herein , is any device by which an ink may be transferred in a predetermined pattern to another object or surface . the printing plate may be , for example , a conventional copper plate , a stereotype plate , a transfer blanket used in lithography , or an ink jet printer programmed to deposit ink in a predetermined pattern . preferably , each ink is deposited on or within a gas permeable membrane in the pattern to be printed . the use of specific thermal transfer dyes are determined by the image to be printed and the preferred substrate characteristics . thermal transfer pigments , protective polymers and carriers are added according to the color and molecular weight of the thermal transfer dye employed . the combination of ingredients for each dye / pigment color is color and weight balanced to achieve similar viscosities among the colors to be printed on the membrane using , for example , flexographic offset processes . as shown in fig1 the impregnated membrane 14 is applied to the surface layer 12 of the substrate 10 . the surface layer 12 may comprise polyesters , acrylics , polystyrenes , polyurethanes or anodized materials . suitable surface layers are paint and coating systems commercially available from ppg industries , universal coatings , akzo coatings , interpon , ciba gigy . as discussed previously , the substrate may be any of a wide variety of materials having an absorptive , adsorptive or bondable layer . the substrate may be , for example , an essentially impervious material , such as aluminum , coated with a thermoplastic resin . alternatively , an impervious material such as glass or a thermosetting resin may be coated with a thermoplastic resin to provide such a layer . as another example , the substrate could also be an aluminum sheet having an anodized surface layer which is receptive to the ink . after the desired ink pattern has been transferred to the gas permeable membrane , the membrane and the substrate are placed in juxtaposition in a press where they are subjected to heat and pressure , preferably on the order of 300 ° f . or more and one psi or more , as schematically illustrated in fig2 . the ink is believed to melt , vaporize and / or sublime , transferring at least partially to the surface of the substrate - and forming a matrix therewith . the substrate and the membrane are then removed from the press and allowed to cool , and the spent . membrane is stripped from the surface of the substrate , as shown in fig3 . some of the ink may be retained in the membrane and the pattern may be discernible in the membrane albeit in faded form . the ink deposit on the substrate is characterized by brilliant colors , good color control , and precise pattern definition far in excess of prior known practices . in addition , due to the presence of the protective polymer , the printed article has substantially improved visual and / or physical characteristics . the following examples are intended to illustrate various aspects of the present invention , are not intended to limit the scope thereof . an ink is prepared by mixing 30 volume percent of a thermal transfer dye , 10 volume percent of a thermal transfer pigment , 10 volume percent of a protective polymer , and 40 volume percent of a carrier . prior to mixing , the thermal transfer dye and the thermal transfer pigment are milled to an average particle size of about 0 . 5 micron . the thermal transfer dye is a disperse and is obtained from crompton & amp ; knowles under the designation series 1300 . the thermal transfer pigment is red base and is obtained from crompton & amp ; knowles and designated organic . the protective polymer is in the acrylic family and is obtained from cytex corporation . the carrier is a free - flow varnish and is obtained from sheppard corp . after mixing , the ink is applied to a membrane by a flexographic offset printing press , spreading one or more colors at a time wherein the appropriate amounts of inks are deposited evenly on the membrane in the pattern that is to be heat transferred to the layer on or within the rigid substrate . the membrane has a thickness of about 3 mils , a width of about 28 inches and a length of about 40 inches . the membrane has a composition of hollow fiber paper , - and is commercially available from international paper co . designated and labelled for use by its weight equivalence . a substrate made of aluminum having a thickness of about 0 . 0165 gauge , a width of about 28 inches and a length of about 40 inches is provided a surface layer made of acrylic having a thickness of about 1 mil is applied to the substrate by the process of roll coating . the coating which forms the surface layer is commercially available from ppg industries . the impregnated membrane is then placed over the surface layer and the laminated structure is placed between two platens . the platens are heated to a temperature of 360 ° f ., and a pressure of 20 psi is applied against the laminated structure for 30 seconds . after the heated platens are removed from the laminated structure , the spent membrane is peeled away to reveal a printed image on the substrate . the resultant printed image has excellent color characteristics and a precise pattern definition of greater than 200 screen lines of resolution . the printed image also has improved physical characteristics of color fastness , abrasion resistance and formability due to the presence of the protective polymer . while we have illustrated and described present preferred embodiments of the invention , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto and may be otherwise variously practiced within the scope of the following claims .	1
hereinafter , embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings for explanatory purposes . as the embodiments are not the only manner in which the invention may be practiced , a person of ordinary skill in the art understands that invention is not limited to the examples shown and described . for the purposes of clarity and simplicity , a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may obscure the subject matter of the present invention by their inclusion . fig1 illustrates one example of a communication system according to the present invention . referring to fig1 , a server 100 is connected to a mobile terminal 200 through a wireless network 300 . the server 100 codes a moving picture according to a coding scheme using both an intra - coding and inter - coding scheme at a predetermined ratio and transmits the coded picture , and the mobile terminal 200 receives and decodes the coded moving picture . in addition , according to the present invention , the mobile terminal 200 while decoding the moving picture transmitted from the server , determines whether there is an error regarding the received frame , e . g ., whether there is packet loss regarding the received frame . further , the mobile terminal 200 can monitor an overflow or underflow occurrence . if an error occurs , the mobile terminal 200 provides the server 100 with information about an error occurrence and a position in which the error has occurred . at this time , the information identifying the position in which the error has occurred is provided for each macro block received by the mobile terminal 200 . the video frame includes a plurality of macro blocks , and the coding is performed for each macro block . furthermore , the mobile terminal 200 transmits to the sever 100 other information , such as a received signal electric field strength or received signal strength indicator ( rssi ), a carrier to interference and noise ratio_ ( cinr ) and a buffer &# 39 ; s own state , etc . hereinafter , the information related to a receipt of the video frame from the mobile terminal , such as the rssi , cinr and the buffer &# 39 ; s own state , may be the receiving environment information . the server 100 receives from the mobile terminal 200 the error occurrence and the position in which the error has occurred , and then performs coding according to a changed coding scheme from a subsequent macro block of the macro block in which the error has occurred . for example , the server 100 performs intra - coding from the subsequent macro block of the macro block in which the error has occurred or thereafter . or the server 100 performs coding by adjusting the ratio of the intra - coding and the inter - coding , when the error has occurred , the ratio of the intra - coding is increased . still referring to fig1 , the server 100 , in turn , receives the information regarding the reception environment from the mobile terminal 200 as described above , analyzes the reception environment information , and determines whether or not to change the coding scheme . the change in the coding scheme might be required , or optional , depending on the information about the reception environment . if the information about the reception environment includes the rssi or cinr , the server 100 can determine how far the terminal is away from a base station . as an analyzed result , if it is determined that the mobile terminal is relatively close to the base station , the server 100 typically maintains the current coding scheme . if it is determined that the mobile terminal 200 is relatively far from the base station , the server 100 typically changes the current coding scheme because of the possibility of a packet loss , or because a packet loss ratio is high or has increased by a predetermined value . furthermore , according to the present invention , if the coding scheme change determining information indicates that a buffer has a large available capacity capable of storing a video frame of the terminal , the server 100 may change a current coding scheme to an intra - coding scheme that allows the information to include many coded frames . fig2 provides a block diagram of the described server 100 shown in fig1 . referring to fig2 , the server 100 includes an encoder 110 , an output buffer 130 , a server controller 140 and a transmitting / receiving unit 150 . under the control of the server controller 140 , the encoder 110 typically codes the video for each macro block according to a coding scheme using both the intra - coding and the inter - coding at a predetermined ratio and provides the coded video frames to the transmitting / receiving unit 150 through the output buffer 130 . the transmitting / receiving unit 150 subsequently transmits the coded video frames retrieved from the output buffer 130 to the mobile terminal . further , the transmitting / receiving unit 150 receives the coding scheme change determining information transmitted from the mobile terminal and transmits the received information to the server controller 140 . here , the coding scheme change determining information typically includes information such as information about the reception environment of the mobile terminal ( i . e . receiving environment information ), an error occurrence , and the position in which the error has occurred . however the coding scheme change determining information is not limited to the aforementioned items , and it is to be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that any information related to the change determination on the coding scheme where the change of the coding scheme is necessary may also be included . still referring to fig2 , the server controller 140 receives the coding scheme change determining information . the coding scheme change determining information indicates a specific error occurrence and the position in which the error has occurred , and the server controller 140 , in response to the coding scheme change determining information received from the mobile terminal 100 ( via the wireless network 300 ) typically performs coding according to a changed coding scheme continuing from the macro block or the subsequent macro block of the corresponding macro block in which the error has occurred . as an alternative to changing the coding scheme as described herein above , the server controller 140 may perform coding in which the ratio of the intra - coding and the inter - coding is changed / controlled . furthermore , if the coding scheme change determining information comprises some or all of the receiving environment information , the server controller 140 analyzes the receiving environment information and determines whether or not to change the coding scheme . if it is determined that the mobile terminal is within an acceptable range from ( relatively close to ) the base station as the result of the analysis , the server controller 140 typically maintains the current coding scheme . however , if it is determined that the mobile terminal is outside or close to an unacceptable range from the base station , the server typically changes the current coding scheme when the possibility of a packet loss , or a packet loss ratio has increased or is high ( for reached a certain predetermined threshold ). as described above , the change of the coding scheme can be accomplished by performing intra - coding from the subsequent macro block of the macro block which the error has occurred or thereafter , or by decreasing the ratio of the inter - coding and increasing the ratio of the intra - coding . a person of ordinary skill in the art understands and appreciates that the changes in ratios of the inter - coding and intra - coding also potentially impacts the bandwidth requirements for transmissions , as well as storage requirements of the buffer at the server , and must also take in account the capabilities / capacities of the mobile terminal . fig3 provides a flow chart illustrating an example of one way control flow of the server controls changing of according scheme according to the present invention . referring to fig3 , in step 310 , the server 100 ( shown in fig1 ) codes the input video for each macro block according to a certain coding scheme using both the intra - coding and inter - coding at a predetermined ratio . thereafter , in step 320 , the server 100 receives the coding scheme change determining information and at step 330 determines whether or not to receive the coding scheme change determining information transmitted from the mobile terminal 200 . with regard to step 330 , after receiving the coding scheme change determining information from the mobile terminal 200 via the wireless network 300 , the server 100 proceeds determines whether or not to necessitate the change of the coding scheme . if the coding scheme change determining information from the mobile terminal indicates the occurrence of an error and the position in which the error has occurred , changing of the coding scheme is typically necessary . in addition , if the coding scheme change determining information comprises or includes the receiving environment information ( indicating information about the reception environment of the mobile terminal ), the server determines at step 330 whether or not to necessitate the change of the coding scheme according to the context of the receiving environment information . at step 340 , if the coding scheme change determining information indicates the occurrence of an error occurrence and the position in which the error has occurred , the server 100 changes the coding scheme performed of only the macro block in which the error has occurred or thereafter . otherwise , the server controller 140 performs coding by adjusting the ratio of the intra - coding and the inter - coding . in the above two cases , the coding scheme is changed in order for the transmitted video frames to be resistant to packet loss . if the coding scheme change determining information comprises or includes the receiving environment information , and the receiving environment information indicates that the terminal is in a position where the possibility of the packet loss occurrence is high according to the result of analyzing the information on the receiving environment , the server 100 changes the coding scheme in order for the transmitted video frames to be resistant to packet loss . still referring to fig3 , at step 350 the server 100 determines whether or not the transmission of the video frame is complete , and if the transmission of the video frame is not complete , the server 100 performs step 320 again . in the meantime , fig4 illustrates a block diagram of the mobile terminal 200 shown in fig1 and typically used with the present invention . referring to fig4 , the mobile terminal includes a key input unit 210 , a controller 240 , a memory 220 , a wireless transmitting / receiving unit 250 , a rssi measurement unit 260 , a display unit 230 , an error detector 270 and a decoder 280 . according to the present invention , the controller 240 of the mobile terminal 200 generally controls the functions of the mobile terminal . in addition , the transmitting / receiving unit 250 outputs received video frames to the decoder 280 . the decoder 280 decodes the video frames for each macro block . if the macro block of the input video frame is coded according to an intra - coding or inter - coding scheme , the decoder 280 appropriately decodes the macro block according to the respective scheme used . the error detector 270 monitors the decoder 280 and determines whether or not an error has occurred during the decoding , typically that a packet loss occurred . if packet loss has occurred , the error detector 270 provides to the controller 240 the packet loss occurrence and the position where the packet loss occurred . further , the rssi measurement unit 260 measures the rssi , which indicates the strength of signals from the base station of the mobile terminal , and provides the measured rssi to the controller 240 . furthermore , the mobile terminal further includes a carrier to interference - plus - noise ratio ( cinr ) measurement unit ( not shown ) if necessary to measure the cinr , and provides the measurement result to the controller 240 . the controller 240 receives information from the error detector 270 regarding the occurrence of packet loss and the position where the packet loss occurred , and the rssi from the rssi measurement unit 260 , and then instructs the wireless transmitting / receiving unit 250 to transmit to the server 100 that is transmitting the video frames the information regarding packet loss and position , and typically the rssi information . the server 100 , in turn using the information received to make any necessary adjusts to the transmission to the mobile terminal . as described above , the video frame typically includes a plurality of macro blocks , and the coding is performed for each macro block , so that it is preferable that the packet loss position information , i . e ., the position in which the error has occurred , is the position of the macro block . the wireless transmitting / receiving unit 250 converts voice data and control data into wireless signals and transmits the wireless signals , receives the wireless signals , and converts the received wireless signals into voice data and control data and outputs the converted data . the key input unit 210 includes a plurality of number and context keys , and provides an input of a keyword for searching for a telephone number by a user , and outputs a keyword input signal to the controller 240 . the display unit 230 may typically comprise a liquid crystal display ( lcd ), a thin film transistor ( tft ), an organic electroluminescence ( organic el ) or the like , and displays various data and videos under the control of the controller 240 . the memory 220 includes a non - volatile memory such as a read only memory ( rom ), a random access memory ( ram ), a voice memory or the like , for storing a plurality of programs and information necessary when controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 200 . fig5 provides a flowchart illustrating one example of the steps that can be used by the server to control the changing of the coding scheme according to the present invention . referring to fig5 , at step 410 the mobile terminal 200 decodes the video frames received from the server 100 for each macro block . the mobile terminal 200 appropriately decodes the macro block according to whether the input video frame is code by intra - coding or inter - coding . at step 420 , the mobile terminal 200 determines whether or not the packet loss occurred during decoding of the video frame . at step 430 , if packet loss has occurred , the mobile terminal 200 transmits to the server 100 data indicating the occurrence of the packet loss and the position where the packet loss occurred as the coding scheme change determining information . alternatively or in addition thereto , if the mobile terminal 200 measures the rssi , the mobile terminal 200 transmits to the server 100 the rssi information as the coding scheme change determining information . at step 440 , the mobile terminal 200 receives from the server 100 the video frames coded by the coding scheme in a different way than the video frames coded by the previous coding scheme , and appropriately performs decoding . at step 450 , the mobile terminal 200 determines whether or not the transmission of the video frame was complete , and if the transmission of the video frame is not complete , to the method returns to step 420 to determine whether the video frame receiving information . as described above , the present invention provides for changing the coding scheme according to the transmitting / receiving state of the video between the terminal and the server and thus can correspond to the breakdown of the video in the wireless environment . the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof . the exemplary embodiments of the present invention are applied to the server and the video transmission / reception between the server and the terminal . however , it is a matter of course that the present invention also can be applied to the video transmission / reception between servers or between terminals . thus , the scope of the invention is not limited by the described embodiments and the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	7
before describing the embodiments of the present invention , the related art and the disadvantage therein will be described with reference to the related figures . fig1 is a diagram showing the basic configuration of an information processing system including a plurality of processing units each having a cache memory . in fig1 there are shown a plurality of processing units 2 a to 2 m , and a system controller 1 . the processing units 2 a to 2 m and the system controller i are interconnected over a bus 5 . the system controller 1 is connected to a memory device 50 and tag ram 30 . the processing units 2 a to 2 m include cache memories 24 a to 24 m and tags 25 a to 25 m respectively . the tag ram 30 stores copies of the tags 25 a to 25 m of the processing units 2 a to 2 m . when the processing units 2 a to 2 m access memories , first , the processing units index and update their own tags 25 a to 25 m . if desired data is stored in the own memories 24 a to 24 m , the processing units access the own memories . by contrast , if the desired data is not stored in the own memories 24 a to 24 m , the processing units each issue a memory access request to the system controller 1 . the system controller 1 indexes and updates the copies of tags stored in the tag ram 30 . if it is found as a result of indexing that the desired data is not stored in the other processing units 2 a to 2 m , access to memories or memory access is needed . the system controller 1 then activates the memory device 50 . fig2 and 3 show the configuration of the system controller 1 in the information processing system . in fig2 the number of memory devices is 1 , that is , the number of ways leading to memories is 1 . in fig3 memory devices are interleaved ( the number of interleaved memory devices = n + 1 ) in an effort to speed up memory access . in fig2 and 3 , there are shown the system controller 1 , the plurality of processing units 2 a to 2 m each having a cache memory , memory access requests 3 a to 3 m issued from the processing units 2 a to 2 m , a memory access control unit l 0 , a tag interface 2 0 , a tag ram 3 0 , memory interfaces 4 0 to 4 n , and memory devices 5 0 to 5 n . the system controller 1 and processing units 2 a to 2 m are interconnected over the bus 5 . the memory access control unit 1 0 and tag interface 2 0 are linked by a tag interface activation request line 6 0 and tag ram result - of - indexing line 9 0 . the tag interface 2 0 and tag ram 3 0 are linked by a tag ram control line 7 0 and tag ram data line 8 0 . one memory interface 4 0 or the plurality of memory interfaces 4 0 to 4 n are linked to the memory access control unit 1 0 by a memory interface activation request line 10 0 or memory interface activation request lines 10 0 to 10 n . one memory device 5 0 or the plurality of memory devices 5 0 to 5 n are linked to the memory interface 4 0 or the memory interfaces 4 0 to 4 n by a memory control line 11 0 or memory control lines 11 0 to 11 n . the information processing systems shown in fig2 and 3 control memory access according to a procedure described below . memory access requests issued from the processing units 2 a to 2 m are reported to the system controller 1 over the bus 5 , and transferred as the memory access requests 3 a to 3 m to the memory access control unit 1 0 within the system controller 1 . the memory access control unit 1 0 arbitrates the memory access requests 3 a to 3 m and handles them one by one . first , the memory access control unit 1 0 activates the tag interface 2 0 over the tag interface activation request line 6 0 . the activated tag interface 2 0 indexes and updates the contents of the tag ram 3 0 over the tag ram control line 7 0 and tag ram data line 8 0 . the result of indexing is reported to the memory access control unit 1 0 over the tag ram result - ofindexing line 9 0 . if it is judged from the result of indexing sent over the tag ram result - of - indexing line 9 0 that memory access is needed , the memory access control unit to activates the memory interfaces 4 0 to 4 n , over the memory interface activation request lines 10 0 to 10 n . the memory interfaces 4 0 to 4 n activate the memory devices 5 0 to 5 n over the memory control lines 11 0 to 11 n . embodiments of the present invention will be described in conjunction with the drawings . in the subsequent description , the same reference numerals will be assigned to components having the same functions . duplicate descriptions will be omitted . fig4 is a diagram of a system configuration in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention . in fig4 there are shown a system controller 1 , a plurality of processing units 2 a to 2 m each having a cache memory , and memory access requests 3 a to 3 m issued from the processing units 2 a to 2 m . in the subsequent description , way 0 to way n denote ways permitting interleaving of memories . in the system shown in fig4 the number of ways is n + 1 . along the ways way 0 to way n , memory access control units 1 , tag interfaces 2 0 to 2 n , tag rams 3 0 to 3 n , memory interfaces 4 0 to 4 n , and memory devices 5 0 to 5 n are installed . fig5 shows the relationships between the tags of the processing units 2 a to 2 m and the tag rams 3 0 to 3 n . the tags 25 a to 25 m of the processing units 2 a to 2 m are each divided into the same number of portions a to n as the number of ways , n . the copies of the portions are interleaved in the tag rams 3 0 to 3 n . referring back to fig4 the system controller 1 and processing units 2 a to 2 m are interconnected over a bus 5 . the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 n and tag interfaces 2 0 to 2 n are linked by tag interface activation request lines 6 0 to 6 n and tag ram result - of - indexing lines 9 0 to 9 n . the tag interfaces 2 0 to 2 n and tag rams 3 0 to 3 n are linked by tag ram control lines 7 0 to 7 n and tag ram data lines 8 0 to 8 n . moreover , the memory interfaces 4 0 to 4 n are linked to the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 n by memory interface activation request lines 10 0 to 10 n . the memory devices 5 0 to 5 n are linked to the memory interfaces 4 0 to 4 n . the memory access requests 3 a to 3 m , and signals sent over the tag interface activation request lines 6 0 to 6 n and memory interface activation request lines 10 0 to 10 n each contain added information such as an address and access type . the information processing system shown in fig4 controls memory access according to the procedure described below . when the processing units 2 a to 2 m access memories , first , they index and update the contents of their own tags 25 a to 25 m . if desired data is stored in their own cache memories , the processing units access the cache memories . by contrast , if the desired data is not stored in the memories 24 a to 24 m , the processing units each issue a memory access request to the system controller 1 . the memory access requests issued from the processing units 2 a to 2 m are reported to the system controller 1 over the bus 5 , and transferred as the memory access requests 3 a to 3 m to the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 n within the system controller 1 . the memory access requests 3 a to 3 m are input to the associated memory access control units 1 0 to 1 n by masking circuits included in the memory access control units l 0 to 1 n . the masking circuits will be described later . when the memory access requests 3 a to 3 m compete for a memory access control unit , each of the memory access control units l 0 to 1 n arbitrates and processes the memory access requests one by one . the arbitration technique is already known . a description of the arbitration technique will therefore be omitted . the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 n activate the tag interfaces 2 0 to 2 n in response to requests sent over the tag interface activation request lines 6 0 to 6 n . the activated tag interfaces 2 0 to 2 n index and update the contents of the tag rams 3 0 to 3 n over the tag ram control lines 7 0 to 7 n and tag ram data lines 8 0 to 8 n . the results of indexing are reported to the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 n over the tag ram result - of - indexing lines 9 0 to 9 n . if it is judged from the results of indexing sent over the tag ram result - of - indexing lines 9 0 to 9 n that desired data is not stored , memory access is needed . in this case , the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 n activate the memory interfaces 4 0 to 4 n in response to the results of indexing sent over the memory interface activation request lines 10 0 to 10 n . the memory interfaces 4 0 to 4 n activate the memory devices 5 0 to 5 n over the memory control lines 11 0 to 11 n . as described above , the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 n , tag interfaces 2 0 to 2 n , and tag rams 3 0 to 3 n are included in one - to - one correspondence with the ways leading to the memories . the memory access requests 3 a to 3 m routed along different ways will be processed without competing with one another . this is enabled by the incorporation of the masking circuits 12 na to 12 m in the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 n . the masking circuits will be described in conjunction with fig6 and 7 . the masking circuits are associated with the memory access requests 3 a to 3 m and are included in each of the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 n . the masking circuits incorporated in the memory access control unit to are masking circuits 12 0a to 12 0m . the masking circuits incorporated in the memory access control unit l n are masking circuits 12 na to 12 nm . all the masking circuits are therefore masking circuits 12 na to 12 nm . fig6 shows the configuration of one memory access control unit 1 . the memory access requests 3 a to 3 m issued from the processing units 2 a to 2 m are input to the masking circuits 12 0a to 12 nm . requests that are not masked by the masking circuits are input as memory access requests 14 0a to 14 nm to memory access control circuits 13 0 to 13 n . fig7 a , 7 b , 7 c and 7 d show the practical configurations of masking circuits . herein , assume that the number of ways leading to the memories is four and the address of a memory determining a way is specified as a & lt ; 7 : 6 & gt ;. shown are the last masking circuits 12 0m to 14 4m in the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 4 . the last memory access request 3 m is therefore input to the masking circuits 12 0m to 14 4m . fig7 a shows the configuration of the masking circuit 12 0m on the way way 0 . fig7 b shows the configuration of the masking circuit 12 1m on the way way 1 . fig7 c shows the configuration of the masking circuit 12 2m on the way way 2 . fig7 d shows the configuration of the masking circuit 12 3m on the way way 3 . the masking circuits 12 0m to 12 4m gate the memory access request relative to the memory address at & lt ; 7 : 6 & gt ;. herein , assume that an access request for a memory having an address a & lt ; 7 : 6 & gt ;= 10 is issued from the processing unit 2 m on the way way m shown in fig4 . the access request is reported as a memory access request 3 m to all the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 3 . the access requests 3 m in the memory access control units 1 0 , 1 1 and 1 3 are masked by the masking circuit 12 0 , 12 1 , and 12 3 . as a result , a memory access request 14 2m is output only from the masking circuit 12 2 . consequently , the memory access control unit 1 2 alone is activated . the foregoing operations will be described in conjunction with fig8 . the memory access control units 1 0 to l n judge whether or not the masking circuits 12 0a to 12 nm should mask access requests ( step si ). requests intended to be placed on ways other than accessible ways are masked ( step s 2 ). if a plurality of access requests are present , each of the memory access control circuits 13 0 to 13 n arbitrates the requests . as for requests not masked at step s 2 , it is judged whether arbitration among the requests by the memory access control circuits 13 0 to 13 n has succeeded ( step s 3 ). when arbitration among the requests has succeeded , an activation request for an associated tag interface is produced ( step s 4 ). the tag interfaces 2 0 to 2 n index and update the contents of the tags ( step s 5 ), and transmit the results of indexing ( step s 6 ). the memory access control circuits 13 0 to 13 n wait for the completion of the indexing of the contents of the tags ( step s 7 ). when the indexing is completed , it is judged whether or not memory access is needed ( step s 8 ). if memory access is needed , an activation request for an associated memory interface is produced and transmitted ( step s 9 ). the memory interfaces 4 0 to 4 n activate the memory devices 5 0 to 5 n ( step s 10 ). if it is judged at step s 8 that memory access is not needed , another sequencer is activated ( step s 11 ). in the aforesaid first embodiment , the number of ways leading to the memories within one system controller is fixed . a set number of memories alone can be connected to one unit . by contrast , the second embodiment makes it possible to provide a model in which the same system controller has a decreased number of ways leading to the memories . fig9 shows a system configuration in accordance with the second embodiment of the present invention , fig1 shows the configuration of a memory access control unit , and fig1 a to 11 d show the configurations of masking circuits . fig9 and 11 show the same circuitries as those shown in the drawings relevant to the aforesaid first embodiment . specifically , fig9 corresponds to fig4 fig1 corresponds to fig6 and fig1 a , 11 b , 11 c and 11 d correspond to fig7 a , 7 b , 7 c and 7 d . in the subsequent description , a constituent feature specific to the second embodiment will be described mainly . a duplicate description will be briefed . the system configuration shown in fig9 is different from the one of the first embodiment shown in fig4 in a point that way configuration information 4 is input to the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 n in addition to the memory access requests 3 a to 3 m . the other components are identical to those shown in fig4 . a duplicate description will be omitted . the way configuration information 4 specifies the number of ways leading to the memories . the output source of the way configuration information may be an output value of a register or a value obtained by calculating external pin contacts . the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 n shown in fig1 are different from those shown in fig6 according to the first embodiment in a point that the way configuration information 4 is input to the masking circuits 12 0a to 12 nm in addition to the memory access requests 3 a to 3 m . the other components are identical to those shown in fig4 . a duplicate description will be omitted . fig1 a , 11 b , 11 c and 1 d show practical examples of masking circuits . assume that the number of ways leading to the memories is four and the address of a memory determining a way is specified as a & lt ; 7 : 6 & gt ;. a certain memory access request 3 m is input to the last masking circuits 12 0m to 12 4m in the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 4 . fig1 a shows the configuration of the masking circuit 12 0m on the way way 0 , fig1 b shows the configuration of the masking circuit 12 2m on the way way 2 , fig1 c shows the configuration of the masking circuit 12 2m on the way way 2 , and fig1 d shows the configuration of the masking circuit 12 3 m . on the way way 3 . the masking circuits 12 0m to 12 4m each has a gate . a condition for masking under which each gate operates is the and of the address a & lt ; 7 : 6 & gt ; and way configuration information 4 . this enables a decrease in number of ways for reducing the size of the system . an example of the way configuration information is shown in fig1 . in fig1 a , for gating the memory access request 3 m , way configuration information 00 and a memory address a & lt ; 7 : 6 & gt ;= xx ( wherein x denotes any numeral ) are anded , way configuration information 01 and a memory address a = x 0 are anded , and way configuration information 10 and a memory address a = 00 are anded . the or of the ands and the memory access request 3 m are then anded . a signal passed by the and gate is output as a memory access request 14 0m to the memory access control unit 1 0 . in fig1 b , for gating the memory access request 3 m , way configuration information 01 and a memory address a = x 0 are anded and way configuration information 10 and a memory address a = 01 are anded . the or of the ands and the memory access request 3 m are then anded . a signal passed by the gate is output as a memory access request 14 1m to the memory access control unit 1 1 . in fig1 c , for gating the memory access request 3 m , way configuration information 10 and a memory address a = 10 are anded , and the and and memory access request 3 m are then anded . a signal passed by the gate is output as a memory access request 14 2m to the memory access control unit 1 2 . in fig1 d , for gating the memory access request 3 m , way configuration information 10 and a memory address a = 11 are anded , and the and and memory access request 3 m are then anded . a signal passed by the gate is output as a memory access request 14 3m to the memory access control unit 1 3 . when 1 is designated as the number of ways ( 00 is specified for way & lt ; 1 : 0 & gt ;), the condition for masking set in only the masking circuit 12 0m on the way way 0 is met . when 2 is designated as the number of ways ( 01 is specified for way & lt ; 1 : 0 & gt ;), the conditions for masking set in the masking circuit 12 0m on the way way 0 shown in fig1 a and the masking circuit 12 1m on the way way 1 shown in fig1 b are met . when 4 is designated as the number of ways ( 10 is specified for way & lt ; 1 : 0 & gt ;), the conditions for masking set in all the circuits shown in fig1 a , 11 b , 11 c and 11 d are met . when a configuration including one way is designated , the first memory access control unit 1 0 alone is enabled to operate with the memory access request 14 0m . when a configuration including two ways is designated , the first and second memory access control units 1 0 and 1 1 are enabled to operate . when a configuration including four ways is designated , all the memory access control units 1 1 to 1 n are enabled to operate , and the same operations as those in the first embodiment are carried out . if the number of ways leading to the memories is halved or quartered for reducing the size of the system , the number of ways leading to the tag rams is also halved or quartered . however , since the number of the cache memories in the processing units 2 a to 2 m is not decreased , rearrangement of the tag rams becomes necessary . fig1 a , 13 b and 13 c show rearranged states of the tag rams . fig1 a shows a rearranged state for a configuration including one way . in this configuration , one tag ram 30 is mounted along the way way 0 . the contents of all the tag rams 3 0 to 3 3 shown in fig9 are stored in the tag ram 3 0 . fig1 b shows a rearranged state for a configuration including two ways . in this configuration , the tag ram 3 0 and tag ram 3 1 are mounted along the ways way 0 and way 1 . the contents of the tag rams 3 0 and 3 2 shown in fig9 are stored in the tag ram 3 0 , and the contents of the tag rams 3 1 and 3 3 are stored in the tag ram 3 1 . fig1 c shows a rearranged state for a configuration including four ways . the tag rams 3 0 to 3 3 are mounted along the ways way 0 to way 3 , whereby the same configuration as that in the first embodiment is realized . the operations in the foregoing second embodiment are nearly the same as those in the first embodiment except that the numbers of memory access control units , tag rams , and memory devices to be operated actually are different . a duplicate description of the operations will be omitted . in the second embodiment , the number of ways leading to the tag rams is also decreased with a decrease in number of ways leading to the memories . tag rams must therefore be , as shown in fig1 a , 13 b and 13 c , rearranged according to a decrease in number of memories . in contrast , in the third embodiment , even when the number of ways leading to the memories is decreased , tag rams need not be rearranged . this will be described in conjunction with fig1 a , 14 b , 14 c and 14 d . that is to say , when the number of ways leading to the memory devices 5 0 to 5 n is changed to one as shown in fig1 a , two as shown in fig1 b , or four as shown in fig1 c , the tag rams 3 0 to 3 n need not be rearranged . in the description of the third embodiment , the number of ways shall be four . however , the maximum number of ways is not limited to four but may be the n - th power of 2 . moreover , a decrease in number of tag rams to the n - th power of 2 should be supported , but it is unnecessary to support a decrease in number of tag rams to every value . fig1 shows the configuration of a system controller . in the system controller shown in fig1 , as in the one shown in fig9 according to the second embodiment , the way configuration information 4 as well as the memory access requests 3 a to 3 m are input to the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 3 . moreover , the tag interface activation requests 6 0 to 6 3 sent from the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 3 are output in the same manner as those shown in fig9 according to the second embodiment . however , in fig1 , merging circuits 15 1 to 15 3 for merging activation requests and merging circuits 16 0 to 16 1 for merging results of indexing are inserted between the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 3 and tag interfaces 2 0 to 2 3 . fig1 and 17 show the configurations of the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 3 . the way configuration information 4 as well as the memory access requests 3 a to 3 m are input to the masking circuits 12 0a to 12 3m in the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 3 . the configuration shown in fig1 according to the second embodiment is adopted as the configuration of the masking circuits 12 0a to 12 3 m . the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 3 selected depending on the number of ways specified in the way configuration information 4 are enabled to operate . for activating a fixed number of tag rams 3 0 to 3 3 , by means a decreased number of memory access control units 1 0 to 1 3 , destination determination circuits 19 0 and 19 1 are included . in the memory access control unit to enabled to operate to whichever value of 1 to 4 the number of ways is set , the destination determination circuit 19 0 is included for determining requests to be sent over the activation request lines 6 0 to 6 3 routed to all the four tag interfaces . in the memory access control unit 11 enabled to operate when the number of ways is 2 or 4 , the destination determination circuit 19 1 is included for determining requests to be sent over the two tag interface activation request lines 6 1 and 6 3 . in the memory access control units 12 and 1 3 enabled to operate only when the number of ways is 4 , no destination determination circuit is included . a request is output over the associated tag interface activation request line 62 or 6 3 . fig1 a and 18b show the configurations of the destination determination circuits . fig1 a shows the destination determination circuit 19 0 in the memory access control unit 10 enabled to operate when the number of ways is any of 1 to 4 . a way passing through a tag interface to be activated by the destination determination circuit 19 0 is determined with a memory address a & lt ; 7 : 6 & gt ;. for example , when 10 is specified for a memory address a & lt ; 7 : 6 & gt ;, a request to be sent over the tag interface activation request line 6 2 is made active . fig1 b shows in detail the destination determination circuit 19 1 in the memory access control unit 1 1 enabled to operate when the number of ways is 2 or 4 . the destination determination circuit 19 1 gates an input relative to an address a & lt ; 7 : 6 & gt ;, whereby a tag interface to be activated is determined . for example , when an access request is issued for an address a & lt ; 7 : 6 & gt ;= 11 , the tag interface activation request 6 3 is made active . the merging circuits 15 1 to 15 3 in fig1 will be described . to the tag interface 2 0 on the way way 0 , a request is supplied from the memory access control unit 1 0 alone over the activation request line 6 0 without being passed through a merging circuit . to the tag interface 2 1 on the way way 0 , requests output from the two memory access control units l 0 and 1 1 over the activation request line 6 1 and merged by the merging circuit 15 1 are supplied as a merged activation request 17 1 . to the tag interface 2 2 on the way way 2 , requests output from the two memory access control units 1 0 and 1 2 over the activation request line 6 2 and merged by the merging circuit 15 2 are supplied as a merged activation request 17 2 . to the tag interface 2 3 on the way way 3 , requests output from the three memory access control units 1 0 , 1 1 , and 1 3 over the activation request line 6 3 and merged by the merging circuit 15 3 are supplied as a merged activation request 17 3 . the way configuration information 4 is input to the merging circuits 15 1 to 15 3 . fig1 a , 19 b and 19 c show the configurations of the merging circuits 15 1 to 15 3 . fig1 a shows the configuration of the merging circuit 151 on the way way 1 . a request output from the memory access control circuit 1 0 over the activation request line 6 1 is gated relative to the way configuration information 4 ( way & lt ; 1 : 0 & gt ;= 00 ), and then output as an activation request 17 1 from the or gate . a request output from the memory access control circuit 1 1 on the way way 1 over the activation request line 6 1 is output as the activation request 17 1 directly from the or gate . fig1 b shows the configuration of the merging circuit 15 2 on the way way 2 . a request output from the memory access control circuit 1 0 over the activation request line 6 2 is gated relative to the way configuration information 4 ( way & lt ; 1 : 0 & gt ;= 0 x ) and then output as an activation request 17 2 from the or gate . a request output from the memory access control circuit 1 2 on the way way 2 is output as the activation request 17 2 directly from the or gate . fig1 c shows the configuration of the merging circuit 15 3 on the way way 3 . a request output from the memory access control circuit to over the activation request line 6 3 is gated relative to the way configuration information 4 ( way & lt ; 1 : 0 & gt ;= 00 ) and then output as an activation request 17 3 from the or gate . a request output from the memory access control line 1 1 on the way way 1 over the activation request line 6 3 is gated relative to the way configuration information 4 ( way & lt ; 1 : 0 & gt ;= 01 ) and then output as an activation request 17 3 from the or gate . the activation request 6 3 output from the memory access control circuit 1 3 on the way way 3 is output as an activation request 17 2 directly from the or gate . the merging circuits 16 0 and 16 1 for merging results of indexing shown in fig1 will be described . results of indexing 9 0 to 9 3 sent from all the tag interfaces 2 0 to 2 3 and the way configuration information 4 are input to the merging circuit 16 0 on the way way 0 . a merged result of indexing 18 0 is then output . results of indexing sent from the tag interfaces 2 1 and 2 3 on the ways way 1 and way 3 over the resultof - indexing lines 9 1 and 9 3 and the way configuration information 4 are input to the merging circuit 16 1 on the way way 1 . a merged result of indexing 18 1 is then output . as for the ways way 1 and way 3 , a result of indexing sent from the tag interface 2 2 or 2 3 over the result - of - indexing line 9 2 or 9 3 is input directly to the memory access control unit 1 2 or 1 3 . fig2 a and 20b show the configurations of the merging circuits 16 0 and 16 1 for merging results of indexing . fig2 a shows the configuration of the merging circuit 16 0 on the way way 0 . a result of indexing output from the tag interface 2 0 over the result - ofindexing line 9 0 is output as a result of indexing 18 0 directly from the or gate . a result of indexing output from the tag interface 2 1 over the result - of - indexing line 9 1 is gated relative to the way configuration information 4 ( way & lt ; 1 : 0 & gt ;= 00 ) and then output as the result of indexing 18 0 from the or gate . a result of indexing output from the tag interface 2 2 over the result - of - indexing line 9 2 is gated relative to the way configuration information 4 ( way & lt ; 1 : 0 & gt ;= 0 x ) and then output as the result of indexing 18 0 from the or gate . a result of indexing output from the tag interface 2 3 over the result - of - indexing line 9 3 is gated relative to the way configuration information 4 ( way & lt ; 1 : 0 & gt ;= 00 ) and then output as the result of indexing 18 0 from the or gate . fig2 b shows the configuration of the merging circuit 16 1 on the way way 1 . a result of indexing output from the tag interface 2 1 over the result - of - indexing line 9 1 is output as a result of indexing 18 1 directly from the or gate . a result of indexing output from the tag interface 2 3 over the result - of - indexing line 9 3 is gated relative to the way configuration information 4 ( way & lt ; 1 : 0 & gt ;= 0 x ) and then output as the result of indexing 18 1 from the or gate . referring to fig2 a and 21b , the operations in the third embodiment of the present invention will be described . the flowchart of fig2 is nearly identical to that of fig8 concerning the first embodiment . only a difference from the flowchart of fig8 will be described . when activation requests for tag interfaces are issued at step s 4 , destinations are determined by the destination determination circuits 19 n at step s 21 . tag interface activation requests are then output . the requests are transmitted to the tag interfaces 2 n directly or via the merging circuits . results of indexing output from the tag interfaces 2 n are transmitted to the memory access control units in directly or via the merging circuits . as a result , in the third embodiment , the conditions for activation of the memory access control units are as listed in fig2 a , 22 b and 22 c . fig2 a lists the conditions for activation to be met when a configuration including one way is designated . fig2 b lists the conditions for activation to be met when a configuration including two ways is designated . fig2 c lists the conditions for activation to be met when a configuration including four ways is designated . in each drawing , ◯ indicates that the memory access control unit is activated , and × indicates that the memory access control unit is not activated . fig2 a , 22 b and 22 c should be referenced as mentioned below . referring to fig2 a , when a configuration including one way is designated , whichever of 00 to 11 is specified for a memory address a & lt ; 7 : 6 & gt ;, only the memory access control unit 1 0 on the way way 0 is activated . the memory access control unit to activates all the tag rams 3 0 to 3 3 and the memory 4 0 to which the way way 0 leads . referring to fig2 b , when a configuration including two ways is designated , if a = 00 or 10 is specified , the memory access control unit 1 0 on the way way 0 is activated . the memory access control unit to activates the tag rams 3 0 and 3 2 on the ways way 0 and way 2 and the memory 4 0 to which the way way 0 leads . if a = o 1 or 11 is specified , the memory access control unit 1 1 on the way way 1 is activated . the memory access control unit 1 1 activates the tag rams 3 1 and 3 3 on the ways way 1 and way 3 and the memory 4 1 to which the way way 1 leads . referring to fig2 c , when a configuration including four ways is designated , if a = 00 is specified , the memory access control unit to on the way way 0 is activated and in turn activates the tag ram 3 0 and memory 4 0 . if a = 01 is specified , the memory access control unit 11 on the way way 1 is activated and in turn activates the tag ram 3 1 and memory 4 1 . if a = 10 is specified , the memory access control unit 1 2 on the way way 2 is activated and in turn activates the tag ram 3 2 and memory 4 2 . if a = i 1 is specified , the memory access control unit 1 3 on the way way 2 is activated and in turn activates the tag ram 3 3 and memory 4 3 . an example in which the number of connection signal lines linking the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 n and the tag interfaces 2 0 to 2 n , which are included in the system of the third embodiment in which the number of ways leading to the memories can be changed , can be decreased drastically will be described as the fourth embodiment . even in the fourth embodiment , the description will proceed on the assumption that the number of ways is four . fig2 shows the configuration of a system controller . the system controller will be described briefly . like the system controller shown in fig1 according to the third embodiment , the way configuration information 4 is input together with the memory access requests 3 a to 3 m to the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 3 . requests sent from the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 3 over the tag interface activation request lines 6 0 to 6 3 are output directly to the tag interfaces 2 0 to 2 3 . results of indexing output from the tag interfaces 2 0 to 2 3 over the result - of - indexing lines 9 0 to 9 n are , like those shown in fig1 according to the third embodiment , input to the memory interfaces 4 0 to 4 3 via the merging circuits 16 0 and 16 1 or directly . requests issued from the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 3 are also output to the memory interfaces 4 0 to 4 n over the memory interface activation request lines 10 0 to 10 n . fig2 and 25 show the configurations of the memory access control units 10 to 1 3 . the memory access control unit 1 0 on the way way 0 includes the memory access request masking circuits 12 0a to 12 nm tag interface activation request masking circuit 21 0 , and memory interface activation request masking circuit 22 0 . the memory access requests 3 a to 3 m issued from the processing units 2 a to 2 m and the way configuration information 4 are input to the memory access request masking circuits 12 0 to 12 n . the other memory access control units 11 to 13 on the ways way 1 to way 3 have the same configuration . fig2 a , 26 b , 26 c and 26 d show the configurations of the last memory access request masking circuits 12 0m to 12 3m in the memory access control units 10 to 13 . the last memory access request 3 m is therefore input to the masking circuits 12 0m to 12 3 m . fig2 a shows the masking circuit 12 0m on the way way 0 . for gating the memory access request 3 m , way configuration information 00 and a memory address a & lt ; 7 : 6 & gt ;= xx ( where x denotes any numeral ) are anded , way configuration information 01 and a memory address a = x 0 are anded , and way configuration information 10 and a memory address a = 00 are anded . the or of the ands and the memory access request 3 m are then anded . a signal passed by the gate is output as a memory access request 14 0m to the memory access control unit 10 1 . fig2 b , 26 c and 26 d show the masking circuits 12 1m to 12 3m on the ways way 1 to way 3 which have nearly the same configuration as that shown in fig2 a . fig2 a , 27 b , 27 c and 27 d show the configurations of the tag interface activation request masking circuits . specifically , fig2 a , 27 b , 27 c and 27 d show the masking circuits 21 0 to 21 3 on the ways way 0 to way 3 . the tag interface activation requests 20 0 to 20 3 issued from the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 3 are gated relative to memory addresses a & lt ; 7 : 6 & gt ;= 00 to 11 , and output as requests over the tag interface activation request lines 6 0 to 6 3 . the configuration of the merging circuits 16 0 and 16 1 shown in fig2 is identical to that shown in fig2 according to the third embodiment . results of indexing output from the tag interfaces 2 0 to 2 3 over the result - of - indexing lines 9 0 to 9 3 are input as results of indexing 18 1 and 18 2 to the memory interfaces 4 0 to 4 3 via the merging circuits 16 0 and 16 1 or input as requests directly to the memory interfaces 4 0 to 4 3 . aside from the results of indexing , requests are input from the memory access control unit 1 0 to 1 3 to the memory interfaces 4 0 to 4 3 over the memory interface activation request lines 10 0 to 10 3 . fig2 a , 28 b , 28 c and 28 d show the configurations of the memory interface activation request masking circuits in the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 3 . to the masking circuit 22 0 on the way way 0 in fig2 a , the memory interface activation request 23 0 issued from the memory access control circuit 13 0 is input . for gating the activation request 23 0 , way configuration information 00 and a memory address a & lt ; 7 : 6 & gt ;= xx are anded , way configuration information 01 and a memory address a = x 0 are anded , and way configuration information 10 and a memory address a = 00 are anded . the or of the ands and the activation request are then anded . a signal passed by the gate is output as a request to the memory interface 4 0 over the memory interface activation request line 10 0 . to the masking circuit 22 1 on the way way 1 in fig2 b , the memory interface activation request 23 1 issued from the memory access control circuit 13 1 is input . for gating the activation request 23 1 , way configuration information 01 and a memory address a = x 1 are anded , and way configuration information 10 and a memory address a = 01 are anded . the or of the ands and the activation request are then anded . a signal passed by the and gate is output as a request to the memory interface 4 1 over the memory interface activation request line 10 1 . to the masking circuit 22 2 on the way way 2 in fig2 c , the memory interface activation request 23 2 issued from the memory access control circuit 13 2 is input . way configuration information 10 and a memory address a = 10 are anded . the and and activation request are then anded . a signal passed by the gate is output as a request to the memory interface 4 2 over the memory interface activation request line 10 2 . to the masking circuit 22 3 on the way way 3 in fig2 d , the memory interface activation request 23 3 issued from the memory access control circuit 13 3 is input . way configuration information 10 and a memory address a = 11 are anded . the and and activation request are then anded . a signal passed by the gate is output as a request to the memory interface 2 3 over the memory interface activation request line 10 3 . as a result , according to the fourth embodiment , the conditions for activation of the memory access control units are those listed in fig2 a , 29 b and 29 c . fig2 a lists the conditions for activation to be met when a configuration including one way is designated . fig2 b lists the conditions for activation to be met when a configuration including two ways is designated . fig2 c lists the conditions for activation to be met when a configuration including four ways is designated . in each drawing , ◯ indicates that the memory access control unit is activated and × indicates that the memory access control unit is not activated . fig2 a , 29 b and 29 c should be referenced as described below . referring to fig2 a , when the configuration including one way is designated , all the memory access control units 1 0 to 1 3 are activated . the memory interface 4 0 on the way way 0 is activated by the memory access control unit 1 0 on the way way 0 . when a = 00 is specified , the tag interface 2 0 on the way way 0 is activated by the memory access control unit 1 0 on the way way 0 . when a = 01 is specified , the tag interface 2 1 on the way way 0 is activated by the memory access control unit 1 1 on the way way 0 . when a = 10 is specified , the tag interface 2 2 on the way way 2 is activated by the memory access control unit 1 2 on the way way 2 . when a = 11 is specified , the tag interface 2 3 on the way way 3 is activated by the memory access control unit 1 3 on the way way 3 . referring to fig2 b , when the configuration including two ways is designated , if a = 00 or 10 is specified , the memory access control units 1 0 and 1 2 on the ways way 0 and way 2 are activated . if a = 01 or 11 is specified , the memory access control units 1 1 and 1 3 on the ways way 1 and way 3 are activated . if a = 00 is specified , the memory access control unit 1 0 on the way way 0 activates the tag interface 2 0 and memory interface 4 0 on the way way 0 . if a = 01 is specified , the memory access control unit 1 1 on the way way 0 activates the tag interface 2 1 and memory interface 4 1 on the way way 1 . if a = 10 is specified , the memory access control unit 1 0 on the way way 0 activates the memory interface 4 0 on the way way 0 , and the memory access control unit 1 2 on the way way 2 activates the tag interface 2 2 on the way way 2 . if a = 11 is specified , the memory access control unit 1 1 on the way way 1 activates the memory interface 4 1 on the way way 1 , and the memory access control unit 1 3 on the way way 3 activates the tag interface 3 3 on the way way 3 . referring to fig2 c , when the configuration including four ways is designated , if a = 00 is specified , the memory access control unit 1 0 on the way way 0 is activated and in turn activates the tag interface 2 0 and memory interface 4 0 . if a = 01 is specified , the memory access control unit 1 1 on the way way 0 is activated and in turn activates the tag interface 2 0 and memory interface 4 1 . if a = 10 is specified , the memory access control unit 1 1 on the way way 1 is activated and in turn activates the tag interface 2 2 and memory interface 4 2 . if a = 11 is specified , the memory access control unit 1 3 on the way way 3 is activated and in turn activates the tag interface 2 3 and memory interface 4 3 . referring to fig3 and 31 , the operations in the foregoing fourth embodiment will be described . steps s 1 to s 4 are identical to those described in fig8 according to the first embodiment or those described in fig2 according to the third embodiment . when the tag interface activation requests are issued from the memory access control circuits 13 0 to 13 n ( step s 4 ), the tag interface masking circuits 21 0 to 21 n judge whether or not the requests should be masked ( step s 31 ). requests that should be masked are masked ( step s 32 ), and requests that should not be masked are output as tag interface activation requests 20 0 to 20 n ( step s 33 ). the memory interface masking circuits 23 0 to 23 n to which the memory interface activation requests are input ( step s 34 ) judge whether or not the requests should be masked ( step s 35 ). requests that should be masked are masked ( step s 36 ) and requests that should not be masked are output as the memory interface activation requests 10 0 to 10 n ( step s 37 ). the tag interfaces 2 0 to 2 n index and update the contents of the tags ( step s 38 ), and output the results of tag indexing 9 0 to 9 n ( step s 39 ). the results of tag indexing 9 0 to 9 n and the requests sent over the memory interface activation request lines 10 0 to 10 n are input to the memory interfaces 4 0 to 4 n . it is awaited that the tag indexing is completed ( step s 7 ). when the tag indexing is completed , it is judged whether or not memory access is needed ( step s 8 ). if memory access is needed , the memory interfaces 2 0 to 2 n are activated ( step s 10 ). if it is judged that memory access is not needed , another sequencer is activated ( step s 1 ). practical examples of memory devices , cache memories , tags , and tag rams practical examples of the contents of memory devices , cache memories , tags , and tag rams employed in the aforesaid embodiments will be described . assume that the number of ways is four . fig3 shows practical examples of the contents of the memory devices 5 0 to 5 n and reveals the relationships between memory addresses and the contents thereof to be established in the configurations including one way , two ways , and four ways respectively . first , it is seen that as long as the storage capacities of the memory devices 5 0 to 5 3 are the same , when the number of ways gets larger , the amount of data stored increases . secondly , it is seen that in the configuration including one way , all the data is stored in the memory device 4 0 on the way way 0 , that in the configuration including two ways , all the data is interleaved in the memory devices 5 0 and 5 1 on the ways way 0 and way 1 , and that in the configuration including four ways , all the data is interleaved in the memory devices 5 0 to 5 3 on the ways way 0 to way 3 . fig3 a , 33 b and 33 c show the relationships between memory devices and memory addresses to be established in the configurations including different numbers of ways . in the drawings , x denotes any numeral . referring to fig3 a , in the configuration including four ways , a way is specified with a memory address a & lt ; 7 : 6 & gt ;. referring to fig3 b , in the configuration including two ways , a way is specified with a memory address a & lt ; 6 & gt ;. referring to fig3 c , in the configuration including one way , the way way 0 is specified irrespective of a memory address . fig3 , 35 a , 35 b and 35 c show the relationships between cache memories in the processing units 2 a to 2 m , tags , and tag rams . fig3 shows the relationships of correspondence between the cache memories in the processing units 2 a to 2 m and tags . fig3 a , 35 b and 35 c show arrangements of data items stored in the tag rams according to the third embodiment . fig3 a shows the arrangements adopted for the configuration including four ways . fig3 b shows the arrangements adopted for the configuration including two ways . fig3 c shows the arrangements adopted for the configuration including one way . the contents of the tags shown in fig3 ( 0 a to 63 a , 0 b to 63 b , etc ., and 0 n to 63 n ) are , as shown in fig3 , stored in the tag rams or tag ram in different manners depending on the number of ways . as described so far , according to the present invention , the performance of memory access to be carried out in a configuration including ways can be improved . this contributes greatly to an increase in operating speed of an information processing system . moreover , common use of a module or a decrease in number of signal lines linking modules can be achieved with the addition of a simple circuit . this contributes greatly to a reduction in period of logical or physical design and an increase in density of the components to be integrated .	6
while the invention will be described in connection with illustrations , descriptions , and examples of preferred embodiments , it will be understood these are not intended to limit the present invention only to these embodiments . on the contrary , the present invention is to cover all structural and / or functional alternatives as defined by the appended claims . the term “ hand sanitizing fluid ” as used herein refers to any non - irritating , antimicrobial - containing composition in the form of a fluid , gel , spray , foam , cream , lotion , or tincture preparation designed for frequent use that can reduce the number of transient microorganisms , specifically pathogens , when applied to and dispersed over the hands and other skin areas . such preparations have a broad antimicrobial spectrum , are fast - acting , and are often persistent . representative of such agents are alcohols ( e . g . ethyl and isopropyl ), iodines ( e . g . hexachlorophene ), bisbiquanides ( e . g . chlorhexidine digluconate ), and quaternary ammonium salts ( e . g . benzalkonium chloride ) which are formulated singularly or in combination . this term is specifically intended to include all such preparations , known and unknown , that are capable of achieving a substantial reduction of skin residing pathogens when applied to the hands or other areas of human skin where such pathogens are found . the term “ flexible polymeric material ” as used herein refers to any polymer film capable of being constructed into a packet for containment and preservation of a hand sanitizing fluid . such polymer films as may prove useful for this purpose have sufficient flexibility to yield to finger pressure , are sufficiently durable to withstand reasonable hydraulic pressure created by fingers , have good crack and puncture resistance , have very good chemical resistance and low gas permeability , and are capable of being sealed to self or other materials . representative of such films are polypropylene and polyethylene . numerous grades , gauges , textures , combined in many lamination varieties , formed by many techniques , with numerous additives , and an even greater numbers of formulations provide a wide array of polymeric materials to select from , singularly or in combination , to satisfy the specific chemical , physical , and aesthetic attributes required for a specific packet &# 39 ; s construction , its content &# 39 ; s formulation , and the precise function for which it is intended . all known and yet unknown polymer materials functionally suited for use in constructing multi - dose packets containing hand sanitizing fluids are envisioned by use of this term . the present invention is best understood by several examples that illustrates and describes how various aspects of each apparatus and method functions . example 1 details the hand sanitizing fluid packet by means of illustrations ( fig1 - 8 ) and operational descriptions . example 2 describes a method using hand sanitizing fluid packets to achieve and maintain an effective level of personal hand hygiene . example 3 describes a method encouraging the distribution and retention of hand sanitizing fluid packets for hand sanitation by keeping them handy by various lottery and gaming techniques . the preferred embodiment of the packet generally designated by the reference number 10 of fig1 and 2 has a peripheral seal 20 joining front and back walls 23 of flexible polymeric material ( 2 - mil polypropylene ) to enclose and contain a hand sanitizing fluid 11 ( purell hand sanitizer , 62 % alcohol ) with two chambers , a first chamber 12 and a second chamber 14 . overall dimensions in this packet embodiment are 9 × 3 × 0 . 5 centimeters with first chamber 6 - centimeters long and second chamber 2 . 5 - centimeters long and the balance of the length in sealed edges 20 and margins 18 . creating and dividing these adjacent chambers is a partitioning means in the form of a two - part barrier 17 a and 17 b created by sealing the front and back walls 23 in a like manner used to create the peripheral seal 20 . creation of the seals can be achieved by a number of means well known in the art , herein the common technique involving heat and pressure are used to create the seals . the two distinct chambers , 12 and 14 , are in fluidic communication in that the contained fluid 11 can be transferred between the two chambers , 12 and 14 , by a relatively small constrictive gap ( about 1 - millimeter or less ) 15 in the thin barrier seal ( about 1 - millimeter wide ) 17 a / b . this inter - chamber fluidic transfer is made possible by appropriate placed stresses such as pressure applied to the pocket walls 23 of flexible polymeric material by fingers . in fig5 and 6 the filled reservoir of the first chamber 12 is shown in a cross section view , fig6 shows fingers 41 and 42 applying pressure and filling second chamber 14 with fluid 11 . typically , the first chamber 12 acts as a reservoir of hand sanitizing fluid ( typically 3 - millimeters , but ranging 2 - 8 millimeters ) that constitutes plural doses of fluid 11 to be dispersed over perhaps a day &# 39 ; s time . by applying pressure to the first chamber 12 , fluid 11 is pushed through the barrier gap 15 into the second chamber 14 . the amount of fluid 11 transferred from the first 12 to second chamber 11 is easily controlled by the amount of pressure applied and gauged by eye given the transparency of at least part of one wall 23 of the packet 10 . when a predetermined amount of fluid 11 has been transferred , typically 1 - 2 milliliters , into the second chamber 14 , a tear 22 is created by fingers in the second chamber 14 walls 23 starting at a manufactured notch 19 in the margin 18 beyond the peripheral seal 20 at the top of the second chamber 14 . this tear 22 forms the dispersal exit for the measured dose of fluid 11 from the second chamber 14 . dispersal is accomplished by holding the packet by the fingers of one hand in the area of the first chamber 12 , placing thumb and forefinger of the other hand on opposite walls 23 of the second chamber 14 at the barrier seal 17 a / b , and stripping the second chamber &# 39 ; s 14 measured dose of fluid 11 toward and out of the exit tear 22 into the cupped hand created by the finger arrangement . the second chamber 14 has performed the role of first holding the measured fluid 11 transfer from the reservoir first chamber 12 and then acted as a dispensing structures that cleanly , accurately , and with little or no waste deposited the dose into a hand for rubbing and reduction of hand - borne pathogens . a third role for the second chamber 14 is now begun ; the interior surfaces of the second chamber &# 39 ; s 14 wall 23 still retain a thin film of fluid 11 . this thin residue weakly holds the walls 23 together , partially by adhesion and somewhat by the dynamics that govern fluidic films . by holding the walls 23 together a minute surface area is exposed to evaporation in the area of the tear 22 , consequently there is little lose of fluid 11 at the film / atmosphere interface and it slows even more as the interface edge surface does retreat between the walls to a point where the retreat stops , a point where the atmospheric boundary becomes so saturated with evaporated fluid 11 and lack of atmospheric circulation that for all purposes a seal is formed preventing further loss . the second chamber 14 has become a dispensing valve means , a form of film seal , specifically designed to control loss of fluid 11 from the packet 10 by retarding evaporation and leakage . this dispensing valve works in conjunction with a second fluid control means created by the barrier 17 a / b and the gap 15 therein . the barrier 17 a / b and gap 15 structures illustrated in fig3 and 4 show alternatives positions of the two - part barrier 17 a and 17 b . in fig3 the barrier parts 17 a / b are placed so as to form a conjunctive angle to one another as they bear on forming the gap 15 . this is in contrast to the aligned relationship of the barrier 17 a / b shown in fig1 and 2 . in fig4 the barrier 17 a / b shows as offset , asymmetrical position of the gap 15 . all these barrier gap 15 positions and barrier 17 a / b alignments produced comparable results . in fig2 marks 32 and 33 on the body of the packet 10 are shown as printing on the exterior surface of a packet 10 wall 23 . such marks can denote a wide range of meanings and values , including such useful communications as addresses , advertising messages , call numbers , codes , company names , event commemorations , event dates , decorative art , facility names , formulas , fortune predictions , gaming symbols , instructions , internet addresses , logos , lottery numbers , lottery symbols , meaningful images , notations , promotional slogans , raffle numbers , schedules , trademarks , and other meaningful communications . in this example “ tongass bay alaska cruise august 2004 ” commemorates a cruise ship &# 39 ; s visit to a remote locale . making one wall 23 or a portion of the packet 10 opaque facilitates the reading or deciphering of any marking placed on the packet 10 . the gap 15 forms a fluid passage governing means that can , when actuated by fluidic pressure originating from either chamber , stops fluidic communication between the chamber up to a moderate level of such pressure . this governing means takes the form of a self - forming choke that stops low level pressure pushing fluid 11 into the second chamber 14 and destroying the weak film seal which could lead to substantial leakage and loss of fluid 11 after an initial usage . under even slight pressure the gap &# 39 ; s 15 design created by it small width defined by the two barrier 17 a / b ends resists fluid movement and builds pressure on the flexible walls surrounding the gap 15 area . in fig7 this reservoir pressure 61 distorts the packet walls 23 in the gap 15 and closes the opening 52 by lateral pressure 62 deforming in a crimping fashion the flexible nature of the polymeric material used to form the walls 23 of the packet . a choke valve 52 self - formed by pressure capable of moving the fluid 11 through the choke area , the gap 15 , restricts that same flow . this restriction is sufficient to control unintended discharges from the first chamber 12 into the second chamber 14 and out through the exit tear 22 that would create unexpected leakage and similar undesirable discharges . the choke can be opened in two ways to allow fluid passage into the second chamber 14 when intended and desirable . simply by continuing to increase the pressure applied to the walls 23 , it will eventually become possible to overcome the self - formed choke and fluid 11 will squirt into the second chamber 14 . the pressure required can be significantly high and possibly beyond the strength of some users . a second and easier method of opening the choke 52 is shown in fig8 where tension 63 applied to the notched 19 end of the second chamber 14 . by pulling on the packet 10 end where the tear 22 is located , while holding and applying pressure to the first chamber 12 reservoir of fluid 11 , the deformed gap 15 area of the choke 52 is straightened out 62 sufficient to allow the fluid 11 to pass into the second chamber 14 for eventual discharge through the tear 22 exit . the release of pressure or it dropping below a certain level either removes the self - forming choke 52 or allows the choke 52 to reform , in either case fluid 11 flow is once again restricted . transparent walls 23 of the packet permit a number of novel advances in the art of hand sanitizing fluid dispensers . with clear walls 23 it becomes possible to visually inspect the quantity and location of the fluid 11 in the first 12 and second 14 chambers so proper manipulation is possible . the same clear walls 23 facilitate stripping the fluid for dispersement . visual inspection for the quality of the fluid 11 is also made possible . packet selection made by sight based on the color of the fluid 11 is now also possible , as can the same opportunity for choice selection based on fluid 11 color indicating the inclusion of specific additives or formulation with specific antimicrobial properties . clear walls 23 also permit inspection to determine the degree of completeness when kneading the fluid 11 is necessary to mix separated ingredients . it should be noted that by design , materials are called upon to perform many different role , thus packaging is kept to a minimal amount to reduce ecological impacts , lower costs , and contribute to the packet &# 39 ; s small size . fluid waste is also negligible by virtue that every drop can be effectively stripped from the packet 10 . small bottles consume many times the packet &# 39 ; s 10 packaging resources and are notoriously wasteful of the fluid left trapped inside . the packet 10 permits full extraction of hand sanitizing fluid 11 leading to a greater economy of usage . a disposable multi - dose packet of hand sanitizing fluid with self - sealing features that is unobtrusively carried in an easily accessible pocket would greatly contribute to the timely need to sanitize hands several times a day . convenience of use and access are key features . for example , follow this narrative of a typical use that illustrates the promotion and subsequent attainment of effective hand sanitation . a father takes his daughter to a fast - food restaurant for lunch while out shopping . he places their order at the counter , pays , receives change , and their food tray . they find a booth and sit down . before digging in , the father quickly retrieves from his shirt pocket a hand sanitizing fluid packet he had opened earlier in the morning after handling many items at a popular flea market . he offers the packet end to his daughter who reaches out and strips a dose of hand sanitizing fluid into her cupped hand and rubs . he does the same and drops the packet back into his packet without further ado . they now enjoy their lunch with a sense of well being , knowing the risk of hand - borne pathogens has been addressed . this scenario is useful for purposes other than a functional illustration . the father may have bought the packet for his own and his family &# 39 ; s health benefit , or he may have obtained the packet at a mall as a promotional item when he bought a book , conducted a bank transaction , or picked up a prescription at his health clinic . or perhaps it was leftover from a recent air flight or vacation aboard a cruise ship . it might have been bought or distributed in a number of circumstances including air travel , assemblages , barrooms , business dealings , checkout counters , conventions , cruise ships , disaster relief , educational facilities , elder care facilities , expeditions , financial institutions , food services , ground transportation , health clinics , hospitals , livestock events , lodgings , malls , manufacturing facilities , meetings , military installations , offices , parties , political gatherings , potlucks , prisons , promotional events , public events , public facilities , religious services , rest homes , schools , service counters , shops , sporting events , theaters , toilet facilities , zoos and other situations . whatever its origin , the wide distribution has contributed to its use this day , at this table , for their health benefit . various modes of carrying the packet are also useful in promoting and attaining hand sanitation . by placing hand sanitizing fluid packets in carrying devices other than pockets , the opportunities for a timely reminder and access are improved . placing a hand sanitizing fluid packet in a backpack , belt pack , briefcase , computer case , garment , lanyard attachment , lunchbox , lunch bag , notebook , purse , pocket , sports bag , toolbox , telephone carrier , or wristband increases the probability of use . perhaps the narrative of the father and daughter at lunch would be more telling if instead of the father offering the packet to the daughter , the child offered a packet to the father . she picked up the habit in school and was now sharing it , with justifiable pride , with her father . habit formation is initially based on repetitive action and a key element in making that repetitive action possible is available circumstances . for example , the habit of using a fork to eat is not likely to develop if a fork is missing when food is served . the same is true in developing the habit of using hand sanitizing fluid packets to regularly sanitizing hands ; the packets must be available at all times to form the habit of cleaning hands . any and all techniques useful to distributing and having the user retain a hand sanitizing fluid packet is a major step toward developing a use habit simply because the packet is available in an opportune and timely manner . one technique for promoting hand sanitation is to introduce lottery and gaming aspects so as to encourage the distribution and retention of hand sanitizing fluid packets . in the following scenario a lottery encourages and supports a significant health objective . a cruise ship &# 39 ; s company is concerned about an outbreak of the nasty gastrointestinal norwalk flu ; two other ships in the fleet have had so many cases whole trips have been cancelled to decontaminate the vessels . the owners , officers , and crew can ill afford the staggering losses an outbreak would cause ; passengers are understandable nervous about getting sick during a long planned vacation . the ship &# 39 ; s officers and crew have done and continue to do everything possible to keep the facilities germ - free , but they know the problem does not lie with the ship . it is with the passengers that harbor the virus . when they came aboard from around the world , they bring with them a veritable menagerie of germs gathered from home and along the way . when they take day trips ashore during the cruise they bring new ones aboard from these ports of call that have become literally crossroads of world travel . to combat these continual infectious assaults the ship has introduced hand sanitizing fluid packets , and to encourage their distribution and retention has instituted a dining lottery . at each meal a hand sanitizing fluid packet is passed out or placed with the table setting . each packet bears a lottery number 23 as shown in fig2 along with the ship &# 39 ; s name and company logo . the winning numbers will be posted in the ship &# 39 ; s paper the following day for prizes of caps , shirts , and other items and services available on board . every passengers will acquire , retain and hopefully use the packet when the benefits of use are properly and repeatedly explained . making the packets so widely available through the lottery , and stressing the fact that everyone is in the same boat so to speak regarding public health , a significant reduction of hand - borne disease is a likely outcome . whether the motivation for acquiring the packet is to have a chance at a lottery prize and then used for hand sanitation , or acquired the packet for hand sanitation and kept them for a possible prize , the end results of distribution and retention are achieved . gaming can also achieve the same purpose . at lunch a group of men gather to open their lunch bags and socialize . included in the bags are hand sanitizing fluid packets with a poker hand displayed as markings , each one different based on the statistical spread of winning hands inherent to the game . the men engage in calling out real and fictional holdings to determine who buys the cold soft drinks or the like . the packets are also used to clean the hands in that they are literally already at hand . endless gaming options are possible based on this simple technique , and all of which encourage and promote the distribution of hand sanitizing fluid packets which can lead to usage . good public and private health habits are in our own hands . throughout this specification various publications are referenced . the disclosures of these publications in their entireties are hereby incorporated by reference in order to more fully describe the state of the art to which the invention pertains . what has been illustrated and described herein is an improvement in certain types of squeezable articles of manufacture representative of fluid containers made of flexible polymeric material , specifically for dispensing hand sanitizing fluid for hand hygiene . additionally , novel methods for employment and distribution of such article types have been described and illustrated by way of functional examples . while these improvements have been illustrated and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments , the present invention is not limited thereto . in particular , the foregoing specification and embodiments are intended to be illustrative and are not to be taken as limiting . thus , alternatives , such as structural or mechanical or functional equivalent , and other modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description . accordingly , such alternatives , changes , and modifications are to be considered as forming a part of the present invention insofar as they fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims .	1
the present invention relates to a method of building instrument variation tolerance into calibration algorithms for spectroscopic devices for chemical composition analysis with spectroscopic methods . the method of the present invention is particularly suitable for blood glucose , cholesterol and other chemical components prediction based on near - infrared spectrophotometry measurements . the following description is of a preferred embodiment by way of example only and without limitation to the combination of features necessary for carrying the invention into effect . the present inventors have determined that partial least squares analysis ( pls ) is able to identify patterns of change in a continuous measurement of spectra in a defined range . as used herein “ concentration ” or “ concentration level ” means the amount or quantity of a constituent in a solution whether the solution is in vitro or in vivo . as used herein , “ constituent ” means any substance , or any analyte found in any sample including but not limiting to a tissue and includes but not limited to carbohydrates such as for example glucose , bilirubin , a protein , for example albumin or hemoglobin . as used herein “ sample ” means any substance in a form of plasma , gas , liquid or solid , consisting more than one chemical component , whose chemical composition is to be determined . preferably the chemical composition is determined using spectroscopic methods in any spectral range where spectroscopic methods are applied . as used herein , “ tissue ” means any tissue of the body of a subject including for example , blood , extracellular spaces , and can mean the entire composition of a body part such as a finger or ear lobe . as used herein “ subject ” means any member of the animal kingdom including , preferably , humans . the present invention can be used with any spectrophotometer , including but not limiting to those working in nir , the system having a light source which is projected through the item to be examined , a sample interface mechanism , a spectrometer to separate the light into its component wavelengths , a detector , amplification electronics and a computer . by measuring the loss ( absorption ), between the source and the detector and applying appropriate chemometric ( mathematical ) techniques , it is possible to non - invasively determine the chemicals being examined since different chemicals absorb different amounts of light . such a spectrophotometric device and method are described in detail in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 361 , 758 ( which is incorporated herein by reference ). while the present description relates primarily to glucose measurement , one of the major fields of application for nir measurement at present , it will be understood that the principles of the present invention equivalently apply to other analytes and chemical components measured invasively or non - invasively , using various spectroscopic techniques . to utilize the nir spectrum for glucose measurement , it is necessary to use a spectrometer which has wide dynamic range , a high signal to noise ratio , and exhibits low scattering losses . the output from the spectrometer is used to generate spectra with high precision both in absorbance and wavelength . significant glucose absorption bands are centered about wavelengths of 1 . 67 , 2 . 13 , , 2 . 27 , and 2 . 33 micrometers ( as discussed in small and arnold , “ data handling issues for near - infrared glucose measurements ”, supra ). to be able to use nir to measure a particular compound / analyte , chemometric mathematical analysis is applied to the measured spectrum . the mathematical analysis techniques are carried out by a computer equipped with advanced software capable of interpreting the resulting complex spectra . to calibrate a spectrophotometer in the normal manner , the instrument response associated with the compound or analyte of interest must first be measured on a relatively large number of samples . these measurements are then compared to measurements made in a more accurate manner . from these comparisons an algorithm is developed that characterizes the compound or analyte to be measured . as was stated earlier , performance by an algorithm generated in this way will be degraded if a ) new samples are measured on a slave instrument which measures at wavelengths slightly different from the master instrument , or b ) the wavelengths of the master instrument shift between the measurement of calibration samples and measurement of prediction samples . according to the present invention , to add tolerance to wavelength shifts , new calibration spectra of the samples are created . to create a new spectrum of the sample , the wavelengths of the spectrum of the sample are shifted by a fixed pattern and by a specified amount . the reference analyte ( for example but not limited to glucose ) value from the original sample is associated with the new sample . additional new spectra of the samples are created in a like fashion by shifting the wavelengths of additional samples from the original calibration set by the same specified amount . next the specified amount of the shift is changed to a new level , in a discrete step or by a random number , and additional spectra of the samples are created by shifting the wavelengths of some of the original calibration spectra by this new amount . this process is repeated until the amount of the shift covers the shift that is expected in future instruments . the pattern of shift can be any pattern that would be expected to occur in the spectrometers . typical kinds of shifts that occur in spectrometers would include a uniform shift , where the wavelengths for all measurement points shift by the same amount for all points , and a shift that is wavelength dependent . in this second ( wavelength dependent ) shift , the wavelengths of measurement points shift by a different amount dependent on position of the measurement point on wavelength axis . these and other kinds of shift can be incorporated using the method . the above description is not intended to limit the claimed invention in any manner , furthermore , the discussed combination of features might not be absolutely necessary for the inventive solution . the present invention will be further illustrated in the following examples . however it is to be understood that these examples are for illustrative purposes only , and should not be used to limit the scope of the present invention in any manner . a series of studies has been initiated using a computer modeling program that simulates each aspect of measuring glucose on patients . the simulator models variations in absorbance of the fingers of multiple patients from effects of analyte combinations , tissue characteristics and finger placement as well as instrument characteristics . it also models the process on the generation of a calibration algorithm and prediction using that calibration algorithm on data that is independent from that used to generate the calibration . the initial study modeled the effect of a constant shift of all wavelengths in a system that measures 256 wavelengths in a contiguous manner . by a uniform shift is meant that all wavelengths shift the same amount in the same direction . this is one type of change that could be expected in a spectrometer . the error in glucose prediction resulting from various levels of shift was identified . the first lines of table 1 show an example of the effect of various amounts of wavelength shift on glucose error using the presently accepted method of generating algorithms . these results show that the algorithm is extremely sensitive to wavelength shift . for example from table 1 , a shift of only 0 . 05 nm , not a large variation for even the best spectrometers , causes a six - fold increase in the glucose error . the simulator ( see above ) was then operated to incorporate seven groups of new sample spectra where the spectra for each group had been shifted by various amounts from 0 to 0 . 1 nm as described earlier . the results for this version of algorithm are shown on the bottom lines of table 1 . this shows the dramatic improvement that is made to the robustness of the algorithm . the results also point out a potential negative impact of this approach . incorporating wavelength variance into the algorithm increases the error in the case where there is no wavelength shift in the slave instrument ( from 2 . 07 to 2 . 35 ). however this negative impact is small compared to the dramatic gains achieved under normal real life conditions where there is a change in instrument characteristics . another example shows simulator modeling of a system with two wavelength regions . the first contains 256 measurement points as in example above and 33 measurement points in spectral range with longer wavelengths . the wavelengths in the second region are shifted by a uniform amount , but those in the first region stay stable . using the new method , seven levels of uniform shift has been added to the wavelengths in the second region to a maximum of 0 . 1 mn . this example show that using the standard method of generating algorithms , a system of this type is very sensitive to shifts in one part of the spectrum , but the method of this invention reduces this sensitivity dramatically . it also demonstrates that when wavelength shifts occur in the samples in the prediction set that are beyond that added to the calibration set ( 0 . 2 nm in this example ), the system becomes more sensitive to shift . a further example demonstrates that this method can be used to increase tolerance for wavelength shifts of other patterns . in a system with two wavelength regions as in example 2 , wavelengths in the second region are shifted an amount proportional to its position . the first point is not shifted , while the last point is shifted by the amount shown in table 3 and the remaining points are shifted by an amount proportional to their position between the ends . this example demonstrates the ability of an algorithm developed using the methods in this invention to increase tolerance to wavelength shifts of various patterns . a calibration evaluation was performed on data previously measured on 4 human volunteers . the data set consists of 5 days of measurements on each of the 4 patients . each day consisted of 16 pairs of spectral measurements ; each pair matched to a reference glucose measurement . the reference measurement was on whole blood fray a finger stick measured on a yellow springs glucose instrument . spectral data was taken on 3 different instruments . the wavelengths of the 3 instruments were matched to the best of our ability to measure their wavelengths . photometric correction was used to match the spectral shape of absorbance measurements of all 3 instruments . these corrections normalize to a reasonable degree the two characteristics that have the most impact on glucose accuracy . in the first instance , calibration was performed using the presently accepted method . a calibration algorithm was developed on one instrument ( referred to as a ) using the first 3 days of data . that algorithm was used to predict glucose based upon spectral data measured on instrument a during the last 2 days . the same algorithm was used to predict glucose based upon spectral data measured on two additional instruments ( b and c ) on the same patients during the last 2 days . results for this calibration are shown in table 2 . these results show the glucose error resulting from predicting on the same instrument that was used to generate an algorithm ( a ). the results for instruments b and c show the large increases in error that can occur from relatively small changes in instrument characteristics . using the same data , calibration was performed using the method of the invention . data measured on the first three days on all three instruments was used to generate the algorithm . predictions of glucose were made using that algorithm based upon spectral data measured on all 3 instruments on the last 2 days as before . the results are shown in table 3 . the results have demonstrated the dramatic improvement in glucose prediction accuracy achieved by combining measurements from multiple spectral instruments in the calibration . while the present invention has been described with reference to what are presently considered to be the preferred examples , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed examples . to the contrary , the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims . all publications , patents and patent applications are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if each individual publication , patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference in its entirety .	6
&# 34 ; acrylic copolymers &# 34 ; are polymeric compounds wherein one of the species of the monomers is an acrylic acid ( prop - 2 - enoic acid ) or a derivative thereof ( methacrylic acid ). it also includes polymers of a single species . &# 34 ; barrier &# 34 ; means a transparent inert coating or film used to protect the liquid crystal film layer . when stacks of thermochromic film layers are present , the barrier of a lower film layer will serve as the substrate of an upper film layer . &# 34 ; cholesteric liquid crystals &# 34 ; or chiral nematic liquid crystals refer to a subset of nematic liquid crystals in which many of the compounds are derivatives of cholesterol . cholesteric liquid crystals are extremely optically active , more than can be accounted for by the rotary power of the compounds . the compounds have a natural screw structure in which there exists a chiral center that acts to bias the direction of the liquid crystal with a cumulative twist that is not imposed artificially . &# 34 ; display &# 34 ; means a barrier , a thermochromic film layer and either a substrate ( lower display ) or the barrier of another display ( upper displays ). &# 34 ; film - forming polymer &# 34 ; refers to a formulation capable of forming a film after water or other liquid is removed . &# 34 ; generally planar &# 34 ; means having a longer x and y axis relative to a z axis where the z axis is perpendicular to both the x and y axis . &# 34 ; liquid crystal film layer &# 34 ; means the dried liquid crystal ink applied to the substrate or support . &# 34 ; liquid crystal ink &# 34 ; refers to a mixture comprising the liquid crystals , a solvent to dissolve the liquid crystals , a thickening agent , a film - forming polymer , preferably latex and optionally a wetting agent . &# 34 ; microencapsulated &# 34 ; means surrounded by a gelatin shell or other water soluble polymeric materials . &# 34 ; nematic liquid crystals &# 34 ; refer to thermochromic liquid crystals in which the long axes of the molecules remain substantially parallel but in which the positions of the centers of mass are more disorganized ( random ) than in the smectic liquid crystals . nematic liquid crystals include ordinary nematic structures , cytotactic nematic structures , and cholesteric neumatic structures . &# 34 ; polyester &# 34 ; refers to a range of polymers formed by the condensation polymerization of polyhydric alcohols and polycarboxylic acids or anhydrides . maleic and fumaric ( i . e ., ethene 1 , 2 - dicarboxylic ) acids and ethylene and propyl alcohol are the usual starting materials . &# 34 ; stacked displays &# 34 ; means a generally planar stack of displays , each display containing a thermochromic substance responsive to different temperature changes . &# 34 ; substrate &# 34 ; means the bottom - most support to which the thermochromic dye is applied . &# 34 ; support &# 34 ; means a solid material to which the thermochromic or liquid crystal film layer is applied . the support can be the substrate or the barrier of a lower display . &# 34 ; thermochromic film layer &# 34 ; means the dried thermochromic dye applied to the substrate or support . &# 34 ; thermochromic liquid crystals &# 34 ; refer to thermotropic compounds inclusive of smectic or nematic liquid crystals or any other liquid crystals that change color with a change in temperature . &# 34 ; thermochromic liquid crystal solution &# 34 ; refers to liquid crystals and solvent to dissolve the crystals . &# 34 ; thermochromic ink &# 34 ; refers to a mixture comprising a thermochromic substance , a solvent to dissolve the thermochromic dye , a thickening agent , a film - forming polymer and optionally a wetting agent . &# 34 ; thermochromic substance &# 34 ; means a compound that changes color in response to a change in temperature . novel multilayered dispersed thermochromic display systems are provided as in fig1 having a substrate layer ( 2 ) and each display comprising a thermochromic film layer ( 3 ) and a non - invasive barrier ( 4 ). the stacked displays ( 1 ) will be more than one layer and may have three or more layers depending upon the particular application . the generally planar displays are stacked with the barrier of a lower display providing the support for the thermochromic film layer of next display . the displays exhibit color at temperatures between 0 ° and 100 ° c . the displays are stacked such that each display is responsive in a different temperature range . preferably , the temperature response ranges of each display overlap slightly to provide continuity in the display output as the temperatures change . the displays can be stacked until a desired broad range of temperatures is achieved . the displays can be arranged to form symbols , as in fig1 b , so that as the temperature changes , different images appear on the displays . the substrate or the lower - most display layer of this invention will normally be a stable , solid material . substrates can include but are not limited to wood , rubber , plastic , glass , metal and cotton . preferable substrates are latex formulations , e . g ., octyl acrylate , dimethylstyrene , vinyltoluene , hexyl acrylate , styrene , butyl acrylate , chloroprene , butadiene , vinylidene chloride , ethyl acrylate , methyl methacrylate , vinyl chloride , vinyl acetate , methyl acrylate , acrylonitrile and acrolein . the preferred substrates are polyesters . other illustrative substrates include polyester condensation polymers , such as polyethylene terephthalate and polycarbonate , addition polymers , such as abs polymers ( acrylonitrile - butadienestyrene ), fluorocarbons , e . g . kel - f , and polyvinyl fluoride , polyolefins films , e . g . polyethylene , polypropylene , etc ., cellulose esters , e . g . cellulose acetate , propionate and butyrate , polyamides , e . g . nylon and polycaprolactam , polystyrene , and copolymers . the substrate of this invention can be transparent when used as a barrier for a lower thermochromic film layer . however , the lowermost substrate is preferably opaque , and more preferably a dark color , and most preferably black . the pigment can be either permeated into the substrate during substrate synthesis or it can be applied to the surface of the substrate with a brush , roller , silk screen , by dipping or spraying . metal foils may also be used as a substrate . the surface of the metal foil to which the thermochromic film layer will be applied should be blackened , e . g . anodized . various metal films may be employed , such as aluminum , magnesium , etc . if desired , the substrate can be adhered to any number of backing materials depending on the use of the displays . methods of adhesion are well known in the art . such backing materials include but are not limited to wood , cotton , plastic , foam , adhesive strips , paper , rubber and glass . the thermochromic inks of this invention consist of a thermochromic compound , a film - forming polymer , a thickening agent and other optional agents , i . e ., wetting agent . the thermochromic substance can consist of any compound that changes color upon a change of temperature within the temperature range of 0 ° to 100 ° c . a general review can be found in p . j . collings &# 34 ; liquid crystalline materials &# 34 ; in kirk - othmer , encyclopedia of chemical technology ( fourth edition , 15 : 372 - 409 ( 1995 ). illustrative examples of thermochromic compounds include anthraquinone functional dyes , 3d transition - metal complexes and other 3d metal compounds , samarium sulfide compounds , di - β - naphthospiropyran , poly ( xylylviologen dibromide ) and urethane - substituted etcd polydiacetylene . the preferred thermochromic substances are thermochromic cholesteric liquid crystals . common cholesteric liquid crystals include cholesteryl chloride , cholesteryl nonanoate , cholesteryl bromide , cholesteryl acetate , cholesteryl oleate , cholesteryl caprylate , cholesteryl oleyl carbonate , and the like . the thermochromic substances may be microencapsulated . to microencapsulate , small droplets of thermochromic substances are coated with a protective shell consisting of water - soluble polymeric materials . microencapsulating liquid crystals is well known in the art and is described in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 797 , 297 and 3 , 732 , 119 . both patents are incorporated herein by reference . placing barriers in between microencapsulated thermochromic substances is preferred when increased resistance to impact or adhesion to substrates is desired . techniques for preparing dispersed thermochromic inks are well known in the art and described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 022 , 706 which is incorporated herein by reference . the preferred nonencapsulated liquid crystals are first dissolved in a suitable solvent and then dispersed in a latex or some other film - forming polymer and water emulsion . the solvents employed will preferably be oxygenated polar solvents and generally have a boiling point below about 175 ° c ., preferably below about 120 ° c ., and particularly preferred below about 100 ° c ., and greater than about 50 ° c . illustrative oxygenated solvents include isobutanol , methyl ethyl ketone , ethyl acetate , butyl acetate , amyl acetate , methyl isobutyl ketone , and the like . a sufficient amount of solvent is employed to insure the complete dissolution of the liquid crystal composition . the thermochromic inks of this invention include a film - forming polymer capable of forming a stable dispersion ( e . g ., colloidal , emulsion or solution ) and is preferably a latex formulation . commercially available latex compositions may be diluted with water or concentrated to the desired solids content , preferably about 35 to 65 percent polymer . a wide variety of anionic and nonionic lattices derived from organic addition polymers , may be employed . the addition polymers may be derived from acrylics , which include acrylic acid , methacrylic acid and their esters . of particular interest are the acrylic lattices , substantially free of monomers other than acrylate and methacrylate esters , vinyl chloride , vinylidene chloride , and copolymers with up to 30 percent of one of the other monomers indicated previously . all of these polymers provide transparent films . in the preferred embodiment , the thermochromic liquid crystal solution is added to the latex , which is conveniently at ambient temperature , with moderate stirring and without further heating . the thermochromic liquid crystal solution is added slowly and stirring is continued for a short time , usually of the order of 5 to 30 minutes , although longer times may be employed if desired . stirring will generally be of the order of 200 to 3 , 000 r . p . m . thickening agents may be added to the thermochromic ink . the thickening agent can be added in sufficient amount to provide a mayonnaise - like consistency . the maximum amount of thickening agent is determined by the desired consistency for a particular application of the ink . various thickening agents can be employed , such as the carboxylvinyl polymers and the salts thereof , e . g . sodium , sold as carbopol resins by b . f . goodrich chemical co ., e . g . carbopols 934 , 940 , 941 , 960 and 961 , salts of carboxymethylcellulose , e . g . sodium , salts of polyacrylic acid , e . g . sodium , sold as k718 by b . f . goodrich co ., polyethylene oxides , alkyl ( 1 to 3 carbon atoms ) and hydroxyalkyl ( 2 to 3 carbon atoms ) cellulose , e . g . methyl cellulose and hydroxyethyl cellulose , 2 - aminomethylpropanol , and the like . if desired , wetting agents may also be included in minor amounts , particularly nonionic or anionic emulsifiers . the nonionic emulsifiers are primarily ethylene oxide and propylene oxide polymers where the end groups may be esterified or etherified . various series of nonionic wetting agents are available under the name emulphor , triton , and the like . other wetting agents include polyols , e . g . 2 , 4 , 7 , 9 - tetramethyl - 5 - decyn - 4 , 7 - diol ( surfynol 104 , sold by air products and chemical co .). the resulting thermochromic ink may now be applied to the substrate or to the non - invasive barrier of a lower display by various techniques to form the thermochromic film layer . the methods include pressing with rollers , spraying , draw down blade , silk screening , rotogravure , or the like . the thermochromic inks prepared in accordance with the subject invention can be applied by any of the above listed methods to form a symbol or design . the symbol or design can be but is not limited to , ornamental , alphabetic or numeric symbols . the dried thermochromic film layer may be coated or covered with one or more layers of either films , laminates , paints or combinations thereof , preferably transparent but can be pigmented . various films , laminates , etc . may be brushed , sprayed or otherwise employed , such as acrylates , or lattices , which may be active , semi - reactive or reactive , vinyl chloride polymers and copolymers , vinylidene chloride polymers and copolymers , acrylic polymers and copolymers , vinyl acetate polymers and copolymers , cellulose esters , and the like . these polymers are compatible with and will form strong bonds with the thermochromic dye layer . to construct the multilayered display of fig1 the thermochromic ink is applied to the substrate with any method described above , preferably by silk screening or knife coating . after the thermochromic ink has dried to a film , the non - invasive barrier is applied , preferably painted on as with a brush , knife , roller or spray gun . when the barrier has dried , the next layer of thermochromic ink , responsive to a different range of temperatures than the first ink , is applied to the barrier of the first layer . the alternating applications of thermochromic inks and barriers are performed until the number of displays is achieved . the top layer may optionally be different than the barrier material to increase the systems resistance to environmental damage . for example , a polyester covering is a preferred final layer owing to its exceptionally wear resistant properties . the order in which the displays are manufactured is not critical . it is often convenient to begin with the formation of the top layer and to proceed with a subsequent layering of the next display until the substrate is laid down . the following examples are offered by way of illustration and not by way of limitation . because of the multiple layers , each with its own temperature range , animation can be developed . the displays of thermochromic liquid crystal films can be stacked so that as the temperature changes , different images or poses appear . another use of multilayered dispersed thermochromic liquid crystals is as a &# 34 ; sweet spot locator &# 34 ; on golf clubs . the impact of the ball against the displays creates a rise in temperature . this increase in temperature will cause a change in color at the point of impact . this visible pattern tells the golfer how close the ball is to hitting the &# 34 ; sweet spot &# 34 ; of the club . stacked displays are required because the outdoor temperature is not constant . three particular displays exhibit overlapping color play between 75 ° and 105 ° f . since the impact increases the temperature by at least 5 ° f ., these particular stacked displays will show an image when the environmental temperature is between 70 ° and 100 ° f . low temperature stacked displays have been made which operate from 40 ° to 70 ° f . the stacked displays have a thin rubber backing to insulate them from the club face which would act as a heat sink , draining the thermal pattern too quickly from the displays . the &# 34 ; sweet spot locator &# 34 ; normally withstands 100 strokes without delamination or deterioration . both the dispersed thermochromic liquid crystals and the clear barrier layers are flexible and are not affected by the impact . the clear layers used in this case are latex film forming mixtures . the first layer , next to the rubber backing , is a latex formulation with black pigment to allow visualization of the color change . all patents , patent applications and publications mentioned herein , both supra and infra , are hereby incorporated by reference . although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding , it will be obvious that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the appended claims .	1
a main aim of the present invention is to develop a better methodology for cluster analysis with application to the problem of vehicle detection and determination of its type as noted above . another aim of the present invention is to provide a new method to overcome potential problems by merging similar clusters after running x - means clustering . another aim of the invention is to provide better methodology for cluster analysis with application to the vehicle detection problem . one aspect of the present invention provides a method of determining and recognizing the types of vehicles passing a checkpoint by collecting vehicle data ( e . g ., vehicle length , distances between axles , weights on axles ) and using that data to determine and recognize vehicle types , particularly in high volume traffic for monitoring traffic volumes of various types of vehicles , forecasting future road maintenance costs and planning and design of future road networks , the method comprising : uploading a computer program into a cpu , the computer program comprising an em algorithm as particularly described in the specification herein , the algorithm including data representations of essential characteristics vehicles as they drive past the checkpoint ; entering such measured characteristics vehicles as they travel past the checkpoint into that cpu ; and deriving an output from that cpu , and thereby determining and recognizing the types of vehicles passing the checkpoint , particularly in high volume traffic , for monitoring traffic volumes of various types of vehicles , forecasting future road maintenance costs and planning and design of future road networks . another aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus comprising the combination of : a cpu : and a computer program which has been uploaded into said cpu , the computer program comprising an em algorithm as particularly described in the specification herein , the algorithm including data representations of essential characteristics of vehicles . it has been found according to aspects of the present invention , that there arc correlations between different variables . this invention proposes to avoid the problem which arises by using the euclidean distance , since data may be assigned to the wrong centroids . the present invention seeks to overcome this problem by replacing the euclidean distance with the mahalanobis distance . the following description provides examples of methods of aspects of the present invention . fig1 is a graph showing some data points derived from traffic data collection systems which have collected data ( e . g ., vehicle length , distances between axles , weights on axles , etc . ), which data may be used to determine and recognize vehicle types in high volume traffic , but in which the cluster points are incorrectly clustered fig2 is a graph showing some data points derived from traffic data collection systems which have collected data ( e . g ., vehicle length , distances between axles , weights on axles , etc . ), which data may be used to determine and recognize vehicle types in high volume traffic , but in which the cluster points are correctly clustered fig3 is a graph showing some data points derived from traffic data collection systems which have collected data ( e . g ., vehicle length , distances between axles , weights on axles , etc . ), which data may be used to determine and recognize vehicle types in high volume traffic , where the x - means is used to cluster these points , using euclidean distances , which is not correct . one explanation of the results plotted in fig1 , 2 and 3 is because the x - means algorithm does not permit returning back to re - cluster the data , since it runs a local k - means for each pair of “ children ”. the k means is local in that the “ children ” are fighting each other for the points in the “ parent &# 39 ; s ” region and in no others . all the points from the other regions are ignored . this problem of local mode can be overcome , according to broad aspects of the present invention , by merging two regions which are close to each other after the x - means algorithm is run . if the model after merging has a higher bic score than the model before merging , these regions will be merged . otherwise , the original model is kept . in the method of determining and recognizing the types of vehicles passing a checkpoint by collecting vehicle data ( e . g ., vehicle length , distances between axles , weights on axles ) according to aspects of the present invention , by plotting graphs for all the variables ( axle spacing , weights , front bumping spacing , and rear bumper spacing ) in the data set , each variable forms a pattern which is similar to a “ student &# 39 ; s ” t - distribution . therefore , it will be assumed that each variable in the data set comes from a “ student &# 39 ; s ” t - distribution . since all the variables for a given data point must be considered , it will be assumed that each data point forms a multivariate “ student ” distribution . in statistics , a “ multivariate student distribution ” is a multivariate generalization of the students t - distribution . the present invention will be further described by reference to method steps to be carried out the setup for the method steps is that given “ n ” data points in a v - dimensional space , it is desired to find a set of “ k ” “ multivariate student &# 39 ; s t - distribution ” that best represents the distribution of all the data points . without being bound by theory , it is believed that the given data set is an n * v matrix where n stands for the number of data points and v stands for the number of variables for each data point . μ k = the mean for kill cluster , each a vector of length v . σ k := the covariance matrices for k th duster , each of size v * v . x n .= the n th data point , which is a vector with length v . p ( k ! x n :)= the probability that x n comes from cluster k . p ( k )=: the probability that a data point chosen randomly comes from cluster k . p ( x n )= the probability of finding a data point at position x n for simplicity , it is assumed that σ k is a diagonal matrix , i . e ., a matrix whose non diagonal entries are all 0 , and where the diagonal entries are the variances for each variable . three statistical methods are used for the method steps , which are carried out to find parameter values with the em algorithm , splitting clusters using principle component analysis ( pca ), and comparing models by bayesian information criterion ( bic ). λ is the key to this method . while it is not desired to be limited by any particular theory , it is believed that it is necessary to find the best values for the parameters by maximizing the value of λ . this method maximizes the posterior probability of the parameters if the specific priors are given . set the starting values for the μ k &# 39 ; s , σ k s , p ( k ). the method to obtain these values is by means of splitting clusters using pca as follows : the setup for this method is that , given some data points in one cluster ( mother cluster ), it is necessary to split these data points into two clusters ( children clusters ), using pca . pca is mathematically defined as “ an orthogonal linear transformation that transforms the data to a new coordinate system such that the greatest variance by any projection of the data comes to lie on the first coordinate ( called the first principal component ), the second greatest variance on the second coordinate ”, and so on . the data set comprises an n * matrix . pca is now performed on this data matrix . the standard deviations are now calculated of the principal components , namely , the square roots of the eigenvalues of the covariance matrix . the matrix is now calculated for variable loadings , namely , a matrix whose columns contain the eigenvectors . in r , there is a built - in function called “ prcomp ” which helps the calculations . range : how far the data is to be split ; the . value of range is usually between 1 . 5 and μ = the mean for the mother cluster , each a vector of length v σ = the covariance matrix for the mother cluster , each of size * p ( m )= the probability that a data point chosen randomly comes from the mother cluster since the first principal component is the most important component , two vectors are created with length v from the first principal component . two vectors are created since it is desired to split the data into two clusters . the first element in the first vector is the value of + range ( plus range ), and the other elements are all zero . the first element in the second vector is the value of − range ( minus range ), and the other elements are all zero . the first vector is v 1 , and the second vector is v 2 . consider v 1 , v 2 , and std to be matrices with one column . after the splitting is done , two means are provided for two children clusters . the mean for the first children cluster is μ 1 and the mean for the second children cluster μ 2 . the calculation for μ 1 and is as follows : the covariance matrices for two children clusters would be the same as the mother cluster , and the probability that a data point chosen randomly comes from the children clusters would be half of p { m ). in summary , for the first children cluster , mean = μ 1 , covariance matrix = σ , and probability that a data point chosen randomly comes from this cluster =( ½ )* p { m ); for the second children cluster , mean μ 2 , covariance matrix = σ , and probability that a data point chosen randomly comes from this cluster =( ½ )* p { m ). there is one limitation about pca . if pca is performed on a given data matrix , pca requires the number of data points to be larger than the number of variables . if the number of data points is smaller than the number of variables , pca will do nothing on the data matrix , and splitting will not happen given the values for the μ k &# 39 ; s , σ k s , p ( k ), and the data , of p ( x n 1μ k , σ k ) can be calculated . we assume all the variables in the data set form a multivariate student &# 39 ; s distribution , p ( x n 1μ k , σ k is the multivariate student &# 39 ; s density , that is , where df = the degree of freedom , p = the number of variables , and detσ = the determinant for σ one important thing about p ( x n 1μ k , σ k ) is that the values of p ( x n 1μ k , σ k ) often be very small as to underflow to zero . therefore , it is necessary to work with the logarithm of p ( x n 1μ k , σ k ) that is after the value of p ( x n 1μ k , σ k ) is obtained , it becomes possible to calculate the value of p ( x n ) splitting p ( x n ) into its contribution from each of the k multivariate student &# 39 ; s t - distributions , that is , one problem may rise for p ( x n ), where it becomes necessary to calculate the sum of quantities . some of these quantities may be so small that they underflow to zero . according to an aspect of the present invention , it has been found that one possible way to fix this problem is construct the quantities from their logarithms . that is , store p ( x n lμ k , σ k ) p ( i ) in log p ( x n lμ k , e k ), and let m log = max log ( p ( x n lμ k , σ k ) p ( i ) 0 . . . log p ( k ))). then the logarithm of the sum is computed as follows : using the values of p ( x n 1μ k , σ k ) and p ( x n ), the value of p ( k \| x n } and λ : since the values of log p ( x n 1μ k , σ k ) and p ( x n ) can be computed in order to overcome the problem of underflow , it is possible to write p { k 1 x n ) in terms of log p ( x n 1μ k , σ k ) and log p ( x n ), p ( k \| x n )= exp ( log p ( x n \| μ k , σ k ))+ log p ( k )− log p ( x n )) by calculating p ( k 1 x n ) for all values of k &# 39 ; s and x n &# 39 ; s , it is now possible to obtain all of the values p ( k \| x n }&# 39 ; s . and it now becomes possible to write p ( k \| x n }&# 39 ; s as a probability matrix of size n * k . each row = one data point , and each column = one cluster . each element in the matrix = the value of p ( k \| x n ) that is , the probability that a given data point comes from a specific cluster k . in the language of the em algorithm , this is called , an expectation step or an e - step . using p ( k \| x n )&# 39 ; s from step 2 , the values of maximum likelihood estimates for μ k &# 39 ; s , σ k &# 39 ; s and p ( k }&# 39 ; s and for all values of k , can be calculated , that is , the values of μ k &# 39 ; s , σ k &# 39 ; s and p ( k }&# 39 ; s that maximize the log likelihood function λ . the maximum likelihood estimate for p ( k ) is easy to obtain : the process to calculate the maximum likelihood estimates for μ k &# 39 ; s , σ k &# 39 ; s is very complex . for a given cluster k ( k = 1 , 2 , 2 . . . k ,), the log likelihood function needed to maximize is as follows : it is now necessary to find the values of μ k and σ k &# 39 ; s for k = 1 , 2 , 3 . . . k that maximize the above function . most of the programming languages have the build - in functions to calculate the values of the parameters that maximize a given function . for example , in r , we can use a build - in function called “ nlm ” can be used to calculate the maximum likelihood estimates for ˜ k ′ s ′ s . the language of the em steps is called a maximization step or m - step . using the maximum likelihood estimates for μ k &# 39 ; s , σ k &# 39 ; s and ( pk }&# 39 ; s as the new μ k &# 39 ; s , σ k &# 39 ; s and ( pk }&# 39 ; s , repeat step 2 and step 3 until the value of λ no longer changes . after the clustering process , the final values for μ k &# 39 ; s , σ k &# 39 ; s and ( pk }&# 39 ; s have been obtained for all values of k . a probability matrix whose entries are the final values of p ( k \| x n )&# 39 ; s have also been obtained given a data point , the corresponding row in the probability matrix for this data point can be found then , it is possible to determine which cluster most likely comes from by looking at the values of p ( k 1 xn )&# 39 ; s from this row . the column index which produces the largest value of p ( k 1 x n ) is the cluster where it belongs . suppose the parameters have been estimated for models with different number of components , the “ best ’ model is selected according to the bayesian information criterion ( bic ). the bic score is defined as λ −( ½ )* v * log { n ), where λ is the value of log likelihood function using the estimated parameters , v is the number of independent parameters of the model , and n is the number of observation . the selected model is that with the highest bic score . for example , if there are two bic s corresponding to a new model and an old model , they are named bic new and bic old . bic new = λ new ( ½ )* v new * log { n ), and bic old = λ ( ½ )* v old * log { n ). the new model is accepted if bic new & gt ; bic old , that is , λ new −( ½ )* v new * log { n )& gt ; λ old −( ½ )* v old * log { n ), which is the same as λ new − λ old & gt ;( ½ )* log { n )( v new − v old ) since bic is an approximation , it is not 100 % accurate . a variable is added to control the bic . a variable , a , is therefore introduced , such that the model is selected if λ new − λ old & gt ;( ½ )* log { n )( λ new − v old ). in theory , the value of a is 1 , but by changing the value of a , the model selected can be controlled for example , if a is set to be relatively small , then there is a high probability that the new model will be selected . if a is set to be relatively large , then there is a high probability that the old model will be selected . one problem with the data set is that each variable may have different shape in terms of the student t - distribution . therefore , each variable must be standardized order to let it follow a standard student t - distribution . the steps for such standardization are as follows : consider all data points coming from one cluster . set initial value of σ to be the mean of the data points , and set the initial diagonal entries of σ to be the variances of each variable . find the maximum likelihood estimates for μ m and σ m , create a vector with the diagonal entries of σ m and call it var m for a given data point x n , standardize it by using ( x n − μ m )/√{ square root over ( var m )} using these statistical methods explained above , the method steps according to aspects of the present invention is now constructed . if the vehicles have a different number of clusters , they can not be in the same cluster . hence , the data set can be classified into groups according to the number of the axles . each group can therefore be partitioned into small groups by grouping vehicles with the same axle pattern { s , d , t , or q ) together . then the method steps are run inside each small group 2 ) when said data is standardized in sets , start with k = 1 ; 3 ) set the initial value of μ k to be the mean of the data set . 4 ) set the initial diagonal entries of σ k to be the variances of each variable . 7 ) obtain the new values for μ k , σ k p ( k } and the probability matrix p ( k 1 x n ) 8 ) define the bic for this model as bic old =& lt ;( ½ ) v old * log { n ) a ) set k — prev = k and a new variable called trace = 1 . b ) repeat the following steps until trace_k prev . ( i ) split the cluster at position trace into two clusters using pca ( ii ) select data points to perform pca . from the data points that are most likely come from cluster trace by checking the values in the probability matrix p ( k 1 x n ) ( iii ) run clustering with the em algorithm for this new model , ( iv ) obtain μ k &# 39 ; s , σ k &# 39 ; s and ( pk }&# 39 ; s and the probability matrix p ( k \| x n )&# 39 ; s , and for the new model . ( v ) define the bic for this new model as big new = λ new −( ½ )= v new = log { n ) v new = log { n ) ( vi ) if λ new − λ old & gt ; a ·( ½ )·{ n )·( v new − v old ), then replace the old model with the new model obtained in step ( iii ). ( vii ) set k =+ 1 ( viii ) if λ new − λ old is not & gt ; a ·( ½ )·{ n )·( v new − v old ), then keep the original model . ( ix ) trace = trace + 1 thereby determining and recognizing the types of vehicles passing the checkpoint to determine and recognize vehicle types in high volume traffic for monitoring traffic volumes of various types of vehicles , forecasting future road maintenance costs and planning and design of future road networks . μ k = the mean for kill cluster , each a vector of length v . f ° k := the covariance matrices for kth duster , each of size v * v . xn .= the nth data point , which is a vector with length v . p ( k )= the probability that a data point chosen randomly comes from cluster k . the clustering result is obtained by checking the values in the final probability matrix . using the final model , any data points may be clustered . for example , if some data points are given , they can be assigned to their corresponding clusters . using step 2 to 8 as defined above with the em algorithm method step a probability matrix can be obtained whose entries are the values of p ( k 1 x n ) for all values of cluster k &# 39 ; s and x n &# 39 ; s . from these values it is possible to determine which cluster that each data point most likely comes from by checking the values in the probability matrix . if there is a vehicle that seldom appears , and it is desired to cluster it into a single cluster once it appears , this can be accomplished by adding a new cluster to the final model . the value of μ for the new cluster is the same as the variable values for this vehicle . the covariance matrix σ is a diagonal matrix . the diagonal entries of σ is set to be very small numbers , namely the variances for each variable are small numbers . the values of p ( k ) for this cluster are set to be a small number since this vehicle is very rare to appear .	6
in fig1 an actuator assembly of a motor - vehicle brake is shown in spatial representation and denoted generally by 10 . fig1 - 5 serve for elucidation of the technical background of the invention . the actual exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to fig6 and 7 . fig1 shows a housing 12 , in which a gear arrangement is arranged , as well as a partial housing 14 for accommodating a drive motor , and a further partial housing 16 in which a displaceable piston 18 is arranged , with which a brake pad , not shown , in a brake unit of a motor - vehicle brake can be displaced so as to be effective as a brake . the actuator assembly 10 , shown in fig1 , of the motor - vehicle brake according to the invention can be installed in conventional manner , for example in a floating - calliper brake . in this regard , reference is made to document wo 2009 / 046899 a1 , where such an installation situation is shown by way of example . this document is an application from the present applicant . since in the following it is a matter of the actuator assembly consisting of motor drive and displacement mechanism for displacing the brake pad , the following description concentrates on these components . also in the figures , only corresponding components are shown . fig2 shows an axis - including cross - sectional view through the drive unit 10 shown in fig1 . it will be discerned that the housing 12 has been constructed from many parts and is composed of a housing cover 20 , the partial housing 14 for reception of an electric motor 22 , and the partial housing 16 for displaceable reception of the piston 18 . the piston 18 is hydraulically and electromechanically displaceable along the longitudinal axis a in a manner known as such . its exposed surface 24 cooperates in conventional manner with a brake - pad arrangement , not shown , for the purpose of achieving a braking action . a hydraulic displacement occurs in known manner during service braking . an electromechanical displacement occurs for the purpose of activating and releasing the parking - brake function . the electromechanical displacement mechanism will be discussed in detail in the following . the displacement mechanism includes a gear arrangement 26 and also a nut / spindle arrangement 28 . the two basic components of the displacement mechanism have been represented , cut away , in fig3 together with the electric motor 22 . the gear arrangement 26 serves to convert a rotary motion of the electric motor 22 into a corresponding linear motion of the piston 18 along the longitudinal axis a . in detail , the electric motor 22 exhibits a motor output shaft 30 extending along the longitudinal axis b of the motor . said shaft is coupled in torsion - resistant manner with a toothed wheel 32 . the toothed wheel 32 serves as sun wheel of a planetary gear 34 . the toothed wheel 32 exhibits a journal 36 in its end remote from the motor . on this journal 36 a planet carrier 38 is rotatably supported which , in turn , again exhibits several journals 40 . the journals 40 serve to support planet wheels 42 which are in meshing engagement with the toothed wheel 32 . radially outside the planet wheels 42 a ring gear 44 is arranged which is fixed in relation to the housing . a further housing part 46 serves for this purpose . the planet carrier 38 is rotatably supported in this housing part 46 with a journal 50 . said planet carrier exhibits , between the journals 40 and its journal 50 , an external tooth gearing 52 . this external tooth gearing 52 meshes with a first gearwheel 54 which is rotatably supported on a stator 56 , fixed in relation to the housing , via a radially inner bearing portion 58 , and exhibits on its outer periphery an external tooth gearing 60 . the gearwheel 54 is pot - shaped . in the interior of said gearwheel there extends a friction - wheel portion 62 which has been formed on the stator 56 and hence has likewise been fitted in torsion - resistant manner in the housing 12 , in particular fitted in torsion - resistant manner to housing part 46 and to a further housing part 64 , for example by being pressed in . on the stator 56 a second gearwheel 66 is rotatably supported . this second gearwheel 66 can be coupled with the first gearwheel 54 via a wrap - spring clutch 70 for transmission of torque . this will be discussed in detail in the following . the second gearwheel 66 exhibits an external tooth gearing 72 on its portion facing away from the first gearwheel 54 . said tooth gearing meshes with an external tooth gearing 73 of an output toothed wheel 74 which is supported in torsion - resistant manner on a spindle 76 of the nut / spindle arrangement 28 . it will be discerned in fig2 that the spindle 76 is supported in the housing part 16 via a radial needle bearing 78 and a thrust bearing . on its outer periphery the spindle 76 exhibits a thread formation 80 in which rolling elements 82 are received . the rolling elements 82 are held in a rolling - element cage 84 which via a helical spring 85 is biased into its initial position shown in fig2 and 3 . supported on the rolling elements 82 is a nut 86 which in conventional manner executes a linear movement within the housing part 16 in the course of a rotary motion of the spindle 76 . the nut 86 is firmly connected to a coupling element 88 which is displaced correspondingly in the course of the motion of the nut 86 . at its free end the coupling element 88 exhibits a conical coupling surface 90 which is capable of being brought into engagement with a corresponding piston surface 92 in the interior of the piston 18 and is displaceable together with the piston 18 for the purpose of displacing the same and hence for the purpose of displacing the brake pad , which is not shown . in fig2 there will further be discerned a connecting cable 94 as well as various seals 96 in order to seal , or to guide in sealed manner , the housing parts in relation to one another and components linked thereto . finally , it will also be discerned that the piston 18 has been sealed with a bellows 98 . particulars of the displacement mechanism will be discerned in fig2 and 3 . turning now to fig4 and 5 , the structure and the individual components of the wrap - spring clutch 70 will be discerned therein . the stator 56 with its friction - wheel portion 62 is provided in the interior of the wrap - spring clutch 70 . as already stated , the stator 56 is supported in the housing so as to be fixed in relation to the housing and hence so as to be incapable of twisting via two journals 102 , 104 . the first gearwheel 54 is supported on the stator 56 . said gearwheel exhibits the external tooth gearing 60 on its outer periphery and is provided in its interior with a cavity 106 . the cavity 106 is provided with a side pocket 108 with abutment surface 110 . furthermore , a circular - segment - shaped pawl 112 extends from a side surface of the first gearwheel 54 . the second gearwheel 66 exhibits , besides its external tooth gearing 72 , a plate - like structure 114 on which a first pawl 116 and a second pawl 118 are arranged which extend in the axial direction . furthermore , in fig4 a helical spring 120 with cranked ends 122 and 124 will be discerned . the helical spring 120 is dimensioned in such a manner that in the relaxed state it bears snugly against the outer peripheral surface of the friction - wheel portion 62 but is able to slide on said surface . for the purpose of assembly , the helical spring 120 is placed onto the friction - wheel portion 62 . this arrangement is received in the cavity 106 . the two cranked ends 122 and 124 extend outwards in the radial direction so far that they are capable , as will be elucidated in detail in the following , of being brought into engagement with the pawls 112 , 116 , 118 without rubbing along or scratching the surfaces bounding the cavity 106 . in fig4 there will further be discerned a shaped spring 130 with several wound loops 132 which extend along a base strand 134 . the two ends 136 , 138 engage one another . the wound loops 132 can be compressed out of their relaxed position into a compressed position when a force f is acting . the shaped spring 130 is arranged in the pocket 108 and with its last loop bears against the contact surface 110 . the assembled state of the wrap - spring clutch 70 will be discerned in fig5 , in which connection it should be added that the cranked spring end 122 is received between pawl 116 and pawl 118 in the intermediate space 140 . generally , the motor - vehicle brake described above is employed with its actuator assembly described above primarily for the purpose of activating a parking - brake function . this means that in the service - brake case the piston 18 is ordinarily displaced hydraulically in such a manner that it is displaced out of the housing part 16 . equally , it has to be possible that upon enabling of the motor 22 for the purpose of releasing the brake in the service - brake case the piston 18 is partly or entirely displaced back again into its initial position according to fig2 . as a rule , this happens solely by virtue of the effect of a relaxation on the brake pad , which is not shown , and also through the agency of the return spring 85 , without a motor drive by the electric motor 42 being required for this . for the service - braking case , let it be noted that relatively small tensional forces are required . in a parking - brake situation , the piston 18 is displaced with relatively large tensional force for the purpose of generating a parking - brake action and is intended to be held durably in this position in order to immobilise the motor vehicle securely . the piston position that has been reached should be maintained unconditionally for the purpose of retaining the parking - brake action , and the situation should be avoided where the piston 18 is displaced back in the course of time by virtue of settling processes in the gear arrangement 26 . only when an active drive via the motor 22 occurs , with which the parking brake is to be actively released , can the piston 18 be displaced back again into its initial position according to fig2 . accordingly , a distinction has to be made between the service - brake situation and the parking - brake situation , in which connection a flux of force from the piston 16 towards the motor 22 is to be permitted or prohibited , depending on the current state of the brake . in order to comply with this requirement , the wrap - spring clutch 70 is employed in the manner shown . the wrap - spring clutch 70 operates in interaction with the two gearwheels 54 and 66 as follows : firstly , let the flux of force from the motor - side gearwheel 54 be considered , i . e . the case in which the motor 22 is driven and drives the gearwheel 54 in rotation through the agency of the planetary gear 34 . here there are two directions of rotation , namely the direction of rotation of the gearwheel 54 in the anti - clockwise direction for tensioning the brake ( tensioning the service brake and the parking brake ) and the direction of rotation of the gearwheel 54 in the clockwise direction for active releasing of the brake ( releasing of the parking brake ). in the course of a rotation of the first gearwheel 54 in the anti - clockwise direction corresponding to arrow p 1 — this corresponds to a motion for displacing the piston 18 out of the housing 16 , i . e . for activating the brake via the motor 22 both in a service - brake situation and in a parking - brake situation — the shaped spring 130 is displaced towards pawl 116 via the contact surface 110 . the greater the resistance becomes that pawl 116 sets against such a displacement ( i . e . in the case of increasing tensional forces ), the more strongly is the shaped spring 130 compressed . the helical spring 120 remains ineffective in the course of this actuation in the anti - clockwise direction corresponding to arrow p 1 , because its spring ends are able to move freely in the clearance between the pawls 112 , 116 and 118 , and it slides on the friction - wheel portion 62 . if greater tensional forces arise , as is the case in the course of the activation of the parking brake when the brake pads have to be pressed strongly against the brake disc via the piston 18 , the shaped spring 130 is compressed more strongly . if the shaped spring 130 is compressed more strongly in consequence of a rotation corresponding to arrow p 1 , this means that the first gearwheel 54 has now been displaced relative to the second gearwheel 56 corresponding to the compression of the shaped spring 130 . the maximum relative displacement is determined by virtue of the fact that pawl 112 bears with its end face 142 , through the agency of the cranked end 124 , against pawl 118 and the end face 144 thereof . once this state has been reached , the shaped spring 130 has been maximally compressed , and any further rotation of the electric motor 22 is transmitted via the gear arrangement 26 to the nut / spindle arrangement 28 for further tensioning of the parking brake . once the parking brake has been tensioned , reaction forces resulting from the tensional force react on the transmission . these reaction forces , which are transmitted to pawls 116 and 118 via the nut / spindle arrangement 28 , the output toothed wheel 74 and the external tooth gearing 72 , try to push pawls 116 , 118 back into their initial position — that is to say , to move them in the anti - clockwise direction . but as soon as pawl 116 tries to return to its initial state — that is to say , to move in the anti - clockwise direction — it comes into engagement with the cranked end 122 of the helical spring 120 . in consequence of this mutual engagement , due to the tendency of pawl 116 to move in the anti - clockwise direction the helical spring 120 is tightened around the friction - wheel portion 62 , so that the loops thereof narrow and act more strongly on the outer peripheral surface of the friction - wheel portion 62 . this wrapping of the outer peripheral surface of the friction - wheel portion 62 has the result that the helical spring 120 cannot slide any further onto this external peripheral surface but , so to speak , clings to it . accordingly , pawl 116 cannot move back into its initial position . the parking brake remains activated . a settling process is therefore ruled out . for the purpose of releasing the parking brake , once again a drive of the motor 22 is required . this is effected in such a manner that the gearwheel 54 is rotated in the clockwise direction . if the gearwheel 54 moves in the clockwise direction corresponding to arrow p 2 — this corresponds to a motion for displacing the piston 18 into the housing 16 , i . e . for active releasing of the brake via the motor 22 in the course of deactivating the parking brake — pawl 112 moves correspondingly likewise in the clockwise direction and releases the tension on the shaped spring 130 . in addition , the helical spring 120 is released and sets pawl 118 free . said pawl can — following pawl 112 — move back , this occurring under the action of the return spring 85 . the wrap - spring clutch 70 accordingly has the general effect that for the parking - brake function it ensures that a transmission of torque from the motor to the nut / spindle arrangement also occurs in the case of high tensional forces and that settling effects or an inadvertent releasing of the parking brake is prevented by the action of the wrap - spring clutch 70 , in particular by the action of the then tightening helical spring 120 acting firmly on the outer peripheral surface of the friction - wheel portion 62 . if merely a parking - brake function is to be realised , in which case the actuation in the service - brake case is effected purely hydraulically , the shaped spring 130 is an option and may be omitted . but if with the brake both a service - brake function and a parking - brake function with electromechanical activation are to have been provided , additionally the shaped spring 130 is employed which deforms more or less strongly , depending on the current state of tension . in the case of low tensional forces such as ordinarily arise during service braking , the shaped spring 130 is deformed not at all or only to a slight degree , so that it , so to speak , keeps the helical spring 120 ( wrap spring ) inactive . as a result , a self - locking in the transmission can be prohibited for the service - brake function . a flux of force through the transmission in both directions between motor drive and nut / spindle arrangement is then possible . only when the shaped spring 130 has been compressed sufficiently does the helical spring 120 ( wrap spring ) become active , so to speak , in its function and block a flux of force through the transmission from the nut / spindle arrangement towards the electric motor . the shaped spring 130 is accordingly required in the practical example shown , because both brake functions — service - brake function and parking - brake function — are to be made available . proceeding from this understanding of the embodiment according to fig1 to 5 , the invention sets about an optimisation of this embodiment . a first practical example of the invention is shown schematically in the block diagram according to fig6 . in fig6 it can be discerned that the electric motor em driven by an electrical supply source ev delivers a motor torque mm to a first gear stage gs 1 of the gear arrangement via an output shaft and at an angular velocity of the motor ω m . arranged between the first gear stage gs 1 and the second gear stage gs 2 is the self - locking device shv , with which reaction forces r are diverted to the housing portion ag which is assigned to the gear arrangement with the individual gear stages gs 1 to gs 3 and to the electric motor em . this housing portion may also be designated as the actuator housing portion ag . the reaction forces r can then be diverted to the housing portion of the brake bg by suitable coupling of the actuator housing portion ag and of the housing portion of the brake bg , elucidated in more detail in the following , corresponding to the dashed arrow r ′. positioned downstream of the second gear stage gs 2 is a further gear stage gs 3 , starting from which , and at an angular velocity of the actuator ω a , a torque m a is transmitted to the brake . the brake includes a spindle / nut arrangement sm of a ball screw and a brake piston bk , proceeding from which the brake - actuating force f b is transmitted to the brake pads at an actuation speed v b . reaction forces are retroactive from this brake piston bk in the braking case . the peculiarity of this embodiment lies in the fact that the self - locking device shv is arranged in such a manner that the two gear stages gs 2 and gs 3 are arranged between the ball screw with its spindle / nut arrangement sm and the self - locking device shv . this makes it possible to exploit the transmission ratio of the two gear stages gs 2 and gs 3 as gear reduction for the retroactive reaction forces from the brake piston bk in a parking - brake situation , so that the reaction forces acting ultimately on the self - locking device shv have been distinctly reduced . as a result , the self - locking device shv can be dimensioned to be relatively small , thus saving construction space in particular . furthermore , this arrangement of the self - locking device shv offers freedom in the design and accommodation of the self - locking device shv within the gear arrangement . a further embodiment of the invention is shown in fig7 . therein it will be discerned that the self - locking device shv is arranged between the electric motor em and the first gear stage gs 1 , so that the transmission ratio of all three gear stages gs 1 to gs 3 can be exploited as reduction gear for the retroactive reaction forces from the brake piston bk . the advantages of the invention accordingly lie in the arrangement of the self - locking device shv within the gear arrangement with the individual gear stages gs 1 to gs 3 relative to the actual components of the brake , namely the ball screw ( spindle / nut arrangement sm ). by virtue of this arrangement , transmission ratios of the gear stages gs 1 to gs 3 can advantageously be exploited in order to reduce the reaction forces . furthermore , this arrangement offers greater variability relating to the saving of construction space . in accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes , the principle and mode of operation of this invention have been explained and illustrated in its preferred embodiments . however , it must be understood that this invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically explained and illustrated without departing from its spirit or scope .	5
the invention herein comprises a supplemental lighting system that is embedded into the tailgate of a pickup truck . in order to understand the invention , a brief discussion of the tailgate of a pickup truck often just called a pickup is in order . reference is therefore made to fig1 which is broken into two parts , the left being fig1 a shows the left side of the tailgate 11 , after installation of the instant lighting system , while fig1 b shows the same tailgate 11 , but on the right side , before the installation of the system . from a distance , they do appear similar . this is due to the use of fiber - optics as will be explained below in depth . tailgate 11 is a generally rectangular hollwo structure which includes an exterior wall 12 , an interior wall frame 13 , -- seen in fig2 an interior wall 14 , which is secured to the frame 13 by conventional sheet metal screws not seen . tailgate 11 also includes a pair of spaced top and bottom walls 15 and spaced sidewalls 16 , normally disposed relative to said top and bottom walls . designators 09 found in fig1 a and b refer to the side panels of the pickup to better depict the environment for the invention . but these side panels are not a part of the invention . turning now to fig3 we see that panel 14 is shown attached to the frame 13 . in order to form the opening 18 in the front wall 14 , said panel may remain attached to the frame 13 or be removed therefrom as may be desired or is convenient for the operator . panel 19 is formed during the cutting operation performed on wall 14 . as shown in fig3 this panel is secured to wall 14 by conventional hinges 20 , either before or after a bore 22 of any suitable configuration , is placed in said panel 19 . bore 22 is sized slightly larger than is necessary to receive bundle of fiber cables 41 . the motor unit 23 shown in fig3 and 4 , as well as in more detail in fig5 such that the shaft 26 can freely rotate therein without impingement in the interior 17 of motor unit 23 . note also the color wheel 24 of fig5 . as seen in fig8 the segments 24c and 24r refer to clear and red colored plastic . clear is suggested for one portion of the color wheel and red for the other for the reasons to be discussed below . in fig4 panel 19 is shown retained in place in a closed position by conventional screw clips 21 . of course any other type of retaining means may be employed to hold panel 19 in a closed position adjacent the exterior wall 14 . prior to discussing the installation of the fiber - optics cables and the completion of the invention , it is necessary for the reader to have a basic background about fiber - optics . fiber - optics is the technique of transmitting light through long thin flexible fibers of glass , plastic or other transparent materials . for more detail , reference is made to the mcgraw hill dictionary of scientific & amp ; technical terms , copyright 1978 . for the flexible fibers , often called cables , i preferably employ flexible acrylic rods , of a diameter between 20 and about 30 mm , preferably colorless . these cables are readily available in the marketplace from several vendors either singly or in bundles . thus on turning to fig1 the display 40 already formed in the configuration of the t of the word toyota is seen . the formation of this display 40 , i . e . the entire letter t , is shown in its several steps in fig7 . the letter t , designated 39 has an array of apertures 42 bored through the thickness of the t which as seen is embossed on wall 12 . an individual fiber - optic cable 41 is placed into and through each aperture . the figures are designated 41a , 41b and 41c respectively . as is seen these are extending forward from the aperture , such that in a step not shown they can be cut flush with the surface 39s of the letter t , and glued in place as per cables 41d , and 41e . this construction can also be discerned by reference to fig5 which shows the same three fiber - optic cables 41a , b , and c disposed adjacent the color wheel 24 and disposed within the bores 42 the t 39 . any suitable non - solvent glue available in the marketplace can be used to retain the individual cables within their respective bores . more details on the process will be recited below . step one -- first make a template approximately 41 / 2 × 41 / 2 inches square with a grid pattern of approximately 1 / 8 &# 34 ;× 1 / 8 &# 34 ;. while the working area should be 41 / 2 × 41 / 2 , it may be beneficial to have an undrilled peripheral band , to aid in the disposition of template on the letter in question . by providing an x from the upper left to the lower right and upper right to lower left corners within each square , one can locate the center of each individual square . a small hole should be drilled into the plastic at the center of each x . in preparing these holes use a drill bit of approximately size 6 / 32nds . step two -- set the square template upon the first letter of the vendor &# 39 ; s logo and retain it in place as by masking tape or other suitable adhesive . when the template is in place drill a hole on the letter surface i . e . 39s , prescoring each of the holes within the template . use a 5 / 32nds drill bit for all of the holes . after all holes are drilled , sand both front and back of each of the hole ( bore ) so that no rough edges remain . move the template to the next adjacent location , and overlap one row of holes with the template , to assure correct alignment then tape the template into place and continue scoring the metal by creating a small indentation with a punch or awl at the location of each hole . continue the drilling process until the total letter has been punched out . step three -- the next step involves the cutting of the back of the tail gate i . e . interior panel front wall 14 . with the front wall 14 attached to the front frame 13 or after having removed the said wall from the said frame , an opening is made in the front wall 14 in the approximate center of the horizontally disposed plurality of letters . affix two hinges in line as shown in the figure to secure the front panel to the front wall of the tailgate . step four -- cut the plurality of fibers to approximately 18 &# 34 ; in length . using a hot stove or hot iron , place the bundle of fibers 41 against a hot stove plate or hot iron to blunt the first end of each cable . blunting each fibre , one is able to lock the individual fiber into the aperture during the course of this process . step five -- place the fibers in each hole until the letter comprising the plurality of 4 &# 34 ; square work zones is completed . after all of the individual fibers are in there respective apertures , heat the plurality of fibers slightly to lock them in place in there respective aperture . optionally heating one or more of the cables at one time , bend and direct the individual cables toward the panel formed in the front wall . after completing these tasks reattach the front wall 14 to the front frame 13 . form a hole approximately 31 / 4 &# 34 ; in diameter in the front panel , extend all of the non - locked ends of each individual glass cable to this 31 / 4 &# 34 ; hole . reinspect to confirm that the first end of each cable disposed within its aperture is not extending past the surface of the aperture . if so cut extra material and dispose thereof . apply a coat of joli glaze or other equivalent adhesive to ensure that the frictionally engaged fibers are specifically retained within the desired location at the edge of there individual aperture . allow the adhesive to cure for 12 hours . after the joli glaze has hardened , warm the bundle of fibers such that they become flexible but not to a melt condition , and place them within the 31 / 4 &# 34 ; hole . extend the fibers through said hole and cut to a length such that about 1 / 2 &# 34 ; of each fiber of the bundle extends through the panel about a 1 / 2 &# 34 ;. due to the large number of individual fibers , they will be retained in place frictionally within this 31 / 4 &# 34 ; hole . step 6 -- electrical installation -- attach the light means in parallel with the wiring to the brake lights such that upon actuation of the brakes , the bulb of the light source is turned on . step 7 -- attachment of motor assembly -- the motor asembly is secured to the interior panel or wall of the tailgate . it may be mounted internally or externally as may be desired . of course , if exteriorly , it must be shielded from the weather and impact . one way of mounting is illustrated in the drawings . the motor of the color wheel is electrically connected directly to the electrical system of the truck such as to operative at all times that the truck is running ; or a dashboard switch -- not shown -- can be interposed in this conventional circuit such that the motor only runs when turned on . an alternate electrical connection is to the brake light wiring such that the color wheel is actuated only when the brakes are applied . the mode of electrical connection can be chosen by the user . the color wheel 24 may include one or more colors of plastic to change the color of light being transmitted therethrough . it has been found that clear and red in alternating pie shaped segments provides a most interesting effect . operation -- when the truck has its running lights on , 50 , the bulbs 29 which is the white light bulb will be operative such that the display 40 will vary in color as the disk i . e . color wheel 24 rotates . however when the brakes 51 are applied , the bulb 29 will be energized instead . since the color wheel 24 includes red and transparent portions , when the red flows through the red portion of the disk the display will appear red and when the red light flows through the transparent portion it will still be red . therefore the entire display flows through the transparent portion it will still be red . therefore the entire display 40 will have a uniform heavy red intense glow at the time of brake application . reference is made to fig1 which shows the flow of light from the two bulbs 28 and 29 . reference is also made to fig1 the circuit diagram which shows the parallel installation of wiring from the truck lights to the motor unit 23 . it is seen that while the discussion talks of a clear section of the color wheel and a red section , these two &# 34 ; colors &# 34 ; were suggested in order to comply with the requirement that the display 40 glow bright red upon brake actuation . any other combination of color wheel colors and light bulb colors that use the principles of additive or perhaps even subtractive color may be employed that will create the equivalent of red light being sent to the cables upon brake actuation . turning now to fig9 and 10 we see a variant form of the invention . here the inward side of the tailgate merely has a bore therein 22 , through which the collection of fiberoptic strands are disposed for placement adjacent motor box or housing 23 . the cables or fibers 41 are reached by opening adjacent panels 19l , 19c and 19r and inserting one &# 39 ; s hand into the interior of the tailgate . the collection of cables are wedgefit into and through opening 22 in the center panel 19c . this collection is then placed into opening 23a best seen in fig1 of the housing 23 in like manner as with the previously discussed embodiment . while shown in fig9 hole 30 is to be found in both embodiments of the tailgates utilized herein , in that the wiring not seen from the lights may be brought into the tailgate for delivery to the motor housing 23 via bore 31 in housing 23 . ( see fig1 .) reference is also made to fig1 & amp ; 12 which is a bottom & amp ; top plan view showing the relative positioning of the fibers 41 , and the housing 23 which is suitably mounted on the tailgate . we seen the wire 44 exiting from hole 42 on the underside of the tailgate , which wire 44 is to be connected to the rest of the wiring of the truck at any location in order to bring power to the housing 23 . it is also to be noted that while not discussed previously , the first embodiment also employs a wire similar to 44 for connection to the tail lights or the electrical panel of the truck in order to bring power to the motor housing 23 . while shown mounted externally for after market usage , it is also to be seen that device 10 can be mounted internally within the bumper . it may require routine engineering skill to design a bumper of that nature capable of housing such a device mounted internally . see fig1 for example which depicts some in a tip plan cutaway view . since certain changes may be made in the above product without departing from the scope of the invention herein involved , it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense .	6
the acryloylaminobenzoic acid and methacryloylaminobenzoic acid polymers of this invention are described as being &# 34 ; comb polymers &# 34 ; in that they possess mesophase forming aminobenzoate side chains depending from an acrylate or methacrylate backbone . the term &# 34 ; mesophase &# 34 ; defines a phase of matter intermediate the liquid and solid phases of the polymer . due to the interaction of the depending sidechains , the polymers display a smectic arrangement of macromolecules in the mesophase . this layered or parallel plane arrangement gives the polymer improved stability , both along the backbone of the molecules and along the sidechains . the polymers of the present invention can be utilized in the preparation of anisotropic dopes in accordance with the method disclosed in aforementioned u . s . patent application ser . no . 871 , 281 , filed concurrently herewith by choe et al . as more fully explained therein , anisotropic dopes can be produced from such polymers as polyacryloylaminobenzoic acid or polymethacryloylaminobenzoic acid by forming the acid salts of the polymers in water containing group i metal compounds or compounds containing a protonated amine group . fibers are produced by extruding the dope into a coagulating bath . the fibers are characterized by their transparency , high orientation and crystallinity . fibers or other molded articles may also be derived from the polymers by shaping them from a polymer melt . the monomers utilized in the formation of the acryloylaminobenzoic acid and methacryloylaminobenzoic acid polymers of this invention can be produced by any known method . typical of such methods is that described in the aforementioned u . s . pat . no . 3 , 344 , 127 , the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference for purposes of brevity and clarity . briefly , the method for preparing acryloylaminobenzoic acid involves the addition of acrylyl chloride in chloroform to an agitated mixture of p - aminobenzoic acid and potassium carbonate . after a suitable reaction time , any undissolved material is removed from the mixture . the monomer is precipitated by adding concentrated hydrochloric acid , removed from the mixture by filtration , and recrystallized in a mixture of ether , water and acetone . methacryloylaminobenzoic acid may be similarly formulated by employing methacrylyl chloride in place of the acrylyl chloride . an alternate method of synthesizing the monomers involves the reaction of either acrylyl chloride or methacrylyl chloride with p - aminobenzoic acid in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone at - 25 ° c . the monomer is recovered from the reaction mixture via conventional techniques analogous to that discussed above . the acryloylaminobenzoic acid and methacryloylaminobenzoic acid polymers of this invention are formed via the free radical polymerization of an alkali metal salt of the monomer in oxygen free water . the polymers of this invention may either be homopolymers or copolymers wherein a minor amount , i . e ., less than about 50 % by weight , of the polymer is derived from a compound such as acrylic acid . other monomers known to those skilled in this art may also be used . therefore , as used herein , the term &# 34 ; polymer &# 34 ; is meant to include both homopolymers and copolymers of acrylaminobenzoic acid and methacryloylaminobenzoic acid . the presence of oxygen will tend to inhibit the polymerization or will terminate the growing polymer radical , thus resulting in a lower molecular weight polymer . to ensure that the reaction environment is kept oxygen free , the reaction mixture may be maintained under a blanket of nitrogen or other inert gas , such as argon at a positive pressure throughout the polymerization . the mechanism of polymerization is believed to be as follows : ## str4 ## wherein r is hydrogen or methyl and m is an alkali metal . although sodium is the preferred alkali metal , other alkali metals such as lithium , potassium and cesium may also be employed . it will be apparent from the above reaction that the monomer is initially dissolved in an aqueous solution of an alkali metal hydroxide and is polymerized in the presence of a free radical derived from the free radical initiator . the related acid monomer is present in the reaction mixture in an amount ranging from about 0 . 5 % to about 30 % and preferably from about 5 % to about 10 %, all by weight of the reaction mixture . while monomer concentrations substantially above 30 % may be utilized , the higher concentrations tend to decrease the molecular weight of the resulting polymer . the reaction may be carried out at a temperature of from about - 10 ° c . to about 100 ° c ., typically from about - 5 ° c . to about 50 ° c ., and preferably from about 0 ° c . to about 5 ° c . to obtain the desired polymer , it is not necessary to maintain the temperature constant throughout the reaction . thus , for example , polymerization may be initiated at a temperature of from about 0 ° to about 5 ° c . and later allowed to rise to higher temperatures such as room temperature . to promote the polymerization of the monomer it is necessary to add a free radical initiator to the reaction mixture . the initiator is present in amounts ranging between about 0 . 1 % and about 5 % and preferably from about 1 % to about 2 % by weight based on the monomer . a preferred initiator is potassium persulfate . it is to be understood , however , that other known initiators , for example ammonium persulfate , may also be utilized . mixtures of such initiators may also be used . after the reaction has been initiated , sodium bisulfite , ferrous sulfate , or mixtures thereof may be added to the reaction mixture in order to accelerate the polymerization . the accelerator is added in an amount of generally from about 0 . 05 % to about 2 . 5 % and preferably from about 0 . 5 % to about 1 . 5 % based on the monomer weight . the function of the sodium bisulfite and / or the ferrous sulfate is to provide free radicals through the dissociation of the free radical initiator , e . g . potassium persulfate . should such compounds not be added to the reaction mixture , the polymerization reaction would occur at a much slower rate . the time necessary for the completion of the polymerization is dependent upon reaction parameters such as the temperature , monomer concentration and initiator employed . while no upper time limit has been established , reaction times may be generally from about 1 to about 24 hours , preferably from about 6 to about 8 hours . upon completion of the reaction , the polymer is recovered by first precipitating it from solution via the addition of a strong acid . the type of acid is not critical to the operation of the process as long as it serves to precipitate the polymer . hydrochloric acid is preferred although other acids may also be used . the precipitated polymer is then separated from the remainder of the reaction mixture , washed and dried . the polymerization process may be operated on a semi - continuous , continuous or , preferably , on a batch basis . the following example is given as a specific illustration of the process . it should be understood , however , that the invention is not limited to the specific details set forth in this example . sodium methacryloylaminobenzoic acid is prepared by dissolving 9 . 95 grams of methacryloylaminobenzoic acid in 152 mls of an aqueous solution containing 1 . 94 grams of sodium hydroxide . twelve mls of 2n naoh solution is added in order to obtain a clear solution . to this solution maintained at 0 ° c .- 5 ° c . and under a nitrogen blanket is added 0 . 15 grams of potassium persulfate in 7 mls of water , followed after one minute by 0 . 075 grams of sodium bisulfite in 5 mls of water . the monomer concentration in the reaction mixture is 5 . 4 % by weight . after maintaining that temperature for 10 hours , it is allowed to rise to room temperature and stirred for an additional 16 hours . the reaction mixture is acidified with 100 mls of 20 % by weight hydrochloric acid to precipitate the polymer . the polymer is filtered , washed with water , boiled in glacial acetic acid and filtered , washed with water , and then dried at 120 ° c . and 0 . 1 mm hg to yield 9 . 85 grams of polymethacryloylaminobenzoic acid with an inherent viscosity of 0 . 09 ( determined as a 0 . 2 % by weight solution in 2n naoh at 25 ° c .). the final polymer product has a melting point of about 265 ° c . and forms an anisotropic melt at 330 ° c . upon shearing . although a slight decomposition accompanies the formation of the anisotropic melt , the molten polymer may be utilized in the production of fibers , films and molded articles . polyacryloylaminobenzoic acid may be produced in a similar manner by employing the appropriate monomer . although the invention has been described with a preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that variations and modifications may be employed as will be apparent to those skilled in the art . such variations and modifications are to be considered within the scope of the following claims .	2
the nature , objectives , and advantages of the invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings . an effective training tool for improving skill in martial arts and other combat sports may include the following features : 1 . accurate measurement of the magnitude of an impact delivered by an athlete to evaluate efficiency and effectiveness of various techniques . 2 . accurate representation of real world competitive environments . for example , points should be awarded when and only when a point would be awarded in a real world competition . 3 . quantitative measurement of accuracy , force , direction , and timing to allow the athletes to monitor and optimize techniques for scoring valid points most effectively . regarding terminology used herein , a session using the combat scoring system may comprise a personal training session , personal game session , multi - player game session , or official competition . an athlete is one who participates in a session by striking a target . a user is one who accesses an application providing an account related to combat scoring sessions hosted by the backend analytic system . the user is typically the same person as the athlete , although the user may also be a coach , a parent , or a judge . 4 . feedback to the athlete , coach or interested parties in the form of data and / or graphical representations of the training sessions and related impact data . fig1 is a block diagram of the components and interconnections of a combat scoring system , according to an embodiment of the invention . the combat scoring system comprises one or more target systems represented by target system 1 - 3 in fig1 . although three systems are illustrated according to an embodiment of the invention , any number of systems may be used ( i . e ., three systems are neither required nor are the number of systems limited to three ). according to the embodiment illustrated by fig1 , the analytic system is provided by cloud computing system 160 that provides storage and analysis of strike data , and may provide feedback to the athlete based on the analyzed data . cloud computing system 160 may also comprise computing resources used to support interaction among athletes across target systems . for example , athletes may compete in a multi - player game or competition , and the cloud may receive data from each of the target systems in real time and evaluate and determine the state of the game accordingly . in an alternate embodiment , the analytic system may be provided by a system hosted by an entity providing the combat scoring system . the analytic system is not required to be hosted in a cloud . however , to host multi - user games and competitions , the analytic system may need to be accessible from geographically dispersed target systems . user access point 165 provides a user interface to an athlete for establishing an account on the combat scoring system , configuring training session parameters , and initiating a personal training session . in an embodiment , the user access point may communicate over a wide - area network with the cloud processing and storage services to store and retrieve account and session data . in an alternate embodiment , a single target system may be used for an athlete to train solo , without interacting with other athletes . in this case , the cloud computing system 160 need not to be used for interpreting multiple system data as described above . thus , in an alternate embodiment the analysis , storage , and retrieval of session data provided by cloud computing system 160 may be implemented in a system local to an individual target system . in another embodiment , the system shown in fig1 may be used during an official competition , such as in the olympics , to supplement or replace human judges in determining when and how many points should be awarded . fig2 is a block diagram of the components of a target system , according to an embodiment of the invention . the large rectangle represents a single target system , such as any of target systems 1 - 3 . as shown in fig1 , each target system communicates with the cloud computing system 160 . a target system may comprise one or more sensor signal generators 220 ( also referred to as sensor systems ), with each sensor system corresponding to a distinct target within the target system . rather than embedding the sensor system in a garment worn by the athlete as described in prior patents , the sensor systems may be attached to a target . each target may provide a specific location to strike for determining accuracy and / or a feedback mechanism for indicating a successful strike of that target . each target may be distinctly configured to award points based on the accuracy , impact , timing , and direction of a strike on that target . for example , a mannequin of a human body may be instrumented as a target system with individual targets on various parts of the body . a strike to the head may result in a different amount of points awarded in tae kwon do as compared to a strike on the torso . when the system is used for foil fencing , however , a strike to the head may not be awarded with any points . a target system may also include a control box 210 , an actuator 240 , and a sensory feedback unit 245 . the sensor signal generator 220 comprises one or more sensor units . in an embodiment , a sensor unit may be a sensor matrix as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 891 , 231 . a sensor matrix is a collection of one or more types of sensors that are interconnected spatially and logically to more accurately detect the impact and motion . for example , a sensor matrix may comprise gyroscopes , accelerometers , piezoelectric wires and magnetic field detection . a matrix of piezo electrical sensors and the magnetic field detection sensors may determine the magnitude of the impact as well as the location of the impact . when the source of the magnetic field is mounted to a foot or hand , the system may differentiate between the impact sources . the imu is a matrix of 3 accelerometer and 3 angular rate sensors . when this matrix of sensors is embedded in a target , one can derive the impact and the direction of the source of impact by detecting and computing the resulting motion . on impact , the target experiences movement with velocity and the direction that is proportional to the magnitude of impact and the direction of the impact . by combining the sensor information from the sensor matrix , the action or the environment of the action can be described more accurately . for example , a combination of a piezoelectric wires and the magnetic field can describe the magnitude of the impact as well as the source of the impact . a gyroscope and the accelerometer combination can detect motion in 3 dimensions as well as the magnitude of the force that caused the motion . the rate of change in angular position derived from the angular rate sensor can produce the angular acceleration of a target . by combining this information regarding the mass of the target , the force required to initiate this motion can be derived . a system that uses multiple sensors of the same type produces more accurate information of an action . for example , by averaging the output of a multiple piezoelectric sensors , and impact can be measured more accurately . a sensor matrix may be embedded within a target , and the sensors may be activated when the sensors are directly hit . a successful target strike activates the sensors in the matrix , which generates one or more signals that are delivered into a control box 210 . the ideal impact sensor should be economical , rugged , and consume little or no power during normal operation . there are two types of sensors that meet these requirements : piezo cable and piezo sheet . fig6 illustrates a design for a piezo sheet sensor , according to an embodiment of the invention . both piezo cable and sheet sensors are constructed of polymers that convert mechanical energy into electrical signals . the mechanical energy changes the shapes and the inter - molecular relationship of polymers that makes up the piezo materials . these changes generate electrical charges that can be measured with proper interface hardware as described in the referenced patent . the piezo cables are inherently rugged , however , it can only sense in linear form . in order to sense two dimensional area with acceptable accuracy and consistency , it must be applied in a circular form or any other form that allows two dimensional coverage of the target . the sheet sensors are two dimensional , but the sensing materials are fragile . in order to prevent failure , the sheet sensors are laminated with material that provides protection . in either case , the magnitude of mechanical deformation due to the impact generates corresponding magnitude in electrical charge . the relation is : v = i × r = dq / dt × impedance , dq / dt = instantaneous change in charge * the resistivity characteristic of the material . substituting the q , v =( d ( k × force )/ dt )× impedance : the relationship between force and voltage . the constant conversion factor is typical property of the material which is specified by the manufacturers . a distinctive feature of this combat scoring system is that an inertial measurement unit ( imu ) may be used to implement sensor signal generator 220 . an imu comprises an ultra - low cost inertial measurement sensor , which when mounted on the target system , can detect the roll and pitch of target movement after an impact . the vector position displacement and the rate of the displacement can be used to estimate the direction and the magnitude of the impact . in an embodiment , the additional magnetometers used in avionics may not be needed for detecting yaw . in the target motion detection , a set of 3 axis accelerometer and 3 axis angular motion sensors may be adequate . an additional piezo sensor may be used in parallel to measure instantaneous impact while an im sensor may measure the motion due to the impact . as a result , an imu - based sensor system may be mounted onto a target device such as on top of a punching bag or some other place outside of the strike zone , because the imu - based sensor system need not be struck directly . the punching bag is struck and that energy and motion is transferred to our sensor system where the impact data may be analyzed and recorded . in an embodiment in which only an imu is used in a target system , instrumented targets are not required to derive strike force and angle . the force and direction of the strike can be determined by just the imu when the weight of the target is known , such as when the imu system is mounted onto a heavy punching bag . in this embodiment , the athlete may strike the punching bag , and the system may record impact magnitude and direction of the athlete &# 39 ; s strikes . as mentioned earlier , the control box 210 receives signals from the sensor system . in an embodiment , the signals may be analog or digital signals . the control box may interpret the received signals , and sends a message over a network to store the data and for potentially additional analysis . in an embodiment , the control box 210 may comprise components including a data acquisition processor 225 , a local data analyzer 230 , a central communication processor 235 , and a wireless link 250 . the data acquisition processor 225 receives signals from one or more sensor systems . for example , one or more hall sensors may provide a signal to indicate that the sensor was hit . proximity to a target location may be determined by receiving signals from a variety of hall sensor types . for example , a commercially available point hall sensor may indicate a point location of the hit ( i . e . the bull &# 39 ; s eye ) because only a hit very near the location of the sensor generates a signal . other hall sensors may be custom built to cover a wider area around the target and generate a signal to register a hit farther away from the sensor . by comparing the signals generated by the various hall sensors , the distance of the hit from the target point may be determined . in an embodiment of the invention , dedicated proximity sensors may not be used . signals received from other sensors that are placed at known locations may be used to determine the location of the hit . a sensor system comprising one or more accelerometers may provide a measurement of acceleration ( i . e . velocity / time which may be expressed as m / sec 2 or expressed in g - force units ( g &# 39 ; s ) 1 g = 9 . 8 m / sec 2 . an angular rate sensor in the sensor system may provide data on the angle of the impact per time , and the data may be expressed in degrees / sec or radians / sec . there may be an angular rate sensor associated with each dimension of 3 - dimensional space . thus , one angular rate sensor may report on angular displacement in the yaw axis ( measuring yaw ), a second angular rate sensor may provide data on angular displacement in the pitch axis ( measuring pitch ), and the third angular rate sensor may provide data on angular displacement in the roll axis ( measuring roll ). the data acquisition processor 225 may also associate a timestamp with received data that is determined to represent an impact . the timestamp may be used to determine the elapsed time between when a target flashes and when associated impact data is received for that target ( i . e . response time ). if the received signals are analog signals , the data acquisition processor 225 may convert the signals to digital data . the data acquisition processor 225 may further determine the force and the energy of the impact based on the sensor signals received . for example , force may be determined by : the mass of the target may be pre - configured into the system , and the acceleration is provided by input from accelerometers as described above . thus , the force of an impact may be computed based on the pre - configured mass of the target and the received acceleration data . energy , which may be measured in joules , may be determined by : energy may be computed by further multiplying the force of the impact with the displacement of the target which is received from angular rate sensors as described above . the local data analyzer 230 may receive the digital data provided by the data acquisition processor 225 and interpret the data . for example , the local data analyzer 230 interprets the sensor data according to the configuration parameters established for the session . for example , the local data analyzer 230 may compare the amount of force / energy and displacement of the strike against one or more configured thresholds to determine whether a valid hit was made and to determine how many points to assign such a hit . if a valid strike is determined , the interpreted data may be sent to the central communication processor 235 that packages the data and controls transmission with required security of the data over a network for storage and processing such as provided by cloud computing system 160 . in an embodiment , the network between the control box and the analytic system is a wireless link . for example , wireless link 250 may transmit data to the cloud computing system 160 over a wireless lan ( wifi ) to an internet access point . in an embodiment in which the storage and processing system is co - resident with the target system , a lan - based network or peer - to - peer connection may be used . in an embodiment , the control box may be installed / mounted on the target system away from the strike zone . the target system may optionally include an actuator 240 and / or a sensory feedback unit 245 for responding to a detected strike in real - time . the sensory feedback unit 245 may provide any kind of sensory feedback such as visual or auditory feedback for informing the athlete of a valid strike and / or the quality of a strike . for example , the sensor feedback unit may comprise one or more lights that illuminate to indicate the validity and quality of a strike . whereas a single light may indicate a successful strike on a particular target , the illumination of multiple lights may indicate the quality of the strike . alternatively , one or more seven - segment led , vfd , or lcd displays that illuminate a numeral ( such as in a digital clock ) may be used to display a number proportional to the quality ( e . g . score ). auditory feedback that can vary in volume , pitch , and rhythm may be used to signal success and score of a strike . for example , a higher pitch tone may indicate a higher score . a strike that is not valid may result in a low pitch tone . another example may be that crowd cheering noise may be played for a valid strike and a louder volume may indicate the quality of the strike . this may be beneficial for conditioning an athlete to adjust to concentrating in a competition with live spectators . although not shown in fig2 , a target system may also provide the ability for a user to authenticate to the target system and / or to configure options for interacting with the target system . in such an embodiment , the athlete may use the target system without using the user access point to initiate each session . such a feature may be advantageous if the athlete is unable to obtain a network connection within the training facility premises . the target system user interface components may comprise buttons or other touch sensitive areas , switches , voice recognition , short range wireless connection techniques such as low energy bluetooth , near - field sensing , or rfid , etc . lights , lcd display , and / or speech synthesis , may provide prompts and or feedback regarding the status of authentication and / or configuration . an actuator 240 may be used to respond to a strike with physical movement of an object . this component may be useful for constructing an automated , robotic , sparring partner with the ability to react to an athlete &# 39 ; s strike . depending on the location of the control box 210 , the actuator and / or sensory feedback unit may be mounted on the target system outside of the control box 210 or installed inside the control box 210 . for example , if the control box 210 is mounted on the target system within line of sight and / or hearing of the athlete , the sensory feedback unit 245 may be installed on or in the control box 210 . if the control box 210 is installed out of sight or hearing from the athlete , then the sensory feedback unit may be a unit installed separately from the control box 210 . similarly , if an actuator is used to control a robot that is instrumented as a target system , actuator 240 may be placed inside the control box or separately from the control box 210 . to use the system , a user may choose to go through two steps : 1 ) authenticate ( i . e . “ log - in ”) and then 2 ) configure their workout session . if the user is also the owner of the system , authentication may not be necessary since the system may already be registered to the owner ( the administrator ) and it will send all session data to the owner &# 39 ; s or administrator &# 39 ; s user account . the system may allow anonymous users to train and play games , with fewer options for storing and reporting the session data . in this embodiment , authentication may not be necessary , and all session data may be sent to the default user or system administrator account . authentication may be accomplished by several methods . the user may use various techniques to identify him or herself so that the session data is recorded in his or her user account in the analytic system . authentication options may include bio - metric identification ( such as , but not limited to , voice , fingerprint recognition , or retinal scan ) or use of a wireless fob that employs a simple code to communicate with the control box . when activated , the fob may send a unique code to the control box , and the control box may send the code to the analytic system to authenticate and allow the session data to be logged to the user &# 39 ; s account . alternatively , authentication may be achieved by using the targets on the system as buttons on a keypad , and entering a unique identifier code . once the athlete chooses to authenticate or use the system anonymously , the athlete may choose to either train with a default session configuration , train with the most recent session configuration , a randomly chosen configuration , or set up a new configuration . sessions may be configured by several methods such as through the user access point ( e . g ., via a web browser or handheld device ), by communicating with the control box with voice recognition or motion gesture techniques , or by using the targets as buttons on a keypad . in an embodiment , the athlete may activate session configuration through the targets or control box , then set parameters in a sequence with the targets — target # 1 may be pressed to set the target sequence program ( either random , by numeric sequence , or reverse numeric sequence , for instance ); target # 2 may then be pressed to set the time - out interval and then target # 1 may be pressed to set the session to run in 1 minute rounds ; target # 3 may then be pressed to set the number of “ rounds ” in the session , the athlete may then touch target # 6 to indicate that they want to train with 6 rounds each lasting 1 minute ; target # 4 may then be pressed to set the time - out duration ( the maximum time that a target will be lit before the session moves on to the next target . the user must strike the target within this time limit to score ). other targets or combination of targets may be used to configure the system in other ways , such as multi - player game sessions , or skill levels . at the end of the session , data collected during the session may be displayed locally on a display device local to the target system without requiring access to a user access point . in an embodiment , an athlete may use a user access point user interface to interact with an application to configure one or more sessions and to view data previously collected during a training session . an application accessible through the user access point may provide an account management user interface , a session management user interface , and a data analysis and display interface . a session refers to a period of time during which training , gaming , or competition takes place . the system components may be activated and / or configured at the beginning of a session and deactivated and powered down at the end of a session . before the first training session or other use of the target system , an account may be created for the athlete in the combat scoring system . the athlete may log into the account and configure parameters for one or more sessions . session parameters may include a specification of the number of rounds and a specification of when a round ends ( e . g . elapsed duration of the rounds , total number of rounds or strikes , total number of valid strikes , reaching a specified cumulative point score , etc .) or a specification of the duration of the session as a whole . one or more target systems may be associated with a user account once the account is configured . configuring a session may include selecting one of the target systems associated with the athlete &# 39 ; s account for use during the session . for purposes of explanation , the example herein assumes a single target system is used in a session . other session parameters may include the kind of training or game challenges to be represented . for example , if the athlete requests to measure response time , the system may generate a “ go ” signal on an individual target among several targets . a session may also be configured to interact with another athlete using a different target system . in addition , target system thresholds may be configured to determine how much force is required to validate a strike , a direction from which a valid strike must come , the maximum amount of time after a “ go ” signal is issued during which a strike will register , etc . choices for these parameters may reflect the skill level of the athlete , the height / weight of the athlete , and the rules of the sport . configuring these various parameters will result in very different experiences from a personal training workout , individual game , or multi - player game . fig3 is a high level flow diagram showing the steps for initializing and using the combat scoring system , using the user access point , or using the user interface provided by a target system . the flow starting with option a describes interacting with the system through the user access point . at step 310 , an athlete may log into their personal training account over the network . in an embodiment , the network may be the internet . alternatively , if the analytic system resides co - located with the target system , the network may be a local area network ( lan ). upon logging in , the athlete may be shown their user account page in step 315 . from the user account page , the athlete may choose to start a new training session or to view the data from past sessions as in step 360 . for viewing past data session information , charts , graphs , and raw data may be displayed by date , session types , averages , progress toward a goals , etc . in step 365 . from the user account page or view past session information page , a new session may be initiated in step 320 . in an embodiment , previously configured sessions may be named , and the collection of parameters previously configured may be selected by name or other identifying information to be used for configuring the session about to start . alternatively , a new configuration may be created for the new session . once configured , the new session may be started at 325 , and the analytic system prepares to receive , analyze , and store data for this session . the flow starting with step 355 labeled “ option b ” describes an athlete interacting with user interface devices in or around the target system itself . for example , a default session type may be started by pushing a button on the control box of a target system or striking a sensor in a particular target may serve to enter configuration data . in an embodiment , the control box or other device associated with the target system may accept input used for athlete authentication such as biometric data ( finger print , retinal scan , voice recognition ) or read a radio frequency identification ( rfid ) tag such as a card key . other wireless technologies such as low - energy bluetooth or near field communication ( nfc ) may alternatively be used to communicate authentication information from a fob to a receiver in the target system . authenticating the user may be important to ensure that the data for the session is stored in association with the correct user &# 39 ; s account . once the session is initiated in step 325 , the analytic system is ready to receive session data , and the one or more target systems to be used in the session are activated in step 330 . in an embodiment , when initiating a session via a target system control box , step 330 may be included in step 355 . to activate a target system , one or more targets within the system may be struck , or the athlete may push a button , flip a switch , or provide other user input to user input facilities provided by the target system . in step 335 , the athlete strikes one or more targets during the session and data is collected and sent to the analytic system as described above . a session may be paused in step 340 , and restarted in step 345 . when the end of the session is detected based on the configuration , the session ends in step 350 . the analytic system is a storage and processing system where data from target systems may be processed and stored , and which holds user account information . fig4 is a high level data flow diagram showing the flow of data among components within the analytic system , according to an embodiment of the invention . analytic system 400 comprises components including data collector 410 , device authentication api 460 , real - time computation engine 420 , in - memory data store 430 . persistent data store 440 , and http ( web ) server 450 . data flow 415 represents the data that flows between the user access point 165 that may reside across a network from analytic system 400 and the data collector 410 within analytic system 400 . data flow 415 may include user registration data , authentication information for account login , and specification of session options . data flow 425 represents the flow of data between the data collector 410 and the persistent data store 440 . user registration data , authentication , session configuration data is stored in the data store , and retrieved for authentication or update purposes . data flow 485 represents analyzed and / or aggregated data retrieved from the data store and displayed at the user access point 165 . data flow 435 represents the flow of session data from one of the target systems to analytic system 400 . the data collector 410 receives the data and forwards the data through flow 445 to the real - time computation engine 420 . the data is processed and sent to the in - memory store 430 via flow 455 and then to the user access point 165 for display . additionally , the data may be sent through flow 465 to the persistent data store 440 for long - term storage and retrieval . data flow 475 represents data from a user authentication device , such as from authentication fob 405 , sending user and target system information to the device authentication api 460 . the analytic system 400 may provide a set of api &# 39 ; s that third party applications 470 may use to store and retrieve data to / from the analytic system . facebook or other social media applications are examples of such third party applications . fig5 is a block schematic diagram of a machine in the exemplary form of a computer system 500 within which a set of instructions may be programmed to cause the machine to execute the logic steps of the invention . in alternative embodiments , the machine may comprise a network router , a network switch , a network bridge , personal digital assistant ( pda ), a cellular telephone , a web appliance or any machine capable of executing a sequence of instructions that specify actions to be taken by that machine . the computer system 500 includes a processor 502 , a main memory 504 and a static memory 506 , which communicate with each other via a bus 508 . the computer system 500 may further include a display unit 510 , for example , a liquid crystal display ( lcd ) or a cathode ray tube ( crt ). the computer system 500 also includes an alphanumeric input device 512 , for example , a keyboard ; a cursor control device 514 , for example , a mouse ; a disk drive unit 516 , a signal generation device 518 , for example , a speaker , and a network interface device 528 . the disk drive unit 516 includes a machine - readable medium 524 on which is stored a set of executable instructions , i . e . software , 526 embodying any one , or all , of the methodologies described herein below . the software 526 is also shown to reside , completely or at least partially , within the main memory 504 and / or within the processor 502 . the software 526 may further be transmitted or received over a network 530 by means of a network interface device 528 . in contrast to the system 500 discussed above , a different embodiment uses logic circuitry instead of computer - executed instructions to implement processing entities . depending upon the particular requirements of the application in the areas of speed , expense , tooling costs , and the like , this logic may be implemented by constructing an application - specific integrated circuit ( asic ) having thousands of tiny integrated transistors . such an asic may be implemented with cmos ( complimentary metal oxide semiconductor ), ttl ( transistor - transistor logic ), vlsi ( very large systems integration ), or another suitable construction . other alternatives include a digital signal processing chip ( dsp ), discrete circuitry ( such as resistors , capacitors , diodes , inductors , and transistors ), field programmable gate array ( fpga ), programmable logic array ( pla ), programmable logic device ( pld ), and the like . it is to be understood that embodiments may be used as or to support software programs or software modules executed upon some form of processing core ( such as the cpu of a computer ) or otherwise implemented or realized upon or within a machine or computer readable medium . a machine - readable medium includes any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine , e . g . a computer . for example , a machine readable medium includes read - only memory ( rom ); random access memory ( ram ); magnetic disk storage media ; optical storage media ; flash memory devices ; electrical , optical , acoustical or other form of propagated signals , for example , carrier waves , infrared signals , digital signals , etc . ; or any other type of media suitable for storing or transmitting information . in addition to embodiments used for competition , training , or gaming , another embodiment may be used for spectator entertainment . for example , data generated by the system may be superimposed on a monitor screen in view of spectators at a live event or on a television or computer screen during a broadcast or telecast boxing match . the system may be augmented to allow viewers of the broadcast / telecast to guess as to future data points ( e . g . how hard will competitor a hit his opponent next time , or how many blows will competitor b land on his opponent in the 5 th round that reach a certain threshold of force , or what will be the average force of blows delivered by competitor a over the course of the entire match . such an embodiment may be used in las vegas or other places with legalized gambling on contact sports . the previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention . various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . thus , the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein . furthermore , although elements of the invention may be described or claimed in the singular , reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “ one and only one ” unless explicitly so stated , but shall mean “ one or more ”. additionally , ordinarily skilled artisans will recognize that operational sequences must be set forth in some specific order for the purpose of explanation and claiming , but the present invention contemplates various changes beyond such specific order .	0
in the description which follows , any reference to either orientation or direction is intended primarily for the purpose of illustration and is not intended in any way as a limitation of the scope of the present invention . referring to fig1 a chest drainage device 10 is illustrated with three chambers -- a collection chamber 12 for retaining and storing fluids collected from a body cavity , a water seal chamber 14 for preventing any fluid from entering into the collection chamber 12 during high levels of negative pressure in the body cavity and a dry suction control chamber 16 . the function and operation of these various chambers are generally described in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 363 , 626 ; 3 , 363 , 627 ; 3 , 559 , 647 ; 3 , 683 , 913 ; 3 , 782 , 497 ; 4 , 258 , 824 ; and re . 29 , 877 to the extent that like or common elements are presented therein . in addition , the purpose and general operation of the various chambers of the chest drainage device 10 of the present invention are also more fully described in the deknatel inc . pleur - evac ® publication entitled &# 34 ; understanding chest drainage systems &# 34 ; ( 1985 ) which is incorporated herein in its entirety . accordingly , the disclosure of the aforementioned patents and publication are incorporated herein in their entirety . as shown in fig1 the drainage device 10 is generally formed of a housing that includes a front wall 18 secured to a back wall 20 as shown in fig2 by means of four side walls which include a top wall 22 , right side wall 24 , left side wall 26 and bottom wall ( not shown ). the housing can be formed integrally with all the walls formed along their peripheries or , alternatively the separate side walls and front and back walls can be secured to one another by means well known to those skilled in the art concerning securement or attachment procedures . in order to permit viewing of the contents of the collection chamber , the front wall 18 as shown in fig1 is at least transparent at certain portions thereof which overlay the heights of the various collection compartments 28 , 30 , 32 , 34 . also , the heights are calibrated with graduations 130 which indicate the amount of fluid collected therein . the smaller volumetric size of the first collection compartment 28 permits finer measurements , for example , from 0 - 200 cc of fluid while the other compartments accommodate still larger volumetric amounts . in this manner , the medical personnel can readily evaluate the performance of the chest drainage device 10 as the amount of fluid collected over time and during a complete fluid evacuation procedure by a single reading of the height of the fluid in the most recently filled collection compartment . other portions of front wall 18 are also transparent to permit the viewing of other operational features of the device 10 . in this respect , the small arm compartment 38 of the seal chamber 14 is transparent in order to permit a viewing of the height of the fluid contained within the seal chamber 14 . accordingly , the length of the small arm compartment 38 is also calibrated with gradations 40 in order to permit measurement of the height of the fluid therein . similarly an airflow meter 48 of the type illustrated and described in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 683 , 913 has a transparent portion 42 which permits viewing of any air bubbles passing therethrough . grommets 44 and 46 include a central rubber portion 48 which permit injection of fluid by means of a hypodermic needle which will penetrate but not do damage the rubber seal which thereafter seals and retains the integrity of the respective chambers or portions thereof . the suction control chamber 16 includes a compartment 50 which is partially viewable through a respective transparent portion in wall 18 . in order to permit visual determination of the proper level of suction setting desired , a control disk 52 is viewable through transparent portion 54 in wall 18 which indicates readily the degree of suction which is selected by means of movement of lever arm 56 extending through opening 58 of left side wall 26 . an inlet port 60 is positioned in top wall 38 so that fluid and gases from a body cavity pass directly into collection compartment 12 through tubing 62 . a high negativity valve 62 is positioned in top wall 22 in communication with collection chamber 12 . the high negativity valve includes a button actuated valve which when depressed allows filtered air to enter the collection chamber 12 . in this manner , undesired high degrees of negative pressure that may occur in the body cavity and thereby develop in the collection chamber 12 are relieved . as shown in fig1 the device 10 is coupled to a suction source by means of a suitable tubing 64 that is connected over the suction inlet 66 . as shown in fig3 the hanger device 68 according to the present invention includes a bracket member 70 which is formed of two opposed walls 72 and 74 which have between them a post member 75 extending between walls . as shown in fig3 one of the walls 72 is positioned or attached onto side wall 24 of drainage device 10 . as shown more clearly in fig1 the opposed walls 72 and 74 are joined together in common side wall 76 whose function will be more clearly explained hereinbelow . the hanger device 68 also includes a hook member 78 which is formed of a wire that is curved at both ends . at its upper end , the wire 78 has a greater curve so as to accommodate the larger diameter of a bedpost , for example 80 . at the lower curved end , the wire 78 is hooked so as to permit the small curved end to be positioned about post member 75 . the small curved end has a smallest distance of separation indicated by letter a which is less than the diameter of post member 75 . the smaller curved end of wire 78 is resilient so that when the hook member is selectively rotated to the hanging position as shown in fig3 the hooked small curved end can be moved away from post member 75 which is then securely advanced toward the smallest distance separation &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; whereupon the hooked end resiliently spreads apart so as to lock the hook member in the hanging position . when the hanger member is not needed to support the housing , the wire 78 can be moved so as to pull the post member 75 out of the smallest distance or separation which thereupon resiliently snaps back to its former distance of separation and thus retains the hook member about the post member 75 . thereafter , the hook member can be rotated downwardly and the wire 78 passed over and retained against a retention shoulder 78 positioned below the bracket 70 as shown in fig3 . notably , the hooked end can rotate about post member 75 but is at all times retained thereabout since the common side wall 76 prevents the hooked end from separating from the post member 75 . alternatively , if common side wall 76 is not provided , the front wall 18 extends about the side walls in the manner as shown in fig3 sufficiently so that if the hooked end advances past the post member 75 , it will eventually engage the extended post of the front wall 18 and will not be permitted to move any farther . this once again retains the hook member relatively to the bracket member 70 . referring to fig4 an alternative embodiment of the hanger device 68 according to the present invention is shown . in this alternative embodiment , a bracket member 80 includes a wall 82 which has extending therefrom a post member 84 that is attached at its other end to the side wall 24 of the housing . the wall 82 extends to the front wall 18 as shown specifically fig4 . the hanger device 80 also includes a hook member 86 which is formed of a wire that is curved at both ends as is the case with hook member 78 . similarly , the purposes of the hooked ends of or curved ends of hook member 86 are similar to those described previously in connection with hook member 78 . however , the hook member 86 has a portion 88 which is bent so that when the hook member 86 is rotated from a stored position shown by dotted phantom lines 90 up through and to the stored position as shown by the solid lines of hook member 86 in an upright position , the bent portion 88 can rest upon the upper wall portion of wall 92 when the hook member 86 is then pressed downwardly so as to spread apart the curved end of hook member 86 about post as shown in fig4 a member 84 in the manner as described before with respect to hook member 78 . in the embodiment illustrated in fig4 there is included a hook bracket 94 which receives a wire frame 96 as shown therein . specifically , the wire frame is as shown generally in fig5 that includes an eye portion 98 that hooks and secures about a lower leg 100 of device or housing or front wall 18 . the wire frame 96 supports a bag 102 which is of the type employed in automatic transfusion devices a described and illustrated in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 443 , 220 , which is incorporated herein in its entirety . the autotransfusion device includes tube 104 that is connected to the patient &# 39 ; s cavity to be drained of fluids and also a tube which is coupled to an inlet 62 of drainage device 10 . notably the automatic transfusion device is incorporated so as to be able to return the fluid collected therein to the patient should the need arise before collecting the same within the drainage device 10 . the present invention has been described in detail with particular emphasis on the preferred embodiments thereof . however , it should be understood that variations and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains .	8
generally , the present invention provides a method and system for renewable or “ dynamic ” platform security . though applicable to any mobile phones , games consoles , tablets , set top boxes , televisions or other consumer electronic devices , the present invention will be described in terms of such devices that use an open os such as , but not limited to , the linux or android ™ os . in particular , the preferred embodiment will be shown and described relative to the android ™ os for purposes of illustration only and should not be construed as limiting the intended scope of the present invention . indeed , advantages of the present invention in terms of countering malware , application piracy or modification , improving platform access control , and securing media playback on devices are universally applicable to any device os with particular usefulness to any open device as a result of the inherently greater security risks associated with such open devices . moreover , the present invention is intended as a new method and system of application control and which is usable with , and in addition to , existing platform security . with reference to fig2 , an overall layer schematic 200 is shown to indicate the present invention as implemented in an android ™ os embodiment . here , the basic architecture of the present invention is seen to include a layered execution stack . the base layer 219 involves typical system on a chip ( soc ) components including a central processing unit ( cpu ), graphics processing unit ( gpu ), and memory ( read only memory ( rom )) within which the basic input / output system ( bios ) resides . the highest layer in fig2 is the device application shown here as one or more android ™ applications 210 a , 210 b . intervening layers include the various known software and hardware elements including a hard disk drive ( hdd ) storage device or flash memory 220 , the os kernel 215 and os kernel application interface layer 214 which manages system calls between the os native applications 223 and the android ™ os 213 . in accordance with the present invention , the layered execution stack further includes a java ™ access control ( jac ) layer 212 between the android ™ os 213 and the virtual machine ( vm ) layer 211 ( i . e ., dalvik , which is the android ™ vm that forms an integral part of the android ™ os ). the vm layer serves to convert the given application into a compact executable form ( i . e ., the “. dex ” format in terms of android ™ applications ) suitable for execution in a known manner on the given device . the jac layer 212 serves to provide secure access control by authenticating communication between the machine executable code of the vm layer 211 and a security agent ( or simply “ agent ”) 217 . such access control functionality may include any suitable known mechanism that provides a bridge between scripted apps and the native agent to allow the agent to verify the integrity of the scripted application thereby extending the range of “ applications ” to scripted applications . it should further be understood that if all applications are assumed to be native applications 224 , then the jac layer 212 would not be required . it should be understood that the present invention may be implemented in conjunction with known static platform security functionality 100 as shown in fig1 . more specifically , the present invention incorporates existing os system security functions , such as process isolation , by ensuring that the portions of the operating system that perform such functions are not modified during the boot process or during run time . as well , the present invention complements existing secure boot loader functions ( stage 1 bootloader 221 and stage 2 bootloader 222 as shown in fig2 ) by verifying that the correct secure boot loader path was followed and by dynamically verifying the integrity of the os and boot loader . it should be understood that such secure boot loader only functions as such during start - up . in accordance with the present invention , the agent 217 is embedded in the os kernel 215 . the agent 217 is linux security module interface ( lsm i / f ) compliant . lsm is not further discussed herein as it is a known framework ( which is applicable to android ™ as well as linux distributions ) that allows the linux kernel to support a variety of computer security models without favoring any single security implementation . in order to render the agent 217 resistant to tampering , modification , and reverse engineering attacks , the agent 217 is itself protected using known software protection techniques such as , but not limited to , those described in more detail in u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 594 , 761 , 6 , 779 , 114 , 6 , 842 , 862 , and 7 , 506 , 177 each issued to chow et al . which illustrate examples of such tamper resistance that may be usable in conjunction with the present invention . it should be understood that the agent 217 forms an integral and un - detachable part of the os kernel 215 without which the device os 213 and / or the applications 210 a , 210 b , 224 will cease to function correctly . one example of the functions of the agent 217 is to monitor the integrity of both the os 213 and the applications 210 a , 210 b , 224 loaded onto the device , and to detect any breaches of the os 213 or secure boot 221 , 222 . the agent 217 maintains and has sole access to a secured data store 218 within which the agent 217 keeps information relevant for the agent &# 39 ; s performance of kernel resource access control , integrity verification , application licensing and application resource access control . while the secure store 218 is shown in fig2 a as being a separate component of the inventive system , it should be understood that the secure store 218 may exist within the hard drive or flash 220 as seen in alternative embodiment 201 if fig2 b . still further , the secure store 218 may exist as a secure memory within the system on a chip base layer 219 as seen in further alternative embodiment 202 in fig2 c . in terms of kernel resource access control , the agent is configured to control application access to os kernel resources and data . the access control decisions made by the agent are based on , but not limited to , factors such as : os kernel integrity , application integrity , application context , and the privileges granted by any given trusted root authority . an access control decision based on os kernel integrity determines whether the kernel has been modified , been replaced , been added to , or had portions removed in an unauthorized manner . the access control decision will also determine whether the secure boot process even occurred . if the os kernel has been modified , replaced , added to or portions removed or the secure boot process cannot be positively verified , this determination would serve to invalidate many of the assumptions that the agent or an application or a secure application such as a media player would normally operate under . an access control decision based upon application integrity determines whether the application that is attempting to access os kernel resources has been modified in any way ( e . g ., to insert malware into the application or by other malware ) or whether the privileges associated with that application been modified ( e . g ., to give it privileges to access system resources that were not authorized by the certifying authority ). an access control decision based upon application context determines whether a given application is functioning in some manner outside the context of that application . thus , the agent can make context sensitive access control decisions . for example , if a media application playing high definition video is running , then other applications should not be able to access the frame buffer as this would enable a screen scraping attack . an access control decision based upon any given trusted root authority determines application permissions relative to the authority . in other words , the present invention may support multiple application signing authorities such that the agent may grant an application signed by a highly trusted authority a greater degree of latitude in terms of access to system resources than may be granted to an application signed by a less trusted authority or an application that was not certified at all . in terms of the agent &# 39 ; s performance of integrity verification , the agent is configured to dynamically monitor ( e . g ., in memory while the software is running ) the integrity of the kernel , the secure boot components , the agent itself , and all protected applications and unprotected applications to determine if any of these items have been modified in any way at any time during the execution of the given application ( s ) ( e . g ., dynamic tampering which might be implemented using a debugger ). in terms of the agent &# 39 ; s performance of application resource control , the agent is configured to control access to application resources which may include , for example , a portion of the application that has been encrypted by the agent , or data files that are required by the application to execute ( e . g ., game resource files ), or data to control execution of applications . such access control decisions are based on factors such as , but not limited to , the presence of valid license data or the confirmation of the identity of the device or consumer , either of which are designed to protect applications from piracy . the agent itself may be embodied in software and generated by diverse code portion combinations with a fixed interface . creation of such variations in code portions can be accomplished according to known methods , or combinations of such methods , including those described in u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 594 , 761 , 6 , 779 , 114 , 6 , 842 , 862 , or 7 , 506 , 177 each issued to chow et al . or any other suitable known method . such variations can be termed “ diverse agents ” or “ updated agents .” diverse agents are those which have the same functionality , f , but that are structurally and semantically diverse . the objective of generating and deploying diverse agents is to prevent an automated attack — i . e ., an attack developed by a sophisticated attacker that can be sufficiently automated that it is simple to use by an average consumer and that would be applicable to each and every agent deployed in some installed base of devices . such diverse agents may be deployed across different instantiations of a device , different types of devices , devices sold in different geographic regions or by different operators , etc . updated agents are those whereby if an agent , a1 , with functionality set f1 , is deployed in the field and is compromised or attacked in some way , it is desirable to fix such vulnerability . this may be accomplished by generating an agent , a2 , that incorporates the functionality f1 but which also incorporates a new functionality designed to prevent the attack on a1 . this incremental functionality , f2 , is such that the functionality of a2 is now f1 + f2 . by applying diversity capabilities to a2 , it is more difficult for an attacker to isolate the software functions in a2 ( e . g ., through differential analysis ) which implement the new functionality f2 . updated agents provide a mechanism to address attacks on devices or agents that are already deployed in the field . such updated agents could be downloaded by consumers , pushed to the device via a software update mechanism or pulled to the device by the existing agent . where such updates occur , it should be understood that they are accomplished by configuring the agent software for updates upon identification and analysis of any attempted or actual successful attack by a security threat . therefore , the present invention could issue updates to the agent for attacks that are “ in development ” as hackers will often post information of attacks that are in development but which have not yet succeeded in reaching the attackers objectives . with regard to fig3 , a more detailed schematic 300 of the dynamic platform security functionality is shown in accordance with the generalized stack architecture of the present invention as in fig2 . here , it can be seen clearly , when compared with prior art fig1 , how the present invention compliments and can be implemented in conjunction with the known static platform security functionality . as in the previous fig2 a - 2c , the base layer includes typical soc 329 components including a cpu 330 and rom 333 within which bios 331 resides . in terms of the operations shown in fig3 , there is a typical secure boot loader sequence 310 provided as shown . it should be understood that the embodiment of the present invention could leverage existing secure boot technology . it should equally be understood that the boot sequence may equally apply to 1 stage or the many stages there - after . typically there are 2 boot loading stages 334 , 335 in a system as shown in fig3 . generally speaking , bottom up validation of secure boot components occurs as the first component validates the second component before transferring execution control to the next component . this boot time integrity verification is shown by way of dotted lines . here , the first stage occurs upon device reset , where rom code is hard wired to the device reset address . the rom ( or boot rom ) 333 loads the next boot stage 334 after verifying that the next boot stage is the intended boot stage . this verification or authentication is performed by computing a digital signature from the hdd or flash memory 328 . if the digital signature matches the pre - computed value ( as encapsulated in the digital certificate 332 as shown ), then the os boot loader 335 will be loaded into main memory and executed . if the signature does not match the pre - computed value at any stage , execution control will not transfer to the next stage and the device will fail to boot . when the os boot loader 335 has execution control , the os boot loader performs 335 a similar operation of validating the os image from the hdd or flash memory 328 . again , if the computed signature matches the expected pre - computed signature , it will load into memory the os image and transfer control to the os image ( i . e ., the linux kernel 325 operating in the android ™ os 339 as shown ). the os image will then initialize , and during this process the agent 336 will also be initialized . while the agent 336 is included in the os image which is digitally signed , it should be understood that the agent 336 may be updated . this is because signatures are broken down into logical module separation and each module has its own signatures that are checked during the secure boot process . therefore , any module may be replaced though the signature must be valid and trusted cryptographically with a digital signing private key . with continued reference to fig3 , the os kernel 325 is shown as the linux kernel modified for the android ™ os 339 . here , this specific implementation of the invention uses the linux security module (“ lsm ”). as mentioned above , lsm is a framework that allows the linux kernel 325 to support a variety of computer security models while avoiding favoring any single security implementation . lsm provides hooks at every point in the linux kernel 325 where a user - level system call is about to result in access to an important internal kernel object . lsm can be used to implement a wide range of security functions ( e . g ., mandatory access control ( mac ), on access virus checking ). the agent 326 in accordance with the present invention is also configured to include integrity verification ( or simply “ iv ”). the iv function that is embedded in the agent 326 enables the agent 326 to perform static integrity verification ( e . g ., on hdd or on flash memory ) and dynamic integrity verification ( e . g ., in random access memory ( ram )). iv is implemented by computing a hash value for an application or system component and then comparing that to a known good value for the hash function . if the calculated value is the same as the stored known good value , then the agent assumes that the component has not been modified by an attacker . however , if the calculated value is different than the stored known good value , then the agent assumes that the component has been modified and can no longer be trusted to perform the functionality that it was intended to perform or that it should no longer have the same privileges that were originally assigned to it . as shown in fig3 , the agent 326 performs iv checks on a number of device software components on an ongoing basis . this “ integrity monitoring ” is done to detect any unauthorized modification ( e . g ., tampering ) such as the modification , replacement , removal , or additions of components or sub - components that are critical to supporting the security objectives for the system . such components monitored via iv by the agent 336 in accordance with the present invention include : rom bios 331 ; hdd or device flash memory 328 ; stage 1 bootloader 334 ; stage 2 bootloader 335 ; linux kernel 325 or portions of the linux kernel ; system call interface ( i / f ) 338 ; agent 336 including the secure store 327 ( during both boot time and run time as indicated , respectfully , by dotted and solid arrows in fig3 ); native application 320 ; android ™ os 339 ; native android ™ application 321 ; jac 324 ; android ™ ( dalvik ) virtual machine 323 ; android ™ application 322 ; and application & amp ; system provisioning sequence ( as further described with regard to fig4 and 5 below ). such integrity monitoring ( shown by solid arrows ) of native application 1 320 is illustrated in fig3 . here , the agent 336 continuously monitors native application 1 320 such that integrity is verified when the native application 1 320 attempts to access system resources through the system call i / f 338 . this occurs through signature verification 337 whereby the agent 336 implements iv by comparing signature 1 340 to a known good value corresponding to application 1 resources . in particular , application 1 resources include iv information and the application signing certificate stored in a secure store 327 . if the signature 1 value is the same as the stored application signing certificate ( i . e ., known good value ), then the agent 336 assumes that the native application 1 320 has not been modified by an attacker and that its permissions or privileges 341 have not been modified . however , if the signature 1 value is different than the known good value , then the agent 336 assumes that the native application 1 320 has been modified and can no longer be trusted to perform the functionality that it was intended to perform . this process occurs for all native applications that may be present up to native application n 321 . the process isolation block 326 shown in fig3 will be further explained with regard to fig4 where there is illustrated a runtime boot loading sequence 400 in accordance with the present invention . in particular , upon device reset a top down validation ( at steps 1 , 2 , and 3 ) of secure boot components can be seen . this validation serves to ensure that the os that is loaded onto the device is the one intended by the oem or operator and that the os has the intended functionality . once the agent gains execution control during initialization ( at step 4 ), the agent will perform iv upon itself along with the previously executed components of the secure boot loader including the boot rom image , the os boot loader , and the os image . if the integrity ( from steps 1 through 4 ) of all of these components is confirmed by the agent by using comparisons to data resident in the agent secure store ( at steps 5 though 8 ), then the agent assumes that the os that is installed on the device is the intended os and that certain security functionality that may be performed by the os has not been modified . however , if the agent determines that one or more of the components cannot be authenticated , the agent may take corrective action . one possible corrective action taken by the agent is to replace the boot components with a backup image of the intended boot components , then reset the device and start the boot up process again . if the agent detects that the system is invalid after a number of attempts to correct invalid components , then the agent may deny all further access to critical system resources or application resources . it should be readily apparent that the number of attempts is a matter of design choice and therefore a predetermined variable within the intended scope of the present invention . likewise , the determination of which system resources may be considered critical may be predetermined based upon the given device usage . as well , other corrective actions are possible without straying from the intended scope of the present invention . it should be understood the preceding detailed description presumes that an application already exists and is therefore known to the oem , operator , internet - based retail interface provider , and , in turn , known to the agent in accordance with the present invention . however , it is readily apparent that new applications may come into being by a developer . as such , fig5 illustrates the processing that is applied to an application ( unprotected ) submitted by a developer during the application certification process 500 . the agent in accordance with the present invention includes an asset protection tool 514 which is a software tool configured to create and update the encrypted application secure store 512 . here , the asset protection tool 514 stores information to protect the unprotected application . it should be understood that a variety of tamper resistant techniques can be applied to the stored information such as , but not limited to , secure loader and iv , and the use of whitebox cryptography to protect cryptographic secrets at rest ( e . g ., on disk ) and in use ( e . g ., in - memory ). with further regard to fig5 , there is provided an unprotected asset 515 ( i . e ., new application from a developer ) at step 1 . created by the application developer or development system is an unsigned enhanced permission container manifest 510 at step 2 . this lists the permissions ( a , b , . . . etc .) granted to the application by the certifying authority . moreover , the permissions are mapped to specific set of kernel system calls . after the unsigned manifest 510 is created , the asset protection tool 514 is configured to generate or use a provided private root of trust key 511 at step 3 . the root of trust may be automatically and randomly generated by the asset protection tool . the asset protection tool 514 then signs the unsigned application 515 via the asset protection tool 514 at step 4 and places the result in a signed enhanced permission container manifest that exists within the application secure store 512 . moreover , the signed version of the enhanced permission container manifest is stored at step 5 in the application secure store 512 where information specific to the given asset ( e . g ., code signature , enhanced permission container manifest , root of trust keys ) are placed . the resultant outcome at step 6 is a signed and protected asset 513 in the form of a fully provisioned application . optionally , the unprotected new application may have a secure loader wrapped around it so as to provide a resulting protected asset with static tampering resistance and be iv enabled . it should further be understood that not all application types may be provisioned for any particular embodiment of the asset protection tool discussed above . for example , in the present embodiment which is related specifically to the android ™ os , a typical list of application types that can be provisioned , installed , and subsequently run on the system implementing the present embodiment of the invention may be limited to a native os application , a native android ™ application , and an android ™ application . other open os implementations may of course be possible beyond the specific android ™ os implementation illustrated herein without straying from the intended scope of the present invention . the permission information created in the provisioning sequence of fig5 is further used by the agent during installation and runtime of the given application being placed onto the device . moreover , when the given application code selected from the types of available applications is provisioned the resulting signed enhanced permission container manifest in the application secure store thereby contains all the permissions that the application code requires during runtime . the enhanced permission container manifest specifies the application code signature and the signature of the container itself so as to prevent tampering of the container or application after the application code has been signed . with regard to fig6 , initial installation 600 of application permissions is illustrated . here , the signed enhanced permission container manifest 611 shown is found within the application secure store 610 that was created during provisioning time in fig5 . as previously mentioned , the enhanced permission container manifest 611 is encrypted by the asset protection tool . accordingly , this facilitates transfer of the enhanced permission container manifest 611 from the application secure store 610 to the agent secure store 612 . both the application secure store 610 and the agent secure store 612 comprise the secure store as generally shown in fig3 . within the enhanced permission container manifest 611 there exists a permission list ( i . e ., permission a , permission b , . . . etc .). the permission list determines what os kernel resources can be accessed by the given application code that forms the application being installed and run . the application code signature is used by the agent 613 to iv the application to ensure it has not been modified at the time it makes the os request for particular kernel permissions , such as “ install ” requests . the container signature is a reference value for the container itself , and is used by the agent 613 to ensure the contents of the container have not changed . once the integrity of the os and the application have been verified , the installed application &# 39 ; s enhanced permission container manifest will be stored in the agent secure store 612 for future reference of other permission requests for that application . with further regard to fig6 , the installation sequence includes first sending at step 1 a request to the os kernel 614 to install an application pursuant to an installer directive from the application code 615 . subsequently , the os kernel 614 passes along the request to the agent 613 at step 2 . the agent 613 validates ( via iv as already described above ) the os kernel 614 at step 3 . it should be understood as previously noted above , that the agent 613 also validates the os kernel 614 in an ongoing manner ( i . e ., as a background process ). at step 4 , the agent 613 accesses the application secure store 610 to retrieve the signed enhanced permission container manifest 611 therefrom . the agent 613 validates at step 5 the application &# 39 ; s signed enhanced permission container manifest through iv using the signed enhanced permission container manifest 611 . the agent 613 at step 6 stores the validated application &# 39 ; s enhanced permission container manifest into the agent secure store 612 for future reference . based upon the step 5 validation operation , the agent 613 allows or denies the install to the os kernel 614 at step 7 . in turn , the os kernel 614 at step 8 passes the permission ( allow or deny ) to the installer directive that is installing the application to be installed to ultimately allow or deny installation of the application code 615 . as mentioned above , the agent validates the os kernel in an ongoing manner as kernel operations are required . this kernel access control 700 is shown in fig7 in terms of continuous runtime system integrity . here , the sequence of how the entire system integrity is maintained is shown whenever any application makes an os request for kernel services . in fig7 , an installed and running application ( i . e ., user application ) 710 is shown making a request for os services or resources 711 . this request is passed to the os kernel 712 and which request is , in turn , passed along to the agent 713 via the lsm functionality that will ultimately allow or deny the request . in accordance with the present invention , the criteria used by the agent 713 to allow or deny the application request may include : system / application integrity , application permissions , application behavior , security context for other applications that may be running , and remote commands ( element 216 , shown previously in regard to fig2 a ). the agent decision criteria related to system / application integrity includes whether tampering has been detected to either system or application components . the agent decision criteria related to application permissions includes whether the application has the necessary permissions to make such a request . in the android ™ os , such permissions are declared in a manifest file that is associated with the application . application developers must declare these permissions and it is up to the consumer to grant or not grant these permissions which may be problematic as consumers are not typically aware of security implications of their actions . the agent decision criteria related to application &# 39 ; s behavior disregards whether an application may have permissions to access certain kernel services and instead relies upon the application &# 39 ; s behavior . for example , an application that requests consumer gps coordinates every 15 seconds and then attempts to send such coordinates to a third party via some messaging protocol such as sms , could potentially be “ spyware .” such behavior therefore may result in request denial even though the application may have permissions associated with the kernel service related to gps coordinates ( i . e ., the agent would block access if the application had rights granted to location data , but not rights granted to sms data ). the agent decision criteria related to the security context of any other applications that may be running also disregards whether an application may have permission to access certain kernel services and instead looks to whether allowing a request when another trusted application is running could negatively affect one or more of these trusted applications . in other words , the agent properly enforces permissions at run time . for example , the requesting application may try to access certain memory or drivers to capture high definition video after a trusted high definition video player application that implements digital rights management has decrypted the video thereby calling into question the appropriateness of the high definition video data usage by the requesting application ( i . e ., the agent may block access to the screen buffer memory , though allow the playing of the video itself ). the agent decision criteria related to remote commands involve providing the agent the ability to support commands from a remote entity ( e . g ., a service provider ) that could override the applications permissions or privileges . for example , a mobile operator may wish to disable a mobile device that has been stolen . in this case , the agent would also base decisions to provide system access on remote commands that would prevent the device from being used by an unauthorized user of the device . for example , a mobile operator may wish to disable or limit the access an application or applications have to network services or other kernel resources in the event that such an application is causing problems with network reliability or stability ( e . g ., by generating a high volume of traffic or connections that cannot be sustained by the network ). in this case , the agent could override the privileges that the application has or prevent the application from executing at all . further , such commands from the remote command controller may be used to limit permissions ( e . g ., reduce privileges , change privileges , or revoke privileges ). further , such commands from the remote command controller may be used to remove applications from the device , including terminating the application if currently executing , removing the application from memory , or un - installing the application completely . overall , it is important to note that the present invention may not only serve to “ kill ” applications , but may also serve to limit access to system resources beyond the access that is implied in the privileges associated with the given application — e . g ., even if an application has the privilege to send sms messages , this is not quantified in the privileges such that when the application sends , for example , 10 , 000 sms messages an hour , the agent could “ throttle this back ” based on some “ normal behavior ” template stored in the agent secure store or based on remote commands . still further , the agent may be used to report anomalous behavior back to the remote entity so that , for example , a mobile operator or designated third party could make decisions about what to do ( e . g ., an application has made x requests for a system resource over some period of time ). using the aforementioned criteria for ongoing runtime system integrity , the kernel access control 700 shown in fig7 includes an initial os request by the user application 710 at step 1 . in turn , the application at step 2 creates a software interrupt or otherwise creates an event for the os . in the os kernel 712 , the lsm receives the request 711 ( i . e ., interrupt / event ) and passes the request 711 to the agent 713 at step 3 . the agent 713 integrity verifies the application 710 and the permissions at step 4 using the criteria described above . at step 5 , the agent 713 validates the user request memory stack . thereafter , the agent 713 integrity verifies the os kernel image in memory at step 6 . as previously mentioned , iv checks are run on an ongoing basis by the agent 713 . this check verifies that the iv process is still running and has not detected any evidence of tampering . based upon the system validation process ( steps 4 , 5 , and 6 ), the agent 713 therefore allows or denies the request , and , at step 7 , the allowance or denial of the request is passed along to the os kernel 712 . in turn , the os kernel 712 passes along the allowance or denial of the request at step 8 . at such point , the application event returns control back to the application 710 at step 9 with the decision to allow or deny the request . as in the continuous runtime system integrity of fig7 , it should be understood that the application must also be validated in an ongoing manner . accordingly , there is shown runtime validation of an application request in fig8 . in general , an application must not be tampered with in any way or validation here will fail . the stack diagram 800 in fig8 illustrates how the present invention efficiently provides application integrity monitoring while maintaining system integrity at the same time . here , the address spaces for the agent 812 , os kernel 811 , and application 810 are shown . as the agent is embedded in the os kernel , it should be understood that the agent address space 812 is therefore shared with the os kernel address space 811 . return addresses in the calling stack are data points into integrity verification information that is contained in the agent . the start of runtime validation ( at step 1 ) of the application involves the agent walking the stack of the request for os service while validating all return addresses ( at steps 2 through 4 ) and performing integrity verification on the address range utilizing the call stack signature as described below . when an application makes a request for any os kernel service , the os kernel passes along this request of a kernel service to the agent . this os kernel is lsm enabled such that the agent is required to allow or deny the request . in accordance with the present invention , runtime call stack signature calculation is accomplished using the distance ( in bytes ) between each return address on the stack to the top of the stack . table a represents exemplary call stacks for the agent 812 , the os kernel 811 , and the application 810 . the signature from the above example includes an application unique user id randomly assigned during installation and a collection of call stack signature bytes as seen in table b . in terms of the example of table b , the signature of call stack of “ application id 12032 ” would be “ 12032 : 12 : 23 : 44 : 10 ” and used in the integrity verification check by the agent . the depth of the stack is a variable length but not to exceed 128 samples . also , the depth of the stack between the os kernel and the agent is known and calculated prior to the application calling the os kernel services . from this calculation , the agent may determine that all the return addresses on the call stack are included in the integrity verification signature range when the application and system components were provisioned . it should be understood that all the return addresses must be found in the list of signatures of the signed application and system components , which are stored in the agent secure store , in order for the agent to allow the os to service the application . as shown in fig8 , there is detailed a runtime call stack signature validation sequence . here , the validation sequence begins at step 1 . thereafter , at step 2 , the agent examines the stack and determines the return address which identifies the location of the calling code in the os kernel address space 811 . based on the calling code , the agent at step 3 verifies that the caller is legitimate and has recently and successfully had its integrity verified . there may be several layers of this checking in the os kernel address space 811 , as indicated in fig8 . thereafter , at step 4 , a similar return address determination and validation process is performed as calling code in the stack appears from the application address space 810 . again , there may be several layers of this checking in the application address space 810 , as shown in fig8 . during runtime , it should be understood that application permissions should be enforced on an ongoing basis as applications are subject to dynamic attacks ( e . g . portions of an application or its associated permissions could be modified during execution using a debugger ). such application permission enforcement 900 is shown in fig9 . here , any request that an application 914 makes to the os kernel 913 after installation of the application 914 will be validated using the signed enhanced permission container manifest 910 that is stored in the agent secure store 911 . the agent 912 will allow or deny the request based on the integrity of the system and the permission provided in the enhanced permission container 910 . the enforcement sequence includes an application 914 making an os request at step 1 and , at step 2 , the os kernel 913 validates the request with the agent 912 . at step 3 , the agent 912 validates the os integrity as already described above . step 4 provides that the agent 912 validates the type of os kernel request from the signed enhanced permission container manifest 910 . it is important here to note that , at run - time , the requesting application is only granted access to os kernel services that are contained within the signed enhanced permission container manifest 910 which contains the requested permissions as identified by the application developer prior to submission of the application to certification . moreover , this mechanism maintains the security and integrity of the system , even if the application developer does not correctly identify all kernel services that their application attempts to access at run time . once the agent 912 validates the type of os kernel request from the signed enhanced permission container manifest 910 , the agent 912 then passes the allow or deny decision based on the validation in the steps 3 and 4 to the os kernel 913 at step 5 . subsequently , the os kernel 913 passes such allow or deny decision to the application 914 at step 6 based on the agent decision passed to it . 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 of skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention , which is defined solely by the claims appended hereto .	6
in fig1 there is shown an electrical heater , generally 10 . the heater is the fuyi vape heater previously described , except that the mat previously used with that heater has been replaced with a table of the present invention . the heater is an electrical - resistance heater , and has a flat , upwardly exposed plate 12 adjacent to which is placed a table 14 of the present invention . an electrical plug 16 ( preferably of the self - retracting type ) supplies electricity to the heating plate 12 by means of electrical cord 17 . during non - use it is almost entirely contained in lower housing 18 . as shown at 21 , six safety grids are provided ( five of which are broken away in fig1 for purposes of illustration ). although the fuyi vape heater is described as a suitable heater , the device of the invention is adapted for use with a wide variety of other electrical and non - electrical heaters available for heating conventional mosquito mats . for example , a conventional , positive temperature co - efficient heater may be substituted for the resistance heater and is preferred in many applications , and other sources of heat , such as flame or catalytically combusted fuel also may be substituted and are widely known to the art . referring now to fig2 - 4 , table 14 has a table top 20 made of aluminum ( or other metal ) having an upwardly - facing cavity 22 . alternatively , the table top 20 can be made of heat - resistant plastic , ceramics , or any otherwise suitable heat resistant material that can transfer heat from the heater to the remaining parts of the table 14 . a solid substrate 24 is made of a porous material such as paper or other cellulose - based material . other solid porous substrates could also be used , such as sintered glass , ceramic , plastic beads , natural or synthetic fabrics , and other absorbent and adsorbent materials . the substrate / mat 24 is impregnated with a volatile 26 and then placed in the cavity 22 . the volatile is released from the substrate 24 when the table is heated . gels and suitably contained liquids can be used in the cavity 22 instead of the solid substrate 24 . extending over the open portion of cavity 22 and substrate 24 is a permeable membrane 28 that is preferably a laminated membrane having an lower layer which is polyethylene terephthalate and an upper layer which is polyethylene . membrane 28 further slows release of the volatile 26 from the substrate 24 when the substrate is heated by the heating plate 12 . for long - term storage ( e . g . on a retailer &# 39 ; s shelf ), a non - porous removable cover ( not shown ) is placed over layer 28 . see e . g . u . s . pat . no . 4 , 145 , 001 . the membrane 28 can be one that presents so little resistance to the escape of vapors that it serves only to confine and protect the source of volatile , whether in liquid , gel , or solid form . however , and preferably , the membrane 28 is selected to restrict volatile release to a desired extent , slowing volatile release from the table and thereby allowing control over the useful life of the table . extending downwardly from table top 20 is a support 30 , which in one embodiment surrounds the sides of the lower portion of cavity 22 . it should , at minimum , have a portion that extends farther outward than the bottom of the cavity 22 . in this regard , by &# 34 ; radially outward &# 34 ; we mean that some portion of the structure is radially outward , regardless of whether at the side or below the cavity . in an especially preferred form , none of the support is immediately below the cavity . the support can be made of an insulative material such as a temperature - resistant cellulosic material or foam or other heat resistant and flame retardant plastic . it can be secured to the table top by a friction fit around the sides of the cavity , by an adhesive such as epoxy , urethane , or acrylic adhesive , or by other means such as double sided tape . the support 30 is designed to rest on heating plate 12 , preferably straddling the burner surface . it thereby supports the cavity 22 ( and thus the volatile ) above the heating plate 12 with an air gap 34 therebetween . there preferably is also a handle 35 , illustrated in fig1 extending from at least one and , optionally and sometimes preferably , two edge locations of the table top 20 for facilitating the insertion and removal of the table 14 on burner plate 12 under safety grids 19 . handle 35 also provides a useful heat sink and radiator for drawing the heat out from cavity 22 and exhausting it to the surrounding air . this effect aids in the even heating of table 20 and especially in controlling and reducing the temperature of the table . alternative embodiments are shown in fig5 - 15 where similar numerals designate similar components , except with the numerals having an &# 34 ; a &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; b &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; c &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; e &# 34 ; suffix . referring to the embodiment 14a shown in fig5 the difference between embodiments 14 and 14a is in the use of a different support . support 30a is composed of the same material as top 20a ( preferably both aluminum ). it is formed as one piece during a stamping operation , albeit it has two opposing table legs 31a and 33a which can be bent to positions shown in fig5 ( to provide support of the cavity 22a above a heating plate ). as seen in fig6 - 10 , embodiment 14b is formed in two separate components with support 30b being connected to table top 20b by means of the tabs 38b . these are spaced from the upwardly facing surface 40b so that side portions 37b and 39b of the table top 20b can be slightly flexed and inserted therebetween as seen in fig8 . this is facilitated by the table top 20b being composed of a thin flexible material such as aluminum . support 30b has a plurality of foot members 31b which position the support 30b above a heating plate 12b with an air gap 34b . cavity 22b ( with volatile 26b ) are positioned in opening 41b of support 30b at this point . this affords air circulation from the outside to the air gap 34b and accordingly a cooler operation ( see especially fig1 ). support 30b can be injection molded from a crystalline heat - resistant pet resinous plastic or any suitable heat - resistant plastic , among the many available . referring next to fig1 , embodiment 14c is similar to embodiment 14b except that instead of portions 37c and 39c of table top 20c being flexed and inserted under tabs 38c , they are slid between the tabs 38c and the surface 40c of the table top 20c . the spacing of the tabs 38c from the top surface 40c provides a slide track for the table top 20c . an end wall of the support 30c is not present so as to allow passage of cavity 22c into opening 41c . this is indicated at numeral 45c . another support 30d is shown in fig1 - 14 . it does not employ the fastening or slide tabs 38b / 38c shown in embodiments 14b and 14c , respectively . instead , a peel - away strip 42d is used . an adhesive 43d is placed on the top surface 40d of support 30d for connection to the bottom sections of side portions 37d and 39d of table top 20d . this results in the table 14d shown in fig1 and 14 . referring to fig1 , tabs like 38b / 38c are not employed . instead the table top 20e has flexible side flanges 44e and 45e . these are bent over and connected by frictional engagement to support 30e by crimping over the tops 48e and side edges 49e of the support member 30e . this provides an air gap 34e between cavity 22e and a heating plate such as 12b . an important feature of the invention is that at least part of the support ( preferably all ) is not directly under the cavity , so as to thereby create an air gap . this gap slows heat transfer from the heating plate 12 , and thus creates a step - down in temperature from the burner plate temperature and helps to evenly distribute the heat across the floor of cavity 22 ( with a resulting slower release of insecticide and less heat - caused degradation of insecticide ). the embodiments shown in fig6 - 11 are particularly well suited for use as they not only provide an air gap , they also allow for air to pass sideways between the air gap and the outside . slower release , assisted by permeable membranes 28 and 28a , results in sustained release of the insecticide over a longer period , thereby permitting inserts to be created which can be effectively used for a week or longer . while insecticide 26 has been illustrated in conjunction with the impregnation of a solid substrate 24 , a liquid or gel could be used without the solid substrate , in conjunction with porous membrane 28 . see e . g . u . s . pat . no . 5 , 645 , 845 for gel - based systems . in one form , we used a mixture of transfluthrin with a silica gel such as the gel sold under the trade name cabosil . the volatile material is preferably one of ( or mixtures of ) known insecticides and insect repellents . particularly preferred are organic phosphorous insecticides , lipidamide insecticides , natural repellents as citronella oil , natural pyrethrins and pyrethrum extract , and synthetic pyrethroids . suitable synthetic pyrethroids are acrinathrin , allethrin as d - allethrin , pynamin ®, benfluthrin , bifenthrin , bioallethrin as pynamin forte ®, s - bioallethrin , esbiothrin , esbiol , bioresmethrin , cycloprothrin , cyfluthrin , beta - cyfluthrin , cyhalothrin , lambda - cyhalothrin , cypermethrin , alpha - cypermethrin , beta - cypermethrin , cyphenothrin , deltamethrin , empenthrin , esfenvalerate , fenpropathrin , fenvalerate , flucythrinate , tau - fluvalinate , kadethrin , permethrin , phenothrin , prallethrin as etoc ®, resmethrin , tefluthrin , tetramethrin or tralomethrin . other volatile insecticides as described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 439 , 415 can also be employed . most preferred is transfluthrin . deodorizers may also be used such as a terpene based deodorizer fragrance . anti - oxidants may also be delivered in this manner . further , disinfectants may be used such as glycols , trimethylene , and dipropylene . in addition , organic acids which are compatible with the use of the substrate and the atmosphere can also be utilized . it should be understood that terms such as top and downwardly / bottom are used herein with respect to the most typical orientation . however , for heater units with vertical or other heating surfaces these terms are intended to mean directions away from and toward the heater , respectively . the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments shown . rather , the claims should be looked to in order to appreciate the full scope of the claimed invention . the invention provides a device for dispensing volatile materials such as insecticides . the device is particularly useful in controlling mosquitoes over extended periods .	0
exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below . note that the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments . fig1 shows a logical system structure of a lane boundary detector 100 according to a first embodiment . the edge point extracting unit 1 extracts an edge point based on a road surface image ( hereinafter also referred to as image data ) picked up by a vehicle - mounted camera , to store the extracted edge point as edge point data in a predetermined storage area such as a table 10 . here , the edge point is a point constituting a contour of lane sign such as a white line . the units 1 to 5 are realized with a computer system that communicates with the vehicle - mounted camera and has a known structure . the edge line extracting unit 2 extracts an edge line which is a contour of the lane sign based on the edge point data , to store the data representing the edge line , i . e ., edge line data , into a predetermined storage area such as a table 20 . the white line candidate extracting unit 3 verifies a validity of the edge line data stored in the table 20 based on predetermined properties such as a white line width and a lane width , to delete a record of noise data , i . e ., data on a line which does not constitute the contour of the lane sign , in the table 20 . the branch point detecting unit 4 generates branch point data on a table 30 based on the edge line data stored in the table 20 . the present invention focuses particularly on the branch point detecting unit 4 . the lane boundary determining unit 5 determines the position of a lane boundary based on the edge line data stored in the table 20 and the branch point data stored in the table 30 . fig2 a shows the table 20 that stores the edge line data and fig2 b shows the table 30 that stores the branch point data . information of every extracted edge line is recorded in the tables . next , the information recorded in the tables is described in detail . note that in the first embodiment , the road surface plane , on which the vehicle drives , is represented by an xy - orthogonal coordinate where the positive direction of the y - axis represents the forward direction of the vehicle , the positive direction of the x - axis represents the right ward direction of the vehicle , and the origin represents the front end of the center of the vehicle . a leading edge line is an edge line consisting of points that represent the positive maximum of a partial differentiation ∂ l /∂ x of luminance l of the input image with respect to the x - coordinate , i . e ., the left side contour of the white line . the same applies to the term “ trailing edge line ”. n : edge line number ; a : primary coefficient of an edge line equation ( x = ay + b ); b : constant term of the edge line equation ( x = ay + b ); c : edge line category , i . e ., leading or trailing ; x : x coordinate of an edge line on a straight line y = d ( here , the position of the straight line y = d is arbitrary and is not limited to the bottom position of the image shown , for example , in fig4 b ); θ : angle of an edge line with respect to the positive direction of y - axis ( the value of “ θ ” increases clockwise . θ = 0 on the y - axis and θ & gt ; 0 when the edge line inclined to the right . ); m 1 : edge line number of a counterpart constituting a white line pair ; d 1 : width of the white line ; m 2 : edge line number of a counterpart constituting a white line pair ( spare area ); and d 2 : width of the white line ( spare area ). y : y - coordinate of a crossing point ( branch point ) of two edge lines ; i : edge line number of an edge line with a branch point ; and j : edge line number of an edge line with a branch point . fig3 is a general flow chart of a control program 200 of the lane boundary detector 100 . to the lane boundary detector 100 , a road surface image is first input via the vehicle - mounted camera at step 210 . an example of image data 41 as the input road surface image is shown in fig4 a . next at step 220 , the edge point extracting unit 1 executes the edge point extracting process with known techniques such as geometric transformation or differentiation . fig4 b shows an example of a birds - eye view image 42 which can be obtained by the geometric transformation of a target area of the image data 41 . fig5 a shows a graph 43 of another edge point data image obtained via differentiation . next at step 230 , the edge line extracting unit 2 extracts edge lines with known technique such as hough transform . a graph 44 of fig5 b represents an image of edge line data obtained via hough transform on the edge point data in the table 10 . in the edge line extracting process , each piece of data 21 consisting of six variables “ n ”, “ a ”, “ b ”, “ c ”, “ x ”, and “ θ ” shown in fig2 a is found and updated . for example , the edge line number n is allocated in an ascending order from one in accordance with an increase in value of x . exemplary procedure of information processing relating to the processes described above can be found , for example , in japanese patent laid - open no . 2003 - 168123 , which is incorporated herein by reference . next at step 240 , the white line candidate extracting unit 3 extracts a white line candidate that satisfies a predetermined consistency . a graph 45 of fig5 c represents an image of white line information obtained via the white line extracting process . in step 240 , an edge line candidate constituting an allowable white line is extracted based on the consistency with the white line width , the lane width or the like . when a pair of leading edge line and trailing edge line forms a white line with a proper width at a proper x - coordinate , the lines are extracted as a desirable white line candidate . the edge line category of the edge line which is a counterpart in the white line pair is reverse . for the edge lines that satisfy the consistency , “ m 1 ” ( edge line number of the counterpart in the white line pair ) and “ d 1 ” ( the width of the white line ) are recorded on the edge line table 20 . even when the edge line of the counterpart in the white line pair cannot be determined , if the edge line is located at a position which can be assumed to be the lane boundary , the record is not deleted . however , the variables “ m 1 ” and “ d 1 ” of such edge line in the record are not updated . the spare area ( m 1 and d 1 ) may be used when two counterparts are found for the white line pair , for example . a procedure of detecting a branch point on the left side of the lane on which the vehicle is currently driving will be described below . the detection of a branch point on the right side can be conducted in the same manner and the description thereof will not be repeated . after step 240 , at step 250 the branch point detecting unit 4 detects a branch point from which a branch road diverts from the lane ( main road ) on which the vehicle is currently running . fig6 is an explanatory diagram of a process of detecting a branch point on the left side as shown in fig5 ( step 250 ). arrows with solid lines represent leading edge lines whereas arrows with dotted lines represent trailing edge lines . here , only the edge lines i and j that are categorized as “ trailing ” are subjected to the processing . fig7 a and 7b are explanatory diagrams to show the reason why the trailing edge lines i and j are employed for the process of fig6 ( left side branch point detecting process : step 250 ). fig7 a shows another exemplary image of the lane sign in the vicinity of the branch point shown in fig4 . in the example of fig7 a , in the captured road surface image , block - shaped dotted line overlaps with a white line that indicates the left - side boundary of the branch . thus , the shapes of the lane signs are relatively ambiguous and difficult to distinguish . in such a condition , sometimes no white line pair is detected for the trailing edge line j or two lines ( trailing edge lines i and j ) are assumed to be the counterpart in the white line pair for the left most leading edge line . according to the branch point detecting process as described below , even in such a condition , an object of the process can be securely selected without fail as can be seen from fig7 , since the object is limited to the trailing edge lines i and j . thus no error occurs in branch determination . when the branch point on the right side is to be detected , the process object is limited to the leading edge lines i and j . fig8 is a flow chart of a subroutine 300 which is called up by step 250 of fig3 for executing the branch point detecting process . in the subroutine 300 , first at step 305 the table 30 is cleared to be zero . in the subroutine 300 , only the trailing edge lines are registered for variables i and j in the table 30 , hence , both the variables i and j are the edge line numbers of edge lines with a branch point where c = trailing . at step 310 , the control variables i and j of the integer type are initialized . at steps 315 to 340 , a determining process is performed at each step to check if the following conditional expressions 1 to 6 are satisfied . the conditional expressions 1 and 2 serve to verify whether the edge lines i and j are located at a certain angle and distance with respect to each other so that they can form a branch point . for example , values of ε1 and β1 may be approximately 2 ° and 20 °, respectively , since the branch from the main highway road usually forms a mild angle , though the branch must form a certain angle . such a threshold value may be set for every highway or may be dynamically changed depending on a navigation system to be employed in combination . the conditional expressions 3 and 4 serve to verify whether the edge line i and a predetermined reference edge line k are located at substantially the same angle and distance . at step 350 , the table 30 is updated as follows . step a 1 : find the y - coordinate of the crossing point of edge lines i and j , and store the value in a save area y . step a 2 : store the edge line number (= i ) of the edge line that is substantially the same with the edge line k in a save area i . step a 3 ; store the edge line number j of the other edge line in a save area j . in the first embodiment , it is assumed that there is only one or no branch point in one image . hence , at the detection of one branch point , the subroutine 300 performs steps a 1 to a 3 and the process returns to steps a 1 to a 3 . the conditional expressions 5 and 6 serve to verify whether the edge line j and the reference edge line k are located at substantially the same angle and distance . fig9 is an explanatory diagram of the verification manner . the reference edge line k in fig9 is a straight line ( edge line ) representing a current lane boundary position estimated from the position of the edge line adopted as the left side lane boundary position at the previous control cycle ( 0 . 1 second earlier , for example ). through the verification of relation between such edge lines j and k with the conditional expressions 5 and 6 , uniformity ( match or mismatch ) of the edge lines j and k can be verified . when the edge lines j and k indicate the same white line , the crossing point of the edge lines i and j can be determined to be the branch point . at step 355 , the table 30 is updated according to the following procedure . step b 1 : find the y - coordinate of the crossing point of the edge lines i and j , and store the value in the save area y . step b 2 : store the edge line number (= i ) of the edge line that is substantially the same with the edge line k in the save area i . step b 3 : store the edge line number i of the other edge line in the save area j . at steps 360 to 375 , a loop process of the table 20 is controlled . the loop process is controlled so that any combination of edge lines are not skipped or overlapped . for example , here , n max is the recorded number of all edge lines registered in the format of the table 20 . after the execution of the subroutine 300 , the process returns to the caller . with these processes , step 250 is finished . a graph 46 of fig1 a shows an image obtained as a result of the branch point detecting process as described above . a graph 47 of fig1 b shows an image obtained as a result of the lane boundary determination , and shows a condition after the execution of step 420 of a subroutine 400 described below with reference to fig1 . fig1 is a flow chart of the subroutine 400 that is called up by step 260 of fig3 for executing the lane boundary determining process . at step 410 , the value of y is checked with reference to the branch point data in the table 30 . when y ≠ 0 , it is determined that there is a branch point and the process goes to step 420 . at step 420 , an edge line that has an edge line number stored in the save areas i and j of the table 30 is adopted as the left side lane boundary position . here , when y & lt ; y , the edge line that is substantially the same with the reference edge line k and whose edge line number is stored in the save area i is employed , whereas when y ≧ y , the edge line inside ( with a larger angle θ ) is employed . thus , when the branch point is detected , the innermost edge line among the pertinent edge lines is selected as the lane boundary position . hence , when there is a branch road , the vehicle may ignore the branch road and keep running along the main road . this is convenient , since a main purpose of the vehicle driving support system or the like is usually to support a continuous driving of the vehicle on the main highway road up to predetermined branches , parking areas , service areas , or the toll booths . on the other hand , when y = 0 , it means that there is no branch point . then , at step 430 , search is performed on the table 20 with a criteria to find an edge line k ′ which is most consistent with the assumed lane width . if there is a proper edge line k ′, the position of the edge line k ′ is set as a new lane boundary position at step 450 . if there is no proper edge line k ′, an exceptional handling of step 460 is executed . at step 460 , a lane boundary position on the left side is calculated based on the lane boundary position on the right side and the lane width of the currently driving lane . alternatively , the lane boundary position on the left side may be calculated based on the latest reference edge line k . alternatively , the process may be abnormally finished . for example , the process may be abnormally finished when the lane boundary position is calculated as described above and the predetermined numbers of exceptional handlings of step 460 occur repeatedly . finally , at step 270 of fig3 , the determined lane boundary position is supplied as an output to a storage area which can refer to an application program relating to an automatic steering device or the like . when the lane boundary detector 100 is structured , for example , according to the control technique as described above , the lane boundary detector which is immune to the detection error and time lag with respect to the branch determination can be provided at a practical cost . fig1 shows an example of a modification ( second embodiment ) of the content to be checked as shown in fig9 . in this example , an image dividing unit is provided to horizontally divide the input image into upper and lower areas . as the reference edge line k described above , an edge line that matches with the lane boundary position in the lower area of the horizontally divided image is employed . the image may be divided into three , four , or more areas . when the road surface image is divided in the horizontal direction , usually the lower area image includes an image of a road surface area , at least a part of which has been the processing object in the previous control cycle . since the road surface area has been the object of analysis in the previous cycle if the analysis results from the previous cycle are utilized , it is highly likely that more reliable determination of the lane boundary position is achieved . hence , even when the reference edge line k is defined based on the horizontally divided image located at a lower area than a target area , substantially the same effect and advantages as the first embodiment may be obtained . in other words , based on the constraints imposed by the spatial continuity of the area , the validity of the detected branch pattern as the lane boundary can be verified to effectively delete noise information . the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the embodiments as described above . other modifications are possible as exemplified below . such modification and application also bring about the advantages of the present invention . though in the first embodiment , the x - coordinate of the edge line on the straight line y = d and the angle θ with respect to the y - axis are employed as indicators to represent the position and the direction ( inclination ) of the edge line , other values may be employed as such parameters . for example , provided that an xy - orthogonal coordinate plane represents the road surface plane , where the positive direction of the y - axis represents the forward direction of the vehicle , the positive direction of the x - axis represents the right ward direction of the vehicle , and the equation of the edge line of the lane sign is expressed as x = ay + b , the coefficients of the equation , such as “ a ” and “ b ” may be employed as the parameter , i . e ., two variables ( p , q ). the present invention relates to detectors that detect a position of boundary of a lane sign drawn on a road surface based on an image input vial a vehicle - mounted camera . hence , the lane boundary detector according to the present invention is useful for , for example , a vehicle driving support system that automatically keeps the vehicle on the lane .	6
at least one ink having a certain color , which is included in the ink set for ink - jet recording of the present invention , is the ink containing glycerol . glycerol adjusts the viscosity of the ink , and it is preferably used as a moistening agent to avoid the clog - up of the nozzle which would be otherwise caused by evaporation and drying of water . the blending amount of glycerol is generally 2 to 50 % by weight with respect to the total amount of the ink . the ink , which contains glycerol , may contain the water - soluble organic solvent incompatible with glycerol , in such an amount that the printing characteristics of the ink are not inhibited . all of the inks other than the ink containing glycerol , which are included in the ink set for ink - jet recording of the present invention , contain substantially no glycerol , and they contain the water - soluble organic solvent incompatible with glycerol . the water - soluble organic solvent , which is incompatible with glycerol , is not specifically limited . however , those preferably used include , for example , ethylene glycol dimethyl ether , diethylene glycol dimethyl ether , triethylene glycol dimethyl ether , and tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether . the water - soluble organic solvent , which is incompatible with glycerol , is preferably used in an amount of 1 to 50 % by weight with respect to the total amount of the ink . if the amount is less than 1 % by weight , it might be impossible to sufficiently obtain the effect to reduce the color bleed in some cases . if the amount exceeds 50 % by weight , for example , the following problems arise in some cases . that is , the ink has an excessively high viscosity , and the discharge failure is caused . the amount is more preferably 3 to 40 % by weight and much more preferably 5 to 30 % by weight . the water - soluble organic solvent incompatible with glycerol may be used singly . alternatively , two or more of the water - soluble organic solvents incompatible with glycerol may be used in combination . the ink , which is used for the ink set for ink - jet recording of the present invention , may be based on the use of glycerol and the water - soluble organic solvent incompatible with glycerol in combination with another water - soluble organic solvent other than the above . the another water - soluble organic solvent includes , for example , alkyl alcohols having a number of carbon or carbons of 1 to 5 such as methyl alcohol , ethyl alcohol , propyl alcohol , and butyl alcohol ; amides such as dimethylformamide and dimethylacetamide ; ketones or ketone alcohols such as acetone and diacetone alcohol ; ethers such as tetrahydrofuran and dioxane ; alkylene glycols with alkylene group having a number of carbon atoms of 2 to 6 such as ethylene glycol , propylene glycol , triethylene glycol , and diethylene glycol ; polyalkylene glycols such as polyethylene glycol and polypropylene glycol ; sulfolane , pyrrolidone , methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone , 1 , 3 - dimethyl - 2 - imidazolidinone , and 1 , 5 - pentanediol . for example , dyes and pigments may be used as the coloring agent for the ink to be used for the ink set for ink - jet recording of the present invention . the dye includes , for example , water - soluble dyes such as direct dyes , acidic dyes , basic dyes , and reactive dyes . performance such as vividness , water solubility , stability , and light resistance is required for the dye . the dye , which satisfies the performance and which is preferably used for the ink for ink - jet recording , is not specifically limited . however , those preferably usable and commercially available include , for example , c . i . direct black 17 , 19 , 32 , 51 , 71 , 108 , 146 , 154 , 168 ; c . i . direct blue 6 , 22 , 25 , 71 , 86 , 90 , 106 , 199 ; c . i . direct red 1 , 4 , 17 , 28 , 83 , 227 ; c . i . direct yellow 12 , 24 , 26 , 86 , 98 , 132 , 142 ; c . i . direct orange 34 , 39 , 44 , 46 , 60 ; c . i . direct violet 47 , 48 ; c . i . direct brown 109 ; c . i . direct green 59 ; c . i . acid black 2 , 7 , 24 , 26 , 31 , 52 , 63 , 112 , 118 ; c . i . acid blue 9 , 22 , 40 , 59 , 93 , 102 , 104 , 113 , 117 , 120 , 167 , 229 , 234 ; c . i . acid red 1 , 6 , 32 , 37 , 51 , 52 , 80 , 85 , 87 , 92 , 94 , 115 , 181 , 256 , 289 , 315 , 317 ; c . i . acid yellow 11 , 17 , 23 , 25 , 29 , 42 , 61 , 71 ; c . i . acid orange 7 , 19 ; c . i . acid violet 49 ; c . i . basic black 2 ; c . i . basic blue 1 , 3 , 5 , 7 , 9 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 , 29 ; c . i . basic red 1 , 2 , 9 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 37 ; c . i . basic violet 7 , 14 , 27 ; and c . i . food black 1 , 2 . as for the pigment , it is possible to use carbon black as well as many inorganic pigments and many organic pigments . the organic pigment is not specifically limited , which includes , for example , azo pigment such as azo lake , insoluble azo pigment , condensed azo pigment , and chelate azo pigment ; polycyclic pigment such as phthalocyanine pigment , perylene and perynone pigments , anthraquinone pigment , quinacridone pigment , dioxazine pigment , thioindigo pigment , isoindolinone pigment , and quinophthalone pigment ; dye lake such as basic dye type lake and acidic dye type lake ; nitro pigment , nitroso pigment , and aniline black daylight fluorescent pigment . the inorganic pigment is not specifically limited , which includes , for example , titanium oxide , iron oxide - based pigment , and carbon black - based pigment . other pigments are also usable provided that they are dispersible in the aqueous phase . for example , it is also possible to use those obtained by surface - treating the pigment such as graft carbon , for example , with a surfactant or a polymer dispersing agent . when the pigment is used as the coloring agent , the pigment is subjected to a dispersing treatment together with an appropriate dispersing agent , a solvent , pure water , and optionally other additives . for example , polymer dispersing agents and surfactants , which have been hitherto known , may be used as the dispersing agent . the polymer dispersing agent includes , for example , protein such as gelatin and albumin ; natural rubber such as gum arabic and gum traganth ; glucoside such as saponin ; cellulose derivative such as methyl cellulose , carboxy cellulose , and hydroxymethyl cellulose ; natural polymer such as lignosulfonate and shellac ; anionic polymer such as salt of polyacrylic acid , salt of styrene - acrylic acid copolymer , salt of vinylnaphthalene - acrylic acid copolymer , salt of styrene - maleic acid copolymer , salt of vinylnaphthalene - maleic acid copolymer , and sodium salt and phosphoric acid salt of β - naphthalenesulfonic acid - formalin condensate ; and nonionic polymer such as polyvinyl alcohol , polyvinyl pyrrolidone , and polyethylene glycol . the surfactant includes , for example , anionic surfactant such as higher alcohol sulfuric acid ester salt , liquid fatty oil sulfuric acid ester salt , and alkylarylsulfonic acid salt ; and nonionic surfactant such as polyoxyethylene alky ether , polyoxyethylene alkyl ester , sorbitan alkyl ester , and polyoxyethylene sorbitan alkyl ester . the dispersing agent may be used singly , or two or more of the dispersing agents may be used in combination . it is preferable that the dispersing agent is blended in an amount of 0 . 01 to 20 % by weight with respect to the total amount of the ink . the method for dispersing the pigment in the ink is not specifically limited . however , it is preferable to use a method based on the use of a dispersing machine . the dispersing machine is not specifically limited , which includes , for example , general dispersing machines such as ball mills , roll mills , and sand mills . especially , it is preferable to use a high speed type sand mill . the dye and the pigment may be used singly respectively . alternatively , two or more dyes , two or more pigments , or two or more dyes and pigments may be mixed and used . the dye and the pigment are generally used in an amount of 0 . 1 to 20 % by weight with respect to the total amount of the ink to be used for the ink set for ink - jet recording of the present invention . if the amount is less than 0 . 1 % by weight , it is impossible to sufficiently develop the color on the regular paper in some cases . if the amount exceeds 20 % by weight , the coloring agent is deposited and aggregated in the ink in some cases . the dye and / or the pigment is preferably used in an amount of 0 . 3 to 1 . 5 % by weight , and more preferably 0 . 5 to 10 % by weight . it is preferable that water is used for the solvent of the ink to be used for the ink set for ink - jet recording of the present invention . as for the water , it is preferable to use water having high purity such as ion exchange water and distilled water , rather than ordinary water . the blending amount of the water may be determined in a wide range depending on the type and the composition of the coloring agent and the water - soluble organic solvent or the characteristics of the desired ink . however , it is preferable that the blending amount is 10 to 98 % by weight with respect to the total amount of the ink . if the blending amount is less than 10 % by weight , then the viscosity of the ink is too high , and it is difficult to discharge the ink from the head . if the blending amount exceeds 98 % by weight , the ink is dried excessively easily . the blending amount is more preferably 30 to 97 % by weight , and much more preferably 40 to 95 % by weight . the ink to be used for the ink set for ink - jet recording of the present invention may contain polyoxyalkylene glycol - n - alkyl ether in order to control the permeability . it is preferable for the polyoxyalkylene glycol - n - alkyl ether that the number of carbon or carbons of the alkyl group is not more than 5 , and the number of carbon or carbons of the oxyalkylene group is not more than 12 . if the number of carbon or carbons of the alkyl group of the polyoxyalkylene glycol - n - alkyl ether exceeds 5 , or if the number of carbon or carbons of the oxyalkylene group exceeds 12 , then the viscosity is intensely increased , which is not suitable for the material for the ink for ink - jet recording in some cases . the polyoxyalkylene glycol - n - alkyl ether includes , for example , glycol ethers represented by alkyl ethers based on ethylene glycol and propylene glycol . the glycol ether based on ethylene glycol includes , for example , ethylene glycol - n - methyl ether , ethylene glycol - n - ethyl ether , ethylene glycol - n - propyl ether , ethylene glycol - n - butyl ether , ethylene glycol - n - isobutyl ether , diethylene glycol - n - methyl ether , diethylene glycol - n - ethyl ether , diethylene glycol - n - propyl ether , diethylene glycol - n - butyl ether , diethylene glycol - n - isobutyl ether , triethylene glycol - n - methyl ether , triethylene glycol - n - ethyl ether , triethylene glycol - n - propyl ether , triethylene glycol - n - butyl ether , and triethylene glycol - n - isobutyl ether . the glycol ether based on propylene glycol includes , for example , propylene glycol - n - methyl ether , propylene glycol - n - ethyl ether , propylene glycol - n - propyl ether , propylene glycol - n - isopropyl ether , propylene glycol - n - butyl ether , dipropylene glycol - n - methyl ether , dipropylene glycol - n - ethyl ether , dipropylene glycol - n - propyl ether , dipropylene glycol - n - isopropyl ether , dipropylene glycol - n - butyl ether , tripropylene glycol - n - methyl ether , tripropylene glycol - n - ethyl ether , tripropylene glycol - n - propyl ether , and tripropylene glycol - n - isopropyl ether . the ink to be used for the ink set for ink - jet recording of the present invention may optionally contain , for example , hitherto known various types of viscosity - adjusting agents , surface tension - adjusting agents , ph - adjusting agents , antiseptic agents , and fungicides . when the ink for the ink - jet recording method in which the recording liquid is electrically charged is prepared , a specific resistance - adjusting agent including , for example , inorganic salts such as lithium chloride , ammonium chloride , and sodium chloride is further added . when the ink for the ink - jet method in which the ink is discharged in accordance with the action of the thermal energy is prepared , for example , values of thermal physical properties including , for example , the specific heat , the coefficient of thermal expansion , and the coefficient of thermal conductivity are adjusted in some cases . although not specifically limited , the ink set for ink - jet recording of the present invention is usually and preferably composed of inks of four colors of black , yellow , magenta , and cyan . when the present invention is used in order to reduce the color bleed at adjoining portions of the black ink and the color ink in the combination as described above , for example , the inks are combined as follows . that is , when the black ink is the ink containing glycerol , it is preferable that the color inks of the three colors of yellow , magenta , and cyan are the inks each containing the water - soluble organic solvent incompatible with glycerol . when the black ink is the ink containing the water - soluble organic solvent incompatible with glycerol , it is preferable that the color inks of the three colors of yellow , magenta , and cyan are the inks each containing glycerol . as described above , the problems involved in the conventional technique are sufficiently solved in the ink set for ink - jet recording of the present invention . it is possible to realize the reduction of color bleed even when the recording is performed on the regular paper . it is possible to give the vivid color recording . the present invention will be explained in further detail below as exemplified by examples . however , the present invention is not limited to only the examples . inks having the following compositions were prepared respectively , and they were used collectively as an ink set for ink - jet recording . inks having the following compositions were prepared respectively , and they were used collectively as an ink set for ink - jet recording . inks having the following compositions were prepared respectively , and they were used collectively as an ink set for ink - jet recording . inks having the following compositions were prepared respectively , and they were used collectively as an ink set for ink - jet recording . inks having the following compositions were prepared respectively , and they were used collectively as an ink set for ink - jet recording . inks were prepared in the same manner as in example 1 except that glycerol was added in place of tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether when each of cyan , magenta , and yellow inks was prepared , and the obtained inks were collectively used as an ink set for ink - jet recording . inks were prepared in the same manner as in example 3 except that triethylene glycol dimethyl ether was not added and polyethylene glycol ( average molecular weight : 200 ) was used in an increased amount to balance the omission of triethylene glycol dimethyl ether when black ink was prepared , and the obtained inks were collectively used as an ink set for ink - jet recording . inks were prepared in the same manner as in example 4 except that diethylene glycol was added in place of diethylene glycol dimethyl ether when each of cyan , magenta , and yellow inks was prepared , and the obtained inks were collectively used as an ink set for ink - jet recording . inks were prepared in the same manner as in example 1 except that diethylene glycol was added in place of glycerol when black ink was prepared , and the obtained inks were collectively used as an ink set for ink - jet recording . the respective materials were sufficiently mixed and agitated for the inks obtained in examples 1 to 5 and comparative examples 1 to 4 , followed by performing filtration with a membrane filter of 0 . 8 μm to use the obtained inks for the evaluation of recording . the recording was performed by using the inks described above while combining the inks of two colors so that the letter color and the background color were obtained respectively on recording samples . the evaluation was directed to the blur at the boundary at which the colors were mixed with each other and to the distinction of letters . letters , which were recorded without any background of each of the colors , were used for a recording sample to serve as an evaluation standard . the letter size was set to 11 point with microsoft word 97 . the recording was performed on regular paper ( xerox 4200 ) by using an ink - jet printer having a multi - head of the on - demand type ( discharge orifice diameter : 35 μm , resistance value of heating resistor : 150 ω , driving voltage : 30 v , frequency : 2 khz ) for performing the recording by discharging droplets by applying the thermal energy to the ink in the recording head . the recording samples was evaluated for the degree of blur of the letters with the background as compared with the letters with no background in accordance with visual evaluation . the evaluation criterion is as follows : ++: the color bleed is scarcely observed , and the equivalent vividness is obtained as compared with the letters with no background ; +: the color bleed is slightly generated , but the letters are sufficiently readable ; ±: the color bleed is clearly generated , but the letters are readable ; and −: the color bleed is clearly generated , and the letters are difficult to be read as well . table 1 shows obtained results . as shown in table 1 , the blurring , which would be otherwise caused by the color bleed at the boundary portions of the inks , was scarcely observed in the recording samples prepared in respective examples . an embodiment of an ink jet printer as an ink - jet recording apparatus in accordance with the invention will be described as below with reference to the accompanying drawings . as shown in fig1 a color ink jet printer 100 includes four ink cartridges ( ink set ) 61 , each of which contains a respective color of ink , such as cyan , magenta , yellow and black ink , a head unit 63 having an ink jet printer head 6 ( hereinafter referred to as a head 6 ) for ejecting ink onto a sheet 62 , a carriage 64 on which the ink cartridges 61 and the head unit 63 are mounted , a drive unit 65 that reciprocates the carriage 64 in a straight line , a platen roller 66 that extends in a reciprocating direction of the carriage 64 and is disposed opposite to the head 6 , and a purge unit 67 . as the black , cyan , magenta and yellow ink , the ink prepared in the above examples can be used . the drive unit 65 includes a carriage shaft 71 , a guide plate 72 , two pulleys 73 and 74 , and an endless belt 75 . the carriage shaft 71 is disposed at a lower end portion of the carriage 64 and extends in parallel with the platen roller 66 . the guide plate 72 is disposed at an upper end portion of the carriage 64 and extends in parallel with the carriage shaft 71 . the pulleys 73 and 74 are disposed at both end portions of the carriage shaft 71 and between the carriage shaft 71 and the guide plate 72 . the endless belt 75 is stretched between the pulleys 73 and 74 . as the pulley 73 is rotated in normal and reverse directions by a motor , the carriage 64 , connected to the endless belt 75 , is reciprocated in the straight direction , along the carriage shaft 71 and the guide plate 72 , in accordance with the normal and reverse rotation of the pulley 73 . the sheet 62 is supplied from a sheet cassette ( not shown ) provided in the ink jet printer 100 and fed between the head 6 and the platen roller 66 to perform predetermined printing by ink droplets ejected from the head 6 . then , the sheet 62 is discharged to the outside . a sheet feeding mechanism and a sheet discharging mechanism are omitted from fig1 . the purge unit 67 is provided on a side of the platen roller 66 . the purge unit 67 is disposed to be opposed to the head 6 when the head unit 63 is located in a reset position . the purge unit 67 includes a purge cap 81 , a pump 82 , a cam 83 , and a waste ink reservoir 84 . the purge cap 81 contacts a nozzle surface to cover a plurality of nozzles ( described later ) formed in the head 6 . when the head unit 63 is placed in the reset position , the nozzles in the head 6 are covered with the purge cap 81 to inhale ink including air bubbles trapped in the head 6 by the pump 82 and by the cam 83 , thereby purging the head 6 . the inhaled ink is stored in the waste ink reservoir 84 . to prevent ink from drying , a cap 85 is provided to cover the nozzles 15 ( fig2 ) in the head 6 mounted on the carriage 64 when it returns to the reset position after printing . as shown in fig2 the head unit 63 is mounted on the carriage 64 that moves along the sheet 62 and has a substantially box shape with upper open structure . the head unit 63 has a cover plate 44 made of an elastic thin metallic plate . the cover plate 44 is fixed at the front surface of the head unit 63 and covers the head unit 63 when the head 6 is removed . the head unit 63 also has a mounting portion 2 on which the four ink cartridges 61 are detachably attached from above . ink supply paths 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d , each of which connects respective ink discharge portions of each ink cartridge 61 , communicate with a bottom of a bottom plate 5 of the head unit 63 . each of the ink supply paths 4 a , 4 b , 4 c , 4 d is provided with a rubber packing 47 to intimately contact an ink supply hole 19 a . the head 6 is constructed from four blocks that are arranged in parallel to each other . on the underside of the bottom plate 5 , four stepped supports 8 are formed to receive the respective blocks of the head 6 . in the bottom plate 5 , a plurality of recesses 9 a , 9 b , which are filled with an uv adhesive to bond the respective blocks of the head 6 , are formed to penetrate the bottom plate 5 . [ 0153 ] fig3 is a sectional view showing one of the pressure chambers in the head 6 . a plurality of pressure chambers 16 are provided in the head 6 . the nozzles 15 communicating the respective pressure chambers 16 are provided substantially in line in one surface of the head 6 . as shown in fig3 the head 6 is constructed by the cavity plate 10 and the piezoelectric actuator 20 . the cavity plate 10 has the ink supply holes 19 a connected with the ink cartridge 61 , the manifolds 12 , the narrowed portions 16 d , the pressure chambers 16 , the through holes 17 and the nozzles 15 , which communicate with each other . while the ink supply hole 19 a opens toward the ejecting direction of the nozzle 15 in fig3 for convenience , the ink supply hole 19 a actually opens toward the piezoelectric actuator 20 . a controller 3 provides a prestored driving pulse to the piezoelectric actuator 20 by superimposing the driving pulse on a clock signal . the driving pulse can be controlled with a technique disclosed in , for example , u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 312 , 089 , 6 , 412 , 923 b1 and 6 , 760 , 959 . further , the detailed structure of the printer and controlling method of the head unit are also disclosed in these u . s . patents , a content of which has been incorporated herein by reference . the present invention is constructed as described above . therefore , the ink set for ink - jet recording is successfully provided , in which it is possible to reduce the feathering and the color bleed and it is possible to perform the vivid color recording without requiring any special mechanism for a printer even in the case of the use for the recording on the regular paper .	2
the present invention provides a system and method to collect a representative sample of ambient aerosols from an open environment . the sampler of the present invention is a device used in the field of aerosol science to collect aerosol particles from the surrounding environment . once the sampler collects a particle sample , the collected particle sample may then be tested to yield qualitative or quantitative information about the environment from which the sample was collected . the sampler does not disturb the environment upstream of the collected sample , points into the wind , i . e ., aligns isoaxially with the wind direction , and ingests samples with an inlet speed equivalent , generally equal , to the ambient wind speed , i . e ., achieves an isokinetic state with the wind speed . as the sampler attains this criterion , the collected aerosol sample becomes unbiased for differing aerosol particle sizes within the ambient air . the sampler provides a representative sample of the immediate environment by collecting a sample of the ambient aerosols in the surrounding environment without biasing the sample size distribution , i . e ., the collected sample is representative of the surrounding environment . collection of unbiased samples permits an accurate determination of aerosol concentrations , such as aerosol contaminants within the ambient air . as seen in fig1 an absolute reference sampler system 10 comprises a positioning component 12 and an intake component 14 . the positioning component 12 of the absolute reference sampler system 10 functions to continuously align a sampling head 22 having a collection inlet 24 in substantially isoaxial alignment with a given wind direction 110 as measured within the immediate environment of the absolute reference sampler system 10 . the intake component 14 draws ambient air 100 into the collection inlet 24 at a substantially isokinetic rate to a given wind speed 120 . although the position of the sampling head 22 is changed , the sampling head 22 maintains a sealed flow between the collection inlet 24 and a means for drawing 48 an effective amount of ambient air 100 through the use of a sealed bearing system 60 . referring to fig1 a , beyond the leading edge or tip of the collection inlet 24 , a shroud 26 is preferably used to facilitate the ingress of the air sample into the inlet probe 24 a of the collection inlet 24 . the shroud 26 includes support fins 26 b supporting the outer edges of the shroud 26 . shroud 26 acts to decelerate the incoming ambient air 100 . preferably , the shroud 26 decelerates the ambient air 100 by a factor of from about 2 to about 5 , more preferably a factor of from about 3 . 5 to about 4 . 5 . the proper size and performance characteristics for the shroud 26 for a given absolute reference sampler system 10 are determinable by those skilled in the art , particularly in light of the disclosure of shrouds 26 in the articles “ a predictive model for aerosol transmission through a shrouded probe ” by gong et al ., environmental science & amp ; technology , vo . 30 , no . 11 , pgs . 3192 - 3198 , and “ shrouded probe performance : variable flow operation and effect of free stream turbulence ” by chandra et al ., aerosol science and technology , 26 : 2 february 1997 , pgs . 111 - 126 , with the disclosures of these two articles incorporated herein by reference in their entirety . as discussed within these articles , when the shroud 26 is added over the tip of the collection inlet 24 , the air entering the collection inlet 24 becomes decelerated by an appropriate factor , as previously described , depending on the geometry of the collection inlet 24 and shroud 26 . this deceleration allows the absolute reference sampler system 10 to either utilize less capable mechanisms for drawing air into the collection inlet 24 for the absolute reference sampler system 10 to function in the same range of wind speeds , or to expand the range of wind speeds covered by the same mechanisms for drawing air into the absolute reference sampler system 10 , depending on the numerical factor of deceleration provided by the shroud 26 . for example , if the shroud 26 decelerates the inlet air velocity by a factor of four , the range of wind speeds measurable by the absolute reference sampler system 10 without the shroud 26 having a range of from 0 to 10 mph advances to isokinetic wind speeds sampling of 0 to 40 mph ( 4 × 10 ) for the absolute reference sampler system 10 with the addition of the shroud 26 . as further seen in fig1 and 1a , within the sampling head 22 , an inspection component 28 is placed along conduit 74 for the collection inlet 24 to collect ( retain ) or analyze the aerosol particles that entered the collection inlet 24 . the inspection component 28 may comprise a collection mechanism , such as a fixed filter holder 30 containing a standard fiber or membrane type filter 32 for collection of the aerosol sample . once the trial is concluded , the filter 32 is removed from the filter holder 30 and analyzed . preferably , however , the inspection component 28 comprises a mechanism for immediately analyzing the aerosol sample using an analyzing component 34 , such as an optical particle counter / sizer . exemplary devices include those commercially available as the met one from pacific scientific of grants pass , oregon or the tsi aerodynamic particle sizer , with proper mounting and configuration into the sampling head 22 of the absolute reference sampler system 10 determinable by those skilled in the art , such as removing the optical particle detector mechanism to mount it directly to the sampling head 22 while remaining attached electronically through a cable or other means such as a wireless transmitter to the rest of the commercial system , which performs particle counting / sizing functions in a normal manner allowing the user to monitor the data through a dedicated computer 50 , shown in fig3 . the met one particle counting optics detect the aerosol sample as it passes through a met one optical scanner 36 which is connected to the met one data processing component 38 through a data cable or wireless modem , which then produces size and quantity data on the detected particles . preferably , the sampling head 22 comprises a swiveling sampling head 22 that rotates into two directions within a plane above and parallel to the ground , i . e ., along the horizontal plane . within the swiveling sampling head 22 , the inspection component 28 is appropriately placed to collect aerosol samples from the drawn ambient air 100 . proper placement of the inspection component 28 is determinable by those skilled in the art in light of the disclosure herein , the main criteria being to avoid turbulence within the collection inlet 24 while creating enough distance from the blunt face of the inspection component 28 to minimize any effect on the particle flow at the inlet tip . generally , inspection component 28 placement will most appropriately collect or analyze a representative , i . e ., unbiased , aerosol sample , such as perpendicular placement directly in the path of the drawn ambient air 100 with the inspection component 28 holding the filter 32 or analyzing component 34 from about 5 inches to about 15 inches from the tip of the collection inlet 24 on the swiveling sampling head 22 . the positioning component 12 moves through a bearing system 60 ( detailed in fig1 b ) located below the positioning component 12 . the bearing system 60 of the absolute reference sampler system 10 contains the ambient air 100 flow within the sealed conduit 74 to maintain vacuum for pulling the ambient air 100 through the collection inlet 24 . as such , the bearing system 60 seals the conduit 74 between and connecting a means for drawing 48 ambient air 100 and the collection inlet 24 . this permits the bearing system 60 to allow efficient rotation of the sampling head 24 while ensuring that only sampled ambient air 100 gets into the intake component 14 . the bearing system 60 may include any appropriate mechanism sufficient to accomplish proper functioning of the present invention in light of the teaching herein , with a preferred bearing system 60 comprising a browning model fbe920 flange mounted ball bearing 72 having a one inch ( 1 in .) diameter shaft 62 press fitted into the bearing hole 70 . the shaft 62 protrudes approximately two inches ( 2 in .) out of the base 66 of the bearing , and mates with a second shaft 64 . the interconnection between the bottom of shaft 62 and the top of second shaft 64 is sufficiently aligned and lubricated to form an airtight seal 68 within the tee - shaped collar 65 sitting on support plate 67 , while allowing the bearing mounted shaft 62 to swivel inside collar 65 , with the second shaft 64 fixed in place within the same collar 65 . both shaft 62 and second shaft 64 have a three - quarters inch ( ¾ in .) inner diameter through which the ambient air 100 passes as the ambient air 100 is pulled through the conduit 74 by a pump 48 . an o - ring seal 63 at the top of shaft 62 , underneath the flange mounted ball - bearing 72 and along the outer wall of shaft 64 , provides a leak proof seal at these points . the configuration of shaft 62 and second shaft 64 allows the sampling head 22 to rotate while maintaining the conduit 74 sealed for the ambient air 100 to pass , with variations of this design determinable by those skilled in the art in light of the disclosure herein . wind direction 110 and wind speed 120 are determined by on - site measurement . preferably , the absolute reference sampler system 10 includes a portable meteorological station 16 that includes a means for determining wind direction 52 and a means for determining wind speed 54 , as well as other devices for measuring and recording environmental conditions such as temperature , true barometric pressure , and relative humidity in the immediate area of the absolute reference sampler system 10 . as part of the positioning component 12 of the absolute reference sampler system 10 , the means for determining wind direction 52 determines the ambient air 100 wind direction 110 in real time . this provides a reference measurement to maneuver the sampling head 22 in a particular direction to maintain the collection inlet 24 in isoaxial alignment with wind direction 110 , which is subject to rapid and repeated changes . additionally , the means for determining wind speed 54 determines the ambient air 100 wind speed 120 in real time for an additional reference for calibrating a correct ambient air 100 draw into the collection inlet 24 . preferably , both the means for determining wind direction 52 and means for determining wind speed 54 are housed within the meteorological station 16 , which may be located in a suitable place for actual wind condition experienced by the absolute reference sampler system 10 , with the proper location determinable by those skilled in the art . preferably , the meteorological station 16 includes several environmental measuring devices for extensive analysis of the collected aerosol sample . while the meteorological station 16 provides real time wind speed 120 and wind direction 110 information for the absolute reference sampler 10 to properly adjust , additional environmental conditions are monitored and / or recorded with these environmental measuring devices in the portable meteorological station 16 such as , without limitation , temperature , barometric pressure and relative humidity . although preferably portable , the meteorological station 16 may be permanently fixed within a location , as desired , preferably remaining within a three - foot radius of the absolute reference sampler system 10 . portability provides easy relocation of the absolute reference sampler system 10 , for either use as a single device in each of several areas and / or use in remote areas . portable infers a compactness and weight that readily permits transport to and set - up of the absolute reference sampler system 10 in a desired location , such as by transport vehicle or carried by individuals . preferably , this includes weights of 60 pounds or less , preferably from 30 pounds or less , and sizes not exceeding from about 4 meters 2 , preferably from about 2 meters 2 . real time wind speed 120 data , wind direction 110 and other relevant environment conditions are monitored and recorded using such devices as the ascii data logger 20 and the portable computer 50 , which preferably utilize a metrabyte data acquisition or similar card and compatible software such as labview or labtech notebook software for viewing and logging of real time data . real time determination of the wind direction 110 and wind speed 120 occurs with any appropriate commercially available meteorological system , such as a meteorological sensing device sold under the tradename anemometer and meteorological sensor , model 500cm - 6 manufactured by cossonay meteorology systems of reading , pa . for measuring wind speed and direction , temperature , pressure , and relative humidity . measurement of real time wind speed 120 permits proper regulation of the ambient air 100 by the intake component 14 into the collection inlet 24 . the intake component 14 of the absolute reference sampler system 10 includes a mass flow controller 42 for controlling the intake component 14 , i . e ., the draw of the ambient air 100 into the absolute reference sampler system 10 and regulating the flow of ambient air 100 into the collection inlet 24 . as the means for drawing 48 ambient air 100 , such as a pump , draws air into the absolute reference sampler system 10 , the mass flow controller 42 ensures ambient air 100 draw remains referenced to the actual wind speed 120 of the ambient air 100 outside of the absolute reference sampler system 10 . the mass flow controller 42 preferably comprises a flow meter 42 a and a valve 42 b for referencing the ambient air 100 draw into the absolute reference sampler system 10 . the flow meter 42 a component of the mass flow controller 42 measures the amount of ambient air 100 passing through the mass flow controller 42 . this measurement of ambient air 100 by the flow meter 42 a is used , in real time , to control the valve 42 b . the valve 42 b of the mass flow controller 42 allows the mass flow controller 42 to vary this amount of ambient air 100 passing through the mass flow controller 42 . in combination , the flow meter 42 a and valve 42 b function to equate the draw of ambient air 100 into the absolute reference sampler system 10 with the external environmental wind speed 120 conditions . preferably , the two functional parts of the mass flow controller 42 , i . e ., the flow meter 42 a and the flowmeter valve 42 b , are integrated into a single unit . the valve 42 b preferably comprises a proportioning valve 42 b . selection of a suitable mass flow controller 42 is determinable by those skilled in the art in light of the disclosure herein , for example , a mass flow controller 42 being commercially available under the tradename of matheson , manufactured by matheson gas products of montgomeryville , pa . in one preferred embodiment , the mass flow controller 42 responds to a command voltage input ( determined by the wind speed ) ranging from 0 to 5 volts dc . at an input of 0 volts dc , the valve is fully closed , while for an input of 5 volts dc the valve is fully open . all voltages in between 0 and 5 respond in a linear manner , i . e ., for an input of 2 . 5 volts the valve is half opened . for a vacuum pump 48 and mass flow controller 42 with a maximum flow capacity of 50 standard liters per minute ( slpm ) throughput , an input of 2 . 5 volts dc would yield a throughput of 25 slpm , an input of 1 . 25 volts dc yields 12 . 5 slpm , and other voltages being likewise linearly proportional to the throughput of the valve 42 b . if the collection inlet 24 does not include the shroud 26 , the velocity of the air entering the collection inlet is set equal to the ambient wind speed which corresponds to a flow meter 42 a reading by the equation i below , where flowrate and wind speed are referenced to standard temperature at 20 ° c . and standard pressure at 1 atmosphere : this encompasses the condition of isokinetic inlet sampling in which the wind velocity at the collection inlet 24 equals the ambient air speed 120 . when the shroud 26 is placed over the collection inlet 24 , with the inlet probe diameter 30 % of the shroud diameter , the required system flowrate is reduced by a factor of 4 relative to the unshrouded inlet , and is described by equation ii below : flowrate = ( π / 4 )  ( diameter inlet ) 2 × ( wind   speed ) / 4 = ( π / 4 )  ( 0 . 3  diameter shroud ) 2 × ( wind   speed ) / 4 = 0 . 0225  π  ( diameter shroud ) 2 × ( wind   speed ) / 4 ( ii ) accordingly , in the case of a shrouded probe , the inner probe 24 a has a flowrate only 0 . 0225 times the ambient flow 100 entering the shroud 26 . this provides a substantially equivalent wind speed at the shrouded probe compared to the actual wind speed conditions to compensate for an isokinetic condition . as such the flowrate of the shrouded probe is shown in equation iii below : where x is determinable by those skilled in the art for a given shroud configuration and size . the intake component 14 further includes the means for drawing 48 an effective amount of ambient air 100 into the collection inlet 24 . an effective amount includes sufficient ambient air 100 flow for mass flow controller 42 operation to match the speed of the ambient air 100 flow into the collection inlet 24 with the real time determined wind speed 120 . the means for drawing 48 includes any suitable vacuum device that functionally draws enough ambient air 100 into the collection inlet 24 . preferably , the means for drawing 48 ambient air 100 into the collection inlet comprises a pump 48 . such devices include , without limitation , mechanical , electrical or pneumatic pumps , with the proper selection of pump or other suitable drawing device determinable by those skilled in the art in light of the disclosure herein . for proper continuous functioning , the selected pump 48 should be capable of pulling against a complete vacuum , i . e ., against a closed system , without sustaining damage . fig2 shows a schematic representation of a comparator circuit 46 used by the present invention for controlling the positioning component 12 . as seen in fig1 and 2 , the means for comparing the position of the collection inlet 24 and the determined wind direction 110 preferably comprises the comparator circuit 46 for controlling the sampling head 22 position . wind direction 110 data is used to control a stepper motor feedback system 58 a to swivel the sampling head 22 which is achieved through the comparator circuit 46 which compares the output of a position sensor , attached to the shaft of the sampling head 22 , with the wind direction 110 data , instructing a stepper motor 58 to turn either clockwise or counter clockwise until the desired position is reached , at which time the stepper motor 58 is disabled until the wind direction 110 changes . as seen in fig2 the absolute reference sampler system 10 comparator circuit 46 acts as a means for comparing 56 the position of the collection inlet 24 and the determined wind direction 110 , to ensure isoaxial alignment of the collection inlet 24 with the actual wind direction 110 . position comparison between the position of the collection inlet 24 and the wind direction 110 yields a differential value that is created to represent any variance between the position of the collection inlet 24 and the determined wind direction 110 , i . e ., the degree of non - isoaxial alignment . with the determination of the differential value , the absolute reference sampler system 10 employs a stepper motor 58 for positioning the sampling head 22 , and concurrently the collection inlet 24 , that uses , or reacts , to the differential value to adjust the sampling head 22 . the stepper motor 58 for positioning is operably connected to the sampling head 22 , allowing the stepper motor 58 to turn , swivel or otherwise rotate the sampling head 22 into the wind direction 110 and fixing the collection inlet 24 in isoaxial alignment with the determined wind direction 110 , i . e ., the wind direction 110 data is used to control a stepper motor feedback system 58 a ( shown in fig1 ) which swivels the sampling head 22 . rotation of the sampling head 22 is achieved using a means for positioning 58 the sampling head 22 , such as the stepper motor 58 in combination with the stepper motor feedback system 58 a . any suitable motor 58 may be used for moving the sampling head 22 , with proper selection of the motor 58 being determinable by those skilled in the art in light of the disclosure herein . an example of such motor 58 includes a hurst model sas4004 - 014 stepper motor controlled by a hurst model 220006 stepper motor controller , manufactured by hurst manufacturing division of princeton , ind ., which is controlled by standard cmos 5 volt logic level inputs . the stepper motor feedback system 58 a preferably comprises a us digital corporation a2 absolute encoder attached to the shaft of the sampling head 22 . the a2 encoder produces an analog voltage of 0 to 4 . 096 volts dc . these values represent the position or bearing of the collection inlet 24 , with 0 vdc representing 0 degrees , and 4 . 096 vdc representing 359 degrees . all values between 0 vdc and 4 . 096 vdc are linearly related to the position of the collection inlet 24 , i . e ., 90 degrees is represented by 1 . 024 vdc , 180 degrees is represented by 2 . 048 vdc , 270 degrees is represented by 3 . 072 vdc , etc . as further seen in fig2 in the first comparison step of the comparator circuit 46 , the representative voltage of the collection inlet 24 ( shaft encoder ) is compared electronically with the voltage from the wind direction sensor ( wind direction ), such as a fidelity model 500 wind direction sensor , manufactured by cossonay meteorology systems of reading , pa . the voltage for the wind direction sensor has the same characteristics as that of the shaft encoder , with 0 vdc representing 0 degrees , 1 . 024 vdc representing 90 degrees , 2 . 048 vdc representing 180 degrees , 3 . 072 vdc representing 270 degrees , 4 . 096 vdc representing 359 degrees , and all interposed values corresponding linearly . when the wind direction voltage is greater than that of the shaft encoder voltage , the stepper motor 58 ( shown in fig1 ) is directed to turn clockwise until the difference between the two voltages is minimal , at which time the stepper motor 58 is disabled until the wind direction changes again . when the wind direction voltage is smaller than that of the shaft encoder voltage , the stepper motor 58 is directed to turn counter - clockwise until the difference between the two voltage values becomes minimal , at which time the stepper motor 58 is disabled until the wind direction changes again . problematic with the comparator circuit 46 , large excursions of the sampler head 22 may occur when attempting to cross from 359 degrees to 1 degree , or any time it is required to cross 0 degree . this problem is alleviated by computing the difference voltage between the wind direction sensor and the shaft encoder sensor . for occasions when the shaft position crosses 0 degrees , which would result in large 300 + degree excursions of the sampling head 22 , an absolute magnitude of the difference between the wind direction voltage and shaft encoder voltage is computed . as such , when the difference is smaller than 2 . 048 vdc ( 180 degrees ), the stepper motor 58 reacts in the direction as previously described . an absolute magnitude of the voltage difference that exceeds half of the full scale voltage ( 2 . 048 vdc ) indicates that the sampling head 22 and the wind direction 110 are more than 180 apart , and that it would be shorter for the sampling head 22 to turn in the opposite direction . accordingly , when the voltage difference is greater than 2 . 048 vdc , the stepper motor 58 is instructed to turn in the opposite direction of the initial comparison , until the difference between the two voltages is minimal , at which time the stepper motor 58 is disabled . for example , when the wind direction 110 is at 10 degrees and the sampler head 22 is at 350 degrees ( a difference of 340 degrees , and being greater than 180 degrees ), the sampler head 22 moves 20 degrees clockwise instead of 340 degrees counter - clockwise to realign to collection inlet 24 in isoaxial alignment with the wind direction 110 . referring further to fig2 the proper direction of turn for the sampling head 22 is accomplished at the second comparator , whose output is exclusive - ored ( x - or ) with the output of the first comparator . if the output of the second comparator is logic level 1 , the output of the x - or gate will be the inverse of the input from the first comparator , therefore instructing the stepper motor 58 to turn in the opposite direction . the stepper motor 58 continues turning until the voltage difference falls below a threshold voltage set at the third comparator . when this occurs , the output of the third comparator goes to a high logic level and disables the stepper motor 58 , as the sample head 22 becomes essentially in alignment with the wind direction 110 . once disabled , the stepper motor 58 remains disabled until the difference voltage exceeds the threshold voltage due to a change in wind direction 110 . fig3 is an operational schematic representation of the absolute reference sampler system 10 . in a preferred embodiment as seen in fig3 meteorological data is accumulated in real time by the fidelity met sensor 16 a and fidelity relative humidity sensor 16 b . the information collected includes wind speed 120 , wind direction 110 , relative humidity , barometric pressure , and temperature . this information passes to the fidelity junction box 18 through electrical cabling in the form of binary data . the data is processed in the junction box 18 , where corrections are made to the wind speed data based on the current temperature , relative humidity , and barometric pressure . four output signals originate from the junction box 18 . one includes an ascii formatted serial data stream 18 a sent to an ascii data logger 20 manufactured by acumen instruments of ames , iowa , which stores the data relating to wind speed 120 , wind direction 110 , relative humidity , and barometric pressure and temperature . ascii comprises a standard format used for transmitting binary data between digital systems , preferably through rs - 232 or rs - 422 links . the data logger 20 stores the ascii data for the length of the test , and can be analyzed later with a personal computer to determine whether the absolute reference sampler system 10 is properly functioning . the other three signals 18 b from the junction box 18 pass to an electronic control box 44 through electrical cabling , and include three control signals : a serial data signal , data clock signal , and data select signal . these signals 18 b are processed by the control box 44 to control the position of the sampling head 22 . the feedback circuit , i . e ., comparator circuit 46 ( shown in fig2 ) compares the wind direction 110 of the ambient air 100 information with the sampler head 22 position , and generates the appropriate control signals to the stepper motor 58 which turns the collection inlet 24 to the correct isoaxial position with the wind direction 110 . these signals also contain the wind speed 120 information used to determine the proper pump 48 rate . the pump 48 pulls at a constant rate of revolutions per minute ( rpm ), yielding a free air capacity of greater than 100 liters per minute ( lpm ), using a mass flow controller 42 internal to the control box 44 restricts the amount of air passing through the collection inlet 24 in proportion to the wind speed 120 . a set of analog voltage outputs is sent from the control box 44 to an external computer 50 containing a data acquisition card . these outputs are dc voltages ranging from 0 to + 5 volts dc which vary according to the sensor input , and represent wind speed 120 , wind direction 110 , sampling head 22 position , and inlet flow rate . the computer 50 converts these signals to a real time graphical display , allowing the operator to monitor the absolute reference sampler system 10 performance in real time , with the computer 50 additionally logging the collected data for later analysis . in operation , the absolute reference sampler system 10 samples ambient air 100 by drawing an effective amount of ambient air 100 into the collection inlet 24 . this effective amount of ambient air 100 occurs with the differential value relative to the wind direction 110 and sampling head 22 position is calculated causing the means for positioning 58 the sampling head 22 to rotate the sampling head 22 proportionally to the differential value to a calculated sampling head 22 position , with the mass flow controller 42 regulating the ambient air 100 flow into the collection inlet 24 to a speed substantially equivalent to the determined wind speed 120 , e . g ., a fixed rate pump pulls continuously at a rate of greater than 100 liters per minute free air capacity , while a 50 standard liters per minute ( standard liters per minute ) mass flow controller 42 varies or limits the flow rate at the tip of the collection inlet 24 in accordance with the wind speed 120 data determined by the meteorological station 16 . once the aerosol sample is collected in the filter 32 , the filter 32 is removed from the swiveling sampling head 22 and the aerosol sample therefrom is analyzed . while modulation of ambient air 100 intake occurs , the sampling head 22 is rotated for isoaxial alignment of the collection inlet 24 with the determined wind direction 110 . isoaxial alignment includes those angles that minimize or eliminate bias of a collected sample , as determinable by those skilled in the art in light of the disclosure here . preferably isoaxial alignment ranges from equal to or less than about − 3 ° to about + 3 °. most preferably , the isoaxial alignment of the collection inlet 24 to the determined wind direction 110 is approximately 0 °, with an unavoidable but minimal real time lag for positioning . the absolute reference sampler 10 achieves proper directional alignment in real time through the use of the swiveling sampling head 22 , and proper real time system flow rate through the use of a mass flow controller 42 . an absolute reference sampler prototype was built and tested . the absolute reference sampler was constructed using a mass flow controller transducer manufactured by matheson gas products of montgomeryville , pa ., an a2 absolute encoder with a shaft angle within a 360 degree range manufactured by us digital corporation of vancouver , wash ., a hurst stepping motor controller , model 220006 , manufactured by hurst of princeton , ind ., and a meteorological sensing device of an anemometer and meteorological sensor , model 500cm - 6 manufactured by cossonay meteorology systems of reading , pa . for measuring wind speed and direction , temperature , pressure , and relative humidity . critical parameters , such as wind speed , wind direction , flow rate and sampling head position were monitored in real time through use of a portable computer and data acquisition card . these parameters were logged to the computer &# 39 ; s hard drive for analysis and archival purposes using microsoft excel . the prototype was portable , measuring 4 . 5 feet in height , 18 inches in depth and 12 inches in width , with a weight of 25 pounds . results of the tests are shown in fig4 and 5 . as seen in the graph depicted in fig4 the actual recorded wind direction is compared to the collection inlet position of the system of the present invention over a time period of 2 . 5 minutes . the alignment between the actual wind direction and sampler head has a maximum deviation of less than 100 degrees for less than 2 seconds ( occurring at time about 109 seconds ) with an overall mean deviation of approximately 5 . 9 degrees . for the hundreds of corrections evidenced within the time period of 2 . 5 minutes , the maximum deviation occurred when the present invention corrected in the opposite direction of the wind direction change , followed by an immediate recovery to the correct alignment . fig5 is a graphic representation of the wind speed compared to the inlet speed of the present invention over time . the plot of fig5 shows the system flow rate of the present invention matches the actual wind speed in real time over the test period of 2 . 5 minutes with close alignment . the correlation between the actual wind speed and the inlet air velocity has a maximum deviation of less than three standard liters per minute ( slpm ) ( occurring at time about 1 . 5 minutes ) with an overall mean deviation of approximately 0 . 23 slpm . with these preliminary data points of the performance of the actual sampling accuracy of the absolute reference sampler , the close correlation of sampler head position and system flow rate with the ambient wind conditions permit the absolute reference sampler to accurately collect ambient aerosol samples from a given environment in an unbiased manner . an absolute reference sampler of the present invention is constructed with fixed rate pump having a continuous pull rate of greater than 100 liters per minute free air capacity . within the sampler , a 50 standard liters per minute ( standard liters per minute ) mass flow controller varies the flow rate at the sampler tip to match the wind speed data , in real time , collected from an attached meteorological station . the mass flow controller proportions the valve to proportion air 100 flow through it in response to an electrical input of a 0 - 5 volt command voltage . an operational amplifier circuit computes the 0 to 5 vdc command voltage based on the wind speed data . a 0 volt input produces a flow of 0 liters per minute and a 5 volt input produces a flow of 50 liters per minute , with input values between 0 and 5 corresponding in a linear manner ( giving a proportion of the control voltage to the desired flow rate into the absolute reference sampler as a ratio of approximately 1 : 10 ). for example , a wind speed of 10 mph provides a flow rate of 34 ( 10 × 3 . 4 ) liters per minute from a matheson command voltage of 3 . 4 ( 34 / 10 ) volts . the required flow rate for the mass flow controller is determined in the unshrouded probe configuration by the formula flow rate =( π / 4 )( diameter inlet ) 2 × wind speed , where flowrate and wind speed are referenced to standard temperature ( 20 ° c .) and standard pressure ( 1 atmosphere ). with an absolute reference sampler having an inlet with a diameter of 0 . 50 inches , the mass flow controller restricts the flow rate as seen below in table 1 : as seen in table 1 , a wind speed of 7 . 35 miles per hour ( mph ) requires a flow rate of 25 liters per minute ( lpm ), a wind speed of 14 . 7 mph requires a flow rate of 50 lpm , a wind speed of 22 . 05 mph requires a flow rate of 75 lpm , and a wind speed of 29 . 4 mph requires a flow rate of 100 lpm . in the configuration within this example 2 , the maximum wind speed that can be accurately sampled without a shroud is 14 . 7 mph , as the mass flow controller can only handle a maximum of 50 liters per minute flow rate . a flow controller with a higher upper limit allows for accurate sampling at higher wind speeds . the process of the present invention collects an unbiased aerosol sample from a given environment . as such , the present invention minimizes , or eliminates , the size distribution biases commonly introduced by currently available samplers . the foregoing summary , description , examples and drawings of the invention are not intended to be limiting , but are only exemplary of the inventive features which are defined in the claims .	6
the device illustrated is associated with an electrode roller 10 of an electrical resistance welding machine which operates with two such electrode rollers , and has the function of cleaning and re - shaping the outer surface of the electrode roller 10 from time to time , which surface becomes worn and soiled with the welding . the second electrode roller , which is not shown in the drawing , may be associated with a device which corresponds exactly to that shown in fig1 to 4 . the device illustrated has a post 12 which is fastened in the usual way onto or near a bearing and drive housing for the electrode roller 10 , not shown in the drawing . guides 14 , which are shown in the drawing as v - guides , are provided on the post 12 , and extend parallel to and at a short distance from an axial plane a which contains the axis of the electrode roller 10 . a tool slide 16 is guided along the guides 14 ; a profiling tool 18 , which in the example shown is a profile milling cutter , is located on the tool slide 16 . the profile tool 18 is surrounded as far as possible by a housing 20 , which has a suction connection 22 for the removal by suction of pieces of chips which are produced during the profiling of the electrode roller 10 . the profiling tool 18 can be driven by a motor 26 via a toothed belt drive 24 . the motor 26 is fastened to the tool slide 16 and is preferably a continuously variable speed electric motor . the tool slide 16 is fed by a feed drive 28 ; in the example illustrated this is a pneumatic or hydraulic piston - cylinder unit , the stroke of which is long enough to adapt the operating position of the tool slide to the diameter of the electrode roller , which diameter decreases during the life of the electrode roller , without additional mechanical adjustment . a clamping device 30 is provided , to stop the tool slide 16 in any possible operating position . this is associated with a pneumatic or hydraulic piston - cylinder unit 32 fastened to the post 12 , which acts , via a lever 34 mounted on the post 12 , on a shaft 36 which is guided in the pillar 12 and can move normal to the direction of movement of the tool slide 16 . the shaft 36 has a frictional lining 38 , which can be pressed against a clamping plate 40 which is made of hardened steel and fastened to the tool slide 16 . the tool slide 16 has a guide bore 42 parallel to its guides 14 , in which a feeler slide 44 is guided and can move . a feeler 46 in the shape of a roller is located at the end of the feeler slide 44 adjacent to the electrode roller . the diameter of the feeler 46 corresponds to the diameter of the milling cutter which forms the profiling tool 18 . the feeler slide 44 is in the form of a cylindrical sleeve with an oblong hole 48 , in which a peg 50 fastened to the tool slide engages so that the feeler slide 44 cannot rotate around its axis . by this means it is ensured that the axis of rotation of the roller forming the feeler 46 always remains parallel to the axis of the electrode roller 10 . a hydraulic braking device 52 , in the form of a cylinder of the usual commercially available type , is incorporated in the feeler slide 44 ; a connecting - rod 54 projects from the upper end of this braking device remote from the electrode roller 10 , as shown in fig1 . the end of the connecting - rod is in contact with the head of a bolt 56 , which extends through a spacer sleeve 58 and is fastened together with the latter to a adjustment piece 60 . the adjustment piece 60 is bell - shaped at its lower region , as shown in fig1 and has a fine external thread 62 which is screwed into a cap 64 fastened to the tool slide 16 . a similarly bell - shaped connecting member 66 , which can move axially , is guided in the bell - shaped lower region of the adjustment piece 60 . as shown in fig2 this connecting member 66 has a collar 68 projecting inwards at its upper end and a basal flange 70 projecting radially outwards at its lower end . the spacer sleeve 58 likewise has a basal flange 72 which projects radially outwards , which flange is disposed under the collar 68 of the connecting member 66 , as shown in fig1 and thus limits the path along which the connecting member 66 can move downwards in relation to the adjustment piece 60 . a spring arrangement 74 is mounted between the adjustment piece 60 and the connecting member 66 ; in the example illustrated this is formed as a spring washer assembly . the pre - load of the spring arrangement 74 is transmitted to the feeler slide 44 via the basal flange 70 of the connecting member 66 . the highest possible setting of the feeler slide 44 in relation to the tool slide 16 is determined by the setting of the adjustment piece 60 , which is screwed into the cap 64 to a greater or lesser extent , and the lower edge of which forms a limit stop 76 for the basal flange 70 of the connecting member 66 . a helical compression spring 78 is disposed inside the bell - shaped end of the connecting member 66 , and presses on the feeler slide 44 via the cylinder of the braking device 52 , so that the feeler slide 44 always attempts to take up its deepest possible position , as determined by the length and location of the oblong hole 48 . the position which the tool slide 16 takes up in relation to the feeler slide 44 for a given setting of the adjustment piece 60 is monitored by a sensor 80 , which is fastened to the feeler slide 44 by means of a rod 82 , and which sends out a signal as soon as a shoulder 84 incorporated in the adjustment piece 60 takes up a position corresponding to the desired depth of penetration of the shaping tool 18 into the electrode roller 10 . the clamping device 30 is activated by this signal . in order that the adjustment piece 60 cannot move unintentionally , it has a collar of locking grooves 86 arranged parallel to its axis and arranged at equal angular distances from each other , in which a springloaded ball 88 , which is radially guided in the pillar , can seat . the profiling tool 18 and the feeler 46 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the axial plane a so that each point on the circumference of the electrode roller , which rotates in the direction of the arrow in fig1 is sensed by the feeler 46 before it reaches the profiling tool 18 . so that the setting of the feeler 46 is not subject to error due to welding beads or other impurities which can adhere to the outer surface of the electrode roller 10 , a scraping tool 90 is disposed in front of the feeler 46 , which extends radially to the electrode roller 10 and has a cutting edge formed of a hard metal tip , as in lathe tools of conventional type . the scraping tool 90 is guided radially in the post 12 to be movable towards the electrode roller 10 , and can be pressed with a predetermined force against the outer surface of the electrode roller by means of a pneumatic or hydraulic piston - cylinder unit 94 . when the device illustrated is in the off - position , none of its components can touch the electrode roller 10 . if the latter has to be re - shaped from time to time , for example after a predetermined number of welding operations , the feed drive 28 is pressurized so that it moves the tool slide 16 radially towards the electrode roller 10 , i . e . downwards according to fig1 . the rest position of the feeler slide 44 in relation to the tool slide 16 is selected so that the feeler 46 abuts the outer surface of the electrode roller when the tool slide 16 moves , whilst the profiling tool 18 is still at a distance of preferably several millimetres from the electrode roller 10 . the feeler 46 then prevents further movement of the feeler slide 44 , so that only the tool slide 16 now moves towards the axis of the electrode roller 10 . at the same time the spring 78 is compressed until the basal flange 70 of the connecting member is seated on the feeler slide 44 . up to that point the tool slide 16 moves at high speed . then the bell - shaped lower end of the adjustment piece 60 moves progressively over the connecting member 66 , whereupon the spring arrangement 74 is compressed . the connecting - rod 54 is simultaneously pressed into the braking device 52 , and the latter slows down the further movement of the tool slide 16 so that the profiling tool 18 , which is driven by the motor 26 , is gently pressed into the electrode roller 10 . the remaining path which the tool slide 16 can now travel against the resistance of the spring arrangement 74 and the braking device 52 is determined by the distance originally set between the limit stop 76 and the basal flange 70 of the connecting member 66 . the scraping tool 90 is preferably activated by the piston - cylinder unit 94 in such a way that it reaches the outer surface of the electrode roller before the feeler 46 , and cleans the surface before the feeler becomes effective .	8
fig1 illustrates procedures of flow sheet of this invention , comprises a , b , c , d four main processes and six procedures from step 1 to step 6 of legal login process . process a : use ic card identification hardware device comprised an ic card and its reader to login ap server . input login id and password , then submit . process b : ic card transfers login process and iccid to ca server ( step 1 ). ca server will decode iccid and compare with its database , confirm legality and authority of iccid . if it &# 39 ; s confirmable , ca server will record in its database and calculate a server result , which is a random value , then report this value to ic card ( step 2 ). process c : when process b is confirmed , ic card will calculate with random value from ca server and iccid to a client result ( step 3 ), transfer process , iccid , and client result to ap server . with login id and password , ap server will confirm all login information and avail date . process d : when process c is confirmed , ap server will submit received iccid and client result to ca server to decrypt and compare with hardware identification ( step 4 ). for further description below , in process a , user inserts an ic card , which has within iccid and gln code , into a card reader apparatus , which is installed in a flash memory of usb interface as identification hardware device . using this hardware device to open login process of ap server and then submit login id and password . in process b , when user submits id and password , within program in ic card will transfer iccid code to ca server . ca server will decode the iccid , compare with the ca identification database , produce an authorized ( validate = y ) eki value , then decode the value to a ki value and calculate a random value , encrypt and store ki as the hardware identification successful verification ( server result ). this result can also record the accesses of a user , confirm legitimacy and limits of authority of login ap server of iccid . when hardware satisfies identification , ca server will send result random value to ic card as a key value . if an ic card fails in cross comparing of authorization ( validate = n ), user will be told by system that login failed . if pass process b , then go to process c . ap server will receive key value and iccid code of ic card , and submitted login information , then confirm the information and avail date . in process d , when process c confirmed , ap server will send received key and iccid code to ca server for further confirming . ca server will first decode iccid , and compare with its database . if this iccid has a relative valid eki , use the key value to decode eki to compare with server result . if matched , user can login ap server authorized and ca server will clean out its server result for next use . if not matched , ca server will tell ap server iccid code error and authorization failed . fig2 illustrates substantiation of the present invention . the actual login operation procedure , from submitting to authorization , contains totally 5 routes . route 1 indicates a user using identification hardware ( with ic card ) 50 installed in client computer to login ap server 70 . user submits login id and password in login window ( can be a web page ), which ic card within program will guide login procedure to ca server 60 . this is the first identification procedure ( winsock ) of the prevent invention . in this process ca server 60 will compare iccid code and calculate a server result . when hardware identification is confirmed , it will lead route 2 . in route 2 when ic card receive random value produced form ca server 60 , it will calculate and encrypt to a client result . this client result will be used to compare for ap server in second certification procedure . when first certification procedure successes , then it will go to route 3 . ap server 70 will receive iccid code , client result , and username and password submitted by user who login . if submitted data is correct , route 4 , which is preceding second certification procedure , will send iccid code and client result back to ca server 60 to confirm with server result . if pass , route 5 will go in ca server 60 to tell ap server 70 certification confirmed . after double check to make sure user is legal , ap server 70 can login to access , and ca server 60 will clean up server result . if failed in route 4 , ap server 70 will receive a message of iccid error from ca server 60 and deny to access . fig3 is a diagram showing embodiment of download process . there are 4 routes in this fig , and in route 2 is the identification mechanism ( as shown in fig2 ). fig4 is a diagram illustration the files opening process of the present invention . as user opens a downloaded , encrypted file , original identification hardware should be plugged into computer or any other media player . when play this downloaded encrypted , mp3 file for example , program within ic card will send iccid to a plug - in identification software or decode and identify by application of mp3 play which has identification program itself , then identification result will send back to application or software of mp3 play . if identification passes , file will be decrypted by program within ic card and play by application or software ; if failed , ic card will send error message . fig5 is a diagram showing embodiment of files opening process . user opens or plays file by plugging his own identification hardware to computer or any other media player which has usb interface , from running software till it working , through 5 routes . route 2 is the identification process described above . fig6 is a diagram showing embodiment of identification hardware device . ic card device and flash memory are integrated apparatus . using usb interface device can easily access and work as identification hardware . fig7 & amp ; 8 is a diagram showing embodiment of application of mp3 player . it can work as foregoing descriptions . fig9 is a diagram illustration plugging into computer chassis of the present invention . it can work as foregoing descriptions . the present invention can provide highly standard class security of many ap server service on internet by encryptions and cross confirming double check system . the ic card identification hardware device can use as a private verification key to access not only on internet but also many information systems of computer . the foregoing describing of the preferred embodiment of the invention is for the purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise from disclosed . many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention , which following claims are depended .	7
fig1 shows one embodiment of a high - current fuse element 1 according to the invention . high - current fuse element 1 consists of an outer casing or shell from which two buses 4a , 4b project . current conductors 3 , 3 &# 39 ; of a circuit to be protected are attached to these buses 4a , 4b . a bushing 14 is mounted centrally on end cover 11 of casing 10 , said bushing being connectable with a triggering electronic circuit not shown in this figure . a pyrotechnic separating device is disposed inside casing 10 , said device breaking the electrically conducting connection of the two buses 4a , 4b , i . e . interrupting it , upon a signal from the triggering electronic circuit . before describing the particular design and arrangement of the triggering electronic circuit according to fig2 a , 2b 3a and 3b , the internal construction of the high - current fuse element 1 will be described with reference to fig4 and 5 . fig4 shows in a section the pyrotechnic separating device of the high - current fuse element 1 before triggering . this device is inserted into casing 10 . a hole 7 in the housing 20 of this device is provided as a blind hole in a block 12 made of a material which is not a conductor of electricity , e . g ., a dielectric material such as a plastic . housing hole 7 is sealed at its open end by a sealing element 13 . sealing element 13 can be glued , clamped , or welded in place , for example . a pyrotechnic charge 2 or a triggering element is placed in sealing element 13 . upon ignition , pyrotechnic charge 2 generates a compressed gas . pyrotechnic charge 2 is connected by a connection , not shown , with bushing 14 on cover 11 ( see fig1 ) of the high - current fuse element . two buses 4a , 4b are provided in block 12 , the buses penetrating housing hole 7 and being arranged one above the other with a space between them . the spacing of the two buses 4a , 4b from one another is made sufficiently large that voltage flashover after separation has occurred is prevented . one hole is provided in each of the two buses 4a and 4b , said hole matching the diameter of housing hole 7 , with these holes forming a part of the wall of housing hole 7 . the two buses 4a , 4b are connected in an electrically conducting fashion by a conducting contact pin 5 , accommodated with a press fit both in upper bus 4a and in lower bus 4b . the length of contact pin 5 is equal to the distance of the two buses 4a , 4b from one another plus the thickness of the two buses 4a , 4b . in the area of contact with buses 4a , 4b contact pin 5 has a knurl , not shown , so that , as defined , a plurality of small contact points is provided that produce and guarantee uniform current distribution . an insulating punch 6 made of a material which is not an electrical conductor is provided between contact pin 5 and pyrotechnic charge 2 . the punch is made of , for example , glass fiber or a hard plastic . insulating punch 6 has the same diameter as contact pin 5 . its length is reduced by the thickness of one bus 4b relative to the length of contact pin 5 . below the contact pin 5 is a receptacle 15 in housing hole 7 to receive contact pin 5 after pyrotechnic charge 2 has been ignited . the length of receptacle 15 is chosen so that after ignition has occurred , contact pin 5 rests on the lower end of housing hole 7 and has its other end still in lower bus 4b ( see fig5 ). to relieve the pressure , housing hole 7 is provided on its underside with a vent hole 8 that preferably leads to the atmosphere through a bend , i . e . a bent portion . vent hole 8 is advantageously sealed from the exterior by a plug , not shown , said plug being expelled or destroyed by the pressure surge upon ignition , and thus functioning as an indicator or marker . an opening in casing 10 ( not shown ) is provided to coincide with the vent hole 8 . the ends of buses 4a , 4b are provided with holes 18 so that conductors 3 , 3 &# 39 ; ( see fig1 ) can be easily fastened , e . g . by a screw connection . upon the ignition of pyrotechnic charge 2 , a compressed gas is generated that exerts a force on the upper end of insulating punch 6 , so that the punch is accelerated in the direction of contact pin 5 . as a result of the force acting through insulating punch 6 , contact pin 5 is pushed from its press fit in the hole of buses 4a , 4b and enters receptacle 15 . fig5 shows a section through the high - current fuse element following triggering . contact pin 5 rests on the bottom of housing hole 7 and has its other end still in lower bus 4b . the term &# 34 ; up &# 34 ; refers to the direction of pyrotechnic charge 2 and the term &# 34 ; down &# 34 ; refers to the direction of vent hole 8 . insulating punch 6 , after ignition occurs , occupies nearly the original position ( contact position ) of contact pin 5 , with insulating punch 6 abutting lower bus 4b , but not projecting into the hole in bus 4b . a plug mounted externally on vent hole 8 is expelled or destroyed by the pressure of the escaping gas , so that it is evident from the outside that ignition has occurred . fig2 a shows high - current fuse element 1 with a triggering electronic circuit 9 mounted for direct current . fig2 b shows triggering electronic circuit 9 alone . a plug ( not shown ) is provided on the underside of triggering electronic circuit 9 , said plug being inserted into bushing 14 ( see fig1 ). two metal strips 16 extend from triggering electronic circuit 9 to buses 4a , 4b and are in electrical contact therewith . advantageously , strips 16 have a pin that projects into a depression in the respective bus so that an improved electrical contact is produced . on the top of triggering electronic circuit 9 , a bushing 17 is provided by which the high - current fuse element can be ignited from the outside as well . the triggering electronic circuit shown in fig2 a and 2b is intended for direct current . the voltage drop between the two buses 4a , 4b is measured by the two taps 16 . if a predetermined value is exceeded , triggering electronic circuit 9 ignites pyrotechnic charge 2 through bushing 14 ( see fig1 ). it can also be advantageous not to provide cover 11 with bushing 14 and instead to mount the triggering electronic circuit 9 directly on housing 10 . fig3 a and 3b show a triggering electronic circuit 9 &# 39 ; for alternating current . this triggering electronic circuit 9 &# 39 ;, as shown in fig3 a and 3b , is also mounted as a module on the basic module shown in fig1 . with alternating current , the level of an induced current is measured . for this purpose , a coil 19 or a ac transformer is mounted laterally on triggering electronic circuit 9 &# 39 ; in a box 18 . coil 19 surrounds one of the buses . the current induced in coil 19 is evaluated in triggering electronic circuit 9 &# 39 ; and if a predetermined value is exceeded , the pyrotechnic charge is triggered through bushing 14 ( see fig1 ). at the same time , the alternating current induced in coil 19 serves to supply voltage to the triggering electronic circuit . the electronic circuits 9 and 9 &# 39 ; consist of standard elements of conventional construction .	7
referring to the drawings , fig1 is a schematic representation of a customer - end optical routing apparatus for use with a tpon system carrying packetised signals ( one cell of which is indicated by the reference numeral 1 ). each cell 1 has a data field 1a and a header field 1b , these two fields being transmitted at different wavelengths . the customer - end routing apparatus includes a wavelength dependent coupler 2 which separates the header field information from the data field information . the header field information is fed to a bistable switch 3 ( and then on to the customer &# 39 ; s receiver 4 ) via an ocru 5 . the data field information is fed to the bistable switch 3 via a delay fibre 6 . the bistable switch is constituted by a split - contact laser amplifier having a maximum rise time of less than 200 psec . the ocru 5 is configured to a particular optical code which is unique to the customer concerned , the optical code corresponding to all or part of the header field 1b . the ocru 5 will , therefore , provide an output signal only when recognises the particular optical code appropriate to the customer . this output signal is used to control the bistable switch 3 so that the data field information is routed to the receiver 4 . the delay fibre 6 is chosen to ensure that the data field 1a of the same cell 1 as the header field 1b recognised by the ocru 5 is passed to the receiver 4 . consequently , signals ( packets ) intended for other customers will not be routed to that particular customer &# 39 ; s receiver 4 . fig2 shows the ocku 5 , this ocru being configured to recognise the optical code 0010111 . the ocru 5 includes a passive seven - way optical splitter 7 having seven parallel output fibres 7a , three optical combiners 8a , 8b and 8c and three sla gates 9a , 9b and 9c . each of the fibres 7a is given a different delay of from 0 to 6 bit periods ( as indicated fig2 ). the effect of the splitter 7 is , therefore , to convert the serial input code into a parallel output code , with one bit of the code on each of the output lines 7a . in the particular ocru 5 shown in fig2 a first pair of output lines 7a which should carry ` 1 ` s are input into the optical combiner 8a , a second pair of output lines 7a which should carry ` 1 ` s are input into the optical combiner 8b , and the remaining three output lines 7a ( which should carry ` 0 ` s ) are input into the optical combiner 8c . the combiners 8a , 8b and 8c are slas which operate under gain saturation . if the combiner 8a does receive two ` 1 ` s at its input , its output will be at the ` 2 ` intensity level . similarly , if the combiner 8b receives two ` 1 ` s , it will output a ` 2 `, and the combiner 8c will output a ` 0 ` for three input ` 0 ` s . the sla gate 9a , which receives the output of the combiner 8a , is configured to switch on for a ` 2 ` level input . similarly , the gate 9b will switch on if it receives a ` 2 ` level input from the combiner 8c . consequently , if the ocku 5 does receive the ` correct ` code 0010111 , all three gates 9a , 9b and 9c will be turned on , and an input signal 10 from a continuous wave ( cw ) laser ( not shown ) will be passed to the bistable switch 3 . the switch 3 will then be turned on , so that the information carried by the data field 1a of that cell whose header field 1b carries that code is passed to the associated receiver 4 . it will be appreciated that a match of the code will he recognised almost instantaneously with the input of the final bit of the code , so that the processing time of the ocru 5 is almost zero . as the combiners 8a , 8b and 8c are configured to operate at 2 - level logic ( that is to say they each have a three intensity level output ` 0 `, ` 1 `, ` 2 `), the entire ocru 5 operates at 2 - level logic . this avoidance of multiple - level logic is advantageous , in that multiple - level logic is easily degraded by the noise that is always present in real systems . fig3 shows the gating arrangement of an alternative form of ocru 5 &# 39 ;, this ocru being configured to recognise the optical code 1010111 . as the ocru 5 &# 39 ; is required to recognise a code having an odd number of ` 1 ` s , an additional ( and differently - configured ) sla gate is needed . thus , the ocru 5 &# 39 ; has four gates 9a &# 39 ;, 9b &# 39 ;, 9c &# 39 ; and 9d &# 39 ;, the gates 9a &# 39 ;, 9b &# 39 ; and 9d &# 39 ; being identical with the gates 9a , 9b and 9c of the ocru 5 of fig2 . the gate 9c &# 39 ; is configured to switch on for a ` 1 ` level input from its combiner ( not shown ), this combiner being configured to output a ` 1 ` if its input receives a ` 1 `. clearly , the particular form of ocru required for each customer will depend upon the code allocated to that customer . in particular , the numbers and configurations of combiners and gates will depend upon the number of ` 1 ` s in the code to be recognised . in each case , however , the ocru will operate at 2 - level logic , and maximum number of sla gates will be four for a 7 - bit code . one disadvantage of the ocru described above is that the bistable switch 3 outputs only the data field 1a of the recognised cell . an additional device such as an optical transmitter must , therefore , be provided to re - input the header field 1b for each such recognised cell . to remove the need for this additional device , the ocru may be modified by replacing the coupler 2 with a 90 / 10 splitter , 90 % the signal being directed towards the bistable switch 3 , and 10 % towards the ocru . in this case , the header field 1b is distinguished from the data field 1a in the ocru by its modulation speed ( the modulation speed of the data field being too fast for the response time of the gates ). when a header field 1b is recognised by the ocru , the bistable switch 3 is triggered to pass the 90 % part of the signal , so that header information is passed along with the data . in a further alternative , a time - dependent switch can be used to separate the header field 1b from the data field 1a . this switch would be triggered by a clock signal extracted from the main input signal . it will be apparent that the routing apparatus of the invention could handle any form of packetised signal , where the packets ( or cells ) are divided into header byte ( s ) and data byte ( s ), such as the atm format . although at the current agreed maximum rate of 140 mbit / s optical routing is unlikely to be beneficial , standard agreement at higher rates could change this situation .	7
the hand dryer of the present invention is shown generally at 10 in fig1 - 3 . the dryer includes a mounting plate 12 which is adapted for flush mounted attachment to a wall by means of bolts ( not shown ) extending through bolt holes 13 . a fan housing 14 is connected to the mounting plate by brackets 16 . on the rear side of the fan housing is an air inlet 18 ( fig5 ). the housing also has a downwardly - directed air outlet 20 ( fig4 and 5 ) which defines a tangential portion to the otherwise generally - circular housing 14 . a motor 22 is mounted to the housing 14 by clips 24 . the motor is disposed in the center of the housing , through the opening 18 . a squirrel cage fan 26 is mounted in the fan housing on the motor shaft . the axis of the fan is perpendicular to the mounting plate 12 , and hence , perpendicular to the wall . this allows the fan to have a relatively large diameter and a relatively small width . this combination provides a fan of sufficient air flow capacity while minimizing the distance which the fan and its housing must protrude from the wall . for example , it has been found that acceptable performance from the hand dryer can be achieved with a 2 , 000 watt heater and a 100 cubic feet - per - minute ( cfm ) fan . the fan of the present invention delivers this volume of air using a fan diameter of about 71 / 8 inches and an axial width of about 2 inches , with a four pole , shaded pole , brushless motor having self - lubricated ball bearings and turning at about 1 , 745 rpm . at this speed the fan develops minimal noise while still providing adequate performance . the remaining components of the hand dryer include an exhaust grill 28 attached to the air outlet portion 20 of the fan housing 14 . the grill has a sufficiently large open area to permit approximately 100 cfm air flow to the user in a uniform temperature - velocity profile . it isolates all internal components from the user and prevents unwanted intrusion of objects . it also holds and positions the sensing devices and control circuitry which are mounted on a control circuit board 30 seen in fig3 . the control circuitry includes infrared emitting diode and detecting phototransistor mounted in a holder portion 32 of the grill . ( see fig2 .) the holder has openings 34 which permit access to the light emitting and detecting devices . a suitable emitting diode is an op295c gallium aluminum arsenide infrared emitting diode available from the optoelectronics division of trw electonic component group , carrollton , tex . a suitable phototransistor is the op501 sla npn silicon phototransistor available from the same source . the control circuit board 30 is connected to a light board 36 by a cable 38 ( fig1 ). the light board has four led &# 39 ; s which are visible through a cover to indicate to the user the status of the hand dryer , as will be explained . the control circuit board 30 is also connected to a power board 40 by a cable 42 . the power board incorporates all the internal electrical control components and power routing on a single pc board . it has a terminal block 44 for accepting input 120 volts a . c . ( vac ) power . there is also a step down transformer 46 which drops the 120 volts a . c . ( vac ) to 12 volts a . c . ( vac ). the power board distributes power to the heater assembly 48 which is mounted on the front of the housing 14 . the heater assembly 48 includes a thermostat 50 and a heating element 51 which extends down into the fan housing at the air outlet 20 . the power board and heater assembly are connected by electrical cables 52 . the entire hand dryer is enclosed in an encasing removeable cover 54 which is attached to the mounting plate 12 by bolts 56 . it extends about all sides of the dryer to the flush mounting plate 12 . it is made of a suitable metal or other suitable material . air is permitted to enter the hand dryer through side openings in the cover . these openings are protected by safety shields 58 mounted on the mounting plate 12 . the cover includes an opening 60 providing visual access to the led &# 39 ; s on the light board 36 . turning now to the operation of the control circuit , the logic performed is shown in fig7 . as mentioned above , the control circuit includes light emitting diode and detecting phototransistors which emit and detect infrared light . so fig7 shows at 62 that infrared light is emitted intermittently into the detection zone and the zone is monitored by a synchronized infrared detecting phototransistor , as indicated at 64 . if no reflected ir ( infrared ) signals are received , 66 , the emitter simply continues to send timed pulses of light and synchronized monitoring of the zone continues . when reflected ir signals are detected , 68 , the control circuit initiates a timing means 74 , which monitors the period of continuous detection and limits that period to a preset or predetermined maximum the circuit also initiates an &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; delay 70 , which must expire before the dryer is energized . the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; delay is about half a second . if ir detection is lost before the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; delay is completed , 72 , no energization of the power circuit occurs and detection simply continues to monitor the detection zone and the timing means 75 is reset to zero . if detection is sustained throughout the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; delay 73 , the circuit energizes the power output leads 76 to send electric power to the motor and heater , thus energizing the hand dryer . if the ir detection is interrupted 78 the timing means returns to its initial or zero condition 80 and an &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; delay of about two seconds is initiated 82 . if the ir signal is not regained before completion of the &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; delay 86 power to the output leads is terminated 87 . if detection resumes , the cycle commences from 68 . detection will start the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; delay and initiate the timing means 74 . if detection is regained before the &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; delay times out 81 , the timing means for limiting the maximum period of operation due to continuous detection is again initiated 83 and power to the motor and heater continues to be energized . so long as the ir detection is continuous , the timing means measures the time period of such continuous detection , as at 90 . if the period is less than a predetermined limit , such as 60 seconds , 92 , power to the heater and motor is maintained . if the period reaches the limit , which is illustrated as 60 seconds , 94 , the motor and heater are de - energized at 95 without regard to the ir detection status at that time . when the power to the motor and heater is deenergized by expiration of the predetermined limit or maximum period of continuous detection , as established by the timing means , further continuous detection is ineffective to reenergize the power circuit 97 because the control circuit is not in a status to energize the power output leads . detection must be interrupted 101 to cause the detection portion of the control circuit to once again respond to reflected signals . once such interruption in detection takes place , the timing means 99 is reset to zero and the cycle logic previously described is repeated . it should be noted that , if desired , the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; delay may be eliminated and the timing means and power output leads energized simultaneously . also , the maximum period of continuous detection may be varied as desired . turning now to fig6 a and 6b , a functional diagram of a circuit for performing the logic of fig7 is shown . the circuit has three main parts : the control circuit board 30 , the power board 40 , and the light board 36 . standard 120 vac , 60 hz power is supplied to the power board 40 where it is routed to the step down transformer 46 and a solid state switch 96 , which may be a triac . the switch 96 is controlled by an optically isolated , zero crossing track driver comprising a light sensitive trigger 98 , a zero crossing sensor 100 and an and gate 102 . the zero crossing sensor 100 receives power from the main supply and is connected to the and gate 102 . the and gate also receives a signal from a switched output line 104 , which will be described further below . the triac driver receives a 12 volt dc input through line 106 . line 108 connects the output of the triac 96 to the motor 22 and heater 48 . the step down transformer supplies 12 vac through lines 110 to a full wave rectifier 112 on the control circuit board 30 . an input filter 114 , voltage regulator 116 and output filter 118 create a 12 volt dc source for use by the rest of the circuitry . the 12 volt dc is supplied to the power board through line 106 , and the light board 36 through line 160 . a pulsing oscillator 120 which is connected to the infrared light emitter 122 . the oscillator 120 is also connected to a synchronous detector amplifier 124 which permits processing of detected signals only during such time as signals are being emitted . the infrared light detector 126 passes incoming signals to a sensitivity adjustment 128 , a high pass filter 130 , an amplifier with feedback 132 , and a second high pass filter 134 . if these signals are received during such time as the synchronous detector amplifier 124 is activated by the oscillator 120 , the amplified signals are passed to an integrator 136 , a schmitt trigger 138 and a high gain amplifier with high frequency roll - off 140 . the resulting signal is passed through line 142 to the &# 34 ; on / off &# 34 ; delay circuit 144 , the timing means 146 ( which is the maximum continuous detection control described in reference to fig7 ) and an indicator light 148 . two buffer comparators 150 and 151 are used to determine whether the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; delay , &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; delay or maximum cycle times have been exceeded . the signals are then fed to a switching amplifier 152 , which provides the switched output on line 104 to the power board 40 and to the light board 36 . the circuit is arranged such that when continuous detection exceeds the predetermined limit set in the timing means , the buffer comparator 151 , through d . c . clamp 153 , supplies a signal to switching amplifier 152 , which causes the output to send a signal to the solid state switch circuitry to cause it to deenergize the power circuit regardless of the condition of the signal from &# 34 ; on / off &# 34 ; delay 144 . the light board receives a 12 vdc power source from the output filter 118 . the light board is also grounded to the control circuit board 30 . an oscillator 154 drives four led &# 39 ; s , shown at 156 . an oscillator inhibitor 158 receives the switched output from line 104 . when the switched output goes low , the inhibitor disables the oscillator , and it continuously supplies power to drive the led &# 39 ; s and the led &# 39 ; s are continuously illuminated . fig8 illustrates a timing diagram showing the operation of the circuit of fig6 . if there is momentary detection of recovered ir as at 200 of less than half a second , there is no effect on the switched output 202 , and the triac driver on the power board does not turn on the triac . when there is continuous detection of recovered ir 204 longer than the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; delay 206 , the switched output from amplifier 152 goes low after the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; delay time period 208 . if there is interrupted detection for less than the &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; delay 209 , the switched output stays low 210 despite the interruption . the output 210 stays low until the 60 seconds of the maximum cycle timing means has been reached 211 , at which time the power output goes high 212 , turning off the triac driver and the triac despite continued detection of recovered ir 214 . the triac remains off regardless of continued detection until there is an interruption in detection 215 . a resumption in detection 216 longer than the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; delay 218 causes the power output to go low 220 and turns on the triac . interruptions in detection less than the &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; delay 222 , 224 , and 226 have no effect on the power output . it should be noted , however , that since each such interruption restarts the maximum cycle timing means ( 228 , 230 , and 232 ), the measurement of the period of maximum cycle recommences with each such interruption . therefore , power could remain on indefinitely if interruption in detection less than the &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; delay occurred at intervals less than the maximum cycle time period . if an interruption in detection longer than the &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; delay 234 occurs 236 , the power output goes high 238 and disengages the triac . it can be seen that the described circuit will operate when a user places his hands in the detection zone and remains there for a short moment , but the dryer will not operate for an overly long period of time , which would waste power . neither will the dryer operate in response to momentary or passing signals , but it will not shut off if a user momentarily removes his hands from the detection zone . whereas a preferred form of the invention has been shown and described , it will be understood that modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the following claims . it should be appreciated that while the circuit is described in connection with the dryer of the present invention , it has a variety of other applications . it could , for example , be utilized in the automatic control of a water faucet or the like .	0
as required , detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein . however , it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms . the figures are not necessarily to scale ; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components . therefore , specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting , but merely as a representative basis for the claims and / or as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention . moreover , except where otherwise expressly indicated , all numerical quantities in this description and in the claims are to be understood as modified by the word “ about ” in describing the broader scope of this invention . practice within the numerical limits stated is generally preferred . also , unless expressly stated to the contrary , the description of a group or class of materials as suitable or preferred for a given purpose in connection with the invention implies that mixtures or combinations of any two or more members of the group or class may be equally suitable or preferred . referring to the fig1 , the desulfation apparatus of the present invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 100 . the desulfation apparatus 100 includes an electric motor 3 , a weighted flywheel 4 , two drive belts 5 and 14 , and two pulleys 6 and 7 , two rotating magnetic hubs 10 and 11 with 48 magnetic poles each , one 30 - pole stator 12 wound with copper wire around independent , magnetically - insulated ferrous cores , a one 36 pole coil assembly 13 wound with copper wire around independent , magnetically - insulated ferrous cores , a variable transformer 1 , and three dc rectifier electrical circuits 2 , 16 and 17 . the ac variable transformer 1 receives input power from a standard wall outlet of 115 - 120v ac at 20 amperes power through a switch and varies the power input from zero to 160v ac with up to 20 amps output . the variable transformer 1 output is rectified through a rectifier circuit 2 into a dc voltage output and coupled to a 3hp 170v dc motor 3 , for example . the rotor of the dc motor 3 is coupled to the weighted flywheel pulley 4 that is coupled to the shaft 8 of a first rotor 10 by means of a belt drive 5 and pulley 6 . pulley 6 is a double pulley with one pulley receiving belt 5 from the motor &# 39 ; s weighted flywheel 4 and the other pulley receiving belt 14 to transfer mechanical rotation to a shaft 9 of a second rotor 11 . shaft 9 is coupled to a 4 : 1 pulley 7 for receiving mechanical rotation from shaft 8 via belt 14 . thus , the second rotor 11 has a 4 - times greater torque ratio than the first rotor 10 . the variable transformer 1 may be used to control the speed of rotation of the first rotor 10 and second rotor 11 for the purpose of generating electricity from a first stator 12 and second stator 13 . the electricity produced by the rotating of the first rotor 10 magnetic hub and the second rotor 11 magnetic hub and the first stator coil assembly 12 and the second stator coil assembly 13 is sent through wiring harness 25 and wiring harness 15 to rectifier circuit 17 and rectifier circuit 16 and then to battery 21 and battery 20 . the first stator coil assembly 12 includes a group of 30 coils . these coils generate electricity by the rotation of first rotor magnetic hub 10 . the magnetic rotor hub 10 includes 48 magnets . the second stator coil assembly 13 is wired into five phases , each with six coils in a star configuration . these coils are electrically connected but are not magnetically connected with a ferrous metal like most generators . the magnetic flux does not have a centralized magnetic connection for the purpose of flux containment . the output of rotor 10 and stator coil 12 through rectifier circuit 17 is coupled to battery 21 to put the battery in charge mode . the output power of the stator coil 12 is fixed , however the voltage output is configured to allow it to float up and down from 0 to 600 volts , for example , to match the battery voltage in order to go into reverse mode and charge the battery . as a result , a heavily sulfated battery usually requires a higher voltage than normal to begin the desulfation process and a lower current , which may range from 0 to 4 amps , for example . after a period of time , typically 10 to 20 minutes , for example , the battery 21 is disconnected from stator coil 12 and connected to stator coil 13 . stator coil 13 is a 36 coil assembly and rotor 11 has a 48 pole magnetic hub . as with stator coil 12 , more magnetic poles exist than stator coil poles . however , unlike stator coil 12 , stator coil 13 is arranged into 6 parallel groups of 3 phase 2 pole assemblies . this arrangement provides a second stage in the desulfation process . after the sulfate has been forcibly removed from the lead plates , the battery will be able to accept and retain much more current when under charge . the stator coil 13 provides a much larger amount of current to the battery 21 to charge the battery , up to 18 amps , for example . this setup creates a nonlinear arrangement where three of the six coils in each phase are slightly misaligned with the magnetic poles of the rotating first magnetic hub 10 ( fig3 ). the result is a double magnetic impulse wave that travels longitudinally with the ac voltage wave ( fig4 ). this ac voltage is rectified 30 and sent to battery 21 . the double impulse longitudinal magnetic wave continues to battery 21 along with the dc voltage from the stator coil assembly 13 . while the ac voltage produced is rectified to dc voltage through the rectifier circuit 17 the magnetic wave continues at a rate of approximately 1 . 43 khz , with a setting of 110v ac output from the variable transformer 1 . the higher the output voltage from the variable transformer 1 , the higher the rotation speed of the dc motor 3 , and thus the higher the magnetic wave output frequency generated . this frequency was measured at the battery terminals themselves . although an oscilloscope will show only a dc voltage signal with some associated noise , frequency counters reveal the super imposed magnetic wave component frequency . it is the combination of this dc voltage potential and the underlying super imposed magnetic wave that accomplishes the desulfation work inside the battery as described . as the speed of the rotation determines the power output , and is fixed due to the magnetic flux of the rotor and stator coil assemblies , it is common for open load voltage to be 200 to 600 volts or more in stage 1 when no current flow is present . when presented with a load ( battery ), the voltage drops to accommodate the internal resistance of the load ( battery ) and the current increases from 0 to 18 amps for example , based on the voltage . the internal resistance ( impedance ) of the load determines the current output . in this manner , the output changes as the battery resistance changes ( lowers ). because the current is minimal during the reconditioning process , the battery chemistry does not heat excessively . as the reconditioning process continues , the resistance ( impedance ) continues to lower , reducing the electromotive action of the voltage potential and increasing the current absorption rate of the battery . a higher than normal resistance in the battery reduces the current flow and increases the voltage applied to the battery . a sulfated battery plate represents a higher than normal resistance value inside a lead acid battery . as the sulfate crystals accumulate on the lead plates less and less surface area is exposed to the electrolyte . this action limits the ability of the battery &# 39 ; s chemistry to produce electrical power and current flow . referring to fig2 , a cross - section of a lead acid battery 21 is illustrated . sulfate crystals 25 form on the lead plates 22 and 23 inside the battery 21 . this action tends to create additional electrical resistance in a typical lead acid battery . the output of the first rotor 10 and first stator coil assembly 12 through rectifier circuit 17 comes into battery 21 through its post terminals to put the battery into charge mode . the output from the first stator assembly 12 has a fixed amount of power it can provide , however , the voltage output is configured in such a way as to allow it to float up and down to match what the battery needs to go into reverse mode and charge . as a result , heavily sulfated batteries will begin the process with a higher voltage than normal , but less current . the voltage , when applied to the lead plates 22 and 23 , will cause negative ions 26 to accumulate behind the sulfate crystals 25 creating an outward electromotive force 28 as the electrons seek out weak areas in the sulfate crystals 25 in order to follow the magnetic wave 27 through the electrolyte 24 . as the sulfate crystals 25 breakaway from the lead plate 22 , the overall battery resistance drops , resulting in a drop of the applied voltage and a rise in the applied current flow . this process continues until normal operating levels are achieved . after a period of time , typically 10 to 20 minutes , the battery is moved or automatically switched from the first stator coil assembly 12 to receive power from the second stator coil assembly 13 . the switching may be accomplished with a timer or with a switching relay based on the voltage or current applied to the battery . the second stator coil assembly 13 is a 36 - coil assembly with the second rotor 11 being a 48 pole magnet hub . as with the first stator assembly 12 more magnetic poles exist than stator coil poles . however , unlike the first stator assembly 12 with 5 phases consisting of three offset magnetic poles and three phase oriented poles for a total of 30 stator poles , the second stator assembly 13 is wired into six parallel groups of three - phase 2 pole assemblies . this arrangement is designed to act as a second stage in the process . after the sulfate has been forcefully removed from the lead plates 22 , the battery will be able to accept and retain much more current when under charge . the second stator coil assembly 13 provides a much larger amount of amperage to the battery for that purpose . it is to be understood that while certain now preferred forms of this invention have been illustrated and described , it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims .	7
referring now to fig1 through 8 , there is shown a construction of the first embodiment according to the present invention . in fig1 there is shown a series of press machines 1 arranged in sequence in accordance with respective working stages of workpieces , each machine having at least one loading apparatus 5 according to the present invention . as generally illustrated in fig2 and 3 , each of the press machines 1 includes a bracket 4 secured to a top frame 2 of the press machine 1 by means of bolts 3 . a mounting frame 6 is secured to the bracket 4 by means of bolts ( not shown ) at an arbitary position in the horizontal plane of fig2 . the mounting frame 6 is provided at generally middle portion thereof with a top horizontal frame 7 on which are mounted a motor 10 and a reduction gear 11 connected through pulleys 8 and a belt 9 . a crank arm 13 is fixed at its one end to an output shaft 12 of the reduction gear 11 . the mounting frame 6 also includes at generally lower portion thereof a bottom horizontal frame 14 which in turn includes a coupling axis 16 supported by a bearing means 15 . the other end of the crank arm 13 and one end of an oscillating arm 17 are pivotally connected by a rod 18 so that the oscillating arm 17 may be reciprocated for a given angle determined by the respective length of the crank arm 13 , the rod 18 and the oscillating arm 17 . on the right - hand side ( as viewed in fig2 ) of the mounting frame 6 , there is pivotally secured a first quadric parallel link 21 , one side of which being an arbitary distance between two points disposed vertically on the frame 6 and the other opposing side being a vertical side 19a of a l - shaped parallel - travel arm 19 , and these two sides being pivotally connected by a pair of rods 20 of equal length . on the horizontal side 19b of the l - shaped parallel - travel arm 19 , there is connected a second quadric parallel link 27 , one side of which being a horizontal side 19b and the other opposing side being a portion of a holder arm assembly 24 which will be described hereinafter , and these two sides being pivotally connected by a primary rod 26 and a secondary rod 25 of equal length . the middle portion of the primary rod 26 is pivotally connected to one end of an oscillating arm 28 which in turn is fixed at its other end to the right - hand portion ( as viewed in fig2 ) of the coupling axis 16 . in operation , when the crank arm 13 is rotated by the motor 10 , each of the oscillating arms 17 and 28 , being operatively connected through the coupling axis 16 , is reciprocated within an equal angle of 100 °. it is important to note that the rotational angular amount of the oscillating arm 28 is so designed as to be greater in the rightward direction than in the leftward direction relative to the vertical line passing the coupling axis 16 ( as viewed in fig3 and 4 ). this arrangement enables the holder arm assembly 24 to alter its direction from horizontal to vertical at about the end of oscillating motion of the arm 28 , that is , at generally righthand side of fig3 and 4 . the path thus made by the holder arm assembly 24 may be more particularly expressed in a substantially j - shaped locus s1 between positions p1 and p2 , where p1 is the advanced position ( as viewed in fig3 ) at which a workpiece 23 is loaded to or unloaded from the respective machine 1 and p2 is the retracted position ( as viewed in fig4 ) at which the operation cycle is initiated . further details of the holder arm assembly 24 is seen in fig6 and 7 and as seen , it consists of an arm support 33 forming one side of the second quadric parallel link 27 , an arm 30 having a venturi cap which is effective for holding the workpiece 23 under negative pressure , and a spring - set holder 31 or a magnet - set holder 32 which holds the arm 30 to the arm support 33 . as seen in fig6 the spring - set holder 31 consists of a holder carrier 35 secured to the arm support 33 by means of screws 34 , a holder block 37 adapted to abut against a portion 38 of the holder carrier 35 and secured to the arm 30 by means of screws 36 ; a screw stock 40 secured to the holder carrier 35 with two nuts 39 and slidably inserted in the holder block 37 ; and a coil spring 41 disposed between the holder block 37 and the screw stock 40 in such a manner that the compression force is effective on the holder block 37 . if , during operation with the arm 30 held in the holder carrier 35 as clearly seen in fig6 the foremost end of the arm 30 hits an obstacle or the like to thereby exert an external force to the arm 30 which is greater than the holding power obtained by the spring 41 , the holder block 37 will be displaced from its normal position , and the arm 30 will be detached from a limit switch ls1 attached to the holder carrier 35 and cause the motor 10 and subsequently the loading apparatus 5 to stop . thus , any possible damage to the loading apparatus 5 including the arm 30 may be prevented , assuring the operator &# 39 ; s safety . as generally illustrated in fig7 and 8 , the magnet - set holder 32 includes a plurality of magnetic holders 45 secured to the arm support 33 by screws 42 and a holder block 47 secured to the arm 30 by screws 46 . each of the magnetic holders 45 includes a permanent magnet 43 and a pair of pole plates 44 . as should be apparent , the magnetic holders 45 serve to hold the holder block 47 , and if the arm 30 is subjected to an external force which is greater than the holding power of the magnets 43 , the arm 30 will be displaced from its held position to thereby cause a limit switch ls2 to be activated . thus , the motor 10 and the loading apparatus 5 will be stopped , in the same manner as discussed in the preceeding paragraphs , and consequently the operator &# 39 ; s safety is ensured . turning now to fig1 there are shown a series of press machines 1 , each having at least one loading apparatus 5 according to the present invention , and a plurality of transfer apparatus 48 disposed between the machines 1 and adapted for transferring workpieces 23 unloaded from one of the machines 1 to a holding position p0 ( as viewed in fig1 ) at which another loading apparatus 5 of the subsequent machine is ready to hold the workpiece 23 . when the ram ( not shown ) of each of the press machines 1 is in a position immediately before initiating its descent , the holder arm assembly 24 of each loading apparatus 5 is in a fully retracted position as seen in fig1 that is , at the remotest point p2 ( see fig5 ) from each press machine 1 . in operation , as soon as each press machine 1 initiates its working cycle with the holder arm assembly 24 held in its retracted position , both of the oscillating arms 17 and 28 of each loading apparatus 5 make one reciprocating motion through the motor 10 in substantially synchronized manner with the completion of each reciprocating motion of the machine 1 , and this causes each of the holder arm assembly 24 to move back and forth in accordance with the locus s1 shown in fig5 . the workpieces 23 , being removed from each machine by means of the venturi cap 29 , are placed on the transfer apparatus 48 . otherwise , the workpieces 23 being machined are loaded on the respective machines 1 . it is to be appreciated that because of crank motion of the crank arm 13 and the oscillating arm 17 , the workpieces 23 may be transferred by the holder arm assembly 24 in an optimum fashion so as to ascend and descend slowly during the transferring operation . attention is now directed to fig9 which illustrates the second embodiment according to the present invention , the same as that of fig3 and 4 insofar as the crank arm 13 and oscillating arm 17 are concerned , but employing an additional link connected therebetween for enlarging angles . as generally seen in fig9 instead of using the rod 18 as shown in fig2 a link motion is provided between an oscillating arm 53 and a crank arm 55 , consisting of an intermediate arm 57 and rods 58 and 59 . the intermediate arm 57 may pivot about an axis 56 mounted on the mounting frame 6 ( the same as that of the first embodiment ) of the loading apparatus 5 . in fig9 there is also shown a quadric parallel link 50 having an oscillating arm 51 fixed at its one end to a coupling axis 52 and pivotally connected at its other end to the link 50 , the arrangement being the same as that of fig2 . the arrangement of this embodiment enables the oscillating arm 51 to pivot for 90 ° on both sides of a vertical line passing the coupling axis 52 and consequently the holder arm assembly 49 to move back and forth in such a manner as represented by a locus s2 in fig1 , thereby providing increased ease of loading and unloading operations over the first embodiment . fig1 shows the third embodiment according to the present invention , substantially tha same as that of fig9 insofar as the oscillating arm 53 and the crank arm 55 are concerned , but employing pulleys and a belt instead of the intermediate arm 57 . as generally illustrated in fig1 , reference numeral 61 is a motor with a reduction gear , and 62 is an output shaft thereof . rotatable shafts are also shown generally at 63 and 64 having pulleys 68 and 69 each fixedly mounted on the respective shafts 63 and 64 and operatively connected by a belt 70 . a crank arm 65 is connected to the output shaft 62 , and an oscillating arm 66 is connected to the shaft 63 , both of which being connected by a rod 67 . there is also shown an oscillating arm 71 , one end of which being fixedly connected to the shaft 64 and the other end being pivotally connected to a main rod 73 of a quadric parallel link 72 which is the same as those 27 and 50 according to the first and second embodiments . the construction of this embodiment enables the given pivotal angle θ 1 obtained by the rotatably oscillating arm 66 moved by the crank arm 65 to be transmitted to the oscillating arm 71 through the pulleys 68 and 69 and the belt 70 and augmented to an angle θ 2 greater than 180 °. such an augmented angle θ 2 allows an holder arm assembly 74 forming one side of the quadric parallel link 72 to move back and forth in a locus s3 , as shown in fig1 , for ease of loading and unloading operations .	8
the preferred embodiment is preferably implemented through suitable programming of a hand held camera device such as that described in the concurrently filed application , applicant &# 39 ; s reference art01 , u . s . ser . no . 09 / 113 , 060 entitled “ a digital camera with image processing capability ” filed concurrently herewith by the present applicant the content of which is hereby specifically incorporated by cross reference and the details of which , and other related applications are set out in the tables below . fig2 shows a block diagram thereof . the aforementioned patent specification discloses a camera system , hereinafter known as an “ artcam ” type camera , wherein sensed images can be directly printed out by an artcam portable camera unit such as illustrated in fig2 . further , the aforementioned specification discloses means and methods for performing various manipulations on images captured by the camera sensing device 30 leading to the production of various effects in any output image 40 . the manipulations are disclosed to be highly flexible in nature and can be implemented through the insertion into the artcam of cards having encoded thereon various instructions for the manipulation of images , the cards 9 hereinafter being known as artcards . the artcam further has significant onboard processing power by an artcam central processor unit ( acp ) 32 which is interconnected to a memory device 34 for the storage of important data and images . in the preferred embodiment , autofocus is achieved by processing of a ccd data stream to ensure maximum contrast . techniques for determining a focus position based on a ccd data stream are known . for example , reference is made to “ the encyclopedia of photography ” editors leslie stroebel and richard zakia , published 1993 by butterworth - heinemann and “ applied photographic optics ” by london & amp ; boston , focal press , 1988 . these techniques primarily rely on measurements of contrast between adjacent pixels over portions of an input image . the image is initially processed by the acp in order to determine a correct autofocus setting . this autofocus information is then utilized by the acp 32 in certain modes , for example , when attempting to locate faces within the image , as a guide to the likely size of any face within the image , thereby simplifying the face location process . turning now to fig1 there is illustrated an example of the method utilized to determine likely image characteristics for examination by a face detection algorithm 10 . various images eg . 2 , 3 and 4 are imaged by the camera device 28 . as a by product of the operation of the auto - focusing the details of the focusing settings of the autofocus unit 5 are stored by the acp 32 . additionally , a current position of the zoom motor 38 is also utilized as zoom setting 6 . both of these settings are determined by the acp 32 . subsequently , the acp 32 applies analysis techniques in heuristic system 8 to the detected values before producing an output 29 having a magnitude corresponding to the likely depth location of objects of interest 21 , 31 or 41 within the image 2 , 3 or 4 respectively . next , the depth value is utilised in a face detection algorithm 10 running on the acp 31 in addition to the inputted sensed image 11 so as to locate objects within the image . a close output 29 corresponding to a range value 9 indicates a high probability of a portrait image , a medium range indicates a high probability of a group photograph and a further range indicates a higher probability of a landscape image . this probability information can be utilized as an aid for the face detection algorithm and also can be utilised for selecting between various parameters when producing “ painting ” effects within the image or painting the image with clip arts or the like , with different techniques or clip arts being applied depending on the distance to an object . it would be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that numerous variations and / or modifications may be made to the present invention as shown in the specific embodiment without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described . the present embodiment is , therefore , to be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive . the present invention is further best utilized in the artcam device , the details of which are set out in the following paragraphs although it is not restricted thereto . the embodiments of the invention use an ink jet printer type device . of course many different devices could be used . however presently popular ink jet printing technologies are unlikely to be suitable . the most significant problem with thermal inkjet is power consumption . this is approximately 100 times that required for high speed , and stems from the energy - inefficient means of drop ejection . this involves the rapid boiling of water to produce a vapor bubble which expels the ink . water has a very high heat capacity , and must be superheated in thermal inkjet applications . this leads to an efficiency of around 0 . 02 %, from electricity input to drop momentum ( and increased surface area ) out . the most significant problem with piezoelectric inkjet is size and cost . piezoelectric crystals have a very small deflection at reasonable drive voltages , and therefore require a large area for each nozzle . also , each piezoelectric actuator must be connected to its drive circuit on a separate substrate . this is not a significant problem at the current limit of around 300 nozzles per print head , but is a major impediment to the fabrication of page width print heads with 19 , 200 nozzles . ideally , the inkjet technologies used meet the stringent requirements of in - camera digital color printing and other high quality , high speed , low cost printing applications . to meet the requirements of digital photography , new inkjet technologies have been created . the target features include : all of these features can be met or exceeded by the inkjet systems described below with differing levels of difficulty . forty five different inkjet technologies have been developed by the assignee to give a wide range of choices for high volume manufacture . these technologies form part of separate applications assigned to the present assignee as set out in the table below . the inkjet designs shown here are suitable for a wide range of digital printing systems , from battery powered one - time use digital cameras , through to desktop and network printers , and through to commercial printing systems for ease of manufacture using standard process equipment , the print head is designed to be a monolithic 0 . 5 micron cmos chip with mems post processing . for color photographic applications , the print head is 100 mm long , with a width which depends upon the inkjet type . the smallest print head designed is ij38 , which is 0 . 35 mm wide , giving a chip area of 35 square mm . the print heads each contain 19 , 200 nozzles plus data and control circuitry . ink is supplied to the back of the print head by injection molded plastic ink channels . the molding requires 50 micron features , which can be created using a lithographically micromachined insert in a standard injection molding tool . ink flows through holes etched through the wafer to the nozzle chambers fabricated on the front surface of the wafer . the print head is connected to the camera circuitry by tape automated bonding . the following table is a guide to cross - referenced patent applications filed concurrently herewith and discussed hereinafter with the reference being utilized in subsequent tables when referring to a particular case : docket no . reference title ij01us ij01 radiant plunger ink jet printer ij02us ij02 electrostatic ink jet printer ij03us ij03 planar thermoelastic bend actuator ink jet ij04us ij04 stacked electrostatic ink jet printer ij05us ij05 reverse spring lever ink jet printer ij06us ij06 paddle type ink jet printer ij07us ij07 permanent magnet electromagnetic ink jet printer ij08us ij08 planar swing grill electromagnetic ink jet printer ij09us ij09 pump action refill ink jet printer ij10us ij10 pulsed magnetic field ink jet printer ij11us ij11 two plate reverse firing electromagnetic ink jet printer ij12us ij12 linear stepper actuator ink jet printer ij13us ij13 gear driven shutter ink jet printer ij14us ij14 tapered magnetic pole electromagnetic ink jet printer ij15us ij15 linear spring electromagnetic grill ink jet printer ij16us ij16 lorenz diaphragm electromagnetic ink jet printer ij17us ij17 ptfe surface shooting shuttered oscillating pressure ink jet printer ij18us ij18 buckle grip oscillating pressure ink jet printer ij19us ij19 shutter based ink jet printer ij20us ij20 curling calyx thermoelastic ink jet printer ij21us ij21 thermal actuated ink jet printer ij22us ij22 iris motion ink jet printer ij23us ij23 direct firing thermal bend actuator ink jet printer ij24us ij24 conductive ptfe ben activator vented ink jet printer ij25us ij25 magnetostrictive ink jet printer ij26us ij26 shape memory alloy ink jet printer ij27us ij27 buckle plate ink jet printer ij28us ij28 thermal elastic rotary impeller ink jet printer ij29us ij29 thermoelastic bend actuator ink jet printer ij30us ij30 thermoelastic bend actuator using ptfe and corrugated copper ink jet printer ij31us ij31 bend actuator direct ink supply ink jet printer ij32us ij32 a high young &# 39 ; s modulus thermoelastic ink jet printer ij33us ij33 thermally actuated slotted chamber wall ink jet printer ij34us ij34 ink jet printer having a thermal actuator comprising an external coiled spring ij35us ij35 trough container ink jet printer ij36us ij36 dual chamber single vertical actuator ink jet ij37us ij37 dual nozzle single horizontal fulcrum actuator ink jet ij38us ij38 dual nozzle single horizontal actuator ink jet ij39us ij39 a single bend actuator cupped paddle ink jet printing device ij40us ij40 a thermally actuated ink jet printer having a series of thermal actuator units ij41us ij41 a thermally actuated ink jet printer including a tapered heater element ij42us ij42 radial back - curling thermoelastic ink jet ij43us ij43 inverted radial back - curling thermoelastic ink jet ij44us ij44 surface bend actuator vented ink supply ink jet printer ij45us ij45 coil acutuated magnetic plate ink jet printer eleven important characteristics of the fundamental operation of individual inkjet nozzles have been identified . these characteristics are largely orthogonal , and so can be elucidated as an eleven dimensional matrix . most of the eleven axes of this matrix include entries developed by the present assignee . the following tables form the axes of an eleven dimensional table of inkjet types . actuator mechanism ( 18 types ) basic operation mode ( 7 types ) auxiliary mechanism ( 8 types ) actuator amplification or modification method ( 17 types ) actuator motion ( 19 types ) nozzle refill method ( 4 types ) method of restricting back - flow through inlet ( 10 types ) nozzle clearing method ( 9 types ) nozzle plate construction ( 9 types ) drop ejection direction ( 5 types ) ink type ( 7 types ) the complete eleven dimensional table represented by these axes contains 36 . 9 billion possible configurations of inkjet nozzle . while not all of the possible combinations result in a viable inkjet technology , many million configurations are viable . it is clearly impractical to elucidate all of the possible configurations . instead , certain inkjet types have been investigated in detail . these are designated ij01 to ij45 above . other inkjet configurations can readily be derived from these forty five examples by substituting alternative configurations along one or more of the 11 axes . most of the ij01 to ij45 examples can be made into inkjet print heads with characteristics superior to any currently available inkjet technology . where there are prior art examples known to the inventor , one or more of these examples are listed in the examples column of the tables below . the ij01 to ij45 series are also listed in the examples column . in some cases , a print technology may be listed more than once in a table , where it shares characteristics with more than one entry . suitable applications include : home printers , office network printers , short run digital printers , commercial print systems , fabric printers , pocket printers , internet www printers , video printers , medical imaging , wide format printers , notebook pc printers , fax machines , industrial printing systems , photocopiers , photographic minilabs etc . the information associated with the aforementioned 11 dimensional matrix are set out in the following tables . actuator mechanism ( applied only to selected ink drops ) actuator mechanism description advantages disadvantages examples thermal bubble an electrothermal heater large force generated high power canon bubblejet 1979 heats the ink to simple construction ink carrier limited endo et al gb patent above boiling point , no moving parts to water 2 , 007 , 162 transferring significant fast operation low efficiency xerox heater - in - pit 1990 heat to the aqueous ink . small chip area required for high temperatures hawkins et al u . s . pat . no . a bubble nucleates and actuator required 4 , 899 , 181 quickly forms , expelling high mechanical hewlett - packard tij the ink . the efficiency stress 1982 vaught et al of the process is low , unusual materials u . s . pat . no . 4 , 490 , 728 with typically less than required 0 . 05 % of the electrical large drive energy being transformed transistors into kinetic energy of cavitation causes the drop . actuator failure kogation reduces bubble formation large print heads are difficult to fabricate piezoelectric a piezoelectric low power consumption very large area kyser et al u . s . pat . no . crystal such as lead many ink types can be used required for 3 , 946 , 398 lanthanum zirconate fast operation actuator zoltan u . s . pat . no . 3 , 683 , 212 ( pzt ) is electrically high efficiency difficult to 1973 stemme u . s . pat . no . activated , and either integrate with 3 , 747 , 120 expands , shears , or electronics epson stylus bends to apply pressure high voltage drive tektronix to the ink , ejecting transistors required ij04 drops . full pagewidth print heads impractical due to actuator size requires electrical poling in high field strengths during manufacture electro - strictive an electric field is low power consumption low maximum strain seiko epson , usui et all used to activate many ink types can be used ( approx . 0 . 01 %) jp 253401 / 96 electrostriction in low thermal expansion large area required ij04 relaxor materials such electric field strength required for actuator due to as lead lanthanum ( approx . 3 . 5 v / μm ) can be low strain zirconate titanate generated without difficulty response speed is ( plzt ) or lead does not require electrical marginal (˜ 10 μs ) magnesium niobate poling high voltage drive ( pmn ). transistors required full pagewidth print heads impractical due to actuator size ferroelectric an electric field is low power consumption difficult to ij04 used to induce a many ink types can be used integrate with phase transition fast operation (& lt ; 1 μs ) electronics between the relatively high longitudinal unusual materials antiferroelectric strain such as plzsnt are ( afe ) and ferroelectric high efficiency required ( fe ) phase . perovskite electric field strength of around actuators require materials such as 3 v / μm can be readily a large area tin modified lead provided lanthanum zirconate titanate ( plzsnt ) exhibit large strains of up to 1 % associated with the afe to fe phase transition . electrostatic conductive plates are low power consumption difficult to operate ij02 , ij04 plates separated by a many ink types can be used electrostatic devices compressible or fluid fast operation in an aqueous dielectric ( usually environment air ). upon application the electrostatic of a voltage , the actuator will normally plates attract each need to be separated other and displace ink , from the ink causing drop ejection . very large area the conductive plates required to achieve may be in a comb or high forces honeycomb structure , or high voltage drive stacked to increase the transistors may be surface area and required therefore the force . full pagewidth print heads are not competitive due to actuator size electrostatic pull a strong electric field low current consumption high voltage required 1989 saito et al , u . s . pat . no . on ink is applied to the low temperature may be damaged by 4 , 799 , 068 ink , whereupon sparks due to air 1989 miura et al , u . s . pat . no . electrostatic attraction breakdown 4 , 810 , 954 accelerates the ink required field tone - jet towards the print strength increases medium . as the drop size decreases high voltage drive transistors required electrostatic field attracts dust permanent an electromagnet low power consumption complex fabrication ij07 , ij10 magnet electro - directly attracts a many ink types can be used permanent magnetic magnetic permanent magnet , fast operation material such as displacing ink and high efficiency neodymium iron boron causing drop ejection . easy extension from single ( ndfeb ) required . rare earth magnets nozzles to pagewidth print high local currents with a field strength heads required around 1 tesla can be copper metalization used . examples are : should be used for samarium cobalt long electromigration ( saco ) and magnetic lifetime and low materials in the resistivity neodymium iron boron pigmented inks are family ( ndfeb , usually infeasible nddyfebnb , nddyfeb , etc ) operating temperature limited to the curie temperature ( around 540 k ) soft magnetic core a solenoid induced a low power consumption complex fabrication ij01 , ij05 , ij08 , ij10 electro - magnetic magnetic field in a many ink types can be used materials not usually ij12 , ij14 , ij15 , ij17 soft magnetic core or fast operation present in a cmos fab yoke fabricated from a high efficiency such as nife , conife , ferrous material such as easy extension from single or cofe are electroplated iron nozzles to pagewidth print required alloys such as conife heads high local currents [ 1 ], cofe , or nife required alloys . typically , the copper metalization soft magnetic material should be used for is in two parts , long electromigration which are normally held lifetime and low apart by a spring . when resistivity the solenoid is actuated , electroplating is the two parts attract , required displacing the ink . high saturation flux density is required ( 2 . 0 - 2 . 1 t is achievable with conife [ 1 ]) magnetic the lorenz force acting low power consumption force acts as a ij06 , ij11 , ij13 , ij16 lorenz force on a current carrying many ink types can be used twisting motion wire in a magnetic field fast operation typically , only a is utilized . high efficiency quarter of the sole - this allows the easy extension from single noid length provides magnetic field to be nozzles to pagewidth print force in a useful supplied externally to heads direction the print head , for high local currents example with rare earth required permanent magnets . copper metalization only the current should be used for carrying wire need be long electromigration fabricated on the print - lifetime and low head , simplifying resistivity materials requirements . pigmented inks are usually infeasible magneto - striction the actuator uses the many ink types can be used force acts as a fischenbeck , u . s . pat . no . giant magnetostrictive fast operation twisting motion 4 , 032 , 929 effect of materials such easy extension from single unusual materials ij25 as terfenol - d ( an nozzles to pagewidth print such as terfenol - d alloy of terbium , heads are required dysprosium and iron high force is available high local currents developed at the required naval ordnance copper metalization laboratory , hence ter - should be used for fe - nol ). for best long electromigration efficiency , the lifetime and low actuator should be resistivity pre - stressed to pre - stressing may approx . 8 mpa . be required surface tension ink under positive low power consumption requires supplementary silverbrook , ep 0771 reduction pressure is held in simple construction force to effect drop 658 a2 and related a nozzle by surface no unusual materials required separation patent applications tension . the surface in fabrication requires special ink tension of the ink is high efficiency surfactants reduced below the easy extension from single speed may be limited bubble threshold , nozzles to pagewidth print by surfactant causing the ink to heads properties egress from the nozzle . viscosity the ink viscosity is simple construction requires supplementary silverbrook , ep 0771 reduction locally reduced to no unusual materials required force to effect drop 658 a2 and related select which drops in fabrication separation patent applications are to be ejected . a easy extension from single requires special ink viscosity reduction nozzles to pagewidth print viscosity properties can be achieved heads high speed is electrothermally with difficult to achieve most inks , but requires oscillating special inks can be ink pressure engineered for a 100 : 1 a high temperature viscosity reduction . difference ( typically 80 degrees ) is required acoustic an acoustic wave is can operate without a nozzle complex drive circuitry 1993 hadimioglu et al , generated and plate complex fabrication eup 550 , 192 focussed upon the low efficiency 1993 elrod et al , eup drop ejection region . poor control of drop 572 , 220 position poor control of drop volume thermoelastic an actuator which low power consumption efficient aqueous ij03 , ij09 , ij17 , ij18 bend actuator relies upon many ink types can be used operation requires ij19 , ij20 , ij21 , ij22 differential thermal simple planar fabrication a thermal insulator ij23 , ij24 , ij27 , ij28 expansion upon small chip area required for on the hot side ij29 , ij30 , ij31 , ij32 joule heating is used . each actuator corrosion prevention ij33 , ij34 , ij35 , ij36 fast operation can be difficult ij37 , ij38 , ij39 , ij40 high efficiency pigmented inks may ij41 cmos compatible voltages and be infeasible , as currents pigment particles standard mems processes can may jam the bend be used actuator easy extension from single nozzles to pagewidth print heads high cte a material with a very high force can be generated requires special ij09 , ij17 , ij18 , ij20 thermoelastic high coefficient of ptfe is a candidate for low material ( e . g . ptfe ) ij21 , ij22 , ij23 , ij24 actuator thermal expansion ( cte ) dielectric constant insulation requires a ptfe ij27 , ij28 , ij29 , ij30 such as in ulsi deposition process , ij31 , ij42 , ij43 , ij44 polytetrafluoroethylene very low power consumption which is not yet ( ptfe ) is used . many ink types can be used standard in ulsi fabs as high cte materials simple planar fabrication ptfe deposition are usually non - small chip area required for cannot be followed conductive , a heater each actuator with high temperature fabricated from a fast operation ( above 350 ° c .) conductive material high efficiency processing is incorporated . a 50 cmos compatible voltages and pigmented inks may μm long ptfe bend currents be infeasible , as actuator with easy extension from single pigment particles polysilicon heater nozzles to pagewidth print may jam the bend and 15 mw power heads actuator input can provide 180 μn force and 10 μm deflection . actuator motions include : bend push buckle rotate conductive a polymer with a high force can be generated requires special ij24 polymer high coefficient of very low power consumption materials development thermoelastic thermal expansion many ink types can be used ( high cte conductive actuator ( such as ptfe ) is simple planar fabrication polymer ) doped with conducting small chip area required for requires a ptfe substances to each actuator deposition process , increase its fast operation which is not yet conductivity to about high efficiency standard in ulsi fabs 3 orders of magnitude cmos compatible voltages and ptfe deposition cannot below that of currents be followed with high copper . the conducting easy extension from single temperature ( above polymer expands nozzles to pagewidth print 350 ° c .) processing when resistively heated . heads evaporation and cvd examples of conducting deposition techniques dopants include : cannot be used carbon nanotubes pigmented inks may metal fibers be infeasible , as conductive polymers pigment particles such as doped may jam the bend polythiophene actuator carbon granules shape memory a shape memory alloy high force is available ( stresses fatigue limits ij26 alloy such as tini ( also of hundreds of mpa ) maximum number of known as nitinol - large strain is available ( more cycles nickel titanium alloy than 3 %) low strain ( 1 %) is developed at the high corrosion resistance required to extend naval ordnance simple construction fatigue resistance laboratory ) is easy extension from single cycle rate limited thermally switched nozzles to pagewidth print by heat removal between its weak heads requires unusual martensitic state and low voltage operation materials ( tini ) its high stiffness the latent heat of austenic state . the transformation must shape of the actuator be provided in its martensitic high current operation state is deformed requires pre - stressing relative to the to distort the austenic shape . martensitic state the shape change causes ejection of a drop . linear magnetic linear magnetic linear magnetic actuators can requires unusual semi - ij12 actuator actuators include the be constructed with high conductor materials linear induction thrust , long travel , and high such as soft magnetic actuator ( lia ), linear efficiency using planar alloys ( e . g . conife permanent magnet semiconductor fabrication [ 1 ]) synchronous actuator techniques some varieties also ( lpmsa ), linear long actuator travel is available require permanent reluctance synchronous medium force is available magnetic materials actuator ( lrsa ), linear low voltage operation such as neodymium switched reluctance iron boron ( ndfeb ) actuator ( lsra ), requires complex and the linear stepper multi - phase drive actuator ( lsa ). circuitry high current operation [ 0050 ] basic operation mode operational mode description advantages disadvantages examples actuator directly this is the simplest simple operation drop repetition rate is usually limited to less thermal inkjet pushes ink mode of operation : no external fields required than 10 khz . however , this is not piezoelectric inkjet the actuator directly satellite drops can be avoided if fundamental to the method , but is related ij01 , ij02 , ij03 , ij04 supplies sufficient drop velocity is less than 4 to the refill method normally used ij05 , ij06 , ij07 , ij09 kinetic energy to m / s all of the drop kinetic energy must be ij11 , ij12 , ij14 , ij16 expel the drop . the can be efficient , depending provided by the actuator ij20 , ij22 , ij23 , ij24 drop must have a upon the actuator used satellite drops usually form if drop velocity ij25 , ij26 , ij27 , ij28 sufficient velocity is greater than 4 . 5 m / s ij29 , ij30 , ij31 , ij32 to overcome the ij33 , ij34 , ij35 , ij36 surface tension . ij37 , ij38 , ij39 , ij40 ij41 , ij42 , ij43 , ij44 proximity the drops to be very simple print head requires close proximity between the print silverbrook , ep 0771 printed are selected fabrication can be used head and the print media or transfer roller 658 a2 and related by some manner ( e . g . the drop selection means does may require two print heads printing patent applications thermally induced not need to provide the alternate rows of the image surface tension energy required to separate monolithic color print heads are difficult reduction of pressur - the drop from the nozzle ized ink ). selected drops are separated from the ink in the nozzle by contact with the print medium or a transfer roller . electrostatic pull the drops to be printed very simple print head requires very high electrostatic field silverbrook , ep 0771 on ink are selected by fabrication can be used electrostatic field for small nozzle sizes is 658 a2 and related some manner ( e . g . the drop selection means does above air breakdown patent applications thermally induced not need to provide the electrostatic field may attract dust tone - jet surface tension energy required to separate reduction of pressur - the drop from the nozzle ized ink ). selected drops are separated from the ink in the nozzle by a strong electric field . magnetic pull on the drops to be very simple print head requires magnetic ink silverbrook , ep 0771 ink printed are selected fabrication can be used ink colors other than black are difficult 658 a2 and related by some manner ( e . g . the drop selection means does requires very high magnetic fields patent applications thermally induced not need to provide the surface tension energy required to separate reduction of pressur - the drop from the nozzle ized ink ). selected drops are separated from the ink in the nozzle by a strong magnetic field acting on the magnetic ink . shutter the actuator moves a high speed (& gt ; 50 khz ) moving parts are required ij13 , ij17 , ij21 shutter to block ink operation can be achieved requires ink pressure modulator flow to the nozzle . due to reduced refill time friction and wear must be considered the ink pressure is drop timing can be very stiction is possible pulsed at a multiple accurate of the drop ejection the actuator energy can be frequency . very low shuttered grill the actuator moves a actuators with small travel can moving parts are required ij08 , ij15 , ij18 , ij19 shutter to block ink be used requires ink pressure modulator flow through a grill actuators with small force can friction and wear must be considered to the nozzle . the be used stiction is possible shutter movement need high speed (& gt ; 50 khz ) only be equal to operation can be achieved the width of the grill holes . pulsed magnetic a pulsed magnetic extremely low energy operation requires an external pulsed magnetic field ij10 pull on ink pusher field attracts an ‘ ink is possible requires special materials for both the pusher ’ at the drop no heat dissipation problems actuator and the ink pusher ejection frequency . complex construction an actuator controls a catch , which prevents the ink pusher from moving when a drop is not to be ejected . [ 0051 ] auxiliary mechanism ( applied to all nozzles ) auxiliary mechanism description advantages disadvantages examples none the actuator directly simplicity of construction drop ejection energy must be supplied most inkjets , including fires the ink drop , simplicity of operation by individual nozzle actuator piezoelectric and and there is no small physical size thermal bubble . external field or other ij01 - ij07 , ij09 , ij11 mechanism required . ij12 , ij14 , ij20 , ij22 ij23 - ij45 oscillating ink the ink pressure oscillating ink pressure can requires external ink pressure oscillator silverbrook , ep 0771 pressure oscillates , providing provide a refill pulse , ink pressure phase and amplitude must 658 a2 and related ( including much of the drop allowing higher operating be carefully controlled patent applications acoustic ejection energy . the speed acoustic reflections in the ink chamber ij08 , ij13 , ij15 , ij17 stimulation ) actuator selects the actuators may operate with must be designed for ij18 , ij19 , ij21 which drops are to be much lower energy fired by selectively acoustic lenses can be used to blocking or enabling focus the sound on the nozzles . the ink nozzles pressure oscillation may be achieved by vibrating the print head , or preferably by an actuator in the ink supply . media proximity the print head is low power precision assembly required silverbrook , ep 0771 placed in close high accuracy paper fibers may cause problems 658 a2 and related proximity to the simple print head construction cannot print on rough substrates patent applications print medium . selected drops protrude from the print head further than unselected drops , and contact the print medium . the drop soaks into the medium fast enough to cause drop separation . transfer roller drops are printed to high accuracy bulky silverbrook , ep 0771 a transfer roller wide range of print substrates expensive 658 a2 and related instead of straight can be used complex construction patent applications to the print medium . ink can be dried on the transfer tektronix hot melt a transfer roller roller piezoelectric inkjet can also be used for any of the ij series proximity drop separation . electrostatic an electric field is low power field strength required for separation silverbrook , ep 0771 used to accelerate simple print head construction of small drops is near or above air 658 a2 and related selected drops towards breakdown patent applications the print medium . tone - jet direct magnetic a magnetic field is low power requires magnetic ink silverbrook , ep 0771 field used to accelerate simple print head construction requires strong magnetic field 658 a2 and related selected drops of patent applications magnetic ink towards the print medium . cross magnetic the print head is does not require magnetic requires external magnet ij06 , ij16 field placed in a constant materials to be integrated in current densities may be high , resulting magnetic field . the the print head manufacturing in electromigration problems lorenz force in a process current carrying wire is used to move the actuator . pulsed magnetic a pulsed magnetic very low power operation is complex print head construction ij10 field field is used to possible magnetic materials required in print head cyclically attract a small print head size paddle , which pushes on the ink . a small actuator moves a catch , which selectively prevents the paddle from moving . [ 0052 ] actuator amplification or modification method actuator amplification description advantages disadvantages examples none no actuator mechanical operational simplicity many actuator mechanisms have insuf - thermal bubble inkjet amplification is ficient travel , or insufficient force , ij01 , ij02 , ij06 , ij07 used . the actuator to efficiently drive the drop ejection ij16 , ij25 , ij26 directly drives the process drop ejection process . differential an actuator material provides greater travel in a high stresses are involved piezoelectric expansion bend expands more on reduced print head area care must be taken that the materials ij03 , ij09 , ij17 - ij24 actuator one side than on the bend actuator converts a do not delaminate ij27 ij29 - ij39 , ij42 , the other . the high force low travel actuator residual bend resulting from high ij43 , ij44 expansion may be mechanism to high travel , temperature or high stress during thermal , piezoelectric , lower force mechanism . formation magnetostrictive , or other mechanism . transient bend a trilayer bend very good temperature stability high stresses are involved ij40 , ij41 actuator actuator where the two high speed , as a new drop can care must be taken that the materials outside layers are be fired before heat dissipates do not delaminate identical . this cancels cancels residual stress of bend due to ambient formation temperature and residual stress . the actuator only responds to transient heating of one side or the other . actuator stack a series of thin increased travel increased fabrication complexity some piezoelectric ink actuators are stacked . reduced drive voltage increased possibility of short circuits jets this can be due to pinholes ij04 appropriate where actuators require high electric field strength , such as electrostatic and piezoelectric actuators . multiple actuators multiple smaller increases the force available actuator forces may not add linearly , ij12 , ij13 , ij18 , ij20 actuators are used from an actuator reducing efficiency ij22 , ij28 , ij42 , ij43 simultaneously to multiple actuators can be move the ink . each positioned to control ink flow actuator need accurately provide only a portion of the force required . linear spring a linear spring is matches low travel actuator requires print head area for the spring ij15 used to transform a with higher travel motion with small requirements travel and high force non - contact method of motion into a longer travel , transformation lower force motion . reverse spring the actuator loads a better coupling to the ink fabrication complexity ij05 , ij11 spring . when the high stress in the spring actuator is turned off , the spring releases . this can reverse the force / distance curve of the actuator to make it compatible with the force / time requirements of the drop ejection . coiled actuator a bend actuator is increases travel generally restricted to planar ij17 , ij21 , ij34 , ij35 coiled to provide reduces chip area implementations due to extreme greater travel in a planar implementations are fabrication difficulty in other reduced chip area . relatively easy to fabricate . orientations . flexure bend a bend actuator has simple means of increasing care must be taken not to exceed the ij10 , ij19 , ij33 actuator a small region near travel of a bend actuator elastic limit in the flexure area the fixture point , stress distribution is very uneven which flexes much difficult to accurately model with finite more readily than element analysis the remainder of the actuator . the actuator flexing is effectively converted from an even coiling to an angular bend , resulting in greater travel of the actuator tip . gears gears can be used to low force , low travel actuators moving parts are required ij13 increase travel at can be used several actuator cycles are required the expense of can be fabricated using more complex drive electronics duration . circular standard surface mems complex construction gears , rack and pinion , processes friction , friction , and wear are possible ratchets , and other gearing methods can be used . catch the actuator controls very low actuator energy complex construction ij10 a small catch . the very small actuator size requires external force catch either enables unsuitable for pigmented inks or disables movement of an ink pusher that is controlled in a bulk manner . buckle plate a buckle plate can be very fast movement achievable must stay within elastic limits of the s . hirata et al , “ an ink - used to change a materials for long device life jet head . . . ”, proc . slow actuator into a high stresses involved ieee mems , february fast motion . it can generally high power requirement 1996 , pp 418 - 423 . also convert a high ij18 , ij27 force , low travel actuator into a high travel , medium force motion . tapered magnetic a tapered magnetic linearizes the magnetic complex construction ij14 pole pole can increase force / distance curve travel at the expense of force . lever a lever and fulcrum matches low travel actuator high stress around the fulcrum ij32 , ij36 , ij37 is used to transform with higher travel a motion with small requirements travel and high force fulcrum area has no linear into a motion with movement , and can be used longer travel and for a fluid seal lower force . the lever can also reverse the direction of travel . rotary impeller the actuator is high mechanical advantage complex construction ij28 connected to a rotary the ratio of force to travel of unsuitable for pigmented inks impeller . a small the actuator can be matched angular deflection of to the nozzle requirements by the actuator results varying the number of in a rotation of the impeller vanes impeller vanes , which push the ink against stationary vanes and out of the nozzle . acoustic lens a refractive or no moving parts large area required 1993 hadimioglu et al , diffractive ( e . g . zone only relevant for acoustic ink jets eup 550 , 192 plate ) acoustic lens 1993 elrod et al , eup is used to concentrate 572 , 220 sound waves . sharp conductive a sharp point is used simple construction difficult to fabricate using standard tone - jet point to concentrate an vlsi processes for a surface ejecting electrostatic field . ink - jet only relevant for electrostatic ink jets [ 0053 ] actuator motion actuator motion description advantages disadvantages examples volume the volume of the simple construction high energy is typically required to hewlett - packard expansion actuator changes , in the case achieve volume expansion . this leads to thermal inkjet pushing the ink in of thermal ink jet thermal stress , cavitation , and kogation canon bubblejet all directions . in thermal ink jet implementations linear , the actuator moves in efficient coupling high fabrication complexity may be ij01 , ij02 , ij04 , ij07 normal to a direction normal to ink drops required to achieve perpendicular motion ij11 , ij14 chip surface to the print head ejected normal to surface . the nozzle the surface is typically in the line of movement . linear , the actuator moves suitable for planar fabrication complexity ij12 , ij13 , ij15 , ij33 , parallel to parallel to the print fabrication friction ij34 , ij35 , ij36 chip surface head surface . drop stiction ejection may still be normal to the surface . membrane push an actuator with a the effective fabrication complexity 1982 howkins u . s . pat . no . high force but small area of the actuator size 4 , 459 , 601 area is used to push actuator becomes difficulty of integration in a vlsi a stiff membrane that the membrane area process is in contact with the ink . rotary the actuator causes rotary levers may device complexity ij05 , ij08 , ij13 , ij28 the rotation of some be used to may have friction at a pivot point element , such a grill increase travel or impeller small chip area requirements bend the actuator bends a very small requires the actuator to be made from 1970 kyser et al u . s . pat . no . when energized . this change in at least two distinct layers , or to 3 , 946 , 398 may be due to dimensions can have a thermal difference across the 1973 stemme u . s . pat . no . differential thermal be converted actuator 3 , 747 , 120 expansion , piezo - to a large ij03 , ij09 , ij10 , ij19 electric expansion , motion . ij23 , ij24 , ij25 , ij29 magnetostriction , ij30 , ij31 , ij33 , ij34 or other form of ij35 relative dimensional change . swivel the actuator swivels allows operation inefficient coupling to the ink motion ij06 around a central where the net pivot . this motion is linear force on suitable where there the paddle is are opposite forces zero applied to opposite small chip area sides of the paddle , requirements e . g . lorenz force . straighten the actuator is can be used requires careful balance of stresses to ij26 , ij32 normally bent , and with shape ensure that the quiescent bend is straightens when memory alloys accurate energized . where the austenic phase is planar double bend the actuator bends in one actuator can difficult to make the drops ejected by ij36 , ij37 , ij38 one direction when one be used to power both bend directions identical . element is energized , two nozzles . a small efficiency loss compared to and bends the other way reduced chip size . equivalent single bend actuators . when another element is not sensitive to energized . ambient temperature shear energizing the actuator can increase the not readily applicable to other actuator 1985 fishbeck u . s . pat . no . causes a shear motion in effective travel mechanisms 4 , 584 , 590 the actuator material . of piezoelectric actuators radial the actuator squeezes relatively easy high force required 1970 zoltan u . s . pat . no . constriction an ink reservoir , to fabricate inefficient 3 , 683 , 212 forcing ink from a single nozzles difficult to integrate with vlsi constricted nozzle . from glass processes tubing as macroscopic structures coil / uncoil a coiled actuator easy to fabricate difficult to fabricate for non - planar ij17 , ij21 , ij34 , ij35 uncoils or coils more as a planar devices tightly . the motion of vlsi process poor out - of - plane stiffness the free end of the small area actuator ejects the ink . required , therefore low cost bow the actuator bows ( or can increase the maximum travel is constrained ij16 , ij18 , ij27 buckles ) in the speed of travel high force required middle when energized . mechanically rigid push - pull two actuators control the structure is not readily suitable for inkjets which ij18 a shutter . one pinned at both directly push the ink actuator pulls the ends , so has a shutter , and the other high out - of - pushes it . plane rigidity curl inwards a set of actuators curl good fluid flow design complexity ij20 , ij42 inwards to reduce to the region the volume of ink that behind the they enclose . actuator increases efficiency curl outwards a set of actuators relatively simple relatively large chip area ij43 curl outwards , construction pressurizing ink in a chamber surrounding the actuators , and expelling ink from a nozzle in the chamber . iris multiple vanes enclose high efficiency high fabrication complexity ij22 a volume of ink . these small chip area not suitable for pigmented inks simultaneously rotate , reducing the volume between the vanes . acoustic vibration the actuator vibrates the actuator can large area required for efficient 1993 hadimioglu et al , at a high frequency . be physically operation at useful frequencies eup 550 , 192 distant from the acoustic coupling and crosstalk 1993 elrod et al , eup ink complex drive circuitry 572 , 220 poor control of drop volume and position none in various ink jet no moving parts various other tradeoffs are required silverbrook , ep 0771 designs the actuator to eliminate moving parts 658 a2 and related does not move . patent applications tone - jet [ 0054 ] nozzle refill method nozzle refill method description advantages disadvantages examples surface tension after the actuator fabrication simplicity low speed thermal inkjet is energized , it operational simplicity surface tension force relatively small piezoelectric inkjet typically returns compared to actuator force ij01 - ij07 , ij10 - ij14 rapidly to its normal long refill time usually dominates the ij16 , ij20 , ij22 - ij45 position . this rapid total repetition rate return sucks in air through the nozzle opening . the ink surface tension at the nozzle then exerts a small force restoring the meniscus to a minimum area . shuttered ink to the nozzle high speed requires common ink pressure oscillator ij08 , ij13 , ij15 , ij17 oscillating ink chamber is provided low actuator energy , as the may not be suitable for pigmented inks ij18 , ij19 , ij21 pressure at a pressure that actuator need only open or oscillates at twice close the shutter , instead of the drop ejection ejecting the ink drop frequency . when a drop is to be ejected , the shutter is opened for 3 half cycles : drop ejection , actuator return , and refill . refill actuator after the main actuator high speed , as the nozzle is requires two independent actuators per ij09 has ejected a drop a actively refilled nozzle second ( refill ) actuator is energized . the refill actuator pushes ink into the nozzle chamber . the refill actuator returns slowly , to prevent its return from emptying the chamber again . positive ink the ink is held a slight high refill rate , therefore a surface spill must be prevented silverbrook , ep 0771 pressure positive pressure . after high drop repetition rate is highly hydrophobic print head surfaces 658 a2 and related the ink drop is ejected , possible are required patent applications the nozzle chamber fills alternative for : quickly as surface ij01 - ij07 , ij10 - ij14 tension and ink pressure ij16 , ij20 , ij22 - ij45 both operate to refill the nozzle . [ 0055 ] method of restricting back - flow through inlet inlet back - flow restriction method description advantages disadvantages examples long inlet the ink inlet channel design simplicity restricts refill rate thermal inkjet channel to the nozzle chamber operational simplicity may result in a relatively large chip piezoelectric inkjet is made long and reduces crosstalk area ij42 , ij43 relatively narrow , only partially effective relying on viscous drag to reduce inlet back - flow . positive ink the ink is under a drop selection and separation requires a method ( such as a nozzle rim silverbrook , ep 0771 pressure positive pressure , forces can be reduced or effective hydrophobizing , or both ) to 658 a2 and related so that in the fast refill time prevent flooding of the ejection surface patent applications quiescent state some of the print head . possible operation of the of the ink drop already following : protrudes from the ij01 - ij07 , ij09 - ij12 nozzle . this reduces ij14 , ij16 , ij20 , ij22 , the pressure in the ij23 - ij34 , ij36 - ij41 nozzle chamber which ij44 is required to eject a certain volume of ink . the reduction in chamber pressure results in a reduction in ink pushed out through the inlet . baffle one or more baffles the refill rate is not as design complexity hp thermal ink jet are placed in the restricted as the long may increase fabrication complexity tektronix piezoelectric inlet ink flow . when inlet method . ( e . g . tektronix hot melt piezoelectric inkjet the actuator is reduces crosstalk print heads ). energized , the rapid ink movement creates eddies which restrict the flow through the inlet . the slower refill process is unre - stricted , and does not result in eddies . flexible flap in this method significantly reduces back - flow not applicable to most inkjet config - canon restricts inlet recently disclosed by for edge - shooter thermal ink urations canon , the expanding jet devices increased fabrication complexity actuator ( bubble ) inelastic deformation of polymer flap pushes on a flexible results in creep over extended use flap that restricts the inlet . inlet filter a filter is located additional advantage of ink restricts refill rate ij04 , ij12 , ij24 , ij27 between the ink inlet filtration may result in complex construction ij29 , ij30 and the nozzle chamber . ink filter may be fabricated the filter has a with no additional process multitude of small steps holes or slots , restricting ink flow . the filter also removes particles which may block the nozzle . small inlet the ink inlet channel design simplicity restricts refill rate ij02 , ij37 , ij44 compared to to the nozzle chamber may result in a relatively large chip nozzle has a substantially area smaller cross section only partially effective than that of the nozzle , resulting in easier ink egress out of the nozzle than out of the inlet . inlet shutter a secondary actuator increases speed of the ink - requires separate refill actuator and ij09 controls the position jet print head operation drive circuit of a shutter , closing off the ink inlet when the main actuator is energized . the inlet is the method avoids back - flow problem is requires careful design to minimize the ij01 , ij03 , ij05 , ij06 located behind the problem of inlet eliminated negative pressure behind the paddle ij07 , ij10 , ij11 , ij14 the ink - pushing back - flow by arrang - ij16 , ij22 , ij23 , ij25 surface ing the ink - pushing ij28 , ij31 , ij32 , ij33 surface of the ij34 , ij35 , ij36 , ij39 actuator between the ij40 , ij41 inlet and the nozzle . part of the the actuator and a significant reductions in back - small increase in fabrication complexity ij07 , ij20 , ij26 , ij38 actuator moves wall of the ink flow can be achieved to shut off chamber are arranged compact designs possible the inlet so that the motion of the actuator closes off the inlet . nozzle actuator in some configura - ink back - flow problem is none related to ink back - flow on silverbrook , ep 0771 does not result tions of ink jet , eliminated actuation 658 a2 and related in ink back - flow there is no expan - patent applications sion or movement of valve - jet an actuator which may tone - jet cause ink back - flow ij08 , ij13 , ij15 , ij17 through the inlet . ij18 , ij19 , ij21 [ 0056 ] nozzle clearing method nozzle clearing method description advantages disadvantages examples normal nozzle all of the nozzles are no added complexity on the may not be sufficient to displace dried most ink jet systems firing fired periodically , print head ink ij01 - ij07 , ij09 - ij12 before the ink has a ij14 , ij16 , ij20 , ij22 chance to dry . when ij23 - ij34 , ij36 - ij45 not in use the nozzles are sealed ( capped ) against air . the nozzle firing is usually performed during a special clear - ing cycle , after first moving the print head to a cleaning station . extra power to in systems which heat can be highly effective if the requires higher drive voltage for silverbrook , ep 0771 ink heater the ink , but do not heater is adjacent to the clearing 658 a2 and related boil it under normal nozzle may require larger drive transistors patent applications situations , nozzle clearing can be achieved by over - powering the heater and boiling ink at the nozzle . rapid succession the actuator is fired does not require extra drive effectiveness depends substantially may be used with : of actuator pulses in rapid succession . circuits on the print head upon the configuration of the inkjet ij01 - ij07 , ij09 - ij11 in some configurations , can be readily controlled and nozzle ij14 , ij16 , ij20 , ij22 this may cause heat initiated by digital logic ij23 - ij25 , ij27 - ij34 build - up at the nozzle ij36 - ij45 which boils the ink , clearing the nozzle . in other situations , it may cause sufficient vibrations to dislodge clogged nozzles . extra power to where an actuator is a simple solution where not suitable where there is a hard limit may be used with : ink pushing not normally driven applicable to actuator movement ij03 , ij09 , ij16 , ij20 actuator to the limit of its ij23 , ij24 , ij25 , ij27 motion , nozzle clearing ij29 , ij30 , ij31 , ij32 may be assisted by ij39 , ij40 , ij41 , ij42 providing an enhanced ij43 , ij44 , ij45 drive signal to the actuator . acoustic an ultrasonic wave is a high nozzle clearing high implementation cost if system does ij08 , ij13 , ij15 , ij17 resonance applied to the ink capability can be achieved not already include an acoustic actuator ij18 , ij19 , ij21 chamber . this wave is may be implemented at very of an appropriate low cost in systems which amplitude and fre - already include acoustic quency to cause actuators sufficient force at the nozzle to clear blockages . this is easiest to achieve if the ultrasonic wave is at a resonant frequency of the ink cavity . nozzle clearing a microfabricated plate can clear severely clogged accurate mechanical alignment is re - silverbrook , ep 0771 plate is pushed against the nozzles quired 658 a2 and related nozzles . the plate has moving parts are required patent applications a post for every nozzle . there is risk of damage to the nozzles the array of posts accurate fabrication is required ink pressure pulse the pressure of the may be effective where other requires pressure pump or other may be used with all ij ink is temporarily methods cannot be used pressure actuator series ink jets increased so that ink expensive streams from all of wasteful of ink the nozzles . this may be used in con - junction with actuator energizing . print head wiper a flexible ‘ blade ’ effective for planar print head difficult to use if print head surface is many ink jet systems is wiped across the surfaces non - planar or very fragile print head surface . low cost requires mechanical parts the blade is usually blade can wear out in high volume print fabricated from a systems flexible polymer , e . g . rubber or synthetic elastomer . separate ink a separate heater is can be effective where other fabrication complexity can be used with many boiling heater provided at the nozzle clearing methods ij series ink jets nozzle although the cannot be used normal drop e - ection can be implemented at no mechanism does not additional cost in some inkjet require it . the configurations heaters do not require individual drive circuits , as many nozzles can be cleared simultaneously , and no imaging is required . [ 0057 ] nozzle plate construction nozzle plate construction description advantages disadvantages examples electroformed a nozzle plate is fabrication simplicity high temperatures and pressures are hewlett packard nickel separately fabricated required to bond nozzle plate thermal inkjet from electroformed minimum thickness constraints nickel , and bonded differential thermal expansion to the print head chip . laser ablated or individual nozzle holes no masks required each hole must be individually formed canon bubblejet drilled polymer are ablated by an can be quite fast special equipment required 1988 sercel et al ., intense uv laser in a some control over nozzle slow where there are many thousands spie , vol . 998 excimer nozzle plate , which profile is possible of nozzles per print head beam applications , is typically a polymer equipment required is may produce thin burrs at exit holes pp . 76 - 83 such as polyimide or relatively low cost 1993 watanabe et al ., polysulphone u . s . pat . no . 5 , 208 , 604 silicon micro - a separate nozzle high accuracy is attainable two part construction k . bean , ieee machined plate is micromachined high cost transactions on from single crystal requires precision alignment electron devices , vol . silicon , and bonded nozzles may be clogged by adhesive ed - 25 , no . 10 , 1978 , to the print head pp 1185 - 1195 wafer . xerox 1990 hawkins et al ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 899 , 181 glass fine glass capillaries no expensive equipment very small nozzle sizes are difficult to 1970 zoltan u . s . capillaries are drawn from glass required form pat . no . 3 , 683 , 212 tubing . this method simple to make single nozzles not suited for mass production has been used for making individual nozzles , but is difficult to use for bulk manufacturing of print heads with thousands of nozzles . monolithic , the nozzle plate is high accuracy (& lt ; 1 μm ) requires sacrificial layer under the silverbrook , ep 0771 surface micro - deposited as a layer monolithic nozzle plate to form the nozzle chamber 658 a2 and related machined using using standard vlsi low cost surface may be fragile to the touch patent applications vlsi litho - deposition techniques . existing processes can be ij01 , ij02 , ij04 , ij11 graphic nozzles are etched in used ij12 , ij17 , ij18 , ij20 processes the nozzle plate using ij22 , ij24 , ij27 , ij28 vlsi lithography and ij29 , ij30 , ij31 , ij32 etching . ij33 , ij34 , ij36 , ij37 ij38 , ij39 , ij40 , ij41 ij42 , ij43 , ij44 monolithic , the nozzle plate is a high accuracy (& lt ; 1 μm ) requires long etch times ij03 , ij05 , ij06 , ij07 etched through buried etch stop in monolithic requires a support wafer ij08 , ij09 , ij10 , ij13 substrate the wafer . nozzle low cost ij14 , ij15 , ij16 , ij19 chambers are etched in no differential expansion ij21 , ij23 , ij25 , ij26 the front of the wafer , and the wafer is thinned from the back side . nozzles are then etched in the etch stop layer . no nozzle plate various methods have no nozzles to become clogged difficult to control drop position accu - ricoh 1995 sekiya et al been tried to eliminate rately u . s . pat . no . 5 , 412 , 413 the nozzles entirely , crosstalk problems 1993 hadimioglu et al to prevent nozzle eup 550 , 192 clogging . these include 1993 elrod et al eup thermal bubble mecha - 572 , 220 nisms and acoustic lens mechanisms trough each drop ejector has reduced manufacturing drop firing direction is sensitive to ij35 a trough through complexity wicking . which a paddle moves . monolithic there is no nozzle plate . nozzle slit the elimination of no nozzles to become clogged difficult to control drop position accu - 1989 saito et al instead of nozzle holes and rately u . s . pat . no . individual replacement by a crosstalk problems 4 , 799 , 068 nozzles slit encompassing many actuator posi - tions reduces nozzle clogging , but in - creases crosstalk due to ink surface waves [ 0058 ] drop ejection direction ejection direction description advantages disadvantages examples edge ink flow is along the simple construction nozzles limited to edge canon bubblejet 1979 (‘ edge shooter ’) surface of the chip , no silicon etching required high resolution is difficult endo et al gb patent and ink drops are good heat sinking via sub - fast color printing requires one print 2 , 007 , 162 ejected from the chip strate head per color xerox heater - in - pit 1990 edge . mechanically strong hawkins et al u . s . ease of chip handing pat . no . 4 , 899 , 181 tone - jet surface ink flow is along the no bulk silicon etching maximum ink flow is severely restricted hewlett - packard tij (‘ roof shooter ’) surface of the chip , required 1982 vaught et al and ink drops are silicon can make an effective u . s . pat . no . ejected from the chip heat sink 4 , 490 , 728 surface , normal to mechanical strength ij02 , ij11 , ij12 , ij20 the plane of the chip . ij22 through chip , ink flow is through high ink flow requires bulk silicon etching silverbrook , ep 0771 forward the chip , and ink suitable for pagewidth print 658 a2 and related (‘ up shooter ’) drops are ejected high nozzle packing density patent applications from the front sur - therefore low manufacturing ij04 , ij17 , ij18 , ij24 face of the chip . cost ij27 - ij45 through chip , ink flow is through high ink flow requires wafer thinning ij01 , ij03 , ij05 , ij06 reverse the chip , and ink suitable for pagewidth print requires special handling during ij07 , ij08 , ij09 , ij10 (‘ down shooter ’) drops are ejected high nozzle packing density manufacture ij13 , ij14 , ij15 , ij16 from the rear surface therefore low manufacturing ij19 , ij21 , ij23 , ij25 of the chip . cost ij26 through actuator ink flow is through suitable for piezoelectric pagewidth print heads require several epson stylus the actuator , which print heads thousand connections to drive circuits tektronix hot melt is not fabricated as cannot be manufactured in standard piezoelectric ink jets part of the same cmos fabs substrate as the complex assembly required drive transistors . [ 0059 ] ink type ink type description advantages disadvantages examples aqueous , dye water based ink environmentally friendly slow drying most existing inkjets which typically no odor corrosive all ij series ink jets contains : water , bleeds on paper silverbrook , ep 0771 dye , surfactant , may strikethrough 658 a2 and related humectant , and cockles paper patent applications biocide . modern ink dyes have high water - fastness , light fastness aqueous , pigment water based ink environmentally friendly slow drying ij02 , ij04 , ij21 , ij26 which typically no odor corrosive ij27 , ij30 contains : water , reduced bleed pigment may clog nozzles silverbrook , ep 0771 pigment , surfactant , reduced wicking pigment may clog actuator mechanisms 658 a2 and related humectant , and reduced strikethrough cockles paper patent applications biocide . piezoelectric ink - jets pigments have an thermal ink jets ( with advantage in reduced significant bleed , wicking restrictions ) and strikethrough . methyl ethyl mek is a highly vola - very fast drying odorous all ij series ink jets ketone ( mek ) tile solvent used for prints on various substrates flammable industrial printing such as metals and plastics on difficult surfaces such as aluminum cans . alcohol alcohol based inks fast drying slight odor all ij series ink jets ( ethanol , 2 - can be used where operates at sub - freezing flammable butanol , and the printer must temperatures others ) operate at tempera - reduced paper cockle tures below the low cost freezing point of water . an example of this is in - camera consumer photographic printing . phase change the ink is solid at no drying time - ink instantly high viscosity tektronix hot melt ( hot melt ) room temperature , and freezes on the print medium printed ink typically has a ‘ waxy ’ feel piezoelectric ink jets is melted in the almost any print medium can printed pages may ‘ block ’ 1989 nowak u . s . pat . print head before jet - be used ink temperature may be above the curie no . 4 , 820 , 346 ting . hot melt inks no paper cockle occurs point of permanent magnets all ij series ink jets are usually wax based , no wicking occurs ink heaters consume power with a melting point no bleed occurs long warm - up time around 80 ° c . after no strikethrough occurs jetting the ink freezes almost instantly upon contacting the print medium or a transfer roller . oil oil based inks are high solubility medium for high viscosity : this is a significant all ij series ink jets extensively used in some dyes limitation for use in inkjets , which offset printing . they does not cockle paper usually require a low viscosity . some have advantages in does not wick through paper short chain and multi - branched oils improved characteris - have a sufficiently low viscosity . tics on paper ( especi - slow drying ally no wicking or cockle ). oil soluble dies and pigments are required . microemulsion a microemulsion is a stops ink bleed viscosity higher than water all ij series ink jets stable , self forming high dye solubility cost is slightly higher than water based emulsion of oil , water , water , oil , and amphiphilic ink and surfactant . the soluble dies can be used high surfactant concentration required characteristic drop can stabilize pigment ( around 5 %) size is less than suspensions 100 nm , and is deter - mined by the preferred curvature of the surfactant . a large number of new forms of ink jet printers have been developed to facilitate alternative ink jet technologies for the image processing and data distribution system . various combinations of ink jet devices can be included in printer devices incorporated as part of the present invention . australian provisional patent applications relating to these ink jets which are specifically incorporated by cross reference . the serial numbers of respective corresponding u . s . patent applications are also provided for the sake of convenience . austra - lian provi - us patent / patent sional application number filing date title and filing date po8066 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 227 , 652 and apparatus ( ij01 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8072 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 213 , 588 and apparatus ( ij02 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8040 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 213 , 589 and apparatus ( ij03 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8071 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 231 , 163 and apparatus ( ij04 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8047 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 247 , 795 and apparatus ( ij05 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8035 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 394 , 581 and apparatus ( ij06 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8044 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 244 , 691 and apparatus ( ij07 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8063 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 257 , 704 and apparatus ( ij08 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8057 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 416 , 168 and apparatus ( ij09 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8056 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 220 , 694 and apparatus ( ij10 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8069 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 257 , 705 and apparatus ( ij11 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8049 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 247 , 794 and apparatus ( ij12 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8036 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 234 , 610 and apparatus ( ij13 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8048 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 247 , 793 and apparatus ( ij14 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8070 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 264 , 306 and apparatus ( ij15 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8067 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 241 , 342 and apparatus ( ij16 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8001 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 247 , 792 and apparatus ( ij17 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8038 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 264 , 307 and apparatus ( ij18 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8033 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 254 , 220 and apparatus ( ij19 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8002 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 234 , 611 and apparatus ( ij20 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8068 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 302 , 528 and apparatus ( ij21 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8062 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 283 , 582 and apparatus ( ij22 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8034 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 239 , 821 and apparatus ( ij23 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8039 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 338 , 547 and apparatus ( ij24 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8041 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 247 , 796 and apparatus ( ij25 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8004 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 09 / 113 , 122 and apparatus ( ij26 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8037 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 390 , 603 and apparatus ( ij27 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8043 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 362 , 843 and apparatus ( ij28 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8042 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 293 , 653 and apparatus ( ij29 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8064 15 jul . 1997 image creation method 6 , 312 , 107 and apparatus ( ij30 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po9389 23 sep . 1997 image creation method 6 , 227 , 653 and apparatus ( ij31 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po9391 23 sep . 1997 image creation method 6 , 234 , 609 and apparatus ( ij32 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp0888 12 dec . 1997 image creation method 6 , 238 , 040 and apparatus ( ij33 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp0891 12 dec . 1997 image creation method 6 , 188 , 415 and apparatus ( ij34 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp0890 12 dec . 1997 image creation method 6 , 227 , 654 and apparatus ( ij35 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp0873 12 dec . 1997 image creation method 6 , 209 , 989 and apparatus ( ij36 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp0993 12 dec . 1997 image creation method 6 , 247 , 791 and apparatus ( ij37 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp0890 12 dec . 1997 image creation method 6 , 336 , 710 and apparatus ( ij38 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp1398 19 jan . 1998 an image creation 6 , 217 , 153 method and apparatus ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) ( ij39 ) pp2592 25 mar . 1998 an image creation 6 , 416 , 167 method and apparatus ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) ( ij40 ) pp2593 25 mar . 1998 image creation method 6 , 243 , 113 and apparatus ( ij41 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp3991 9 jun . 1998 image creation method 6 , 283 , 581 and apparatus ( ij42 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp3987 9 jun . 1998 image creation method 6 , 247 , 790 and apparatus ( ij43 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp3985 9 jun . 1998 image creation method 6 , 260 , 953 and apparatus ( ij44 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp3983 9 jun . 1998 image creation method 6 , 267 , 469 and apparatus ( ij45 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) further , the present application may utilize advanced semiconductor fabrication techniques in the construction of large arrays of ink jet printers . suitable manufacturing techniques are described in the following australian provisional patent specifications incorporated here by cross - reference . the serial numbers of respective corresponding u . s . patent applications are also provided for the sake of convenience . austral - us patent / ian patent provi - application sional and filing number filing date title date po7935 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 224 , 780 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm01 ) po7936 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 235 , 212 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm02 ) po7937 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 280 , 643 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm03 ) po8061 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 284 , 147 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm04 ) po8054 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 214 , 244 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm05 ) po8065 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 071 , 750 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm06 ) po8055 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 267 , 905 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm07 ) po8053 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 251 , 298 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm08 ) po8078 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 258 , 285 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm09 ) po7933 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 225 , 138 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm10 ) po7950 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 241 , 904 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm11 ) po7949 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 299 , 786 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm12 ) po8060 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 09 / 113 , 124 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm13 ) po8059 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 231 , 773 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm14 ) po8073 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 190 , 931 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm15 ) po8076 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 248 , 249 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm16 ) po8075 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 290 , 862 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm17 ) po8079 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 241 , 906 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm18 ) po8050 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 09 / 113 , 116 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm19 ) po8052 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 241 , 905 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm20 ) po7948 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 451 , 216 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm21 ) po7951 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 231 , 772 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm22 ) po8074 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 274 , 056 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm23 ) po7941 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 290 , 861 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm24 ) po8077 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 248 , 248 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm25 ) po8058 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 306 , 671 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm26 ) po8051 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 331 , 258 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm27 ) po8045 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 110 , 754 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm28 ) po7952 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 294 , 101 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm29 ) po8046 15 jul . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 416 , 679 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm30 ) po8503 11 aug . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 264 , 849 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm30a ) po9390 23 sep . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 254 , 793 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm31 ) po9392 23 sep . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 235 , 211 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm32 ) pp0889 12 dec . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 235 , 211 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm35 ) pp0887 12 dec . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 264 , 850 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm36 ) pp0882 12 dec . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 258 , 284 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm37 ) pp0874 12 dec . 1997 a method of manufacture 6 , 258 , 284 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm38 ) pp1396 19 jan . 1998 a method of manufacture 6 , 228 , 668 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm39 ) pp2591 25 mar . 1998 a method of manufacture 6 , 180 , 427 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm41 ) pp3989 9 jun . 1998 a method of manufacture 6 , 171 , 875 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm40 ) pp3990 9 jun . 1998 a method of manufacture 6 , 267 , 904 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm42 ) pp3986 9 jun . 1998 a method of manufacture 6 , 245 , 247 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm43 ) pp3984 9 jun . 1998 a method of manufacture 6 , 245 , 247 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm44 ) pp3982 9 jun . 1998 a method of manufacture 6 , 231 , 148 of an image creation ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ijm45 ) further , the present application may utilize an ink delivery system to the ink jet head . delivery systems relating to the supply of ink to a series of ink jet nozzles are described in the following australian provisional patent specifications , the disclosure of which are hereby incorporated by cross - reference . the serial numbers of respective corresponding u . s . patent applications are also provided for the sake of convenience . australian us patent / patent provisional application and number filing date title filing date po8003 15 jul . 1997 supply method and 6 , 350 , 023 apparatus ( f1 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8005 15 jul . 1997 supply method and 6 , 318 , 849 apparatus ( f2 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po9404 23 sep . 1997 a device and 09 / 113 , 101 method ( f3 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) further , the present application may utilize advanced semiconductor microelectromechanical techniques in the construction of large arrays of ink jet printers . suitable microelectromechanical techniques are described in the following australian provisional patent specifications incorporated here by cross - reference . the serial numbers of respective corresponding us patent applications are also provided for the sake of convenience . australian us patent / patent provisional application and number filing date title filing date po7943 15 jul . 1997 a device ( mems01 ) po8006 15 jul . 1997 a device ( mems02 ) 6 , 087 , 638 ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8007 15 jul . 1997 a device ( mems03 ) 09 / 113 , 093 ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8008 15 jul . 1997 a device ( mems04 ) 6 , 340 , 222 ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8010 15 jul . 1997 a device ( mems05 ) 6 , 041 , 600 ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8011 15 jul . 1997 a device ( mems06 ) 6 , 299 , 300 ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7947 15 jul . 1997 a device ( mems07 ) 6 , 067 , 797 ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7945 15 jul . 1997 a device ( mems08 ) 09 / 113 , 081 ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7944 15 jul . 1997 a device ( mems09 ) 6 , 286 , 935 ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7946 15 jul . 1997 a device ( mems10 ) 6 , 044 , 646 ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po9393 23 sep . 1997 a device and 09 / 113 , 065 method ( mems11 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp0875 12 dec . 1997 a device ( mems12 ) 09 / 113 , 078 ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp0894 12 dec . 1997 a device and 09 / 113 , 075 method ( mems13 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) further , the present application may include the utilization of a disposable camera system such as those described in the following australian provisional patent specifications incorporated here by cross - reference . the serial numbers of respective corresponding u . s . patent applications are also provided for the sake of convenience . austral - us patent / ian patent provis - application ional and filing number filing date title date pp0895 12 dec . 1997 an image creation 6 , 231 , 148 method and ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ir01 ) pp0870 12 dec . 1997 a device and 09 / 113 , 106 method ( ir02 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp0869 12 dec . 1997 a device and 6 , 293 , 658 method ( ir04 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp0887 12 dec . 1997 image creation 09 / 113 , 104 method and ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ir05 ) pp0885 12 dec . 1997 an image 6 , 238 , 033 production ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) system ( ir06 ) pp0884 12 dec . 1997 image creation 6 , 312 , 070 method and ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ir10 ) pp0886 12 dec . 1997 image creation 6 , 238 , 111 method and ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( ir12 ) pp0871 12 dec . 1997 a device and 09 / 113 , 086 method ( ir13 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp0876 12 dec . 1997 an image 09 / 113 , 094 processing ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) method and apparatus ( ir14 ) pp0877 12 dec . 1997 a device and 6 , 378 , 970 method ( ir16 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp0878 12 dec . 1997 a device and 6 , 196 , 739 method ( ir17 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp0879 12 dec . 1997 a device and 09 / 112 , 774 method ( ir18 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp0883 12 dec . 1997 a device and 6 , 270 , 182 method ( ir19 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp0880 12 dec . 1997 a device and 6 , 152 , 619 method ( ir20 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp0881 12 dec . 1997 a device and 09 / 113 , 092 method ( ir21 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) further , the present application may include the utilization of a data distribution system such as that described in the following australian provisional patent specifications incorporated here by cross - reference . the serial numbers of respective corresponding u . s . patent applications are also provided for the sake of convenience . austra - us patent / lian patent provis - application ional and filing number filing date title date pp2370 16 mar . 1998 data processing 09 / 112 , 781 method and ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( dot01 ) pp2371 16 mar . 1998 data processing 09 / 113 , 052 method and ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) apparatus ( dot02 ) further , the present application may include the utilization of camera and data processing techniques such as an artcam type device as described in the following australian provisional patent specifications incorporated here by cross - reference . the serial numbers of respective corresponding us patent applications are also provided for the sake of convenience . austral - us patent / ian patent provi - application sional and filing number filing date title date po7991 15 jul . 1997 image processing method 09 / 113 , 060 and apparatus ( art01 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7988 15 jul . 1997 image processing method 6 , 476 , 863 and apparatus ( art02 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7993 15 jul . 1997 image processing method 09 / 113 , 073 and apparatus ( art03 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po9395 23 sep . 1997 data processing method 6 , 322 , 181 and apparatus ( art04 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8017 15 jul . 1997 image processing method 09 / 112 , 747 and apparatus ( art06 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8014 15 jul . 1997 media device ( art07 ) 6 , 227 , 648 ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8025 15 jul . 1997 image processing method 09 / 112 , 750 and apparatus ( art08 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8032 15 jul . 1997 image processing method 09 / 112 , 746 and apparatus ( art09 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7999 15 jul . 1997 image processing method 09 / 112 , 743 and apparatus ( art10 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7998 15 jul . 1997 image processing method 09 / 112 , 742 and apparatus ( art11 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8031 15 jul . 1997 image processing method 09 / 112 , 741 and apparatus ( art12 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8030 15 jul . 1997 media device ( art13 ) 6 , 196 , 541 ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7997 15 jul . 1997 media device ( art15 ) 6 , 195 , 150 ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7979 15 jul . 1997 media device ( art16 ) 6 , 362 , 868 ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8015 15 jul . 1997 media device ( art17 ) 09 / 112 , 738 ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7978 15 jul . 1997 media device ( art18 ) 09 / 113 , 067 ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7982 15 jul 1997 data processing method 6 , 431 , 669 and apparatus ( art 19 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7989 15 jul . 1997 data processing method 6 , 362 , 869 and apparatus ( art20 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8019 15 jul . 1997 media processing method 6 , 472 , 052 and apparatus ( art21 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7980 15 jul . 1997 image processing method 6 , 356 , 715 and apparatus ( art22 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8018 15 jul . 1997 image processing method 09 / 112 , 777 and apparatus ( art24 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7938 15 jul . 1997 image processing method 09 / 113 , 224 and apparatus ( art25 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8016 15 jul . 1997 image processing method 6 , 366 , 693 and apparatus ( art26 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8024 15 jul . 1997 image processing method 6 , 329 , 990 and apparatus ( art27 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7940 15 jul . 1997 data processing method 09 / 113 , 072 and apparatus ( art28 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7939 15 jul . 1997 data processing method 09 / 112 , 785 and apparatus ( art29 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8501 11 aug . 1997 image processing method 6 , 137 , 500 and apparatus ( art30 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8500 11 aug . 1997 image processing method 09 / 112 , 796 and apparatus ( art31 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7987 15 jul . 1997 data processing method 09 / 113 , 071 and apparatus ( art32 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8022 15 jul . 1997 image processing method 6 , 398 , 328 and apparatus ( art33 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8497 11 aug . 1997 image processing method 09 / 113 , 090 and apparatus ( art34 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8020 15 jul . 1997 data processing method 6 , 431 , 704 and apparatus ( art38 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8023 15 jul . 1997 data processing method 09 / 113 , 222 and apparatus ( art39 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8504 11 aug . 1997 image processing method 09 / 112 , 786 and apparatus ( art42 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8000 15 jul . 1997 data processing method 6 , 415 , 054 and apparatus ( art43 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7977 15 jul . 1997 data processing method 09 / 112 , 782 and apparatus ( art44 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7934 15 jul . 1997 data processing method 09 / 113 , 056 and apparatus ( art45 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7990 15 jul . 1997 data processing method 09 / 113 , 059 and apparatus ( art46 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8499 11 aug . 1997 image processing method 6 , 486 , 886 and apparatus ( art47 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8502 11 aug . 1997 image processing method 6 , 381 , 361 and apparatus ( art48 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7981 15 jul . 1997 data processing method 6 , 317 , 192 and apparatus ( art50 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7986 15 jul . 1997 data processing method 09 / 113 , 057 and apparatus ( art51 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po7983 15 jul . 1997 data processing method 09 / 113 , 054 and apparatus ( art52 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8026 15 jul . 1997 image processing method 09 / 112 , 752 and apparatus ( art53 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8027 15 jul . 1997 image processing method 09 / 112 , 759 and apparatus ( art54 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po8028 15 jul . 1997 image processing method 09 / 112 , 757 and apparatus ( art56 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po9394 23 sep . 1997 image processing method 6 , 357 , 135 and apparatus ( art57 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po9396 23 sep . 1997 data processing method 09 / 113 , 107 and apparatus ( art58 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po9397 23 sep . 1997 data processing method 6 , 271 , 931 and apparatus ( art59 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po9398 23 sep . 1997 data processing method 6 , 353 , 772 and apparatus ( art60 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po9399 23 sep . 1997 data processing method 6 , 106 , 147 and apparatus ( art61 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po9400 23 sep . 1997 data processing method 09 / 112 , 790 and apparatus ( art62 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po9401 23 sep . 1997 data processing method 6 , 304 , 291 and apparatus ( art63 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po9402 23 sep . 1997 data processing method 09 / 112 , 788 and apparatus ( art64 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po9403 23 sep . 1997 data processing method 6 , 305 , 770 and apparatus ( art65 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) po9405 23 sep . 1997 data processing method 6 , 289 , 262 and apparatus ( art66 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp0959 16 dec . 1997 a data processing method 6 , 315 , 200 and apparatus ( art68 ) ( jul . 10 , 1998 ) pp1397 19 jan . 1998 a media device ( art69 ) 6 , 217 , 165 ( jul . 10 , 1998 )	6
referring now to fig1 the preferred control system 10 of the present invention is illustrated together with a conventional refrigeration system 11 whose operation is to be controlled . conventional refrigeration system 11 is of the absorption type and includes evaporator 14 , condenser 18 , absorber 26 , and concentrator 42 . in operation the fluid medium to be chilled is circulated through a coil 12 in the evaporator 14 . since the fluid medium is most commonly water it will be assumed for purposes of this description that water ( hereinafter referred to as the system water ) is circulating through coil 12 . skilled art workers will recognize however , that other liquids may also be employed . a refrigerant enters evaporator 14 from condenser 18 through orifice 20 . the evaporator pressure is maintained at a low enough level to vaporize a portion of the refrigerant as it passes through the orifice 20 . as the refrigerant vaporizes it absorbs its latent heat of vaporization thereby cooling and condensing the remainder of the refrigerant which collects at the bottom of the evaporator 14 . the liquid refrigerant is then fed through evaporator pump 22 to spray trees 45 which spray the refrigerant on the coil 12 . this is desirable to insure that coil 12 will be uniformly wetted by the refrigerant at all times . as the refrigerant contacts the coil 12 it extracts heat from the water therein which has the dual effect of cooling the system water and causing the refrigerant to boil . the vaporized refrigerant then passes into the absorber 26 which is maintained at a pressure slightly lower than the pressure in the evaporator 14 . in the absorber 26 , an absorbent having a strong affinity for the refrigerant and a boiling point much higher than the refrigerant is sprayed through spray trees 30 onto the refrigerant vapor . the most commonly used refrigerant - absorbent combination is water and lithium bromide ( libr ). water is a preferred refrigerant since it possesses a high latent heat of vaporization which serves to minimize the amount of refrigerant necessary to provide a given amount of cooling . in addition , water has a low specific volume which serves to reduce the volume of refrigerant which must be transported ; a working pressure near atmospheric which reduces the problem of leaks thereby lessening the cost of machine design ; and is safe , stable and readily available at low cost . libr is preferred principally because with respect to water it is an excellent absorbent . in the absorber 26 the refrigerant vapor eminating from the evaporator condenses in the liquid libr solution to form a dilute solution which collects at the bottom of the absorber 26 . the heat of condensation given up by the refrigerant during this process is removed by condensing water which circulates through a coil 32 disposed in the absorber 26 . the condensing water may come , for example , from a cooling tower 34 . as shown , the dilute solution collected at the bottom of the absorber 26 passes out of the absorber in two controlled streams . one stream 36 passes into a pump 38 which pumps the solution into the concentrator 42 . in the concentrator 42 the refrigerant is boiled out of the dilute solution thus producing a concentrated refrigerant - absorber solution , i . e . one that has a higher percentage concentration of absorbent than the dilute solution . the concentrated libr solution is then mixed with the second controlled stream of dilute solution 44 . mixed together , these solutions produce an intermediate refrigerant - absorbent solution , i . e ., one in which the percentage of absorbent is somewhere between that found in the concentrated and dilute solutions . this will be more fully explained hereinafter . absorber pump 46 then pumps this intermediate solution into the absorber 26 through spray trees 30 as is more fully described above . it will be apparent that heat must be supplied to the dilute solution in the concentrator 42 to raise the temperature high enough to drive out the water vapor . most commonly , and is shown in fig1 this is accomplished by circulating steam from a low pressure steam source 48 through a coil 50 disposed in the concentrator 42 , the steam temperature being maintained at a value high enough to boil out the refrigerant yet below the boiling point of the absorbent . typically , water will boil out of the dilute solution at about 210 ° f while the boiling point of libr is about 1500 ° f . consequently , the steam from source 48 is maintained at a temperature between these two values . the water vapor boiled out of the libr solution in the concentrator 42 migrates to the condenser 18 which is maintained at a slightly lower pressure than the pressure found in the concentrator . a coil 52 , through which cooling water is circulated , is disposed in the condenser 18 . as shown , the water in coil 52 is the same water which has first been circulated through coil 32 . this is done since , as will become more fully apparent hereinafter , the condenser is typically maintained at a temperature about 10 ° f higher than absorber temperature . after passing through coil 52 the condensing water is returned to tower 34 for recooling . upon contacting coil 52 the vaporized refrigerant is cooled and condensed . the liquid refrigerant collects at the bottom of the condenser and eventually passes through the orifice 20 into the evaporator 14 thereby completing the refrigerant cycle . since the stream 36 of dilute solution must be heated in the concentrator 42 in order to drive out the refrigerant , and since the concentrated libr solution returned to the absorber 26 must be sufficiently cooled to maintain a constant absorber temperature , the system 11 will generally include a heat exchanger 40 . as shown , the stream 36 of dilute solution passes through the heat exchanger 40 in one direction and the hotter concentrated solution passes through the heat exchanger 40 in the opposite direction . in the exchanger the dilute solution takes on heat and therefore requires less heat input in the concentrator 42 from source 48 while the concentrated solution gives up heat thus requiring less cooling in the absorber 26 to lower its temperature . referring now to fig2 which graphically illustrates the pressure - temperature curves for water and lithium bromide , the changes in pressure and temperature that occur throughout the system 11 will be more fully described . assuming that the system 11 is to cool the system water to 45 ° f , the refrigerant must vaporize at a temperature of about 40 ° f . thus , with reference to fig2 the evaporator pressure must be maintained at about 6 . 5 mm hg ( point 1 ). since the evaporator pressure must be slightly higher than the absorber pressure to insure that the vaporized refrigerant passes to the absorber , the absorber is maintained at a pressure of about 6 . 0 mm hg . depending upon the temperature in the absorber , this pressure will exist for various concentrations of the libr solution . the absorber temperature , however , is directly dependent upon the temperature of the water entering the coil 32 . since the water in the cooling tower 34 is typically 85 ° f , which , assuming that the surface area of the coil 32 is kept at an economical level , means that the absorber temperature will be about 107 ° f , it may be seen from fig2 that the concentration of the dilute solution in the absorber must be about 60 % ( point 2 ) to keep the pressure in the absorber below the evaporator pressure . as the stream 36 of dilute solution passes out of the absorber 26 it first passes through the heat exchanger 40 where its temperature is raised to about 170 ° f ( point 3 ). thus point 3 represents the condition of the dilute solution as it enters the concentrator 42 . in the concentrator 42 the steam from source 48 passing through coil 50 adds additional heat to the dilute solution until the vapor pressure of the solution reaches the condenser pressure at which point equilibrium is disrupted as some of the water molecules boiled out of the solution pass into the condenser 18 . in order to insure that water vapor will migrate from the concentrator 42 to the condenser 18 the pressure in the concentrator must be raised to a level slightly above the pressure in the condenser 18 which , in turn , is directly dependent on the condenser temperature . as noted above , the same water used to cool the absorber 26 is also used to cool the condenser 18 . thus , the temperature of the water entering condenser coil 52 will be at about 95 ° f , which means that the temperature in the condenser 18 will typically be about 115 ° f . at this temperature the condensing pressure of the refrigerant is about 78 mm hg . therefore , when the vapor pressure of the 60 % solution exceeds about 78 mm hg , a portion of the water vapor molecules in the concentrator will migrate to the condenser 18 . as shown in fig2 the pressure of the 60 % solution entering the concentrator will reach 78mm hg at a temperature of about 195 ° f ( point 4 ). therefore , assuming that the heat transfer surface in the concentrator is to be maintained at an economical figure , the steam entering coil 50 in the concentrator must be at about 245 ° f . for a fixed flow rate of dilute solution in the concentrator , the final concentration of the libr solution may be controlled by controlling the rate of steam flow into the concentrator 42 . by maintaining the steam pressure at about 12 psig the solution concentration at the output of the concentrator will be about 65 %. this is shown at point 5 , with the line 4 - 5 representing the latent of vaporization of the refrigerant . after passing through the heat exchanger 40 which reduces the temperature of the concentrated solution to about 135 ° f ( point 6 ), the concentrated solution is mixed with the second stream 44 of dilute solution to produce an intermediate solution ( point 7 ). the intermediate solution is necessary for a number of reasons , the foremost of which is to prevent crystillization of the libr . with reference to fig2 it can be seen that point 6 is quite close to the crystillization line for libr . consequently , if the concentrated solution were further cooled from this point without diluting its concentration , some crystillization would probably occur . another reason is that by spraying a less concentrated solution on the coil 32 , and hence a less viscous one , the surface of the coil 32 will be more completely wetted . the reason the solution is concentrated to a high percentage concentration in the concentrator 42 and then diluted is that the absorber 26 requires a higher rate of solution flow than the concentrator does . thus while the proper solution flow rate in the absorber is maintained by recirculating a portion ( stream 44 ) of the dilute solution , this necessitates over concentrating the solution in the concentrator 42 in order that the intermediate solution sprayed on the coil 32 through spray trees 30 will have the proper orientation . spraying the intermediate solution through absorber trees 30 onto coil 32 further cools the intermediate solution to point 8 in fig2 . at this point the intermediate solution has the capacity to absorb additional water ( refrigerant ) vapor molecules from the evaporator . the more water vapor absorbed by the intermediate solution the more dilute it becomes , the limit being imposed by the cooling available in the absorber 26 . by maintaining the absorber temperature at about 105 ° f the final concentration of the dilute solution will be about 60 % ( point 2 ). in fig2 the line 10 - 3 represents the heat of condensation given up by the refrigerant as it condenses . since the flow rate of system water through coil 12 is generally constant , it is necessary to maintain a given temperature and concentration of lithium bromide solution in the absorber 26 in order for the system 11 to produce a given amount of refrigeration . for example , assuming the concentration of the solution in the absorber 26 were reduced , the ability of the solution to absorb water vapor molecules migrating from the evaporator 14 would also be reduced which in turn would lower the refrigeration capacity of the system 11 . on the other hand , if there is an increase in the concentration of the lithium bromide solution in the absorber 26 , the solution will be capable of absorbing more water vapor molecules which , in turn , will increase the refrigeration capacity of the system . as is more fully described above , the concentration of the solution in the absorber is directly dependent upon the rate of flow of steam through the coil 50 in the concentrator 42 . as the flow rate of the steam increases more refrigerant is driven out of the dilute solution in the concentrator with the result that the final concentration of the solution leaving the concentrator 42 is increased . this in turn results in an increase in the concentration of the intermediate solution fed into the absorber 26 through the spray trees 30 . on the other hand , a decrease in the flow rate of steam through the coil 50 serves to reduce the amount of refrigerant driven out of the dilute solution which results in a decrease in concentration of the solution leaving the concentrator 42 . this in turn will result in a decrease in the concentration of the intermediate solution in the absorber 26 . it is therefore obvious that the capacity of the machine may be controlled by regulating the concentration of the solution entering the absorber 26 . this may be done , for example , by disposing a three way valve ( not shown ). on the line going to the concentrator 40 , the valve may then be controlled to bypass the concentrator 40 and feed a portion of the dilute solution directly back to the absorber 26 thus reducing the concentration of the intermediate solution supplied to the absorber . most commonly , however , this has been accomplished by disposing a single temperature sensor at the output of the cooling coil 12 in the evaporator . the output of this temperature sensor is used to control a throttling valve 51 which is placed on the input line of the coil 50 . should the temperature sensor detect a rise in the supply water temperature , the throttling valve 51 will be opened wider thereby increasing the heat input to the concentrator 42 . as is more fully described above , this will result in an increase in the concentration of the intermediate solution which will increase the cooling capacity of the system 11 . conversely , if the temperature sensor detects a drop in supply water temperature the throttling valve 51 will be positioned to reduce the heat input to the concentrator 42 which results in a decrease in the concentration of the intermediate solution in the absorber 26 . this in turn will decrease the cooling capacity of the system 11 . this type of capacity control , however , has a number of deficiencies . specifically , it is designed to maintain the supply water at a constant temperature regardless of the load . thus , assuming that the load on the system 11 decreases , which is reflected by a lower return water temperature , the supply water temperature will also tend to decrease . as is more fully described above , when the temperature sensor detects the drop in supply water temperature , the control system will respond by reducing the amount of steam admitted to the system 11 thereby decreasing the concentration of the intermediate solution and reducing the cooling capacity of the system . thus it can be seen that the system will compensate for the reduced load by reducing the temperature differential between the supply and return water while maintaining the temperature of the supply water at a constant low level . from a fuel consumption point of view this is wasteful since additional energy ( steam ) is required to pull down the temperature of the return water . in addition , none of the prior art control systems known to applicant is capable of reducing energy consumption under conditions when maximum system efficiency is reduced due to variations in internal system conditions such as those that result , for example , from an increase in the temperature of the cooling water , branch tube fouling , accumulation of incondensables , etc . referring now again to fig1 the energy conservation control system 10 of the present invention will now be described . as shown , the preferred system 10 includes three separate temperature sensors 62 , 64 , 66 , a signal reversing relay 68 , a pair of low signal selector relays 70 , 72 , a reset controller 74 , a differential signal relay 76 and a signal amplifying relay 78 . while the components of the control system 10 may be pneumatic , hydraulic , fluidic , electronic , electric or any combination thereof , the preferred system 10 is pneumatic . accordingly , each of the sensors 62 , 64 , 66 is a transducer whose output is a pneumatic signal proportional to the sensed temperature . as shown , the first temperature sensor 62 is disposed at the input of the cooling coil 12 and tracks the temperature of the return water ; the second temperature sensor 64 is disposed in the sump at the bottom of the absorber 26 and tracks the temperature of the dilute solution ; and the third temperature sensor 66 is disposed at the output of the coil 12 and tracks the temperature of the supply water . initially , each of the temperature transmitters 62 , 64 , 66 is set to provide a given output pressure for predetermined equilibrium operating conditions . for purposes of this description it will be assumed that temperature transmitter 62 is set to provide an output pressure signal of 9 . 5 psig when the return water temperature is 55 ° f ; temperature transmitter 64 is set to provide an output pressure signal of 10 psig when the dilute solution temperature is 98 ° f ; and temperature transmitter 66 is set to provide an output pressure signal of 7 . 5 psig when the supply water temperature is 45 ° f . any change in the temperature sensed by any one of the transmitters will then result in a change in the output pressure tracking signal generated by that transmitter . preferably , the output pressure signals from the transmitters will vary by 0 . 12 psig per 1 ° f change in sensed temperature , an increase in sensed temperature resulting in a corresponding increase in the output pressure and a decrease in the sensed temperature resulting in a decrease in the output pressure . as shown , the output pressure signal from temperature transmitter 64 is first applied to a signal reversing relay 68 . the signal reversing relay serves to reverse any incremental change in the output pressure from the transmitter 64 in response to a change in the temperature in the dilute solution . thus , for example , should the dilute solution temperature increase by 5 °, which would result in a 0 . 6 psig increase in output pressure from the transmitter 64 , this will be reflected as a 0 . 6 psig decrease in the output pressure from the signal reversing relay 68 . following this example , the output pressure from the signal reversing relay 68 will be 9 . 4 psig . as shown , the output from the relay 68 is then compared with the output from the temperature transmitter 62 by the first low signal selector relay 70 which selects the signal having the lower pressure and passes that signal on as a control signal to the reset controller 74 . as shown , the output pressure control signal of reset controller 74 , which is applied to the second low signal selector relay 72 , is affected by the outputs from both the temperature transmitter 66 and the low signal selector relay 70 . the output pressure of controller 74 is initially set by the signal received from transmitter 66 and then reset up or down depending on the signal received from low signal selector relay 70 . in fig1 an increase in the output pressure from either temperature transmitter 66 or relay 70 will be reflected by an increase in the output pressure from the reset controller 74 . similarly , a decrease in the output pressure from either transmitter 66 or relay 70 will result in a decrease in the output pressure from the reset controller 74 . as shown , the output pressure signals from the temperature transmitters 62 , 66 are also applied to the differential signal relay 76 . the output pressure control signal from the relay 76 , which is applied to the signal amplifying relay 78 , is indicative of the difference between the output pressures from the temperature transmitters 62 , 66 . signal amplifying relay 78 then amplifies the output from the relay 76 before it is applied to the second low signal selector relay 72 . as will be more fully understood hereinafter , the gain of amplifier 78 is selected such that as long as system 11 is functioning properly the output from relay 78 will be more than the output from reset controller 74 . low signal selector relay 72 , whose inputs comprise the output from controller 74 and the amplified output from the differential signal relay 76 functions in the same manner as the first low signal selector relay 70 . thus , the output pressure control signal from relay 72 will be the input signal having the lower pressure . as shown , the output pressure control signal from the relay 72 is used to control the steam input throttling valve 51 . the operation of the valve 51 in response to the output pressure from the relay 72 will be more fully explained hereinafter . assuming that the equilibrium of the system 11 remains undisturbed , that is , that the supply water temperature remains at 55 ° f , the return water temperature remains at 45 ° f and the dilute solution temperature remains at 98 ° f the output pressures from the transmitters 62 , 64 , 66 will be 10 . 0 psig , 10 psig and 8 . 8 psig , respectively . in the absence of any variation in these output pressures , the input pressure signals to the reset controller 74 from the temperature transmitter 66 and from the low signal selector relay 70 will be 8 . 8 psig and 10 . 0 psig respectively . in response to these input pressures the output pressure from the reset controller 74 will initially be set at 8 . 5 psig . assuming this output pressure signal is passed through low signal selector relay 72 to throttling valve 51 , it will position the valve to admit sufficient steam to maintain the concentration of the solution leaving the concentrator 42 . as long as the concentration of the solution leaving the concentrator 42 remains the same , and as long as the load on they system 11 as well as the internal operation conditions of the system remain the same , the supply water temperature will remain at 45 ° f . it is also apparent from fig1 that the inputs to the differential signal relay 76 from the temperature transmitters 62 , 66 will be 10 . 0 psig and 8 . 8 psig respectively . under these conditions the output from the relay 76 will initially be adjusted to 2 . 0 psig . assuming that relay 78 has a gain of 10 , the output pressure signal from the relay 78 will then be 20 psig . thus it is apparent that since the output pressure from the reset controller 74 is lower than the output pressure from the relay 78 , low signal selector relay 72 will pass the signal from controller 74 to throttling valve 51 . assume now that the load on the system 11 decreases sufficiently to reduce the return water temperature by 5 ° f thus decreasing the output pressure from the temperature transmitter 62 by 0 . 6 psig to 9 . 4 psig . assuming that the system 11 is functioning properly , the temperature of the dilute solution as sensed by the temperature transmitter 64 will remain unchanged . it will thus be apparent that the output signal from the low signal selector relay 70 will now be 9 . 4 psig . this in turn will result in a decrease in the output pressure from the reset controller 74 to a value less than 8 . 5 psig . the reduction in return water temperature will also reduce the output signal from the differential relay 76 to 1 . 5 psig . multiplying this signal by the gain in the amplifier 78 , the output pressure signal from relay 78 will now be 15 psig . since the output pressure signal from reset controller 74 is still lower than the signal from the relay 78 , the low signal selector relay 72 will still pass the signal from the controller 74 to throttling valve 51 . in response to the reduction in pressure from low signal selector relay 72 , throttling valve 51 will close thereby admitting less steam to the concentrator 42 . as is more fully described above , the result will be a lower solution concentration leaving the concentrator 42 and a decrease in the cooling capacity of the system 11 . after a time lag inherent in the system 11 , the temperature of the supply water will begin to rise and the output pressure from transmitter 66 will increase . the result is an increase in the output pressure from the controller 74 . because the gain of the amplifier 78 is sufficiently high , the low signal selector relay 72 will continue to pass the signal from reset controller 74 to throttling valve 51 . this time , however , because the output pressure signal from the relay 72 has increased , the throttling valve 51 will be opened wider to admit more steam to the concentrator 42 thereby increasing the refrigeration capacity of the system 11 . this in turn will reduce the temperature of the supply water . however , the supply water temperature now will be at some value above 45 ° f . this decrease in supply water temperature will eventually result in a decrease in the return water temperature . this time , however , the new return water temperature will be somewhat greater than 50 ° f . thus , it can be seen that this process will continue until the return and supply water temperatures reach a new point at which the system 11 is again in equilibrium . clearly , when this point is reached the supply water temperature will be greater than 45 ° f and the return water temperature will be greater than 50 ° f . thus , as opposed to a conventional controller in which a signal transmitter is disposed in the supply water line and the signal from the transmitter operates the valve 51 to maintain the supply water temperature at a constant value , the control system 10 of the present invention , by sensing the return water temperature , &# 34 ; anticipates &# 34 ; load changes on the system 11 and allows both the supply and return temperatures to seek out higher values in which the system 11 will once again be in equilibrium . from an energy conservation point of view , this has two principal advantages . first , resetting the supply water temperature at a higher value obviates the necessity of pulling the return water temperature value down sufficiently to maintain the supply water temperature at a lower , constant value . accordingly , less energy ( steam ) input to the system 11 is required . since the load on the system 11 may be varying constantly , this can result in significant energy savings . second , resetting both the supply and return water temperatures at higher values results in an increase in the temperature mean between these two temperatures . consequently , there is greater temperature differential between said mean and the temperature in the evaporator 14 which in turn results in an increase in the rate of heat transfer from the coil 12 to the refrigerant . since the flow rate of the system water is constant , this results in a further energy savings . the control system 10 of the present invention exhibits further advantages when system 11 exhibits loss in refrigeration capacity due to the accumulation of noncondensables . normally , noncondensables migrate to the absorber which is the lowest pressure area in the system 11 . this results in higher pressures in the absorber 26 and consequently a higher temperature in the evaporator 14 which reduces the load on both the evaporator and the absrober . if the system were functioning properly , that is , without noncondensables , a reduction in absorber load would normally be accompanied by closing of the valve 51 and a reduction in the concentration of the intermediate solution supplied to the absorber 26 . however , when the reduction in absorber load is caused by the accumulation of noncondensables , the system 11 will normally be calling for full load . this means that throttling valve 51 is wide open and the solution leaving the concentrator 42 and hence the intermediate solution in the absorber 26 are at their maximum concentrations . since the temperature in the absorber 26 will be abnormally low , the temperature of the dilute solution flowing through heat exchanger 40 toward concentrator 42 will also be low . with reference to fig2 it may be seen that if the 65 % solution leaving concentrator 42 is sufficiently cooled by the dilute solution in the heat exchanger 40 , the saturation point of the concentrated solution may be reached with the result that crystillization of the absorbent will occur in the heat exchanger . when crystillization does occur the system 11 normally has to be shut down and sufficiently heated to permit the absorbent to reliquify . in order to avoid this problem many absorber type refrigeration systems include a purge unit which is intended to remove noncondensables from the system during operation . however , current purge systems are incapable of removing all noncondensables from the system 11 . with reference to fig1 it may be seen that if the load on the system 11 and the flow of system water through the coil 12 remain constant while the capacity of the system 11 is reduced due to the accumulation of noncondensables , the system 11 will be incapable of sufficiently cooling the system water with the result that the supply water temperature will eventually approach the return water temperature . the net effect will be a reduction in the output pressure signal from the differential relay 76 . at some point , as determined by the gain of the signal amplifying relay 78 , the output pressure signal from relay 78 will be lower than the output pressure signal from the reset controller 74 . the result is a reduced output pressure control signal from the relay 72 which keeps valve 51 from opening any further thus setting an upper limit on the concentration of the solution leaving concentrator 42 . this has two advantageous effects . first , the concentrated solution leaving concentrator 42 can be cooled to a lower temperature without crystillization of the absorbent . second , it reduces the steam input to the system 11 thereby reducing fuel consumption . this is desirable since the steam being supplied to the system 11 is being inefficiently used . skilled art workers will immediately recognize that the gain of the signal amplifying relay 78 may be set such that the output from relay 78 controls throttling valve 51 only when the accumulation of noncondensibles reaches an intolerable level . preferably some form of conventional indicating means ( not shown ), such as a light , will be operatively connected to either the output from differential relay 76 or signal amplifying relay 78 which would be activated any time the difference between the return and supply temperatures dropped below a predetermined value . the indicating means could then be monitored and would tell the system operator that the accumulation of non - condensables in the system 11 has reached such a high level that removal thereof is required . until this can be effected , the system 10 will continue to control throttling valve 51 to reduce the possibility of absorbent crystallization and conserve fuel . assume now that the system 11 is operating properly except that there is decrease in the ability of the cooling water from tower 34 to absorb heat from the absorber 26 and condenser 18 . this may result from , for example , a malfunction in the fan which cools the water which is recirculated to the tower 34 or , more commonly , by fouling of the tubes 32 , 52 . the result is an increase in the temperatures and pressures in both the absorber 26 and condenser 18 . as is more fully described above , an increase in the pressure in the condenser 18 will increase the pressure to which the solution in the concentrator 42 must be raised before migration of the refrigerant vapor from the concentrator 42 to the condenser 18 will occur . in other words , the refrigerant producing capability of the concentrator 42 will be reduced . this in turn will result in an increase in the supply water temperature which would normally call for the throttling valve 51 to be opened wider . however , while this may allow system 11 to temporarily maintain a sufficiently low supply water temperature , eventually , even with throttling valve 51 wide open , the system 11 will be unable to handle the load and the supply water temperature will begin to rise . it is therefore clear that under these conditions there is a point at which the energy consumption of the system 11 is so inefficient that it is no longer feasible for throttling valve 51 to remain open . control system 10 of the present invention is designed to take this condition into account . thus , as the temperature in the absorber 26 begins to rise , the temperature of the dilute solution accumulating in the bottom of the absorber will also rise . this temperature rise will be sensed by the transmitter 64 and the output pressure from the signal reversing relay 68 will decrease . at some point as the temperature of the dilute solution continues to rise , the output from the signal reversing relay 68 will drop below the output pressure from the temperature transmitter 62 . this means that the low signal selector relay 70 will now pass the pressure signal from the relay 68 to controller 74 . thus , the output pressure signal from relay 68 sets an upper limit on the input to reset controller 74 from relay 70 . if desired , the output pressure signal from the temperature transmitter 64 could also be fed to some form of indicating means which could then be monitored . when the output pressure signal from the transmitter 64 reached a predetermined level , the indicating means would be activated meaning that there is some malfunction in the cooling system of the system 11 which should be remedied . thus , under these conditions control system 10 conserves energy by more rapidly indicating malfunctions in the system 11 thereby reducing the period during which system 11 functions inefficiently . further energy is conserved by controlling valve 51 to reduce steam input to the system during those periods when the steam is being used inefficiently . all the components of the control system 10 illustrated in fig1 are conventional . thus temperature transmitters 62 , 64 , 66 may comprise , for example , johnson service company &# 39 ; s model t - 5210 remote bulb temperature transmitter ; signal reversing relay 68 may comprise , for example , powers regulator company &# 39 ; s model # 2430009 , multi - purpose relay ; low signal selector relays 70 , 72 may comprise , for example , powers regulator company &# 39 ; s model # 2430009 , multi - purpose relay ; reset controller 74 may comprise , for example , johnson service company &# 39 ; s model # t - 9020 , fluidic reset controller ; differential signal relay 76 may comprise , for example , powers regulator company &# 39 ; s model # 2430009 , multi - purpose relay ; and signal amplifying relay 78 may comprise , for example , johnson service company &# 39 ; s model # t - 5312 , receiver controller . normally , throttling valve 51 will be part of the refrigeration system 11 whose operation is to be controlled . in the event the control system 10 is pneumatic , for example , and throttling valve 51 is an electrically operated valve , the output pressure signal from the low signal selector relay 72 could first be fed to a suitable signal transducer 80 which would convert this pressure signal to a suitable electrical signal . the output from the transducer 80 could then be used to control the throttling valve 51 . in those refrigeration systems which employ , for example , a boiler to generate steam which is then fed into the concentrator 42 , the output from the low signal selector relay 72 , instead of controlling the throttling valve 51 , could be directly used to control the heat input to the boiler . in fact , it is contemplated that the output of relay 72 be used to control whatever means are employed to control the capacity of the refrigeration system . also , numerous other components other than those illustrated in fig1 may be employed to effect the type of control described above . thus it should be recognized that the components of control system 10 illustrated in fig1 as well as their arrangement are merely exemplary of the many different components which may be employed to effect the type of control described above . in addition , while temperature transmitter 64 is shown in fig1 as being disposed in the sump at the bottom of the absorber 26 , this is not necessary . thus , transmitter 64 could be disposed in any suitable location as long as the sensed temperature was indicative of the temperature in the absorber 26 . for example , transmitter 64 could be disposed in the flow path of one of the streams 36 , 44 . skilled art workers will immediately recognize that the initial calibration of temperature transmitters 62 , 64 , 66 , reset controller 74 , and the gain of the signal amplifying relay 78 will be dependent upon the particular refrigeration system in connection with which the control system 10 of the present invention is employed . thus it should be understood that the values given in the above detailed description are strictly exemplary . since these and other changes and modifications are within the scope of the present invention , the above description should be construed as illustrative and not in a limiting sense .	5
the final compound i of the present invention may be prepared by reacting a 2 - aminopyrimidine ii wherein r is as previously defined with an o - bromophenyl - z - alkylene halide iii wherein r &# 34 ; is as previously defined and x is chlorine or bromine . this reaction takes place in any solvent or solvent mixture in which the reactants can be dissolved and which has a boiling point of at least about 100 ° c . typical solvents are aromatic hydrocarbons , ethers , aliphatic alcohols or aryl - substituted aliphatic alcohols . toluene and xylene are examples of suitable aromatic hydrocarbons . monomethyl ether of diethylene glycol , dimethyl ether of diethylene glycol ( diglyme ), monomethyl ether of ethylene glycol or dimethyl ether of ethylene glycol ( glyme ) are examples of suitable ethers . n - amyl alcohol is an example of a suitable aliphatic alcohol , while benzyl alcohol is an example of a suitable aryl - substituted aliphatic alcohol . heating compounds ii and iii in a solvent as described above , or a mixture thereof , at temperatures from about 50 ° to about 140 ° c for a period of several hours , typically from about 3 to about 24 hours produces a pyrimidinium compound iv . the latter is converted to an imino compound v by treating with a water miscible alcohol and an alkali metal alkoxide of up to 3 carbon atoms , or with an alkali metal carbonate , e . g ., k 2 co 3 , na 2 co 3 , rbco 3 , etc . the reaction takes place at room temperature over a period of from about 1 to about 4 hours , or at from about 50 ° to about 80 ° c in about 1 hour . compound v may be converted to the final compound i by treating with a water miscible alcohol and an alkali alkoxide of up to 3 carbons in the presence of copper at a temperature of from about 60 ° to about 120 ° c for a period , typically from about 4 to about 10 days . alternatively , iv may be converted directly to i by heating at a temperature of from about 60 ° to about 120 ° c for a period , typically from about 4 to about 10 days , in the presence of potassium carbonate and copper in a solvent such as dimethylformamide , dimethylacetamide , dichlorobenzene , trichlorobenzene , or diethylbenzene . alternatively , iv may be converted directly to i by heating at a temperature of from about 60 ° to about 120 ° c for about 4 to 10 days , typically from about 6 to about 8 days in the presence of an alkali metal hydroxide , alkali metal carbonate , tris - alkali metal phosphate , alkali metal metaborate or alkali metal tetraborate in an anhydrous alcohol solvent , e . g ., ethanol , propanol , butanol , pentanol in the presence of copper . specific examples of suitable compounds include lioh , naoh , koh , rboh , csoh , na 2 co 3 , k 2 co 3 , rb 2 co 3 , cs 2 co 3 , na 3 po 4 , k 3 po 4 , rb 3 po 4 , cs 3 po 4 , na 2 b 2 o 4 , na 2 b 4 o 7 , k 2 b 2 o 4 , and k 2 b 4 o 7 . when m is 1 , and when r occupies only the 5 - position of ii , only one isomer , i , is formed . when m is 1 , and when r occupies only the 4 - position of iia , two isomers , ia and ib are formed via the intermediates iva or va and ivb and vb , respectively . when m is 2 , and since the two r &# 39 ; s occupy only the 4 -, 5 - positions , two isomeric products , ic and id are formed . the isomers in all instances , can be separated by conventional procedures , e . g ., fractional recrystallization or column chromatography . the foregoing reaction sequence is illustrated by the following equations : ## spc3 ## the intermediates of formula iii wherein n is o and z is s may be prepared by refluxing about equimolar amounts of a 1 , 1 - dibromoalkane or a 1 - bromo - 1 - chloroalkane of 1 to 4 carbons vi with a saturated solution of na 2 so 3 for a period of from about 40 to about 120 hours . the resulting 1 - bromoalkane - 1 - sodium sulfonate vii is then reacted by heating with about equimolar amounts of an o - bromothiophenol viii in the presence of aqueous alkali to yield a sodium o - bromophenylthioalkylene sulfonate ix . treatment of the latter with pcl 5 or pbr 5 at ambient temperature yields the corresponding o - bromophenylthioalkyl chloride or bromide x . the foregoing reaction sequence is illustrated by the following equations ## spc4 ## the intermediates of formula iii wherein n is 1 and z is s may be prepared by reacting a 1 - bromo - 2 - chloroalkane of formula xi with about equimolar amounts of a compound of formula viii in the presence of aqueous alkali . alternatively , a compound of formula xii may be prepared by reacting an o - bromophenylthioalkanol xiii with pcl 5 or pbr 5 . the foregoing reaction sequence is illustrated by the following equations ## spc5 ## compounds of formula viii wherein r &# 39 ; is h , halogen , alkyl of from 1 to 4 carbons , phenyl , dialkylamidosulfonyl or trifluoromethyl may be prepared by reacting and r &# 39 ;- substituted aniline xxiv with n - bromosuccinimide in ccl 4 according to the procedure of arcoria et al ., ann . chim . ( rome ), 54 139 - 155 ( 1964 ) to yield an o - bromo - r &# 39 ;- substituted aniline xxv . the latter is treated with nano 2 in hcl and then with so 2 according to the procedure of mecrwein et al ., j . prakt . chem . 152 , 237 ( 1939 ) to yield the corresponding sulfonyl chloride xxvi . the latter is treated with zn in h 2 so 4 according to the procedure of organic syntheses , collective volume i , pp . 504 - 506 to yield the desired o - bromo - r &# 39 ;- substituted thiophenol viii . the reaction sequence is as follows : ## spc6 ## compounds of the formula iii wherein z is so 2 may be prepared by converting a compound of formula xxv to the diazonium chloride xxviii following the procedure of meerwein , et al . supra , and converting the latter to the sulfonyl chloride xxix following the procedure of meerwein et al ., supra . the sulfonyl chloride is then converted to the sodium sulfinate xxx by reduction with zinc following the procedure of organic syntheses , coll . vol . 1 , pp . 492 ( 1941 ). reacting the sodium sulfinate xxx with a 1 , 1 - dihaloalkane following the procedure of michael et al ., j . a . c . s ., 6 , p . 253 ( 1884 ) gives the compound of formula iii wherein z is so 2 and n is o . reacting the sodium sulfinate xxx with a 1 - bromo - 2 - chloroalkane following the procedure of michael et al ., supra , gives the compound of formula iii wherein z is so 2 and n is 1 . the foregoing reaction sequence is illustrated by the following equations : ## spc7 ## the compounds of the present invention may be administered to mammalian species as central nervous system stimulants and as muscle relaxants . in the rat , responses to the stimulant activity of the compounds of the present invention include increased activity and body tremors . the muscle relaxant properties manifest themselves by responses that include decreased limb tone , decreased grip strength , and limb paralysis . in both the stimulant and muscle relaxant activities , the onset of activity is rapid , i . e ., within about 15 minutes ; the activity persists for about 2 hours or longer . in the rat the dosage range varies from about 6 . 25 to about 50 mg / kg for both activities , while in humans the dosage range varies from about 40 to about 2000 mg . daily in about four divided doses for both activities . in addition to serving as intermediates for the preparation of compounds of formula i , the pyrimidinium compounds of formula iv are themselves effective bactericides . microbial bioassays , as described in &# 34 ; the microbial world ,&# 34 ; by r . y . stanier , m . doudoroff and e . a . adelberg , prentice - hall , inc ., englewood cliffs , n . j . 3rd ed ., p . 858 , are employed to determine the bactericidal properties of the pyrimidinium compounds iv of this invention . the bacteria employed include staphylococcus aureus , 1 , streptococcus pyogenes , 2 , salmonella schottmuelleri , 3 , salmonella gallinarum , 4 , pseudomonas aeruginosa , 5 , proteus vulgaris , 6 , escherichia coli , 7 , pasturella multocida , 8 , and mycobacterium tuberculosis , 9 . in the procedure , a sterile agar plate is seeded with the test organism , and then a number of glass cylinders are placed on its surface , forming a series of little cups . a known dilution of the compounds of this invention is added to each cup and the entire plate is then incubated until significant bacterial growth has occurred . the compounds of this invention diffuse out of the cup into the surrounding agar and produce a zone of inhibition . in this fashion it is possible to find the minimum inhibiting concentration ( mic ), of the compound that produces a recognizable zone of inhibition . the following summarizes the data . ______________________________________micro - mic of pyrimidinium compound , organism micrograms , ( mcg )/ mlcompound compound compound compoundof of of ofex . 1 ex . 27 ex . 29 ex . 38______________________________________1 3 . 13 12 . 5 6 . 25 6 . 252 12 . 5 50 . 0 50 . 0 25 . 03 12 . 5 50 . 0 12 . 5 12 . 54 6 . 25 25 . 0 12 . 5 12 . 55 12 . 5 25 . 0 25 . 0 25 . 06 12 . 5 25 . 0 25 . 0 25 . 07 3 . 13 25 . 0 12 . 5 6 . 258 6 . 25 12 . 5 25 . 0 12 . 59 0 . 39 6 . 25 1 . 57 0 . 78______________________________________ the compounds of the present invention in the described dosages may be administered orally ; however , other routes such as intraperitoneally , subcutaneously , intramuscularly or intravenously may be employed . the active compunds of the present invention are orally administered , for example , with an inert diluent or with an assimilable edible carrier , or they may be enclosed in hard or soft gelatin capsules , or they may be compressed into tablets , or they may be incorporated directly with the food of the diet . for oral therapeutic administration , the active compounds of this invention may be incorporated with excipients and used in the form of tablets , troches , capsules , elixirs , suspensions , syrups , wafers , chewing gum , and the like . the amount of active compound in such therapeutically useful compositions or preparations is such that a suitable dosage will be obtained . the tablets , troches , pills , capsules and the like may also contain the following : a binder such as gum tragacanth , acacia , corn starch or gelatin ; an excipient such as dicalcium phosphate ; a disintegrating agent such as corn starch , potato starch , alginic acid and the like ; a lubricant such as magnesium stearate ; and a sweetening agent such as sucrose , lactose or saccharin may be added or a flavoring agent such as peppermint , oil of wintergreen , or cherry flavoring . when the dosage unit form is a capsule , it may contain in addition to materials of the above type a liquid carrier such as a fatty oil . various other materials may be present as coatings or to otherwise modify the physical form of the dosage unit , for instance , tablets , pills or capsules may be coated with shellac , sugar , or both . a syrup or elixir may contain the active compounds , sucrose as a sweetening agent , methyl and propyl parabens as preservatives , a dye and a flavoring such as cherry or orange flavor . of course , any material used in preparing any dosage unit form should be pharmaceutically pure and substantially non - toxic in the amounts employed . as to the pharmaceutically acceptable salts , those coming within the purview of this invention include the pharmaceutically acceptable acid - additional salts . acids useful for preparing these acid - addition salts include , inter alia , inorganic acids , such as the hydrohalic acids ( e . g ., hydrochloric and hydrobromic acid ), sulfuric acid , nitric acid , and phosphoric acid , and organic acids such as maleic , fumaric , tartaric , citric , acetic , benzoic , 2 - acetoxybenzoic , salicylic , succinic acid , theophylline , 8 - chlorotheophylline , p - aminobenzoic , p - acetamidobenzoic , or methanesulfonic . the following examples illustrate the invention without , however , limiting the same thereto . all temperatures given are in degrees centigrade . to a solution of 40 . 0 g of o - bromobenzenethiol in aqueous sodium hydroxide ( 10 . 0 g of sodium hydroxide in 40 ml of water ) is added 60 . 0 g of bromomethanesulfonic acid , sodium salt and the mixture is heated so that the water distills . to the dry residue is added a second portion of 40 ml of water and the distillation to dryness is repeated . the dry residue is heated for three hours , cooled , and dissolved in 600 ml of hot water . the ph is adjusted to 5 . 0 and cooled to give about 63 . 3 g of the named compound , mp & gt ; 310 °. a mixture of 60 . 4 g of [ o - bromophenyl ) thio ] methanesulfonic acid , sodium salt and 98 . 0 g of phosphorus pentachloride is blended until liquified , diluted with 600 ml of ether , and then poured on 1 . 2 kg of crushed ice . the ether layer is separated , washed , dried , and concentrated to give about 43 . 7 g of the named compound , bp about 86 °( 0 . 6 mm ), mp about 28 °- 30 °. to a solution of 14 . 1 g of 2 - aminopyrimidine in 180 ml of xylene is added a solution of 24 . 0 g of o - bromophenyl chloromethyl sulfide in 40 ml of xylene . the mixture is heated at 90 °- 95 ° for about 15 hours to give about 27 . 3 g of the named compound . to a solution of 49 . 2 g of 2 - bromo - 5 - chlorobenzenethiol in 40 ml of 25 % aqueous sodium hydroxide is added 60 . 0 g of bromomethanesulfonic acid , sodium salt , and the procedure of example 1 is reproduced . the yield of the named product , mp & gt ; 310 °, is 69 . 2 g . the 2 - bromo - 5 - chlorobenzenethiol is prepared from 2 - bromo - 5 - chloroaniline via the procedure described in organic syntheses , collective volume 3 , pp . 809 - 811 . when 44 . 7 g of 2 - bromo - 5 - toluenethiol replaces the 2 - bromobenzenethiol in example 1 , there is obtained about 65 . 7 g of the named product , mp & gt ; 300 °. the 2 - bromo - 5 - methyl - toluenethiol is prepared from 2 - bromoaniline by the procedure reported in organic syntheses ( vide supra ). a . to 161 . 0 g of m - aminobenzotrifluoride and 10 . 0 g of iron filings is added , dropwise , with agitation at 35 °- 40 °, 160 . 0 g of bromine , using a slow stream of nitrogen to sweep out the evolved hydrogen bromide . subsequently , the mixture is agitated for an additional 2 hours and then distilled in vacuo to give 4 - bromo - 3 - aminobenzotrifluoride . b . the product from ( a ) is subjected to the procedure of organic syntheses ( vide supra ) to give 2 - bromo - 5 - α , α , α - trifluorotoluenethiol . c . by substituting 56 . 6 g of 2 - bromo - 5 - α , α , α - trifluoro - toluenethiol for the o - bromobenzenethiol in example 1 , there is obtained about 70 . 2 g of 2 - bromo - 5 -( α , α , α - trifluorotoyl ) thio ] methanesulfonic acid , sodium salt , mp & gt ; 300 °. a mixture of 33 . 2 g of 2 - amino - 1 -[[( o - bromophenyl )- thio ] methyl ] pyrimidinium chloride , 27 . 7 g of anhydrous potassium carbonate , 0 . 8 g of copper bronze , and 750 ml of n - propanol is heated and stirred , under reflux , for 6 days , filtered hot , and the filtrate concentrated to dryness in vacuo . the residue is dissolved in 600 ml of ether , and the ether solution is washed , dried , decolorized with darco , and concentrated to give about 23 . 7 g of a yellow solid . recrystallization from cyclohexane - benzene gives about 17 . 4 g of the named compound . by employing the procedure described in organic syntheses , collective volume 3 , pp . 809 - 811 , the aniline derivatives in column 1 are converted to the thiol derivatives in column 2 , and the latter derivatives , following the procedure of examples 1 and 2 , give the chloromethyl sulfides in column 3 . ## spc8 ## by substituting an equivalent amount of the chloromethyl sulfides of column 3 , examples 8 - 12 , for the o - bromophenyl chloromethyl sulfide in example 3 , and an equivalent amount of the substituted aminopyrimidine in column 2 for the aminopyrimidine in example 3 and employing the procedure of that example , the pyrimidinium chlorides shown in column 3 are obtained . ## spc9 ## by substituting 49 . 2 g of 2 - bromo - 5 - chlorobenzenethiol for the 2 - bromo - 4 - chlorobenzenethiol in example 4 , there is obtained 68 . 7 g of the named product , mp & gt ; 300 °. to a suspension of 13 . 8 g of anhydrous potassium carbonate in 150 ml of anhydrous n - propanol is added 33 . 1 g of 2 - amino - 1 -[[( o - bromophenyl ) thio ] methyl ] pyrimidinium chloride , portionwise , under nitrogen , at room temperature , with stirring . subsequently , the mixture is stirred and heated under reflux for 2 hours , filtered hot , and the filtrate concentrated in vacuo . the residue is partitioned between 200 ml each of water and ether , the ether layer is separated , dried , and concentrated to give about 28 . 7 g of the named compound , after recrystallization from pentane . a mixture of 14 . 8 g of 2 - imino - 1 -[[( o - bromophenyl )- thio ] methyl ] pyrimidine , 13 . 8 g of anhydrous potassium carbonate , 0 . 5 g of copper bronze , and 400 ml of anhydrous n - propanol is stirred and heated under nitrogen for about 80 hours , filtered hot , and the filtrate concentrated to dryness in vacuo . the residue is distributed between 250 ml of water and ether , the ether layer is separated , dried , and concentrated to give about 7 . 2 g of the base product . by the usual methods , the base gives a hydrochloride , monohydrate . a mixture of 68 . 2 g of the product from example 4 and 98 . 0 g of phosphorus pentachloride is blended until liquefaction occurs , diluted with 600 ml of ether and then poured on 1 . 3 kg of crushed ice . workup of the ether layer yields about 47 . 3 g of the named compound , bp about 98 ° ( 0 . 5 mm .). to a solution of 18 . 8 g of 2 - aminopyrimidine in 180 ml of benzene is added 54 . 6 g of the product from example 25 , and the mixture stirred and heated under reflux for about 12 hours . the cooled mixture is filtered to give about 62 . 8 g of the named compound , mp about 240 °- 242 °. a mixture of 7 . 4 g of the product from example 26 , 2 . 8 g of anhydrous potassium carbonate , 0 . 1 g of copper bronze , and 100 ml of anhydrous n - butanol is heated at 110 ° for about 15 hours . workup as in example 7 yields about 3 . 6 g of the named compound . by substituting equivalent amounts of the pyrimidinium chlorides in column 2 for the 2 - amino - 1 -[[( o - bromophenyl )- thio ] methyl ] pyrimidinium chloride in example 7 , the correspondingly substituted 6h - pyrimido [ 1 , 2 - c ][ 1 , 3 , 5 ] benzothiadiazepines shown in column 3 are obtained . ## spc10 ## to a solution of 1 . 0 g of 6h - pyrimido [ 1 , 2 - c ][ 1 , 3 , 5 ]- benzothiazdiazepine in 20 ml of anhydrous 2 - propanol is added about 5 . 0 ml of 4 . 2 n 2 - propanolic hydrogen chloride . the clear solution that is formed is diluted with anhydrous ether until a turbidity persists and is then cooled to give the pale yellow crystalline product . recrystallization from acetonitrile gives about 1 . 0 g of the named product . to a solution of 23 . 0 g of sodium metal is 500 ml of absolute ethanol is added , in about 0 . 5 hour , a solution of 173 . 0 g of o - bromothiophenol in 250 ml of absolute ethanol . the mixture is stirred and heated under reflux for about 0 . 5 hour , cooled to 0 °, and treated , dropwise , with 185 . 5 g of 1 - bromo - 2 - chloropentane . the addition requires about 1 hour . the mixture is stirred for about 2 hours at 0 °, warmed slowly to reflux , and then heated under reflux for 2 hours . the mixture is filtered and the filtrate concentrated in vacuo at 40 ° to give about 255 . 7 g of o - bromophenyl 2 - chloro - 1 - pentyl sulfide as a pale yellow oil . to a solution of 58 . 7 g of the product from a and 18 . 4 g of 2 - aminopyrimidine in 200 ml of anhydrous toluene is heated under reflux for about 6 hours , cooled , and the crystalline product filtered to give about 67 . 2 g of the title compound as a pale yellow crystalline solid . to a solution of 7 . 7 g of the product from b in 100 ml of 95 % ethanol is added 2 . 8 g of potassium carbonate and the mixture is stirred at about 40 ° for 1 hour , filtered and the filtrate concentrated in vacuo . the residue is recrystallized from cyclohexane to give 6 . 3 g of 1 -[ 2 &# 39 ;-( o - bromophenylthio )- 1 - pentyl )]- 1 , 2 - dihydro - 2 - iminopyrimidine as a pale yellow crystalline solid . the product from c , 15 . 4 g , 13 . 8 g of anhydrous micronized potassium carbonate , 0 . 5 g of copper bronze and 100 ml of anhydrous n - butanol are stirred and heated under reflux for about 6 days , filtered , and the filtrate concentrated , in vacuo , to give the product as a deep yellow - colored viscous oil . the oil , 12 . 7 g , in 120 ml of anhydrous ether , is cooled to 0 ° and treated slowly , with stirring with 10 ml of 1 . 5 n ethereal hydrogen chloride . the solid that separates is filtered , and recrystallized from 2 - propanol to give the title compound , as a pale yellow crystalline product . following the procedure of examples 1 - 7 but substituting for bromomethanesulfonic acid , sodium salt in example 1 the bromoalkylsulfonic acid , sodium salt listed in column i , there is obtained the compound of formula i ## spc11 ## ______________________________________ i ii______________________________________39 . 1 - bromoethane - 1 - sulfonic acid , -- ch . sub . 3 sodium salt40 . 1 - bromobutane - 1 - sulfonic acid , -- ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 sodium salt41 . 1 - bromo - 2 - methylpropane - 1 - -- ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 sulfonic acid , sodium salt______________________________________ to a solution of 161 . 0 g of α , α , α - trifluoro - m - toluidine in 500 ml of 2n hydrochloric acid , at room temperature , with vigorous agitation , is added rapidly 102 . 0 g of acetic anhydride . an exothermic reaction occurs and the temperature is allowed to rise spontaneously to about 50 °. subsequently , the mixture is allowed to cool to room temperature , and then cooled in ice . the crystalline solid is filtered to give 189 . 3 g of α , α , α - trifluoro - m - acetotoluidide . the product from a , 102 . 0 g , and 500 ml of acetic anhydride are heated under reflux for about 18 hours . the mixture is then concentrated in vacuo to remove the excess of acetic anhydride . the residual solid crystallizes and is recrystallized from heptane to give 136 . 7 g of α , α , α - trifluoro - m - n , n - diacetotoluidide . to a solution of 50 . 6 g of the product from b in 120 ml of carbon tetrachloride is added 35 . 6 g of n - bromosuccinimide and the mixture is stirred and heated under reflux for about 0 . 25 hours . workup according to the procedure of arcoria and scarlata [ ann . chim . ( rome ), 54 , 139 ( 1964 )] yields about 58 . 7 g of 2 - bromo - α , α , α - trifluoro - m - n , n - diacetotoluidide . the product from c , 58 . 0 g , 250 ml of 95 % ethanol , and 10 . 0 ml of concentrated hydrochloric acid are heated under reflux for about 1 hour and then concentrated to dryness in vacuo . the residue crystallizes on cooling to give about 45 . 3 g of 2 - bromo - α , α , α - trifluoro - m - toluidine hydrochloride . following the procedure of merrwein , et al , j . prakt . chem ., 152 , 237 ( 1939 ), 27 . 8 g of the product from d in 100 ml of 25 % hydrochloric acid , at 0 °, is treated dropwise , with a solution of 6 . 9 g of sodium nitrite in 14 ml of water . subsequent to the addition , the mixture is stirred at 0 ° for 0 . 5 hour , 0 . 5 g of cupric chloride is added and while kept at 0 °, a rapid stream of sulfur dioxide is introduced into the reaction mixture for 0 . 5 hour . subsequently , the mixture is slowly warmed to 50 ° while the introduction of sulfur dioxide continues . workup of the reaction mixture gives 25 . 6 g of 2 - bromo - α , α , α - trifluoro - m - toluenesulfonyl chloride . into a suspension of 15 . 6 g of zinc dust in 115 ml of water is introduced dry steam until the internal temperature reaches 70 °. the steam is shut off , and 32 . 4 g of the product from e is added in small portions during about 10 minutes . stirring is maintained throughout the additon and for about 10 minutes afterwards . steam is again introduced into the mixture , with stirring , until the internal temperature reaches 90 ° at which time the steam is shut off and 10 ml of 12n aqueous sodium hydroxide is added followed by 2 . 0 g portions of solid sodium carbonate until the mixture is strongly alkaline . following this , the procedure of org . syntheses , coll . vol 1 , 492 ( 1941 ) is followed to give about 24 . 7 g of sodium 2 - bromo - α , α , 60 - trifluoro - m - toluenesulfonate . a mixture of 31 . 1 g of the product from f , 34 . 8 g of 1 , 1 - dibromoethane , 500 ml of absolute ethanol , 13 . 8 g of anhydrous , micronized potassium carbonate , and 0 . 5 g of copper bronze is stirred and heated under reflux for about 9 . 5 hours . the hot solution is filtered and the filtrate concentrated to a volume of about 100 ml and cooled . the product that crystallizes is filtered to give about 30 . 6 g of 2 - bromo - α , α , α - trifluoro - m - tolyl bromomethyl sulfone . following the procedure of example 3 but substituting for o - bromophenyl chloromethyl sulfide an equivalent amount of the product from part g , there is obtained 2 - amino - 1 -[[ 2 - bromo - 5 - α , α , α - trifluoro - m - tolyl ) sulfonyl ] methyl ] pyrimidinium bromide . following the procedure of example 7 but substituting the above pyrimidinium bromide from 2 - amino - 1 -[[ o - bromophenyl )- thio [ methyl ] pyrimidinium chloride , the title compound is obtained . following the procedure of example 42 but substituting for 1 , 1 - dibromomethane in part g the dihaloalkane listed below in column i , there is obtained the compound of formula i of the formula ## spc12 ## wherein r &# 34 ; and n are as indicated in columns ii and iii : i ii iii______________________________________43 . 1 - bromo - 2 - chloroethane h 144 . 1 , 1 - dibromoethane -- ch . sub . 3 045 . 1 , 1 - dibromo - 2 - metylpropane -- ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 046 . 1 - bromo - 2 - chloropentane -- c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 1______________________________________ preparation of capsule formulation______________________________________ingredient milligrams per capsule______________________________________6h - pyrimido [ 1 , 2 - c ][ 1 , 3 , 5 ] benzo - thiadiazepine , hydrochloride 400starch 80magnesium stearate 5______________________________________ the active ingredient , starch and magnesium stearate are blended together . the mixture is used to fill hard shell capsules of a suitable size at a fill weight of 485 milligrams per capsule . preparation of tablet formulation______________________________________ingredient milligrams per tablet______________________________________6h - pyrimido [ 1 , 2 - c ][ 1 , 3 , 5 ] benzo - thiadiazepine - 5 , 5 - dioxide 300lactose 200corn starch ( for mix ) 50corn starch ( for paste ) 50magnesium stearate 6______________________________________ the active ingredient , lactose and corn starch ( for mix ) are blended together . the corn starch ( for paste ) is suspended in water at a ratio of 10 grams of corn starch per 80 milliliters of water and heated with stirring to form a paste . this paste is then used to granulate the mixed powders . the web granules are passed through a no . 8 screen and dried at 120 ° f . the dry granules are passed through a no . 16 screen . the mixture is lubricated with magnesium stearate and compressed into tablets in a suitable tableting machine . each tablet contains 300 milligrams of active ingredient . preparation of oral syrup formulation______________________________________ingredient amount______________________________________6 , 7 - dihydro - 7 - n - propylpyrimido -[ 1 , 2 - d ]-[ 1 , 4 , 6 ] benzothiadiazocine , hydrochloride 500 mg . sorbitol solution ( 70 % n . f .) 40 ml . sodium benzoate 150 mg . sucaryl 90 mg . saccharin 10 mg . red dye ( f . d . & amp ; co . no . 2 ) 10 mg . cherry flavor 50 mg . distilled water qs to 100 ml . ______________________________________ the sorbitol solution is added to 40 milliliters of distilled water and the active ingredient is suspended therein . the sucaryl , saccharin , sodium benzoate , flavor and dye are added and dissolved in the above solution . the volume is adjusted to 100 milliliters with distilled water . other ingredients may replace those listed in the above formulation . for example , a suspending agent such as bentonite magma , tragacanth , carboxymethylcellulose , or methylcellulose may be used . phosphates , citrates or tartrates may be added as buffers . preservatives may include the parabens , sorbic acid and the like and other flavors and dyes may be used in place of those listed above .	2
the demolition tool 20 of the present invention is shown assembled in fig1 and 1a . fig1 shows the demolition tool invention with the talons of the head assembly in a disengaged position and fig1 a shows the talons of the head assembly in an engaged position , all as discussed in greater detail hereafter . generally , the demolition tool comprises a head assembly 22 , a handle shaft 24 , a handle assembly 26 , a handle end 28 , wherein the handle end may include a hammer end 30 and a pry bar end 32 . the head assembly 22 is attached to the handle shaft 24 by a collar 34 and the handle assembly 26 is attached to the handle shaft 24 by collar 36 . head assembly 22 is connected to collar 34 by any suitable fastening means such as screws 38 and handle assembly 26 is connected to collar 36 by any suitable fastening means such as screws 39 . the demolition tool invention will be further described by the major components thereof , namely the head assembly 22 , the handle shaft 24 , the handle assembly 26 and the handle end 28 . thereafter , the actuating mechanism for engaging and disengaging the talons will be discussed in greater detail , including the parts thereof . the head assembly 22 generally includes a cone - shaped member 40 having a shaft 42 . cone - shaped member 40 includes a tip 44 , preferably chisel - shaped as best shown in fig2 , and a plurality of blades 46 . shaft 42 includes apertures 48 for receiving a plurality of talons 50 . the portion of the head assembly including the cone member 40 and shaft 42 with blades 46 may be made of aluminum and preferably as one piece , although any other durable metal material or hard resin material may be used . it should also be understood that the blades may be made as a separate and replaceable component of the head assembly . in a preferred embodiment , the head assembly includes three blades 46 , although a different number of blades may be used without departing from the scope of the invention . the blades in a preferred embodiment are tapered and include a sharp edge 52 for cutting through structural material such as a drywall ceiling . the blades also , while not shown , may have serrated edges . talons 50 are inserted through apertures 48 in the head assembly as discussed below and may have a tapered or sharp edge 54 . the talons 50 are movable from a disengaged position to an engaged position by an actuating means as discussed hereafter . the talons 50 , when in the engaged position , are constructed so that they will collapse and disengage if they hit a structure , e . g . a hvac duct , when the tool is in use . three talons 50 are disclosed in the presently preferred embodiment , although a different number of talons may be used . the handle shaft 24 is made of a non - conductive material such as fiberglass or other durable non - conductive material . this may preclude injury in the event the demolition tool comes into contact with a live electrical line . the handle assembly 26 includes a rotatable and slidable collar 60 that is attached at the handle end 28 . collar 60 may have a non - smooth surface , such as a knurled surface , for ease of gripping . handle end 28 includes hammer end 30 and pry bar end 32 . the handle end 28 is preferably a unitary part , although it may be made of separate components . extending from handle end 28 , and preferably part thereof , is an actuating end 70 that forms part of the handle assembly 26 for use in actuating the talons 50 . end 70 includes a sleeve end 71 that fits inside collar 36 and is connected by fastening means such as screws 39 in screw apertures 39 a . referring to fig5 , 9 , 10 , and 11 , the actuating mechanism for actuating talons 50 will now be described in greater detail and generally comprises a rotatable and slidable collar 60 that slides over top of actuating end 70 of handle end 28 that includes a track 72 and notches 73 and 74 . additionally , end 70 includes a longitudinal drain 79 to allow for drainage of any water entering the tool . the collar 60 includes a pin 62 that slides in track 72 and will engage notches 73 or 74 when the collar 60 is slid in track 72 and then rotated . collar 60 is connected to a rod 80 by pin 62 as discussed below . rod 80 is located inside handle shaft 24 and is preferably made of fiberglass or other non - conductive material . rod 80 includes end pieces 82 and 84 at each end of the rod . the end pieces 82 and 84 are preferably made of aluminum and attached to rod 80 by any suitable fastening means such as screws 86 , although other fastening means such as an adhesive may be used . rod 80 is attached to handle assembly 26 and head assembly 22 for moving talons 50 as discussed below , and moves in a longitudinal direction in cooperation with the actuating means to engage and disengage talons 50 . referring to fig5 , 9 and 11 in reference to the handle assembly 26 , pin 62 fits through annular recess 64 in collar 60 , through track 72 of actuating end member 70 , and engages threads 88 in end piece 84 to allow rod 80 to slide in track 72 of actuating end member 70 toward handle end 28 as shown in fig1 a when engaging or opening talons 50 . as shown in fig1 , when engaging talons 50 , collar 60 may be rotated so that pin 62 moves out of first forward notch 73 , slides in track 72 toward handle end 28 , and is rotated back to engage notch 74 to hold collar 60 in place . referring now to fig4 and the head assembly 22 , rod 80 includes end piece 82 having a threaded member 90 extending therefrom for engaging a piston means 100 that cooperates with talons 50 for moving talons 50 from a disengaged position to an engaged position ( and back ) in conjunction with the handle assembly 26 . referring now to fig4 , 6 , 7 and 8 , the piston means 100 will be described in further detail . in a preferred embodiment , the piston means 100 includes three pistons 102 for individually moving each of the three talons 50 . it should be understood that a single piston may be used to engage and disengage all three of the talons 50 . at the end of the pistons 102 is gear member 104 held in place by any suitable fastening means such as screw 106 . gear member 104 includes gear teeth 108 and 110 . gear teeth 108 and 110 mate with corresponding gear grooves 112 and 114 of talon 50 as best shown in fig7 and 8 . fig7 shows the talons 50 in the disengaged or closed position and fig8 shows the talons 50 in the engaged or open position . a preferred structure of the piston means 100 will now be described in further detail . again referring to fig4 , 6 , 7 and 8 , threaded member 90 of end piece 82 engages tubular member 120 by corresponding female threads . tubular member 120 includes annular grooves 122 that receive the ends of pistons 102 . these pistons are held in tubular member 120 by any suitable fastening members such as alien screws 124 as best shown in fig6 . pistons 102 extend through collar member 126 that mates with sleeve 128 of shaft 42 . collar 126 is connected to shaft 42 by a fastening means 37 such as a screw which mates with aperture 37 a . collar member 126 includes a sleeve end 127 that fits in collar 34 and attaches to collar 34 by screws 38 at apertures 38 a to attach the head assembly 22 to handle 24 . additionally , each piston member 102 includes a spring 130 surrounding a portion of the piston member and held in place on piston 102 by a fastening member such as screw 132 and secured to tubular member 120 by screws 134 as seen in fig6 . springs 130 are typically in a non - tensioned , non - compressed state , and thereby aid in maintaining talons 50 in a disengaged position as shown in fig7 . when the talons are engaged , springs 130 will allow the talons to be pushed into a disengaged position , such as when pushing against an obstruction , and then springs 130 will automatically return the talon to an engaged position once the obstruction is cleared . the talons 50 fit into the head assembly 22 through apertures 48 and are held in place by a fastening member such as knurl pin 49 . the operation of the actuating means for engaging and disengaging talons 50 will now be discussed in relation to the parts described above . referring to fig1 , the demolition tool shows the talons 50 in a disengaged position . to engage the talons as shown in fig1 a , 2 and 3 , collar 60 is grasped , rotated and slid longitudinally toward handle end 28 . pin 62 travels in track 72 . when reaching the end of the track , collar 60 is rotated to engage the pin in notch 74 . in such movement , rod 80 is moved toward handle end 28 . this moves pistons 102 and gears 104 toward the handle end . gear teeth 108 disengage from gear grooves 112 and gear teeth 110 engage gear grooves 114 , thereby causing talons 50 to move into an engaged or open position as shown , for example , in fig7 and 8 . springs 130 of piston means 100 place tension on pistons 102 , causing talons 50 to remain in an engaged or open position . the talons 50 are held in the engaged position . however , if any talon 50 makes contact with a structure when the tool is in use in such a way that the talon 50 is being pushed inward toward a disengaged position , that corresponding piston 102 is free to move individually and independently from the other pistons 102 , stretching spring 130 , allowing the talon to collapse into a disengaged position . as soon as the obstruction is cleared , since spring 130 is under tension , spring 130 will pull piston 102 back into the engaged position , causing talon 50 to return to the engaged position . the use of the demolition tool 20 will now be discussed in further detail in reference to a firefighter fighting a fire , although it is understood that the tool may be used in other circumstances , including by the police , construction workers or the like . a firefighter carrying the tool and entering a building on fire may come upon a fire in the ceiling of the building . the firefighter grips the handle shaft 24 and handle end 28 and propels the demolition tool upward into the ceiling . tip 44 punctures the ceiling and blades 46 further puncture the ceiling making a hole in the ceiling for the head of the tool to enter the ceiling . once the head of the tool enters the ceiling , collar 60 is rotated and slid longitudinally toward handle end 28 that moves talons 50 into the engaged position as shown in fig1 a , 2 and 3 . thereafter , the firefighter may pull down on the tool removing the material . alternatively , the firefighter may choose to rotate collar 60 first , engaging or opening the talons 50 before puncturing the ceiling , and the talons 50 are able to individually and independently fold inward to a disengaged position as necessary and will then automatically deploy outward to an engaged position as soon as the ceiling is penetrated , allowing the firefighter to then pull down on the tool removing the material . in either operation , if one or more of the talons 50 engages a fixed structure in the ceiling causing that tool to become stuck , the firefighter may choose to rotate collar 60 and slide it toward the head of the tool to disengage all of the talons 50 , reducing the size of the head , thereby clearing the obstruction , and allowing the firefighter to pull the demolition tool from the ceiling . the tool has further uses as a firefighter may grip the tool handle near the head assembly and use the hammer end 30 to break through the desired structure . once the hammer end has broken through the structure , the pry bar 32 may be used to pry material away from the structure . the exemplary embodiments herein disclosed are not intended to be exhaustive or to unnecessarily limit the scope of the invention . the exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the present invention so that others skilled in the art may practice the invention . as will be apparent to one skilled in the art , various modifications can be made within the scope of the aforesaid description . such modifications being within the ability of one skilled in the art form a part of the present invention and are embraced by the appended claims .	1
referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals are utilized to designate like parts throughout the several views , fig1 illustrates a side elevational view of the exercise device of the present invention as attached to a bow at its central portion or handleriser and extending forwardly therefrom . the exercise / practice device comprises a cylinder 1 detachably secured to the handleriser portion of the bow and extending forwardly therefrom . thus , the cylinder 1 serves as a stabilizer for the bow . the cylinder 1 may be constructed from plastic or metal with the appropriate diameter which may be from 1 / 4 to 2 inches . fig2 is a partial sectional view of the cylinder and illustrates , for example , a 3 / 4 inch diameter aluminum cylinder with the forward end of the cylinder 1 carrying a plug 2 . the plug 2 may be constructed from metal or plastic and has a diameter corresponding to that of the cylinder 1 . the plug 2 is provided with an attachment extension 3 which may be formed of a shape and size sufficient to accommodate attachments as described hereinafter . the attachment extension 3 may be in the form of a member having indentations such as a groove or channel and may be constructed integrally with the plug 2 and made of a same material or different material according to the application for which it is designed . as shown , the plug 2 is provided with a through opening or orifice 4 which permits air trapped within cylinder 1 to escape during the operation of the practice / exercise device as described hereinafter . the size of the orifice 4 depends on the size of the cylinder diameter and the force of the bow . for example , the orifice 4 with a 3 / 4 inch diameter cylinder may be 0 . 010 inch . as shown , the plug 2 is provided with a circumferential groove or channel 5 which enables crimping of the cylinder 1 into the channel so as to securely mount the plug at the forward end of the cylinder . however , any other mounting , such as screwing , gluing , wedging , may be utilized in dependence upon the material and application . as shown in fig2 disposed within the cylinder 1 is an arrow - like shaft 6 which may be constructed from metal , plastic , fiberglass , wood or any other suitable material according to the application . the arrow - like shaft is sized in accordance with the size of the cylinder 1 and the draw length of the archer . the rear end of the shaft , as illustrated in fig3 is provided with a suitable nock 7 and a cosmetic ( non - functional and optional ) rubber fletching 8 . the forward end of the arrow - like shaft 6 is provided with a piston 9 which is constructed from metal or plastic suitable for the application and having a diameter slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the cylinder 1 . the piston 9 is provided with a circumferential groove or channel for receiving an &# 34 ; o &# 34 ; ring 10 . the o ring 10 is sized so as to provide a sliding seal with the internal diameter of the cylinder 1 . depending upon the material of the o ring , the ring may require lubrication so as to maintain a tight fit with the cylinder . the piston 9 also is provided with at least one air channel 12 extending in the axial direction for communicating the space of the groove 11 with the area in front of the piston . the air channels 12 act as air valves to avoid the build - up of a vacuum during the draw of the shaft 6 , i . e ., when the shaft 6 is pulled in the rearward direction , if the orifice 4 of the plug 2 is closed by a projectile or any other member at the time . the arrow - like shaft 6 is received within a bore 13 of the piston and is securely attached thereat . as illustrated in fig3 the arrow - like shaft 6 carries indentation marks 14 in inch or metric increments to indicate the draw length to the archer so that the archer can adjust his draw accordingly , it being noted that constant draw is a very important discipline for the archer . the arrow - like shaft 6 passes through a plug 15 provided at the rear end of the cylinder 1 , which plug has the shape of a bushing and serves to center the arrow - like shaft 6 with respect to the cylinder as well as to permit free movement of the shaft into and out of the cylinder . the plug may be provided with a small mirror 107 mounted at a 45 ° angle on an upper plug surface extending outwardly from the cylinder 1 . with this arrangement , the archer can easily view the marks 14 via the mirror 107 and adjust his draw accordingly . another arrangement for enabling the practice of a constant draw length is by the utilization of a sound box 110 . the sound box may be in the form of a cylindrical member for slidable movement along the exterior of cylinder 1 and housing a small magnet 109 which is freely movable within the sound box . the sound box is positioned along the cylinder 1 at a point at which the piston 9 comes to an end position when the arrow - like shaft 6 is drawn out of the cylinder 1 to the desired extent corresponding to the desired draw length to be attained . as shown , the piston 9 is provided with a mounting screw 108 which may serve for mounting the arrow - like shaft to the piston . the screw 108 serves as a magnet attracting member and is formed of a ferrous material whereas the other components of the practice exercise device are formed of material which do not attract the magnet , e . g ., non - ferrous materials . when the piston 9 and the screw 108 comes to a position across from the magnet 109 , the magnet is attracted by the screw 108 and is drawn upwardly so as to hit the cylinder 1 producing a characteristic clicking noise . this noise therefore indicates that the desired draw length has been reached and to release the arrow - like shaft . upon release of the arrow - like shaft , the piston 9 and the ferrous screw 108 is driven forwardly interrupting the magnetic attraction forces and the magnet 109 drops to the bottom of sound box 110 and is in position for another operation . the cylinder 1 is attachable to any type of bow ( long bow , recurve , compound , cam , etc .) through eye bolts 16 and 17 which may be fixedly secured to the exterior or interior of the cylinder while enabling free movement of the shaft 6 with the bolt portions extending therefrom . the cylinder 1 is also provided with an indentation 18 at its rear end portion for permitting the arrow - like shaft to be as close to the arrow rest as possible so that the shaft 6 is in alignment with the bow string . the cylinder is detachably secured to the bow by means of a plate 19 , washers 26 and wing nuts 22 , for example . as shown in fig3 the fastening plate 19 which may be constructed from metal or plastic according to the application therefor , is provided with two holes 20 for receiving the eye bolt 16 and 17 therethrough . the plate 19 is also provided with an indentation or cut - out portion 21 for accommodating the arrow rest buttons , plungers , etc . which are provided on the more sophisticated bows . consideration must be given in the case of metal construction of the plate 19 for the plate to be provided with bonded on plastic or any other suitable material to avoid scratching or damage of the bow to which it is fastened . similar considerations must be given to the eye bolts 16 and 17 along with the indentation 18 of cylinder 1 with respect to scratching or damaging of the bow . as is apparent , the cylinder 1 may be detachably fastened to the bow by any suitable arrangement other than that illustrated . as shown in fig2 the nock 7 at the rear end of the shaft 6 may be provided with an indentation 27 to accommodate the bow string . if , for example , a heavier bow is utilized or a different type of indentation is desirable , the nock 7 is also provided with an indentation 28 which can retain the bow string in place upon receipt via the expansion indentation 29 and the receptacle indentation 30 . as is apparent , the bow string may be coupled to the shaft 6 in any known manner . in operation , with the practice / exercise device attached to the bow in the manner illustrated in fig1 the archer couples the bow string to the nock 7 and thereafter draws the arrow - like shaft 6 resulting in the shaft being drawn out of the cylinder 1 with the archer being able to measure the draw by means of viewing the marks 14 on the shaft via the mirror 107 or by hearing the noise provided by the sound box 110 . the archer can aim the arrow - like shaft in the normal manner and upon attaining a desired aiming point releases the shaft whereby the bow string drives the shaft forwardly and the piston 9 is driven through the cylinder compressing the air within the cylinder which escapes through the orifice 4 formed in the end plug 2 . at the same time the cylinder acts as a shot - absorbing mechanism converting the energy of the arrow - like shaft into heat in the orifice . thus , the bow can be utilized in its normal manner and an archer can practice archery without releasing a real arrow in a safe manner without special facilities being required . additionally , since the practice / exercise device permits the archer to make the same muscle movements required in the drawing and release of an arrow , the archer can develop the necessary muscles for archery as well as increasing the archer &# 39 ; s stamina and developing all the necessary archery skills . further , due to the manner of attachment of the cylinder and the extension thereof forwardly of the handleriser of the bow , the practice / exercise device also serves as a stabilizer for the bow . although the practice / exercise device as illustrated in fig1 - 4 only provides for the expulsion of air from the cylinder and does not propel a missile or other projectile toward a target , various attachments may be coupled with such device for propelling objects toward a target or for providing transmission or reception of light for target purposes . thus , with the attachments to be discussed hereinafter , target shooting may be practiced indoors or outdoors safely since the objects propelled are not lethal and the practice / exercise device attenuates the forces of such objects so as to be effective only a few meters from the archer . additionally , a tv game attachment or photo - target attachment does not propel any projectile or object , but rather utilizes the light responsive arrangements target shooting purposes . fig5 and 6 illustrate a side view , respectively , and end view of an attachment which may be utilized for projecting bbs or other projectiles . the attachement comprises a barrel member 23 extending from a u - shaped connection member 24 with the barrel and connection member being provided with a nozzle or channel 25 extending therethrough . the so - called bb attachment may be constructed of plastic , metal or any other suitable material with the size of the nozzle 25 depending upon the application and on the size of the projectiles ( pellets , bb , air darts , blow gun darts , etc .) to be utilized . to attach the attachment to the cylinder 1 , the legs of the connection member 24 are squeezed together so as to enable insertion thereof into the channel 3 of the plug 2 . in this position , a bb or air dart may be inserted into the rear end of the barrel 23 , i . e ., at the connection member end 24 and thereafter the connection member end is pushed downwardly so as to align the nozzle or channel 25 with the orifice 4 . when the archer draws back , aims and releases the arrow - like shaft 6 , the compressed air expelled through the orifice 4 will cause the bb or other object in the nozzle 25 to be expelled from the barrel and projected outwardly toward a target or the like . since the piston - cylinder arrangement operates as a shot absorbing mechanism , the propelling distance of the object is effectively limited to several meters although care must be taken to avoid injury as in the case of any air operated gun or the like . fig7 illustrates a different type of attachment device for propelling air darts or the like and includes an attachment member 31 which is secured to the plug 2 by way of the indentations 3 . the member 31 is provided with a channel 32 which aligns with the orifice 4 and acts as an extension thereof . the channel 32 is approximately u - shaped with the other end of the channel 32 being coupled with a pipe member 33 having one end received within the channel in the attachment member 31 . the pipe 33 may be constructed from any type of material such as aluminum , plastic , copper or the like . the other end of pipe 33 is connected to a cylinder holder 34 which attaches to the cylinder 1 by way of a tie wrap 35 or the suitable attaching mechanism . the cylinder holder 34 which may be constructed from any suitable material such as metal , plastic or the like , is provided with an air passage 36 , one end of which is in communication with the end of pipe 33 and the other end of which is provided with an air lock pipe 37 . the air lock pipe 37 is maintained in place by an expansion spring 38 which biases the air lock pipe 37 toward the surface of a revolver cylinder 39 which carries nesting holes 41 . the nesting holes 41 are more clearly seen in fig8 which is a cross - sectional view of the cylinder holder 34 and the revolver cylinder in relation to the cylinder 1 taken along the line viii of viii of fig7 . air darts 40 are disposed in the nesting holes 41 and upon drawing and release of the arrow - like shaft 6 , the piston 9 forces air through the orifice 4 into the channel 32 , through the pipe 33 and into air passage 36 through the air lock pipe 37 so as to push air dart 40 from the nesting hole 41 aligned with the air channel 36 and into the nozzle pipe 42 aligned with such nesting hole . upon successive shooting of the bow , the archer must manually advance the revolver cylinder 39 so that another air dart can be aligned with the nozzle pipe 42 and the air passage 36 so that such air dart can be projected . as is apparent , the revolver cylinder 39 and cylinder holder 35 and other mechanisms are slidably mounted from the front end of the cylinder 1 onto the cylinder to the point where the attachment member 31 couples with the plug 2 in the manner illustrated . fig9 illustrates another type of air dart attachment which may be constructed from any suitable material , such as copper , aluminum , plastic or the like and includes an attaching plate 43 for coupling with the member 3 of the plug 2 of the cylinder 1 . the plate 43 is provided with a pipe 44 having a form as illustrated wherein the entrance opening 45 of the pipe 44 is adapted to be aligned with the orifice 4 of the plug 2 . thus , the pipe 44 acts as an extension of the orifice 4 and permits air to travel through the pipe 44 in accordance with the movement of the piston 9 within the cylinder 1 . the pipe 44 includes a first arcuate u - shaped portion extending from the opening 45 and terminating in a first linear portion extending in the rearward direction which in turn terminates in a second arcuate u - shaped portion . the second arcuate portion terminates in a second linear portion extending in the forward direction . the second linear portion of pipe 44 is provided with a cut - out or opening 46 through which an air dart or other suitable projectile is loaded in the pipe 44 . the opening 46 is then closed by means of an overlying pipe section 47 slidably mounted on the pipe 44 . the pipe 47 may be provided with spiral indentations for easy hand operation and , upon loading of an air dart through the opening 46 , the pipe section 47 is slid over the opening hole 46 so as effectively seal the opening 46 so that upon drawing and release of the arrow - like shaft 6 , air expelled from the orifice 4 will travel through the pipe 44 and propel the air dart from such pipe . fig1 illustrates an end view of the attachment device of fig9 . fig1 illustrates a t . v . game attachment which includes a cylinder 48 closed at the forward end and overlying the cylinder 1 . the cylinder 48 is maintained in position by a spring 50 attached to an attachment collar 51 which is secured to the cylinder 1 by a suitable fastening device such as screws 50 . a cylindrical extension 52 is permanently secured to the attachment collar 51 and at its forward end is provided with an opening in which is disposed a focusing lens 53 . a photocell such as a phototransistor 54 which is electrically connected with an electronic component plate 57 is disposed within the cylindrical extension 52 and positioned at a point so as to receive light focused by the focusing lens 53 . a portion of the electronic component plate 57 includes a normally closed switch 56 , which in the rest position illustrated , is maintained in an open position by an extension 55 of the cylinder 48 . that is , with the cylinder 48 being biased by the spring 50 to the position illustrated , the extension 55 abuts against one of the switch contacts of the switch 56 so as to maintain the normally closed switch in the open position . the electronic component plate 57 is connected via a cord 58 and a plug 59 to a t . v . game board which includes a shooting game software as is known in the art . in accordance with such shooting game software , a light dot randomly travels over the t . v . screen and by aligning the randomly travelling dot with the phototransistor 54 , through the lens 53 and closing the switch 56 , the phototransistor 54 will receive a light signal and provide an output signal indicative thereof . the output signal is processed by the electronics of board 57 and via the cord 58 and plug 59 , the signal is transferred to the t . v . game board for further processing and recording of the score which normally appears on the television screen along with the sound effects provided by the software of the t . v . shooting game . thus , the archer draws the arrow - like shaft 6 and follows the light dot on the t . v . screen until an alignment of the light dot and the phototransistor 54 is achieved in accordance with his estimate and skills and thereafter releases the arrow - like shaft 6 . as discussed above , the piston 9 is driven forwardly in the cylinder 1 and air from cylinder 1 is forced through orifice 4 which air pushes cylinder 48 outwardly away from cylinder 1 against the force of the spring 50 until the relief holes 49 in the cylinder 48 relieve the pressure inside cylinder 48 . with a forward movement of cylinder 48 , the extension 55 thereof also moves in the forward direction so that this extension no longer keeps the contacts of switch 56 from assuming the normally closed position so that such switch closes . upon closing of the switch 56 , the light signal from the light dot on the t . v . screen which is focused by the focusing lens 53 on the phototransistor 54 is received by the phototransistor which provides an output signal which is processed as described above . upon release of the air pressure through the holes 49 in the cylinder 48 , the cylinder 48 returns to its original position under the force of spring 50 and the extension 55 again opens the contacts of switch 56 . fig1 illustrates an end view of the embodiment of fig1 . fig1 illustrates another photo - target attachment for the cylinder which is utilized with a specialized target and electronic circuit . as shown in fig1 , the attachment includes a cylinder 61 closed at one end . the cylinder 61 overlies cylinder 1 and is mounted for sliding movement with respect thereto . a cylinder 63 is attached to the cylinder 61 and both cylinders 61 and 63 may be manufactured from metal , plastic or any other suitable material . cylinder 63 is provided with an aperture opening 71 through which the light of an electric bulb 68 may be projected . the bulb 68 and its electrically conductive extension 69 is disposed within the cylinder 63 and the bulb is electrically connected to a normally closed switch 66 via the extension 69 , the switch 66 being attached to an attachment collar 64 which is securely fastened on the cylinder 1 by any suitable fastening mechanism . the attachment collar 64 carries a battery housing 73 in which batteries 65 are disposed and are maintained in contact with switch 66 by way of a tension spring 72 . the cylinder 63 is provided with an extension arm 70 which through the force of tension spring 67 maintains a contact of the normally closed switch 66 in the open position so that in the rest position of the attachment as illustrated in fig1 , the contact of the switch 66 is biased in the open position and the switch 66 is in the open position . cylinder 61 is provided with air relief holes 62 in a manner corresponding to the air relief holes 49 in fig1 . fig1 illustrates an end view of the embodiment of fig1 , and fig1 illustrates the circuit arrangement of the batteries 65 , normally closed switch 66 and the extension 70 together with the bulb 68 . in operation , the archer draws the arrow - like shaft 6 out of the cylinder 1 and upon release of the arrow - like shaft , the piston 9 is driven forwardly in the cylinder 1 so that air is forced outwardly through orifice 4 and causes the cylinder 61 to move outwardly in the forward direction with an accompanying movement of the cylinder 63 . during this outward or forward movement , due to the air pressure within cylinder 61 , the arm 70 moves in the forward direction and releases the switch contact of switch 66 so that this switch contact is permitted to achieve the normally closed position of switch 66 thereby completing the circuit from the battery to the light bulb 68 resulting in lighting of such bulb . the light of bulb 68 is projected through aperture 71 and casts a light spot on the target illustrated in fig1 . during the outward or forward movement of the cylinders 61 and 63 , the light spot projected onto the target of fig1 appears to vary in diameter with time and becomes smaller from its initial large light spot to a smaller light spot and then again increases in diameter as shown by the curve of fig1 . that is , the light spot reduces in diameter and appears to shrink until the air relief holes 62 come into position to relieve the air pressure within cylinder 61 . at such time , the light spot on the target attains its minimum diameter . due to absence of air pressure within cylinder 61 , or the reduction thereof , the depressed spring 67 forces cylinders 61 and 63 back to their initial rest position . during this movement , the light spot through aperture 71 enlarges and reaches its maximum diameter at the time the arm 70 again causes the contact arm of switch 66 to open thereby interrupting the circuit to the light bulb 68 such that the light bulb is turned off . fig1 illustrates the time variation in the light spot diameter with point 85 representing the initial maximum diameter at the time the light bulb 68 is turned on , point 86 represents the minimum diameter at which time the air pressure within the cylinder 61 is relieved and the cylinder 61 and the accompanying cylinder 63 attain the maximum forward or outward position with respect to the cylinder 1 , and point 87 represents the cylinders 61 and 63 attaining the position immediately prior to arm 70 opening the switch 66 at which time the light bulb 68 is turned off as represented by point 88 . fig1 is a front view of an electronic target utilized with the attachment of fig1 . this target includes a front surface 74 provided with ten concentric circles having the traditional coloring . that is , the two centermost circles are colored yellow and score 9 points , the next two circles are colored red and score as 7 points , the next two circles are colored blue and score as 5 points , the next two circles are colored black and score as 3 points , and the two outermost circles are colored white and score as 1 point . this target and the scoring is known as &# 34 ; prince &# 39 ; s reckoning &# 34 ; 9 point scoring system , but it is apparent that the surface 74 can be provided with various arrangements so as to accommodate the &# 34 ; international championship &# 34 ; scoring system which counts as 1 point for each successive circle starting with 10 points for the innermost circle ( bulls - eye ) and decreasing by 1 point per circle to one on the outermost circle . additionally , other scoring systems may be devised to suit the needs of the user . the surface 74 is also provided with a plurality of openings to permit light from led &# 39 ; s or lights 75 , 76 , 77 and 78 positioned in the opening or behind the opening to show therethrough . further , the surface 74 also is provided with openings in which photocells 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 and 83 are disposed or placed with respect thereto so as to permit light from the lightbulb 68 to be received thereby . the aforementioned openings in the surface 74 of the target are placed to accommodate the leds or lights and photocells so that an indication of the direction of the shot can be obtained . additionally , the surface 74 may be provided with another opening 84 through which a read - out display indicative of the scoring attained by the archer may be provided . the target of fig1 is placed at a suitable distance in front of the archer so that the maximum diameter of the light spot generated by the bulb 68 in the most forward position of the cylinders 61 and 63 strikes the surface 74 and is equal to the outermost circle of the target in which outermost circle the light responsive photocells 79 , 80 , 81 and 82 are disposed . furthermore , the photocell 83 is disposed at the centermost position of the circles or the bulls - eye whereby upon the light spot striking the surface 74 , the photocells 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 and 83 may separately receive the light and separately or collectively provide signals for the scoring mechanism . fig1 is a schematic block diagram representation of the electronic circuit for the scoring associated with the target . for simplification purposes , the circuit for the photocell 79 in the form of a phototransistor and the led positioned at the top of the target is illustrated with the photocell 80 and its associated led 76 as well as the photocells 81 and the associated led 77 , and photocell 82 and associated led 78 positioned at the left , bottom and right side portions of the target as illustrated in fig1 are shown schematically in blocks . in operation , upon the light spot generated by the lightbulb 68 striking the surface 74 and impinging on the photocells 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 or 83 , such photocells separately or collectively trigger through an associated operation amplifier 89 and driver amplifier 90 to provide a signal on line 92 which is delivered to a dual timer 91 . the dual timer 91 has one portion which operates as an astable multi - vibrator for producing square wave pulses 96 on output line 95 to nand gate 99 . the other portion of the dual timer 99 operates as a monostable multi - vibrator and produces a single pulse 94 on output line 93 . pulse 94 is delivered to the counter 97 for enabling the counter to initiate counting , the counter 97 being a decade counter . the pulse 94 is also delivered to a respective flip - flop or latch circuit 98 for enabling the same . accordingly , when a respective photocell 79 , 80 , 81 or 82 receives light from the light spot , thereby generating a signal through the associated operational amplifier 89 , such signal is also delivered to the associated latch 98 which , upon becoming enabled by the pulse 94 provides an output for energizing the respective associated led 75 , 76 , 77 or 78 so as to light the same and to indicate that the associated photocell has received light from the light spot . the center photocell 83 in response to light from bulb 68 , provides an output via line 106 to the nand gate 99 for enabling the same . thus , the pulses 96 pass through gate 99 and nand gate 100 via line 101 to the input of counter 97 which counts the pulses as long as the center photocell 83 is excited by the light . the counter 97 provides an output to the decoder 102 which decoder in turn provides an output for energizing the read - out display 84 . the read - out 84 and the leds whose respective photocells have been excited remain on for the archer to review his score and the direction of his shot in accordance with the lighting of the leds for a time period determined by the length of the pulse 94 . that is , when the pulse 94 no longer appears on line 93 , the respective latches or flip - flops 98 are reset and the leds are turned off . additionally , the counter 97 is also reset when the pulse 94 no longer appears on line 93 and , in turn , the read - out 84 is turned off . as shown in fig1 , in order to provide a counting up to 9 ( prince &# 39 ; s recognizing system ), a nand gate 105 is connected to receive outputs from the counter 97 via lines 103 and 104 and the output of gate 105 is supplied to the nand gate 100 so as to cause the counter 97 to count to 9 . since the counter 97 counts as long as the light is present at the photocell 83 and because such time has been synchronized for the counter to reach its maximum counting , the light spot from the bulb 68 is required to be present at the central photocell during the entire shot duration . additionally , for the counter to count to 9 as displayed by the read - out 84 , all of the outer or peripheral photocells 79 , 80 , 81 and 82 must also receive some light and all of the associated leds will be lighted . the lighting and the score will indicate that the archer has achieved a shot in the center of the target . if the shot is not in the center , the central photo - cell 83 will receive light for a lesser time and the counter 97 will count an amount smaller than 9 depending on the distance of the shot from the center . the direction of the shot will be determined by the lighting of one or more of the leds that the archer can correct his aiming . as is apparent , the light spot diameter variation mechanism of fig1 may be replaced with a light iris so as to provide the variable light spot diameter and , additionally , the attachment arrangement of fig1 may be altered to fit other shooting type devices other than the archery exercise / practice device disclosed herein . that is , the arrangement of fig1 may be suitably altered to fit another shooting device such as air guns , firearms using blanks , or the like , also , it is apparent that a score accumulator can be utilized in the circuit arrangement so that additionally a total score would appear in a separate read - out located , for example , on the surface of the target . with the present invention , an archer can practice or exercise archery without releasing a real arrow and in a safe manner while at the same time developing all the necessary skills and muscles utilized in archery . furthermore , with the attachments provided , projectiles of different types may be fired over small distances toward targets which , again , can be accomplished with relative safety . also , the photo - target arrangement as disclosed herein may be utilized with other types of shooting devices . while i have shown and described several emodiments in accordance with the present invention , it is understood that the same is not limited thereto but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications as known to those skilled in the art and i therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are encompassed by the scope of the appended claims .	5
it will be generally understood that certain features typical and normal in the range of features found in manufacture need not be specified as such , for example the tops of bags may be plain , or finished as t - shirt bags , and can but need not have block tabs , rack holes , etc . likewise , certain other common features are to be as where required by common sense , for example the bottoms of bags are sealed . referring to the drawings , fig1 shows a section through mouth region of generalised bag 1 with hypothetical graspable region 2 to be tensioned in direction 3 against hypothetical graspable region 4 tensioned in direction 5 , causing first sidewall 6 and second sidewall 7 to shear in opposite directions thus firstly confirming correct identification by user of mouth end of bag , secondly shearing sidewalls 6 and 7 in directions as shown by arrows 8 and 9 . shearing disrupts interlayer cling between the first and second sidewalls between the grasped points 2 and 3 . this concept is applicable to gussetted bags . fig2 shows a section through mouth region of generalised gusseted bag 20 with hypothetical graspable region 22 to be tensioned in direction 23 against hypothetical graspable region 24 tensioned in direction 25 , causing first sidewall 26 and second sidewall 27 to shear in opposite directions 28 and 29 thus firstly confirming correct identification by user of mouth end of bag , secondly disrupting interlayer cling and separating the first and second sidewalls over the entire distance between the grasped points 22 and 24 . making the hypothetical graspable regions practical , fig3 a shows a section through mouth region of bag 40 having offset gussets rendering graspable region 42 which can be tensioned in direction 43 against graspable region 44 tensioned in direction 45 , developing tension in first sidewall 46 and second sidewall 47 , in opposite directions , between the grasped points 42 and 44 . the thin vertical lines are to mark the positions of gusset pleat ends before and after tensioning the bag . gusseted bag 40 . 1 shows the configuration after a small amount of movement in tension which has caused first sidewall 46 . 1 and second sidewall 47 . 1 to shear in opposite directions and interlayer cling to be disrupted between the grasped points 42 and 44 ; being a supple material it lies loose after the two layers separate . to compare this with an item in the prior art , fig3 b shows a section through mouth region of bag according to u . s . pat . no . 3 , 023 , 947 ( to mcduffie ) for a multiwall paper bag : bag 440 of stiff material and having offset gussets , of which one set of pleats 451 is glued together creating graspable region 442 which can be tensioned in direction 443 against graspable region 444 tensioned in direction 445 , developing tension in first sidewall 446 and second sidewall 447 , in opposite directions , between the grasped points 442 and 444 . this tension results in compression on the free gussets 452 , which rotate and act as planar struts pushing the semirigid sidewalls 446 and 447 apart . bag 440 . 1 is in the open configuration after laterally tensioning sidewall 447 against sidewall 446 has induced compression of the planar strut and caused it to rotate and push the sidewalls 446 . 1 and 447 . 1 apart . unlike the present invention and also unlike others discussed above , u . s . pat . no . 3 , 023 , 947 results in a limitation of mouth opening to only about half of the general cross - sectional area of the bag . it will be further seen that the action and result differ , because planar struts are an impossibility in supple materials , and that the intent of mcduffie could not translate to supple materials except in the limited sense of making graspable the tensioning points . revealing another approach to making the hypothetical graspable regions practical , fig . 4 shows a section through mouth region of bag 60 having in the region of the bag mouth openings in or truncated portions 69 . 1 of gusset panels rendering graspable region 62 which can be tensioned in direction 63 against hypothetical graspable region 64 tensioned in direction 65 , developing tension in first sidewall 66 and second sidewall 67 , in opposite directions , between the grasped points 62 and 64 . a small amount of movement in tension causes first sidewall 66 and second sidewall 67 to shear in opposite directions 68 and 69 and interlayer cling to be disrupted between the grasped points 62 and 64 . revealing yet another approach to making the hypothetical graspable regions practical , fig5 shows a section through mouth region of bag 80 having refolded portions 89 . 1 of gussets creating graspable region 82 which can be tensioned in direction 83 against hypothetical graspable region 64 tensioned in direction 85 , developing tension in first sidewall 86 and second sidewall 87 , in opposite directions , between the grasped points 82 and 84 . a small amount of movement in tension causes first sidewall 86 and second sidewall 87 to shear in opposite directions 88 and 89 and interlayer cling to be disrupted between the grasped points 82 and 84 . it will be seen by one ordinarily skilled in the art that the refolding could be inwards or outwards , or could take the form of a sub - gusset of the one pleat of a principal gusset . making practical the hypothetical graspable regions illustrated in fig1 , fig6 shows a section through mouth region of a flat ungussetted bag 100 , having region 102 , rendered graspably independent of sidewall 106 by opening 110 in sidewall 106 , to be tensioned in direction 103 against graspable region 104 , rendered graspably independent of sidewall 107 by opening 111 in sidewall 107 , tensioned in direction 105 , causing first sidewall 106 and second sidewall 107 to shear in opposite directions 108 and 109 respectively . tensioning by user has results of , firstly , confirming correct identification by user of mouth end of bag , secondly shearing sidewalls and thus disrupting interlayer cling between the first and second sidewalls 106 and 107 between the grasped points 102 and 103 . further illustrating the sectional view of fig3 , fig7 shows a perspective view of bag 120 having offset gussets creating graspable region which can be tensioned in direction 123 against graspable region 124 tensioned in direction 125 , developing tension in upper edges of first sidewall 126 and second sidewall 127 , in opposite directions , between the grasped points 122 and 124 , and disrupting interlayer cling between the sidewalls under tension . further illustrating the sectional view of fig5 , fig8 shows a perspective view of bag 140 having refolded portions 149 . 1 of gussets creating graspable region 142 which can be tensioned in direction 143 against hypothetical graspable region 64 tensioned in direction 145 , developing tension in first sidewall 146 and second sidewall 147 , in opposite directions , between the grasped points 142 and 144 . a small amount of movement in tension causes first sidewall 146 and second sidewall 147 to shear in opposite directions 148 and 149 and interlayer cling to be disrupted between the grasped points 142 and 144 . it will be seen by one ordinarily skilled in the art that the refolding could be inwards or outwards , or could take the form of a sub - gusset of the one pleat of a principal gusset . further illustrating the sectional view of fig4 , fig9 shows a perspective view of bag 160 having openings in or truncated portions 169 . 1 of gusset panels creating graspable region 162 which can be tensioned in direction 163 against hypothetical graspable region 164 tensioned in direction 165 , developing tension in first sidewall 166 and second sidewall 167 , in opposite directions , between the grasped points 162 and 164 . a small amount of movement in tension causes first sidewall 166 and second sidewall 167 to shear in opposite directions 168 and 169 and interlayer cling to be disrupted between the grasped points 162 and 164 . the principles used above are also applicable to multipocketed bags , having various numbers of pockets . these bags may for example be convenient to the user of a packaged product by containing separately yet keeping related in storage a number of ingredients to be later mixed or used in a common process . convenience in term of filling the pockets is firstly due to the ease of opening the pockets which is accomplished by laterally tugging from a graspable point while the common back or second sidewall remains held in the filling process . convenience may thus also be facilitated by provision of such bags on a roll which can be fed through a filling station and remaining attached one bag to the next while fed also through a reclosing station after filling , and can either be left attached up to the product &# 39 ; s retail stage or can be detached at any time before that . for the example of two pockets , fig1 shows a perspective view of a plurality of multipocketed bags 180 having similar features in each . the upper two bags are shown in ideal opened view , the lower bag is shown closed . first sidewall 186 is segmented according to the number of side by side pockets separated by weld 188 or a number of such welds , while second sidewall 187 is common to all pockets . overextending gussets create graspable regions 182 and 184 . graspable region 182 can be tensioned in direction 183 , against the second sidewall 187 or any part of same that does not overlap with the first sidewall segment 186 . 1 , to cause shearing of first sidewall segment 186 . 1 and second sidewall 187 , thence opening of the pocket pertaining to first sidewall segment 186 . 1 . or it may be tensioned against graspable region 184 tensioned in direction 185 thus developing tension in upper edges of first sidewall 186 ( left and right segments 186 . 1 and 186 ; 2 ) and second sidewall 187 , in opposite directions , between the grasped points 122 and 124 , and disrupting interlayer cling between the sidewalls under tension . a transverse weld 189 seals the bottom of the bag . if bags are made or supplied in sequence , a cut or weakening ( respectively ) 190 separates one bag from the next . the foregoing is considered illustrative of the principles of the invention . other embodiments and variations as may occur to those skilled within the art are considered to fall within the scope of the invention .	1
it is worthy to note that any reference herein to “ one embodiment ” or “ an embodiment ” means that a particular feature , structure , or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention . the appearances of the phrase “ in one embodiment ” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment . the present invention comprises the packaging of linked instruments , and the directing of such packaged assets to an automated broker system for price discovery , generation of quotes , and for trading such packages of instruments that can be linked together . these linked instruments may include any underlying asset that has a derivative instrument connected to it , such as any cash and derivative and , as an example , packages of stock ( equity ) and stock ( equity ) options instruments via a single order . the present invention encompasses the methods and apparatus for creating , trading , and tracking of linked assets . first , discussed are the methods and apparatus for selecting assets to be linked , aggregated price discovery of the linked assets , and the distribution of data specific to the linked assets . second , the methodology for market participants to identify , trade , and track linked assets is discussed . third , the methods and apparatus for trading , clearing , and reporting of linked assets are discussed in detail . for purposes of this invention , and as used herein , “ asset ” or “ assets ” refers to any tradable security or commodity or item of value , in which there exits a market or creation of a market however small for trading of any security or commodity or item of value . examples include , but are not limited to : securities , equities , linked spreads ( e . g ., linked option spreads ), bonds , futures , mutual funds , hedge funds , derivatives , currencies ( both national and foreign ), commodities , insurance contracts , mortgages , high yield debt , foreign debt , convertible debt , notes , pollution rights , development rights , leases , loans , real estate investment trusts , indexes ( e . g ., etfs and ishares ), single stock futures , etc . “ assets ” also refers to any collection of assets whether singly packaged or bundled . although the computer - based system of the present invention can be used for any such asset or combination of asset , for brevity , the discussion herein relates primarily to its use and connection with tradable instruments or securities , and particularly to cash and derivatives , and equities and equity options . the present invention provides a methodology and apparatus for linking related ( e . g ., equity and equity option ) assets and quoting an aggregated price for the linked assets . the methodology selects and packages assets ( e . g ., equities and equity options ) to represent commonly used trading strategies , such as , for example , the “ married put ” and “ covered write .” the apparatus then assigns an aggregated price to the packages and distributes the price quotes to the markets where the assets are traded under unique symbols . a married put trading strategy comprises a simultaneous purchase of a stock and a put option on the stock for an equal amount of shares . this strategy has the effect of protecting an investor from downward movement in the stock while retaining upside potential . a covered write trading strategy is the selling of a call option while owning at least an equal amount of shares of the underlying stock . this strategy has the effect of providing the investor with a cash premium , but limits the investor &# 39 ; s total potential profit while lowering investment cost . these are just two examples of the financial trading strategies involving equities and equity options the apparatus links into a package of instruments . the embodiments of the present invention herein can be used to implement any existing or newly developed trading strategies involving linked ( or embedded ) instruments . moreover , by enabling simple quoting and trading of linked instruments , the present invention will enable the development of more complex linked trading strategies . investors who desire to implement these trading strategies buy or sell the individual assets , called legs . current market systems do not provide a method whereby an investor can acquire all legs of a strategy involving both instruments ( e . g . equities and equity options ) through a single order . currently , the investor must price , quote and acquire each leg individually , which exposes the investor to risk due to market volatility . for example , an investor may price and quote , or trade one leg of the strategy only to find that the market has moved away from the desired price range of the other leg . the failure to acquire all legs of the strategy can place the investor in a situation of open - ended risk . the present invention alleviates this risk by linking the legs of a strategy together , providing an aggregated price , disseminating the quote of the combined assets , and providing an apparatus for trading the linked - assets almost simultaneously . the trading apparatus ensures that an investor either acquires all legs of the strategy or none at all . the apparatus , through this assurance , moves the risk away from the investor . the methodology and apparatus of the present invention for the linking of assets ( e . g ., a quote apparatus ) provides for the selection of specific assets ( e . g ., equities and equity option series ), aggregated pricing , identifying market symbols , and dissemination of the aggregated price and symbol ( e . g ., a quote ) to market participants . the apparatus consists of a real - time software system . the software system may be operated as part of a trading exchange , as a facility to a trading exchange , or independently . the system is connected via standard network communication lines for the purposes of subscribing to real time market quotes of the assets , for example , both equities and options , and the distribution of generated quotes for the linked assets . referring to fig2 , shown therein is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a process for developing quotes for linked assets according to one aspect of the present invention . the quote apparatus 201 subscribes to real - time equities market data 203 and real - time options market data 204 . the quote apparatus is also connected via standard network communications to market makers for the linked assets 202 . the quote apparatus continuously loops through real - time market data updating quotes for existing linked asset packages 206 and identifying situations that allow for the creation of new linked asset packages 207 . 1 . only a subset of existing assets is available through linked asset packages . the makeup of the subset is determined by business considerations . 2 . at the introduction of a new cycle ( e . g ., an equity option cycle ) at least two linked asset packages are created for each asset ( e . g ., the underlying equity that the options is derived from ) in the subset . one package represents the first out - of - the - money instrument ( e . g ., an option series ) whose premium is less than a specified percentage of the underlying instrument &# 39 ; s ( e . g ., the equity ) price . the specific percentage is determined by business considerations . the second package is the next out - of - the - money option series after the one selected for the first package . additional packages then follow this process . 3 . when a package is created , the package is assigned a symbol 208 that may be , for example , the option symbol with the addition of alphabetical characters that represent the strategy . 4 . once a package has been created , the package is maintained until the expiration of the option leg of the package . 5 . the price of the package is developed from the better bids and offers of either the national best bid and offer ( nbbo ) 203 , 204 or bid and offer supplied by a participating market maker for the package 202 . 6 . new packages must be created when the underlying asset &# 39 ; s ( e . g ., the equity ) price moves through price levels that render existing linked asset packages in the money or too far out of the money . at all times there must be at least two linked asset packages that meet parameter # 2 above . linked asset packages created and maintained by the quote apparatus are then disseminated to the marketplace through new or existing quote distribution channels 209 , such as the options price reporting authority ( opra ) and real time equities quote providers . turning to fig3 , shown therein is an exemplary embodiment of a sample of a quote stream disseminated by the quote apparatus , according to one aspect of the present invention . any market participant that subscribes to real - time market data can receive linked asset quotes disseminated by the quote apparatus 209 . each symbol is comprised of elements of the trading strategy , the underlying equity , a price and a related derivative . for example , an l at the beginning indicates the quote relates to a linked product . embedded within the symbol is the symbol for the underlying asset , e . g ., ibm . also embedded within the symbol is an indicator as to the type of derivative , such as “ p ” for a put option . additionally , the expiration of the derivative is indicated as well . for example , an option that expires in january is so indicated by inclusion of the letter “ m ” in the symbol . still , another indicator relates to the strike price of the derivative , such as e indicating a strike price of $ 25 . when combined , the total linked product symbol will be , for example , lpinqme , thereby indicating the related product is a linked product of an intel ( inq ) equity , a put option ( p ) on an intel equity , which has an expiration of january ( m ) and a strike price of $ 25 . 00 ( e ). in fig3 , the other symbols r , s , t , v , w , h and y represent examples of other months and other strike prices . as a result of the present invention , investors can buy , sell , and track linked asset packages in the same way they would trade individual assets ( e . g ., equity or option assets ). they contact their broker by either electronic or telephone communication and place buy or sell orders for linked asset packages . the following trading rules apply to the buying and selling of linked asset packages : 1 . investors buy or sell whole packages through a single order utilizing the linked asset package symbol . 3 . orders may carry certain qualifications and instructions : ( e . g ., all or none ( aon ), fill or kill ( fok ), immediate or cancel ( 10 c ), market , limit , etc .) 4 . once the package is owned , the owned package can be split into its individual assets and subsequently traded separately . broker and regulatory rules and conditions concerning margins and other factors may apply . 5 . linked asset packages remain linked within an investor &# 39 ; s account until sale of the package , expiration of the derivative , or until the package is explicitly separated into its individual component assets . 6 . an investor can continue the linked asset strategy beyond the expiration of the original derivative series through other combinations , such as , for example , put or call spreads described below . turning to fig4 , shown therein is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a process for buying and selling linked asset packages from the perspective of the investor . an investor 401 places a buy order or a sell order for a linked asset through a broker 402 . the broker 402 sends the order to where the assets are traded ( e . g ., an exchange ) 403 where the automated broker apparatus 404 attempts execution of the order . the automated broker apparatus 405 sends a trade report back to the broker 402 who notifies the investor 401 . refer to fig5 for an example investor balance sheet showing linked assets . a separate category 5 c displays linked assets 5 d , 5 e . the current market price 5 f for the linked asset is displayed . the underlying stock symbol 5 g and market price 5 h as well as the option series 5 i and market price 5 j are displayed for reference . the investor is thus able to track the performance of a linked asset package in much the same way they can track the performance of individual assets . as mentioned previously , owners of linked asset packages may split the packages into the individual assets and trade those individual assets on the open market in the ordinary manner . the individual assets may be fungible and therefore would have inherent liquidity in the open market subject to open interest . brokers may elect to allow the trading of linked assets by investors who have not been authorized to trade the derivative separately ( e . g ., where a customer has not signed an options contract with his or her broker ). this situation exists because linked asset packages of limited risk can be offered without concern that an investor will expose themselves to situations of open - ended risk . however , if an investor chooses to split the linked asset package , the broker may force the investor to close any open positions if the investor is not qualified to trade the derivative alone . as legs of linked asset packages reach expiration , investors have the option of allowing the derivative leg to expire or to replace the expiring derivative series with a new derivative series for the same underlying asset . refer to fig6 for a diagram of an example of the process for replacing the option series utilizing a linked asset spread order . the investor 601 chooses a new option series 604 from the available option series 603 represented by existing linked asset packages for the specific underlying equity . the investor 601 then places an order 606 for the desired spread . this includes placing an order to close the expiring option and placing an order to open the new selection option . the simultaneous selling of the expiring option 602 with the purchase of the new option 604 maintains the integrity of the strategy the linked asset package is intended to represent . the use of symbols will maintain linkage within the clients account . trading on an options exchange requires , at a minimum , the involvement of these participants : exchange : a market where instruments of investment such as equities , options , securities , commodities , and futures are traded ; market maker : member or affiliate of an exchange who increases liquidity in specific classes of options and makes competitive bids and offers ; floor broker : acts as an agent in the handling of public orders and can represent both the buyer and the seller in crossing trades on an external or local exchange trading platform ; investor : public customer , firm , or market maker who takes a position on one side of a trade as either the buyer or the seller ; and broker : a firm or individual who executes buy and sell orders submitted by investors . refer to fig1 for the traditional process of handling combination orders involving equity and equity option legs on the floor of an options exchange . these combination orders are orders for multiple assets 103 made by an investor 101 to a broker 104 . the broker attempts to trade the assets 106 as described by the combination order . the broker represents the investor in the appropriate pit 107 and may also represent both the investor and a market maker in the crossing of an equities order on an external equities exchange 108 . the broker reports 110 to the investor the result of the combination order . the method and apparatus for trading linked assets follows and improves upon the manual process for trading combination orders . refer to fig7 for the process diagram of the linked asset trading apparatus . an investor 701 places an order 704 for a linked asset with their broker 705 . the investor can place the order either electronically 702 or by voice using a phone 703 for example . the broker 705 routes the order to an exchange 706 ( in general , this can be any venue that performs trades , including upstairs traders , which are still part of an exchange ) where the trading apparatus 707 is operating . the trading apparatus converts the linked asset into separate orders for equities and equity options . these separate orders constitute all legs of the linked asset package . the trading apparatus 707 begins the process to find an electronic match with the lead market maker 708 using an existing electronic interface to the market maker . the lead market maker , through existing systems , sets parameters that allow for automated electronic filling of an order . if a match is not found ( 709 ), if the order is firm , the market maker is firm or the order is expiring , then the order is cancelled 712 and a trade report is generated 718 . if not , then the order remains open 711 . when a successful match is found the trading apparatus 707 calculates the price 715 , and crosses the equity leg , if one exists , on an appropriate equities exchange 716 . the trading apparatus 707 then posts all option leg trades with the market maker , for example , on the options exchange 717 . finally the trading apparatus generates a trade report 718 and sends the report back to the broker 705 and / or exchange 706 . thus , even if the sec restrictions ( mentioned in the background ) did not apply and a broker could trade the separate legs at one location , the present invention improves upon that by providing for multiple bids and offers to be calculated in one process for a combination order , thus ensuring that the best bid and offer are found for each leg . the trading apparatus consists of software operating partly in place of , for example , a floor broker on an options exchange . the apparatus operates on stand - alone hardware connected via standard communication networks to the trading environment ( e . g ., an options exchange ) systems . the trading apparatus communicates with the exchange following the standard protocol ( e . g ., used by hand held devices or by the fix standard for data communication on an options exchange ). refer to fig8 for an example of a linked asset order in fix format . the trading apparatus also connects via standard network communications ( for example , on the floor of the exchange with remote equities exchanges ). the trading apparatus communicates with the remote exchanges via standard formats such as , for example , the fix format for sending orders when trading stocks and options . there are three embodiments of buy and sell orders for linked asset packages sent to the trading apparatus . embodiments 1 and 2 pertain to linked asset packages containing both the asset and its derivative ( e . g ., equities and equity option assets ). embodiment 3 pertains to linked asset packages containing only the derivative ( equity option ) assets . embodiments 1 and 2 pertain to a linked asset trade containing both ( e . g ., equity and equity option ) assets . embodiment 1 describes the pricing of the ( e . g ., equity and option ) legs of the trade for a market order . embodiment 2 describes the pricing of the legs ( e . g ., equity and option legs ) of the trade for a limit order . refer to fig9 for an example of the pricing of market and limit orders for embodiments 1 and 2 . for both embodiments 1 and 2 the trading apparatus performs price discovery on the underlying asset ( e . g ., equity leg ) of the order by checking the current best market , or national best bid and offer ( nbbo ) 9 a , 9 b on all remote trading places ( e . g ., equities exchanges ). the trading apparatus calculates a price 9 g , 9 j at which the underlying asset ( e . g ., equities order ) can be crossed on an external exchange between the investor and the market maker who has accepted the order . to cross the asset in this manner requires that the asset price must be at or better than the nbbo , and within the current rules for trading of the instruments ( e . g ., rules for crossing stock on a stock exchange ). the apparatus calculates a price at or better than the nbbo and , depending upon crossing rules in place at the time , may not match with existing orders that are waiting to be executed , for example , orders that reside in the book on an options or stock exchange floor . for example , if the equities best bid and offer is 54 . 00 to 54 . 50 the apparatus might calculate the cross order price to be 54 . 15 . the apparatus then sends the cross - order to the equities exchange representing both the investor and the market maker who approved the trade . the first embodiment pertains to the calculation of the derivative ( e . g ., option ) price following the calculation of the underlying asset ( e . g ., equity ) price for a market order . the trading apparatus calculates the price of the derivative ( e . g ., option ) 9 h to be the difference between the current market price 9 f for the linked asset package and the price of the underlying asset ( e . g ., equities ) crossed on the underlying asset trading location ( e . g ., equities exchange ) 9 g . for example if the linked asset package was quoted as trading at 57 . 25 to 57 . 50 and the price of the equities leg was calculated to be 54 . 15 , then the price of the option would be 3 . 35 ( 57 . 50 − 54 . 15 = 3 . 35 ). the trading apparatus then posts the derivative ( e . g ., options ) trade between the investor and the market maker at that price on the derivatives ( e . g ., options ) exchange . the second embodiment pertains to the calculation of the derivative price following the calculation of the underlying asset price for a limit order . in this example , using stock and options , the trading apparatus calculates the price of the option 9 k to be the difference between the limit order price 9 i for the linked asset package and the price of the equities asset crossed on the equities exchange 9 j . for example if the limit order was accepted by the market maker at a price of 57 . 25 and the price of the equities leg was calculated to be 54 . 15 , then the price of the option would be 3 . 10 ( 57 . 25 − 54 . 15 = 3 . 10 ). the trading apparatus then posts the options trade between the investor and the market maker at that price on the options exchange . embodiment 3 pertains to the trading of a linked asset trade containing only the derivative ( e . g ., equity option ) assets . for example , the trading apparatus allows limit and market order trades where a limit may be placed on any of the option legs . the apparatus presents the combination order to the lead market maker through existing electronic systems on the floor of the options exchange . if the lead market maker or any market maker in the crowd accepts the trade , the prices of the legs will be set by the bbo on the offer for market orders and on the limit price for limit orders . the apparatus then posts the options trade on the options exchange representing both the investor and the market maker who approved the trade . the trading apparatus collects the individual execution reports from both asset trades ( e . g ., equities cross trades and option post trades ) as the agent for the investor . the apparatus then integrates the execution reports into a single execution report and sends the report to the originating broker by way of the existing network used for trading and reporting systems . refer to fig1 for an example of an execution report in fix format for linked asset trades containing both equities and equity options . refer to fig7 for the block diagram showing the path of the execution report 718 from the apparatus to the exchange 706 to the broker 705 who posts the linked assets in the investor &# 39 ; s 701 account . prior to , or at the end of a trading session the trading apparatus sends electronic notifications for all underlying assets ( e . g ., equities trades to the national securities clearing corporation ( nscc )) for clearing and settlement . the derivative trading location or exchange sends reports of all derivative trades , for example , options trades to the options clearing corporation ( occ ), at the time of the trade throughout the trading session . an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a computer system executing a method of matching and quoting of separate trading instruments that , when packaged together , creates a linked trading product that eliminates the need for actual side - by - side trading of the separate instruments . this process includes one or more of the following : tracking electronically separate but related trading instruments ; searching electronically for the best bid and offer of each separate trading instrument ; selecting electronically a subset of available derivative ( e . g ., option series ) based on liquidity , pricing , and time to expiration ; combining electronically existing underlying asset bids and offers with existing related derivative bid and offers , into one bid price and one offer price for the combined instruments ; assigning electronically quote symbols to the package of combined instruments ; disseminating electronically a combined bid and offer price for the combined instruments as a quote to the appropriate electronic quote dissemination service for distributing quotes to the public ; receiving electronically orders pertaining to the combined instrument quotes ; unlinking electronically the combined order into separate bids and offers for the separate trading instruments that make up the combined order ; disseminating the separated bids and offers to the electronic broker for representation of each order to the two separate markets or integrated market makers having the best bid and offer for each separate instrument , for execution ; receiving the executed trade information from the electronic broker ; recombining the separate executions into a trade report for the combined instruments ; disseminating the combined trade report to the electronic broker , for further dissemination to the customer that entered the combined order ; disseminating the combined trade report to the appropriate clearing corporations ; disseminating the combined trade report to the appropriate clearing corporations ; and disseminating electronically the assigned quote , which contains a color coded system to differentiate between participating market makers , the nbbo , the customer orders , and includes an explanation of the color system to show that one color represents a guaranteed market of a certain amount of assets from the participating market makers , where one color represents the nbbo , and one color represents customer orders added to the system . although various embodiments are specifically illustrated and described it will be appreciated that modifications and variations of the invention are by the above teachings and are within the purview of the appended claims departing from the spirit and intended scope of the invention . furthermore , these s should not be interpreted to limit the modifications and variations of the on covered by the claims but are merely illustrative of possible variations .	6
as an introduction , an example of an open systems interconnection ( osi ) reference model with a test scenario , as is used for example during testing of new software components for mobile telephone system , is intended to be explained briefly , with reference to the schematic representation of fig1 , for better understanding of the invention . the osi reference model is represented simplified in fig1 and comprises five layers , which for example represent an end system of a subscriber of a mobile telephone system . the first layer is a bit transmission layer 1 (“ physical layer ”; phy ) which reflects the actual transmission of physical items of information , i . e . the bitwise transmission for example of useful data . above the bit transmission layer 1 a second layer 2 is disposed (“ radio link control ”; rlc /“ media access control ”; mac ), which is followed by a third layer 3 (“ radio resource control ”; rrc ), a fourth layer 4 (“ mobility management ”; mm ) and a fifth layer 5 (“ test control ” 5 . 1 ; tc /“ call control ” 5 . 2 ; cc ) which forms the application layer and hence the interface for use by the mobile telephone subscriber or by the test apparatus in the represented embodiment . in order to control a test run , a test scenario 6 is employed upon the described osi reference model , which test scenario communicates with different layers of the osi reference model via the respective service access points thereof . in addition to the service access points , which are disposed in a horizontal plane i . e . between the layers , the test scenario 6 communicates with specific layers via control service access points , which are represented in fig1 as vertically orientated ovals and designated with the reference numbers 7 . 1 , 7 . 2 and 7 . 3 . via these control service access points 7 . 1 to 7 . 3 , parameters of the respective protocol of the layer can be prescribed by the test scenario 6 , which is a predetermined run which is prescribed by a protocol tester , for the relevant third , fourth or fifth layer 3 , 4 or 5 , and hence can be altered in a targeted manner during a test run . the individual layers of the osi reference model communicate by transmission of messages to each other , the messages being transmitted respectively via service access points from one layer to another . also during transmission of messages , differentiation can take place between those service access points which are represented in fig1 as horizontally disposed ovals , as for example are the service access points of the second layer 8 . 1 , 8 . 2 and 8 . 3 . the additionally present vertically displayed service access points , for example the service access point 9 . 1 of the bit transmission layer 1 and the service access point 9 . 2 of the second layer 2 serve in turn to transfer parameters which in this case however do not stem from the external test scenario 6 , but rather from another layer of the osi reference model . during a test run , the messages which are transmitted via the service access points of the layers of the osi reference model are stored in a file in a storage device of the message analyzer . the messages are stored in this so - called “ log file ” with a multiplicity of items of information , such as for example the origin of the message , the respective service access point via which the message was transmitted , the transmission time , etc . for this purpose , a connection 11 is provided as is shown in the case of the message analyzer 10 which is represented schematically in fig2 . via the connection 11 , the messages are stored in chronological sequence via an interface 12 in the storage device 13 as a file . access to the messages stored in the storage device 13 is by means of a selector 14 . by means of the selector 14 , for example a part of the messages with all the information which is present in the storage device 13 relating to the message can thereby be read in or else , for a specific criterion , all those messages which fulfill this criterion can be selected . for these messages , for example a specific characteristic feature is then determined by means of the selector 14 , for this purpose the corresponding storage region of the storage device 13 being accessed in a targeted manner by means of the selector 14 , without requiring all the features of the messages to be read in by means of the selector 14 from the storage device 13 . merely a part of the information stored there relating to the individual messages is singled out selectively from the storage device 13 by means of the selector 14 . the quantity of items of information to be read in is hence reduced . correspondingly , the loading times for the data to be evaluated are reduced . the selector 14 is connected to a display device 15 , the display device 15 having , for example within a window displayed thereon , a first region 16 and a second region 17 . if for example a sequence of messages with its entire information content is read in by means of the selector 14 , all this information can be displayed in the first region 16 of the selector 14 , for which purpose for example a limited number of messages , i . e . a sequence of messages , is displayed in the first region 16 of the display device 15 chronologically in table form . in addition to the real time , at which each message was transmitted , further items of information which describe the message in more detail with respect to the content can be displayed in the table . in the second region 17 , on the other hand , for a large number of messages which are selected according to a criterion which can be established by the user , merely a small part of the items of information is displayed . examples of such a display are explained in detail subsequently with reference to fig3 to 5 . whilst , in the first region 16 , messages which were transmitted via any service access points are displayed in chronological sequence , in order to display a course of a characteristic feature of a group of messages , messages transmitted respectively only via specific service access points , in particular via one specific service access point , are evaluated and , from one criterion respectively of each of these messages , a characteristic feature is determined by means of the selector 14 . after , for example , a specific service access point and a characteristic feature have been established by a user , that item of information respectively of the messages which has a relationship with the characteristic feature is read in by means of the selector 14 from the storage device 13 . reading in of these items of information of the messages is effected selectively in this example only for those messages which have been transmitted via the service access point established by the user . as a simple example , it can be determined by the selector 14 , how many messages have been transmitted via a specific service access point per unit of time . in this example , the number of messages per unit of time is the characteristic feature , in addition a specific or a plurality of specific service access points being able to be selected by a user . by means of the selector 14 , from the entirety of the messages of all service access points stored in the storage device 13 , that group of messages which was transmitted via the service access point ( s ) established by the user can then be singled out . from the respective real time , it is determined for these service access points how many messages per unit of time were transmitted . in the second region 17 of the display device 15 , the characteristic feature , for instance a number of messages per unit of time in the indicated example , is then plotted via a basic scale . in the second region 17 , hence a graphic display relating to a characteristic feature for specific messages is given , which permits a speedy selection to be made from a large period of time which is scanned during the test run . for this purpose , in the course which is displayed in the second region 17 of the display device 15 , a selection must be made with a selection means 18 by clicking on a specific point of the displayed course , for example with a computer mouse as selection means 18 . after such a selection of a specific point of the course which is displayed in the second region 17 , a sequence of messages which corresponds to this specific point is read in by means of the selector 14 from the storage device 13 , preferably all the available information relating to this sequence of messages being read in from the storage device 13 . these items of information relating to the content , which are read in by means of selection of a specific point in the course in the second region 17 only for a limited sequence of messages , are then displayed in the first region 16 of the display device 15 again in table form . a first view of such a display on a display device 15 is shown in fig3 . the display shows a program window 19 , in the upper part of which , with horizontal splitting of the program window 19 , the first region 16 is disposed and , in the lower part thereof , the second region 17 . between the first region 16 and the second region 17 a third region 20 and a fourth region 21 is configured in the program window 19 . the third region 20 and the fourth region 21 serve for displaying for example the structure of a message which is marked in the first region or of additional detailed information relating to the superordinate content - related items of information of an individual message displayed in the table of the first region 16 . in addition to the four regions 16 , 17 , 20 and 21 , the program window 19 shows a menu bar 22 and row of icons 23 as are known from computer programs for other applications . as was already indicated , a sequence of messages is displayed in tabular form in the first region 16 , the individual columns 24 . 1 to 24 . 10 containing items of information relating to the messages of the sequence . each entry for a message includes a line in the displayed table . in the first column 24 . 1 , a serial number of the message is displayed . the second column 24 . 2 contains a real time at which the message was transmitted whereas , in the third and fourth columns 24 . 3 and 24 . 4 , a system time to be associated respectively with the message is displayed . the fifth column 24 . 5 contains data relating to whether the respective message was produced by an end system on the part of the base station or of the mobile telephone subscriber . in the sixth column 24 . 6 it is indicated which protocol underlies the message . in the displayed embodiment , the mobile telephone protocol used is universal mobile telecommunications system ( umts ). a seventh column 24 . 7 indicates from which of the layers according to the osi reference model the relevant messages were sent . an eighth column 24 . 8 indicates correspondingly via which service access point the message was transmitted . in addition in fig3 it can be detected that messages are transmitted via a multiplicity of service access points , which messages are temporally successive in so dense a manner that a sequence of messages transmitted via different service access points is displayed in the tabular display of the first region 16 . the selection of which items of information relating to the individual messages should be displayed in the first region 16 can be made by a user in a selection menu , so that for example the explained columns 24 . 1 to 24 . 8 and the two further columns 24 . 9 and 24 . 10 which relate to the type of transmitted message can be adjusted . with the help of the selection means 18 , the user can mark an individual message in the tabular display in the first region 16 which is then displayed in bold or as a message 25 highlighted in color . in addition to the information content of the message already displayed in the table of the first region 16 , there is then displayed in the third region 20 the structure of this individual highlighted message 25 relating to the highlighted message 25 . the hierarchical structure is then reproduced in the third region 20 by indentation . in the fourth region 21 , detailed items of information relating to the value of the highlighted message 25 of the first region 16 are displayed , the bitwise display of the individual structural elements of the message here being in the foreground . in contrast to the individual item of detailed information relating to an individual message , which is displayed in the three regions 16 , 20 and 21 , in the second region 17 a course 26 of a characteristic feature for a multiplicity of messages , which are related to each other , is displayed . in the represented embodiment , a data load is displayed for example on the y axis 27 , i . e . the quantity of data transmitted per unit of time via a specific service access point . the chosen unit in the represented embodiment is kilobytes per second and relates to a service access point designated by bch (“ broadcast channel ”), as is displayed in a legend 30 in the second region 17 . the entry in the legend 30 and the course 26 , which is displayed in the second region 17 , can be coordinated in color , for example , so that a plurality of courses can also be displayed in the second region 17 , nevertheless an unequivocal association being possible . the prerequisite for display of a plurality of courses in the second region 17 is that , as a characteristic feature which is plotted on a y axis 27 , the same variable is used and that in addition the reference variable of the basic scale on an x axis 28 is identical . for the course 26 represented in fig3 , the real time underlies the basic scale for the x axis 28 . the second region 17 within the program window 19 is provided , in addition to use for displaying the course 26 , also for displaying other items of information . for this purpose , register cards are provided in the second region 17 , which can be brought via corresponding index tabs 29 in the foreground . the sequence of messages , which is listed in the first region 16 , relates to the messages within a specific period of time for the real time which is indicated in the second column 24 . 2 . for the time region displayed in the visible table , an associated frame 31 is displayed in the second region 17 , with which frame a simple temporal association between the messages listed in the first region 16 and the temporal overall course of the characteristic feature , which is displayed in the second region 17 , is possible . in order to display , in the first region 16 relative to the displayed sequence of messages , another sequence of messages with a temporally different position , another sequence of messages is read in with the associated items of information by means of the selector 14 from the storage device 13 . for this purpose , firstly a position of the course 26 is selected with the help of the selection means 18 in the second region 17 . as a result , a selection of a specific point 32 is implemented . the specific point 32 thereby relates only to the position on the respectively used basic scale , i . e . in the represented embodiment a specific point in time on the x axis 28 which serves as time axis of the real time . in addition to the direct determination of a specific point 32 by clicking on a position in the displayed course 26 in the second region 17 , it is also possible to set one or more markings 33 . 1 to 33 . 4 which establish respectively a specific point , without however already selecting said point . the selection of that specific point , which is to be associated with an individual marking 33 . 1 , 33 . 2 , 33 . 3 or 33 . 4 , is only effected respectively when the relevant marking for example is selected in turn via the selection means 18 . by selecting one of the corresponding markings . 33 . 1 to 33 . 4 , the specific point associated with the respectively selected marking 33 . 1 to 33 . 4 is selected indirectly and as a result the sequence of messages which corresponds to this specific point is displayed in the first region 16 . with each selection of a specific point , whether it be directly or indirectly by means of a marking , a corresponding sequence of messages is read in by means of the selector 14 from the storage device 13 . alternatively , the sequence of messages displayed in the first region 16 can be displaced also by activation of a scroll bar , the frame 31 displayed in the second region 17 being displayed correspondingly displaced . during production of the graphical output for the course 26 in the second region 17 based on additional items of information which define for example specific points in time of the real time in the storage device 13 , also further markings 34 . 1 and 34 . 2 can be set automatically . with the help of these further markings 34 . 1 and 34 . 2 it is possible to locate specific sequences of messages in a simplified manner , which are of particular interest during evaluation . for example an additional item of information respectively can be stored by means of the test scenario 6 in the storage device 13 relating to those points in time at which attenuation changes during implementation of the test , as is represented for the two automatically set markings 34 . 1 and 34 . 2 in fig3 . just as the markings 33 . 1 to 33 . 4 , the automatically set markings 34 . 1 and 34 . 2 can be selected by means of the selection means 18 , and hence a sequence of messages can be read in by means of the selector 14 and displayed in the first region 16 , for which sequence changed behavior due to a jump during attenuation is expected . in the second region 17 , a short item of data 35 . 1 or 35 . 2 preferably relating to the further markings 34 . 1 and 34 . 2 is displayed , which item of data indicates the cause for the entry of the additional item of information in the storage device 13 . in addition , it is advantageous to display the markings 33 . 1 to 33 . 4 , which are manually set by a user , and the further markings 34 . 1 and 34 . 2 in a visually differentiable manner . a further possible representation of a program window 19 is shown in fig4 , in which window in total three courses 36 , 36 ′ and 36 ″ are displayed in the second region 17 . the x axis 28 is again the time axis for real time . instead of the data load , the number of messages for a plurality of layers of the osi reference model per unit of time is plotted on the y axis 27 , in contrast to the previous embodiment of fig3 . information from the messages of all the service access points of one layer of the osi reference model is thereby processed by the selector 14 , in order to determine a common characteristic feature of the entire layer . the number of messages transmitted via all the service access points of a specific layer of the osi reference model is compiled as a sequence and displayed as a corresponding course 36 , 36 ′ or 36 ″. since the individual messages are arranged in tabular form in the first region 16 merely on the basis of real time , in the first region 16 of the embodiment of fig4 , the same messages can be detected as in the embodiment of fig3 , since in the altered representation of the second region 17 of fig4 , again no specific point deviating from the specific point 32 in fig3 was chosen . the position of the frame 31 , with which the sequence of messages displayed in the first region 16 is reproduced as a time span in the second region 17 , therefore corresponds to the frame 31 , as is shown in fig3 in the second region 17 . between the respective displays in the second region 17 , as is shown in fig3 or fig4 , a selection menu can be selected for example by an operator , without the items of information displayed in the remaining regions 16 , 20 and 21 being changed , as long as the selection of the specific point 32 in the second region 17 is not changed , and hence a new sequence of messages from the storage device 13 is read in by means of the selector 14 . in the third embodiment in fig5 , the number of repeatedly transmitted messages of a specific layer of the osi reference model is displayed as course 46 again via the real time as x axis 28 instead of the data load from fig3 as characteristic feature . correspondingly , the unit of the y axis 27 is now the number of messages per time interval . the meaning of the further markings 34 . 1 and 34 . 2 is in particular readily detectable , since a rapid increase in the number of renewed transmissions of messages of the displayed layer of the osi reference model is linked to the second step of increasing the attenuation of the signal in the case of the further marking 34 . 2 . in the displays of the second region chosen for explanation , the real time was selected respectively as basic scale of the x axis 28 . instead of a pure time axis however , likewise the x axis 28 can be subdivided into intervals of identical width , a specific number of transmitted messages standing for each interval . hence it can readily be read off in the course , for example , how the total number of transmitted messages are distributed on the individual layers of the osi reference model . an unnecessary spread of the x axis 28 with the real time in the periods of time in which in total only a small number of messages is transmitted can be dispensed with , as a result of which a particularly clear display is achieved . the respective interval width is thereby preferably adjustable by an operator for example by means of a selection menu . instead of real time as basic scale for an x axis 28 configured as time axis , also a system time can be used , such as for example a specific number of transmitted frames ( rfn ; “ radio frame number ”) per interval or transmitted chips per interval . the invention is not restricted to the described embodiments . the features of the embodiments can also be combined together in an arbitrary manner . while the present invention has been described in connection with a number of embodiments and implementations , the present invention is not so limited but covers various obvious modifications and equivalent arrangements , which fall within the purview of the appended claims .	7
referring first to fig1 the electric trolling motor mount of the present invention is generally shown at 10 . the brackets to fasten device 10 to the gunwales of a boat are shown at 12 and 14 . the fixed rudder is shown generally in fig1 at 16 . it should be noted that device 10 is preferably mounted in front of the furthest forward seat of the boat . in this position , the electric trolling motor is easily controlled and provides the preferred pulling action . it should also be noted that the light weight of the electric trolling motor mount and electric outboard motor allows for minimal draft of the boat in water . referring now to fig2 - 4 , device 10 is comprised of a long , rectangular structural member 18 preferably square in cross - section with a multiplicity of slots or holes 26 to attach the two preferably &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; clamp bracket assemblies 12 , 14 slidable along the length of structural member 18 so that bracket assemblies 12 , 14 can engage the gunwales of any width boat . of course , the cross - section of structural member 18 may be of any other suitable cross - section such as u - shaped , rectangular , oval or round . these alternative cross - sections may either be solid or tubular ( hollow ) so long as sufficient rigidity is provided as will be discussed hereinafter with regard to fig7 a - i . a fishing rod clamp 19 is mounted on the first ( or second ) end of structural member 18 . structural member 18 is preferably made of aluminum material suitably finished in a known manner . structural member 18 is preferably 2 - 5 feet in length and preferably has a multiplicity of adjustment slots 26 that are 2 inches long and 0 . 390 inches wide at about 11 / 2 &# 34 ; distance from one end of structural member 18 . provision is provided to clamp a fishing rod holder universally on the structural member 18 for trolling purposes . the electric trolling motor mount 10 extends approximately 1 / 2 feet beyond one of the gunwale of the boat to provide sufficient room for the mounting of the electric trolling motor without interfering with the clamping of a fishing rod holder anywhere on the electric trolling mount 10 at which the electric trolling motor is fastened . the &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; clamp bracket assemblies 12 , 14 are each comprised of a &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; clamp structural member 24 , structural attachment bolt or stud 20 , and adjustable thumb screw fastener assembly clamp 28 . &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; clamp bracket assemblies 12 , 14 are preferably identical . adjustable thumb screw fastener assembly 28 is preferably comprised of three elements , a swiveling pad 30 , a threaded stud 32 , and a thumb nut 34 . pad 30 is preferably made of aluminum material and is attached to threaded stud 32 in a known manner whereby pad 30 may be in a non - rotating condition while threaded stud 32 can still rotate while being rotated by the action of thumb nut 34 to assure a tight fit against the gunwale of a boat . &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; clamp structural member 24 is preferably made of aluminum material finished in a known manner and preferably has the dimensions 11 / 2 &# 34 ; wide , 3 &# 34 ; long and has a 2 &# 34 ; thickness . near the end of one of the &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; legs is a threaded hole 36 , preferably 3 / 8 diameter and 16 thread . this female threaded hole 36 is for engagements of the adjustable thumb screw fastener assembly clamp 28 . threaded stud 32 is preferably made of aluminum material and 3 / 8 diameter 16 thread × 21 / 4 length . structural attachment bolt or stud 20 is threaded or otherwise fixed ( welded or other like means ) to the mid - point of the back 38 of &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; clamp structural member 24 . turning now to fig5 and 6 , a discussion of the optional fixed rudder 16 follows . the fixed rudder 16 is comprised of a bracket assembly generally shown at 40 and a fixed rudder element 42 . this fixed rudder 16 is required to keep the boat stable when there is no other propulsion source except for the electric trolling motor . bracket assembly 40 is comprised of a thumb screw assembly 44 , bracket frame 46 and rudder swing pin 48 . thumb screw assembly 44 is comprised of thumb tightening element 50 , threaded stud 52 and swivel pad 54 . tightening element 50 is solidly fastened to threaded stud 52 ( i . e ., welding , casting or other suitable known means ) and is preferably made of aluminum material . pad 54 is attached : to threaded stud 52 in a known manner whereby pad 54 may be in a non - rotating condition while threaded stud 52 can still rotate while being rotated by the action of thumb tightening element 50 to assure a tight fit against the transom or a foot wall of the boat . bracket frame 46 is a substantially &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; shaped cast or machined element which , near the end of one of the legs of the &# 34 ; c &# 34 ;, has a female threaded hole 56 sized to receive threaded stud 52 . the second leg 60 of the &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; flares out to match up with the narrower end of fixed rudder element 42 . fixed rudder element 42 is a substantially rectangular shape with dimensions that are preferably 2 - 5 &# 34 ; wide , approximately 27 &# 34 ; long and 1 / 2 &# 34 ; thickness . near the end of the narrower portion of fixed rudder element 42 is a hole 58 sized to receive rudder swing pin 48 so that rudder swing pin 48 will turn only upon a preset load . near the end of second leg 60 of the &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; is , again , a hole 62 identically sized to hole 58 so that rudder swing pin 48 will turn only upon a preset load . this is to protect fixed rudder element 42 should it strike an object below the bottom of the hull of the boat . fig7 a - 7i depict alternate cross - section embodiments of structural member 18 . fig7 a depicts a solid rectangular cross - section . fig7 b depicts a solid round cross - section . fig7 c depicts a solid oval cross - section . fig7 d depicts a square tubular cross - section . fig7 e depicts a rectangular tubular cross - section . fig7 f depicts a round tubular cross - section . fig7 g depicts an oval tubular cross - section . fig7 h depicts a u - shaped solid cross - section . finally , fig7 i depicts an &# 34 ; t &# 34 ; beam shaped solid cross - section . while preferred embodiments have been shown and described , various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustrations and not limitation .	5
the object of the present invention is to develop a thermostable enzyme with an improved thermostability and enzyme activity comprising six external blades and six internal calcium - binding sites . more specifically , the present invention relates to a thermostable enzyme with a propeller shape comprising six external blades and six internal ca 2 + binding sites which are embedded inside of said six external blades , wherein said six blades are characterized in that each of which comprises 4 or 5 anti - parallel β - strands , while the six ca 2 + binding sites are characterized in that three have high - affinity and the other three have low - affinity for calcium , respectively . the present invention can be described in more detail as set forth hereunder . first , one example of the enzyme having a crystal structure as mentioned in the above is a phytase . a phytase is well characterized by having a structure of six blades in the form of a propeller with the fourth strand of each blade connected to the upper part of the first strand of the next blade and each blade comprises 4 or 5 anti - parallel β - strands . further , there are six internal calcium - binding sites embedded inside of said external blades , wherein three of them are high affinity calcium - binding sites and the other three are low affinity calcium - binding sites . the three high affinity calcium - binding sites are characterized in that two calcium ions are located in the center of ‘ double clasp ’ near to the sixth blade , and ca1 and ca2 establish a bi - calcium center at asp308 carboxylate , which serves as a bridging arm . this then strengthens the ‘ double clasp ’ by static interaction and makes the propeller structure with annular arrangement more stabilized . on the other hand , ca3 interacts with asp56 carboxylate and stabilizes the internal structure of a phytase and thus further strengthens heat resistant property of a phytase . there are three low affinity calcium - binding sites in a phytase . ca4 forms a coordinate bond with a carboxylate group of asp55 and glu211 , and with a side chain oxygen atom of asn99 and asn100 , and interacts with water molecule . ca5 forms a coordinate bond with a carboxylate group of glu227 , and with a hydroxyl group of tyr159 , and also forms a coordinate bond by sharing a carboxylate group and water molecule with said ca4 . ca6 forms a coordinate bond with a carboxylate group of asp258 , glu260 and gln279 , and water molecule interacts with glu211 and asp314 . that is , the bonds of ca4 , ca5 and ca6 not only convert side chains of a protein from a disordered state to an ordered state but also convert highly negative active sites to hydrophobic active sites thus being advantageous in bonding to a phytase and improving catalytic activity of an enzyme . in the fifth blade , the n - terminal segment , which is an extra β - strand , is connected to the c - terminal segment by forming a ( 1 + 3 ) combination with the c - terminal segment and thus stabilizes the annular arrangement of β - strand . the above results on calcium - binding motifs and active sites of an enzyme can be applied to protein engineering technology to develop enzymes which have an improved thermal stability as well as excellent catalytic activity . the following examples illustrate various aspects of the present invention herein but are not to be construed to limit claims in any manner whatsoever . the isolation and production of a novel phytase derived from b . amyloliquefaciens ds - 11 [ 0029 ] bacillus subtilis db104 / pjpk , a recombinant plasmid harvoring pjpk , was cultured on lb medium containing kanamycin ( 12 μg / ml ) for 20 hrs and centrifuged to recover the supernatant . the supernatant was then precipitated by 50 % acetone ( v / v ). the precipitates was solubilized in 20 mm tris / hcl , ph 7 . 0 and then soluble enzyme was heat - treated for 5 min at 70 ° c . in the presence of 20 mm cacl 2 . phytase was purified by superdex 200hr gel permeation chromatography with a purity of 99 % or above . in addition , the ‘ handing - drop vapor - diffusion ’ method was employed to detect the initial crystal of a phytase ( 40 mg / ml ) by using 24 - well linbro plates . the optimal crystal of a phytase was obtained from a 0 . 1m mes buffer ( ph 6 . 5 ) at 4 ° c . containing 20 % 2 - methyl - 2 , 4 - pentandiol and it was identified as a unit cell ( a = 50 . 4 , b = 64 . 1 , c = 104 . 2 å ). moreover , a high resolution data of a 2 . 1 å phytase molecule , an asymmetric unit consisting of p2 1 2 1 2 1 space group , was also acquired and is shown in fig1 . the three - dimensional structure of a phytase derived from b . amyloliquefaciens ds - 11 the phytase derived from b . amyloliquefaciens ds - 11 had a three - dimensional structure of a six - bladed propeller . the high - affinity calcium binding sites and the low - affinity calcium binding sites associated with the enzyme &# 39 ; s thermostability and catalytic activity , respectively , are shown in fig2 . the cleft , wherein the low - affinity calcium binding sites reside and represents the active sites of the phytase , is shown on the top portion of the three - dimensional structure as shown in fig3 . as shown in fig2 and 3 , the three - dimensional structure of a phytase derived from b . amyloliquefaciens ds - 11 in the present invention is in the form of a propeller with six blades consisting of anti - parallel β - strands that connect between neighboring blades . here , the interconnecting system among the six blades is found that the fourth β - strand of each blade is connected across the top of the molecule to the first strand of the next blade . the six blades are aligned along the shaft of the propeller - like structure . further , the above structure is in the form of “ double clasp ” that can stabilize the entire structure of a phytase due to the presence of both “ 1 + 3 combination ” at c - terminal and the formation of “ an extra β - strand ” generated by the connection of n - terminal segment to the 5 th blade . the cleft , which is thought to be the active sites of a phytase , is positioned on the upper part and the other end , the lower part , has a flat structure . high - affinity calcium binding sites of a phytase derived from b . amyloliquefaciens ds - 11 the high - affinity calcium binding sites of a phytase derived from b . amyloliquefaciens ds - 11 were identified by multiple isomorphous replacement ( mir ) with ‘ anomalous scattering ’ ( as ). the initial phytase was crystallized from heavy metal derivatives . as a result , 3 calcium binding sites were identified and the result is shown in fig4 . as shown in fig4 ., two calcium ions are located at the center of the “ double clasp ” which is adjacent to the sixth blade , and a ‘ bi - calcium center ’ is formed by ca1 and ca2 in asp308 which works as a bridging arm . the two calcium ions help to strengthen the ‘ double clasp ’ and more stabilize the propeller - like structure of the enzyme by electrostatic interactions , whereas ca3 reacts with asp56 carboxylate to stabilize the internal structure and subsequently fortifying the thermostability of the enzyme . low - affinity calcium binding sites of a phytase derived from b . amyloliquefaciens ds - 11 the active sites of the phytase derived from b . amyloliquefaciens ds - 11 are located at one end of the enzyme molecule where there are a number of loops in between β - strands , and there is also a cleft consisting of negative side chains . calcium ions are required for the full activation of the phytase . crystals having another 3 different calcium binding sites were obtained by using the method employed in experimental example 1 under the condition for the crystallization including 4 mm cacl 2 to detect the binding sites of those calcium ions and the result is shown in fig5 . in fig5 three different calcium ions form a triadic calcium center with the distance of 5 . 2 å between the central ca5 and ca4 and 4 . 1 å between the ca5 and ca6 . ca4 forms a coordination bond with carboxylate groups of asp55 and glu211 , side chain atoms of asn99 and asn100 , and also interact with a water molecule ( wat1 ). ca5 forms a coordination bond with a carboxylate group of glu227 and glu211 , a hydroxyl group of tyr159 , and also shares a carboxylate group of glu211 and a water molecule with ca4 to have a coordination bond . ca6 also forms a coordination bond with carboxylate groups of asp258 , glu260 , and gln279 , and the water molecule interacts with glu211 and asp314 . the binding among ca4 , ca5 and ca6 results in the transition of protein side chains from a random state into an orderly state . moreover , the above binding among calcium ions can transform highly negative active sites of the enzyme into the active sites with hydrophobicity which eases the binding with the phytate , a substrate , and thus exhibit the activity of the enzyme . putative substrate binding sites of a phytase derived from b . amyloliquefaciens ds - 11 the activities of the phytase derived from b . amyloliquefaciens ds11 were measured on its 2 mm substrates of myo - inositol , hexaphosphate , mio - inositol 1 - monophosphate , mio - inositol 2 - monophosphate , myo - inositol 4 - monophosphate , after incubating at 37 ° c . for 15 min in a 20 mm tris / hcl ( ph7 . 0 ) buffer . the result showed that the phytase had activities of 27 %, 28 % and 40 % at locations 1 , 2 and 4 , respectively , as shown in table 1 . the fig6 shows that the phytate , an electrostatic anion , is able to bind amino acids having electostatic cations such as lys76 , lys77 and lys179 . as shown in table 1 and fig6 calcium ions that bind active sites of the enzyme undergo an environmental transition , along with lys76 , lys77 and lys179 which are adjacent to active sites , into an electrostatic state so that the phytate , a substrate , can easily bind . the phosphate group of the phosphase bind in between ca4 and ca5 , and neighboring phosphate groups can bind in between ca5 and ca6 without an electrostatic repulsion or a steric crash . in this substrate - binding mode , three residual groups of lysine can bind three other phosphate groups . in addition , the structure of a phytase derived from b . amyloliquefaciens ds 11 revealed that calcium ions ca4 and ca5 has a coordination bond with a water molecule ( wat1 ) and the water molecule degrade the phytase by directly attacking the phosphate group of the enzyme . finally , the exposed active sites of the enzyme and the phytate - binding model show that the enzyme can degrade all six phosphate groups of the phytase . the effect of calcium ions on the thermostability of the phytase derived from b . amyloliquefaciens ds - 11 was determined by using a differential scanning calorimetry . 1 mm cacl2 , 2 mm edta , and 5 mm cacl2 were added to each 5 % ( w / v ) phytase sample , respectively and the results are shown in fig7 and 8 . the results showed that the addition of edta resulted in the removal of calcium ions from the phytase derived from b . amyloliquefaciens ds - 11 , and the tm of the phytase also drastically decreased from 78 . 1 ° c . to 59 . 1 ° c . thus implying that the high - affinity calcium binding sites of the phytase play a crucial role in the thermostability of the enzyme . the addition of 5 mm calcium ions exhibits a state that three different calcium ions are bound to the low - affinity calcium binding sites of the phytase . the above calcium binding increased the tm of the phytase by approximately 2 . 1 ° c . and the result indicates that the low - affinity calcium binding sites are deeply involved in the enzyme &# 39 ; s activity . consequently , calcium ions bound to the high - affinity calcium binding sites are involved in the thermostability of the propeller structure that contains 53 % of loops , whereas those bound to the low - affinity calcium binding sites are involved in the catalytic activity of the enzyme .	2
a forklift 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig1 - 6 . as shown in fig3 a mast 3 is arranged on the front of the body frame 2 of the forklift 1 . the mast 3 includes a pair of outer masts 3a pivotally supported by the body frame 2 and a pair of inner masts 3b arranged between the outer masts 3a . the inner masts 3b are lifted and lowered relative to the outer masts 3a . a lift cylinder 4 is secured to the back of each outer mast 3a to be parallel to the outer masts 3a . each lift cylinder 4 includes a piston rod 4a . the distal end of each rod 4a is connected to the upper portion of the corresponding inner mast 3b . the forklift 1 further has a lift bracket 5 , which is lifted and lowered along the inner masts 3b . fork 6 for carrying load are attached to the bracket 5 . a chain wheel 7 is supported on the top end of each inner mast 3b . a chain 8 is wound onto each chain wheel 7 . each chain 8 includes a first end connected to the top end of the corresponding lift cylinder 4 and a second end connected to the lift bracket 5 . the lift cylinders 4 extend and retract the piston rods 4a thereby lifting and lowering the fork 6 together with the bracket 5 along the mast 3 by way of the chains 6 . the forklift 1 has tilt cylinders 9 each having a piston rod 9a . the proximal ends of the tilt cylinders 9 are pivotally supported by the side portions of the body frame 2 . the distal end of each piston rod 9a is pivotally connected to the outer surface of the corresponding outer mast 3a . the cylinders 9 extend and retract the piston rods 9a thereby tilting the mast 3 . a seat 10 is located in a cab r . a seat switch 10a is located underneath the seat 10 for detecting whether an operator is sitting on the seat 10 . the seat switch 10a is , for example , a limit switch . the seat switch 10a outputs an on signal when an operator is sitting on the seat 10 , and outputs an off signal when the operator is not sitting on the seat 10 . in other words , the seat switch 10a detects whether the operator is at a predetermined position in the cab r . a steering wheel 11 , a lift lever 12 and a tilt lever 13 are arranged in the front of the cab r . in fig3 the levers 12 , 13 overlap one another . manipulating the lift lever 12 actuates the lift cylinders 4 , and manipulating the tilt lever 13 actuates the tilt cylinders 9 . as shown in fig2 a height sensor 14 is provided on one of the outer masts 3a . the height sensor 14 is a proximity switch that is turned on when detecting a detection part ( not shown ) fixed to the corresponding inner mast 3b . the height sensor 14 is turned on when the height h of the fork 6 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value h 0 and is turned off when the fork height h is smaller than the value h 0 . the value h 0 is substantially one - half of the maximum height h max of the fork 6 . the body frame 2 has a rotational potentiometer 15 to detect the angle of the mast 3 . the potentiometer 15 is located on a support that pivotally supports the tilt cylinder 9 . the potentiometer 15 includes a rotational arm 15a for holding a pin 16 provided on the tilt cylinder 9 . when the piston rod 9a is extended or retracted , the arm 15a pivots together with the tilt cylinder 9 . the potentiometer 15 outputs a detection signal the voltage of which corresponds to the pivot amount of the arm 15a . the voltage of the signal from the potentiometer 15 is decreased as the mast 3 is tilted forward and is increased as the mast 3 is tilted rearward . a pressure sensor 17 is located at the bottom of one of the lift cylinders 4 . the pressure sensor 17 detects the pressure in the cylinder 4 . the sensor 17 thus indirectly detects the weight on the fork 6 based on the pressure . as shown in fig4 the tilt lever 13 has a forward tilt switch 18 and a rearward tilt switch 19 . the forward tilt switch 18 detects forward tilting of the lever 13 , whereas the rearward tilt switch 19 detects rearward tilting of the lever 13 . the switches 18 , 19 are microswitches . the forward tilt switch 18 is turned on when the tilt lever 13 is tilted forward relative to a neutral position and is turned off when the lever 13 is tilted rearward relative to the neutral position . the rearward tilt switch 19 is turned on when the tilt lever 13 is tilted rearward relative to the neutral position and is turned off when the lever 13 is tilted forward relative to the neutral position . the tilt lever 13 also has a control switch 13a . the control switch 13a is used for automatically leveling the fork 6 . the switch 13a outputs an on signal when pressed and outputs an off signal when released . fig5 illustrates a hydraulic circuit 44 for actuating the lift cylinders 4 and the tilt cylinders 9 . the lift cylinders 4 and the tilt cylinders 9 are each represented by a single cylinder in fig5 . the lift cylinders 4 have a bottom chamber 4b connected to a lift control valve 21 by way of a passage 20 . the lift control valve 21 is a manually controlled three - way switch valve that has seven ports . the valve 21 includes a valve housing and a spool reciprocally accommodated in the housing . the spool is moved by the lift lever 12 . when the lift lever 12 is at a position to lift the fork 6 , the spool is at a first position a . when the lever 12 is at a neutral position , the spool is at a second position b to fix the vertical position of the fork 6 . when the lever 12 is at a position to lower the fork 6 , the spool is at a third position c . the tilt cylinders 9 are controlled by a tilt control valve 22 . the tilt control valve 21 is a three - way switch valve that has six ports . the valve 22 includes a valve housing and a spool reciprocally accommodated in the housing . the spool is moved by the tilt lever 13 . when the lift lever 13 is at a position to tilt the mast 3 rearward , the spool is at a first position a . when the lever 13 is at a neutral position , the spool is at a second position b to fix the tilting of the mast 3 . when the lever 13 is at a position to tilt the mast 3 forward , the spool is at a third position c . hydraulic oil is supplied to the cylinders 4 , 9 from an oil tank 23 by a pump 24 . the pump 24 is driven by an engine e ( see fig3 ). the pump 24 is connected to a port p1 of the lift control valve 21 by way of a supply passage 25 . the supply passage 25 includes a flow divider 27 . the flow divider 27 divides oil from the pump 24 to the cylinders 4 , 9 and to a power steering valve ( ps valve ) 26 . the passage 25 is connected to ports p2 and p3 of the lift control valve 21 by branch passages 25a , 25b , respectively . the supply passage 25 is connected to a return passage 30 by a passage 29a having a relief valve 28 . a port t1 of the lift control valve 21 is connected to the return passage 30 . a port a1 of the valve 21 is connected to a passage 20 . a port a2 of the valve 21 is connected to a passage 29b having a relief valve 32 . a port a3 of the valve 21 is connected to a passage 31 . the passage 29b is connected to the return passage 30 . pressure required to open the relief valve 32 is smaller than pressure required to open the relief valve 28 . the pump 24 is also connected to a port p11 of the tilt control valve 22 by way of a passage 33 branching off from the supply passage 25 . a port p12 of the valve 22 is connected to the passage 31 . a port t11 of the valve 22 is connected to a return passage 30a . a port t12 of the valve 22 is connected to a return passage 30b . a port a11 of the valve 22 is connected to a passage 34a . a port a12 of the valve 22 is connected to a passage 34a . the passage 34a is connected to a rod chamber 9b defined in the tilt cylinder 9 . the passage 34a is connected to a bottom chamber 9c defined in the tilt cylinder 9 . the passage 34a has a control valve 59 . the control valve 59 is , for example , an electromagnetic flow control valve , which changes the size of its opening in accordance with a supplied electric current . the valve 59 includes a main valve 35 for controlling the amount of oil flowing in the passage 34a and a solenoid valve 39 for applying a pilot pressure to the main valve 35 . oil from the pump 24 is directly supplied to the solenoid valve 39 through a pilot line 40 . the pilot line 40 is branched off from the supply passage 25 and includes a pressure reducing valve 41 and a filter 42 . the solenoid valve 39 generates electromagnetic force in accordance with current value supplied thereto . the solenoid valve 39 uses oil supplied through the pilot line 40 and applies pilot pressure to the main valve 35 in accordance with the generated electromagnetic force . the solenoid valve 39 is a normally closed valve and has ports a &# 39 ;, b &# 39 ; and a tank port t2 . the tank port t2 is connected to a return passage 30a . the port a &# 39 ; is connected to the pilot line 40 . the port b &# 39 ; is connected to the main valve 35 . the solenoid valve 39 has a valve housing , a spool reciprocally housed in the housing and a spring 43 . when the valve 39 is de - excited , the spool is urged by the spring 43 and is located at a position to connect the port b &# 39 ; with the tank port t2 . when the valve 39 is excited , the spool is moved to a position to connect the port a &# 39 ; with the port b &# 39 ;. the position of the spool is determined by the equilibrium of the urging force of the spring 43 and the force of the solenoid , which depends on current value supplied to the valve 39 . that is , the position of the spool is changed in accordance with the current value . pilot pressure , which is determined by the position of the spool , is supplied to the main valve 35 . the main valve 35 includes a valve housing , a spool reciprocally housed in the housing and a spring 37 . the spool is urged in one direction by the spring 37 . the pilot pressure urges the spool in a direction opposite to that of the urging force of the spring 37 . the position of the spool is therefore determined by the equilibrium of the force of the spring 37 and that produced by the pilot pressure . thus , the position of the spool is changed by the pilot pressure , and the opening of the main valve 35 changes accordingly . in other words , the amount of oil flow in the main valve 35 is determined by the current value supplied to the solenoid valve 39 . when no current is supplied to the solenoid valve 39 , the pilot pressure is not applied to the main valve 35 . this causes the main valve 35 to close the passage 34a . a check valve 36 is located in the passage 34a between the main valve and the rod chamber 9b . the check valve 36 includes a valve seat and a valve body facing the valve seat . the valve body contacts and separates from the valve seat . the solenoid valve 39 applies the pilot pressure to the check valve 36 as well as to the main valve 35 . when receiving the pilot pressure , the check valve 36 is opened and allows oil flow from the main valve 35 to the tilt cylinder 9 and in the reverse direction . when receiving no pilot pressure , the check valve 36 prohibits oil flow from the tilt cylinder 9 to the main valve 35 . the lift control valve 21 , the tilt control valve 22 , the check valve 36 , the relief valves 28 , 32 , the main valve 35 , the solenoid valve 39 and the pressure reducing valve 41 constitute a valve system 44 accommodated in a single housing . the electric configuration of the hydraulic circuit will now be described . as shown in fig2 a controller 45 includes a microcomputer 46 , an analog - to - digital ( a / d ) converter 47 and a solenoid driver 48 . the microcomputer 46 has a central processing unit 49 , an electrically erasable programmable read - only memory ( eeprom ) 50b , a random access memory ( ram ) 51 , a counter 52 , a clock circuit 53 , an input interface 54 and an output interface 55 . the counter 52 counts clock signals from the clock circuit 53 and functions as a timer . the counter 52 is reset by a reset signal from the cpu 49 . the rom 50a stores programs and data required for executing the programs . the eeprom 50b stores a map or equations defining the relationship between the weight w on the fork 6 and the maximum forward tilt angle θ max of the mast 3 . fig6 shows an example of such a map . the diagonal solid line in the map shows data used when the fork height h is equal to or greater than a threshold value h 0 , and the uniformly broken line shows data used when the fork height h is lower than the threshold value h 0 . when the fork height h is equal to or greater than the threshold value h 0 , the maximum forward tilt angle θ max decreases from an angle θ 1 ( for example , six degrees ) to an angle θ 3 ( for example , two degrees ) as the weight w on the fork 6 increases from zero to a predetermined maximum acceptable value w max . when the fork height h is lower than the threshold value h 0 , the maximum forward tilt angle θ max is maintained at the angle θ 1 if the weight w on the fork 6 is between zero and a threshold value w 1 . however , as the weight w increases from the value w 1 to the maximum acceptable value w max , the maximum forward tilt angle θ max decreases from the angle θ 1 to an angle θ 2 ( θ 2 & gt ; θ 3 ) the position of the height sensor 14 , or the threshold value h0 of the fork height h , may be changed , and the map of fig6 can be changed accordingly . the cpu 49 is connected to the potentiometer 15 and the pressure sensor 17 by the a / d converter and the input interface 54 . the cpu 49 is also connected to the seat switch 10a , the control switch 13a , the height sensor 14 , the forward tilt switch 18 and the rearward tilt switch 19 by the input interface 54 . the cpu 49 is connected to the solenoid driver 48 by the output interface 55 . the cpu 49 receives signals from the sensors 14 , 15 , 17 and the switches 10a , 13a , 18 , 19 . when actuating the tilt cylinder 9 , the cpu 49 sends control signals to the solenoid valve 39 by way of the solenoid driver 48 according to the programs stored in the rom 50a . when receiving an on signals from the seat switch 10a and from the forward tilt switch 18 or the rearward tilt switch 19 , the cpu 49 outputs an exciting signal to the solenoid valve 39 . when the signal from the seat switch 10a is changed from the on signal to an off signal , the cpu 49 continues to send the exciting signal to the solenoid valve 39 for a predetermined period as long as an on signal is received from either the switches 18 or 19 . the predetermined period is sufficiently long ( for example , one to seven seconds ) such that the tilting of the mast 3 is not interrupted when an operator temporarily stands up from the seat 10 while looking to the front and manipulating the tilt lever 13 . in this embodiment the period is set at five seconds . the hydraulic pump 24 is actuated when the engine e is started . the pump 24 then supplies oil in the oil tank 23 to the supply passage 25 . therefore , when actuated , the pump 24 immediately applies oil pressure to the pilot line 40 . when the lift lever 12 is moved from the neutral position to the lifting position , the spool of the lift control valve 21 is moved to the position a and connects the branch passage 25a with the passage 20 . the spool sends oil from the pump 24 to the bottom chamber 4a of the lift cylinder 4 thereby extending the lift cylinder 4 . the lift cylinder 4 lifts the fork 6 , accordingly . when the lift lever 12 is moved to the lowering position , the spool of the valve 21 is moved to the position c . the spool connects the passage 20 with the return passage 30 , the supply passage 25 with the passage 31 , and the branch passage 25b with the passage 29b . accordingly , the oil in the bottom chamber 4a is returned to the oil tank 23 . the lift cylinder 4 is retracted thereby lowering the fork 6 . when the tilt lever 13 is at the neutral position , the spool of the tilt control valve 22 is at the position b as shown in fig5 . the spool disconnects the passages 34a , 34b , which are connected to the tilt cylinder 9 , from the supply passage 33 and the return passage 30a . accordingly , oil flow into and out of the tilt cylinder 9 is prohibited . in other words , the tilt cylinder 9 is locked and the mast 3 is fixed at a desired tilt angle . when the tilt lever 13 is tilted forward , the spool of the tilt control valve 22 is moved to the position c . the spool then communicates the supply passage 33 with the passage 34b and the passage 34a with the return passage 30a . this extends the tilt cylinder 9 . the spool of the tilt control valve 22 is moved to the position a when the tilt lever 13 is tilted rearward . the spool communicates the supply passage 33 with the passage 34a and the return passage 30a with the passage 34b . this retracts the tilt cylinder 9 . the cpu 49 executes a program illustrated by a flowchart of fig1 and sends a signal for actuating the solenoid valve 39 to the solenoid driver 48 . at step s1 , the cpu 49 judges whether the seat switch 10a outputs an on signal . if the determination is positive , the cpu 49 moves to step s2 . at step s2 , the cpu 49 judges whether the forward tilt switch 18 or the rearward tilt switch 19 outputs an on signal . if one of the switches 18 , 19 outputs an on signal , the cpu 49 moves to step s3 . at step s3 , the cpu 49 sends an exciting command signal to the solenoid driver 48 . if the seat switch 10a is off at step s1 , the cpu 49 moves to step s4 . at step s4 , the cpu 49 judges whether a predetermined time period has elapsed since the seat switch 10a was turned off . particularly , the cpu 49 compares the time period c t , which has elapsed from turning off of the seat switch 10a , to a predetermined time period t ( five seconds in this embodiment ). the cpu 49 measures time using the counter 52 . if the time c t , during which is the seat switch 10a is off , exceeds the predetermined time t , the cpu 49 moves to step s5 . at s5 , the cpu 49 sends a de - exciting command signal to the solenoid driver 48 . if the time c t has not exceeded the time t , the cpu 49 moves to step s2 . at step s2 , the cpu 49 judges whether either one of the switches 18 , 19 is producing an on signal . depending on the determination of s2 , the cpu 49 moves either to step s3 or step s5 . that is , the cpu 49 excites the solenoid driver 48 when one of the switches 18 , 19 and the seat switch 10a output on signals . also , before the predetermined period t elapses , the cpu 49 excites the solenoid driver 48 upon receiving an on signal from either switch 18 or 19 . the period t is measured from the time the seat switch 10a is turned off , or from when the operator rises . when receiving an exciting signal , the solenoid valve 39 opens thereby applying the pilot pressure to the main valve 35 and the check valve 36 . this permits oil to flow in the passage 34a . as a result , oil flows into the tilt cylinder 9 and the cylinder 9 tilts the mast 3 forward or rearward . when the seat switch 10a is on or when the predetermined period t has not elapsed since the seat switch 10a was turned off , the cpu 49 executes a process for prohibiting tilting of the mast 3 upon receiving an on signal from the forward tilt switch 18 . in this process , the cpu 49 calculates the weight w on the fork 6 based on a signal from the pressure sensor 17 . the cpu 49 also judges whether the fork height h detected by the height sensor 14 is equal to or greater than the threshold value h 0 . the cpu 49 then computes the maximum acceptable tilt angle θ max based on the detected fork height h and the weight w using the map of fig6 or equations . the cpu 49 calculates the tilt angle of the mast 3 based on a signal from the potentiometer 15 and compares the calculated angle with the maximum angle θ max . when the mast angle reaches the maximum angle θ max , the cpu 49 stops sending an exciting signal to the solenoid valve 39 even if the forward tilt switch 18 is outputting an on signal . as a result , the solenoid valve 39 stops applying the pilot pressure to the main valve 35 and the check valve 36 thereby prohibiting oil flow from the rod chamber 9b to the tilt control valve 22 . in other words , even if the operator manipulates the tilt lever 13 to tilt the mast 3 forward , the forward tilting of the mast 3 is stopped at the maximum acceptable forward tilt angle θ max , which is determined in accordance with the weight w on the fork 6 . if the tilt lever 13 is moved to the neutral position before the mast 3 reaches the maximum forward tilt angle θ max , the cpu 49 de - excites the solenoid 39 . that is , the mast 3 is stopped at the angle position chosen by the operator when its tilt angle is smaller than the maximum forward tilt angle θ max . the automatic leveling procedure will now be described . when the fork 6 is tilted rearward , if the operator tilts the tilt lever 13 forward while pressing the control switch 13a , the cpu 49 receives on signals from the control switch 13a and the forward tilt switch 18 . the cpu 49 excites the solenoid valve 39 , and the check valve 36 permits oil flow from the rod chamber 9b to the tilt control valve 22 . when receiving an on signal from the control switch 13a , the cpu 49 judges whether the mast angle reaches zero degrees , or whether the fork 6 is leveled , based on signals from the potentiometer 15 . when the fork 6 is leveled , the cpu 49 outputs a de - exciting signal to the solenoid driver 48 . as a result , the solenoid valve 39 is closed and stops applying the pilot pressure to the main valve 35 and the check valve 36 . accordingly , oil flow from the rod chamber 9b to the tilt control valve 22 is prohibited . therefore , the tilting of the mast 3 is automatically stopped when the fork 6 is leveled , and the operator does not need to stop tilting the tilt lever 13 . when the fork 6 is tilted forward , if the operator tilts the tilt lever 13 rearward while pressing the control switch 13a , the cpu 49 receives on signals from the control switch 13a and the rearward tilt switch 19 . as in the case where the tilt lever 13 is tilted forward , the automatic leveling procedure is executed . that is , when the tilt angle of the mast 3 reaches zero degrees , or when the fork 6 is leveled , the cpu 49 outputs a de - exciting signal to the solenoid driver 48 . as a result , the solenoid valve 39 closes the passage 34a thereby stopping the rearward tilting of the mast 3 . therefore , the tilting of the mast 3 is automatically stopped when the fork 6 is leveled , and the operator does not need to stop tilting the tilt lever 13 . the embodiment of fig1 to 6 has the following advantages . ( 1 ) oil flow from and into the tilt cylinder 9 is controlled by a manually controlled switch valve ( the tilt control valve 22 ) and the control valve 59 , which is controlled by the cpu 49 . these two valves 22 , 59 allow an operator to manually control the tilt angle of the mast 3 and the fork 6 to be the automatically leveled . the valves 22 , 59 also automatically change the maximum tilt angle of the mast 3 . this construction facilitates leveling of the fork 6 and forward tilting of the mast 3 when the fork 6 is high . ( 2 ) when an operator leaves the seat 10 and the seat switch 10a is turned off , the cpu 49 continues the same procedure performed when the seat switch 10a is on for a predetermined period . this allows an operator to operate the forklift while temporarily half - rising from the seat 10 , which improves the operation efficiency . ( 3 ) the amount of oil flow through the main valve 35 is easily controlled by changing current value supplied to the solenoid valve 39 . therefore , when prohibiting tilting of the mast 3 and when leveling the fork 6 , the amount of oil flow through the valve 35 may be increased until the angle of the mast 3 becomes close to a target angle . then , when the mast angle is approaching to the target angle , the flow amount through the valve 35 may be decreased for decelerating the tilting speed of the mast 3 . this reduces the shock caused by stopping the tilting of the mast 3 thereby accurately stopping the mast 3 at the desired angle . further , controlling the flow amount through the valve 35 shortens the time required to tilt the mast 3 to the desired angle . also , the tilting speed of the mast 3 is easily controlled . ( 4 ) if a relatively high pressure is applied to the tilt control valve 22 and the main valve 35 , oil leaks through the clearances between the spools of the valves 22 , 35 and their housings . however , when the tilting of the mast 3 is stopped , the check valve 36 located in the passage 34a between the tilt control valve 22 and the rod chamber 9b is closed . this prevents the high pressure from acting on the tilt control valve 22 and on the main valve 35 . therefore , when holding the mast 3 at a certain tilt angle for a prolonged period , the angle of the mast 3 is securely maintained . ( 5 ) the potentiometer 15 outputs voltage corresponding to the tilt angle of the mast 3 . changes in the tilt angle are therefore easily detected . ( 6 ) the height h of the fork 6 is simply divided into two height ranges , that is , into a range below the threshold value ho and a range equal to and higher than the value h 0 . the maximum forward tilt angle θ max of the mast 3 is determined based on the range the fork 6 is in . this facilitates the calculation executed by the cpu 49 . it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . particularly , it should be understood that the invention may be embodied in the following forms . the seat switch 10a may be a proximity switch or a light switch . instead of detecting the position of an operator by the seat switch 10a , the position of an operators feet may be detected to judge whether the operator is at a certain position in the cab r . the seat 10 therefore may be omitted . in this case , the operator stands when operating the forklift 1 . the solenoid valve 39 changes the pilot pressure applied to the main valve 35 and to the check valve 36 in accordance with the supplied current . the solenoid valve 39 may be replaced with an on - off solenoid valve 56 shown in fig7 . the on - off solenoid valve 56 selectively connects the pilot passage 40 with the main valve 35 and the check valve 36 . when supplied with current , the valve 56 connects a passage 57 with the pilot line 40 thereby applying the pilot pressure to the main valve 35 and the check valve 36 . when receiving no current , the valve 56 connects 57 with the return passage 30 through a passage 58 . the device of fig7 performs the maximum tilt angle control and the automatic fork leveling control like the device of fig1 to 6 . further , the device of fig7 has a simpler construction than that of fig1 to 6 . in the illustrated embodiments , the mast angle is detected by the potentiometer 15 , which detects the rotation amount of the tilt cylinder 9 . however , the mast angle may be detected by other types of sensors . for example , a linear potentiometer may be used for detecting length of the tilt cylinder 9 , or the extension amount of the piston rod 9a . the lower end of the mast 3 is supported by supporting axles , which pivot as the mast 3 tilts . the rotation amount of the supporting axles may be detected by a potentiometer or a rotary encoder for measuring the tilt angle of the mast 3 . the check valve 36 may be omitted . in this case , the main valve 35 may be located in the passage 34 , which connects the bottom chamber 9c with the tilt control valve 22 . the main valve 35 , which is actuated by the pilot pressure , may be replaced with an electromagnetic valve that selectively opens the passage 34a based on whether current is supplied thereto . this simplifies the construction of the apparatus . instead of the proximity switch , a limit switch or a light switch may be used as the height sensor 14 . the number of the height sensor 14 may be more than one . in this case , the height h of the fork 6 is divided in three or more height ranges . alternatively , a sensor that continuously detects the fork height h may be employed . this allows the fork height h to be divided into additional ranges , and , alternatively , it permits the fork height to be used in a continuous function . in the illustrated embodiments , the pilot line 40 is connected with and receives the pilot pressure from the pump 24 . instead , the pilot line 40 may be connected with an engine driven pump having a smaller displacement than the pump 24 . in this case , the pressure reducing valve 41 may be omitted . in the illustrated embodiments , the control valves 21 , 22 , 59 are accommodated in the single housing 44 . however , the valves 21 , 22 , 59 may be independent from one another . the present invention may be applied to industrial vehicles other than the forklift 1 . for example , the present invention may be applied to vehicles having loading attachment other than a fork , for example , a roll clamp for carrying rolled paper , a block clamp for carrying and stacking blocks , or a ram for carrying coiled objects such as coiled wire and cable . further , the present invention may be applied to industrial vehicle having a battery - driven motor as its drive source instead of an engine . therefore , the present examples and embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein , but may be modified within the scope and equivalence of the appended claims .	1
the present invention will be described with reference to the drawing figures wherein like numerals represent like elements throughout . for purposes of describing the present invention , the phrase low , medium , or high voltage levels are used . it will be appreciated that the words “ low ”, “ medium ”, and “ high ” are relative terms and not necessarily a fixed voltage . accordingly , the phrase low , medium , or high voltage level may be any voltage and may vary , for example , based on the processing technology and / or the material in which an electronic device is implemented . the word “ level ” may represent a fixed voltage or a voltage range , as desired . moreover , predetermined voltage levels in the description forthcoming can be any voltage level and may be dependent on the design , structure , and materials used to configure a circuit element . a node , a voltage at a node , or a current at a node may be used interchangeably and a load capacitance may be a parasitic capacitance in the description forthcoming . a line may be a bus line , a node , an interconnect , a connection , or an electric coupling , as desired . in addition , a closed switch may be similar to digital switch being enabled while an open switch may be similar to a digital switch being disabled . the present invention may be used in any electronic device , such as a memory device or module . examples of memory devices include parallel or serial electrically erasable programmable read - only memories ( eeproms ), flash memories , serial flash memories , and stacked flash and random access memory ( ram ) modules . fig2 is an illustration of a device 200 for providing a high voltage signal to a memory device . purely as an example , device 200 may be implemented in a memory device for providing read - while - write ( rww ) capability . rww provides the ability to read information from at least one memory cell or element while writing information in at least one other memory cell coupled to node 220 . read line node 202 may be a global read voltage line which provides the ability to selectively read or receive information stored in at least one memory cell . modify line node 204 may be a global write or erase voltage line which provides the ability to selectively communicate information to at least one memory cell and change the state of a memory cell which represents binary values 0 or 1 , as desired . a memory cell , part of a memory cell , or a plurality of memory cells may be coupled to any one of nodes 202 , 204 , or 220 . a low or medium voltage signal on read line node 202 or a high voltage signal applied to modify line node 204 may be undesirably disturbed by charge sharing between capacitances c 1 212 , c 2 210 , and c 3 214 when switching between a read or modify operation in at least one memory element . the high voltage signal applied to node 204 may be provided by a high voltage generator , such as circuits 100 and 101 , ( shown in fig1 a and 1b , respectively ). switching between a read or modify operation is provided by switches 206 and 208 , which may be transistors , that are controlled by ctrl signal on node 216 . read line and modify line may be bus lines coupled to additional switches for accessing or modifying information in each memory element in a memory device , as desired . control signal ctrl at node 216 and inverter 218 selectively control switches 206 and 208 such that only one switch is simultaneously opened or closed . charge sharing is increased when the difference in voltages levels of nodes 202 and 204 are increased , such as when suddenly switching between read and program operations in at least one memory element coupled to node 220 . purely as an example , charge sharing can cause a positive voltage variation on node 202 when capacitance c 1 212 is discharged to capacitance c 2 210 . a positive voltage disturbance , such as a voltage spike , could damage components coupled to node 202 since the components may be designed to operate at lower voltage levels . similarly , a negative voltage variation can occur on node 202 by charging capacitance c 1 212 by capacitance c 2 210 which can degrade a read operation performed by other components in the memory device during rww operation . a negative voltage disturbance on node 204 could degrade programming or erasing performance and speed of a memory device . supply line voltage disturbances can be reduced and compensated for if substantially equal voltage levels on nodes 202 , 204 , and 220 are maintained when switching between read or modify operations . the substantially equal voltage levels may be provided by an adaptive voltage generator that maintains the voltage level on node 220 at a predetermined voltage level substantially equal to the read line voltage level , such as 4 . 5 volts , until switching communication along lines 202 , 204 , and 220 is completed in at least one memory cell . once switching is completed , the high voltage level generator may ramp up the voltage level on nodes 204 and 220 to a predetermined high voltage level , such as 15 volts . a similar idle state may be introduced when node 220 is switched from a high voltage level provided by the modify line node 204 to a lower voltage level by first discharging capacitances c 1 212 and c 3 214 to a predetermined level prior to switching . fig3 is an illustration of a device 300 for providing a high voltage level in a memory device with idle state regulation to reduce supply line disturbances using two stage switching . a first stage of switches 312 comprises switches 314 and 316 . a second stage of switches 322 comprises switches 324 and 326 . switches 314 , 316 , 324 , and 326 may be transistors or any other devices that perform a switching function . although only stages 312 and 322 are shown , each memory element in a memory array may have two stages of switches similar to 312 and 322 coupled to any one of read line node 302 , modify line node 328 , and node 320 . the control signals , similar to ctrl in fig2 , for switches 314 , 316 , 324 , and 326 are not shown for simplicity . device 300 may provide functionality for reading or programming at least one memory element , part of a memory element , or a plurality of memory elements coupled to any one of nodes 302 , 318 , or 320 . during a read operation , switches 314 and 324 are closed with read line node 302 , capacitances c 2 304 , c 1 306 , c 4 308 and node 320 having a predetermined voltage level . accordingly , switches 316 and 326 are open during a read operation . if a modify operation is desired , an adaptive voltage generator 330 is initiated to an idle state and selectively provides the predetermined voltage level to modify line node 328 and line capacitance c 3 310 . an example of the predetermined voltage level is 4 . 5 volts , although any voltage level may be used . switch 316 is then closed and switch 314 is opened with generator 330 providing the predetermined voltage level to node 320 . since the voltage levels at nodes 302 and 328 were substantially equal prior to switches 314 and 316 changing states , no disturbances will occur on the read and modify lines . the adaptive voltage generator 330 then exits its idle state and raises the modify line node 328 to a predetermined high voltage level , such as 15 volts , to modify at least one memory element coupled to node 320 . if a discharge to ground of 320 is needed in any modifying operation with switch 316 and 324 maintained closed ( i . e . switch 314 and 326 open ), the adaptive voltage generator 330 is lowered to a predetermined lower voltage level . capacitance c 4 308 and node 320 are then discharged to ground by closing switch 326 and opening switch 324 in order to prevent any voltage disturbances to modify line node 328 . after discharging is complete , switch 324 is closed and switch 326 is opened providing the predetermined lower level to node 320 by adaptive voltage generator 330 . nodes 318 and 320 are then switched to the read line node 302 by closing switch 314 and opening switch 316 without any supply line disturbances . table 1 shows a summary of a switching cycle for circuit 300 . fig4 is an illustration of an adaptive voltage generator 400 for providing an idle state voltage to modify line 328 and node 320 . charge pump 402 is controlled by regulator 404 and regulator 406 . regulators are electronic circuits that control the desired output level of charge pump 402 . regulator 404 controls charge pump 402 to provide a predetermined high voltage level while regulator 406 controls charge pump 402 to provide a predetermined idle state voltage , which is lower than the high voltage level . the output or target node 410 is switched between the high and idle state voltage levels by multiplexer 408 depending on the desired mode of operation of circuit 300 . in comparison to the embodiment shown in fig4 , the following embodiments have the added advantages of occupying reduced device area and providing enhanced configurability . fig5 a is an illustration of an adaptive voltage generator 500 for providing an idle state voltage to node 320 with a pulse - skip charge pump regulator . device 500 comprises charge pump 502 , pulse - skip regulator 504 , comparator 506 , capacitance c load 508 , and multiplexer 510 . the comparator 506 , and any others forthcoming , may be either a voltage sensing comparator or a current sensing comparator or any other circuit element that performs a comparison function , as desired . multiplexer 510 switches the charge pump 502 from high voltage mode to a lower idle mode voltage depending on the desired mode of operation of circuit 300 . during modify mode , pulse - skip regulator 504 controls charge pump 502 to provide a high voltage level to output or target node 512 . during idle state operation , comparator 506 adjusts node 512 accordingly during clock pulses with control signal 516 by raising or lowering the voltage level of v out at node 512 to substantially equal reference voltage level v idle at node 514 . fig5 b is an illustration of an adaptive voltage generator 501 for providing an idle state voltage to node 320 with a linear charge pump regulator . device 501 comprises charge pump 522 , comparator 524 , linear regulator 526 , p - type metal - oxide semiconductor ( pmos ) transistor 528 , and capacitance c load 534 . comparator 524 compares the voltage level v out at target node 530 to reference voltage level v idle at node 532 . during idle state operation , comparator 524 and pmos transistor adjust node 530 accordingly by raising or lowering the voltage level of v out to substantially equal reference voltage level v idle . during modify mode , linear regulator 526 controls charge pump 522 to provide a high voltage level to output node 530 . fig6 a is an illustration of an adaptive voltage generator 600 for providing an idle state voltage to node 320 with pulse - skip regulation and disturbance sensitivity . the disturbance sensitivity may be a predetermined sensitivity voltage range of the read and modify supply lines , as desired . device 600 comprises charge pump 602 , pulse - skip regulator 604 , comparator 606 , comparator 608 , multiplexer 610 , and load capacitance c load 612 . multiplexer 610 switches the charge pump 602 from high voltage mode to idle voltage mode depending on the desired mode of operation of circuit 300 . during modify mode , pulse - skip regulator 604 controls charge pump 602 to provide a high voltage level to output or target node 616 . during idle mode operation , comparator 606 compares the output voltage v out at node 616 to a reference voltage level v idle − δ at node 618 , where delta − δ may be any desired decremental sensitivity value . the value delta δ may also be the maximum allowed supply line voltage disturbance in circuit 300 . if v out & lt ; v idle − δ , comparator 606 generates a signal 622 to control charge pump 602 to raise the level of node 616 . also during idle mode operation , comparator 608 compares the output voltage v out at node 616 to a reference voltage level v idle + δ at node 620 , where delta + δ may be any desired incremental sensitivity value . if v out & gt ; v idle + δ , comparator 608 activates n - type metal - oxide semiconductor ( nmos ) transistor 614 to pull down the voltage level of node 616 by coupling it to ground . fig6 b is an illustration of an adaptive voltage generator 601 for providing an idle state voltage to node 320 with linear regulation and disturbance sensitivity . device 601 comprises charge pump 630 , linear regulator 632 , comparator 634 , comparator 636 , pmos transistor 638 , nmos transistor 640 , and load capacitance c load 642 . during idle mode operation , comparator 634 compares the output voltage v out at node 644 to a reference voltage level v idle − δ at node 646 , where delta − δ may be any desired decremental sensitivity value . if v out & lt ; v idle − δ , comparator 634 activates charge pump 630 to raise the level of node 644 by controlling pmos transistor 638 . also during idle mode operation , comparator 648 compares the output voltage v out at node 644 to a reference voltage level v idle + δ at node 648 , where delta + δ may be any desired incremental sensitivity value . if v out & gt ; v idle + δ , comparator 636 activates nmos transistor 640 to pull down the voltage level of node 644 by coupling to ground . during modify mode , linear regulator 632 controls charge pump 630 to provide a high voltage level to output or target node 644 . fig7 is a flow diagram of a process 700 for providing an idle state voltage to a memory device comprising steps 710 , 720 , . . . 792 . process 700 illustrates steps for switching from a read to modify mode and then back to a read mode in at least one memory cell . however , it should be appreciated to one skilled in the art that process 700 can begin at step 760 if at least one memory cell is already in modify mode and switch to read mode is desired . in process 700 , a switch to modify mode operation is desired for at least one memory element in a memory device ( step 720 ). an adaptive voltage generator is set to output a predetermined idle voltage level to a target node ( step 730 ). at least one memory element in the memory device is then switched from a read line to a modify line ( step 740 ). the adaptive voltage generator then raises the target node voltage level from the predetermined idle voltage level to a higher predetermined voltage level ( step 750 ). still referring to fig7 , a switch to read mode may then be desired for at least one memory element , which may be after a certain time period in modify mode ( step 760 ). the adaptive voltage generator first lowers its output and the target node to the lower predetermined idle voltage level ( step 770 ). any capacitances coupled to the modify line , if any , are discharged ( step 780 ). at least one memory element is then switched from the modify line to the read line ( step 790 ). the idle state described in 700 provides better flexibility and robust rww operation since the read operation on the read line in at least one memory element is not disturbed by the simultaneous write or erase operation on the modify line by at least one other memory element . fig8 is a flow diagram of a process for providing an idle state voltage to any electronic device comprising steps 810 , 820 , . . . 892 . process 800 illustrates steps for switching from a first node to a second node and back to the first node in an electronic device . however , it should be appreciated to one skilled in the art that process 800 can begin at step 860 with a circuit element switching from a second node to a first node . in process 800 , switching a circuit element coupled to a first node having a predetermined voltage level to a second node is desired ( step 820 ). an adaptive voltage generator provides the predetermined voltage level to the second node prior to switching the circuit element from the first node to the second node ( step 830 ). the circuit element may then switch to the second node and couple to the adaptive voltage generator without any voltage disturbances on the first node ( step 840 ). an adaptive voltage generator proceeds by raising the second node voltage level to a high voltage level ( step 850 ). still referring to fig8 , switching the circuit element from the second node to the first node may be desired ( step 860 ). the adaptive voltage generator lowers the second node voltage level to the predetermined voltage level ( step 870 ). any capacitances , including parasitic capacitances , on the second node are discharged ( step 880 ). the circuit element may then be switched from the second node to the first node without any voltage disturbances on the second node ( step 890 ). although the features and elements of the present invention are described in the preferred embodiments in particular combinations , each feature or element can be used alone without the other features and elements of the preferred embodiments or in various combinations with or without other features and elements of the present invention . the method for switching nodes provided in the present invention may be implemented in a computer program tangibly embodied in a computer - readable storage medium for execution by a processor or a general purpose computer for use with or by any non - volatile memory device . suitable processors include , by way of example , both general and special purpose processors . typically , a processor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory ( rom ), a ram , and / or a storage device . storage devices suitable for embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non - volatile memory , including by way of example semiconductor memory devices , magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks , magneto - optical media , and optical media such as cd - rom disks and digital versatile disks ( dvds ). types of hardware components or processors which may be used by or in conjunction with the present invention include application specific integrated circuits ( asics ), field programmable gate arrays ( fpgas ), microprocessors , or any integrated circuit .	6
as used throughout this description , the term &# 34 ; copper &# 34 ; preferably means the element copper ( cu ). in the process of this invention , any copper sulfide , from which copper values can be leached utilizing a heated aqueous solution containing cupric chloride , can be used as the starting material . among the copper sulfides which can be used are covellite ( cus ) and chalcocite ( cu 2 s ). preferably , the copper sulfide is a copper sulfide concentrate ( a ) which contains at least about 15 to 20 % ( by weight ), preferably about 26 to 28 %, of copper and sulfur values and ( b ) in which the molar ratio of copper to sulfur is about 1 . 5 or more . particularly preferred is a concentrate of chalcocite . with reference to the drawing , the first step of the process of this invention is a primary leaching step , generally 10 . in the primary leaching step 10 , a first batch 11 of copper sulfide is contacted with a first aqueous lixiviant 12 . the first lixiviant 12 contains cupric chloride ( cucl 2 ), cuprous chloride ( cucl ), a source of chloride ions and a minimum amount of ferrous chloride ( fecl 2 ). in the primary leaching step 10 , chalcocite in the first batch 11 of copper sulfide is preferably converted by the cupric chloride in the first lixiviant 12 to cuprous chloride and elemental sulfur according to the following reaction : also in the primary leaching step 10 , chalcocite in the first batch 11 of copper sulfide may be converted to covellite by the following reaction : the primary leaching step 10 can be suitably carried out with conventional equipment and materials . preferably , the primary leaching step is carried out in two or more , mechanically agitated tanks 10a , through which the first batch 11 of copper sulfide and the first lixiviant 12 travel in cocurrent fashion . the use of at least two tanks 10a provides sufficient reaction time so that one - third to two - thirds , preferably one - half to two - thirds , of the copper in the first batch 11 of copper sulfide is leached in the primary leaching step 10 and the remainder of the copper in the first batch 11 of copper sulfide is leached in a later , secondary leaching step . preferably the tanks 10a , as well as the other process equipment utilized in the process of this invention , are lined , e . g ., butyl rubber lined , to prevent their corrosion . in the primary leaching step 10 , particular reaction conditions are not critical . however , it is preferred that the primary leaching step 10 be carried out at elevated temperatures of 70 ° c . or higher , up to the boiling point of the first lixiviant 12 , to increase the rate of reaction . the preferred leaching temperature is about 70 ° to 90 ° c ., especially about 80 ° c . it is also preferred that the primary leaching step 10 be carried out at atmospheric pressure . the source of chloride ions , use in the first lixiviant 12 , also is not critical . in this regard , any chloride compound , which will complex or otherwise solubilize cuprous ions in the first lixiviant , can be used . among the sources of chloride ions which can be suitably utilized are hydrogen chloride , the alkali metal chlorides and the alkaline earth metal chlorides , such as sodium chloride , potassium chloride and calcium chloride , preferably calcium chloride ( cacl 2 ). the amount of ferrous chloride in the first lixiviant 12 also is not critical . the ferrous chloride comes from any iron salts that are mixed with the copper sulfide and from the cementation of copper with iron which follows the primary leaching step 10 . preferably , the concentration of ferrous chloride in the first lixiviant 12 is a minimum ( ideally , 0 g / l ), and it is particularly preferred that the ferrous chloride concentration be less than approximately 23 g / l ( i . e ., the iron concentration is less than approximately 10 g / l ). the amount of cupric chloride in the first lixiviant 12 also is not critical . preferably , the amount of cupric chloride in the first lixiviant 12 is less than the stoichiometric amount of cupric chloride , required to react with all the copper sulfide in the first batch 11 of copper sulfide , used in the primary leaching step 10 . in this regard , it is particularly preferred that the amount of cupric chloride in the first lixiviant be sufficient to leach one - half to two - thirds of the copper in the first batch 11 of copper sulfide . thereby , nearly all the cupric chloride in the first lixiviant 12 will be converted to cuprous chloride during the primary leaching step 10 . in the next step , generally 15 , of the process of this invention , the aqueous slurry 16 , produced in the primary leaching step 10 , is treated to separate the primary leach liquor 17 from the solids , generally 18 , from the first batch 11 of copper sulfide , which solids are left undissolved by the first lixiviant 12 . the undissolved copper sulfide solids 18 comprise copper sulfides , such as chalcocite and covellite , elemental sulfur and residue from the first batch 11 of copper sulfide . this separation step 15 can be carried out in a conventional manner , e . g ., in a thickener 19 . one example of a suitable butyl rubber lined thickener 19 is made by envirotech process equipment of denver , colo . under its eimco trademark . following the separation 15 of the primary leach liquor 17 from the undissolved copper sulfide solids 18 , the primary leach liquor 17 is divided in the next step , generally 20 , into two portions 21 and 22 . in carrying out the division 20 of the primary leach liquor 17 , one portion 21 of the primary leach liquor 17 is made sufficiently large so that it contains about the same amount of copper , as cuprous chloride , as is leached from each batch 11 of copper sulfide by the process of this invention in the primary leaching step 10 and in the later , secondary leaching step . the one portion 21 of the primary leach liquor 17 is then treated with iron metal ( fe ) to precipitate its copper content as copper metal ( cu ) or cement copper . in this cementation step , generally 25 , cement copper precipitates from , and ferrous chloride dissolves in , the one portion 21 of the primary leach liquor 17 according to the following reaction : in accordance with this invention , the separation step 15 and the cementation step 25 are controlled so that : ( a ) the copper removed from the one portion 21 of the primary leach liquor 17 in the cementation step 25 equals the copper leached from each batch 11 of copper sulfide by the process of this invention ; and ( b ) sufficient copper values remain in the other portion 22 of the primary leach liquor 17 for regenerating the cupric chloride lixiviant used to leach copper from each subsequent batch 11 of copper sulfide . the cementation step 25 can be carried out in a conventional manner . in this regard , scrap iron or any other inexpensive source of iron metal can be used . in carrying out the cementation 25 , any conventional cementation apparatus 25a also can be used . preferably , a rotating drum is used , having a hopper at one end , into which scrap iron and the one portion 21 of the primary leach liquor 17 are fed continuously , as disclosed in united states bureau of mines report of investigations 7182 ( september 1968 ). in the cementation step 25 , particular temperatures and pressures also are not critical , but elevated temperatures and atmospheric pressures are preferred . in this regard , temperatures are usually about 90 ° to 100 ° c . in this step due to the heat of reaction . preferably , only the minimum amount of iron metal , needed to cement substantially all the copper values from the one portion 21 of the primary leach liquor 17 , is used in the cementation step 25 . in this regard , the amount of iron needed to cement all the copper in the one portion 21 of the primary leach liquor 17 is generally very small because nearly all the copper in the primary leach liquor is cuprous chloride and there is little or no cupric chloride in the primary leach liquor . following the cementation step 25 , the aqueous slurry 27 produced in the cementation step is preferably treated with a dilute aqueous hydrochloric acid ( hcl ) solution . the hydrochloric acid converts any iron oxide ( fe 2 o 3 ), which may be mixed with the cement copper in the slurry 27 , to a soluble iron chloride . thereby , a higher grade cement copper can be obtained when the cement copper is subsequently filtered and washed . the cement copper can then be separated in a conventional filtration step , generally 28 , from the liquid portion 29 of the aqueous slurry 27 from the cementation step 25 . preferably , such filtration 28 is carried out continuously with a conventional horizontal belt filter 30 having ( a ) an endless moving filter belt , upon which the slurry 27 is deposited , and ( b ) suction apparatus beneath the belt , which removes the liquid portion 29 of the slurry 27 but leaves the cement copper filtrate on the filter belt . an example of a suitable horizontal belt filter 30 is made by envirotech process equipment under the trade name eimco horizontal belt extractor . the belt filter 30 preferably includes a perforated , butyl rubber , filter belt which is covered with an acid - resistant fabric , such as an acrylic fabric , e . g ., orlon . preferably , the cement copper filtrate on the horizontal belt filter 30 is also continuously washed with water in a conventional counter - current manner to remove any soluble contaminents , such as chlorides , from the surface of the cement copper . the cement copper can be removed from the horizontal belt filter 30 in a conventional manner , e . g ., by scraping it from the discharge end of the filter belt . the cement copper can then be suitably formed into a dense metal briquette in a conventional briquetting press . such briquettes can be pressed so that they are strong enough for further handling or shipment . briquetting also inhibits oxidation of the copper . the liquid portion 29 of the aqueous slurry 27 from the cementation step 25 , which portion 29 is derived from the one portion 21 of the leach liquor 17 from the primary leaching step 10 , is then recombined with the other portion 22 of the primary leach liquor 17 . in the resulting recombined primary leach liquor portions 31 , the one portion 21 of the primary leach liquor 17 contains a significant amount of ferrous chloride from the cementation step 25 but little or no cuprous chloride , and the other portion 22 of the primary leach liquor 17 contains a significant amount of cuprous chloride but little ferrous chloride . in this regard , the other portion 22 of the primary leach liquor 17 preferably contains an amount of cuprous chloride which , when oxidized with oxygen , will provide the stoichiometric amount of cupric chloride , required to leach all of the copper from a batch 11 of copper sulfide . then , the recombined primary leach liquor portions 31 are oxidized with oxygen . this oxidation step , generally 32 , forms a second or regenerated lixiviant 33 containing cupric chloride and a minimum amount of ferrous chloride . in the oxidation step 32 , cuprous chloride in the recombined primary leach liquor portions 31 is oxidized to cupric chloride , and iron , which is present as ferrous chloride in the recombined primary leach liquor portions 31 , is oxidized to form a ferric hydroxide precipitate ( fe 3 ( oh ) 8 cl ) by the following reaction : most of the iron in the recombined primary leach liquor portions 31 comes from the cementation step 25 , and almost all of the iron is oxidized and precipitated from the recombined primary leach liquor portions 31 during the oxidiation step 32 . in this regard , only the minimum amount of iron , needed to prevent significant amounts of copper from being oxidized and precipitated from the recombined primary leach liquor portions 31 as a copper hydroxide ( cu ( oh ) 2 ), is left unoxidized in the recombined primary leach liquor portions 31 by the oxidiation step 32 . in this regard , no more than about 25 g / l , preferably only about 5 to 10 g / l , of iron are left unoxidized in the recombined primary leach liquor portions 31 . the oxidation 32 of the recombined primary leach liquor portions 31 can be carried out in a conventional manner and in conventional apparatus . for example , the oxidation step 32 can be suitably carried out by blowing an oxygen containing gas , preferably compressed air , into mechanically agitated tanks 32a containing the recombined primary leach liquor portions 31 . during the oxidation step 32 , it is preferred that the recombined primary leach liquor portions 31 be gently agitated in the tanks 32a , so that the ferric hydroxide precipitate , which is formed , is of relatively large , and hence easily filtrable , particle size . in the oxidation step 32 , particular temperatures and pressures are not critical . however , the oxidation step 32 is preferably carried out at elevated temperatures of about 50 ° to 60 ° c . and at atmospheric pressure . the oxidation step 32 , when carried out using air , requires very intimate contact of fine air bubbles with the recombined primary leach liquor portions 31 . such fine air bubbles can be provided by , inter alia , introducing air through small , e . g ., 1 / 4 inch , holes at the bottom of the tanks 32a containing the recombined primary leach liquor portions 31 . alternatively , a circulating jet aerator can be provided in each tank 32a to provide intimate contact between air and the recombined primary leach liquor portions 31 . in accordance with this invention , the second lixiviant 33 , produced by the oxidation step 32 , should contain at least about 2 . 3 pounds , preferably about 2 . 5 pounds , of copper as cupric chloride per pound of copper in each batch 11 of copper sulfide , fed to the primary leaching step 10 . preferably , additional amounts 34 of the source of chloride ions are added to the second lixiviant 33 produced by the oxidation step 32 . this is done to make up for chloride ions which are lost with the ferric hydroxide precipitate formed in the oxidation step 32 . the additional amounts 34 of the source of chloride ions can be added to the second lixiviant 33 as such . however , if calcium chloride is used as the source of chloride ions , the calcium chloride is preferably added to the second lixiviant 33 as lime ( cao ) and hydrogen chloride ( hcl ). in this regard , it is preferred that enough calcium chloride be added to the second lixiviant 33 to give a concentration of calcium of about 80 to 120 g / l , preferably about 100 g / l . the second lixiviant 33 is then used in a secondary leaching step , generally 35 , to leach the remaining copper values from the undissolved copper sulfide solids 18 from the primary leaching step 10 . the secondary leaching step 35 is preferably carried out in the same manner as the primary leaching step 10 in two or more , agitated tanks 35a . following the secondary leaching step 35 , the resulting aqueous slurry 36 is treated to separate the secondary leach liquor 37 from any remaining solids 38 . the remaining solids 38 , separated in this step , generally 40 , principally comprise elemental sulfur , residue from the copper sulfide , and ferric hydroxide precipitate from the oxidation step 32 . this separation step 40 can be carried out in the same manner as the separation step 15 , used to separate the primary leach liquor 17 from the undissolved copper sulfide solids 18 . in this regard , the use of a conventional thickener 41 is preferred . the remaining solids 38 are then washed free of any remaining secondary leach liquor 37 on the surface of such solids . this washing step , generally 42 , is preferably carried - out with a conventional horizontal belt filter 43 like the horizontal belt filter 30 used to filter the cement copper in step 28 . in carrying - out washing step 42 , it is preferred that the remaining solids 38 be deposited on the filter belt of the horizontal belt filter 43 and then be washed with water in a counter - current fashion . the wash water 44 , containing secondary leach liquor 37 , can then be recovered and mixed with the second lixiviant 33 used in the secondary leaching step 35 . it is also preferred that the remaining solids 38 on the horizontal belt filter 43 be treated with dilute aqueous hydrochloric acid to solubilize any residual cuprous chloride on the surface of the remaining solids 38 . it has been discovered that , in the process of this invention , gypsum ( caso 4 ) is formed in the recombined primary leach liquor portions 31 during the oxidation step 32 when the source of chloride ions is calcium chloride . the gypsum , formed , simplifies the filtration and washing of the remaining solids 38 , particularly the ferric hydroxide precipitate , on the horizontal belt filter 43 . in this regard , the gypsum appears to act as a filter aid . preferably , the secondary leach liquor 37 , which contains cupric chloride , as well as cuprous chloride and the source of chloride ions , is then recycled from the secondary leaching step 35 to the primary leaching step 10 . in the primary leaching step 10 , the secondary leach liquor 37 is used as the first lixiviant 12 for leaching copper from another batch 11 of copper sulfide . in the primary leaching step 10 , the cupric chloride in the first lixiviant 12 is preferably reduced to cuprous chloride . by the process of this invention , about 91 to 97 % of the copper in a copper sulfide can be suitably obtained as cement copper . the cement copper , produced by this process , can contain in excess of 90 % copper , along with small amounts of iron and silver , as well as some gold . preferably , the cement copper from the process is purified further in a conventional manner by smelting or electrorefining . for example , the cement copper can be suitably purified further by : oxidizing it at low temperatures , such as 100 ° to 300 ° c . ; then dissolving it in a strong mineral acid , such as sulfuric acid ; and then recovering it in a conventional multistage electrowinning circuit . substantial amounts of sulfur oxides are not produced as by - products of the process of this invention . rather , almost all the sulfur values , introduced into the process , are converted to elemental sulfur . furthermore , the process steps of this invention are all carried out in aqueous solutions . this minimizes environmental and health problems from dust and fumes produced in the course of the process . the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description , and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the steps of the process of this invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages , the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof .	8
the invention provides methods and solutions for the improved preservation of blood platelets at normal refrigeration temperatures . the disadvantages and limitations of prior preservation methodologies are overcome by the invention which effectively preserves the biological activity of stored platelets under conditions and temperatures achievable with conventional refrigeration apparatus and equipment . the collection of blood platelets to be preserved and stored may be obtained by usual conventional methods described above . substances such as theophylline and / or pge1 may be added to the platelet preparation to get them into quiescence with a high percentage of discs . the suspension of resting platelets is made to contain verapamil ( 0 to 3 mg / l , optionally 0 . 3 to 2 mg / l , optionally 1 to 1 . 5 mg / l ), magnesium ( mg ) ( 1 to 10 mm , optionally 1 . 5 to 3 mm ), a carbohydrate such as glucose ( 0 . 2 % to 4 %, optionally 0 . 5 % to 2 %) or sucrose ( 0 . 2 % to 5 %, optionally 0 . 5 % to 2 %), and a polymer such as hydroxyethyl starch ( hes ) ( 0 . 2 % to 5 %, optionally 0 . 5 % to 3 %, optionally 1 % to 2 %) or polyvinlypyrrolidone ( pvp ) ( 0 . 5 % to 10 %, optionally 1 % to 6 %, optionally 1 % to 3 %) or dextran ( 0 . 5 % to 10 %, optionally 1 % to 6 %, optionally 1 % to 3 %) or any other biocompatible gelling agent that does not activate platelets in a similar range of concentration . the polymers can be used singly or in combination . the osmolarity of the platelet suspension should be normal to slightly hypertonic , at about 300 mosm to about 380 mosm . the temperature of the platelet suspension is preferably kept at or above room temperature from about 20 ° c . to 37 ° c . soon after preparing the described platelet suspension , preferably within an hour , more preferably within 15 minutes , the suspension of platelets is rapidly cooled at a rate faster than about 1 ° c . per minute , preferably at a rate of about 6 ° c . per minute , optionally at 12 ° c . per minute , optionally at 60 ° c . per minute , optionally at 120 ° c . per minute ( about 2 ° c per second , optionally faster to about 10 ° c . per second . the suspension is thus cooled to a temperature below about 10 ° c ., preferably below about 6 ° c ., optionally below about 4 ° c . to about − 6 ° c . but the formation of ice crystals is minimized . the cooled suspension of platelets ca be stored at a temperature of about 0 ° c . to 4 ° c . and below about 6 ° c . for a desired duration . storage can be for up to 1 day , optionally 3 days , optionally 5 days , optionally 7 days , optionally 10 days or longer . the platelet suspension may be warmed when needed to about 20 ° c ., preferably to about 22 ° c . or warmer , at a rate of about 2 ° c . per minute , optionally about 0 . 1 ° c . per second or faster . the platelets are then ready for clinical use and may be infused into the blood of a patient . the benefits of the invention may be demonstrated by counting the intact surviving platelets , and comparing this to the number of platelets before cooling , to provide a measure of the percentage of platelets that are recovered intact and not lost by rupturing or other consequences . the platelets can be assessed for maintaining disc morphology by microscopic observation to ascertain the percentage of platelets that remain as discs compared to having changed into spheres or swollen into balloons . the function and viability of the platelets can be assessed with assays of membrane function to respond to hypotonic conditions ( hsr ) and shape change in response to an agonist ( esc ). if the platelets are sufficiently robust and functional , they can revert from sphere to disc and increase functionality under normal physiologic conditions , for example , after transfusion . preferably , up to at least 50 %, 60 %, 70 %, 80 % or more of the platelets are recovered from platelet suspensions . in addition , preferably at least 10 %, 20 %, 30 %, 50 % or more of the platelets maintain their disc morphology and function for up to at least 2 days , 3 days , 5 days , 7 days , 10 days , and preferably longer in cold storage using the methods and solutions of this invention . surprisingly , after 24 hours storage in the cold conditions following the procedures described herein , a substantial portion of the platelets remain with natural disc morphology . a substantial portion of the platelets are functional and considered viable . disc morphology and function are maintained for up to 2 days , 3 days , 5 days , 7 days , 10 days , and longer in cold storage using the methods and solutions of this invention . preferably , at least 50 %, 60 %, 70 %, 80 % or more of the platelets maintain disc morphology and function for at least 2 days , 3 days , 5 days , 7 days , 10 days , and preferably longer in cold storage using the methods and solutions of this invention . the following non - limiting examples are intended to demonstrate some of the preferable embodiments of the invention . it shall be understood that one skilled in the art will readily recognize that other alternative embodiments may be practiced in order to achieve the effects and benefits of the invention as described herein . in this example , the possibility of saving discoid platelets and their functionality in gelling solutions , containing 1 . 4 % starch , 1 . 4 % of sucrose and 3 % of pvp at t + 2c by cooling platelets at the rate 0 . 2 degree c ./ sec . at t + 2c and t − 3c under atmospheric pressure , was investigated . the whole blood collected from one donor was centrifuged at acceleration 1740 g for 4 minutes at t + 22c . the platelet rich plasma ( prp ) was extracted in a satellite bag and was centrifuged at acceleration 4323 g for 6 minutes at temperature + 22c . the supernatant layer of the plasma was excreted , and the volume of suspended plasma with the platelet plaque made 60 ml . the bags with plasma containing platelet plaques were placed on a rocker at t + 22c , where they were rested for about 20 - 22 hours . these bags were assayed and the platelet concentration in the pc was determined . then the assay taken from the pc ( test 1 ) was tested . the bags were added the verapamil solution so that the final concentration made 5 mg / l . the bags were placed on the rocker at t + 22c where they were rested for 30 minutes . then the pc was added the solution mgcl2 so that its final concentration made 0 . 95 g / l ( 10 mm ). then each bag with the pc collected from the one donor was split into 3 sets of bags . the bags with numbers 1 were added 2 . 25 volumes of an additive solution i containing hes — 2 % and sucrose — 2 % in the solution “ transvect ” ( osmolality 320 to 325 mosm / l and ph 7 . 53 to 7 . 55 ). in view of dilution of these bags the concentration of hes made 1 . 4 % and that of sucrose 1 . 4 %. the osmolality of the obtained pc solution made about 322 to 330 mosm / l . the bags with numbers 2 were added 2 . 25 volumes of an additive solution ii containing pvp — 4 . 3 % and sucrose — 2 % in the solution “ transvect ” ( osmolality 343 to 348 mosm / l and ph 7 . 47 to 7 . 5 ). in view of dilution of these bags the concentration of pvp made 3 % and that of sucrose 1 . 4 %. the osmolality of the obtained solution made about 340 to 346 mosm / l . the bags with numbers 3 were added 2 . 25 volumes of an additive solution ii containing pvp — 4 . 3 % and sucrose — 2 % in the solution “ transvect ” ( osmolality 343 to 348 mosm / l , and ph 7 . 47 to 7 . 5 ). in view of dilution of these bags the concentration of pvp made 3 % and that of sucrose 1 . 4 %. the osmolality of the obtained solution made about 341 to 346 mosm / l . the final concentration of inhibitors made : verapamil — 1 . 55 mg / l ; mgcl2 — 0 . 29 g / l ( 3 . 1 mm ). the bags 1 and 2 were cooled in the ice bath at t + 18c down to t + 6c at the rate 0 . 2 degrees c ./ sec . these bags were held in the ice bath for 10 minutes and then were transferred to the incubator at t + 2c . the bags 3 were cooled from t + 18c down to t + 6c at the rate 0 . 17 to 0 . 23 degrees c ./ sec . ( the average rate is 0 . 21 degrees c ./ sec .) in a saline solution at t − 4c . the time of cooling down to t − 3c was 4 to 5 minutes . these bags were held for 20 minutes at t − 3c and transferred into the incubator at t + 2c . note that the bags 1 , 2 and 3 during cooling were kept in a stabile condition , and the cooling liquid was agitated around the bags . after storage for 24 hours , the bags with numbers 1 , 2 and 3 were warmed up t + 22c in the water bath and assayed for testing : test 2 for the bags with numbers 1 , test 4 for the bags with numbers 2 , and test 6 for the bags with numbers 3 . hsr and esc were not analyzed in these tests . the assays with the solutions taken from bags were placed on a bay at a room temperature ( about t + 25c to 27c ) where they were rested for 3 - 4 hours before the percent of the platelet shape . during this time , the following assay testing with solutions was made including definition of the platelet concentration and osmolality and ph of solutions , and also testing of the washed out platelet - hsr and esc , except for the already specified parameters . the assays taken from bags , were centrifuged at acceleration 1460 g within 10 minutes . the supernatant layer of plasma was excreted and the volume was adjusted to the stock with the donor plasma . the prp assays were placed on the rocker at temperature + 22c where they were rested for 1 hour . then these assays were tested : test 3 for bags with numbers 1 , test 5 for bags with numbers 2 , and test 7 for bags with numbers 3 . per day of a loading platelet for storage an additive solution i containing hes — 2 % and sucrose — 2 % was prepared and additive solution ii , containing pvp — 4 . 3 % and sucrose — 2 %, in a saline solution “ transvect .” for this purpose 2 g of sucrose and 2 g of hes were dissolved in 92 . 5 ml of distilled water as follows . in one half of the water volume required for the preparation of the given hes solution , the specified amounts of sucrose and hes were added and the obtained suspension was carefully agitated . the second half of the required water volume was warmed up in a water bath to t + 100c . this hot water was gradually added a solution containing a suspension of hes at continuous stirring during 10 to 20 minutes before complete dissolution of hes . in 92 . 5 ml of distilled water there were dissolved 2 g of sucrose and 40 . 3 g of pvp at ambient temperature . the concentrated saline solution “ transvect ” was previously prepared . each salt : kcl — 2 . 24 g ( 30 mmol ), k2hpo4 — 14 . 8 g ( 85 mmol ), kh2po4 — 4 . 1 g ( 30 mmol ) and nahco3 — 1 . 68 g ( 20 mmol ), was dissolved in 20 ml of distilled water separately at ambient temperature . then the obtained solutions of salts were admixed also their general volume was brought to 100 ml . in general solution of salt the content made : kcl — 0 . 30 mmol / ml , k2hpo4 — 0 . 85 mmol / ml , kh2po4 — 0 . 30 mmol / ml and nahco3 — 0 . 20 mmol / ml . from this solution , 7 . 5 ml containing kcl — 2 . 25 mmol , k2hpo4 — 6 . 38 mmol , kh2po4 — 2 . 25 mmol and nahco3 — 1 . 5 mmol , were taken and added in 92 . 5 ml of additive solutions i and ii . as a result of concentration of ions in these additive solutions made : k + — 173 mm ; na + — 15 mm ; hpo4 — 86 mm ; hco3 — 15 mm . then 20 ml of the pc , containing verapamil and mgcl2 ( 10 mm ), were each added 45 ml of the additive solutions containing the specified ions , i . e . at such dilution the concentration of the added ions reduced to 0 . 69 from their concentration in the stock additive solutions . in a final solution containing platelets , the concentration of ions , assuming the plasma ions , made : k + — 121 mm ; na + — 55 mm ; mg 2 + — 3 . 4 mm ; cl − — 38 mm ; hpo 4 − — 60 mm ; hco 3 − — 13 . 4 mm ; so 4 2 − — 0 . 06 mm . thus , in a final solution the concentration of the added ions were close to their concentration inside cells , though in the solution the concentration of na and cl ions considerably exceeded them . the microscopy of the assays taken from bags with numbers 1 demonstrated that at a room temperature the gel in solutions survived in the solutions though in the assays taken from the bags with numbers 2 and 3 , no gel was found , however the solutions were viscous . therefore , it was difficult to determine the rate of disks in such solution with high viscosity . the fragments , single dendrites , small platelet aggregates and altered disks were found in these assays . the discoid platelets were oblong and convex , many of them had one pseudopodium each . after centrifugation and washing out of the platelet , microfragments and small platelet aggregates were found almost in every assay . in the analysis supplement immediately below we provide a statistical analysis of received results on the platelet concentration , osmolality and ph of solutions , percents of disks , hsr and esc and optical densities d o . the average values of the platelet of parameters expressed in percentage in relation to these parameters in the stock prp are submitted in the summary table . and the stock platelet concentrations in all bags were so that after getting in 2 . 25 volumes of an additive solution in pc the platelet count depressed up to 0 . 31 . in the summary table , the average value of the platelet count , percents of disks , hsr and esc in all bags after storage , are given at temperature + 2c . confidence intervals appropriate to confidence probability are specified there 0 . 95 . thus , a significance level of the received parameters p ≦ 0 . 05 , i . e . with the probability 0 . 05 the measured parameters can fall outside the range of confidence intervals . summary table : e ( 463 - 472 ), p ≦ 0 . 05 . concentration , discs , hsr , esc , % % % % bag 1 : 93 ± 14 . 7 44 ± 53 . 1 62 ± 61 14 ± 31 . 7 starch - 1 . 4 %, sucrose - 1 . 4 %. bag 2 : 92 ± 15 . 7 53 ± 66 . 5 79 ± 72 39 ± 40 pvp - 3 %, sucrose - 1 . 4 % bag 3 : 93 ± 17 53 ± 67 . 8 75 ± 67 26 ± 36 . 9 pvp - 3 %, sucrose - 1 . 4 % as it is visible from the given data , the platelet parameters alter within wide ranges . perhaps , it is a consequence of individual properties of the donor &# 39 ; s pc that which are caused by composition of plasma , frame and defects of membranes of thrombocytes . probably , the safety and the platelet function are affected by additive solution and the rate of cooling of the pc solutions , which varies within some limits . an average quadratic deviation σre , determining the borders of a confidence interval is in inverse proportion ( n − 1 ) 1 / 2 where n — number of experiments . therefore to reduce a confidence interval it is necessary to carry out many experiments ( n & gt ; 10 ). based on the results of the described experiments it follows , that at presence of pvp the disks survive , though in a solution with pvp a soft gel generates . apparently , the molecules of pvp protect the platelet membranes during fast cooling and , partially keeping free water in a solution , interfere with the platelet swelling . probably , the molecules of sucrose , when penetrating through transmembrane defects raise the osmolality of the cytoplasma and promote the swelling of the platelets . after storage of function of the platelets is determined on hsr and esc , were depressed in pvp solution . probably , the factor causing loss of functions by the platelets was the redistribution outside of and endocellular ions because of gradients of their concentration . another factor , owing to which hsr declined , was probably the partial swelling of the cytoplasma causing transmembrane defects , in a pvp solution , forming a soft gel . in the cytoplasma of the platelets in bags with numbers 3 and cooled down to t − 3c , more viscid gel was generated than in the cytoplasma of the platelets in bags with numbers 2 and cooled down to t + 2c . therefore in bags with numbers 3 , a degree of swelling was greater than in bags with numbers 2 . in result in bags with numbers 3 , hsr was lower than in bags with numbers 2 . thus , cooling and holding platelet at subzero temperatures probably accelerates transferring of the cytoplasma in gel phase and promotes survival of discs and the platelet functionality though under these conditions a gel of definite viscosity should be in a solution . as the rate of disks was determined after holding the pc at temperatures + 25 to + 27 degrees during 3 to 4 hours , a definite conclusion is not possible about the safety of disks at temperature + 2c . it is quite probable that a part of spherical platelets stored at temperature + 2c , transformed into disks under the specified conditions , in spite of the fact that the solutions the containing ions in concentration close to their endocellular somewhat inhibit a metabolism . test results of the stages e463 - e472 experiments made under invariable conditions . 1 . 1 . processing of the results made on relative indexes are given in relation to the parameters of test t1 . the values of the parameters under the test t1 are accepted for 100 %. the value of relative indexes under the tests t2 to t7 , specified in the tables below , were determined under the general formula : where ri — value of a relative index on test “ i ”, %; pti — absolute value of parameter on test “ i ”; pt1 — absolute value of parameter under the test t1 . 1 . 2 . mathematical expectation ( average arithmetic ) mre and average quadratic deviation σre were determined under the formulas : mre = 1 / nσre ; σre =[ 1 /( n − 1 ) σ ( re − mre ) 2 ] 1 / 2 , 1 . 3 . estimation of confidence intervals : the bottom value r b and top r t — was made with confidence probability 0 . 95 ( quantile up = 1 , 985 ). 2 . 1 . the results of definition of relative indexes of parameter pi . concentration are specified in the table 1 . table 4 experiment t1 t2 t3 t4 t5 t6 t7 e463 100 19 single 24 single 21 single e464 100 22 single 31 single 32 single e465 100 23 single 22 single 25 single e466 100 22 single 24 single 18 single e467 100 97 single 130 single 130 single e468 100 28 single 48 single 46 single e469 100 57 single 48 single 57 single e470 100 36 single 57 single 50 single e471 100 69 single 69 single 67 single e472 100 66 single 80 single 82 single mdiscs — 44 53 53 σdiscs — 26 . 8 33 . 5 34 . 2 σdiscs * up — 53 . 1 66 . 5 67 . 8 discs b — − 9 . 1 − 13 . 5 − 14 . 8 discs t — 97 . 1 119 . 5 120 . 8 2 . 5 . the results of definition of relative indexes of parameter of dendrites are specified in the table 5 . in this example , the possibility of saving discoid platelets and their functionality in gelling solutions , containing starch — 1 . 4 %, sucrose — 1 . 4 % and pvp — 3 % at t + 2c by cooling platelets at the rate 0 . 2 degree c ./ sec . at t + 2c and t − 3c under atmospheric pressure , was investigated . the whole blood collected from one donor was centrifuged at acceleration 1740 g for 4 minutes at t + 22c . the prp was extracted in a satellite bag and was centrifuged at acceleration 4323 g for 6 minutes at temperature + 22c . the supernatant layer of the plasma was excreted and the volume of suspended plasma with the platelet plaque made 60 ml . the bags with plasma containing platelet plaques were placed on the rocker at t + 22c , where they were rested for 20 to 22 hours . these bags were assayed and the platelet concentration in the pc was identified . then the assay taken from the pc ( test 1 ) was tested . the bags were added the verapamil solution , so that the final concentration made 5 mg / l . the bags were placed on the rocker at t + 22c , where they were rested for 30 minutes . then the pc was added the solution mgcl2 so that its final concentration made 0 . 95 g / l ( 10 mm ). then each bag with the pc collected from one donor was split into 3 sets of bags . the bags with numbers 1 were added 2 . 25 volumes of an additive solution i containing hes — 2 % and sucrose — 2 % in the solution “ transvect ” ( osmolality 320 to 325 mosm / l and ph 7 . 53 to 7 . 55 ). in view of dilution of these bags the concentration of hes made 1 . 4 % and that of sucrose 1 . 4 %. the osmolality of the pc solution made 324 to 334 mosm / l . the bags with numbers 2 were added 2 . 25 volumes of an additive solution ii containing pvp — 4 . 3 % and sucrose — 2 % in the solution “ transvect ” ( osmolality 343 to 348 mosm / l and ph 7 . 47 to 7 . 5 ). in view of dilution of these bags the concentration of pvp made 3 % and that of sucrose 1 . 4 %. the osmolality of the obtained solution made 340 to 343 mosm / l . the bags with numbers 3 were added 2 . 25 volumes of an additive solution ii containing pvp — 4 . 3 % and sucrose — 2 % in the solution “ transvect ” ( osmolality 343 to 348 mosm / l , ph 7 . 47 to 7 . 5 ). in view of dilution of these bags the concentration of pvp made 3 % and that of sucrose 1 . 4 %. the osmolality of the obtained solution made 340 to 343 mosm / l . the final concentration of inhibitors made : verapamil — 1 . 55 mg / l ; mgcl2 — 0 . 29 g / l ( 3 . 1 mm ). the bags 1 and 2 were cooled in the ice bath from t + 18c down to t + 6c at the average rate 0 . 2 degrees c ./ sec . these bags were held in the ice bath for 10 minutes and then were transferred to the incubator at t + 2c . the bags 3 were cooled from t + 18c down to t + 6c at the rate 0 . 17 to 0 . 23 degrees c ./ sec . ( the average rate is 0 . 21 degrees c ./ sec .) in a saline solution at t − 4c . the time of cooling down to t − 3c was 4 to 5 minutes . these bags were held for 20 minutes at t − 3c and transferred in to the incubator at t + 2c . note that the bags 1 , 2 , 3 during cooling were kept in a stabile condition and the cooling liquid was agitated around the bags . after storage for 240 hours , the bags with numbers 1 , 2 and 3 were warmed up to t + 22c in the water bath and assayed for testing : test 2 for the bags with numbers 1 , test 4 for the bags with numbers 2 , and test 6 for the bags with numbers 3 . hsr and esc were not analyzed in these tests . the assays with the solutions taken from bags , were placed on a bay at a room temperature ( t + 26c to 28c ) where they were rested for 3 - 4 hours before the percent of the platelet shape was determined . during this time the assay testing with solutions was made : definition of the platelet concentration and osmolality and ph of solutions , and also testing of the washed out platelet - hsr and esc , except for the already specified parameters . the assays taken from bags , were centrifuged at acceleration 1460 g for 10 minutes . the supernatant layer of plasma was excreted and the volume was brought in the stock volume with the donor plasma . the prp assays were placed on the rocker at temperature + 22c where they were rested for 1 hour . then these assays were tested : test 3 for bags with numbers 1 , test 5 for bags with numbers 2 , and test 7 for bags with numbers 3 . on the day of loading platelet for storage , an additive solution i containing hes — 2 % and sucrose — 2 % was prepared and additive solution ii , containing pvp — 4 . 3 % and sucrose — 2 %, in a saline solution “ transvect .” for this purpose 2 g of sucrose and 2 g of hes were dissolved in 92 . 5 ml of distilled water as follows . in one half of water volume required for the preparation of the given hes solution , the specified amounts of sucrose and hes were added and the obtained suspension was thoroughly mixed . the second half of the required water volume was warmed up in a water bath to t + 100c . this hot water was gradually added a solution containing a suspension of hes at continuous stirring during 10 to 20 minutes before complete dissolution of hes . in 92 . 5 ml of distilled water there were dissolved 2 g of sucrose and 4 . 3 g of pvp at ambient temperature . the concentrated saline solution “ transvect ” was previously prepared . each salt : kcl — 2 . 24 g ( 30 mmol ), k2hpo4 — 14 . 8 g ( 85 mmol ), kh2po4 — 4 . 1 g ( 30 mmol ) and nahco3 — 1 . 68 g ( 20 mmol ) was dissolved in 20 ml of distilled water separately at ambient temperature . then the obtained solutions of salts were admixed also their general volume was brought to 100 ml . in a general solution of salt the content made : kcl — 0 . 30 mmol / ml , k2hpo4 — 0 . 85 mmol / ml , kh2po4 — 0 . 30 mmol / ml and nahco3 — 0 . 20 mmol / ml . from this solution 7 . 5 ml containing kcl — 2 . 25 mmol , k2hpo4 — 6 . 38 mmol , kh2po4 — 2 . 25 mmol and nahco3 — 1 . 5 mmol were taken and added in 92 . 5 ml of additive solutions i and ii . as a result of concentration of ions , in these additive solutions made : k + — 173 mm ; na + — 15 mm ; cl − — 22 . 5 mm ; hpo4 — 86 mm ; hco3 — 15 mm . then 20 ml of the pc , containing verapamil and mgcl2 ( 10 mm ), were each added 45 ml of the additive solutions containing the specified ions , i . e . at such dilution the concentration of the added ions reduced to 0 . 69 from their concentration in the stock additive solutions . in a final solution containing platelets , the concentration of ions , assuming the plasma ions , made : k + — 121 mm ; na + — 55 mm ; mg 2 + — 3 . 4 mm ; cl − — 54 . 2 mm ; hpo 4 − — 60 mm ; hco 3 − — 13 . 4 mm ; so 4 2 − — 0 . 06 mm . thus , in a final solution the concentration of the added ions were close to their concentration inside cells , though in the solution the concentration of na and cl ions considerably exceeded them . the microscopy of the assays taken from bags with numbers 1 demonstrated that at a room temperature the gel survived in the solutions though in the assays taken from the bags with numbers 2 and 3 , no gel was found , however the solutions were viscous . therefore , it was difficult to analyze disks in such solution with high viscosity . the microfragments , single dendrites , small platelet aggregates and altered disks were found in these assays . moreover , in the assays taken from the bags with numbers 2 and 3 no gel was found , though the solutions were viscid . in the assays single microfragments , single platelet aggregates and discoid platelets were found . the discoid platelets have both perfect and altered shape . the relation between perfect and altered discs were about 1 : 4 . the altered discs were oblong and convex , many of them had one pseudopodium each . besides , in the assays from the bags 2 and 3 some single microfragments , single platelet aggregates and conglutinated platelets . besides in many assays taken from the bags the balloons were also found out . after centrifugation and washing out of the platelet , microfragments and small platelet aggregates were found almost in every assay . in a stage e519 , the following experiments were carried out . one assay taken from bag 1 upon storage at t + 2c , at first was warmed up to t + 37c in a water bath , and then was rested in the incubator at temperature + 37c within 30 minutes . then rate of disks in this assay was determined . as it was found out subsequently , this rate of disks was higher , than in then that one in the assay taken from bag 1 and stored at ambient temperature within 3 hours . after storing the assays taken from bags 1 , 2 and 3 , at temperature + 28c within 3 hours the platelet morphology was determined and the ri was filled in with these data . in about an hour , the platelet morphology was determined repeatedly in these assays which had been held at the specified temperature . the rate of disks had essentially increased . this data demonstrated that after storage at + 2c and warming up , a sphere - to - disc transformation occurred in the assays at an ambient temperature , as well as at + 37c . it is necessary to note that the platelets transformed in a solution containing ions not in a physiological concentration . in the analysis supplement immediately below we are providing a statistical analysis of data obtained on the platelet concentration , osmolality and ph of solutions , percents of disks , hsr and esc and optical densities d o . the average values of the platelet of parameters expressed in percentage in relation to these parameters in the stock prp are submitted in the table . and the stock platelet concentrations in all bags were so that after getting in 2 . 25 volumes of an additive solution in pc the platelet count depressed up to 0 . 31 . in the summary table the average value of the platelet count , percents of disks , hsr and esc in all bags after storage are given at temperature + 2c . confidence intervals appropriate to confidence probability are specified there 0 . 95 . thus , a significance level of the received parameters p ≦ 0 . 05 , i . e . with the probability 0 . 05 the measured parameters can fall outside the range of confidence intervals . summary table : e ( 508 - 509 ), e ( 512 - 513 ), e ( 516 - 517 ), e ( 519 - 524 ); p ≦ 0 . 05 . concentration , discs , hsr , esc , % % % % bag 1 : 78 ± 30 . 1 20 ± 21 . 5 33 ± 60 . 8 12 ± 22 . 7 starch - 1 . 4 %, sucrose - 1 . 4 %. bag 2 : 65 ± 31 . 6 12 ± 18 . 7 22 ± 44 . 0 7 ± 25 . 9 pvp - 3 %, sucrose - 1 . 4 % bag 3 : 68 ± 26 . 4 9 ± 12 . 0 25 ± 30 . 7 7 ± 23 . 8 pvp - 3 %, sucrose - 1 . 4 % in fig1 and 3 , the temporary dependences of the average parameters ( platelet count , percent of disks , hsr and esc ), obtained for bags 1 , 2 , 3 , respectively , are given : 24 hours — e ( 463 - 472 ); 48 hours — e ( 473 - 482 ); 120 hours — e ( 493 - 502 ); 168 hours — e ( 503 - 507 ); e ( 510 - 511 ); e ( 514 - 515 ); e518 ; 240 hours — e ( 508 - 509 ), e ( 512 - 513 ), e ( 516 - 517 ), e ( 519 - 524 ). as it is visible from the given data , the platelet parameters of thrombocytes change in wide ranges . apparently , it is a consequence of individual properties of the pc donors , which are caused by composition of plasma , frame and defects of membranes of the platelets . an additive solution and rate of cooling of the pc solutions may affect the platelet safety and functions , which varies within some range . based on the results of the described experiments it follows , that at a presence of pvp the disks survive , though in a pvp solution a weak gel form . apparently , the molecules pvp protect the platelet membranes during fast cooling and , partially keeping free water in a solution , interfere the platelet swelling . the molecules of sucrose , penetrating through transmembrane defects , may raise the osmolality of the cytoplasma and promote the platelet swelling . after storage , the platelet function determined by hsr and esc values were depressed in pvp solution . the factor causing loss of the platelet functions appeared to be a redistribution of extracellular and endocellular ions because of gradients of their concentration . as a result , the concentration of ions of na and cl raised during shelf - life at temperature + 2c . after warming up to ambient temperature and disintegration of gel in the pc solution , a swelling of the platelets occurred accompanied by an excretion of amino acids from cells . another factor , owing to which hsr has dropped , may be due to the partial swelling of the cytoplasma causing occurrence of transmembrane defects , in pvp solution , forming a weak gel . and in the cytoplasma of the platelets , being in bags with numbers 3 and cooled down to t − 3c , more viscid gel was formed , than in the cytoplasma of the platelets being in bags with numbers 2 and cooled down to t + 2c . thus , cooling down and the endurance of the platelets at subzero temperatures , may promote transferring the cytoplasma in a phase of gel and promote disks and platelet functions survival but under these conditions in a solution a gel with a definite viscosity should be present . the results on storing the pc solutions demonstrate that the most significant changes of the platelet parameters occur during cooling - off period and storage within 24 hours at temperature t + 2c . and in a solution containing hes , the drop of the platelet parameters is more , than in a solution containing pvp , in this period of time . at further storage the average parameters of the platelets in both solutions are averaged . from here it follows , that at a fast cooling pvp protects the platelet membranes to a greater degree than hes . in view of that , in a solution containing pvp , less viscid gel is formed , than in a solution containing hes , in the first solution the degree of the platelets swelling is more , than in the second solution . as a result , the rate of decreasing of the platelet parameters in a solution containing pvp is greater . the other factor causing dropping of the platelet functions is the accumulation of intermediate products of biochemical reactions in cells during long - term storage of the platelets at temperature + 2c . on the one hand , these intermediate products having high osmolality and promote the platelet swelling . and , on the other hand , rising of their concentration results in inhibition of metabolism and dropping of hsr and esc of the platelets after storage . also it is possible , that the platelet functions are depressed owing to small gradients of concentration of the extracellular and endocellular ions and decrease of absolute sizes of membrane potentials . during shelf - life of the platelets from 24 till 48 hours the rise of the percents of disks and esc in the assays taken from bags 2 and 3 and containing pvp was observed . it specifies that during this period of time , a healing of transmembrane defects occurred during cooling platelets . if in the described conditions the integrity of membranes is substantially preserved , we could expect a reduction of the disk shape and functions of the platelets in vivo after their infusion and circulation in a blood channel . it is necessary to note that esc values , which was determined after centrifugation and the washing out platelets , were not equal to zero in the assays taken from all bags . in these assays however only the single disks were determined . there may be at least two reasons for such phenomenon : first , in the assays there was an appreciable amount of non - identified discs ; and secondly , getting in adp in prp had induced the platelet activation , accompanied by a reaction of release and occurrence of microparticles , that has declined prp transmission coefficient . as it was already specified above , in the assays taken from bags with numbers 2 and 3 , single microparticles were observed . on oblique acknowledgement of the low amount of microparticles serve the dropping of optical densities of the pc solution in the bags with numbers 2 and 3 after storage at t + 2c . the transformation of the platelets is accompanied by reaction of release and vesiculation of their membranes . therefore a small amount of microparticles in the pc is the oblique certificate only of partial disc - to - sphere transformation of the platelets after cooling and storage in solutions containing pvp and sucrose . as it was specified earlier , after fast warming up to t + 22c in the pc solutions , the gel survived in which it is difficult to identify the platelets count . therefore , the assays of the pc solutions were held at temperature + 25c to + 28c , at which there was a disintegration of gel within 3 - 4 hours . perhaps , during this period of time both disc - to - sphere and reverse transformation of the platelet occurred . from here it follows , that for exact analysis of rate of discoid platelets it is necessary to fix their shapes either at temperature + 2c , or at ambient temperature upon warming up with the help of special chemical solutions . this need is urgent , as the rate of the discs survived is a major parameter , on which the efficiency of additive solutions and conditions of storage of the platelets is determined . thus , for proceeding with optimization of the compositions of additive solutions , the rates of cooling and platelet storage conditions first of all a technique of fixing platelet and analyze actual rate of the discoid platelets survived . test results of the stages e ( 508 - 509 ), e ( 512 - 513 ), e ( 516 - 517 ), e ( 519 - 524 ) experiments made under invariable conditions 1 . 1 . processing of the results made on relative indexes given in relation to the parameters of test t1 . the values of the parameters under the test t1 are accepted for 100 %. the value of relative indexes under the tests t2 to t7 , specified in the tables below , were determined under the general formula : where ri — value of a relative index on test “ i ”, %; pti — absolute value of parameter on test “ i ”; pt1 — absolute value of parameter under the test t1 . 1 . 2 . mathematical expectation ( average arithmetic ) mre and average quadratic deviation σre were determined under the formulas : mre = 1 / nσre ; σre =[ 1 /( n − 1 ) σ ( re − mre ) 2 ] 1 / 2 , 1 . 3 . estimation of confidence intervals : the bottom value rb and top rt — was made with confidence probability 0 . 95 ( quantile up = 1 , 985 ). 2 . 1 . the results of definition of relative indexes of parameter pi . concentration are specified in the table 1 . table 4 experiment t1 t2 t3 t4 t5 t6 t7 e508 100 15 single 7 single 10 single e509 100 18 single 18 single 14 single e512 100 13 single 4 single single single e513 100 33 single 20 single 9 single e516 100 26 single 21 single 10 single e517 100 single single single single single single e519 100 26 single 9 single 9 single e520 100 13 single single single 6 single e521 100 39 single 21 single 18 single e522 100 10 single single single single single e523 100 23 single 22 single 13 single e524 100 27 single 21 single 14 single mdiscs — 20 12 9 σdiscs — 10 . 8 9 . 4 6 . 0 σdiscs * up — 21 . 5 18 . 7 12 . 0 discs b — − 1 . 5 − 6 . 7 − 3 . 0 discs t — 41 . 5 30 . 7 21 . 0 2 . 4 . the results of definition of relative indexes of parameter of dendrites are specified in the table 5 . in this example , the possibility of saving discoid platelets and the platelet functionality in gelling solution containing starch — 1 . 4 %, sucrose — 1 . 4 %; and pvp — 1 %, 2 %, 3 % at t + 2c by cooling down to t + 2c at the rate 1 degree c ./ sec . under atmospheric pressure , was investigated . the whole blood collected from one donor was centrifuged at acceleration 1740 g for 4 minutes at t + 22c . the prp was extracted in a satellite bag and was centrifuged at acceleration 4323 g for 6 minutes at temperature + 22c . the supernatant layer of the plasma was excreted and the volume of suspended plasma with the platelet plaque made 60 ml . the bags with plasma containing platelet plaques were placed on the rocker at t + 22c , where they were rested for 20 to 22 hours . these bags were assayed and the platelet concentration in the pc was identified . then the assay taken from the pc ( test 1 ) was tested . the bags were added the verapamil solution , so that the final concentration made 5 mg / l . the bags were placed on the rocker at t + 22c , where they were rested for 30 minutes . then the pc was added the solution of mgcl2 so that its final concentration made 0 . 95 g / l ( 10 mm ). then each bag with the pc collected from one donor was split into 3 sets of bags , each containing 20 ml . the bags with numbers 1 were added 2 . 25 volumes of an additive solution containing starch — 2 %, sucrose — 2 %; and pvp ( 12600 ± 1400 da )— 1 . 45 %, in a solution “ transvect .” in view of dilution the concentrations , the concentration of hes and sucrose were 1 . 4 % and that of pvp — 2 %. the osmolality of this pc solution made 329 to 333 mosm / l . the bags with numbers 2 were added 2 . 25 volumes of an additive solution containing starch — 2 %, sucrose — 2 %; and pvp ( 12600 ± 1400 da )— 2 %, in a solution “ transvect .” in view of dilution the concentrations the concentration of hes and sucrose were 1 . 4 % and that of pvp — 2 %. the osmolality of this pc solution made 340 to 343 mosm / l . the bags with numbers 3 were added 2 . 25 volumes of an additive solution containing starch — 2 %, sucrose — 2 %; and pvp ( 12600 ± 1400 da )— 4 . 35 %, in a solution “ transvect .” in view of dilution the concentrations the concentration of hes and sucrose were 1 . 4 % and that of pvp — 3 %. the osmolality of this pc solution made 357 to 361 mosm / l . the final concentration of inhibitors made : verapamil — 1 . 55 mg / l ; mgcl2 — 0 . 29 g / l ( 3 . 1 mm ). the pc with the additive solutions from the bags was distilled in satellite bags through the silicon drainage tube being in a bath with a cooled saline solution . the satellite bags were in an ice bath at temperature + 1c , and the silicon drainage tube was in a saline solution at temperature − 8 . 5c . the temperature of the pc with an additive solution was controlled at the output from the silicon drainage tube with the help of the thermocouple . this temperature made + 0 . 5c to + 4c . the rates of cooling of solutions from + 18c down to + 6c made 0 . 99 to 1 . 21 degree c ./ sec . ( average rate is 1 . 04 degree c ./ sec . ), and average cooling - off period of solutions in the specified interval of temperatures — 11 . 5 seconds . then these bags were transferred to the incubator at temperature + 2c . after storage for 24 hours the bags with numbers 1 , 2 and 3 were warmed up to t + 22c in the water bath and assayed for testing : test 2 for the bags with numbers 1 , test 4 for the bags with numbers 2 , and test 6 for the bags with numbers 3 . the tubes with the assays were placed on a bay at a room temperature ( t + 25 . 5c ) were they were rested for 3 - 4 hours before the percent of the platelet shape was determined . during this time , the assay were test with solutions : platelet concentration and osmolality and ph of solutions , and also testing of the washed out platelet - hsr and esc , except for the already specified parameters . the assays taken from bags were centrifuged at acceleration 1460 g for 10 minutes . the supernatant layer of plasma was excreted and the volume was brought in to the stock volume with the donor plasma . the prp assays were placed on the rocker at temperature + 22c , where they were rested for 1 hour . then these assays were tested : test 3 for bags with numbers 1 , test 5 for bags with numbers 2 , test 7 for bags with numbers 3 . the microscopy of the assays taken from bags with numbers 1 demonstrated that at a room temperature the gel survived in the solutions . therefore , it was difficult to analyze disks in such solution with high viscosity . some microfragments , single platelet aggregates , dendrites and altered disks were found in these assays , though there were no platelet aggregates . the discoid platelets have both perfect and altered shapes . the relation between perfect and altered discs were about 1 : 4 . the altered discs were oblong and convex , many of them had one pseudopodium each . besides , in some assays taken from these bags , some conglutinated platelets were found . after centrifugation and washing out of the platelet , microfragments and small platelet aggregates were found almost in each assay . the analysis supplement immediately below shows a statistical analysis of data obtained for the platelet concentration , osmolality and ph of solutions , percents of disks , hsr and esc and optical densities d o . the average values of the platelet parameters expressed in percentage in relation to these parameters in the stock prp are submitted in the table below . and the stock platelet concentrations in all bags were so that after getting in 2 . 25 volumes of an additive solution in the pc the platelet count has depressed down to 0 . 31 . the summary table shows the average value of the platelet count , percents of disks , hsr and esc in all bags after storage at temperature + 2c . confidence intervals appropriate to confidence probability are specified there 0 . 95 . thus , a significance level of the received parameters p ≦ 0 . 05 , i . e . with the probability 0 . 05 the measured parameters can fall outside the range of confidence intervals . summary table : e ( 544 - 548 ); p ≦ 0 . 05 . concentration , discs , hsr , esc , % % % % bag 1 : 74 ± 24 . 0 39 ± 33 . 1 90 ± 39 . 4 18 ± 33 . 4 starch - 1 . 4 %, sucrose - 1 . 4 %, pvp - 1 % bag 2 : 90 ± 11 . 5 39 ± 35 . 3 83 ± 73 . 6 21 ± 24 . 6 starch - 1 . 4 %, sucrose - 1 . 4 %, pvp - 2 .%. bag 3 : 85 ± 19 . 3 44 ± 23 . 7 84 ± 79 . 0 27 ± 8 . 4 starch - 1 . 4 %, sucrose - 1 . 4 %, pvp - 3 .% as is visible from these data in a solution containing 1 . 4 % of hes , 1 . 4 % of sucrose and 3 % pvp ( bag 3 ), the average percents of disks and esc were the highest , the average concentration of the platelets and hsr does not differ much from their maximal values . the dropping of the platelet concentration in a bag 1 may have been caused by small concentration of pvp that did not save the integrity of the platelet membranes after cooling at the rate 1 deg . c ./ sec . and the platelet concentration in a bag 1 was caused , apparently , by elevated concentration of pvp , at which a viscid gel formed in the solution pc , that deformed a liquid crystal membranes of the platelets after cooling down to + 2c . test results of the stages e ( 544 - 548 ) experiments , made under invariable conditions 1 . 1 . processing of the results made on relative indexes given in relation to the parameters of test t1 . the values of the parameters under the test t1 are accepted for 100 %. the value of relative indexes under the tests t2 . . . t7 , specified in the tables below , were determined under the general formula : where ri — value of a relative index on test “ i ”, %; pti — absolute value of parameter on test “ i ”; pt1 — absolute value of parameter under the test t1 . 1 . 2 . mathematical expectation ( average arithmetic ) mre and average quadratic deviation σre were determined under the formulas : mre = 1 / nσre ; σre =[ 1 /( n − 1 ) σ ( re − mre ) 2 ] 1 / 2 , 1 . 3 . estimation of confidence intervals : the bottom value rb and top rt — was made with confidence probability 0 . 95 ( quantile up = 1 , 985 ). 2 . 1 . the results of definition of relative indexes of parameter pi . concentration are specified in the table 1 . table 4 experiment t1 t2 t3 t4 t5 t6 t7 e544 100 45 single 35 single 40 single e545 100 18 single 22 single 31 single e546 100 32 single 33 single 60 single e547 100 63 single 67 single 52 single e548 100 36 single 38 single 36 single mdiscs — 39 39 44 σdiscs — 16 . 7 16 . 8 11 . 9 σdiscs * up — 33 . 1 33 . 3 23 . 7 discs b — 5 . 9 5 . 7 20 . 3 discs t — 72 . 1 72 . 3 67 . 7 2 . 5 . the results of definition of relative indexes of parameter of dendrites are specified in the table 5 . while the invention has been described with reference to the aforementioned specification , the descriptions and illustrations of the preferred embodiments herein are not meant to be construed in a limiting sense . it shall be understood that all aspects of the invention are not limited to the specific depictions , configurations or relative proportions set forth herein which depend upon a variety of conditions and variables . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed . many modifications and variations will be apparent . various modifications in form and detail of the embodiments of the invention , as well as other variations of the invention , will be apparent to a person skilled in the art upon reference to the present disclosure . it is therefore contemplated that the appended claims shall cover any such modifications , variations or equivalents of the described embodiments as falling within the true spirit and scope of the invention .	0
it has now been discovered that , by incorporating a polymaleimide compound into water - based adhesives , dramatic and unexpected improvements in performance can be realized . the water - based adhesives into which the polymaleimide compounds may be incorporated generally include a latex and an aromatic nitroso compound . the latex is generally a latex of a polymerized conjugated diene , such as polybutadiene , and may be a homopolymer , a copolymer , or a terpolymer as described in sadowski , u . s . pat . no . 4 , 483 , 962 , the disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference . the polymeric latex is preferably halogenated , and most preferably dihalogenated . while the halogen may be selected from the group consisting of chlorine , bromine , and iodine , chlorine is most preferred . in a particularly preferred embodiment , the latex is poly - 2 , 3 - dichlorobutadiene latex or poly - 1 , 1 , 2 - trichlorobutadiene latex . the aromatic nitroso compound is generally a poly - c - nitroso compound , and may be based on any aromatic hydrocarbon , including benzene , naphthalene , anthracene , and biphenyl . the aromatic hydrocarbon may include from 1 to 3 aromatic nuclei , and contains from 2 to 6 nitroso groups attached to the ring or rings at non - adjacent positions . the aromatic nitroso compound is preferably a nitrosobenzene , and most preferably para - dinitrosobenzene . it should be noted that the nuclear hydrogen atoms of the aromatic nucleus or nuclei may be substituted , such as with alkyl , alkoxy , cycloalkyl , aryl , arylkyl , alkyryl , aryl amine , aryl nitroso , or amino groups , or with halogen . the polymaleimide to be incorporated into the adhesive system is of aliphatic or aromatic character and contains at least two maleimide groups . preferred are such aromatic polymaleimides having from 1 to about 100 aromatic nuclei wherein the maleimide groups are directly attached to each adjacent aromatic ring . particularly preferred polymaleimide compounds have the formula : ## str2 ## wherein x is from 1 to about 100 . such polymaleimides are common materials of commerce and are sold under different trade names by different companies , such as m - 20 polymaleimide by mitsui toatsu . the latex is typically prepared by emulsion polymerization of the desired monomer from about 10 to about 60 % weight total solids content . more preferably the emulsion is prepared from about 25 to about 50 % weight total solids content , and most preferably the total solids content is from about 40 to about 45 % weight . the amount of latex present in the adhesive composition may be from about 25 to about 40 % by weight of the total adhesive formulation . preferably , the latex is present in amount of from about 30 to about 40 % by total weight , with a range of from about 33 to about 37 % by total weight being most preferred . a mill base of aromatic nitroso compound prepared at about 40 % total solids content should be present in the adhesive composition in an amount of from about 40 to about 60 % by weight of the total adhesive formulation . preferably , the aromatic nitroso compound should be present in an amount of from about 45 to about 59 % by weight of the total adhesive formulation , and most preferably in an amount of from about 50 to about 54 % by weight the polymaleimide component should form from about 1 to about 60 % by weight of the total solids content . it is preferred to include the polymaleimide in an amount of from about 1 to about 45 % by weight of the total solids content , and in a particularly preferred embodiment the polymaleimide is present in the amount of from about 1 to about 30 % by weight of the total solids content . water is present in the adhesives in an amount sufficient to yield a final solids content of between about 10 and 70 percent , preferably of between about 20 and 60 percent , and most preferably of between about 30 and 50 percent . the adhesives of the present invention may optionally include additives , such as fillers , extenders , coloring agents , carbon black , metallic oxides , surfactants , filmforming agents , and viscosity modifiers . any suitable method may be employed to blend the components described above into the adhesives of the present invention . generally , a masterbatch of the nitroso compound will first be prepared using , e . g ., a ball mill . the polymaleimide may then be blended into the masterbatch , which is then blended with the latex . water is added to the blend to produce the desired final solids content . the resulting adhesive formulation is then applied to a primed metal surface to be bonded . metals to which natural and synthetic rubber may be bonded according to the present invention include steel , other ferrous alloys , aluminum , etc . the metal surface may then be primed with adhesive primers such as chemlok 205 solvent - based primer or chemlok aqueous primer compositions , both available commercially from lord corporation . after the primer coat has been allowed sufficient time to dry , the adhesive composition of the present invention may be applied by any suitable means , including dipping , spraying , and brushing the adhesively prepared substrate is then permitted to dry , either at ambient conditions or under forced drying conditions , and bonding of the natural or synthetic rubber to the metal surface is carried out under the appropriate conditions of time , temperature , and pressure sufficient to effect bonding the present invention may be further appreciated by reference to the following examples , which are in no way limiting . ______________________________________ batchingredient a b c d e f g______________________________________dichlorobuta - 87 87 87 87 87 87 87diene latexpara - dinitroso - 149 149 149 149 149 149 149benzene millbasem - 20 polymalei - 0 2 . 5 5 10 20 30 40midewater sufficient 40 40 40 40 40 40 40to yield totalsolids content of : ______________________________________ the para - dinitrosobenzene millbase of example 1 is prepared from an admixture of the following components : 100 parts of dinitrosobenzene ; 5 parts of surfactant polywet z1766 ( commercially available from uniroyal , inc . ); 5 parts of an acid scavenger such as a lead salt ; 40 parts of carbon black sterling ns ( commercially available from cabot corporation ); 0 . 07 parts of sodium hydroxide ; 1 part of a dispersant aid such as marasperse cbos - 3 ( commercially available from american can company ); and sufficient deionized water to bring the millbase to 45 % total solids content . the adhesive formulations from example 1 are used to bond solvent - wiped , grit blasted , or zinc phosphatized steel to sulfur vulcanizable natural rubber or synthetic elastomers . the metal parts are primed with either solvent - based primer ( chemlok 205 ), or water - based primer . rubber assemblies were cured for appropriate times and at appropriate temperatures as determined by rheometer , and then tested for peel adhesion by either astm d429b or astm d429c . ______________________________________primary adhesionastm d - 429 - b modified to 45 ° peel anglerubber a b c d e f g______________________________________i 44 # -- 45 # 40 # 45 # 41 # -- 100tr 100r 100r 100r 100rii 45 # -- 50 # 49 # 44 # 50 # -- 100tr 100tr 100tr 100tr 100triii 46 # sb -- 44 # sb 48 # sb 48 # sb 47 # sb -- 100r 100r 100r 100r 100riv 166 # -- 162 # 166 # 169 # 176 # -- 100r 100r 100r 100r 100rv 105 # -- 110 # 114 # 110 # 111 # -- 100r 100r 100r 100r 100r______________________________________ rubber codes i = natural rubber ( high durometer ) ii = natural rubber ( intermediate durometer ) iii = natural rubber ( low durometer ) iv = styrenebutadiene rubber v = neoprene adhesion codes r = percent rubber adhesion tr = thin rubber retention sr = step rubber ( heavy ) sb = stock break rc = rubberto - cement failure as can be clearly seen , batches a , c , d , e , and f yield similar results in primary adhesion testing . similar results were also obtained for these batches upon exposure to salt fog for 72 hours ; all batches gave 100r . in the following test , bonded assemblies were prepared by tying the rubber back with wire to expose and stress the bond line and were then submerged in boiling water for 2 . 0 hours . ______________________________________a b c d e f g______________________________________25r , rc -- 25r , rc 68r , rc 100r 100r -- ______________________________________ in the following test , the adhesive strength of bonded conical assemblies were tested at a temperature of approximately 280 ° f ., using astm d - 429 - c . all adhesive batches were tested with a difficult - to - bond nr - sbr blend which typically exhibits poor hot tear strength . ______________________________________hot tear resistancea b c d e f g______________________________________130 # 131 # 152 # 184 # 175 # 194 # 193 # 33r , 30r , 30r , 70r , 30tr 78r , 22tr 83r , rc 83r , rc rc rc rc______________________________________ the above examples conclusively demonstrate that dramatic improvements in boiling water resistance and in hot tear resistance may be achieved by adding polymaleimide to a water - based , butadiene latex / nitroso adhesive system . particularly effective are formulations d and e , where total rubber retention is 100 %. the adhesive formulations found in the following table includes batches h , i , j , k , m and a containing no polymaleimide compound and batch l containing polymaleimide compound . batches h , i , j , k and m contain varying amounts of bismaleimide . ______________________________________ batchingredient h i j k l m a______________________________________dichlorobuta - 87 87 87 87 87 87 87diene latexp - dinitrosoben - 149 149 149 149 119 119 149zene millbasem - 20 polymalei - -- -- -- -- 10 -- -- midem - phenylene - 2 . 5 [ 5 10 15 ] -- -- -- bismaleimide [ unstable , resulted in phase separation ] bmi - s bismalei - -- -- -- -- -- 10 -- mide ( p , p &# 39 ;- di - phenylmethane - bismaleimide ) water sufficient 40 40 40 40 40 40 40to yield totalsolids content of : ______________________________________ ______________________________________h i j k l m a______________________________________ -- 17r 20r 0r 100r 13r 25r______________________________________ as can be clearly seen , batch l yields 100 % rubber adhesion while the other batches containing the bismaleimide yield unacceptable rubber adhesion . in fact , batches h , i , j , k and m which included bismaleimide yielded poorer rubber adhesion than did batch a which contained no bismaleimide . the table on the following page demonstrate the effects of increasing amounts of polymaleimide on primary adhesion , boiling water resistance , and salt fog resistance for a number of elastomers boded to steel . the effect of maleimide level is most significant in terms of boiling water resistance with high durometer natural rubber . primary adhesion and salt fog tests are not discriminating , as demonstrated by the fact that performance of the control formulation containing no polymaleimide is satisfactory in those tests . __________________________________________________________________________screening study : effect of m20 in ep4987 - 1 test parts m - 20 on 100 parts adhesive solidselastomer astm d429 - b , c 0 5 10 20 30__________________________________________________________________________natural rubber primary adhesiondurometer 62 0 &# 39 ; prebake 76 # 66sr , 34tr 90 # 83r , 17tr 83 # 100sr 90 # 100sr 68 # 66sr , 34tr 5 &# 39 ; prebake 44 # 100tr 46 # 100tr 45 # 100tr 47 # 100tr 29 # 100tr boiling water ( 2 hr .) 25r , rc 25r , rc 68r , rc 100r 100r salt fog ( 72 hr .) 100r 100r 100r 100r 100rnatural rubber primary adhesiondurometer 47 0 &# 39 ; prebake 45 # 100tr 41 # 100tr 40 # 100tr 46 # 100tr 50 # 100tr 5 &# 39 ; prebake 45 # 100tr 47 # 100tr 53 # 100tr 49 # 100tr 46 # 100tr boiling water ( 2 hr .) 100r 100r 100r 100r 100rnatural rubber primary adhesion 46 # 100r , sb 44 # 100r , sb 48 # 100r , sb 47 # 100r , sb 47 # 100r , sbdurometer 42styrene - primary adhesion 166 # 100r , sb 162 # 100r , sb 166 # 100r , sb 169 # 100r , sb 176 # 100r , sbbutadienerubberneoprene primary adhesion 105 # 100r 110 # 100r 114 # 100r 110 # 100r 111 # 100r__________________________________________________________________________ code : r = percent rubber retention tr = thin rubber retention sr = step rubber ( heavy ) sb = stock break rc = rubberto - cement failure naturally , while the present invention has been described by reference to certain specific means , methods , and materials its scope is not to be considered limited thereby , but extends to any and all equivalent means , methods , and materials by which the present invention may be practiced .	2
with respect to fig1 a , a prior art tofms 1 is shown , with an ion source 2 , interface 3 , reflectron 4 , linear detector 5 , and reflector detector 6 . in fig1 , ions are generated in the source 2 by , for example , electrospray ionization . ions are accelerated through , and out of , the ion source 2 along path 7 . in the interface 3 , the ions are accelerated in a direction which is orthogonal to their original direction of motion . after this acceleration , ions are deflected onto a trajectory 8 which is truly orthogonal to their original direction of motion given by path 7 . the tof mass analysis takes place in a plane which is orthogonal to path 7 . an example ion path 9 through the spectrometer in this plane is depicted in fig1 b . the tof mass analysis begins in interface 3 where ions are accelerated by an electric field and deflected onto a proper trajectory . ions pass out of the interface and drift through the spectrometer until arriving at reflectron 4 . if the reflectron is deenergized , the ions will drift through the reflectron and strike detector 5 . if the reflectron is energized , however , the ions will be reflected and eventually strike detector 6 according to path 9 . by measuring the time required for the ions to move from their starting point in the interface to one of the detectors , the mass to charge ratio of the ions can be determined . the mass and relative abundance of the ions is determined by measuring the time required for the ions to travel from their starting point in the interface to one of the detectors and the signal intensity at the detectors respectively . with respect to fig2 , a block diagram of an ion source 2 and interface 3 is shown . ions generated in ion source 2 travel through interface 3 according to ion paths 12 and 13 . the interface consists of a repeller plate 10 , extraction grid 11 , grounded grid 14 , and deflection system 15 . repeller plate 10 is a metal plate which lies in a plane parallel to ion path 12 and perpendicular to the final direction of ion motion given by path 13 . extraction grid 11 and grounded grid 14 are composed of fine mesh metal grid ( e . g . 90 % transmission , 70 lines per inch ) mounted on metal rings . elements 11 and 14 lie in planes parallel to repeller plate 10 . deflection system 15 may take on a variety of forms as will be detailed below . when elements 10 and 11 are deenergized — that is when elements 10 and 11 are held at ground electrical potential — ions from source 2 may pass freely through the interface according to path 12 . when energized , a potential difference is imposed between elements 10 and 11 and between elements 11 and 14 . those ions which are between elements 10 and 11 when the potentials are applied are accelerated by the resulting electric fields along paths which are parallel to example ion path 13 . even though the electric fields between elements 10 and 14 accelerate the ions in a direction which is orthogonal to path 12 , the ions retain their initial velocity in the axial direction ( i . e . in the direction given by path 12 ). as a result , the ions enter deflection system 15 moving in a direction which is not exactly orthogonal to path 12 . typically , ions enter deflection system 15 moving in a direction which is 3 to 6 degrees from the orthogonal direction . because the tof mass analysis occurs in the orthogonal direction , the deflection system must turn the ions onto a path which is orthogonal to path 12 . with respect to fig3 , a block diagram of an ion source 2 and interface 3 is shown with deflection plates 16 and 17 used as the deflection system . deflection plates 16 and 17 are metal plates which are placed parallel to one another on opposite sides of the expected path of the ion beam in planes which are perpendicular to the direction in which the ion beam is to be deflected . assuming the ions are positively charged , the plate which the ions are to be deflected away from will be maintained at a positive potential . the opposing deflection plate will be maintained at an equally negative potential . thus , an electric field is produced between deflection plates 16 and 17 which then deflects the ions in the axial direction . however , as the ions enter and exit this electric field , they are also accelerated in the orthogonal direction . as a result , the flight time of ions through the electric field will vary depending on the position at which the ions enter and exit the field . in fig3 , two possible ion paths 18 and 19 are depicted in order to demonstrate that the ion beam has a significant width in the dimension in which it is to be deflected . positively charged ions entering the electric field close to positively biased deflection plate 16 have a longer flight time through the field than ions entering the field close to negatively biased deflection plate 17 . this dependence is approximated by : t = l 2 m ⁢ ( ε - qv 2 ⁢ ( 1 - 2 ⁢ x d ) ) ( 4 ) where t is the ion flight time through the field , l is the length of deflection plate in the orthogonal direction , m is the mass of the ion , ε is the kinetic energy of the ion , q is the charge on the ion , v is the potential difference between the plates , x is the distance between the ion and the positively biased plate when the ion enters the field , and d is the distance between the plates . because the mass of an ion is determined by its total flight time from the interface to the detector , variations in the flight times of ions as given in equation 4 result in loss of mass resolving power in the spectrometer as a whole . as given in equation 4 , the variation in ion flight times can be reduced by decreasing v and l . this has been accomplished in the design of the multideflector while maintaining the capabilities of the conventional deflection plate design . fig4 a is a side view depiction of a bipolar deflection plate which is essential to the construction of a multideflector according to the present invention . fig4 b is a bottom view depiction of a bipolar deflection plate which is essential to the construction of a multideflector according to the present invention . the bipolar deflection plate consists of two metal foils 21 and 22 separated from one another by insulator 20 . the total thickness of the deflection plate can be as little as 0 . 1 mm thick . as used in the bruker orthogonal tof mass spectrometer , the bipolar deflection plate is 0 . 11 mm thick and consists of a 25 um thick polyamide insulator , 18 um thick metal foils , and adhesive having a total of 50 um thickness which holds the two metal foils to the insulator . fig5 a is a side view depiction of the geometrical arrangement of bipolar deflection plates 23 , 24 , and 25 in a multideflector according to the present invention . fig5 b is a bottom view depiction of the geometrical arrangement of bipolar deflection plates in a multideflector according to the present invention . as shown , in fig5 , the bipolar deflection plates are placed adjacent and parallel to one another such that each side of every plate is facing the side of the adjacent plate which is of the opposite polarity . also note that , for the sake of convenience , the distance between adjacent plates is a constant . some of the advantages of the multideflector of the present invention over conventional deflection plates are demonstrated in fig6 a and 6b . fig6 a and 6b show a cross - sectional view of a set of conventional deflection plates and a multideflector respectively and a representative ion trajectory through the energized devices as determined by a numerical calculation . the calculations were performed assuming an ion entering from the left has a kinetic energy of 3 kev and is moving in a direction of 6 degrees from the orthogonal direction . the potentials on the devices were then adjusted so that the ion was deflected onto an orthogonal path ( i . e . a path from left to right ). it is easy to show that ions passing between two adjacent deflection plates of either device are deflected by an angle : tan ⁡ ( θ ) = qv ε ⁢ ( l d ) ( 5 ) where θ is the angle of deflection , v is the voltage on the plates , and l is the length of the plates in the orthogonal direction , q is the elemental charge , d is the distance between the plates , and e is the kinetic energy of the ion . thus , under a given set of conditions , one can obtain the same degree of deflection at , for example , half the voltage by doubling l or decreasing d by a factor of 2 . note that the scale of fig6 a and 6b are not identical . in fig6 a , the length of the deflection plates is 40 mm whereas in fig6 b the length of the plates is 10 mm . further , the distance between the plates of the conventional deflector was taken to be 40 mm so that it can accommodate the broad ion beams expected . in contrast , the distance between the plates of the multideflector as shown in fig6 b was chosen to be 3 mm . in order to accommodate broad ion beams , the plates of the multideflector are spaced across the expected ion beam path such that every ion of the beam must pass between a pair of deflection plates . one of the primary considerations in choosing the distance between the plates is that of transmission efficiency . in a first approximation , if the plates are 0 . 1 mm thick and the distance between the plates is 3 mm then about 3 % of the ion beam will collide with the plates while 97 % of the beam will pass through the device and be analyzed . a second consideration in selecting the distance between the plates in the multideflector is that of operating voltage . in accordance with equations 4 and 5 , lower voltages are desirable in order to maintain a high mass resolution . consequently , a small interplate distance is desirable . the selection of the interplate distance is thus a trade - off of transmission efficiency and mass resolution . the results of the simulation as shown in fig6 a indicate that + and − 200 v are required on plates 26 and 27 respectively in order to produce ion trajectory 28 . further , + and − 100 v are required on plates 29 through 33 in order to produce ion trajectory 34 . in accordance with equation 4 , the distribution in flight times of 1000 amu ions passing through the conventional deflector of fig6 a should span 111 ns . in contrast , because d and l are smaller for the multideflector , the distribution in flight times of these ions passing through the multideflector of fig6 b should span only 14 ns . this order of magnitude difference in the flight time distribution implies that the best mass resolution of the instruments in which they are used can also differ by an order of magnitude . another advantage of the multideflector over conventional deflection plates is depicted in fig7 a and 7b . in fig7 a and 7b the conventional deflection plates and the multideflector of fig6 a and 6b respectively are shown together with the 10 v equipotential lines associated with the devices under the conditions of fig6 . as seen in fig7 a , the + 10 v and − 10 v equipotential lines 35 and 36 respectively extend more than 40 mm to either side of the deflection plates . in contrast , as depicted in fig7 b , the + 10 v equipotential lines 37 , 39 , 41 , and 43 , and the − 10 v equipotential lines 38 , 40 , 42 , and 44 extend only about 1 mm to either side of the multideflector . clearly , the dipole character of the bipolar deflection plates of the multideflector confine the electric field of the multideflector to the immediate vicinity of the multideflector . in this regard , the multideflector is self shielding . this characteristic also makes the multideflector more predictable than the conventional deflector particularly in regard to the relationship between applied voltage and deflection angle . in accordance with equation 5 , ± 315 v should be applied to the conventional deflector of fig6 a in order to obtain the observed deflection . however , the actual voltage required is ± 200 v . this difference in the numerical and analytical results is the result of the extended field lines depicted in fig7 a . because the electric field extends so far from the deflector , the effective length , l , of the deflector is longer than the deflection plates . as predicted by equation 5 , a larger length leads to a smaller required deflection voltage . in contrast , because the multideflector is self shielding , the effective length is nearly the same as the length , l , of the plates . thus , the required deflection voltage of ± 95 v predict using equation 5 is in close agreement with the ± 100 v determined using the numerical calculation . in this manner , the predictability of the multideflector makes it a more practical device . in fig8 a diagram of multideflector 45 as used in the bruker orthogonal tof mass spectrometer is depicted . multideflector 45 consists of two insulating holders 46 and 47 , 16 bipolar deflection plates 48 , metal rods 49 a and 49 b for support and electrical contact , and two electrically grounded shields 50 . ions pass between plates 48 in a direction normal to the plane of the drawing . to make the multideflector inactive , rods 49 a and 49 b are held at ground potential . this in turn holds both sides of all the deflection plates at ground . when grounded , ions pass unperturbed through the multideflector . to energize multideflector 45 , rods 49 a and 49 b are biased to the same magnitude potential but with opposite polarities . because rod 49 a is electrically connected with the same side of all the deflection plates ( e . g . the left side ) and rod 49 b is electrically connected with the opposite side of every deflection plate ( e . g . the right side ), the deflection plates are biased as shown in fig5 a and 6b . ions passing through the energized device will be deflected as discussed above . fig9 is a depiction of bruker orthogonal tof interface including support rods 51 , baseplate 52 , repeller 54 , extraction grid 55 , ground grid 55 a , and multideflector 45 . when the repeller and extraction grid are at ground , ions generated in source 2 pass between the repeller and the extraction grid along path 53 . at appropriate intervals , the repeller and extraction grid are pulsed to a high electrical potential . ions between the repeller and extraction grid at the time of the pulse are accelerated in the orthogonal direction ( i . e . orthogonal to path 53 ) by the electric field established by the potentials on electrodes 54 , 55 , and 55 a . multideflector 45 deflects the ions so as to eliminate ion motion in the axial direction ( i . e . in the dimension of path 53 ). in this situation , the multideflector has an additional advantage over conventional deflectors because of its smaller size in the orthogonal direction . the ion beam produced by source 2 is typically composed of a variety of mass - to - charge ratio ions . often , the kinetic energy of these ions differs and is typically a function of mass . in the case of the bruker source , the kinetic energy of the ions is a linear function of mass . a conventional deflection system cannot be adjusted to simultaneously deflect all of these ions onto an orthogonal trajectory . however , by varying the voltage on the multideflector during the ion analysis , ions of every mass can be deflected onto an orthogonal path simultaneously . as depicted in fig9 , there is a distance of around 25 mm between the initial position of the ions and the multideflector . thus , some time is needed for the ions to travel this distance . this time is dependent on the mass of the ion . because the axial kinetic energy is directly related to the mass of the ion , the required angle of deflection and therefore deflection voltage is also directly related to the mass of the ion . so , the voltage applied to the multideflector may be adjusted such that at the time of arrival of a given mass ion , the multideflector voltage is set properly to deflect that mass ion . the function of applied voltage vs . time of analysis as used with the bruker source and interface is shown in fig1 . a conventional deflector cannot be used in this way because the size of the electric field in the orthogonal direction is too large . the flight time of an ion through the multideflector is about one sixth of that through the effective length of the conventional deflector discussed in fig7 a . according to fig1 , the potential applied to the multideflector changes little during this time (& lt ; 10 %). a similar approach taken with a conventional deflector would lead to a variation in voltage of about 50 % while the ion is in the deflector . this obviously would lead to improper deflection . one disadvantage of using the bipolar plates as described thus far is that they are planar and thus can deflect the ion beam through only a limited angle before the ions are deflected into collisions with the deflection plates themselves . thus , to accomplish large angles of deflection , for example 180 °, curved deflection plates would be useful . fig1 is a diagram of a curved plate multideflector . here bipolar plates 56 are curved so as to be parallel to expected ion paths 57 . because plates 56 are curved , the ions never collide with the plates . this curved plate concept can in principle can be applied to any degree of deflection and any ion path . the multideflector may be used to focus or defocus ions in the deflection dimension . fig1 a depicts a multideflector as used in non - focusing mode . here deflection plates 58 through 67 are all held at the same potentials . as a result , ion paths 68 through 76 are parallel to one another . that is all ions passing through the device will be deflected by the same angle . as depicted in fig1 b , the electric field strength within the multideflector in non - focusing mode is a constant . fig1 a depicts the multideflector as it is used in defocusing mode . in this case , the potentials on plates 58 through 67 are varied so as to produce the variation in electric field strength shown in fig1 b . this variation in electric field strength results in ions 68 through 76 being deflected by different degrees . ions which encounter a higher field strength are deflected by a larger angle as given by equation 5 . thus , ion path 68 shows a greater angle of deflection than ion path 76 , and the ion beam is defocused . in a similar manner , the ion beam may be focused by increasing the electric field strength as a function of position . fig1 a depicts the variation of the potentials on deflection plates 58 through 67 when the multideflector is used in focusing mode . fig1 b depicts the corresponding variation in the electric field strength with position . so in the case of fig1 , ion path 68 shows a smaller angle of deflection than ion path 76 and thus the ion beam is focused . similar focusing and defocusing effects can be obtained by varying the lengths of the deflection plates or the distances between them in accordance with equation 5 . while the foregoing embodiments of the invention have been set forth in considerable detail for the purposes of making a complete disclosure of the invention , it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that numerous changes may be made in such details without departing from the spirit and the principles of the invention .	7
reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . [ 0056 ] fig1 is a circuit diagram of an exemplary shift register of an lcd panel according to the present invention . in fig1 , a gate or data start pulse vst , four clock signals clk 1 - clk 4 each having different phases , and power drain voltages vdd and vss may be input to a shift register . in addition , the shift register may have five blocks of transistor each having similar structures . each of the five blocks may include first , second , third , fourth , fifth , sixth , seventh , eight , and ninth p - mos transistor tft 1 - tft 9 . in particular , the first transistor tft 1 may have drain and gate terminals to which the start pulse vst is supplied or connected to an output terminal of the previous block . for example , in the , first block , the drain and gate terminals of the first transistor tft 1 may be connected to receive the start pulse vst , and in the second block , the drain and gate terminals of the first transistor tft 1 may be connected to the first output terminal output 1 . the second transistor tft 2 may have a drain terminal connected to a source terminal of the first transistor tft 1 , and a gate terminal to which one of the four clock signals clk 1 - clk 4 may be supplied . for example , in the first block , the fourth clock signal clk 4 may be supplied , and in the second block , the first clock signal clk 1 may be supplied . in addition , the third transistor tft 3 may have a source terminal connected to a source terminal of the second transistor tft 2 , and a drain terminal connected to the vss terminal . the fourth transistor tft 4 may have a drain terminal connected to the vdd terminal , a gate terminal to which one of the four clock signals clk 1 - clk 4 is supplied , and a source terminal connected at a node qb to a gate terminal of the third transistor tft 3 . for example , in the first block , the third clock signal clk 3 may be supplied , and in the second block , the fourth clock signal clk 4 may be supplied . the fifth transistor tft 5 may have a drain terminal connected at the node qb to the source terminal of the fourth transistor tft 4 , a gate terminal connected to a contact node q between the source terminal of the second transistor tft 2 and the source terminal of the third transistor tft 3 , and a source terminal connected to the vss terminal . further , the sixth transistor tft 6 may have a drain terminal to which one of the four clock signals clk 1 - clk 4 is supplied , a gate terminal connected at the node q to the source terminal of the second transistor tft 2 , and a source terminal connected to a corresponding output terminal . for example , in the first block , the first clock signal clk 1 may be supplied , and in the second block , the second clock signal clk 2 may be supplied . in addition , in the first block , the source terminal of the sixth transistor tft 6 may be connected to the first output terminal output 1 , and in the second block , the source terminal of the sixth transistor tft 6 may be connected to the second output terminal output 2 . the seventh transistor tft 7 may have a drain terminal connected to the corresponding output terminal as the source terminal of the sixth transistor tft 6 , a gate terminal connected at the node qb to the source terminal of the fourth transistor tft 4 and the gate terminal of the third transistor tft 3 , and a source terminal connected to the vss terminal . the eighth transistor tft 8 may have drain and gate terminals connected to an output terminal of the next block . for example , in the first block , the drain and gate terminal of the eighth transistor tft 8 may be connected to the second output terminal output 2 . moreover , in the fifth block , the drain and gate terminals of the eight transistor tft 8 may instead receive the start pulse vst . the ninth transistor tft 9 may have a source terminal connected to a source terminal of the eighth transistor tft 8 , a gate terminal to which one of the four clock signals clk 1 - clk 4 is supplied , and a drain terminal connected at the node q to the source terminal of the second transistor tft 2 and the gate terminal of the sixth transistor tft 6 . for example , in the first block , the second clock signal clk 2 may be supplied , and in the second block , the third clock signal clk 3 may be supplied . moreover , a first capacitor may connect the gate terminal of the sixth transistor tft 6 to the vss terminal . a second capacitor c 2 may connect between the gate and source terminals of the sixth transistor tft 6 . in addition , a third capacitor c 3 may connect the gate terminal of the seventh transistor tft 7 to the vss terminal . accordingly , the first clock signal clk 1 may be supplied to the drain terminal of the sixth transistor tft 6 in the first and the fifth blocks , the gate terminal of the second transistor tft 2 in the second block , the gate terminal of the fourth transistor tft 4 in the third block , and the gate terminal of the ninth transistor tft 9 in the fourth block . the second clock signal clk 2 may be supplied to the gate terminal of the ninth transistor tft 9 in the first and fifth blocks , the drain terminal of the sixth transistor tft 6 in the second block , the gate terminal of the second transistor tft 2 in the third block , and the gate terminal of the fourth transistor tft 4 in the fourth block . in addition , the third clock signal clk 3 may be supplied to the gate terminal of the fourth transistor tft 4 in the first and fifth blocks , the gate terminal of the ninth transistor tft 9 in the second block , the drain terminal of the sixth transistor tft 6 in the third block , and the gate terminal of the second transistor tft 2 in the fourth block . the fourth clock signal clk 4 may be supplied to the gate terminal of the second transistor tft 2 in the first and fifth blocks , the gate terminal of the fourth transistor tft 4 in the second block , the gate terminal of the ninth transistor tft 9 in the third block , the drain terminal of the sixth transistor tft 6 in the fourth block . although not shown , if the driving circuit includes eight blocks , the clock signal may be equally supplied to each block of transistors . [ 0063 ] fig1 illustrates forward input and output waveforms of the exemplary shift register of the lcd panel of fig1 according to the present invention . in fig1 , the four clock signals may be low in sequence . for example , during a first time period , about 0 s - 20 μs , the start pulse may be set low ( 0v ), thereby turning the first transistor tft 1 ( of the first block in fig1 ) on . also , the fourth clock signal clk 4 may be low , thereby turning the second transistor tft 2 ( in fig1 ) on . as a result , the node q ( in fig1 ) may become low . accordingly , the sixth transistor tft 6 ( in fig1 ) may be turned on , thereby supplying the first clock signal clk 1 to the first output terminal output 1 ( in fig1 ). in addition , since the second transistor tft 2 ( in fig1 ) may be on , the fifth transistor tft 5 ( in fig1 ) may also be turned on , thereby setting the node qb high ( 10v ) as the vss voltage . thus , the seventh transistor tft 7 ( in fig1 ) may be turned off , and the vss voltage may not be supplied to the first output terminal output 1 ( in fig1 ). during a second time period , about 20 μs - 40 μs , the first clock signal may be low , which may be supplied through the first output terminal output 1 ( in fig1 ) to the gate terminal of the first transistor tft 1 ( of the second block in fig1 ), and may be directly supplied to the gate terminal of the second transistor tft 2 ( in the second clock in fig1 ). thus , the first and second transistors tft 1 and tft 2 ( in fig1 ) may be on , thereby turning the sixth transistor tft 6 ( in fig1 ) on . accordingly , the second clock signal clk 2 may be supplied to the second output terminal output 2 ( in fig1 ). turning to the fifth block ( in fig1 ), during the first time period when the start pulse vst is set low , the second clock signal clk 2 may be set high , thereby turning the ninth transistor tft 9 off , even though the eighth transistor tft 8 may be turned on . since the ninth transistor tft 9 may be turned off , the node q may be high . thus , the sixth transistor tft 6 may be off and may not output the first clock signal clk 1 to the fifth output terminal output 5 . accordingly , in the fifth block , an output may be generated only when an output of a previous block is supplied in a switch - on state to the first transistor tft 1 , and not when the start pulse vst is set low . accordingly , the start pulse vst may be initially synchronized with the fourth clock signal clk 4 , and the first to third clock signals clk 1 to clk 3 may be sequentially generated , thereby sequentially supplying the four clock signals in a sequence . [ 0067 ] fig1 illustrates backward input and output waveforms of the exemplary shift register of the lcd panel of fig1 according to the present invention . in fig1 , the four clock signals may be set low in a reverse sequence . for example , in a first time period , about 0 s - 20 μs , the start pulse vst and the second clock signal may be set low . thus , in the first block ( in fig1 ), the first transistor tft 1 may be turned on , the second transistor tft 2 may be turned off , thereby turning the sixth transistor tft 6 off . as a result , the first block may not supply the first clock signal clk 1 to the first output terminal output 1 ( in fig1 ). however , in the fifth block ( in fig1 ), the eighth transistor tft 8 and the ninth transistor tft 9 may be turned on , thereby turning the sixth transistor tft 6 on . as a result , the first clock signal clk 1 may be supplied to the fifth input terminal output 5 ( in fig1 ). in addition , during a second time period , about 20 μs - 40 μs , the signal supplied from the fifth output terminal output 5 may then be supplied to the eighth transistor tft 8 in the fourth block ( in fig1 ). also , the first clock signal clk 1 may become low , thereby turning the eighth and ninth transistors tft 8 and tft 9 in the fourth block ( in fig1 ) on . as a result , the sixth transistor tft 6 ( in fig1 ) may also be turned on , thereby supplying the fourth clock signal clk 4 to the fourth output terminal output 4 ( in fig1 ). hence , the start pulse vst may be initially synchronized with the second clock signal clk 2 , and the first to fourth and third clock signals clk 1 to clk 4 and clk 3 may be sequentially generated , thereby repeatedly supplying the four clock signals in a reverse sequence . accordingly , the shift register may be driven bi - directionally , such that an lcd panel may operate regardless of panel orientation . in addition , the shift register may be driven without error regardless of how many blocks of transistors it may have . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the bi - direction driving circuit and the bi - direction driving method of a liquid crystal display pane of the present invention . thus , it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents .	6
the present invention provides a gel - like composition which may be used as a superabsorber , a hydrogel , a sustained release vehicle , an entrapment molecule , and for a variety of other uses . the gels formed are stable so long as they are moist and ph range is not varied such that the ionic cross - linking is interrupted . normally , the gels are stable in a slightly acidic to neutral ph while at very high acid or alkaline ph , the gels disintegrate . a variety of factors can change the consistency and other properties of the gel to tailor the gel to desired specifications . for example , the use of an additional cross - linking agent such as the organo - metallic cross - linking agent described in u . s . patent applic . ser . no . 320 , 944 can strengthen certain of the gels . as the concentration of the carbohydrate or the cross - linker rises , the stiffness and spreadability of the gels change , becoming stiffer as more carbohydrate or cross - linker is used . changing the ionic strength of the fluid in the material also makes a difference in the property of the gels , with the gels tending to be more fluid at low ionic strengths and firmer at higher salt concentrations . this is in contrast to the carbopols often used in cosmetics as thickeners which collapse with increasing ionic strength . as noted , the gels are somewhat ph sensitive but appear substantially insensitive to ph changes between 3 . 5 and 6 . 5 . some or part of the water used in the gel may be replaced by other aqueous miscible solvents such as ethanol ( up to 35 %) or glycerol or propylene glycol ( up to 60 %). the gels can encapsulate oils such as mineral oil , silicone oil , para - aminobenzoate esters , diethyltoluamide ( deet ) and cinnamate sunscreens . the gels also may contain suspensions of a particulate such as benzoyl peroxide , or may contain a variety of water soluble amino acids , sugars , proteins , and water soluble dyes including dihydroxy acetone or amphotercin b . further , the gels may contain a variety of other drugs such as erythromycin , salicylic acid , metronidazole , and retinoic acid . when the gels dry , they will form water vapor barriers on the skin which is of importance because of the skin moisturizer action . this example shows a gel made using a tetracycline derivative , specifically oxytetracycline . table 1 shows the ingredients and proportions used . table 1______________________________________5 mm sodium acetate in water 80 mlcarboxymethylcellulose ( cmc7l2p ) 2 . 12 goxytetracycline hcl 24 g2n sodium hydroxide 21 . 4 ml______________________________________ the gel was made by dissolving the carboxymethylcellulose in the sodium acetate solution which had been heated to approximately 40 ° c . a clear solution is obtained . after cooling to 30 - 32 ° c ., the oxytetracycline hydrochloride is added with stirring . the suspension is then mixed with sodium hydroxide and the ph is adjusted , using the sodium hydroxide , to 4 . 5 . the gel sets instantly . the resulting gel is a fine suspension which settles out of solution but can be redispersed . this gel , upon breakdown or dissociation , would yield the oxytetracycline , making it particularly useful for veterinary applications where oxytetracycline is used often as an antibiotic . a major benefit is that the oxytetracycline - carboxymethylcellulose complex is non - irritating . in this example , a quinone derivative , norfloxacin was used to make a gel . norfloxacin ( sigma chemical company ) has the formula the ingredients shown in making the gel are listed in table 2 . table 2______________________________________a . carboxethylcellulose ( cmc7l2p ) 4 . 0 g 0 . 9 % saline 50 mlb . norfloxacin 6 . 0 g acetic acid 2 ml 0 . 9 % saline 50 ml______________________________________ the procedure used to make the norfloxacin gel was slightly different than that used to make the oxytetracycline complex . first 40 ml of 0 . 9 % saline is heated to 40 ° c . and the carboxymethylcellulose is dissolved to give a clear solution . the solution is cooled to room temperature and 0 . 9 % saline is added to make a volume of 50 ml . at the same time , the acetic acid is mixed with 40 ml of the 0 . 9 % saline and the norfloxacin is dissolved into it . the volume is again corrected to 50 ml . the two resulting solution are then mixed together , e . g ., by mixing between two syringes . the resulting suspension , which can be sedimented by centrifugation and resuspended , is then adjusted to ph 4 . 5 using acetic acid . the gel formed of norfloxacin does not settle out of solution like that formed with oxytetracycline but could have similar uses . this example illustrates the use of conazoles within the scope of the invention is making gels . the two conazoles used are miconazole and econazole . both of these conazoles have side chains with two chlorinated benzene rings attached the imidazole ring , the difference being the number of chlorines on one of the benzene rings . the structures of miconazole ( top ) and econazole ( bottom ) are shown below . ## str4 ## the procedure used to form each of the gels was identical . table 3 has the materails used to form the miconazole gel . table 3______________________________________carboxymethylcellulose ( cmc7hf ) 1 gwater 75 mlmiconazole nitrate 1 galuminum acetate ( boric salt ) 12 . 5 g0 . 9 % saline 1 . 25 mlethanol 23 . 75 ml______________________________________ while table 4 has the materials used to form the econazole gel . table 4______________________________________carboxymethylcellulose ( cmc7hf ) 1 gwater 75 mleconazole nitrate 1 galuminum acetate ( boric salt ) 12 . 5 g0 . 9 % saline 1 . 25 mlethanol 23 . 75 ml______________________________________ in both cases , 70 ml of water was heated to approximately 60 ° c . and the carboxymethylcellulose was dissolved therein to get a clear solution . the solution was cooled to room temperature and water was added to make a volume of 75 ml . at the same time , the aluminum acetate was dissolved into the 0 . 9 % saline and mixed with 25 ml of the alcohol . the conazole was then dissolved into the aluminum acetate / saline / ethanol solution and the volume was raised to 25 ml with alcohol . the two resulting solutions were then mixed together , e . g ., using two syringes , to obtain even suspension . the material was allowed to gel for several hours at room temperature . the resulting gel became firmer with time . by changing the concentration of the ethanol ( replacing it with water or saline ), the properties of the gel can be modified . in addition to the two conazoles described above , other conazoles without the aromatic side chains have been tried . none of these formed a gel , probably because they did not have a second site for a partial positive charge other than the ring structure . accordingly , these other conazoles did not have the ability to ionically cross - link the carboxymethylcellulose properly . the gels of the present invention could also have particulates , including lipid vesicles , suspended therein . since these lipid vesicles can also be designed to carry a variety of materials which cannot otherwise be carried in the gel , a wound patch or other covering made of the gel with vesicles dispersed therein could be used to apply a variety of drugs on a sustained release basis to a selected site . using this hybrid material , it would be possible to deliver incompatible materials by encapsulating one within a lipid vesicle and suspending the lipid vesicle within the gel containing the other . those skilled in the art will be able determine other modifications of the exemplary procedures and materials . such other modifications are with the scope of the following claims .	0
referring now to the fig1 n which like numerals indicate like elements throughout the several figures , fig1 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a system for providing advanced telephony services to a plurality of subscribers . in the embodiment shown , a system 10 for providing advanced telephony services to a plurality of subscribers includes a telephone call 12 which is routed into or out of a telecommunications network 14 belonging to a telecommunications service provider . this telecommunications network 14 is also referred to herein as the service - providing network , because all communications that take advantage of the advanced telephone services are routed through telecommunications network 14 . the telecommunications network 14 includes a switch and an application server , which are described below . the application server is operable for providing a plurality of advanced telephony services to a subscriber for each telephone call 12 . in an ain environment , the application server may be an scp . other network elements , including , but not limited to softswitches , media gateway controllers , web servers , media servers , and media gateways , may also be included in telecommunications network 14 to provide the advanced telephony services . these advanced telephony services may include , for example , call delivery services , call forwarding services , call rescue services , custom ring - pattern services , call logging services , and call reporting services . the application server may also provide voicemail services , custom messaging services , message notification services , message waiting indicator services , caller identification ( caller id ) services , privacy director services , anonymous call rejection services , usage monitoring services , personal identification number ( pin ) override services , and the like . the telecommunications network 14 is in communication with a plurality of callers , subscribers , and / or other individuals via the public - switched telephone network ( pstn ), which includes incumbent local exchange carriers ( ilec ), competitive local exchange carriers ( clec ), and inter - exchange carriers ( ixc ). in the embodiment shown , the telecommunications network 14 is directly or indirectly in communication with a subscriber &# 39 ; s wireless telephone or device , cellular telephone 20 in fig1 . in the embodiment shown in fig1 a subscriber profile 26 is disposed within a database that resides in the telecommunications network 14 . the subscriber profile 26 contains information related to a subscriber &# 39 ; s advanced telephony service preferences , e . g ., the advanced telephony services that are associated with the subscriber &# 39 ; s incoming and outgoing telephone calls . the subscriber may add to , subtract from , or otherwise modify these advanced telephony services preferences via a subscriber control 28 , such as a wireline link , a wireless link , an internet web page , an intranet web page , or the like . the subscriber profile 26 and the subscriber control 28 provide a subscriber with control over the identity and nature of the advanced telephony services that are provided to telephone calls associated with the subscriber or with a telephone number , associated with the subscriber . referring to fig2 in one embodiment of the present invention , the system 30 for providing advanced telephony services to a plurality of subscribers includes a wireline carrier network 32 in communication with a wireless carrier network 34 . in the embodiment shown , the wireline network is the service - providing network and the wireless network is the native transport network . however , in other embodiments , both the service - providing network and the native transport network may be either a wireline , wireless , packet voice - based , or other type of telecommunications network . in the embodiment shown , the wireline network 32 is an advanced intelligent network ( ain ). an ain includes a plurality of hardware and software elements operating over industry standard communication protocols , including signaling system 7 ( ss7 ). for the sake of brevity , only a basic description of the ain is provided herein . for further information regarding aspects of the ain , refer to weisser , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 430 , 719 , which is incorporated herein by reference . although described in detail with reference to the ain of fig2 embodiments of the present invention may utilize other types of wireline and wireless intelligent networks such as packet - switching networks . in the embodiment shown in fig2 the wireline carrier network 32 includes a service switching point ( ssp ) 36 in communication with a service control point ( scp ) 38 . the ssp 36 is a central office switch that provides intelligent network functionality . when a call is placed or received at the ssp 36 , the ssp 36 collects the dialed digits and generates a trigger . a trigger generates a packet that is sent to the scp 38 . the scp 38 includes computer processors , application software , and databases that control the routing , monitoring , processing , and termination of phone calls . in the embodiment shown , the scp 38 is operable for providing a plurality of advanced telephony services 40 to a subscriber 42 , such as a wireless subscriber in the example shown . for example , the scp 38 may be operable for providing a privacy director service or a usage monitoring service to the subscriber 42 and the telephone call . in one embodiment , a caller places a call 12 by dialing the subscriber &# 39 ; s listed telephone number , which exists in the wireline network . when the telephone call 12 encounters the wireline telephone number at the ssp 36 , a terminating attempt trigger ( tat ) or other similar terminating trigger is generated . any and all services for the subscriber are subsequently provided by the network intelligence in the wireline ( service - providing ) network . following the application of subscribed advanced services , the service - providing ( wireline ) network forwards the call to the wireless network associated with the subscriber &# 39 ; s telephone , the call is accordingly routed to the native transport ( wireless ) network and is then completed to the subscriber &# 39 ; s wireless telephone . accordingly , advanced services are applied by the wireline network for a call whose native transport would normally be a wireless network with limited or no advanced services capabilities . the wireline carrier network 32 and the ssp 36 are in communication with a plurality of callers , such as a first wireline caller 44 via the pstn 46 and a second wireline caller 48 via a long distance or inter - exchange carrier network 50 . the wireless carrier network 34 is also in direct communication with a plurality of callers , such as a third caller 52 . the wireline carrier network 32 includes components , such as scp 38 , necessary to provide services . a database 54 resides within the wireless carrier network 34 . the database 54 is associated with algorithms which are operable for associating a wireline telephone number , with the wireless network serving the subscriber . an embodiment of this invention relies on the fact that a single number is used in two or more networks , and advanced service logic is used to correctly route calls originating from and terminating to the single number . referring to fig3 in a further embodiment of the present invention , the system 30 for providing advanced telephony services to a plurality of subscribers using a single telephone number also includes a wireline telephone or device 58 belonging to the subscriber 42 and in direct communication with the wireline carrier network 32 and the ssp 36 . telephone calls to the subscriber 42 at the wireline telephone number routed through the wireline carrier network 32 may be terminated to the wireline telephone or device 58 in the event that the subscriber &# 39 ; s wireless telephone or device 42 is unavailable . referring to fig4 in one embodiment of the present invention , a method 60 for providing advanced telephony services to a plurality of subscribers using a single telephone number includes a wireline telephone service provider and a wireless telephone service provider , reaching a business agreement regarding the sharing and mutual use of a single telephone number , such as a wireline directory number , with which advanced telephony services are associated . ( block 62 ). the wireline switch and the wireless switch are configured in such a way that , when a telephone call is received in the wireline telephone networks 32 , the call is routed to the wireless network for delivery ( block 64 ). for example , a special trunk group can be designated for carrying traffic from the wireline network to the wireless network . calls received on this trunk group will be routed to the called wireless terminal . if the user is roaming , such calls can be routed to a visited wireless switch using existing procedures . alternatively , a pseudo - npa can be used ( instead of a designated trunk group ) to identify service calls . other alternatives will be apparent to those skilled in the art . conversely , a call originated on the wireless network may be routed to the wireline network for processing ( if originating services are provided ), or simply routed directly to the destination , if no originating services are provided . such call origination routing may also be provided over a designated trunk group carrying calls from the wireless network to the wireline network . referring again to fig4 the service - providing network ( the wireline telephone network associated with the single telephone number ) provides advanced telephony services for the call . the scp 38 , by utilizing the subscriber profile disposed within the database ( not shown ) residing within the wireline telephone network 32 associated with the telephone number , and an associated algorithm , provides an advanced telephony service to the telephone call . ( block 66 ). finally , the scp 38 or ssp 36 routes the telephone call to the appropriate telecommunications network , in this case , wireless telephone network 34 ( block 68 )), preferably over a designated trunk group as described above , where the call is terminated to the appropriate wireless telephone or device ( block 70 ). as noted , changes to the telecommunications networking messages and configuration may be necessary to properly handle the call . for example , after the wireline network 32 provides advanced telephony services to the telephone call 12 , the wireline network 32 routes the call to the network in communication with the terminating device . when routing the call back to the terminating devices network , the wireless network 32 is configured so that the call is not routed back to the wireline network 32 in an endless loop . referring to fig5 in the present invention , a wireline directory number is assigned to a wireless subscriber , i . e ., to a wireless telephone or device . ( block 78 ). this wireline directory number is disposed within a memory device of the wireless telephone or device . ( block 80 ). the operator of the service providing network then configures the network 32 such that telephone calls to the subscriber &# 39 ; s number may be routed to the native transport network ( block 82 ) and delivered to the wireless terminal . the operator of the native transport network also configures its network 36 such that telephone calls originating from the wireless telephone or device 42 may be routed through the wireline carrier network 34 ( block 84 ) for the purpose of obtaining originating services . this may be accomplished , for example , by placing all such subscribers in a specific class , then routing any call originated by a member of that class over a designated trunk group , as described above . in this way , predetermined advanced telephony services are provided to the telephone calls associated with the wireline directory number ( block 86 ) prior to the telephone calls being routed to the proper destination . the processes and the functions of the structures involved in embodiments of the present invention are illustrated below in the following examples : when a wireline caller 44 calls a subscriber 42 at the subscriber &# 39 ; s wireline telephone number , via the pstn 46 or a long distance carrier network 50 , the other service provider routes the telephone call to a wireline carrier network 32 configured to provide advanced telephony services to the telephone number associated with subscriber . because the subscriber &# 39 ; s number is listed as , treated as , and , in fact , is , a wireline number , conventional pstn call routing will cause the call to be routed to the correct wireline network 32 . an scp 38 located in network 32 provides a plurality of advanced telephony services to the telephone call , such as a privacy director service , a usage monitoring service , an audio calling name service , or the like . the scp 38 or other network element then routes the telephone call to the wireless carrier network 34 associated with the subscriber &# 39 ; s wireless telephone , where the call is delivered to the wireless telephone or device 42 . when a wireless caller calls the wireless subscriber 42 at the subscriber &# 39 ; s ( wireline ) telephone number , via a wireless carrier network 34 , the wireless carrier network 34 routes the telephone call to the wireline carrier network 32 associated with the subscriber &# 39 ; s wireline telephone number . this routing occurs because the dialed number appears to the wireless switch to be a wireline number . once the call has been routed to the wireline ssp 38 , and the scp 38 provides a plurality of advanced telephony services to the telephone call , such as a privacy director service , a usage monitoring service , an audio calling name service , or the like . the scp 38 then routes the telephone call to the wireless carrier network 34 associated with the subscriber &# 39 ; s telephone number and thus to the wireless telephone or device 42 , again using a dedicated trunk group or pseudo - npa as described above . when the wireless subscriber calls a wireline party , the telephone call is routed to the wireline carrier network 32 associated with the subscriber &# 39 ; s wireline telephone number and the scp 38 provides a plurality of advanced telephony services to the telephone call , such as a call logging service , a usage monitoring service , or the like . the telephone call is then routed to a wireline carrier network 32 , the pstn 46 , and / or a long distance carrier network 50 associated with the wireline telephone number associated with the wireline party and is terminated to the wireline telephone or device associated with wireline directory number associated with the wireline party . alternatively , if no originating services are being provided to the subscriber , a call originated by the subscriber is routed to the destination using conventional network routing . note that the calling number associated with the call will be the correct subscriber telephone number . when the subscriber calls a wireless party , via the wireless carrier network 34 , the telephone call is routed to the wireline carrier network associated with the subscriber &# 39 ; s telephone number and the scp 38 provides a plurality of advanced telephony services to the telephone call , such as a call logging service , a usage monitoring service , or the like . the telephone call is then routed to a wireless carrier network 34 associated with the wireless directory number associated with the wireless party and is terminated to the wireless telephone or device 42 associated with wireless telephone number associated with the wireless party . alternatively , if no originating services are being provided to the subscriber , a call originated by the subscriber is routed to the destination using conventional network routing . note that the calling number associated with the call will be the correct subscriber telephone number . an embodiment of the present invention may include other or additional features . for example , in one embodiment , the scp 38 is in communication with a web server 100 via a transmission control - protocol / internet - protocol ( tcp / ip ) 102 . the subscriber profile and / or the subscriber preferences related to the plurality of advanced telephony services may be stored in the web server 100 . advantageously , this configuration combines the reliability of the wireline telephone service provider &# 39 ; s network 32 with the flexibility of the internet via the scp 38 . when a telephone call originates from or is terminated to the subscriber &# 39 ; s wireline telephone number , the web server 100 is queried for the subscriber profile and / or the subscriber preferences related to the plurality of advanced telephony services . the scp 38 acts as a “ protocol interpreter .” the subscriber profile and / or the subscriber preferences related to the plurality of advanced telephony services may be added to , subtracted from , and / or modified by the subscriber via , for example the internet 104 and a personal computer ( pc ) 106 . an embodiment of the present invention provides the provider with the capability to provide various services , including a usage monitoring service . a usage monitoring service allows a subscriber to prepay for a “ bucket ” or predetermined amount of telephone usage time , or to sign an agreement agreeing to pay a plurality of different rates for a plurality of predetermined levels of telephone usage time . for example , the subscriber may agree to pay a higher rate for a relatively low level of telephone usage time and a lower rate for a relatively high level of telephone usage time . in any case , the usage monitoring service requires a wireline telephone service provider to keep careful track of the subscriber &# 39 ; s telephone usage time across various disparate networks , e . g ., wireline and wireless . the systems and methods of the present invention allow a wireline telephone service provider to keep track of a subscriber &# 39 ; s total telephone usage time . advantageously , using the method described herein , this telephone usage time can be tracked and monitored for the combination of wireline telephone or device and wireless telephone or device associated with the subscriber &# 39 ; s telephone number . preferably , an algorithm disposed within the wireline telephone network 32 associated with the telephone number performs this tracking and monitoring , and the resulting data and information is stored in a database ( not shown ) within the wireline telephone network 32 . the algorithm counts usage minutes any time a call is received or routed to the subscriber &# 39 ; s telephone number . thus , the wireline telephone service provider associated with the telephone number and in association with the wireless telephone service provider may offer a universal usage monitoring service , covering a subscriber &# 39 ; s wireline or wireless telephones or devices . such a usage monitoring service might be a billing service or call logging service . the wireline ( service - providing ) network in which the subscriber &# 39 ; s telephone number is located is able to perform this functionality since it is provides the call path for the duration of the call and is therefore able to monitor connection start times , end times , durations , and other call control signaling events . when a service provider provides services , a billing system in communication with the service provider &# 39 ; s network gathers information necessary for generating a bill . in one embodiment of the present invention , a service management system ( sms ) ( not shown ) creates and maintains the necessary billing records for each subscriber activating or using advanced telephony services . in another embodiment , the scp 38 creates and maintains billing records for each subscriber . although the present invention has been shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments and examples thereof , other embodiments and examples may achieve the same results and / or perform similar functions . accordingly , changes in and modifications to the present invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention . the following claims are intended to cover all such equivalent embodiments and examples .	7
fig1 is a perspective view of a frozen product vending machine of the present invention . the machine outer body is comprised of a hollow , open - faced outer cabinet 10 and a front panel 20 . front panel 20 is attached to outer cabinet 10 via hinges along one edge of front panel 20 , such that front panel 20 may be opened to allow access to the inner frozen product storage area and the front panel hardware ( i . e ., electronic selector switches , coin receiver , etc ., discussed below ). front panel 20 is equipped with a selection panel 11 having a series of selector switches 12 which , when depressed , operate the appropriate internal electric motor ( discussed below ) to advance the selected frozen item to a frozen product receiving compartment behind a front panel access opening 15 . a suitable selection panel is commercially available from coinco as model 9302gx keypad electronically coupled to a model c - 80 controller . after a product has been selected through depressing the appropriate selector switch 12 , the consumer simply reaches into front panel access opening 15 , pushing open a hinged access door 18 to reveal the vended product . front panel 20 is also equipped with a central opening 13 positioned in direct alignment with the display window of an interior frozen product compartment , such that a consumer may readily view the actual products within prior to purchase . front panel 20 also incorporates a conventional vending machine locking mechanism 14 and conventional vending machine coin and dollar bill receiving and return slots 16 and 17 . fig2 shows the interior of outer cabinet 10 , in which is housed the inner frozen product storage compartment ( shown generally at 40 ). frozen product storage compartment 40 comprises a modified chest freezer 50 ( described in detail below ) which is placed within the hollow interior of outer cabinet 10 . the bottom of chest freezer 50 is placed on a simple 4 inch or other appropriately dimensioned wooden platform 42 to raise the chest freezer to the appropriate level for viewing through glass door 32 from outside the machine . in a second embodiment of the present invention , chest freezer 50 is slidably mounted to platform 42 using sliding rails ( not shown ) on the bottom of the freezer cabinet or , alternatively , on the inner sidewalls of outer cabinet 10 , enabling the entire frozen product storage compartment 40 to be slid outward from the interior of cabinet 10 to provide easy access to motors 51 for servicing . a suitable chest freezer is commercially available from kelvinator as model no . 1kg403 , although any chest freezer having generally similar dimensions would suffice . the open front face of chest freezer 50 is fitted with a steel enclosure panel 30 . steel enclosure panel 30 is dimensioned to precisely mate with the front face of chest freezer 50 when the front door of freezer 50 is removed . as shown in the side view of chest freezer 50 and front enclosure panel 30 of fig2 b , the rectangular , rear open face of enclosure panel 30 mates directly with channel 46 on the front face of freezer cabinet 50 , and is affixed to the front face of freezer cabinet 50 using screws or similarly arranged fasteners . referring again to fig2 a , steel front enclosure panel 30 is provided with an upper opening 31 in direct interior alignment with the frozen product storage compartment 40 , and in direct exterior alignment with front panel central opening 13 when the front panel 20 is in its closed position . upper opening 31 is closed with a heated , hinged glass door 32 . a suitable heated glass door is commercially available from excellence as model number eld - 4 . glass door 32 allows easy access to the frozen product storage compartment 40 , allowing simple and efficient replacement of product with a minimum of heat exchange . a magnetic gasket seal is provided around the periphery of the underside of glass door 32 , sealing the gap between the rear surface of glass door 32 and front enclosure panel 30 , thus ensuring the maintenance of a frozen environment within the frozen product storage compartment . in this fashion , a serviceman may access frozen product storage compartment 40 simply by opening front panel 20 and opening glass door 32 . as traditional frozen product vending machines include a barrier door covering the full interior of outer cabinet 10 , minimizing the opening to glass window 32 vastly reduces the heat exchange that occurs during routine filling operations . likewise , through this arrangement , a serviceman may access motors 51 for repair or maintenance without compromising the frozen environment within frozen product storage compartment 40 . steel front enclosure panel 30 is also provided with a lower hinged access door 18 , allowing a consumer to retrieve their purchased product after it has been dropped to a frozen product receiving compartment within the frozen product storage compartment . hinged access door 18 is arranged such that when front panel 20 is in its closed position , hinged access door 18 is readily visible and accessible through front panel access opening 15 . in an alternate embodiment of the present invention , and as shown in phantom in fig2 b , a laser operated switch 59 may be provided , mounted at the juncture of the front face of freezer cabinet 50 and the rear face of steel enclosure panel 30 . a suitable laser operated switch is a diffus photoelectric switch , and is commercially available from omron as model number e35 - ds5e21 . laser 59 is positioned within the path of the product as it falls from the frozen product storage compartment 40 to open cavity 44 ( fig3 ), such that as the product falls , it interrupts the laser &# 39 ; s projected beam and triggers the photoelectric switch . the photoelectric switch in turn triggers a timing device within a motor controller 18 ( fig4 ) mounted on the rear of front panel 20 and commercially available from omron as moto controller model number cpm - 1a - cdra . the motor controller then allows the driven motor to continue to rotate its respective conveyor for a predetermined amount of time to advance the conveyor to the next product delivery or “ ready ” position . fig3 shows the interior of inner frozen product storage compartment 40 . access to frozen product storage compartment 40 is gained by opening hinged front panel 20 and glass door 32 on front enclosure 30 . placed in the bottom of chest freezer 50 is a frozen product receiving compartment 43 , defining an open cavity 44 which a consumer may access through opening hinged door 18 ( fig1 and 2 ) to retrieve the vended product . when a product is selected , it is dropped to the bottom of freezer cabinet 50 and comes to rest either in front of or just inside of open cavity 44 . when hinged door 18 is opened to retrieve the vended product , the consumer then has free access to open cavity 44 , while access to the frozen product storage compartment 40 is blocked by angled top plate 45 . top plate 45 is configured to allow free rotation of hinged door 18 backwards until the back of door 18 butts against top plate 45 , allowing full access to open cavity 44 while denying access to frozen product storage compartment 40 . fig4 shows the back of front panel 20 . as in traditional vending machines , front panel 20 is equipped with conventional coin and dollar bill receiving and return slots 16 and 17 , and selection panel 11 . selection panel 11 in turn is electrically coupled to motor controller 18 . selection panel 11 comprises a keypad which is commercially available from coinco as model number 9302 gx , and model c - 80 keypad controller . likewise , motor controller 18 is commercially available from omron as model number cpm - 1a - cdra . as explained above , front panel 20 is provided with a central opening 13 . central opening 13 is positioned in front panel 20 such that opening 13 is positioned in direct alignment with the display window of an interior frozen product compartment when front panel 20 is closed . likewise , front panel 20 is provided with front panel access opening 15 , allowing a consumer access to the vended product via hinged access door 18 . fig5 shows a chest freezer cabinet 50 which has been equipped with a series of four vending motors 51 running vertically along both sides of the exterior of freezer cabinet 50 . suitable vending motors are commercially available from oriental as model number smk216a - gn . vending motors 51 are used to drive front gears 54 which , in combination with rear gears 55 , carry conveyor assembly 70 ( see fig8 ). front and rear gears 54 and 55 are commercially available from oriental as gear head model number 2gn15ka . the teeth of gears 54 and 55 engage the links of the frozen product conveyor assembly 70 ( fig8 ) to advance product to frozen product receiving compartment 43 in the bottom of chest freezer 50 ( fig3 ). front gears 54 are supported and held in place by the driving axes of vending motors 51 . the axles of front gears 54 pass through front brackets 52 and engage the ends of the driving axes of vending motors 51 . vending motors 51 are bolted or otherwise fastened to both sides of the exterior of freezer cabinet 50 , slightly behind the front opening of freezer cabinet 50 . likewise , rear gears 55 are supported and held in place by rear sprocket support plates 65 ( see fig6 ). rear sprocket support plates 65 are in turn held by rear brackets 53 which are bolted or otherwise fastened to both sides of the interior of freezer cabinet 50 , slightly in front of the rear surface of the interior of cabinet 50 . rear sprocket support plates 65 rotatably support the axes of rear gears 55 , and slidably engage notched sections of the sidewalls of rear brackets 53 ( see fig7 ). a horizontal extension plate extends outward from the rear sprocket support plate 65 , and a vertical flange extends upward from the horizontal extension plate and engages the opposite end of rear gear 55 . as in conventional conveyor driven vending machines , an adjustable - length tension rod 59 extends between front and rear gears 54 and 55 . as shown in fig6 tension rod 59 is hollow at its rear end such that it slides over an extension rod 100 of the rear sprocket assembly . likewise , the front sprocket assembly is provided with an identical extension rod 100 which in turn is affixed to a tension bolt 101 ( fig6 ), which is hollowed to receive the front end of tension rod 59 . when tension bolt 101 is turned , tension rod 59 is pushed farther from the front sprocket assembly , in turn moving rear sprocket 55 further towards the rear of cabinet 50 , thus removing slack from the conveyor assembly 70 such that the upper and lower sections of conveyor assembly 70 run in parallel to one another and to the upper and lower surfaces of cabinet 50 . fig8 shows a detailed view of conveyor assembly 70 . as particularly shown in fig8 and 9 , conveyor assembly 70 consists of chain conveyor 71 and guide plates 72 . as may be seen more clearly in fig9 chain conveyor 71 comprises a series of parallel nylon chain links 75 . each link is pivotally connected at both of its ends to another link using pins 76 as with any standard chain assembly . however , pins 76 are provided sufficient length such that a portion of each pin 76 extends outward from the flat face of link 75 . guide plates 72 are configured with a nearly vertical back panel 80 , bottom panel 81 , top panel 82 , and end panel 83 , such that a frozen product is cradled in each support tray as it advances along the conveyor assembly . guide plates 72 are also provided with a downward flange 84 having holes 85 therein which receive the exposed portion of pins 76 , thus providing a snap connection for snapping guide plates 72 onto nylon chain 75 . thus , guide plates 72 may be easily removed to accommodate frozen products of varied sizes . in operation , the tines of front and rear gear heads 54 and 55 engage links 75 to advance the conveyor assembly such that the next available frozen product is dropped into frozen product receiving compartment 43 ( fig3 ). referring back to fig9 it may be seen that the configuration of the conveyor assembly 70 will allow frozen product to be loaded and carried by the chain conveyor 71 and guide plates 72 along both the upper and lower spans of conveyor assembly 70 . while bottom plate 81 supports the frozen products from below as they are carried across the top span of the conveyor assembly , top plate 82 supports the frozen products from below as they are carried across the bottom span of the conveyor assembly . likewise , top plate 82 , bottom plate 81 , and rear plate 80 all serve together to cradle the frozen product as it is carried around the rearward turn of the conveyor assembly to the upper span . thus , the present invention nearly doubles the frozen product storage capacity for a horizontal frozen product conveyor assembly . thus , by utilizing a horizontal conveyor assembly , the present invention is able to offer a wider selection of frozen products to the consumer than have been available in the past with traditional vertical conveyor system vending machines , while being capable of carrying nearly the same amount of product as was available in those traditional machines for each product that is offered . finally , by incorporating a compact , horizontal conveyor assembly system into a frozen product vending machine , the present invention allows a frozen product vending machine to be equipped with a glass front , such that consumers may view the actual product they wish to purchase , as opposed to a “ mock - up ” or graphical depiction of the product . while the present invention may be entirely manufactured as a new unit , a particular feature of this invention is the ability to convert existing , unprofitable vending machines into frozen product vending machines which offer a larger and more aesthetically appealing variety of product than has been available from frozen product vending machines in the past . thus , a vending machine owner may be presented with the option of converting an existing machine into a frozen product vending machine of the present invention at approximately half the cost of purchasing an entirely new machine . to convert an existing vending machine into the present invention , the first step is to select a freezer cabinet to fit within the outer cabinet 10 of the existing vending machine , leaving a clearance of at least six inches on either side of the freezer cabinet to safely receive vending motors 51 . to convert existing frozen and refrigerated product vending machines , namely , rowe model 487 ice cream vendors and rowe model 495 milk vendors , a suitable freezer cabinet is commercially available from kelvinator as model number ikg403 . an opening is cut in the rear of the existing outer cabinet 10 using a circular saw equipped with a steel blade . the opening is dimensioned to snugly receive the rear section of freezer cabinet 50 , and is finished with steel trim . the original gasket from the front door of freezer cabinet 50 is removed , and the front door of freezer cabinet 50 is discarded . to prepare the existing vending machine , the existing conveyor assembly and existing compressor are removed from the interior of cabinet 10 , leaving behind the original wiring . freezer cabinet 50 is then equipped with the omron motor and horizontal conveyor assembly fully described above in the following manner . front brackets 52 receive the axles of front sprockets 54 . assembled front brackets 52 are then bolted to the interior side walls of freezer cabinet 50 towards the front opening of the freezer cabinet , and rear brackets 53 are adhesively attached to the interior side walls of freezer cabinet 50 towards the rear wall of the freezer cabinet . vending motors 51 ( oriental model number cpm - 1a - cdra ) are then mounted on the exterior sidewalls of freezer cabinet 50 , having their driving axes placed through the sidewalls of freezer cabinet 50 to engage an end of the axles of front sprockets 54 , and the motors are bolted in place . next , the rear sprockets 55 are slid into the slots in rear brackets 53 . the completed conveyor assembly 70 ( comprising nylon chain conveyor 71 and guide plates 72 as described above ) is then placed over the front and rear sprockets 54 and 55 , and a tension rod is affixed to the extension rods 100 of each sprocket assembly . the tension rod length is then adjusted to remove any slack in the upper or lower spans of the conveyor assembly 70 . finally , the front opening of freezer cabinet 50 is fitted with a steel enclosure panel 30 including a heated , hingedly attached front glass window 32 and a lower hinged access door 18 , as described in detail above . the completed adapted freezer cabinet 50 is then placed in the outer cabinet 10 , and fixed in place with wood frame 41 . alternatively , sliding rails may be mounted on the interior sidewalls of cabinet 10 to position freezer cabinet at any desired height . after freezer cabinet 50 has been affixed to the interior of outer cabinet 10 , barrier door 30 is removed from the outer cabinet 10 and discarded . next , the interior of front panel 20 may be modified as necessary to reposition the existing hardware and to provide the necessary openings . when converting a rowe model 487 ice cream vendor to a frozen product vending machine of the present invention , the original vend door assembly and push button selection assembly are removed from front panel 20 . the original vend door assembly is discarded , and a central opening 13 is cut so as to provide an opening in direct alignment with the glass door assembly 32 on barrier door 30 , opening 13 being slightly smaller than glass door assembly 32 . thus , a consumer may readily view the contents of the machine through glass door 32 . the original push button assembly is then disassembled and reconfigured in a new push button mounting box to provide the multiple selection buttons mounted vertically alongside of opening 13 . alternatively , an existing push button assembly from a rowe model 495 milk vendor may be substituted . when converting a rowe model 495 milk vendor to a frozen product vending machine of the present invention , the original push button assembly is likewise removed from front panel 20 , and the original front panel 20 is cut with a central opening 13 in direct alignment with the glass door assembly 32 on barrier door 30 , opening 13 being slightly smaller than glass door assembly 32 . the original push button assembly is then again mounted vertically alongside of opening 13 . following the reconfiguration of front panel 20 , the electrical connections may be made using the identical wiring from the original machine that was left in the interior of outer cabinet 10 when the conveyor assemblies were removed . because all of the original selection hardware remains on front panel 20 , the connections in the interior of outer cabinet 10 are made by simply attaching the appropriate selector lead wires to their respective vending motors 51 . in the above described processes for retrofitting existing frozen product vending machines with the improvements of the instant invention , a machine owner is able to easily upgrade an existing , less profitable machine to a glass front frozen product vending machine for the cost of the assembled freezer cabinet . the entirety of the remaining structure is salvaged from the earlier machine , thus vastly reducing the cost of upgrading the machine . however , instead of using the existing control hardware , the owner may alternately replace the existing control hardware with the omron motor controller described above , providing the machine with the added improvements of reversible motors for assisting in the reloading of frozen product , and multiple product price settings for any single conveyor system . in such event , the machine owner is still able to salvage the entirety of the original machine &# 39 ; s outer cabinet , once again vastly reducing the cost of upgrading a less profitable machine to one including the benefits of the instant invention . while the present invention is preferably used to convert existing frozen and refrigerated product vending machines , namely , rowe model 487 ice cream vendors and rowe model 495 milk vendors , it may be used to convert any existing vending machine which utilizes a 115 volt delivery mechanism , including traditional canned soda machines . in these alternate machines , the vend signal again may be directed to the appropriate vending motor 51 of the present invention , and the appropriate openings may be made in front panels 20 and barrier doors 30 so as to provide a consumer with visual access to the interior of the frozen product storage compartment . having now fully set forth the preferred embodiments and certain modifications of the concept underlying the present invention , various other embodiments as well as certain variations and modifications of the embodiments herein shown and described will obviously occur to those skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with said underlying concept . it is to be understood , therefore , that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically set forth herein .	6
fig1 shows an example of a wiring layout in an office embodying the invention . the working space of the office comprises a plurality of work stations , herein called blocks a to f , such as department units or section units . information device terminals , such as telephones , personal computers and the like , are arranged on desks of the respective blocks a to f . specifically , four telephone sets ( tel 1 to tel 20 in figure ) and two personal computers ( illustrated as pc 1 to pc 10 in figure ) are provided at each of the blocks a to e , and a telephone set ( illustrated as tel 21 and tel 22 in figure ) and a personal computer ( illustrated as pc 11 and pc 12 in figure ) are at each of the two desks of block f . the interconnection unit 10 for connecting the information device terminals to external collective information handling devices , such as a telephone exchange or switchboard or a pc network controller , is at a fixed position in the office , and the wire harnesses 12 to 17 are laid between the interconnection unit 10 and the respective blocks a to f . in fig2 and 3 , the structure of the wire harness 12 is shown . the wire harness 12 has six twisted pair wires 20 ( hereinafter referred to as the circuit cables 20 ). modular outlets 21 are installed on both ends of the circuit cables 20 . the modular outlets 21 at a first end of the circuit cables 20 are located in the connector housing of the connector v 1 , and the modular outlets 21 at the second end of the circuit cables 20 are installed in the interconnection unit 10 ( see fig4 ). as shown in fig3 the identification digits “ 1 ” to “ 6 ” ( the second identification symbols of the invention ) which identify the respective circuit cables 20 are attached on the respective circuit cables 20 at fixed intervals over their whole length , and further the identification digits “ 1 ” to “ 6 ” for identifying the modular outlets 21 are placed on them or next to them as shown in fig2 . the modular outlets 21 at the first end of the circuit cables 20 are mounted in the connector housing of the connector v 1 so that the identification digits of the respective circuit cables 20 coincide with the identification digits of the connector v 1 . the circuit cables 20 are mutually twisted and integrated , for example , by twisting a red tape 22 ( the first identification symbol of the invention ), and further the modular outlets 21 which are in the connector v 1 are colored in the same color as this tape on the circuit cables 20 . the wire harnesses 13 to 17 laid to the other blocks b to f have the same structure as the wire harness 12 , but the color of the tape binding their circuit cables 20 and the color of the modular outlets 21 are selected in each case so that they may mutually differ among the respective blocks a to f . the colors of the tapes 22 are , for example , yellow , green , blue , purple and brown in the wire harnesses 13 to 17 . the plug board 30 shown in fig4 is installed in the interconnection unit 10 . the plug board 30 is composed of a primary side 30 a and a secondary side 30 b as shown in fig4 . the modular outlets on the primary side 30 a , connected to the external collective information devices , are arranged in a plurality of rows . the twelve modular outlets 31 connecting to a lan unit are in a first transverse row and the twenty - four modular outlets 32 connected to a telephone switchboard are in a second row below . the identification digits “ 1 ” to “ 12 ” identifying the modular outlets 31 and the identification digits “ 1 ” to “ 24 ” identifying the modular outlets 32 are attached in accordance with the respective modular outlets 31 and 32 on a frame holding these modular outlets 31 and 32 . the modular outlets 21 installed on the respective circuit cables 20 of the wire harnesses 12 to 17 are arranged on the secondary side 30 b as shown in fig2 and 4 in two transverse rows . the respective modular outlets 21 of each wire harness 12 to 17 are collectively arranged in blocks in these transverse rows . the identification digits “ 1 ” to “ 6 ”, identifying the respective modular outlets 21 are attached on the frame holding the modular outlets 21 , and the respective modular outlets 21 of the respective wire harnesses 12 to 17 are arranged in the switching part 30 so that the . above - mentioned identification digits of the respective circuit cables 20 coincide with the identification digits on the frame . interconnection cables 33 ( hereinafter referred to as the batch cables 33 ) are used to interconnect modular outlets 21 on the secondary side and the fixed modular outlets 31 , 32 on the primary side . only one batch cable 33 is illustrated but in practice as many as are needed are provided . the batch cables 33 have modular jacks on both ends of twisted pair wires . the modular jack at the primary side is connected to any one of the modular outlets 31 , 32 and the modular jack on the other end is connected to any one of the modular outlets 21 at the secondary side . in this way the respective circuit cables 20 of the wire harnesses 12 to 17 are connected with the telephone switchboard or lan unit in the desired manner . the respective batch cables are distinguished by colors in accordance with the destination , that is to say , for example , the batch cables 33 connected with the modular outlets 31 of the lan unit are colored in black and the batch cables 33 connected with the modular outlets 32 of the telephone switchboard are colored in white . with this wiring of information circuits , in order to accommodate to a layout change , e . g . of personnel at the blocks a to f , it is possible to use the previous telephone numbers at a different seat after the layout change without renewing the laying of the wire harnesses 12 to 17 , by rearranging the batch cables 33 in the plug board 30 of the interconnection unit 10 , that is by carrying out a change of connection positions of the batch cables 33 . in the wire harnesses 12 to 17 of the respective blocks a to f , the respective modular outlets 21 are arranged in the connectors v 1 to v 6 so that the identification digits given to the respective circuit cables 20 coincide with the identification digits of the respective connectors v 1 to v 6 , as described above . further , the respective modular outlets 21 are installed on the plug board 30 so that the identification digits of the respective circuit cables 20 coincide with the identification digits on the frame . therefore the respective modular outlets 21 installed on both ends of the respective circuit cables can be easily identified . therefore , for example , as shown in fig5 if the layout table relating the information device terminals which are connected with the respective connectors v 1 to v 6 , with the circuits to which the information device terminals are connected , that is , the identification digits of the modular outlets 21 to which the information device terminals are connected , is previously prepared , it is possible to smoothly carry out the work for rearranging the batch cables 33 . next , the work necessary for replacing the batch cables 33 is described , by way of example , together with the effect , referring to a case in which the circuits of telephone sets are replaced between different blocks ( for example , between the block c and the block d ). first , the modular outlets 21 of the circuit cables 20 , to which the respective telephone sets are connected , are found at the secondary side of the switching part 30 . as the modular outlets 21 are distinguished by colors for the respective blocks a to f as described above and are arranged in a row on the secondary side of the switching part 30 , the position to which the modular outlets 21 of the block c and the block d are installed is searched first , according to their colors . then the identification digits of the modular outlets 21 to which the telephone sets are connected according to the above - mentioned layout table are identified and the position of the modular outlets 21 on the switching part 30 is identified . after the identification of the respective modular outlets 21 , then the modular jacks of the batch cables 33 connected to the respective modular outlets 21 are removed and reconnected . the work is thus completed . as the modular outlets 21 at the secondary side of the plug board 30 are distinguished by colors , it can be easily and rapidly recognized where the specific modular outlets 21 are installed in the switching part 30 . therefore , the modular outlets 21 can be efficiently searched in comparison with the case of conventional wiring by which the modular outlets are required to be searched , relying on only the sequential numbers given to the modular receptacles . efficiency is therefore improved . further , as the batch cables 33 are distinguished by colors according to the external collective devices , at a glance a worker can identify which external devices the particular modular outlets 21 are connected to . therefore , when the identification work after the layout change is carried out etc ., for example , even if a very large number of batch cables 33 are complicatedly wired , the external collective devices connected can be easily identified . this also increases efficiency . the modular outlets 21 at the secondary side of the plug board 30 are distinguished by colors for the blocks a to f , and the modular outlets 21 installed on both ends of the respective circuit cables of the wire harnesses 12 to 17 are identified by the same identification digits . therefore , specific modular outlets 21 at the secondary side can be identified on the plug board 30 without the layout table shown in fig5 by identifying the tape colors which bundle the respective wire harnesses 12 to 17 and the identification digits of the modular outlets 21 to which the information device terminals are connected in the connectors v 1 to v 6 . therefore , even if the layout table is lost or becomes inaccurate , the work of exchanging the batch cables 33 can be carried out , and in view of this , efficiency is improved in comparison with a conventional method for wiring by which the modular outlets cannot be identified on a plug board without a layout table . in this embodiment , the respective wire harnesses 12 to 17 of the respective blocks a to f are identified by bundling the circuit cables 20 with a colored tape , but the wire harnesses 12 to 17 may be identified by coloring in the same color the respective circuit cables 20 themselves which constitute the respective wire harnesses 12 to 17 . the identifying digits are attached on the respective circuit cables 20 , the frame of the switching part 30 and the housing of the connectors v 1 to v 6 as the identification symbols , but , for example , alphabet codes , greek characters or any other suitable indicia or distinguishing marks may be used as the identification symbols . codes for clarifying the modular outlet groups of the blocks a to f which are bundled may be attached on the frame at the secondary side of the interconnection unit 10 . in this case , for example , codes composed of the head letter of alphabet and the digits corresponding to the colors of the modular outlets of the blocks a to f may be used which is convenient when there are many blocks on the floor , etc . for example when there are many blocks , there may be a case in which the tape color 22 of two wire harnesses must be the same , and this may cause trouble in identifying the modular outlets on the interconnection unit 10 in such a case . therefore , when there are two blocks whose tape color for the tapes 22 is “ red ”, the identification digits corresponding to the respective blocks are previously 15 determined , and codes “ r 1 ” and “ r 2 ” of which the identification digits are arranged after the head letter of alphabet indicating the tapes 22 can be attached on the frame of the interconnection unit 10 . thus , even if modular outlets having the same colors are used , it is convenient to be able to rapidly identify which blocks they correspond to . further , when the colors of the tape 22 are “ green ” and “ violet ”, the codes of “ g 1 ” and “ g 2 ” and the codes of “ v 1 ” and “ v 2 ” may be used . as illustrated above , the method for wiring of the invention makes it easy to identify the installed position of the outlets on the secondary side because first identification symbols enabling identification of the blocks is attached to the circuit cord , the same identification symbol is attached to the socket on the secondary side , and the respective outlets on the secondary side corresponding to the same block are grouped together in the interconnection unit ; in the method for wiring , wherein the circuit cables of the information device terminals are aggregated to the interconnection unit , the outlets on the secondary side are installed on the interconnection unit , and the information device terminals are connected to the external collective devices by mutually connecting the respective outlets on the primary side and the secondary side through the interconnecting cables . therefore , the work for replacing or exchanging the interconnection cables can be efficiently carried out in comparison with a conventional wiring of this type . particularly , when the second identification symbols enabling identification of the circuit cables in the same block are attached to the respective circuit cables and the same identification symbols as the second identification symbols are attached to the outlets on the secondary side which correspond to the respective circuit cables , it can be easily identified which outlets at the secondary side the respective circuit cables correspond to . further , when identification symbols enabling identification of the specific external devices are attached to the respective interconnection cables , it can be easily identified which external collective devices the respective - circuit cables are connected to .	7
other objects of the present invention and many of the attendant advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings , in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures . fig1 illustrates a schematic drawing of a patient 10 fitted with a defibrillating system of prior art consisting of a pulse generator 12 implanted in the abdominal cavity and connected to epicardial - patch electrodes 14 and 16 by electrical - lead harness 18 . the placement of epicardial - patch electrodes onto the surface of the heart requires that the surgeon open the chest cavity for placement . this is a much more risky procedure than the procedure required to emplace the present invention . furthermore , patients in need of defibrillating catheters often are poor candidates for surgical procedures requiring that the chest cavity be opened , thereby precluding them from obtaining the life saving benefits that could otherwise result from inventions of the prior art . fig2 illustrates a schematic drawing of a patient 20 implanted with a defibrillating system of the present invention , including a subcutaneously implanted pulse generator 22 in a subclavian position , a subcutaneous patch electrode 24 , and a transvenous catheter 26 , carrying a svc electrode coil 28 , and a rva electrode coil 30 . to avoid the surgery required for epicardial patches 14 and 16 of fig1 electrode coils 28 and 30 are passed transvenously into the heart chambers usually following the subclavian vein to the superior vena cava and into the heart . electrode coil 28 sits just above the right heart in the superior vena cava at or near its entrance to the right atrium , and coil electrode 30 lies in the right ventricular apex . the means by which a coronary fibrillation is detected are known within the art . often housed within the pulse generator , the electrical and mechanical sensing equipment detects a coronary fibrillation event . in response to detecting the fibrillation event , the pulse generator sends an electrical pulse to either the scv electrode coil , the rva electrode coil , or both . unfortunately , catheter - borne electrodes are often unable to direct sufficient current through enough of the heart muscle to effect defibrillation . for this reason , as depicted in fig2 a small subcutaneous patch electrode 24 is inserted just under the skin , on the patient &# 39 ; s left side . this requires additional , but minimal , surgery . this &# 34 ; subcutaneous patch &# 34 ; is not in direct contact with the heart , but enables a current vector starting at a transvenous electrode to pass through the heart muscle . thus , subcutaneous patch electrode 24 assists in directing current through the heart muscle , and hence , in defibrillating the heart . the electrode coil ( or coils ) receiving the electrical pulse then emit the pulse which passes to the subcutaneous patch electrode . a vector of electrical current is thereby established . the vector of electrical current encompasses all or substantially all of the heart and thereby defibrillates the heart . alternatively , the emitted electrical pulse can pass to the exterior of the pulse generator , which can be designed to act as an electrode . or the emitted electrical pulse can pass to both the subcutaneous patch and the exterior of the pulse generator . there are two primary electrical requirements for defibrillation electrodes . the first is that the resistance be low enough to provide passage of a sufficiently large current through the heart muscle . the second requirement is that the current field lines pass through the vast majority of the heart muscle . this requirement is usually met by having electrodes of sufficient extent . thus , the primary opportunity for optimization is in lowering the electrode resistance . the resistance for epicardial patch electrodes can be estimated by using standard formulas from physics and the dimensions of the epicardial patches . as depicted in fig3 the impedance , z , between two electrodes having surface area , a ; separated by distance , d ; and having bulk resistivity , p is given by : and thus , a larger surface area is influential for achieving a low impedance . the prior art has sometimes taught surface area alone as being important to enable effective delivery of defibrillation pulses . for example , see u . s . pat . no . 5 , 269 , 319 ( schulte et al . ), u . s . pat . no . 4 , 603 , 705 ( speicher et al .) and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 481 , 953 ( gold et al .). typical values for epicardial patch electrodes are a = 30 cm 2 , d = 7 cm and p = 150ωcm . thus , a typical impedance for epicardial patches across the heart is : ## equ1 ## which is a value seen in human implants . when transvenous catheter electrodes were developed it was assumed that a large radius decreased the gap d between the internal catheter borne electrode , and the patch outside the heart . at the same time , a large radius increased the surface area by 27πrl , where r is radius and 1 is length . thus , designs used diameters that were as large as could be forced into the heart through the often narrow veins . researchers reported their results with catheter defibrillation using large radius electrodes , typically having a radius of 2 mm and a length of 5 cm . a close inspection of the situation for a defibrillation catheter implanted in the right ventricle demonstrates that the impedance model of spaced plates in a fluid is inaccurate . a better mode is depicted in fig4 which depicts a catheter electrode of radius , r ; length , l ; and spaced a distance , r , from a patch electrode , w × w . between l and the patch w × w is an infinitesimal volume , v , with a yet to be determined impedance dz which can be summed to give an overall impedance z . this volume v is situated in a general , but moveable distance r * from the center of the rod and has an infinitesimal thickness ( that is , &# 34 ; gap &# 34 ;) dr . careful inspection shows that the arc length would be r w / r and the height l + r ( w - l )/ r and multiplied together would be the &# 34 ; area &# 34 ; referred to in eq . 1 . so multiplying resistivity p by gap dr , dividing by &# 34 ; area &# 34 ;, and summing ( integrating ) the infinitesimal volume from r to r , yields : ## equ2 ## substituting typical values into the product br shows that br is small , in the range of - 0 . 01 to + 0 . 01 , making the numerator in the ln function essentially 1 . using 1 instead of 1 + br , the above equation simplifies to : ## equ3 ## substituting typical values into eq . 4 yields an overall impedance of approximately 100 ohms , which is larger than epicardial patches , but a number very close to that found in clinical tests of transvenous leads . upon more rigorous inspection , eq . 4 , reveals that impedance is inversely proportional to l and proportional to the natural logarithm of 1 / r . the inverse proportionality to l is what conventional thinking suggests in eq . 3 , but ln 1 / r entirely changes the situation . note that the slope of ln ( x ) is 1 / x , meaning that for a large x , the sensitivity to x ( that is , the slope of x ) has a weak dependance on x when x is large . in the instant case , x =( rl / rw ) is indeed large , approximately 50 ( r = 10 cm ; l = 8 ; r = 0 . 2 ; w = 8 ). the sensitivity to r can be better shown by looking at the percentage change in z , dz / z , as a function of percentage change in r , dr / r . mathematically , this is done by taking the differential of eq . 4 and dividing by z . one finds : ## equ4 ## substituting typical values of r = 10 , l = 8 , r = 0 . 2 and w = 8 , one gets dz / z =- 0 . 16dr / r . the - 0 . 16 factor is very enlightening . it means that a 1 % increase in r will decrease impedance only 0 . 16 %, as opposed to l which , because l is inversely proportional to impedance ( see eq . 4 ) a 1 % increase in l would cause a full 1 % decrease in impedance . thus , there results a greater impedance benefit , with the same 2πrl area , for making l as long as possible and r as thin as possible . the more careful analysis done here shows that increasing either l or r will decrease impedance , but that l has a much stronger effect on impedance than does r and , therefore , a long , thin electrode is preferable to a short , thick electrode . in the present invention , the catheter electrode preferably has a maximum diameter of less than about 6 french ( i . e ., a maximum diameter & lt ; 2 mm ) and an overall length of at least 30 times , and preferably at least 35 times , the maximum diameter of the catheter electrode for a multiple electrode configuration . for a single electrode configuration , the maximum diameter of the electrode is less than about 6 french and preferably less than about 4 french and the overall length of the electrode is at least 30 times , and preferably at least 35 times , the radius of the maximum diameter of the catheter electrode . fig5 , 7 and 8 illustrate the details of the construction of the catheter . note that conductor coil 58 is wound continuously to the end of the catheter and is then bonded to the electrode coil 158 . this is accomplished by mechanical crimping or laser welding or resistance welding , preferably mechanically crimping and laser welding the conductor coil 58 to either pin 112 or tube 122 , then mechanically crimping or laser welding or resistance welding , preferably mechanically crimping and laser welding pin 112 or tube 122 to electrode coil 158 . fig5 depicts a plan view of visible members of the low profile defibrillation catheter 40 including a junction member 42 , electrical connectors 44 and 46 extending from the proximal end of junction member 42 , a dielectric , flexible plastic tubular member 48 extending from the distal end of junction member 42 , a flexible wound electrode coil member 50 extending from the interior of flexible plastic tubular member 48 , a flexible dielectric plastic tubular covering 52 having flared ends 54 and 56 , of which flared end 54 accommodates the distal end of flexible wound coil electrode member 50 , flexible wound electrode coil member 158 extending from the interior of flared end 56 and terminating within tined metal catheter tip 60 at the distal end of flexible wound electrode coil member 158 . connector 44 is electrically connected to flexible wound electrode coil member 50 and connector 46 is electrically connected to flexible wound electrode coil member 158 . flexible wound electrode coil member 50 and conductor coil 58 align coaxially within flexible tubular member 48 and than within flared end member 54 as depicted in fig6 . fig6 depicts a cross - sectional view of the major elements of low profile defibrillation catheter 40 . flexible wound electrode coil 50 , flexible plastic tube 62 and flexible wound conductor coil member 58 are arranged in a coaxial fashion within flexible tubular member 48 and continue past the distal end of flexible tubular member 48 to expose flexible wound electrode coil member 50 whose distal end secures and terminates suitably within the confines of flared end 54 of flexible plastic tubular member 52 . flexible wound conductor coil member 58 resides coaxially within flexible plastic tube 62 . flexible plastic tube 62 , in turn , coaxially resides within flexible electrode coil member 158 , flexible tubular member 52 , or flexible wound electrode coil 50 . flexible wound conductor coil member 58 continues distally , terminating at tined metal catheter tip 60 where it is electrically bonded to flexible wound electrode coil member 158 . flexible wound electrode coil member 158 is appropriately terminated between flexible plastic tube 62 and flare 56 of flexible plastic tubular member 52 . as depicted in fig5 the exposure length of exposed electrode coil wires 50 and 158 is extensive along the length of low profile defibrillation catheter 40 . fig7 illustrates a cutaway view of the distal tip portion of low profile defibrillation catheter 40 showing the attachment of conductor coil 58 to electrode coil 158 at the distal end of catheter 40 . the distal connection consists of conductor coil 58 ( shown in fig8 ), electrode coil 158 and two machined pieces , pin 112 and tube 122 , joined by laser welding , resistance welding , crimping , or a combination of these processes . conductor coil 58 consists of a coiled multifilar wire , commencing at the proximal end of the lead and terminating at the distal end . it provides a durable , conductive path from the pulse generator to the distal , right ventricular electrode . electrode coil 158 consists of a coiled unifilar or multifilar wire , round or flat . in cross section , commencing at the distal end of the lead and extending proximally for the designated length of the exposed electrode . one machined pin 112 is inserted into the distal end of the conductor coil and provides a positive stop for the stylet used for implantation as well as a stop for a crimp joint . the second machined piece is a thin walled tube placed over conductor coil 58 . the assembly , conductor coil 58 , pin 112 and tube 122 is then crimped . as an alternative , tube 122 may be welded onto conductor coil 58 . tube 122 is then welded to pin 112 . to finish the electrical connection , electrode coil 158 is then welded , laser or resistance , to tube 122 or pin 112 . alternate constructions for the weld include : ( 1 ) welding conductor coil 58 and electrode coil 158 to the surface of pin 112 or tube 122 or ( 2 ) welding conductor coil 58 and electrode coil 158 to the end of the pin 112 . the conductor and electrode coil may be constructed from any material used for the purpose including platinum - iridium wire , silver cored mp35n . sup .™ wire , or noble metal coated mp35n . sup .™ wire ( with a silver core ). pin 112 and tube 122 are of the same material which may be mp35n . sup .™, titanium , or stainless steel . mp35n . sup .™ is an alloy comprising nickel , cobalt , chromium and molybdenum and manufactured by maryland specialty wire company of cockeysville , md . this assembly provides a physical and electrical connection that maintains the same diameter as the electrode ( i . e . isodiametric ), thereby allowing a low profile distal tip of the lead , which aids in insertion of the lead into a vein during implantation . it also allows the conductor coil and the electrode coil to be wound in the same direction ( fig8 ), thereby eliminating a source of abrasion to flexible plastic tube 62 , the insulative material between the two coils . it also provides a stop for a stylet when placed for introduction of the lead into a vein during implantation . fig1 illustrates a plan view of a single electrode embodiment of the low profile defibrillation catheter 140 according to the present invention . in this single electrode embodiment , junction member 142 is not bifurcated , connecting electrical connector 44 , the only electrical connector necessary , to conductor coil 58 . conductor coil 58 extends from the distal end of junction member 142 terminating within the cavity of tined metal catheter tip 60 as previously described . conductor coil 58 resides coaxially within flexible plastic tube 62 the entire length of the catheter . flexible plastic tube 62 resides coaxially within electrode coil 158 . electrode coil 158 is electrically bonded to conductor coil 58 in the same fashion as depicted and described in the two electrode embodiment of the present invention described above . electrode coil 158 extends proximally from tined metal catheter tip 60 along a substantial portion of catheter 140 terminating in the distal end of flexible tubular member 48 . the distal end of tubular member 48 may also possess a flared end to better provide for securing electrode coil between tubular member 48 and flexible plastic tube 62 . the materials used in this single electrode embodiment are identical to those used and described above with respect to the two electrode embodiment with the exception of junction member 142 . changes and modifications in the specifically described embodiments can be carried out without departing from the scope of the invention which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the claims thereof .	8
as shown in fig1 and 2 , the present invention essentially comprises a shaft 1 , a shaft collar 2 , pawl means 3 in the shape of an umbrella , an inner annular plate 4 , take means 5 , and an outer annular plate 6 . as shown in fig1 and 3 , the shaft 1 is an elongated rod which has a connecting disk 11 at one end for pivotal connection with an output shaft of a winding machine . a main shaft 12 extends from a front end of the connecting disk 11 for connection with the shaft collar 2 to achieve linking - up movement between the main shaft 12 and the shaft collar 2 . the main shaft 12 is provided with a milled surface 13 . the shaft collar 2 is a hollow ring with an annular hole 21 at its center for receiving the main shaft 12 . the shaft collar 2 is further provided with a lock hole 22 with threads for matching the milled surface 13 , so that a screw 23 may pass through the lock hole 22 to urge against the milled surface 13 to secure the shaft 1 and the shaft collar 2 in position . in addition , three or more shaft notches are equi - angular formed on a collar body 24 of the shaft collar 2 . each notch 25 is radially welded to a shaft bracket 26 . each shaft bracket 26 is centrally provided with a longitudinal , through bracket hole 261 . each bracket 26 is further laterally provided with a threaded hole 262 for engaging the annular plate 4 . the pawl means 3 is comprised of base rods 31 and curved clamp plates 32 matching the brackets 26 in number . the curved clamp plates 32 together form an annular structure . each base rod 31 is transversely connected to the middle of an inner surface of each curved clamp plate 32 . a rear end of each base rod 31 has a u - shaped rear notch 311 , and an insert hole 312 is longitudinally provided at the rear end as well . in this way , after its corresponding bracket 26 has aligned , a first pin 313 may pivotally lock the base rod 31 to the bracket 26 in a rotatable relationship . in addition , a front end of each base rod 31 is also provided with a front notch 313 having an eccentric hole 315 in a longitudinal direction . a guide wheel 316 is fitted into the front notch 314 so that a second pin 317 may pass through the eccentric hole 315 and the guide wheel 316 to secure the latter in the front notch 314 , with a part thereof projecting in the direction of the main shaft 12 . furthermore , a hook hole 318 is formed at an upper side and a lower side of each base rod 31 at suitable positions in a longitudinal direction . adjacent hook holes 318 respectively engage two ends of a reset spring 319 , so that the base rod 31 and the curved clamp plate 32 may extend outwardly or retract with the bracket hole 261 as their pivot . the inner surface of the above - mentioned curved clamp plate 32 is milled to form a plate groove 321 for connection with the base rod 31 . at the position corresponding to the rear notch 311 of the base rod 31 , the curved clamp plate 32 is provided with a stop rim 322 with a plate notch 323 for projection of the bracket 26 therethrough . additionally , both sides of an outer surface of the curved clamp plate 32 are cut downwardly to form a plate rake 324 at either side so as to facilitate removal of wires . furthermore , in order to prevent the base rods 31 from being acted upon by the reset springs 319 to orient towards the main shaft 2 during retraction , which may damage the guide wheel 316 , a stop hole 310 is transversely formed at a suitable position of each base rod for receiving a stop rod 7 . in addition , in order to position the end of a to - be - wound material , or to insertably connect wire guide means 8 with the curved clamp plates 32 , a through bore 325 is formed in each curved clamp plate 32 , while the corresponding base rod 31 is provided with a through hole 33 matching the through bore 325 for passage and thus positioning of the wire end , or for insertable connection of the wire guide means 8 . the above - mentioned wire guide means 8 is comprised of a relay post 81 , a wire guide rod 82 , and a resilient hook 83 . the relay post 81 has post threads 811 at an upper end for connection with the wire guide rod 82 , which has a rod cone 821 at a top end . a lower end of the relay post 81 has a post end 812 corresponding to the through bore 325 and connecting to the resilient hook 83 . by means of a stop screw 9 passing through the post end 812 to urge against the resilient hook 83 , the resilient hook 83 may be held in the post end 812 . at the same time , a bottom end of the resilient hook 83 has a hook end 831 in an eccentric shape and slightly exposed at the outside of the post end 812 . when the post end 812 and the resilient hook 83 are inserted into the through bore 325 and the through hole 33 , the hook end 831 will first be compressed , and when the hook end 831 extends through the through hole 33 , it will reset so that the wire guide means 8 may be fixedly situated on the curved clamp plate 32 . the inner annular plate 4 is a saucer - like disk structure . it has an annular hole 41 corresponding to the baffle rim 322 of the pawl means 3 , and a plate hole 42 corresponding to each threaded hole 262 of each bracket 26 so that screw rods 43 may be used to lock the inner annular plate 4 to the brackets 26 to achieve synchronous rotation with the shaft collar 2 . the take means 5 essentially comprises a liner 51 , a spring 52 , a bushing 53 , a withdraw ring 54 , and a tightening ring 55 . the liner 51 has a liner ring 511 near an outer end and a liner groove 515 at its interior for passage of the main shaft 12 . the liner 51 is fitted with the spring 52 and then passed through a bushing hole 531 of the bushing 53 . then the withdraw ring 54 is connected to an end of the liner 51 . the liner 51 further has a liner loop 512 at an outer end , the liner loop 512 having three or more liner holes 513 each of which insertably receive a ball 514 . the tightening ring 55 is then connected to the bushing hole 531 in a tight fit so that the balls 514 are located between the liner holes 513 and the tightening ring 55 and urge against the main shaft 12 . in addition , the tightening ring 55 is provided with an oblique ring rake 551 for matching the positions of the balls 514 , so that each ball 514 may , after being pressed by the ring rake 551 , clamp the main shaft 12 or , when the the withdraw ring 54 is being pulled out , roll along the ring rake 551 to displace rearwardly so as to disengage from the main shaft 12 . at this point , a bearing 56 is connected to a ring surface 571 of an adjusting ring 57 , and a first fastening ring 572 is used to engage an annular groove 573 of the ring surface 571 . then the bearing 56 and the adjusting ring 57 are together placed into a seat chamber 581 of a securing seat 58 . then a second fastening ring 582 is used to engage a chamber groove 583 in the seat chamber 581 to prevent slippage of the bearing 56 . the securing seat 58 has a seat cone 584 at a front end and a planar seat ring 585 . the seat cone 583 is internally provided with a seat hole 586 for passage of the main shaft 12 . in addition , an inner surface of the seat ring 585 is provided with three or more connecting holes 587 for connection with the outer annular plate 6 . subsequently , the bushing 3 is connected to the adjusting ring 57 by engagement of bushing threads 532 at one end of the bushing 53 with ring threads 574 of the adjusting ring 57 . assembly of the take means 5 is thus accomplished . furthermore , in order to facilitate gripping and turning of the bushing 53 , withdraw ring 54 , and adjusting ring 57 , they may be provided with press grooves 59 or the like . the outer annular plate 6 is also a saucer - like disk structure . it has an annular hole 61 corresponding to a seat step 588 of the securing seat 58 , and a plate hole 62 corresponding to each connecting hole 587 for passage of a screw 63 to lock them together . during assembly , the shaft collar 2 is firstly connected to the shaft 1 , and the curved clamp plates 32 together with the base rods 31 are mounted on the shaft brackets 26 in order . after the first pins 313 are passed through corresponding insert holes 312 and bracket holes 261 , stop screws 9 are caused to urge against corresponding first pins 313 . then the inner annular plate 4 is coupled to the shaft bracket 26 to for a side wall . subsequently , the reset springs 319 respectively engage adjacent hook holes 318 so that one end of each curved clamp plate 32 is pivoted on the corresponding bracket hole 261 , while the other end thereof is oriented towards the main shaft 12 in a retracted manner , as shown in fig5 . additionally , the stop screws 9 urge against the corresponding second pins 317 so that they will not disengage from the eccentric holes 315 . finally , the take device 5 together with the outer annular plate 6 is inserted along the main shaft 12 into the pawl means 3 . due to the inclination of each guide wheel 316 along the seat cone 584 , each curved clamp plate 32 may gradually extend outwardly , as shown in fig3 and 4 . when the guide wheels 316 displace to the seat ring 585 and touch the outer annular plate 6 , assembly is accomplished and winding operation may proceed . in order to proceed with the winding operation , one end of the to - be - wound material is inserted into any one of the through bores 325 and / or through holes 33 , then the post ends of the relay posts of the wire guide means 8 are inserted into the rest of the through bores 325 such that the hook ends 831 below pass through the through holes 33 and extend outwardly in a positioned state . at this time , by starting the winding machine so that its output shaft rotates and thus brings the shaft 1 to rotate therewith , the shaft collar 2 , pawl means 3 , inner annular plate 4 , securing seat 58 , bearing 56 , and outer annular plate 6 will synchronous rotate therewith to achieve winding . when the material is wound orderly in an alternate manner on the pawl means 3 and touches the rod cone 821 , it will wind downwardly along the wire guide rod 82 , and when the material is stacked at the inner wall of the outer annular plate 6 , since the tensile force ( shown by arrows a and b in fig4 ) generated by the material is converted into a radial pressure ( indicated by arrows c and d ), the balls 514 are pressed by the ring rake 551 to clamp the main shaft 12 , so that the withdraw ring 54 along with the liner 51 cannot be pulled out . after the winding operation is completed , the wire guide means 8 is firstly taken down so that the entire bundle of wire in the shape of a loop has a hollow in the center . referring to fig6 the operator may firstly hold the press grooves 59 of the bushing 53 with one hand and turn the adjusting ring 57 with the other hand in a counter - clockwise direction , so that the adjusting ring 57 displaces a certain distance outwardly along the bushing threads 532 . at this point , the tensile force ( arrows a and b ) disappears , and the radial pressure relatively disappears as well , so that the ring rake 551 no longer press against the balls 514 . then the withdraw ring 54 and the liner 51 are pulled out together , so that the balls 514 disengage from the tightening ring 55 . therefore , the balls 514 no long clamp the main shaft 12 , and the take means 5 and the outer annular plate 6 may be taken down . since the guide wheels 316 are no longer supported by the seat ring 585 , and the base rods 31 are acted upon by the reset spring 319 to retract inwardly , with the stop rods 7 touching the main shaft 12 , each curved clamp plate 32 will not retract excessively inward . then the entire bundle of wound wire may be removed . in the present invention , there is no need to use any tools and the wound material may be quickly removed after the winding process . besides , the bundle of wire may be tied by passing strings or ropes through the clearances between curved clamp plates 32 so that the bundle will not become loosened . at the same time , the pawl means may enable winding in a circular or conical shape , so that the material wound has a pleasing shape . besides , labor and cost may be reduced . although the present invention has been illustrated and described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof , it should be understood that it is in no way limited to the details of such embodiment but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims .	1
to make a crispy flour taquito according to this disclosure , several broad processes or steps are involved . first , tortilla dough having a flour - based composition , as opposed to a corn - masa - based composition , is prepared . independently , the filling is prepared . filling preparation may proceed concurrently or simultaneously with the tortilla dough preparation . when the tortilla dough has been shaped , baked , and filled , the resulting product is batter coated , fried , and frozen . the frozen taquito is preferably prepared for consumption by microwave heating . heating in a conventional oven is less preferred due to the longer time involved and the reduced benefit associated with the crispy coating . turning now to fig1 , tortillas 60 for the taquitos are prepared according to the procedure shown in fig2 using either a batch and / or a continuous process . for simplicity the batch process is described here . more particularly , the tortilla manufacturing process starts by adding dry ingredients to the hopper of a suitable conventional kettle with an internal mixing system . a suitable kettle ought to have a capacity capable of processing a batch weighing up to about 2 , 000 pounds . these dry ingredients include flour to provide a base , provide product strength , product texture and product appearance . another dry ingredient is a protein elevator that enhances product strength and machinability . leavening agents comprise another dry ingredient . the leavening agents generate gas in the dough and provide texture and tenderness in the product . preferably the flour used in these tortillas is wheat flour , rather than corn masa . whey powder can be used as a suitable protein elevator . baking powder and salt function as suitable leavening agents . either a liquid or a dry dough conditioner is used in these tortillas . the dough conditioner relaxes the dough to provide consistent machinability for the most preferred size and shape . typical liquid dough conditioners are obtained from a mixture of a dry dough conditioner and water . where the dough conditioner is dry , it is also added to the mixer at this point . table i sets out the preferred relative proportions for the dry ingredients . with these dry ingredients in the kettle hopper , the mixing system runs slowly 22 for about one minute to thoroughly blend these ingredients . a typical slow speed mix 26 involves operating the mixing system at about 35 rpm , whereas a typical fast speed mix involves operating the mixing system at about 70 rpm . the next step involves introducing vegetable oil 24 at a temperature of about 70 ° f . into the kettle hopper . for purposes of making these tortillas , corn oil is the preferred vegetable oil . a second slow mixing step 26 is performed by operating the mixing apparatus for about one minute at a slow speed . if a liquid dough conditioner 32 is used , it is introduced at this time . metabisulfite tablets constitute a most preferred dry dough conditioner . the preferred metabisulfite tablets are known commercially as parlax tablets and include sodium metabisulfite , corn starch , microcrystalline cellulose , and dicalcium phosphate . by dissolving metabisulfite tablets 28 in a fixed quantity of water 30 , metabisulfite enters the process as a wet or liquid dough conditioner solution 32 . by way of example , 6 metabisulfite tablets may preferably be dissolved in about 12 pounds of water . after the dough conditioner solution 32 has been added , a third slow mix 36 is performed for about 7 minutes . during this third mix 36 , water 34 at a preferred temperature range of about 55 ° to about 60 ° f . is preferably added using a conventional volumetric meter . when water is cooler than this preferred range , the resulting dough is too tough and requires too much time to process . when water is warmer than this preferred range , the resulting dough is too soft and processes too quickly . after the third slow mixing step 36 , the dough is allowed to rest in the mixer to develop . the rest period for the dough preferably lies in the range of 5 to 30 minutes and most preferably lies in the range of 5 to 10 minutes . the rest period is selected such that the dough temperature reaches a preferred temperature range of about 75 to about 85 ° f . and the dough is medium to fully developed . this preferred rest period provides acceptable workability and extensibility for the dough . shorter rest times yield under - developed dough which is too tough for suitable processing ; whereas , longer rest times yield over - developed dough which is too soft for suitable processing . after the rest period , the developed dough can be divided into pieces , preferably by dumping it into a suitable conventional dough chunker 38 , although any other means of dividing the dough can be used such other types of equipment or by hand . the dough chunker 38 divides the dough into small sheets which then pass to a dough cutting , press , or stamping system , preferably a cutting system , and most preferably the die - cutter head 40 of a suitable conventional die cut system . the die - cutter head 40 subdivides the sheets into generally circular tortilla disks corresponding in weight and size to that of an individual tortilla . for example , a prebaked weight in the range of about 0 . 88 to about 0 . 92 oz . ( i . e ., 25 to 26 . 1 g ) is preferred for a tortilla with a 5 inch nominal diameter . nominal diameters for the tortillas preferably lie in the range of about 5 to about 6 inches with a tolerance of about 0 . 25 inches , although tortillas with nominal diameters ranging from 2 . 5 to 12 inches are known and used . these tortilla disks are positioned on a conveyor 42 . preferably , the tortilla disks have a substantially uniform thickness because increased thickness has been found to cause a mushy mouth feel when the taquitos heated for ultimate use . subsequently , the tortilla disks are baked 44 by conveying them through a suitable conventional oven where baking occurs at about 400 ° f . after baking , the tortilla is normally soft , pliable , and tender in the center . moreover , after baking , a tortilla having a nominal 5 inch diameter has a preferred weight in the range of about 0 . 69 to about 0 . 72 oz . ( 19 . 7 to 20 . 3 g ) and a preferred thickness in the range of about 0 . 038 to about 0 . 042 inches . for a constant thickness , tortilla weight varies generally as the square of the diameter ; accordingly , tortillas with different nominal diameters will have appropriately adjusted weight ranges . while any desired filling may be used in making the taquitos disclosed here , several preferred fillings will now be described . one such preferred filling is a chicken in tomatillo salsa . production of a suitable tomatillo salsa begins ( see fig3 ) by combining 100 in a suitable conventional mixer , kettle , or mixing container , water , crushed tomatillos , soy sauce and jalapeno peppers in brine . next , thickening additives 102 are added to the mixer . suitable conventional thickening additives include modified food starch ( e . g ., col - flo ) for color retention , clarity , and smoothness ; gelatin ; xanthum gum , and the like . the liquids and additives are mixed until the thickening agents are fully dissolved . at that time , dry ingredients 104 such as salt , chipotle pepper , chinese garlic , and chicken base may be added and further mixed . the mixture is then heated 106 to a minimum temperature of about 190 ° f . to activate the thickeners and cook the tomatillos , garlic , and other uncooked additives . chopped vegetable materials including , for example , onion and cilantro , are then added 108 . the mixture is then cooled 110 to a temperature in the range of about 35 - 40 ° f . this temperature range is preferred as it aids pre - processing efficiency . moreover , this first cooling step is the first of two cooling steps and this first cooling step is a less costly process . agitation 112 of the tomatillo salsa continues at a medium speed to keep solid components from settling out and to keep the tomatillo salsa well - mixed . the tomatillo salsa may then be added to another mixer 120 ( see fig4 ), such as a cooling - jacketed mixer with co 2 injection , where further mixing 126 and the second cooling step occur . preferably , co 2 injection is used for cooling in the second cooling step ; however , other cooling processes such as ammonia cooling or cold water jacket heat transfer may be substituted . the co 2 injection is most preferred in this process though because the direct injection of cold gaseous carbon dioxide permeates the mixer and gives rapid cooling without any chemical reaction or dilution of the product . a suitable cheese , such as pepper jack cheese or a flavored cheese , is prepared 122 for use by cutting and shredding it to a size approximating about 0 . 25 ″× about 0 . 375 ″× about 1 . 5 ″. the prepared cheese is then added to the mixer . desired proportions of seasonings 124 are then added to the mixer . typical seasonings may include black pepper and cumin . at the same time , chicken , onion , methylcellulose (“ methocel ”), pepper pods ( poblano ), flavor enhancers ( e . g ., i + g ), and texture improving additives ( e . g ., textaid ), may be added to the mixer . the chilled salsa , prepared cheese , and additional seasonings are mixed for about a minute and a half while temperature is maintained in a range of about 10 ° to about 80 ° f ., preferably in a range of about 10 ° to about 40 ° f ., and most preferably at about 25 ° f . the range of 10 to 40 ° f . is preferred because with temperatures below about 40 ° f . microbial food contamination problems are avoided and usda production line cleaning requirements are reduced . the final preparation step includes adding bagged , precooked chicken 130 , preferably in the form of pieces and most preferably in shredded form , and mixing the chicken with the salsa . all ingredients are then mixed 132 . another suitable filling may be a beef and cheddar cheese combination . production of a beef paste for use in a beef and cheddar taquito begins ( see fig5 ) by combining 150 in a suitable conventional kettle having internal mixing apparatus hot water ( e . g ., about 170 ° f . ), diced tomatoes , and vegetable oil . corn oil is the preferred vegetable oil . next , thickening additives 152 are slowly added to the mixer . suitable conventional thickening additives include modified food starch ( e . g ., col - flo ) for color retention , clarity , and smoothness ; gelatin ; xanthum gum , and / or the like . the liquids and additives are mixed until the thickening agents are fully dissolved . at that time , dry ingredients 154 such as salt , sugar , granulated garlic , chipotle pepper , oregano , whey , and condiments may be added and further mixed . conventional beef paste , and conventional ancho base are then added 155 to the mixture which is subsequently heated 156 to a minimum temperature of about 190 ° f ., long enough to activate the thickeners and cook the tomatoes , as well as other uncooked additives . chopped vegetable materials including , for example , green pepper , are then added 158 . the mixture is then cooled 160 to a temperature in the range of about 35 ° to about 40 ° f . agitation 162 of the paste beef continues at a medium speed to keep solid components from settling out and to keep the paste beef well - mixed . the paste beef may then be added to another mixer 170 ( see fig6 ) where mixing 176 and chilling with co 2 occurs . a suitable cheese , such as shredded colby cheddar , is prepared 172 for use by cutting and shredding it to pieces with a size approximating about 0 . 25 ″× about 0 . 375 ″× about 1 . 5 ″. next , the cheese is added to the mixer . desired proportions of diced vegetables 174 are then added to the mixer . typical diced vegetables include red bell peppers and onions . next , the mixer runs for about one and a half minutes 178 . then , methylcellulose (“ methocel ”), pepper pods ( poblano ), flavor enhancers ( e . g ., i + g ), and texture improving additives ( e . g ., textaid ), may be added 180 to the mixer and mixed 182 for an additional 20 - 25 seconds at a high speed . the final preparation step includes adding precooked beef 184 as shreds , pieces , or other comminuted forms and mixing it 186 at a high speed of about 70 rpm . the beef pieces 184 are preferably cubed beef pieces and most preferably precooked ground beef . the resulting beef and cheddar filling will have the consistency of melted cheese with identifiable beef shreds . another suitable filling is a steak and cheese filling ( see fig7 ). for this filling , a suitable cheese , such as pepper jack cheese , is diced 189 to cubes of about 0 . 25 inches . the cubed cheese is added to the hopper of a mixer along with strips of steak , high melt cheddar cheese , monterey jack cheese sauce , diced red and green peppers , diced onions , cilantro , sale wood - fired grill flavor , and ultrasperse ( a precooked waxy corn starch ). the mixer operates 193 for about 50 to about 70 seconds to complete the mixing of these ingredients . upon completion of the mixing step , the filling has the appearance of steak strips with little pieces of cheddar cheese along with red and green bell pepper . this filling may have a strong grilled flavor and a mild cheese and steak flavor . the filling also has a mouth consistency of cheese with tender pieces of steak . the temperature of this filling is adjusted so as to lie in the range of about 27 ° to about 35 ° f . another chicken and cheese filling can be produced by combining , in the hopper of a mixer , water , monterey jack cheese sauce , diced tomatoes , freeze dried sauteed white onion ; sliced green onions , mild green chilies , diced bell peppers , cilantro , cooked chicken meat , diced precooked bacon , colby cheese , modified food starch ( e . g ., ultrasperse ), methocel , and hickory grill flavoring . when all the ingredients are loaded , the mixer is operated for about 45 to about 90 seconds to thoroughly blend the ingredients . the filling has a greenish brown color with chicken shreds and pieces , diced bacon , tomatoes , cheese , and green chili pepper pieces . this filling also has a strong grilled flavor infused with bacon flavor as well as a mild chicken and cheese flavor . the filling has a mouth consistency of melted cheese with tender chicken pieces . the temperature of this filling is adjusted to be in the range of about 35 ° to about 40 ° f . after the tortillas and the filling have been prepared ( see fig1 ), the filling mixture 62 is supplied and applied 64 to the individual tortillas . preferably , the filling mixture 62 is made using standard blending and mixing processes . the filling preferably may be pumped through a vacuum displacement unit , and dispensed onto the tortillas by extrusion through a generally circular orifice having a diameter in the range of about 0 . 52 inch to about 0 . 62 inches . alternatively , the filling can be accomplished by hand , by other extrusion systems , or by knock - out type systems . the filling preferably has a soft to medium consistency when applied to the tortilla so that the filling holds its shape and is pliable . for tortillas with a nominal diameter of 5 inches , a preferred quantity of filling is about 0 . 70 to about 0 . 0 . 72 oz . ( i . e ., 19 . 8 to 20 . 4 g ). where the tortilla has a different nominal diameter , the filling weight needs corresponding adjustment . when the filling is applied to the tortilla , the filling does not extend all the way to the tortilla edge , preferably the filling is spaced from the opposed tortilla edges by about 0 . 4 inch to about 0 . 5 inches at each end of the filling . preferably the filling is positioned on the tortilla such that it is both offset from a generally parallel diameter of the tortilla and inset from the peripheral edge of the tortilla , i . e ., a longitudinal axis of the filling is generally parallel to , but offset from , a diameter of the tortilla . to hold the assembled taquito together , a suitable edible adhesive may be applied to part of the tortilla . specifically the edible adhesive is preferably applied to a segment of the tortilla which will become part of the outside after rolling . stated differently , the edible adhesive is applied to a segment of the tortilla defined by the generally circular circumference of the tortilla and a chord which is parallel to the filling axis but which is on the opposite side of the diameter parallel to the filling axis . the maximum distance between the chord and the circumference of the segment preferably lies in the range of about 1 to about 2 inches . when used , the edible adhesive is preferably a mixture of water and flour . most preferably , about 60 wt . % of water is thoroughly mixed with about 40 wt . % of flour to make the edible adhesive . after the filling has been dispensed onto the tortillas , the individual tortillas are rolled 66 . during the rolling step , the edge portion of the tortilla is folded over the filling , and tucked under the filling adjacent to a diameter of the tortilla . then the tortilla and filling are rolled over the remaining portion of the tortilla having the band of edible adhesive , when used , so that the edible adhesive holds the assembled taquito in its generally cylindrical shape . when the edible adhesive is not used , the upper surface of the tortilla may be lightly sprayed with water . the water will provide a similar adhesive functionality . when the rolling step is finished , the taquito has a diameter in the range of about 0 . 9 to about 1 . 0 inches where the tortilla used has a nominal diameter of 5 inches . as thus assembled , the tortilla surrounds the filling , except at the open ends of the rolled tortilla , and attains a generally cylindrical shape . the rolled , filled tortillas then pass through a suitable conventional waterfall coating device or other suitable conventional bath where a batter coating is applied to the outside of the tortilla 68 . preferably , a coating weight of about 0 . 099 to about 0 . 106 oz . ( i . e ., 2 . 8 to 3 . 0 g ) is applied to each taquito where the tortilla has a nominal diameter of 5 inches . the preferred composition of the batter is made by combining about 40 % dry batter mixture 190 ( see fig8 ) and about 60 % water 192 in a suitable conventional liquefier 194 where the batter and water are mixed 196 until the batter mixture is completely dissolved . components of the most preferred dry batter mixture are set out in table ii below . as an alternative , the coating can be made by a simple combination of about 20 % flour and about 80 % water , which combination has been liquefied . next , ( fig1 ) the coated taquito is preferably fried in vegetable oil at a temperature in the range of 350 to 400 ° f . for 25 to 45 seconds . the cooking oil may be maintained at a most preferred temperature in the range of about 365 ° to about 370 ° f . while the most preferred frying time is about 3 to about 37 seconds . with this high temperature , the cooking time is relatively short . the preferred vegetable oil for frying is corn oil . immediately after the frying step 70 , the taquitos are frozen 72 , packaged , and distributed for consumers . the preferred freezing step includes use of a spiral freezer where the taquitos can be frozen to a temperature of ≦ 25 ° f . in about 30 to about 35 minutes . to prepare the frozen taquitos for consumption , microwave heating 74 is preferably used . this product may be microwave heated for about 2 minutes without using an added convection material ( s ) such as a heater board , a microwave susceptor , or the like . alternatively , the frozen taquitos can be ( i ) thawed 76 and then heated 78 or ( ii ) immediately heated 78 , in a conventional oven or other heating device , but conventional heating is less preferable due to the time involved and the lower need for a crispy coating with the conventional heating method . in this description , the various references to percentages are references to percentages by weight , unless otherwise indicated . moreover , where a numerical value is given for particular parameter , and where the numerical value is introduced by the term “ about ”, each such numerical value is specifically intended to include any value within 5 % of the numerical value stated , unless the context indicates otherwise . moreover , it should be noted that the processing sequences , times , and temperatures described herein have been found to be optimized for the product being produced . it will now be apparent to those skilled in the art that a new , and improved process for making a crispy taquito has been described . it will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications , variations , substitutions , and equivalents exist for features of the process and resulting product . accordingly , it is expressly intended that all such modifications , variations , substitutions , and equivalents which fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims shall be embraced thereby .	0
the present invention relates to a process for introducing fibers into extruded thermoplastics to form a fiber - reinforced , foamed thermoplastic . the resulting product can be formed into sheets , composites , or other such articles having applications which require light materials with good strength and rigidity . fibers useful in the present invention are formed outside the extruder so the fiber properties can be adequately controlled for reproducible structural qualities . the fiber materials useful in the present process and for the present product include aramids , polybenzimidazole , cellulosic , polyester , phenolic , carbon , glass , polyimides , polyamides . the fibers should have a length between about 0 . 5 mm to about 25 mm , preferably substantially all or 100 % of the fibers have a length of less than about 10 mm , most preferably less than about 5 mm in length , with an average fiber diameter of about 1 - 20 μm . the fiber content of reinforced plastics according to the invention are within the range from about 0 . 5 wt % to about 60 wt % based on the entire composite weight . the most preferred fiber material is an expanded aramid fiber commercially available from american fibers & amp ; abrasives , inc . of bangor , mich . under the name aramid 26da . these expanded fibers are aramid fibers available in their unexpanded form under the trademark kevlar ® ( copolymer of p - phenylenediamine and terephthalic acid ). expanded aramid fibers are made by exposing the unexpanded fibers to high speed , high shear blending , ball milling , or hammer milling which cause the fibers to expand in volume without significantly reducing the length of the fiber . while not wishing to be found by theory , it is thought that the high shear conditions break the intrafiber bonds and cause the fibers to expand . the expansion is visible in the product because the unexpanded fibers exhibit the appearance of shiny , parallel threads , but the expanded fibers look soft and fuzzy . for such expanded fibers , the fiber diameters referred to above are with respect to the after expansion . the expanded fibers also have a higher surface area than unexpanded fibers , e . g . greater than about 75 % and preferably about 100 % or greater surface area . this expanded surface area is used to great advantage for increasing the bond strength between the thermoplastic by vacuum impregnating the expanded aramid fibers with about 0 . 25 wt % to about 0 . 75 wt % on fiber of at least one coupling agent slurried with a suitable solvent . suitable solvents are readily determinable by those in this art with no more than routine experimentation or review of existing reference manuals . preferred solvents include a mixture of 1 - ethenyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , xylene , and toluene . coupling agents act as molecular bridges between the reinforcing fibers ( dispersed phase ) and the bulk thermoplastic ( dispensing phase ). preferably , the coupling agent used is d a type that is activated , i . e . forms the bridging bonds , by the heat inside the extruder . the activated coupling agent enhances the bond between the fibers and the thermoplastic . suitable coupling agents include organic titanates such as those described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 609 , 727 ( filed may 14 , 1984 ); u . s . pat . no . 4 , 069 , 192 ; u . s . 4 , 080 , 353 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 087 , 402 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 094 , 853 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 096 , 110 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 098 , 758 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 122 , 062 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 152 , 311 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 192 , 792 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 101 , 810 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 261 , 913 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 277 , 415 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 338 , 220 ; and u . s . pat . no . 4 , 417 , 009 ( which are herein incorporated by reference ), zirconates , aluminates , and silanes . such coupling agents are also described in jp59 - 164 , 309 ; za 82 / 07 , 567 ; jp60 - 39 , 712 ; es 511 , 708 ; u . s . pat . no . 4 , 525 , 494 ; jp60 - 71 , 625 ; jp60 - 86 , 129 ; and the ken - react ™ reference manual ( bulletin no . kr - 1084l - 4 ) from kenrich petrochemicals , inc . of bayonne , n . j . that reference manual is herein incorporated by reference . in particular , the following is a list of suitable coupling agents for use in the present invention with the accompanying trademark under which these materials are available from kenrich petrochemicals : ken - react ™ nz 37 ( zirconium iv di - neoalkanolato di ( para - amino benzoato - o ); ken - react ™ nz 38 ( zirconium iv neoalkanolato , tri ( dioctyl ) pyrophosphate - o ); ken - react ™ lica 38 ( neopentyl ( dially ) oxy , tri ( dioctyl ) pyro - phosphato titanate ; ken - react ™ kztpp ( cyclo dineopentyl ( dially )! pyrophosphato dineopentyl -( idally ) zirconate ; ken - react ™ capro l 38 / h ™ ( 2 , 2 ( bis - 2 - propenolatomethyl ) butanolato , tri ( dioctytpyrophosphato ) titanate ; amino functional silanes such as ( n -( 2 - aminoethyl )- 3 - amino - propyltrimethoxy silane ) or gamma - amino propyltrimethoxy silane ; amino - ethyl silanes such as p - aminophenytrimethoxy silane ; poly ( amino aryl silanes ) such as poly ( p - aminophenyltrimethoxy silane ); poly ( alkyl aryl silanes ) such as tolyltrimethoxy silane ; carboalkoxy - containing silanes such as mercaptopropyltrimethoxy silane ; and haloalkylalkoxy silanes such as chloropropyltrimethoxy silane where the alkyl groups are linear aliphatic groups of up to about 6 carbon atoms , the aryl groups have one or two rings of 6 - 8 carbons each , and the halo groups are chloro and bromo . the preferred coupling agents are the ken - react ™ nz 37 and ken - react ™ lica 38 . thermoplastics that will benefit from dispersing fibers according to the invention include : acrylics like continental poly cp - 41 or ayro industries acrylite plus ™ h - 16 ; fluoroplastics ( including polytetrafluoroethylene , fluorinated ethylene propylene like daikin &# 39 ; s neoflon ™, perfluoroalkoxy , polychlorotrifluoroethylene like kel - f ™ from minnesota mining and manufacturing , ethylene - chorotrifluoroethylene copolymer like halar ™ from ausimont usa , ethylene - tetrafluoroethylene copolymers like tefzel ™ from du pont de nemours & amp ; co ., polyvinylidene fluoride , polyvinyl fluoride , and poly ( aryl ether ketone ); polyolefins such as polyethylene ( including high ; low , ultra low , very low density varieties ), ultra high molecular weight polyethylene , branched polyethylene , polypropylene , polypropylene homopolymer , polypropylene impact copolymers , polypropylene random copolymers , and polybutylene ; styrene - based plastics including polystyrene , styrene - acrylonitrile , olefin - modified styrene - acrylonitrile , styrene - butadiene copolymers , and styrene - maleic anhydride ; polyurethane based styrenic thermoplastic elastomers ; and vinyl - based resins such as polyvinyl chloride , and vinylidene chloride . preferred thermoplastics for use in the present invention are polyolefins , polyamides , styrene - based plastics , acrylonitrile - butadiene - styrene , polyfenylene oxide , and polyesters a particularly preferred thermoplastic that benefits from aramid fiber reinforcement according to the invention is a polyetherimide commercially available under thetrademark ultemp ™. one or more foaming agents are added to the molten thermoplastic in the extruder immediately upstream of the extruder nozzle or die . foaming agents assist in the formation of bubbles within a matrix . suitable foaming agents for the present invention include chemical foaming agents such as 0 . 5 - 1 . 8 wt % of safoam ™ ( the sodium salt of polycarboxylic acid and a carbonate ) and azodicarbonamide compounds ; azodicarbonamide that has been modified with zinc to avoid plate - out ; p , p - oxybis ( benzenesulfonylhydrizide ); p - toluene sulfonyl semocarbazode ; 5 - phenyltetrazole ; n , n dinitrosopentamethylene ) and physical foaming agents such as any of the fluorocarbons , e . g ., freon 11 and freon 12 ; the linear and iso - c 4 - c 5 hydrocarbons namely butane , isobutane , pentane , and isopentane ; nitrogen ; and carbon 0 . 3 to about 8 wt % based on the thermoplastic . the foaming agent expands in random directions upon exiting from the pressures in the extruder which causes the dispensed fibers to become random in orientation as well as induce a cellular structure in the thermoplastic . the randomness of the expanding materials move the fibers out of the inherent orientation induced by the directional shear forces of extrusion . such randomness eliminates the directional strength found in materials having oriented reinforcing fibers . the expanding foaming agent also acts as an internal cooling agent for the molten plastic . as a result , the foaming agent cools the extruding mass which translates directly into an increasing viscosity for the extruding mass . the increased viscosity dissipates much of the substantial forces inflicted on the extruding mass due to the high extrusion pressures . by varying the type and amount of blowing agent or blowing agents added to the extruder , the rate and degree of cooling can be controlled which affords control aver the direction and force of the extruded material . if desired , one or more nucleating agents can be added for additional control over the size and distribution of the cellular structure formed in the plastic . preferably , the nucleating agent is endothermic to further assist in the cooling of the extruded thermoplastic . suitable nucleating agents include talc within the range from about 0 . 1 to about 1 . 5 % wt % and a commercially available chemical endothermic nucleating agent safoam ™ within the range from about 0 . 1 to about 1 wt %. preferred nucleating agents are talc ; hydrocerol ™ ( sodium bicarbonate and a citric add ); a mono -, di - or triglyceride encapsulatated sodium salt of a polycarboxylic acid and sodium bicarbonate ; or about 0 . 1 - 1 wt % of safoam ™ ( an agent manufactured by balchem corporation of slate hill , n . y . and commercially available from reedy international corporation ). for the present invention , the safoam ™ material can serve as either the foaming agent or as the nucleating agent when used in the appropriate amounts . extruders useful in the present invention are of substantially conventional structure . a preferred extruder is a horizontal tandem extruder having a 32 : 1 screw ratio with at least one mixing section . conventional spider dies may be used to decrease the degree of orientation that would normally occur in the thermoplastic as it is subjected to passage through the extrusion nozzle or die . the foaming action that will occur upon exit from the spider die will further disorient the fibers dispersed in the plastic . in operation , a heated screw extruder is fed with thermoplastic in pellet form , expanded fibers vacuum impregnated with coupling agent , any chemical blowing agents , and any nucleating agents . heat applied from outside the extruder and from the friction forces inside the extruder cause the thermoplastic to melt and the coupling agents to become activated for enhancing the bond strength between the expanded fibers and the thermoplastic . as the molten mixture approaches the nozzle or die at the end of the extruder , a physical blowing agent is injected into the mixture through an appropriate port in the extruder housing . the pressure inside the axeruder should be maintained at a sufficiently high pressure to prevent premature expansion of the blowing agent or agents . such pressures will be on the order of about 1200 to about 4500 psi across the exit with external pressures at atmospheric or vacuum pressures although the exact pressure in the extruder will depend on the particular components used . the molten thermoplastic mixture is passed out of the extruderr through a nozzle or die with the optional use of at least one spider die into a closed or open mold . preferably , the mixture is extruded into an open form for the manufacture of flat sheet stock or extruded as one layer in a flat sheet composite . flat sheet materials according to the invention may be transformed into a solid sheet stock by removing the cellular structure from the reinforced foam without materially altering the random spatial orientation of the fibers in the thermoplastic . the foam structure can be removed by passing the stock into a vacuum chamber or between at least one pair of parallel rollers . it is intended that these compression steps be conducted while the foam is relatively molten but without inducing directional shear forces on the thermoplastic which would cause the move toward a more orderly state . as such , the use of a vacuum chamber has certain advantages from the viewpoint of avoiding directional shear . such chambers can be prohibitively expensive however , for many sheet sizes . the use of at least one pair of parallel rollers can be used to physically force the gas from within the cell structure and form a solid sheet . with either a vacuum chamber or roller , the result is a sheet stock material of high structural strength that can be thermoformed or compression molded into a variety of shapes .	1
fig1 illustrates an aircraft 10 including an electric environmental control system 20 ( eecs ). the electric environmental control system 20 controls multiple environmental systems 22 throughout the aircraft 10 , and is fully electric . the electric environmental control system 20 receives electric power from an electric generator 32 that within a turbine engine as a first on onboard power generation system . an electric environmental control interface 30 connects the eecs 20 to the generator 32 and allows the eecs 20 to extract power from the first onboard power generation system . additionally , multiple solar panels 40 are mounted on the wings of the aircraft 10 . the solar panels 40 generate secondary power that is likewise provided to the electric environmental system as a second onboard power generation system . an electric environmental control interface 42 connects the eecs 20 to the solar panels 40 and allows the eecs 20 to extract power from the second onboard power generation system . the electric power is used to operate multiple environmental control systems 20 , including air compressors for driving air flow and pulling fresh air from outside the aircraft 10 . each of the multiple environmental systems 22 is connected to , and receives power from , one of the electric generator 30 or the solar panels 40 through the electric environmental control system 20 . fig2 illustrates an aircraft 10 including environmental systems controlled by the electric environmental control system 20 of fig1 via a controller . the electric environmental control system 20 controls airflow and / or air temperature to multiple passenger compartments 110 , a flight deck 120 , another crew / miscellaneous compartment 130 , avionics / electric equipment bays 140 and various cargo bays 150 . fresh air is drawn from outside the aircraft 10 using electric air compressors and is distributed throughout the aircraft pressurized areas via a ducting network system . as described with regards to fig1 , electric power is provided from a generator ( referred to as a primary power source ) connected to the fossil fuel powered engine 32 , and from a green energy source ( referred to as a secondary power source ) connected to solar panels 40 that are mounted on the aircraft 10 . the power extracted by the ecs 20 and distributed within the environmental systems can be divided into two categories of power extraction : the power serving essential equipment and the power serving non essential equipment . essential equipment includes equipment tied to air conditioning , pressurization , power electronics cooling , avionics cooling and other electric equipment bay cooling fans . non - essential equipment includes equipment tied to air distribution fans , galley fans , cargo fans for cargo compartments that may or may not hold animals . there can be both essential and non essential equipment power extraction within one type of environmental system . for example , the pressurization of cargo can be essential while holding animals meanwhile the auxiliary equipment within the cargo bay such as cargo fans can be non essential if turned off as they may not endanger the occupants . in other words , classification of essential versus non essential equipment is independent of the environmental system it operates in but rather is based on the occupant safety . essential equipment are equipment that have a bearing on occupant safety if turned off , while non essential equipment are equipment that do not have a bearing on occupant safety if turned off ; independent of the environmental system of operation ( referred to as ecs power distribution network between essential and non essential equipment ). due to the unpredictable power generation of solar panels 40 , and other alternate green energy sources , it is understood that the secondary power supply cannot be relied on to provide constant power at a sufficient level to operate all of the environmental systems 22 , and cannot be relied on to power the essential equipment within an environmental system , but can be relied on to power at least part of , if not all of , the non essential equipment within an environmental system . one example embodiment addresses this issue by using the solar panels 40 to provide at least part of the power to non - essential equipment and uses the primary power source to provide power to the essential equipment and to provide the remainder of the power to the non - essential equipment . in this example embodiment , the primary power source is used to provide power to the environmental systems equipment that is categorized as essential , thereby ensuring that the essential equipment receives power even if the solar panels 40 are generating insufficient power . in another example embodiment , a battery backup or other electric storage device can be included in the aircraft 10 and provide power for the environmental control systems receiving power from the solar panels 40 , or other green power source , in the case that the solar panels 40 , or other green power source ceases generating power . in another , more specific , example the solar panels 40 are used to power non - essential equipment such as air distribution cooling fans , air distribution recirculation fans , galley cooling fans , cargo ventilation fans , and any other equipment that does not impact either passenger or cargo occupant safety when shut off . the primary power source provides power to the essential environmental control system equipment such as cabin pressurization equipment , ram air fans , equipment bay cooling fans , power electronics cooling and avionics cooling . by providing power to the essential environmental systems equipment using the conventional primary power source , the electric environmental control system 20 ensures that the essential environmental systems equipment is always functional . using solar panels 40 , or another green power source , to power the non - essential environmental systems equipment decreases the amount of energy that must be generated by the primary power source . as the primary power source is required to produce less electricity , less fuel is consumed by the connected jet engine and the emissions of the aircraft are lowered . in the illustrated example aircraft of fig1 , the solar panels 40 are positioned on the wings of the aircraft 10 . by positioning the solar panels 40 on the wing , the solar panels 40 can be aligned on the optimum azimuth angle thereby maximizing electric power generated by the solar panels 40 . in one example application , the solar panels generate up to 15 % of the total electricity requirement of the electric environmental control system 20 . while the example aircraft 10 positions the solar panels 40 on the wings , it is understood that alternative solar panel locations can also be utilized . the preceding description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature . variations and modifications to the disclosed examples may become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not necessarily depart from the essence of this disclosure . thus , the scope of legal protection given to this disclosure can only be determined by studying the following claims .	1
in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure , a re - circulating fast discharge circuit for a coil may be provided . in some embodiments , the coil may be associated with a motor ( e . g ., a stepper motor ), a solenoid , etc . it is noted that various connections are set forth between elements in the following description and in the drawings ( the contents of which are included in this disclosure by way of reference ). it is noted that these connections in general and , unless specified otherwise , may be direct or indirect and that this specification is not intended to be limiting in this respect . in this regard , a coupling of entities , components , and / or devices may refer to either a direct connection or an indirect connection . fig1 illustrates an exemplary system circuit 100 . the circuit 100 may be associated with one or more applications or environments , such as an aircraft . as described further below , the circuit 100 may be used to discharge or dump energy from a coil during a discharge phase into one or more capacitors . energy stored in the capacitor ( s ) may then be used to drive the coil during a drive phase . as shown in fig1 , the circuit 100 may include a number of components , such as power sources ( v1 - v2 ), diodes ( d1 - d5 ), transistors ( m1 and q1 ), capacitors ( c1 - c2 ), and resistors ( r2 and r3 ). the power source v2 may serve as a primary system power source . the components of the circuit 100 may be coupled to one another in the manner shown in fig1 . as shown , the capacitor c2 may ordinarily be charged to approximately the same voltage as provided by the power source v2 . a resistor r1 and an inductor l1 may be associated with one another to form a coil 102 that may be selectively driven or discharged . the resistor r1 may be a physical component or just represent the resistance of the coil 102 . the power source v1 may serve as a control source to selectively turn off or turn on the coil 102 by turning - on or turning - off ( e . g . allowing or disallowing current flow through ) the transistor m1 . for example , the coil 102 may be turned off during a discharge phase by , e . g ., turning - off the power source v1 ( and in turn , turning - off the transistor m1 ), where current from the coil 102 may be dumped into the capacitor c1 which is connected in series with the capacitor c2 . in this manner , the energy associated with the current through the coil 102 may be stored during the discharge phase . the coil 102 may be turned on during a drive phase by , e . g ., turning - on the power source v1 ( and in turn , turning - on the transistor m1 ). during the drive phase , the charge in the capacitor c1 may be transferred to the capacitor c2 , allowing the energy that was stored during the discharge phase to be re - circulated , potentially as opposed to drawing from a power source ( e . g ., the power source v2 ). as shown in fig1 , the diode d4 may be coupled to the power source v2 and the coil 102 . the diode d4 may help to prevent a flow of charge ( e . g ., current ) from the capacitor c2 to the power source v2 . during the discharge phase , the transistor m1 may be turned - off ( via the power supply v1 ). current flowing through the coil 102 may be “ forced ” or made to flow through the diode d2 coupled to the coil 102 . a portion of that current flowing through the diode d2 may flow through resistors r2 and r3 coupled to the diode d2 , and the remainder of the current flowing through the diode d2 may flow through the diode d5 coupled to the diode d2 . the current flowing through the diode d5 may be used to charge the capacitor c1 coupled to the diode d5 . the capacitor c1 may charge to a voltage level based on diode voltage drops associated with the diode d4 and the diode d3 coupled to the capacitors c1 and c2 . based on conduction properties / characteristics ( e . g ., generally uni - directional conduction ) associated with the diodes , the diode d1 may be coupled to the capacitor c1 , and when arranged as shown in fig1 , may be used to store charge on the capacitor c1 . during the drive phase , the transistor m1 may be turned - on via the power supply v1 , such that the transistor m1 may conduct current . the turn - on of the transistor m1 may cause a low voltage ( e . g ., a voltage less than a threshold ) to be applied to the base of the transistor q1 , which may cause the transistor q1 to turn - on or conduct so as to transfer charge from the capacitor c1 to the capacitor c2 to drive current in the coil 102 . in this manner , charge stored in the capacitor c1 during the discharge phase may be dumped into the capacitor c2 and used to drive current in the coil 102 during the drive phase . thus , the circuit 100 may allow energy to be re - circulated . the resistors r2 and r3 coupled to the transistor q1 may be used to achieve a particular predetermined bias condition with respect to the transistor q1 . for example , values for the resistors r2 and r3 may be selected so as to turn - off q1 when c1 charges ( during the discharge phase ) and to turn - on q1 when c1 discharges ( during the drive phase ). the circuit 100 is illustrative . in some embodiments , one or more of the components or devices shown may be optional . in some embodiments , one or more additional devices not shown may be included . in some embodiments , the components or devices may be organized or arranged in a manner different from what is shown in fig1 . in some embodiments , different types , styles , brands , or part numbers may be used for the components shown . values for one or more of the components shown in fig1 may be obtained via techniques known to those of skill in the art . for example , circuit analysis and / or simulation ( e . g ., computer simulation ) may be used to select values for one or more of the components shown in fig1 . fig2 illustrates a method in accordance with one or more embodiments of this disclosure . in some embodiments , the method may execute in accordance with one or more systems , components , or devices , such as those described herein . the method of fig2 may be used to discharge a coil and / or re - circulate energy . in some embodiments , the method of fig2 may be used to increase a speed of a motor ( e . g ., a stepper motor ) to provide better fuel control . the method of fig2 may be implemented using hardware , software , firmware , or any combination thereof . for example , in some embodiments a controller may be configured to select whether a circuit operates in a discharge phase or a drive phase based on a commanded step as described below . the controller may include at least one processor and memory having instructions stored thereon that , when executed by the at least one processor , cause the controller to perform one or more methodological acts . an example controller 104 is shown in fig1 , which may selectively control the power source v1 . turning back to fig2 , in block 202 , a step may be commanded . for example , a controller may command that a stepper motor is to step , which may entail energizing one or more coils and / or de - energizing one or more coils of the stepper motor . in block 204 , a polarity changing coil may be discharged in response to the step command of block 202 . for example , the coil 102 may be commanded to discharge based on the output level or state of the power source v1 . shutting - off the power source v1 may result in current from the coil 102 being dumped into the capacitor c1 in series with the capacitor c2 , thereby providing for a higher voltage and decreasing a de - energizing time . in block 206 , the polarity changing coil ( e . g ., the coil 102 ) may be driven in a direction opposite a direction associated with the discharge phase of block 204 . during an energizing or drive phase associated with the block 206 , charge in the capacitor c1 may be transferred to the capacitor c2 , allowing the energy associated with the discharge phase of block 204 to be re - circulated during the drive phase of block 206 . the power source v1 may be turned - on during the drive phase of block 206 . the blocks or operations shown in fig2 are illustrative . in some embodiments , some of the operations ( or portions thereof ) may be optional . in some embodiments , additional operations not shown may be included . in some embodiments , the operations may execute in an order or sequence different from what is shown . embodiments of the disclosure may be used to provide a faster discharge time for a coil relative to prior techniques or solutions . for example , whereas prior techniques may return current to a source , or dissipate the associated energy in a resistor or transzorb , embodiments of the disclosure may use the current to charge one or more capacitors . furthermore , during a drive phase , charge may be transferred from the capacitor ( s ) to allow for a re - circulation of energy , rather than drawing energy from a power source . the enhanced response time may be used to increase an operating speed of a motor . in some embodiments various functions or acts may take place at a given location and / or in connection with the operation of one or more apparatuses or systems . in some embodiments , a portion of a given function or act may be performed at a first device or location , and the remainder of the function or act may be performed at one or more additional devices or locations . aspects of the disclosure may be directed to one or more systems , apparatuses , and methods . in some embodiments , executable instructions may be stored on one or more media , such as a non - transitory computer readable medium . the instructions , when executed , may cause an entity to perform one or more methodological acts . aspects of the disclosure may be tied to particular machines . for example , in some embodiments a device or entity , such as a circuit , may function as a reverse charge pump to quickly discharge a coil and re - circulate energy associated therewith . aspects of the disclosure have been described in terms of illustrative embodiments thereof . numerous other embodiments , modifications and variations within the scope and spirit of the appended claims will occur to persons of ordinary skill in the art from a review of this disclosure .	7
an enhanced citrus juice is provided by addition of a powder to the juice . preferably , the addition is to a full strength juice , most preferable to a not - from - concentrate citrus juice . typically , the juice will be an orange juice , and the powder added will originate from flavedo of orange fruit or tangerine fruit . the powder according to the invention exhibits a particulate size which facilitates combining same with the citrus juice while also maintaining the powder suspended within the citrus juice to the extent needed for a commercial full strength citrus juice . a typical powder in line with the invention has particles of a size not greater than about 150 microns . it is understood that the particle size is an approximate diameter size , keeping in mind that the particles are not necessarily truly spherical . preferably , the particle size will be between about 50 and about 150 microns , most preferably between about 75 and about 100 microns . furthermore , the powder has a relatively low moisture content such that it is characterized by being a dry , free - flowing powder . typically , the powder has a selected moisture content which is not greater than about 20 weight percent moisture , based on the total weight of the juice - enhancement powder . preferably , the powder has a moisture content of between about 5 and about 15 weight percent moisture , based on the total weight of the powder , more preferably not greater than about 12 weight percent moisture , such as between about 5 and about 12 weight percent . this dryness assures that the juice - enhancement powder is free - flowing , non - clumping , and facilitative of incorporation into the citrus juice . with regard to the levels at which the enhancement powder can be properly added to the citrus juice , typically at least about 0 . 1 weight percent of the powder being added , based upon the total weight of the citrus juice product . usually , not more than about 1 . 0 weight percent of the powder will be incorporated into the juice . preferably , the enhancement attributes of the powder in terms of color enhancement will be such that adding not more than about 0 . 25 weight percent will increase the color value of the supply of orange juice by at least 1 oj index unit . these enhancement attributes also will be such that adding about 0 . 5 weight percent of the powder to the juice , based on the total weight of the juice , will enhance the color value of the citrus juice by at least 2 oj index units . it is generally preferred to add the powder at between about 0 . 2 and about 0 . 8 weight percent of the resulting citrus juice product , although higher levels could be beneficial for juice - enhancement properties other than color . it will be appreciated that an especially advantageous use of the enhancement powder is one which includes adding same to a grade b color single - strength orange juice at a level such that this juice supply qualifies as a grade a color orange juice . depending upon the initial color number of the orange juice , this approach will raise the oj index of the color enhanced orange juice by , for example , from 1 to 3 color numbers . when needed , the invention can be useful in raising the oj index to above 3 color numbers , such as at as high as about 5 color numbers . this color - enhancing effect is in addition to the nutritional - enhancement benefits attained by incorporating the natural flavedo additive into the juice . generally speaking , as increased levels of flavedo powder are added , the levels of nutritional components added to the juice are increased to a corresponding extent . flavonoids are added . examples of nutritional enhancement which has been found to be achieved by the invention include increased beta - carotene and retinol ( vitamin a ) inclusion , and increased hesperidin inclusion . vitamin a inclusion typically is within a range of about 0 . 5 to about 1 . 5 mg of vitamin a per 100 grams of the juice enhancement powder . hesperidin inclusion typically is within a range of about 500 to about 900 mg of hesperidin per 100 grams of the juice enhancement powder . referring particularly to the method of providing the juice - enhancement powder , such begins by selecting a supply of citrus fruit . when color enhancement is to be effected by the powder , the selected fruit should have a high level of pigmentation and / or carotenoid content , thereby maximizing the color enhancement efficiency of a given quantity of the powder . by virtue of certain nutritional components present in flavedo , including important citrus phytochemicals , the flavedo - originating powder provides valuable nutritional features to the flavedo powder . flavedo powder according to the invention contains nutritional enhancements such as vitamins , beta - carotene , and the like . suitable selected fruit originating materials include citrus sinensis varieties such as valencia orange and citrus reticulate varieties such as mandarin orange and tangerine . less desirable are so - called re - greened orange fruit , even of the valencia variety . also generally acceptable but not as preferred as full color valencia are varieties such as navel oranges . generally , the variety or cultivar which is selected should be more intense in color than the juice to be color enhanced when color enhancement is an objective . next , the selected supply of citrus fruit is subjected to handling so as to remove natural flavedo from the peel portion of the fruit . preferably , this is accomplished by a shaving procedure , preferably a procedure which is generally in accordance with so - called zesting which removes the outermost layer of the peel . it is especially advantageous if the zesting or shaving removes not more than about 1 mm of the outside of the citrus peel . generally , it is disadvantageous to include substantial quantities of albedo in the shaved peel . the result is to provide a quantity of natural flavedo shavings . it is preferred to thereafter wash the quantity of natural flavedo shavings with a wash composition . washing can include mixing of flavedo particles on the order of 5 mm for about 10 minutes , for example , in order to have the wash composition contact a substantially great surface area . the quantity of wash composition used will depend somewhat upon the make - up of the wash composition . a typical ratio of wash composition to flavedo is between about 0 . 5 : 1 and about 5 : 1 , preferably between about 1 : 1 and about 3 : 1 . it is especially desirable if the wash composition be an alcoholic composition , such as one whose principal washing component is a c - 1 to c - 4 alcohol , or blends of such alcohols . examples of alcohols in this regard are ethanol , isopropanol , methanol and butanol . also useful for washing are other solvents commonly used and permitted in food processing , such as ethyl acetate , acetone , hexane and / or benzene . multiple washing with the liquid wash composition or compositions can be performed . this washing is believed to solubilize unwanted components , such as hydrophobic oil components . such components thus are removed from the flavedo particles in order to enhance the particles , such as by bitterness reduction , for example . using a solvent containing wash composition , especially one including an alcoholic solvent , can be particularly beneficial in this regard . after washing , the shavings are separated from the wash composition and recovered as washed shavings . such washed shavings are dried and reduced in particle size , if not previously reduced in size as desired in accordance with the invention . the drying and / or particle size reduction provide a washed juice enhancement powder having the particle sizes and moisture contents as discussed elsewhere herein . this drying procedure typically includes heating of the washed shavings , particles or reduced - size particles until the desired moisture level is attained . heated air drying is particularly preferred . this heating is believed to volatilize off some of the undesirable flavor components present in a typical flavedo source . especially useful when the drying is carried out after size reduction is to have the size reduction include a two - stage approach . when thus practiced , the first stage grinds the flavedo to about 0 . 03 to 0 . 2 mm ( 300 to 2000 microns ). the thus initially size reduced flavedo is then subjected to a second stage size reduction , which can be homogenization , to the desired particle size . if desired , this homogenization can be in the presence of a supply of the citrus juice to be enhanced . with this approach , the size reduction is at least partially in liquid form . this size reduced flavedo then is subjected to drying as noted herein . alternatively , the procedure of reducing the particle size is initiated , or at least completed , after the drying of washed shavings is substantially completed . in this way , the particle size reduction is especially efficient inasmuch as the dried flavedo shavings will be more easily size reduced without interference from excess moisture . whatever approaches are used in forming the powder juice enhancer , this dry free - flowing powder is believed to have advantages over , for example , a liquid color enhancement component . it is observed that the powder is more stable and overall easier to handle than a liquid component . also , undesirable flavors are more readily removed from a dry powder , due in large measure to their total enhanced dry surface area which is more easily wetted such as during the washing procedure than is possible for when a liquid system is enlisted . in addition , a liquid enhancement system can experience a tendency to separate , leading to possible uneven and / or inconsistent application of enhancement properties . if not previously incorporated into the citrus juice , the enhancement powder is combined with a supply of citrus juice to thereby provide the enhanced citrus juice , most advantageously not - from - concentrate , single - strength orange juice . in most instances this will be prior to juice homogenization and pasteurization . this combining will be at levels commensurate with the enhancement needed , such as for color enhancement to raise a grade b juice to a grade a juice . addition in this regard is at levels as discussed herein , which will vary depending upon , for example , the color intensity of the particular flavedo powder and the shortfall of the juice from grade a quality , or other quality desired . an important aspect of the present invention is its ability to enhance the juice as needed without significantly detrimentally affecting the sensory attributes of the citrus juice , especially its taste attributes . also , this is accomplished without incorporating any synthetic additives . the sensory attributes of the color enhanced juice substantially comport with those of the originating supply of juice . certain enhancement attributes and sensory attributes are illustrated by the following examples . a supply of each of four differently colored citrus fruits were obtained . these were florida valencia oranges ( citrus sinesis ), florida re - greened valencia oranges , florida murcott frozen tangerine peel waste from a commercial extraction process ( citrus reticulata ), and california naval oranges . peel color was measured with a hand - held colorimeter ( minolta , model cm - 508d ). hunter l * ( lightness ), a * ( redness ), and b * ( yellowness ) values were recorded from 25 fruit or pieces of peel ( one measurement per piece ). a peel color value was determined based on these measurements and is derived from the formula : ( a + b )/ l . flavedo was removed from washed whole fruit or peel waste ( tangerine ) by means of a hand - held flavedo zester . approximately 80 % of the flavedo was removed from the fruit in this manner . flavedo shavings were either washed with alcohol and then dried or simply dried . flavedo shavings from florida valencia and tangerine peel waste were washed with alcohol . the florida valencia flavedo was washed with ethanol . the tangerine flavedo was washed with orange aroma fraction ( firmenich , product 5001 ). this orange aroma fraction is commercially available and is derived from the water phase essence collected during the orange juice concentration process of citrus sinesis and is 90 % ethanol . flavedo was mixed with alcohol in a ratio of 1 : 2 ( 1 part flavedo : 2 parts alcohol by weight ). the flavedo / alcohol mixture was mixed with a hand - held mixer ( high shear ) to reduce the size of the flavedo shavings to approximately 5 mm . mixing was continued for a total of 10 minutes . after mixing , the flavedo was allowed to settle in the mixture . alcohol was removed from the flavedo by passing the mixture through whatman # 1 filter paper . the collected alcohol was discarded . the collected flavedo was spread evenly on a metal pan and placed into a vacuum oven at 50 ° c . and 15 in hg . flavedo was dried to approximately 10 % moisture . dried flavedo was then ground in a mill to approximately 0 . 2 mm size . dried , ground flavedo was mixed with single strength , not - from - concentrate orange juice . the flavedo / orange juice mixture was passed through a high pressure homogenizer ( microfluidics corporation , model m110 - l ) at 8 , 000 psi ( single pass , 100μm interaction chamber ). homogenized flavedo / orange juice was then pasteurized at 195 ° f . using a laboratory scale pasteurizer ( microthermics ). particle size was measured using a laser scattering particle size analyzer ( horiba instruments ). hunter l , a , and b values and oj index ( color number ) were measured using a gretagmacbeth calorimeter . oj index , or color number , was calculated using the x , y , and z standard observer parameters with the following formula : 17 [( 3 . 4x / y )−( z / y )+( 5 / y )]− 12 . 6 . brix was measured by refractive index . recoverable oil was measured by the scott oil method . acidity was measured by titration with sodium hydroxide . viscosity was measured using a ul adapter at 60 rpm on a brookfield viscometer ( model dv - 11 +). moisture of flavedo powders was measured by drying to constant weight at 70 ° c . and 20 inches of mercury . average and standard deviation hunter l , a , and b * values of the starting fruit peel are presented in table i along with the calculated color value . the florida valencia was the alcohol - washed peel . determination of color value was done through the equation : ( a + b / l ), or the sum of measurement of red to green and yellow to blue divided by the lightness of the sample . this equation proved useful in rating the four differently colored fruits . addition of flavedo powders , processed from the four differently colored starting materials , to orange juice at various rates resulted in differing responses in terms of ability to increase oj index ( see fig1 ). flavedo powder made from alcohol - washed orange valencia flavedo demonstrated the highest oj index increase with increasing addition rate . another way of relating initial peel color to efficacy of flavedo powder to increase oj index is presented in fig2 . as the color value of the starting peel increases , a lower amount of flavedo powder made from that starting material is needed to attain a 1 unit oj index increase . for example , the addition rate needed to attain a 1 unit oj index increase with a flavedo powder made from a starting material with a color value of 1 . 12 was 0 . 28 %. only 0 . 18 % wt / wt addition was needed to attain a 1 unit oj index increase when the flavedo powder was made from a 1 . 58 color value starting material . this same trend was evident to attain the second unit oj index increase . the usefulness of alcohol - washing of flavedo prior to drying was demonstrated by gas chromatography and mass spectra analyses . these analyses showed that various orange flavor compounds were removed from the tangerine flavedo by the alcohol wash step . the major compound removed was d - limonene but also removed were myrcene , a - pinene , and sabinene . physical and chemical measurements of three of these samples are presented in table ii . these samples were subjected to sensory analysis , as reported in example 2 . as is evident from table ii , all samples were similar in terms of normal juice chemistry ( brix , acid , brix - to - acid ratio , and percent oil ). the washed and non - washed flavedo powders prepared from florida valencia fruit were incorporated into orange juice as described in example 1 and stored at 35 ° f . for three weeks before sensory analysis . a proprietary oil “ flavor addback ” system was added to these samples at a rate of 0 . 07 % ( v / v ). descriptive sensory analyses were conducted on the three juices listed in table ii , namely the homogenized control , the washed flavedo orange juice , and the non - washed flavedo orange juice . trained panelists evaluated orange juice flavor , based upon a battery of flavor attributes including total orange ( an assessment of fruity aromatics associated specifically with orange juice or orange flavoring , such as flavor notes associated with unprocessed , freshly squeezed orange juice and notes associated with processed or heated orange juice or juice components ; flavor notes of other citrus and / or other fruit ; various other flavor notes which can be present in citrus juice , both positive and negative notes with reference to freshly squeezed juice ; basic taste components such as sweet , sour , bitter ; chemical interactions of the product with the mouth ; and viscosity . the results of descriptive sensory analysis indicated that no significant differences were detected by the panelists for any of the orange flavor attributes . significant differences were detected by the panel for the microbiological , sweet , and bitter attributes . addition of non - washed flavedo powder to orange juice at the 0 . 36 % rate does appear to increase perceived bitterness ( 1 . 1 for the control versus 1 . 5 for the juice having non - washed flavedo powder ). however , alcohol - washing of the flavedo does seem to diminish that addition of bitterness ( 1 . 3 for the juice having alcohol - washed flavedo powder , versus 1 . 5 ). while the non - washed and washed flavedo - added orange juice samples were not significantly different from each other in bitterness , the washed flavedo - added orange juice sample likewise was not significantly different from the homogenized control sample ( 1 . 3 versus 1 . 1 ). no significant differences were detected by the panel in the other flavor attributes which are described above . control , washed - flavedo , and non - washed flavedo samples were measured for hunter l , a , and b values and oj index through seven weeks . results are found in table iii . only minimal changes in these color parameters were observed through seven weeks of storage . the data of examples 1 and 2 demonstrate the efficacy of the invention with respect to color enhancement . they demonstrate the effect of initial peel color on oj index increase . flavedo powder prepared from a high color peel can be added to single strength orange juice at a lower rate , as compared to a flavedo powder prepared from a low color peel , in order to obtain 1 - unit and 2 - unit increases in oj index . adding flavedo powder at a lower rate is advantageous in terms of minimizing potential flavor impact to the final flavedo - added orange juice . washing of flavedo shavings as discussed herein prior to drying enhances the ability of the resulting flavedo powder to increase oj index at any given addition rate over the non - washed flavedo powder . the removal of various orange flavor compounds from the flavedo shavings by the alcohol - wash step used in this process was also clearly demonstrated . sensory analysis of alcohol - washed and non - washed flavedo - added orange juice demonstrated the usefulness of alcohol - washing in minimizing the perception of bitterness in the final flavedo - added juice . size reduction of the dry flavedo powder as it is incorporated into orange juice is important for the visual quality of the final product . the absence of visually apparent flavedo particulates in the juice prepared in this manner provides for a high quality product . size reduction is also important for the sensory mouth feel quality of the juice as it reduces the perception of particulates being present or “ chalkiness ” in the mouth . in addition , the evaluation of color of the orange juice indicated that the orange juice prepared according to the invention provided for a final orange juice which had stable color values through seven weeks of storage . the flavedo powder also adds to the juice into which it is incorporated desirable nutritional characteristics . for example , the flavedo powder contains vitamin a ( beta - carotene and retinol ) at a level of approximately 0 . 98 mg per 100 grams , while freshly extracted orange juice typically contains 0 . 12 mg beta carotene per 100 grams . vitamin a is positively associated with human health , including positive effects with respect to vision , growth , reproduction , and the immune system . the flavedo powder also contains hesperidin at approximately 700 mg per 100 grams . freshly extracted orange juice typically contains flavonoids at 100 mg per 100 grams . flavonoids such as hesperidin are believed to be linked to the reduction of blood serum cholesterol . it will be understood that the embodiments of the present invention which have been described are illustrative of some of the applications of the principles of the present invention . numerous modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention .	0
referring to the figure , a flow diagram is shown of one embodiment of a uf membrane system modified batch process for preparing a pac - enriched fruit or vegetable extract . the process begins with a clarified {& lt ; 5 ntu } pac - containing liquid feedstock { e . g ., 2 brix cranberry juice }. in the embodiment of the figure , the clarified pac - containing liquid feedstock 20 from a clarified pac - containing liquid feedstock supply 10 is fed to a uf feed tank 30 . the clarified pac - containing liquid feedstock in the uf feed tank is then pumped to a uf membrane system 40 { using a koch membrane systems model # 3838k328 - nyt spiral wound uf membrane with a 5000 mol . wt . cutoff }, with the pac - reduced permeate stream 50 transferred to a pac - reduced permeate surge tank 60 , and the pac - enriched retentate stream 70 recycled to the uf feed tank . the pac - reduced permeate is then pumped to a reverse osmosis ( ro ) system 80 { using a koch membrane systems model # tfc3838hrn1 spiral wound ro membrane } for semi - concentration { e . g ., to 18 brix }, an evaporator 90 for final concentration { e . g ., to 50 brix }, and finally to a pac - reduced concentrate storage tank 100 . the continuous processing of the clarified pac - containing liquid feedstock supply thus results in a continuous accumulation of pacs in the liquid contents of uf feed tank and uf membrane system { the aggregate pac - enriched retentate stream }. upon exhaustion of the clarified pac - containing liquid feedstock supply , the aggregate pac - enriched retentate stream can then be diafiltered with water 110 to further increase the pac dry weight content of the liquid extract through the systematic removal of residual lower molecular weight soluble solids { e . g ., sugars , acids , etc .} as permeate . the aggregate pac - enriched liquid retentate 120 { with a pac dry wt . content of at least 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, 20 %, 30 %, 40 %, 50 %, 60 %, 70 %, 80 %, or 90 %} is collected in a pac - enriched retentate holding tank 130 , and sequentially pumped to a concentrator 140 then a dryer 150 . the resultant product constituting a pac - enriched extract powder is finally transferred to a pac - enriched bulk powder storage container 160 . a suitable ultrafilter for use in the methods of the invention can have a molecular weight cutoff of about 2 , 000 - 10 , 000 dalton , about 3 , 000 dalton , about 4000 dalton , about 5000 dalton , about 6000 dalton , about 7000 dalton , about 8000 dalton , or about 9000 dalton on propylene glycol . in some cases it may be desirable to process the material in the pac - enriched retentate holding tank to separate undissolved solids . these undissolved solids can include higher molecular weight pacs and / or aggregates of lower molecule weight pacs . these undissolved solids can be separated from liquid in which they are suspended by centrifugation using , for example , a decanter centrifuge or a disk centrifuge . in some cases it may be desirable to further process the pac - reduced permeate by utilizing resin technology ( e . g ., employing amberlite ® xad7hp or amberlite ® tm fpx66 resin ) to selectively remove and recover anthocyanins and / or phenolic compounds as another phytochemically distinct extract fraction ( s ). in some cases it may be desirable to further process the pac - reduced permeate by utilizing resin technology to selectively remove and recover anthocyanins and / or phenolic compounds as another phytochemically distinct extract fraction ( s ). this fraction can be combined with a fraction that is relatively high in pacs , e . g ., the pac - enriched retentate , to obtain material that is high in pacs , anthocyanins and / or phenolic compounds and relatively low in sugars and acids . the foregoing is a description of one embodiment of the method of the invention . those skilled in the art will be able to modify the process . for example , the system may be operated in batch , modified batch or feed and bleed mode under variable temperature , pressure and flow conditions . furthermore , the system may contain membranes in configurations other than spiral wound ( i . e ., tubular or hollow fiber ), of varying polymer composition ( for example ptfe , pvdf , etc .) or inorganic membrane structures with varied composition ( for example ceramic , carbon , or stainless steel etc .) and support media . additionally , membranes other than ultrafiltration membranes may be employed such as reverse osmosis or nanofiltration membranes or charged membranes or charge - specific membranes may be employed in any manner previously described . moreover , controlled atmosphere ( e . g ., n 2 or co 2 ) techniques can be used to minimize the deleterious effects of oxidative reactions . different diafiltration media ( e . g ., acidified water ) can also be employed to stabilize and / or adjust the color of the final extract . fruit juice produced by countercurrent extraction of cranberries can be used in the methods of the invention as follows . countercurrently extracted fruit juice can be prepared as described in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 320 , 861 and 5 , 419 , 251 , hereby incorporated by reference . briefly , frozen whole raw cranberries are provided to a cleaning stage to remove debris such as twigs , leaves , etc . and then conveyed to a sorting stage which sorts fruit to a selected size . the size - selected fruit is then conveyed to a slicing stage that slices the berries to expose the inner flesh of the fruit , unprotected by the skin . the whole cranberries are preferably cut to provide slices between 6 to 8 millimeters in width . the cleaned , sized and sliced frozen cranberries are then defrosted using hot water ( e . g ., at about 130 ° f .) to a temperature of less than 75 ° f . ( e . g ., 65 ° f .) and conveyed to the solid input of an extractor stage which employs a countercurrent extractor described in detail in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 320 , 861 . the liquid input to the extractor is typically derived from a fruit - derived water supply . the liquid output of the extractor stage is a high - quality extract mixture of fruit - derived water and fruit juice , which is collected for further treatment and use in the methods of the invention . in addition , the extracted fruit can be used as a fruit feed stock to produce additional juice that can be used in the methods of the invention . a number of embodiments of the invention have been described . nevertheless , it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	0
r 1 and r 2 are each independently substituted or unsubstituted alkyl , substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl , — c ( o ) r a or — coor a or — ch ( ch 3 )( or ) or — ch ( ch 3 )( o ( ch 2 ) n xr ) where r a is hydrogen , substituted or unsubstituted alkyl , substituted or unsubstituted alkenyl , substituted or unsubstituted alkynyl , or substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl where r 2 may be ch ═ ch 2 , ch ( or 20 ) ch 3 , c ( o ) me , c (═ nr 21 ) ch 3 or ch ( nhr 21 ) ch 3 . r and r ′ are independently h or lower alkyl of 1 through 8 carbon atoms . r 1a and r 2a are each independently hydrogen or substituted or unsubstituted alkyl , or together form a covalent bond . r 3 and r 4 are each independently hydrogen or substituted or unsubstituted alkyl . r 3a and r 4a are each independently hydrogen or substituted or unsubstituted alkyl , or together form a covalent bond . r 6 and r 6a are each independently hydrogen or substituted or unsubstituted alkyl , or together form ═ o . r 7 is a covalent bond , alkylene , azaalkyl , or azaaraalkyl or ═ nr 20 where r 20 is hydrogen or lower alkyl of 1 through 8 carbon atoms or — ch 2 - 3 , 5 - bis ( tri - fluoromethyl ) benzyl or — ch 2 x — r 1 or — yr 1 where y is an aryl or heteroaryl group . r 8 and r 8a are each independently hydrogen or substituted or unsubstituted alkyl or together form ═ o . r 9 is — ch 2 ch 2 con ( ch 2 con ( ch 2 cooa ) 2 ) 2 or — n ( ch 2 cooh ) 2 ; where a is — oh or - lower alkyl . each of r 1 - r 10 , when substituted , is substituted with one or more substituents each independently selected from q , where q is alkyl , haloalkyl , halo , pseudohalo , or — coor b where r b is hydrogen , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , cycloalkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , araalkyl , or or c where r c is hydrogen , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , cycloalkyl , or aryl or — conr d r e where r d and r e are each independently hydrogen , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , cycloalkyl , or aryl , or — nr f r g where r f and r g are each independently hydrogen , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , cycloalkyl , or aryl , or ═ nr h where r h is hydrogen , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , cycloalkyl , or aryl , or is an amino acid residue ; each q is independently unsubstituted or is substituted with one or more substituents each independently selected from q 1 , where q 1 is alkyl , haloalkyl , halo , pseudohalo , or — coor b where r b is hydrogen , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , cycloalkyl , aryl , heteroaryl , araalkyl , or or c where r c is hydrogen , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , cycloalkyl , or aryl or conr d r e where r d and r e are each independently hydrogen , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , cycloalkyl , or aryl , or nr f r g where r f and r g are each independently hydrogen , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , cycloalkyl , or aryl , or ═ nr h where r h is hydrogen , alkyl , alkenyl , alkynyl , cycloalkyl , or aryl , or is an amino acid residue . synthetic details for the preparation of examples of water soluble photosensitizers of the invention are depicted in schemes 1 - 4 as follow : all the intermediates and the final products were characterized by nmr and mass spectrometry analyses . the purity was ascertained by analytical tlc . the starting photosensitizers ( e . g . hpph , fluorinated purpurinimide 7 and the n - butyl - purpurinimide 10 were synthesized by following published methodologies that were developed in our laboratory ) the synthetic details are as follows : iminodiacetic acid ( 5 . 0 gm , 0 . 03756 mole ) was taken in a 500 ml rbf , water ( 150 ml ) and thf ( 50 ml ) were added to it . resultant mixture was cooled to 0 ° c . using an ice bath . k 2 co 3 ( 25 . 9 gm , 0 . 187 mole ) was added to it in portions keeping temperature of reaction mixture below 10 ° c . after 10 min of stirring at the same temperature cbz - cl ( 7 . 9 ml , 0 . 056 mole ) was added to it drop wise . resultant mixture was stirred for 6 hr at room temperature , concentrated partially to remove thf . reaction mixture was washed with ether to remove excess of cbz - cl , aq layer was separated , acidified with dil hcl and extracted with etoac ( 100 ml × 3 ). organic layers were separated , combined and washed with h 2 o ( 100 ml ), dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated to give 2 as viscous oil in quantitative yield . yield : 9 . 6 gm ( 95 . 7 %). 1 hnmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 7 . 36 - 7 . 30 ( m , 5h , ph ), 5 . 16 ( s , 2h , ph ch 2 o ), 4 . 15 ( s , 2h , ch2 ), 4 . 12 ( s , 2h , ch 2 ). eims : 267 ( m + ). di - acid 2 ( 0 . 5 gm , 1 . 88 mmol ), di - tert - butyl iminodiacetate ( 0 . 92 gm , 3 . 77 mmol ), edcl ( 1 . 0 gm , 5 . 6 mmol ) and dmap ( 0 . 36 gm , 5 . 6 mmol ) were dissolved in dry dcm ( 30 ml ). resultant mixture was stirred at room temperature for 16 hr under n 2 atm , diluted with dcm ( 100 ml ) and washed with brine ( 50 ml ). organic layer was separated , dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated . crude was purified on silica gel column using etoac / hexane ( 20 - 40 %) as eluent to give product 3 . yield : 1 . 0 gm ( 75 %). 1 hnmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 7 . 34 - 7 . 28 ( m , 5h , ph ), 5 . 12 ( s , 2h , ph ch 2 o ), 4 . 28 ( d , 1h , j = 6 . 4 hz ), 4 . 24 ( d , 1h , j = 6 . 8 hz ), 4 . 18 - 4 . 14 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 05 ( m , 4h ), 3 . 91 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 74 ( d , 1h , j = 8 . 0 hz ), 3 . 67 ( d , 1h , j = 10 . 8 hz ), 1 . 47 ( s , 9h , co 2 bu t ), 1 . 45 ( s , 9h , co 2 bu t ), 1 . 44 ( s , 9h , co 2 bu t ), 1 . 40 ( s , 9h , co 2 bu t ). eims : 744 ( m + na + ). compound 3 ( 0 . 9 gm , 1 . 24 mmol ), pd / c ( 10 %, 1 . 0 gm ), meoh ( 60 ml ) were stirred together under h 2 atm for 2 hr . reaction mixture was filtered over celite , filtrate was concentrated and chromatographed over silica get using meoh / dcm ( 1 - 3 %) as eluent . yield : 0 . 6 gm ( 82 . 5 %). 1 hnmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 4 . 06 ( s , 4h , ch 2 ), 4 . 01 ( s , 4h , ch 2 ), 3 . 46 ( s , 4h , ch 2 ), 1 . 46 ( s , 36h , co 2 bu t ). eims : 587 ( m + ). hpph ( 100 . 0 mg , 0 . 157 mmol ), amine 4 ( 184 . 5 mg , 0 . 314 mmol ), edcl ( 90 . 4 mg , 0 . 471 mmol ) and dmap ( 57 . 5 mg , 0 . 471 mmol ) were dissolved in dry dcm ( 30 ml ). resultant mixture was stirred at room temperature for 16 hr under n 2 atm , diluted with dcm ( 100 ml ) and washed with brine ( 50 ml ). organic layer was separated , dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated . crude was purified on silica gel column using meoh / dcm ( 1 - 3 %) as eluent to give product 5 . yield : 120 . 0 mg ( 63 . 35 %). uv - vis ( λmax cm − 1 , dichloromethane ): 409 , 505 , 535 , 606 & amp ; 661 . 1 hnmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 9 . 74 ( s , 1h , meso - h ), 9 . 51 ( s , 1h , meso - h ), 8 . 52 ( s , 1h , meso - h ), 5 . 91 ( m , 1h , ch 3 ch ohexyl ), 5 . 35 ( d , 1h , 15 1 - ch , j = 20 . 0 hz ), 5 . 13 ( d , 1h , 15 1 - ch , j = 20 . 0 hz ), 4 . 52 - 4 . 49 ( m , 2h , h - 17 & amp ; h - 18 ), 4 . 29 - 4 . 27 ( m , 4h ), 4 . 11 ( m , 2h ), 4 . 09 - 4 . 04 ( m , 4h ), 3 . 88 - 3 . 85 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ), 3 . 74 - 3 . 72 ( m , 2h , o ch 2 hexyl ), 3 . 67 ( s , 3h , ring - ch 3 ), 3 . 66 - 3 . 59 ( m , 2h , 8 1 - ch 2 ), 3 . 36 ( s , 3h , ring - ch 3 ), 3 . 26 ( s , 3h , ring - ch 3 ), 2 . 78 - 2 . 66 ( m , 2h , 17 2 - ch 2 ), 2 . 53 - 2 . 49 ( m , 1h , 17 ′- ch ), 2 . 15 ( m , 1h , 17 ′- ch ), 2 . 11 ( d , 3h , ch 3 chohexyl , j = 6 . 8 hz ), 1 . 79 ( d , 3h , 18 - ch 3 , j = 7 . 6 hz ), 1 . 74 ( t , 3h , 8 - ch 2 ch 3 , j = 7 . 6 hz ) 1 . 63 ( m , 4h , ch 2 - hexyl ), 1 . 47 - 1 . 43 ( four singlets each for co 2 bu t , 36h ), 1 . 20 ( m , 4h , ch 2 - hexyl ), 0 . 77 ( t , 3h , ch 3 - hexyl , j = 6 . 4 hz ), 0 . 37 ( brs , 1h , nh ), − 1 . 82 ( brs , 1h , nh ). eims : 1206 ( m + ). compound 5 ( 70 . 0 mg ) was stirred in 5 ml of 70 % tfa / dcm for 3 hr at room temperature . the reaction mixture was concentrated and dried under high vacuum to give 6 in quantitative yield . yield : 50 . 0 mg ( 87 . 7 %). uv - vis ( λmax cm − 1 , thf ): 408 , 505 , 538 , 605 & amp ; 660 . eims : 983 ( m + + 1 ). acid 7 ( 100 . 0 mg , 0 . 115 mmol ), amine 4 ( 136 . 0 mg , 0 . 231 mmol ), edcl ( 44 . 4 mg , 0 . 231 mmol ) and dmap ( 28 . 27 mg , 0 . 231 mmol ) were dissolved in dry dcm ( 30 ml ). resultant mixture was stirred at room temperature for 16 hr under n 2 atm , diluted with dcm ( 100 ml ) and washed with brine ( 50 ml ). organic layer was separated , dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated . crude was purified on silica gel column using meoh / dcm ( 1 - 3 %) as eluent to give product 8 . yield : 80 . 0 mg ( 48 %). uv - vis ( λmax cm − 1 , dichloromethane ): 365 , 414 , 548 & amp ; 701 . 1 hnmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 9 . 74 ( s , 1h , meso - h ), 9 . 60 ( s , 1h , meso - h ), 8 . 51 ( s , 1h , meso - h ), 8 . 20 ( s , 2h , bis - cf 3 c 6 h 3 ), 7 . 79 ( s , 1h , bis - cf 3 c 6 h 3 ), 5 . 79 ( s , 2h , benzylic ch 2 ), 5 . 75 ( m , 1h , ch 3 ch obutyl ), 5 . 19 - 5 . 16 ( m , 1h , h - 17 ), 4 . 60 - 4 . 49 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ), 4 . 40 - 4 . 31 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ), 4 . 18 - 3 . 96 ( m , 8h , 4 - ch 2 ), 3 . 62 ( s , 3h , ring - ch 3 ), 3 . 61 - 3 . 60 ( m , 4h , 2ch 2 ), 3 . 26 ( s , 3h , ring - ch 3 ), 3 . 16 ( s , 3h , ring - ch 3 ), 2 . 94 - 2 . 87 ( m , 1h , 17 - ch ), 2 . 76 - 2 . 69 ( m , 1h , 172 - ch ), 2 . 40 - 2 . 34 ( m , 1h , 17 ′- ch ), 2 . 05 ( d , 3h , ch 3 chobutyl , j = 10 . 2 hz ), 1 . 77 - 1 . 64 ( m , 11h , 17 1 - ch , 18 - ch 3 , 2ch 2 butyl , 8 - ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 48 ( s , 9h , co 2 bu t ), 1 . 46 ( s , 9h , co 2 bu t ), 1 . 39 ( s , 9h , co 2 bu t ), 1 . 38 ( s , 9h , co 2 bu t ), 0 . 89 - 0 . 85 ( spitted t , 3h , ch 3 - butyl ), 0 . 21 ( brs , 1h , nh ), 0 . 07 ( brs , 1h , nh ). eims : 1403 ( m + ). compound 8 ( 60 . 0 mg ) was stirred in 5 ml of 70 % tfa / dcm for 3 hr at room temperature . reaction mixture was concentrated and dried under high vacuum to give 9 in quantitative yield . yield : 40 . 0 mg ( 77 . 36 %). uv - vis ( λmax cm − 1 , thf ): 363 , 414 , 546 & amp ; 699 . eims : 211 ( m + + 1 ). acid 10 ( 50 . 0 mg , 0 . 072 mmol ), amine 4 ( 84 . 7 mg , 0 . 144 mmol ), edcl ( 34 . 5 mg , 0 . 18 mmol ) and dmap ( 22 . 0 mg , 0 . 18 mmol ) were dissolved in dry dcm ( 30 ml ). resultant mixture was stirred at room temperature for 16 hr under n 2 atm , diluted with dcm ( 100 ml ) and washed with brine ( 50 ml ). organic layer was separated , dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated . crude was purified on silica gel column using meoh / dcm ( 1 - 2 %) as eluent to give product 11 . yield : 65 . 0 mg ( 71 . 42 %). uv - vis ( λmax cm − 1 , dichloromethane ): 363 , 415 , 508 , 547 & amp ; 701 . 1 hnmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 ): δ 9 . 72 ( s , 1h , meso - h ), 9 . 63 ( s , 1h , meso - h ), 8 . 52 ( s , 1h , meso - h ), 5 . 79 ( m , 1h , ch 3 ch obutyl ), 5 . 22 ( m , 1h , h - 17 ), 4 . 66 ( m , 2h , ch 2 ), 4 . 45 ( t , 2h , och 2 butyl , j = 7 . 6 hz ), 4 . 33 ( m , 1h , h - 18 ), 4 . 18 - 4 . 00 ( m , 4h , 2ch 2 ), 3 . 97 - 3 . 95 ( m , 4h , 2ch 2 ), 3 . 84 ( s , 3h , ring - ch 3 ), 3 . 68 - 3 . 61 ( m , 4h , 8 - ch 2 ch 3 , ch 2 ), 3 . 30 ( s , 3h , ring - ch 3 ), 3 . 18 ( s , 3h , ring - ch 3 ), 3 . 00 - 2 . 90 ( m , 1h , 17 2 - ch ), 2 . 74 - 2 . 69 ( m , 1h , 17 2 - ch ), 2 . 45 - 2 . 39 ( m , 1h , 17 ′- ch ), 2 . 06 ( d , 3h , ch 3 chobutyl , j = 6 . 8 hz ), 2 . 01 - 1 . 96 ( m , 2h , nch 2 - butyl ), 1 . 70 ( m , 1h , 17 ′- ch ), 1 . 68 - 1 . 61 ( m , 10h , 18 - ch 3 , 2ch 2 butyl , 8 - ch 2 ch 3 ), 1 . 51 , 1 . 49 , 1 . 37 & amp ; 1 . 36 ( each singlet for 36h , co 2 bu t ), 1 . 10 ( t , 3h , ch 3 — obutyl , j = 7 . 6 hz ), 0 . 87 ( t , 3h , ch 3 — nbutyl , j = 7 . 4 hz ), − 0 . 02 ( brs , 1h , nh ), − 0 . 12 ( brs , 1h , nh ). eims : 1263 ( m + ). compound 11 ( 60 . 0 mg ) was stirred in 5 ml of 70 % tfa / dcm for 3 hr at room temperature . reaction mixture was concentrated and dried under high vacuum to give 12 in quantitative yield . yield : 42 . 0 mg ( 85 . 19 %). uv - vis ( λmax cm − 1 , dichloromethane ): 363 , 415 , 508 , 547 & amp ; 701 . eims : 1039 ( m + ). the experiments were performed in female balb / c mice ( 6 - 8 weeks of age ) purchased from clarence reeder ( national cancer institute fredrick cancer research facility , fredrick , md .). the mice were injected s . c . in the axilla with 10 6 colo - 26 cells in 50 μl complete rpmi - 1640 and were used for experimentation when the tumors reached 5 - 6 mm . all experiments were performed under the approved protocols of the rpci animal care and use committee and followed dlar regulations . ( a ) comparative photosensitizing efficacy of 15 vs its water soluble analog 16 : balb / c mice inoculated with colon - 26 tumors were injected with 0 . 7 μmoles / kg of either ps 15 or 16 and at ˜ 24 h p . i ., the mice were treated with pdt for a total fluence of 135 j / cm 2 at 75 mw / cm 2 ( 30 minute treatment ). preliminary studies had shown that ps 15 was only 30 % effective using the 135 j / cm 2 at 75 mw / cm 2 ( 30 minute ) pdt regimen . however , when its water - soluble analog was tested , the pdt response enhanced to 70 % mice tumor - free by day 90 . three explanations for this may be that ( 1 ) the slight charge from the carboxylate groups may be contributing to differing localization sites of ps 16 in comparison to 15 ( as mentioned above ), ( 2 ) the pdt - induced mechanism of action may differ in comparison to 16 or ( 3 ) the increased ps uptake in the tumor compared to the skin of 16 could be contributing to the enhanced pdt response . the main purpose of these experiments was to determine if the water - soluble ps could be utilized as both a pdt agent and diagnostic imaging tool . the initial in vivo experiments displayed the advantage of the water - soluble ps over its parent compound , 15 . the in vivo photosensitizing efficacy of water - soluble photosensitizers 9 and 12 was determined in balb - c mice bearing colo - 26 tumors at similar treatment conditions . at 24 h postinjction of the photosensitizer ( i . v ., 0 . 51 mol / kg ), the tumors were exposed to laser light ( at the photosensitizer &# 39 ; s longest wavelength absorption ( 135 j / cm 2 , 75 mw / cm 2 for 30 min ) and the tumor regrowth was measured daily . the results are summarised in figure x . as can be seen among the three candidates , compared to 12 , compounds 9 and 12 were found to be more effective . measurement of ps accumulation in the tumor and skin via fluorescence measurements using a non - invasive optical imaging camera system was performed . when tumors reached 4 - 5 mm in diameter , the balb / c mice were imaged prior to ps injection ( using body weight of ketamine xylazine or 80 mg / kg of pentobarbital sodium anesthesia ) to make certain that no endogenous chromophores were excited at the particular wavelengths utilized ( 425 / 50 nm or 540 / 40 nm excitation filters ). background fluorescence measurements had been a concern for previous researchers because it was found that the current diet of the mice contained chlorophyll ( λ max fluorescence = 676 nm ). when evaluating a photosensitizer such as hpph , the ps emission peak at ˜ 668 nm overlapped with that of chlorophyll . therefore , the fluorescence images obtained were not particularly specific for only ps fluorescence . for instance , when the background mice were imaged ( no ps ) using an excitation wavelength of 425 / 50 nm the chlorophyll from the diet was present in both the hair ( yellow ) and balb / c skin ( red ) exhibiting an emission peak at ˜ 676 nm . for the experiments with ps 15 and 16 , there was no concern that the emission peak of chlorophyll would overlap with that of the ps ( emission at ˜ 710 nm ). for non - invasive in vivo imaging of ps fluorescence , the nuance ™ imaging camera was beneficial in that once anesthetized the whole body of the mouse could be placed into the imaging lt - 9cabinet , which provided the proper light insulation required for measurement and the illumatool low power light source necessary for keeping the amount of light delivered to each mouse constant ( 3 mice per time point ). this imaging technology was quite beneficial due to the fact that it was minimally invasive , so that there was no need to sacrifice the animal in order to obtain information about where the ps was localized . previous studies have involved invasive procedures in which a mouse was sacrificed , the tumor or skin was excised and histological staining was performed on the paraffin blocks . below are fluorescence images of ps 16 excited using the 425 / 50 mu filter and collected via the non - invasive ccd nuance imaging camera ( princeton instruments inc .). this system was capable of taking qualitative hyperspectral images in the specific range of 650 - 720 nm focused on 710 nm . attached to the small animal images are the spectral properties of the hair ( yellow ), skin ( blue ) and tumor ( red ). from fig3 , it can be seen that ps 16 showed a significant selectivity for tumors ( peak fluorescence at ˜ 710 mu ), but when the skin flap was performed there appeared to be a noticeable amount of ps remaining in the underside of the skin after tumor removal . it is important to remember that these are qualitative images of ps accumulation in the tumor and skin . as a means to determine the exact uptake of the ps in the tumor versus the skin and other organs , a skin - flap excision , as well as , an ex vivo biodistribution study were performed . once removed , the organs ( tumor , skin , heart , spleen , muscle , kidney , stomach , intestine , lung and liver ) were placed on a plexiglass plate and their fluorescence was collected ( 425 / 50 nm excitation ). the fluorescence image displayed fluorescence peaks at ˜ 675 ( yellow spectrum characteristic of chlorophyll - a from diet ) and ˜ 710 nm ( red spectrum characteristic of ps 16 ) with visible fluorescence in the tumor , skin , large intestine , liver and stomach . the organs were homogenized , dissolved in solvable and read on the fluoromax ii fluorimeter at 417 nm . after reading the fluorescence of all the organ samples , it was determined that the tumor and liver retained ps 16 ( peak emission ˜ 710 mu ), while the skin , stomach and intestine retained material characteristic of chlorophyll - a ( peak emission ˜ 676 nm ). the average fluorescence per mg / ml of protein was normalized to background mice ( no ps ) and plotted for each organ ( avg . of 3 samples per organ ). this invention describes the successful synthesis of a new long wavelength water - soluble ps . the in vitro and in vivo pdt photosensitizing experiments indicated that ps 16 was superior to its parent compound , 15 at its therapeutic pdt dose of 0 . 7 μmoles / kg ( 70 % mice were tumor - free by day 60 , 7 / 10 mice ), ps 16 displayed selective tumor uptake at 24 h p . i . as visualized by nuance ™ imaging and confirmed by the fluorescence extraction experiments . this is the first report of a water - soluble fluorinated purpurinimide being utilized as a dual pdt - imaging agent .	2
the hydrocarbon polymers constituting the backbones of the graft polymers of the present invention comprise butadiene monomeric units . that is , the hydrocarbon polymers are a homopolymer of butadiene , and copolymers of butadiene with at least one copolymerizable monomer ( e . g . styrene , etc .). the copolymers may be random or block copolymers . preferably , the polymer molecules consist of hydrocarbons , although they may partly contain non - hydrocarbon monomeric units . preferable examples of such hydrocarbon polymers are polybutadiene , styrene - butadiene copolymers , styrene - butadiene - styrene block copolymers , styrene - butadiene block copolymers , and the like . the monomeric units derived from butadiene may be 1 , 2 - bonding or 1 , 4 - bonding ones . the hydrocarbon polymers include rubbery elastic polymers having a molecular weight of several ten thousand to several million , and thermoplastic resins . it may be contemplated to use polymers comprising monomeric units derived from monomers having conjugated double bonds such as isoprene , chloroprene , and the like , except for the butadiene monomeric units . in this case , the graft degree of the above cyanoethyl monomer ( i ) tends to decrease . thus , copolymerization of other monomers having conjugated double bonds is less preferable . the cyanoethyl monomer ( i ) used in the present invention may be prepared by addition reacting one mole of a ( m + 1 )- valent polyhydroxyl compound of the formula ( ii ): wherein r 2 and m are the same as defined above , with m moles of acrylonitrile to obtain a cyanoethyl compound of the formula ( iii ): wherein r 2 and m are the same as defined above , through the michael addition reaction , and then esterifying the cyanoethyl compound of the formula ( iii ) with one mole of acrylic or methacrylic acid or its chloride . alternatively , the cyanoethyl monomer ( i ) may be prepared by esterifying one mole of the polyhydroxyl compound ( ii ) with one mole of acrylic or methacrylic acid or its chloride , and then reacting the ester with m moles of acrylonitrile thought the michael addition reaction . the polyhydroxyl compound ( ii ) may be any compound having at least two hydroxyl groups , preferably 2 to 6 hydroxyl groups . that is , m is at least 1 , preferably from 1 to 5 . examples of the polyhydroxyl compound ( ii ) are ethylene glycol , diethylene glycol , triethylene glycol , tetraethylene glycol , propylene glycol , dipropylene glycol , tripropylene glycol , tetramethylene glycol , neopentyl glycol , glycerol , diglycerol , triglycerol , trimethylolpropane , hexanetriol , erythritol , pentaerythritol , dipentaerythritol , xylitol , inositol , mannitol , sorbitol , and the like . furthermore , compounds having polyoxyethylene chains prepared by the addition of 10 moles or less of ethylene oxide per one hydroxyl group to these polyhydroxyl compounds can be used . the cyanoethyl group - containing graft polymer according to the present invention may be prepared by graft polymerizing the cyanoethyl monomer ( i ) onto the above hydrocarbon polymer by any conventional method . for example , the cyanoethyl monomer ( i ) is radically polymerized in the presence of the hydrocarbon polymer optionally in the presence of organic solvents or other liquid mediums , by heat polymerization using radical polymerization initiators , or photopolymerization with radiation ( e . g . γ - ray , electron beams , uv light , etc .). the amount of the cyanoethyl monomer ( i ) used in the graft polymerization depends on the application of the obtained graft polymers . for example , the amount of the cyanoethyl monomer ( i ) is between 10 and 60 wt . %, preferably between 15 and 50 wt . % based on the total weight of the hydrocarbon polymer and cyanoethyl monomer ( i ), when the graft polymers are used as binder reins for the positive or negative electrodes of lithium ion secondary batteries . when the amount of the cyanoethyl monomer ( i ) is less than 10 wt . %, sufficient ionic conductivity is not attained . when this amount exceeds 60 wt . %, the polar solvent resistance of the graft polymer tends to deteriorate . the amount of the cyanoethyl monomer ( i ) is between 40 and 90 wt . %, preferably between 60 and 70 wt . % based on the total weight of the hydrocarbon polymer and cyanoethyl monomer ( i ), when the graft polymers are used as binder reins for organic dispersion type el devices . in this case , no polar solvent resistance is required . the organic solvent or other liquid medium may be any conventionally used ones other than those having adverse effects on the graft polymerization , for example , solvents having a very large chain transfer constant such as chlorohydrocarbons ( e . g . carbon tetrachloride , 1 , 1 , 1 - trichloroethane , etc .) or compounds having a mercapto group . in particular , solvents in which both the hydrocarbon polymer and cyanoethyl monomer ( i ) are dissolved , for example , aromatic hydrocarbons ( e . g . xylene , toluene , etc .) are preferable for the uniform graft polymerization . examples of the radical polymerization initiators are peroxides ( e . g . benzoyl peroxide , dicumyl peroxide , methyl ethyl ketone peroxide , dilauroyl peroxide , tert .- butyl hydroperoxide , etc .) and azo compounds ( e . g . 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- azobisbutyronitrile , 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- azobis ( 4 - methoxy - 2 , 4 - dimethylvaleronitrile , etc . ), which are widely used for radical polymerization . the radical polymerization initiator is selected from these initiators according to the polymerization temperature , kind of the used organic solvent , and the like . it is possible to use polymerization initiators having specific functional groups ( e . g . a trimethoxysilyl group , a hydroxyl group , etc . ), or polymeric initiators . in this case , graft polymers having such functional groups , or graft block polymers can be prepared . in the case of the photopolymerization with radiation , the polymerization initiators may be benzoin ether type , benzophenone type , benzoin type , ketal type , acetophenone type , or thioxanthone type polymerization initiators , when uv light is used . the polymerization initiators are not always used , when the electron beam and γ - ray are used as the radiation , and the graft polymerization proceeds easily . however , the electron beam and γ - ray require costly equipments . in the graft polymerization , mercaptans ( e . g . n - butylmercaptan , dodecylmercaptan , cyclohexylmercaptan , etc .) may be used for the adjustment of a molecular weight or the suppression of side reactions such as crosslinking . in this case , graft polymers having specific functional groups can be prepared like in the case of the polymerization initiators having the specific functional groups . the graft polymerization of the cyanoethyl monomer ( i ) onto the hydrocarbon polymers can afford good ionic conductivity and give the graft polymers having good polar solvent resistance . if necessary , other copolymerizable monomers may be used in addition to the cyanoethyl monomer ( i ). the amount of the copolymerizable monomer ( s ) should be 50 wt . % or less of the total amount of the cyanoethyl monomer ( i ) and copolymerizable monomer ( s ). specific examples of such copolymerizable monomers are acrylate esters ( e . g . methyl acrylate , ethyl acrylate , n - butyl acrylate , cyclohexyl acrylate , 2 - ethylhexyl acrylate , etc . ), methacrylate esters ( e . g . methyl methacrylate , ethyl methacrylate , isobutyl methacrylate , lauryl methacrylate , 2 - methoxyethyl methacrylate , etc . ), aromatic vinyl compounds , ( e . g . styrene , vinyltoluene , vinylalkylphenols . etc . ), ( meth ) acrylates of alicyclic and aromatic alcohols ( e . g . dicyclopentenyl ( meth ) acrylate , tricyclodecanyl ( meth ) acrylate , isobornyl ( meth ) acrylate , etc . ), fluoroalkyl ( meth ) acrylates ( e . g . 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethyl ( meth ) acrylate , 2 , 2 , 3 , 3 - tetrafluoropropyl ( meth ) acrylate , 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 - pentafluoropropyl ( meth ) acrylate , etc . ), ( meth ) acrylates of monoalkoxypolyalkylene glycols ( e . g . diethylene glycol monomethyl ether ( meth ) acrylate , tetraethylene glycol monomethyl ether ( meth ) acrylate , tripropylene glycol monobutyl ether ( meth ) acrylate , etc . ), ( meth ) acrylamide , ( meth ) acrylonitrile , vinyl acetate , dialkyl maleates , dialkyl itaconates , vinyl alkyl ethers , and the like . when the copolymerizable monomers are used , graft polymers having the specific functional group can be obtained by the use of monomers having the specific functional groups such as glycidyl methacrylate , allyl glycidyl ether , γ - methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane , γ - methacryloxypropylmethyldimethoxysilane , 2 - hydroxyethyl methacrylate , 2 - hydroxyethyl acrylate , ( meth ) acroyl isocyanate , and the like . also , graft polymers having the specific polymeric side chains can be obtained by the use of so - called macromonomers such as methacrylates having polystyrene side chanis or polymethyl methacrylate chains . such monomers or macromonomers may be used according to the various properties of the graft polymers ( e . g . mechanical strength , heat resistance , adhesion properties , polar solvent resistance , etc .). when the cyanoethyl group - containing graft polymer of the present invention is used in the lithium ion secondary batteries , the graft polymer is compounded with positive electrode active materials ( e . g . licoo 2 , limn 2 o 4 , linio 2 , etc . ), or negative electrode active materials ( e . g . lithium ion - occlusion materials , for example , carbon materials such as graphite , carbon fiber , calcined carbon of pitch , and the like ), and optionally viscosity modifiers , colorants , anti - aging agents and the like to prepare paste compositions , and then positive or negative electrodes are produced from the paste compositions . in addition , the graft polymer of the present invention can be used as a binder resin for organic dispersion type el devices , electrochromic devices , capacitors , solic polymer electrolytes , and the like . a 2 wt . % aqueous solution of naoh ( 204 g ), pentaerythritol ( 68 . 0 g , 0 . 5 mole ) and methylene chloride ( 136 ml , 184 . 7 g ) were charged in a three - neck flask . then , acrylonitrile ( 84 . 9 g , 1 . 6 moles ) was dropwise added over 4 hours with vigorous stirring and refluxing ( internal temperature of 35 to 40 ° c . ), followed by the reaction at the same temperature for 3 hours while stirring . after the reaction , the reaction mixture was kept standing , and separated into two layers ( upper layer : aqueous layer , lower layer : methylene chloride layer ). the aqueous layer was discarded , and the methylene chloride layer was washed with water until its alkalinity disappeared . after that , water and methylene chloride were evaporated off with a rotary pump under reduced pressure , and tricyanoethylated pentaerythritol was obtained . then , methacrylic acid ( 52 g , 0 . 6 mole ), p - toluenesulfonic acid ( 3 . 2 g ), hydroquinone ( 0 . 03 g ) ( a polymerization inhibitor ) and benzene ( 200 g ) were added to the tricyanoethylated pentaerythritol ( 59 g , 0 . 2 mole ), and reacted for 8 hours under refluxing while removing generated water , followed by the removal of excessive methacrylic acid with water , and tricyanoethylated pentaerythritol methacrylate ( a cyanoethyl monomer ) was obtained . the ir spectrum of this cyanoethyl monomer confirmed the presence of the -- cn groups and double bonds . the purity of this monomer was 96 . 9 % according to the gc analysis . components shown in table 1 were charged in a separable flask in amounts ( wt . parts ) as shown in table 1 , and polymerized at 80 ° c . for 3 hours while introducing nitrogen gas in the flask . thus , the slightly milky - white semitransparent solution of the graft polymer was obtained . the mixture of methanol and water ( weight ratio of 1 : 1 ) was added to the polymer solution to precipitate the graft polymer , which was washed and dried for purification . the obtained polymer of each example was a milky - white solid and had rubbery properties . the ir spectrum of the polymer had the absorption peaks assigned to the -- cn groups and & gt ; c ═ o groups . the ionic conductivity , dielectric constant , dielectric dissipation factor ( tan δ ) and polar solvent resistance of the graft polymers were measured and evaluated as follows : to the 20 wt . % solution of the graft polymer in toluene , the 10 wt . % solution of libf 4 in ethylene glycol monoethyl ether was added so that the amount of libf 4 reached 1 . 0 wt . % of the graft polymer , and the obtained mixed solution was coated on an aluminum plate so that a dry thickness became about 100 μm , and dried at 120 ° c . for 60 minutes . then , aluminum was vacuum deposited on the dried layer to form electrodes for measurement , and an ionic conductivity ( s / cm ) was measured with a lcz meter at the frequency of 1 khz at room temperature . a test sample was prepared in the same manner as in the measurement of the ionic conductivity except that no libf 4 was added to the graft polymer , and then the dielectric constant and dielectric dissipation factor were measured with a lcz meter at the frequency of 1 khz at room temperature . a test sample prepared in the same manner as in the measurement of the dielectric constant and dielectric dissipation factor was dipped in propylene carbonate at 40 ° c . for 48 hours , and then swelling of the graft polymer was observed . table 1______________________________________example no . 1 2 3 4 5______________________________________kx - 405cp 100 100 -- -- 100kx - 65 -- -- 100 -- -- br - 45 -- -- -- 100 -- cyanoethyl 20 60 40 30 120monomer ( i ) bpo 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5toluene 400 400 400 400 400ionic 3 . 4 × 10 . sup .- 6 6 . 6 × 10 . sup .- 5 4 . 8 × 10 . sup .- 6 5 . 6 × 10 . sup .- 6 -- conductivity ( s / cm ) dielectric 5 . 62 9 . 23 7 . 59 6 . 61 12 . 20constantdielectric 0 . 002 0 . 004 0 . 005 0 . 003 0 . 008dissipationfactorpolar solvent no no no no -- resistance swelling swelling swelling swelling______________________________________ notes : kx405cp and kx65 : styrenebutadiene - styrene ( sbs ) copolymers ( kryto d grades , both available from shell chemical co ., ltd .). br454 : polybutadiene rubber ( available from asahi chemical co ., ltd .). bpo : benzoyl peroxide . the properties of a hydrocarbon polymer on which no cyanoethyl monomer ( i ) had been graft polymerized ( comparative example 1 ) or a polyvinylidene fluoride which is widely used as a binder resin for electrodes ( comparative example 2 ) were measured in the same manner as in examples 1 - 5 . the results are shown in table 2 . the hydrocarbon polymer used in comparative example 1 was a sbs copolymer ( kryton d kx - 405cp ) in the form of a 20 wt . % solution in toluene , and polyvinylidene fluoride in comparative example 2 was used in the form of a 15 wt . % solution in methypyrrolidone . for the measurement of the ionic conductivity , the 10 wt . % solution of libf 4 in ethylene glycol monoethyl ether was added so that the amount of libf 4 reached 1 . 0 wt . % of the polymer like in examples . table 2______________________________________ comp . ex . 1 comp . ex . 2______________________________________ionic conductivity 4 . 5 × 10 . sup .- 12 8 . 6 × 10 . sup .- 12 ( s / cm ) dielectric constant 2 . 65 9 . 67dielectric dissipation 0 . 002 0 . 003factorpolar solvent no swelling no swellingresistance______________________________________ as seen from the results in tables 1 and 2 , the graft polymers of the present invention have good properties suitable as binder resins for the electrodes of lithium ion secondary batteries ( examples 1 - 4 ) and as binder resins with a high dielectric constant for the organic dispersion type el devices .	8
as shown in the drawing , a vessel 1 is formed as a cylindrical metal housing provided with an insulating layer and stahding on a base 2 . located therein is a biologically highly active biomass in the form of a heap 3 as an absorbent . the biomass is composed , for example , of incompletely decomposed compost obtained through the decomposition of organic waste , for example , organic sewage sludge mixed with carbon carriers , which decomposition is controlled by means of the air feed , or of incompletely decomposed compost obtained from garbage . according to the characteristic features of the method set forth in german auslegeschrift no . 25 41 070 , the biomass obtained by this method exhibits a high biological activity of the microorganisms therein . a penicillium concentrate is injected into this biomass before it is filled into the metal housing . more specifically , 10 liters of a penicillium concentrate containing a fungus of the species penicillium ( white ) are added per cubic meter of biomass , the penicillium concentrate having a concentration of 10 6 to 10 7 of spores per milliliter . the vessel 1 has a floor surface 4 over which a discharge screw 5 can move which allows a uniform discharge from the vessel . the discharge screw is driven by a drive ( not shown ) which is movable about an axis , so that , in addition to its own movement about its longitudinal axis lying in the plane of the drawing , the discharge screw can slowly move in a clockwise direction over the vessel floor . in this manner , the screw 5 continuously moves the lowest layer of the material 3 towards a centrally located discharge opening 8 in the base of the vessel . the material which is removed falls onto a conveying device 10 which carries the material to a vertical conveying device 13 which , in turn , transports the material upwardly in the direction of the arrow to mixing funnel 11 . feed bin 12 also communicates with conveyor 10 so that fresh material may be admixed with the material exiting the vessel as desired . from funnel 11 , the material optionally admixed with fresh material is distributed uniformly into the top of the vessel via a rotary distributor 15 . initially , of course , only fresh biomass is to be employed . via a schematically shown blower 16 and a conduit system 17 , the waste gases or air to be purified are introduced into the bottom area of the vessel , that is , at its base , through nozzle system 18 . the top of vessel 1 is closed . the air flowing through the heap of material is drawn out via outgoing air line 21 and suction blower 22 . the flow rate of the air through the heap is adjusted by means of a conventional control device ( not shown ). in spite of a large throughput of waste gases to be purified , the gas pressure in the vessel must remain low . ideally , the waste gas should only diffuse through the heap . technically feasible is a vacuum above the heap up to about 0 . 07 bar at gas velocities from about 2 to 15 , and preferably , 2 to 10 m / min , so that the dwell times of the waste gases in the heap of material are preferably at least 50 sec . a higher vacuum can lead to the danger of implosion of the vessel . the actual dwell time of the air in the heap of material is determined as follows : ## equ1 ## wherein a = flow surface ( m 2 ) since the porosity , dependent on the respective grain size of the compost material used , varies in accordance with experience between about 20 and 50 %, approximately 40 % should be assumed as the mean value of the porosity which will then drop to approximately 30 % through the weight of the material column in the vessel . the air velocity v 1 to be adjusted follows from ## equ2 ## wherein v = blown - in air quantity ( m 3 / h ) the waste gases conducted into the vessel at the bottom are uniformly distributed over the cross - sectional area of the vessel and must flow upwardly through the heap of material which travels through the vessel downwardly and forms a filter bed of absorbent . the purification of the waste gases is effected by means of absorption and biological conversion with the absorbent . the absorption and biological conversion are biological processes which result in decomposition of the material in the heap and a consequent loss of material . this decomposition loss or decomposition decline is compensated for by adding fresh material containing penicillium concentrate via the feed device 12 so that the vessel 1 is always completely filled with absorbent , thus always maintaining the same height of absorbent in the vessel . the absorbent throughput may be increased or decreased depending on the volume and the concentration of the waste gas impurities . since the waste gases always flow from the bottom to the top , the lowest filter layer is always the most strongly loaded with impurities . the absorbent is discharged at this point and the discharged material , after fresh material containing penicillium concentrate has been added , is again fed in at the top . in this manner , the lowermost layers of the heap of material which layers may be compacted due to dust - laden waste gases , are circulated so that clogging of the absorbent cannot take place as it does in prior art processes . of course , the absorbent must be completely replaced after a certain period of time with new biomass containing penicillium concentrate . the vessel 1 can comprise a volume of approximately 10 to 200 m 3 . its filling height , that is , the height of the filter bed , is solely dependent on the lowest admissible limit of the porosity and the weight of the heap . in the present example , the filling height is approximately 6 m and the heap volume is 100 m 3 , resulting in a flow cross - section of approximately 15 . 9 m 2 . in general , the volume is to be selected in accordance with the gas quantity and the type and amount of the impurities . this applies likewise to the rate of discharge and the feed of fresh biomass containing penicillium concentrate . it is possible , in principle , to admix small or large amounts or no fresh biomass . the efficacy of the biomass can be determined by means of measurement probes , not shown , and the filtering process can be controlled accordingly by changing the throughput of the absorbent and admixture of fresh biomass containing penicillium concentrate . depleted biomass can also be removed near member 20 by means of conveying device 10 . since many waste gases of the type which can be treated with the present process are 100 % water saturated , the waste gas to be fed into the described filter device is to be passed through a water separator before feeding into the bio - filter . measurements of the waste gases of a so - called biological tower unit of an industrial sewage treatment plant after a start - up phase of the bio - filter of about 10 days . material of the heap utilized as absorbent removed in the form of samples from vessel 1 after 14 days , and the types of microorganisms found in the material ______________________________________volume of heap of bio - filter consisting = 100 m . sup . 3of completely decomposed sewage sludgecompostheight = 6 . 3 mwater content = 63 . 73 % organic matter ( dry basis ) = 69 . 2 % ph value ( in water ) = 6 . 63______________________________________ samples were taken from the vessel at various points ; the following microorganisms were positively identified : fungus of the type penicillium ( white ) and bacteria of the type actinomyces globisporus were each found to be widespread . the material of the samples had the typical smell of compost . this permits the conclusion that the amounts of chlorinated carbohydrates conducted into the vessel have been substantially reduced . ______________________________________location of measuring point = in waste gas chimney of bio - reactordiameter of measuring point = 190 mmcross - sectional = 0 . 0284 m . sup . 2area of measuring pointnumber of measuring axes = 2number of measuring = 1points per measuring axis______________________________________ the measuring point had the dimensions set forth in guideline vdi 2066 . the test was performed with waste gas from chemical industrial processing plants ( farbenfabriken bayer , werk dormagen ). a cubic meter of this waste gas contained on the average about 21 mg chloromethane , 69 . 5 mg dichloromethane , 250 mg dichloroethane , 47 mg xylene , 32 . 5 mg ethylbenzene , 5 . 5 mg chlorobenzene , 70 . 5 mg chlorotoluenes , and approximately 300 mg of impurities which were not analyzed in detail . the remaining portion of the waste gas consisted of the usual components of atmospheric air and other substances which are not among harmful impurities , such as water vapor . after this waste gas to be purified was conducted into the vessel for 14 days , the quantities of impurities contained in the waste gas to be purified and in the purified waste gas were measured at two separate measuring points by means of gas chromatography . the results are shown in the following table . table______________________________________ quantities in the quantities in the non - purified waste purified waste gas ( mg / m . sup . 3 ) gas ( mg / m . sup . 3 ) input output measur - measur - measuring ing measuring ingtype of impurity point 1 point 2 point 1 point 2______________________________________chloromethane 21 21 & lt ; 3 & lt ; 3dichloromethane 69 70 20 20dichloroethane 250 250 130 120xylenes 46 48 10 10ethylbenzene 32 33 2 2chlorobenzene 5 6 & lt ; 2 & lt ; 2chlorotoluenes 68 73 16 15______________________________________ it is apparent that the method , in accordance with the present invention , surprisingly makes possible a very efficient purification of waste gases which contain large quantities of halogenated impurities . the purified waste gas does not constitute an environmental burden , as could be determined by a smelling test . this means that the impurities which were not analyzed in detail were also removed to a substantial extent .	1
with reference first to fig1 there is shown in that figure a side wall 10 of one of the passenger compartments of a pressurized high altitude commercial aircraft , which may typically be assumed to be a craft of the ` wide - bodied ` type . a lower compartment represented at 11 is contained in the fuselage of the aircraft directly beneath the illustrated upper passenger compartment , and is separated from the passenger compartment by the usual horizontal deck structure 12 . the illustrated lower compartment may be a cargo hold , or a lower level galley or the like . both the upper and lower compartments are normally pressurized in flight , to essentially the same pressure substantially above that at the outside of the aircraft . in accordance with conventional practice , external air is continuously taken in , pressurized and conditioned as to temperature , and then injected into these compartments , and the ` return ` air from these compartments is ultimately withdrawn and discharged back to the atmosphere . for serving the dual purposes of conducting this return air into the side wall of the craft , and in the event of depressurization of the lower compartment 11 passing a rapid flow of pressurized vent air from the upper compartment downwardly to the lower compartment , there are provided along the lower edges of the side walls 10 of the passenger compartment a series of safety vent assemblies 13 , with whose construction the present invention is particularly concerned . as seen in fig4 the side wall 10 of the aircraft is hollow , being defined by essentially parallel inner and outer skins 14 and 15 forming an inner space between the skins through which return and vent air can be conducted downwardly . under normal pressurized flying conditions , the discussed return air flows downwardly through this space within the interior of the hollow side wall and ultimately discharges to the outside of the craft . when depressurization of the lower compartment occurs , a rapid flow of pressurized air from the upper compartment enters vent assemblies 13 and then flows downwardly through the space between the inner and outer skins of side walls 10 , and may act to force blowout panels 16 in the inner skin ( fig1 ) inwardly into lower compartment 11 to thus quickly equalize the pressure between the upper and lower compartments and prevent damage to the deck 12 which might result from differential pressurization . each of the vent assemblies 13 includes a rectangular flat grille 17 which in its normal position of fig1 ( full line position of fig4 ) lies in the plane of the inner skin 14 of side wall 10 , and in effect forms essentially a continuation of that side wall . these grilles 17 contain a large number of apertures 18 , typically circular as shown , distributed over almost the entire area of the grille and adapted to pass return air from the passenger compartment through the grille into the interior of the hollow side wall . each grille is surrounded and carried by a rectangular frame 19 , which is rigidly secured in fixed position to the side wall structure , desirably by two quarter turn fasteners or other quickly detachable fasteners 20 extending through frame 19 at its opposite ends and connecting detachably to coacting sockets 21 carried by the vertical frame members 22 to which the inner and outer skins of the aircraft are secured . frame 19 may lie in essentially the same plane as inner skin 14 and the associated grille 17 except along the lower edge of the grille where the frame may curve in a manner illustrated at 23 in fig4 . at its rear side , the frame 19 rigidly carries a structure 24 ( fig7 ), which defines with the frame a generally vertically extending air passage 25 . more particularly , the structure 24 may include a generally vertical rear wall 26 spaced from the plane of frame 19 and located near the outer skin 15 of the aircraft , which compresses and isolates the sidewall insulation , with two parallel vertical opposite side walls 27 of the structure 24 extending forwardly toward frame 19 and connected rigidly to the frame at opposite ends of the rectangular grille receiving opening 28 in frame 19 . the rear wall 26 of structure 24 may be deformed outwardly at 29 ( fig4 ) to form a horizontally elongated groove or recess 30 which partially receives the edge of grille 17 in its fully opened broken line position of fig4 . the lower end of structure 24 is open to form a rectangular outlet at 31 through which air discharges downwardly into the inter - skin space within the hollow wall of lower cargo compartment 11 . near its upper edge , the rectangular frame 19 is bent rearwardly to form a horizontal top wall 33 ( fig4 ), which projects rearwardly from frame 19 along the entire extent of the upper edge of the rectangular grille receiving opening 28 in the frame , and which may be strengthened and reinforced by a generally horizontal plate - like member 32 secured by rivets 34 to top wall 33 . this member 32 has at its forward edge a series of spaced hinge lugs 35 interfitting with similar spaced hinge lugs 36 attached to the upper edge of grille 17 , with a hinge pin 37 extending through all of these lugs to form a piano hinge type of connection mounting grille 17 to member 32 and the connected frame 19 for swinging movement about a horizontal axis 38 between the full line normal position and broken line retracted position of fig4 . at its rear edge , member 32 secured to frame 19 has a second series of spaced hinge lugs 39 interfitting with similar lugs 40 of an upper grille actuating plate 41 and a hinge pin 42 to connect plate 41 to member 32 for swinging movement about a second horizontal axis 43 between the full line and broken line positions of fig4 . a second and lower grille actuating plate 44 is pivotally connected to plate 41 for relative swinging movement about a horizontal axis , and at a lower edge is secured pivotally to a hinge part 47 for relative pivotal movement about another horizontal axis 49 , with all of the axes 38 , 43 , 45 , and 49 desirably being parallel to one another . as seen best in fig6 the connection at 49 may be a piano hinge type connection 50 of the same type as that formed at the upper edge of plate 41 . the central portion of plate 44 may be rigidly secured by fasteners 51 to a hinge element 52 , having a piano hinge connection 53 with the lower edge of upper plate 41 defining the joint at pivotal axis 45 . the upper extremity of plate 44 has a surface 54 which abuts against the outer surface of plate 41 in the fig4 position to limit the pivotal movement of the plates at a slightly overcenter position , that is , at a position at which the intermediate hinge axis 45 between the two plates is slightly beyond a plane 55 containing the two axes 43 and 49 . a spring 56 yieldingly urges the two plates to this overcenter position , and resists relative folding or pivotal movement of the plates and connected parts to the broken line position of fig4 . a hollow part 48 is connected to and projects rearwardly from the back side of grille 17 , to form with other previously described parts of the apparatus a plenum chamber 57 into which air passing through the apertures 18 of the grille flows . the various elements forming this plenum chamber are so formed and related as to require that all such return air entering the chamber from the grille apertures can leave the plenum chamber only by flow past the ends of the articulately connected hinged plates 41 and 44 , or by flow through two series of apertures 58 and 59 formed in the plates 41 and 44 near the upper and lower axes 43 and 49 ( see fig6 ). part 48 is preferably shaped to have two oppositely sloping top and bottom walls 65 and 60 , and a rear wall 66 , and two angularly disposed opposite end walls 63 , with the edge portions 61 of walls 65 , 60 and 63 extending along and continuously peripherally engaging the corresponding edges 62 of grille 17 ( beyond and entirely about all of the apertures 18 ). part 48 is suitably rigidly secured to the grille , as by four screws 161 and 162 extending through the grille and connecting into mating sockets carried by part 48 at its opposite ends and near its top and bottom edges . all of the discussed walls of part 48 are closed to flow of air therethrough except for the upper wall 65 , which contains apertures 67 through which air can flow upwardly to a space 69 in front of hinged plates 41 and 44 . this space 69 and the interior of hollow part 48 form together the previously mentioned plenum chamber 57 , whose top is defined by member 32 . the hinged plates 41 and 44 preferably terminate somewhat short of the vertical end walls 27 of structure 24 ( fig6 ) to have end edges 67 and 67 &# 39 ; which are spaced far enough from end walls 27 to allow some flow of return air from plenum chamber 57 through spaces 70 at the opposite ends of plates 41 and 44 and past those ends of the plates to their rear sides . as seen in fig6 plate 44 may be somewhat shorter than plate 41 . air from plenum chamber 57 may also flow directly through apertures 58 and 59 in the hinged plates , which apertures may be formed between successive lugs of the corresponding hinges , and may be defined by edges curved semi - circularly at 68 as shown . to now describe briefly the functioning of the illustrated apparatus , assume that initially the aircraft of fig1 is in flight , and that its upper passenger compartment and lower cargo compartment 11 are pressurized substantially above the external ambient pressure . during such normal flight , the grilles 17 are in their closed positions of fig1 ( full line position of fig4 ). in that condition , return air flows through the apertures 18 of each of the grilles 17 , into the plenum chamber 57 behind the grille , and is confined by that plenum chamber in a relation requiring it to flow essentially upwardly toward the upper portion of the chamber and then discharge from the chamber to the rear side of the plates 41 and 44 by flow past the ends of the plates and through their apertures 58 and 59 . after thus reaching the space at the rear of plates 41 and 44 , the return air passes downwardly to discharge from each of the vent assemblies 13 through its lower outlet 31 , from which the air passes downwardly into the hollow wall structure of the lower compartment 11 , for ultimate discharge from that space to the exterior of the craft through a conventional pressure controlling valve or valves . spring 56 has sufficient strength to maintain the plates 41 and 44 in their slightly overcenter positions against any relatively slight tendency which the slow moving return air in plenum chamber 57 might otherwise have for releasing these plates from their overcenter positions . thus , the overcenter plates act effectively to lock grille 17 in its closed position , even though a passenger may accidentally contact and exert force against the grille . further , the rather circuitous path along which the return air must flow in passing through the vent assemblies is such as to interfere with direct transmission of sound from the lower compartment to the upper compartment and thus minimize noise in the passenger compartment . in the event that the lower compartment 11 is for any reason suddenly depressurized , as for instance by loss of a hatch cover , this sudden depressurization of the lower compartment 11 creates a high differential pressure across each of several of the blowout panels 16 in the inner skin of the wall of that compartment , causing those panels to blow into compartment 11 and open large apertures through which air may enter compartment 11 from the interior of the side wall . this reduced pressure condition is communicated upwardly through the interior of the side wall to the back side of the grille actuating plates 41 and 44 of each of the vent assemblies 13 , with the result that the pressure differential across these plates quickly forces the plates and particularly their intermediate hinge connection rearwardly , causing the plates and connected grilles and structures 48 to swing rearwardly and upwardly to the broken line position of fig4 . the relatively small air flow passages 58 , 59 and 70 extending through and past the ends of plates 41 and 44 are much too restricted to pass enough air to relieve the high differential pressure under the discussed depressurization condition . in the fully opened broken line position of fig4 the grille allows very free flow of large volumes of air through the rectangular opening in frame 19 and downwardly through outlet 31 , at a rate equalizing the pressure at the upper and lower sides of deck 12 so rapidly as to prevent downward deformation or bulging of that deck by the pressure in the cabin . structural damage to the aircraft and particularly to deck 12 and any control cables or the like located beneath that deck is effectively prevented , and the pilot still retains control of the craft in spite of the depressurization condition . the manner in which the grille actuating plates 41 and 44 fold or swing upwardly as the grille retracts assists in minimizing the space effectively occupied by the swinging parts , and in maximizing the amount of air which can be conducted through the equipment for a given size grille . while a certain specific embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed as typical , the invention is of course not limited to this particular form , but rather is applicable broadly to all such variations as fall within the scope of the appended claims .	1
a preferred embodiment of the present invention involves the use of a computer program that acts as a peer in a peer - to - peer network . in addition to being executed on a computer , the program can be executed on a wireless device like a cell phone . also , it can be developed with any programming language . in this embodiment , the programming language is java and it is located on a computer . from fig1 to fig4 show the elements and steps involved with verifying an html document . element 11 represents the peer that would like to validate a html document . element 12 represents another peer , peer 2 , that will help validate the document . steps 13 to 14 , represents sending the message digest of the document via tcp / ip and sockets . step 16 represents peer 2 &# 39 ; s comparing of the md 5 value to it &# 39 ; s own copy of the md 5 value for that html document . steps 17 to 19 represents peer 2 &# 39 ; s judgment on the validity of the document and transportation of this information back to peer 1 . [ 0026 ] fig2 is a continuation of fig1 . it is similar to fig1 . however , instead of communicating with peer 2 , it is communicating with another peer . fig3 shows peer 1 communicating with yet another peer . in fig4 which is the continuation of fig3 a decision is rendered on the validity of the document via step 41 . in this specific case , if all three of the peers agree that the md 5 is the correct md 5 , the document will be displayed to the user ( steps 42 , 43 , and 44 ) [ 0028 ] fig5 represents another embodiment of the present invention . it shows the validation of the number of documents that a peer has distributed . steps 51 to 53 show the request for the transfer of a document by peer 2 . before peer 2 is allowed to upload a document , peer 1 request information regarding the number of documents that peer 2 has distributed ( steps 54 to 56 ). in fig6 ., steps 61 to 63 shows peer 2 sending data on the number of documents distributed and the list of peers that can validate the data . the peers on the list supposedly are recipients of documents sent from peer 2 . element 64 represents peer 1 communicating with the peers to verify the number of distributed documents by asking each peer on the list if they have received a document from peer 2 . the total number of peers that have verified that they have received a document from peer 2 will form the basis of the validity of the data . in this embodiment , if seventy - five percent or more of the peers affirm that they have received a document , then the data will be considered valid and the transfer of data will be permitted for peer 2 .	7
various embodiments are described hereinafter with reference to the figures . like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout . like elements will , thus , not be described in detail with respect to the description of each figure . it should also be noted that the figures are only intended to facilitate the description of the embodiments . they are not intended as an exhaustive description of the claimed invention or as a limitation on the scope of the claimed invention . in addition , an illustrated embodiment needs not have all the aspects or advantages shown . an aspect or an advantage described in conjunction with a particular embodiment is not necessarily limited to that embodiment and can be practiced in any other embodiments even if not so illustrated , or if not so explicitly described . the block schematic in fig1 illustrates a clinical setup 1 for testing and examining vestibular activity in a person . the clinical setup 1 comprises a computerized system 2 , an eye movement detector 6 for detecting movements of an eye 5 of the person being examined , an orientation sensor 4 for detecting the orientation of the person , and a display 3 for displaying orientation and vestibular activity in real time during an examination . the computerized system 2 comprises a data acquisition module 7 , a calculation module 8 , a memory 9 holding a three - dimensional model of a head and semi - circular canals of a person , and a graphic processor 10 for providing an output signal for the display 3 . the computerized system 2 may be embodied as a dedicated computing device or it may be embodied as an application designed for execution on a standard off - the - shelf personal computer . the eye movement detector 6 and the orientation sensor 4 may be built into a self - contained , head - mountable unit ( not shown in fig1 ), e . g . of the kind described in european patent application ep 14169653 . 4 . the head - mountable unit is a relatively small and lightweight piece of hardware allowing a person to move his or her head freely while wearing the unit . the head - mountable unit may preferably be embodied as a pair of goggles fixable to a person &# 39 ; s head by e . g . an adjustable headband . the eye movement detector 6 may be embodied as a small video camera constantly monitoring the eye of the person , e . g . via a semi - transparent mirror . the eye movement detector 6 may be doubled for the purpose of monitoring movement of both the left eye and the right eye of a person simultaneously . the orientation sensor 4 may be embodied as an accelerometer unit mounted on the head - mountable unit . during examination , the head - mountable unit is fixed to the head of the person being examined , and data regarding eye movements and spatial orientation are fed to the data acquisition module 7 of the computerized system 2 . prior to performing a proper examination of the person , an orientation calibration procedure is performed in order to be able to coordinate the data collected from the head - mountable unit correctly with a reference equilibrium position of the person . during an examination of the person wearing the calibrated , head - mountable unit , the person &# 39 ; s head is placed in a series of different positions or orientations by the physician performing the examination while the physician watches the display 3 of the clinical setup 1 . by looking at the display 3 during the examination the physician may monitor the actual orientation and the vestibular reactions of the person being examined . the vestibular reactions are reflected in involuntary movements of the eyeballs of the person and the data from the eye movement detector 6 are thus used by the calculating module 8 for calculating the corresponding vestibular reactions . the results of the calculations are provided to the graphic processor 10 and combined with a stored , three - dimensional model of a human head and a pair of associated semi - circular canals provided by the dedicated memory 9 for the purpose of generating a real time , two - dimensional perspective projection of a human head and semi - circular canals in a viewport of the display 3 for viewing by the physician performing the examination . an exemplary picture , as it may be provided by the display 3 of fig1 , is illustrated in fig2 . fig2 shows a main window 20 comprising a perspective projection of a human head 21 , a data window 28 , a set of operating controls 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 and a set of tabbed windows 33 , 34 , 35 and 36 . the perspective projection of the human head 21 further comprises a set of left semi - circular canals 22 l , a set of right semi - circular canals 22 r , a horizontal reference indicator 25 , e . g . constituting an example of the first reference indicator , a vertical reference indicator 26 , e . g . constituting an example of the second reference indicator , and an orientation indicator 27 . the orientation indicator 27 represents a two - dimensional projection of the head orientation of the person as determined by the orientation sensor 4 . in the perspective projection 21 , the left set of semi - circular canals 22 l has a posterior semi - circular canal 23 and an anterior semi - circular canal 24 emphasized by a dark color indicating vestibular activity in those canals . for clarity , the left and right sets of semi - circular canals 22 l and 22 r , respectively , are shown as floating in space some distance from the human head 21 in the main window 20 . during use of the system 1 , the physician initiates a data collection session by calibrating the head - mountable unit by activating the “ center ” button 29 in the main window 20 . this calibration is done with the person &# 39 ; s head carrying the head - mountable unit and facing straight forward . any subsequent movements the person &# 39 ; s head makes after calibration is then recorded and shown relative to the calibration point . when the person moves his or her head in space , the perspective projection angle of the human head 21 moves correspondingly in the main window 20 , the perspective projection angle of the set of left semi - circular canals 22 l and the set of right semi - circular canals 22 r moving along with the human head 21 while keeping their relative positions with respect to the human head 21 . when the calibration procedure has finished , the physician may start the acquisition of movement and vestibular response data by activating the “ start ” button 30 in the main window 20 . moving together with the perspective projection of the human head 21 is the orientation indicator 27 . when the person &# 39 ; s head moves , the orientation indicator 27 will move correspondingly with respect to the vertical reference indicator 26 and the horizontal reference indicator 25 , respectively . the positioning of the vertical reference indicator 26 and the horizontal reference indicator 25 is determined by the type of examination to be performed . in the case of e . g . the physician wishing to perform a dix - hallpike maneuver with the aid of the system 1 , the physician has to move the person &# 39 ; s head about an axis going vertically through the head of the person in a first move and about an axis going from ear to ear of the person in a second move . the orientation indicator 27 aids the physician in performing the dix - hallpike maneuver by making the physician move the person &# 39 ; s head in such a way that the orientation indicator 27 stays on the vertical reference indicator 26 during the first movement and the orientation indicator 27 stays on the horizontal reference indicator 25 during the second movement . preferably , orientation indicator 27 may light up or change color if the orientation indicator 27 is veering off track during the first or the second movement . an angle tolerance may be built into the system . in this way , the display 3 of the system 1 may provide positive feedback to the physician in real time during performance of e . g . the dix - hallpike maneuver , guiding the movements the physician has to perform on the patient &# 39 ; s head and / or torso in order to retrieve the desired examination or treatment results . the combination of the two - dimensional projection of the head 21 , the two sets of semi - circular canals 22 l and 22 r and the orientation indicator 27 with respect to the vertical reference indicator 26 and the horizontal reference indicator 25 provides for a high degree of precision in the movements of the person &# 39 ; s head . due to the fact that the eye movement detector 6 is monitoring the eyes of the person , the system may indicate e . g . the presence of nystagmus by making individual semi - circular canals of the two - dimensional projection of the semi - circular canals 22 l and 22 r light up or change color in the window 20 , thus indicating vestibular activity in those semi - circular canals . this is indicated in fig2 as the left posterior semi - circular canal 23 and the left anterior semi - circular canal 24 being dark in color indicating activity in the left posterior semi - circular canal and the left anterior semi - circular canal of the person being examined . some types of examination may require the person being tested to be vision denied , i . e . blindfolded . this is due to the fact that it is natural to most people to use their eyesight in order to determine their orientation in space . in order to exclude this sensory modality from the examination , the person being examined may wear dark or opaque eye coverings on one or both eyes during examination or treatment . the eye coverings are preferably placed beneath the goggles when worn by the person and are manufactured from a material blocking all light but the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum , thus rendering the person without any visual cues for the duration of the examination . the eye movement detector 6 of the system 1 is configured to be sensitive in the infrared range of the spectrum , thereby permitting detection of eye movements even though the person being examined cannot see anything . since the balance reflex of the eyes is present even if the person does not see anything , this strategy of examination effectively excludes visual cues from the examination , thus effectively isolating the signals from the balance organs for detailed analysis during or after the examination . during an examination , the data acquisition module 7 of the computerized system 2 in fig1 provides the calculation module 8 with streams of real time data representing gaze direction and spatial orientation of the head of the person being examined . these data are sorted , filtered and recorded by the calculation module 8 and converted into a vector representing spatial orientation and vestibular activity in both sets of semi - circular canals 22 l and 22 r , respectively . this vector is provided to a first input of the graphic processor 10 for the generation of the real time two - dimensional projection of a human head 21 shown in fig2 . simultaneously , the stored three - dimensional model of a human head and associated semi - circular canals provided by the dedicated memory 9 is applied to a second input of the graphic processor 10 for calculating the projection of a proper two - dimensional representation of a human head 21 and corresponding left and right sets of semi - circular canals 22 l and 22 r , respectively , suitable for being shown on the display 3 . a three - dimensional coordinate system is defined as a standard right - hand coordinate system , where the x - axis goes from ear to ear in a person &# 39 ; s head , the y - axis goes from the top of the person &# 39 ; s parietal bone through the neck , and the z - axis goes from the back of the person &# 39 ; s head to the tip of the nose . this coordinate system will be referred to in the following . orientation angles of a human head about the three axes x , y and z may be expressed as tait - bryan chained rotations using three rotational matrices , where the three rotational angles α , β , and γ expressed in radians , describe the rotation of a human head about the three axes with respect to the origin ( set at calibration time ). data provided by the rotation sensor 4 in fig1 is used to calculate the rotation angles of the head of the person being examined . at calibration time , the rotational angles α , β , and γ are zero , and the data from the rotation sensor 4 is expressed as a vector , thus : during examination . the vector { right arrow over ( m )} x , y , z is generated from data from the rotation sensor 4 by the data acquisition module 7 , and is used as input for the calculation module 8 . anatomically , the three semi - circular canals of a human being are denoted the lateral semi - circular canal ( operating around a vertical axis in the transversal plane ), the anterior semi - circular canal ( operating around an anterial - posterial axis in the coronal plane ) and the posterior semi - circular canal ( operating around a lateral axis in the sagittal plane ). as stated in the foregoing , the activity of the semi - circular canals cannot be monitored directly . instead , the vestibulo - ocular reflex is used for detecting vestibular activity during examination using the eye movement detector 6 . if , for instance , the head of the person being examined moves from left to right in the transversal plane , the person &# 39 ; s eyes will move in the opposite direction from right to left thanks to the vestibulo - ocular reflex . the eye movement detector 6 records this behaviour and interprets it as a horizontal movement vector { right arrow over ( e )} h . if the person &# 39 ; s head instead is moved up and down in the sagittal plane , the person &# 39 ; s eyes will move down and up , respectively . the eye movement detector 6 records and interprets this behaviour as a vertical movement vector finally , if the person &# 39 ; s head is tilted and rotated in the coronal plane , the person &# 39 ; s eyes will rotate in the opposite direction . the eye movement detector 6 records these eye movements and interprets the behaviour as a rotational movement vector { right arrow over ( e )} r . the way that the movement vectors { right arrow over ( e )} h , { right arrow over ( e )} v and { right arrow over ( e )} r are derived from the eye movement detector 6 is beyond the scope of this application . the vectors { right arrow over ( e )} h , { right arrow over ( e )} v and { right arrow over ( e )} r are also used as inputs for the calculation module 8 for the purpose of deriving a set of vectors indicating the presence of a vestibular stimulus to a particular semi - circular canal . this set of vectors may be derived in the following manner : similarly , for the right eye , a stimulus vector { right arrow over ( r )} is derived : the constants k 1 , k 2 and k 3 are chosen in such a way that the individual values of l lateral , l anterior , l posterior , r lateral , r anterior and r posterior may take on the value of 0 or 1 , respectively . the vectors { right arrow over ( m )}, { right arrow over ( l )} and { right arrow over ( r )} are used by the calculation module 8 as inputs for the graphic processor 10 . during use , the graphic processor 10 takes the three - dimensional representation of a human head provided by the dedicated memory 9 and generates a two - dimensional representation of it by applying the vector m to the three - dimensional representation , generating a two - dimensional projection angle for the representation . next , the graphic processor 10 takes the stimulus vectors { right arrow over ( l )} and { right arrow over ( r )}, respectively , and uses them to determine the color of the individual semi - circular canals of the set of semi - circular canals 22 l and 22 r of the projection of the human head shown in the main window 20 of fig2 . when there is no significant activity in the semi - circular canals of the person being examined , as derived from the vectors { right arrow over ( e )} h , { right arrow over ( e )} v and { right arrow over ( e )} r provided by the eye movement detector 6 , the semi - circular canals are depicted in a neutral color . upon detection of vestibular activity in one or more of the semi - circular canals of the person being examined , in the manner described above , the graphic processor 10 changes the color of the semi - circular canals where activity is detected into a color deviating from the neutral color used to illustrate no vestibular activity , as illustrated by the semi - circular canals 23 and 24 in fig2 . in this way , the head orientation and the vestibular activity may be monitored simultaneously on the display 3 of the system 1 during examination of a person wearing the rotation sensor 4 and the eye movement detector 6 . in order to provide a more secure and precise indication of the person &# 39 ; s head during the performance of e . g . a dix - hallpike maneuver , additional indicators are provided in the main window 20 of the display 3 in the form of the horizontal reference indicator 25 , the vertical reference indicator 26 and the orientation indicator 27 . the orientation indicator 27 is a two - dimensional projection of a three - dimensional point p onto an imaginary plane f in front of the two - dimensional representation of a human head 21 . the plane f is perpendicular to the vector { right arrow over ( m )} cal . the point p is defined as the point where the vector { right arrow over ( m )} x , y , z intersects with the imaginary plane f . this may be expressed as : in other words , the orientation indicator 27 follows the direction of the head of the person being examined closely whenever the head is turned about one of its three axes . during setup of a dix - hallpike maneuver , the horizontal reference indicator 25 and the vertical reference indicator 26 are projected onto the plane f in such a way that the orientation indicator 27 coincides with the vertical reference indicator 26 during a first correct movement of the dix - hallpike maneuver , and the orientation indicator 27 coincides with the horizontal reference indicator 25 during a second correct movement of the dix - hallpike maneuver . the horizontal reference indicator 25 and the vertical reference indicator 26 both have an elongated shape when displayed in the main window 20 , and this feature makes it easy for the physician to follow with the movements of the head of the person being examined . by providing the system 1 with a tolerance of e . g . five degrees in either direction , the physician may be easily alerted whenever a movement diverts too much from the correct movement , e . g . by having the orientation indicator 27 change color , texture or general appearance in such cases , allowing the physician to perform corrections of the movements in a secure and easy manner . the way an examination is performed using the system 1 is described in greater detail in the following . if the dix - hallpike maneuver is chosen for detecting e . g . bppv in the left set of semi - circular canals in a person being examined , this choice may be input to the system 1 in the test setup tab 33 in the main window 20 in fig2 . the system 1 now shows the horizontal reference indicator 25 and the vertical reference indicator 26 in the main window 20 . the person being examined is sitting upright on an examination couch and in a first step of the dix - hallpike maneuver has his or her head turned 45 ° to the side being tested ( i . e . the left side in this case ). with the head still turned in this fashion , the person is laid down on the back on the examination couch rather quickly in such a way that the head is tilted further 20 °- 30 ° backwards . during this part of the dix - hallpike maneuver , the physician performing the maneuver watches the main window 20 on the display 3 , especially keeping an eye on the orientation indicator 27 . the orientation indicator 27 moves about in the main window 20 when the head of the person being examined moves , and usually represents the gaze direction of the person . if the head angle differs too much from the expected 45 °, or if the movement of the person being examined into the lying position is too slow , the orientation indicator 27 in the main window 20 changes color , e . g . to a red color , in order to guide the physician to a proper execution of the movement . during a second step of the dix - hallpike maneuver , the person being examined is returned to an upright sitting position while keeping the head turned 45 ° to the left , the physician still keeping an eye on the orientation indicator 27 in order to provide the right velocity and angles for the second step of the dix - hallpike maneuver . during the performance of the dix - hallpike maneuver , the system 1 records and displays the movements and reactions of the person being examined . the head angle is reflected in the two - dimensional representation of a human head 21 in the main window 20 allowing the physician to follow the head orientations in a precise manner during examination . the reactions of the vestibular systems of the person being examined are being reflected in the two - dimensional representation of the semi - circular canals 22 l and 22 r displayed along with the human head representation 21 , allowing the physician to monitor the vestibular reactions of the person being examined in real time during examination . the horizontal reference indicator 25 and the vertical reference indicator 26 provides a guidance for the physician performing the movements of the dix - hallpike maneuver , using the positioning and coloring of the orientation indicator 27 as an aid in the movements . when the dix - hallpike maneuver has been performed , the physician may browse through the recorded data by selecting the “ collection ” tab 35 of the main window 20 and perform subsequent analyses aided by the recorded data set in order to establish accurate diagnoses , e . g . of bppv . the mechanism of the aid provided by the system 1 is described more closely with reference to fig3 a and 3 b . in fig3 a is illustrated an orientation indicator 27 right after performance of a first step in a dix - hallpike maneuver . as stated in the foregoing , the first step of a dix - hallpike maneuver involves turning the head of the person being examined 45 ° from the origin about the vertical axis towards the suspected affected side , in this case the left side , while keeping the head straight up . the orientation indicator 27 will move about in the display 3 as the head is turned , in this case to the left side . in fig3 a , the orientation indicator 27 is at the 45 ° mark on the horizontal axis and at 0 ° on the vertical axis . also shown in fig3 a is a vertical box v and a horizontal box h . as indicated in fig3 a , these boxes represents the horizontal reference indicator 25 and the vertical reference indicator 26 in fig2 and illustrate the limits within which the orientation indicator 27 is deemed to be ‘ correctly ’ positioned horizontally and vertically . as long as the center of the orientation indicator 27 is within those limits , the orientation indicator 27 is assigned a pale , or neutral color by the system when shown in the main window 20 in fig2 . the rotational tolerance limits of a first step of a dix - hallpike maneuver is from about 42 ° to approximately 47 ° from the origin in the horizontal plane and from approximately − 3 ° to around 3 ° from the origin in the vertical plane . these limits are selected for illustrative purposes only and are chosen arbitrarily in the examples shown in fig3 a and 3 b . in fig3 b is illustrated an orientation indicator 27 right after performance of a first step in a dix - hallpike maneuver . in this case , however , the physician has not turned the head of the person being examined sufficiently far to the left , but only to about 41 ° from the origin . the orientation indicator is still at 0 ° along the vertical axis in fig3 b . since the orientation indicator 27 is now outside the predetermined limits defined by the vertical box v , the feedback condition is now met and the orientation indicator 27 is assigned a darker , contrasting color by the system when shown in the main window 20 in fig2 , thus providing a clear feedback signal to the physician that the head of the person being examined has not been turned sufficiently far to the left in the first step of the dix - hallpike maneuver . as soon as the physician turns the head of the person being examined sufficiently further to the right to have the orientation indicator 27 fall within the limits of the vertical box v , the feedback condition ceases to be met and the orientation indicator 27 will therefore change back to a neutral color in the main window 20 again . if the turn of the head is overshot , for instance by turning the head of the person being examined further than approximately 47 °, the feedback condition is met once again and the orientation indicator 27 will again change to a contrasting color indicating a maneuver error by the physician . a variety of vestibular conditions may be diagnosed or alleviated using the system 1 . an example of a procedure which alleviates bppv is the epley repositioning maneuver , which works by allowing free - floating particles located within the affected semi - circular canal to flow back from the semi - circular canal to the utricle of the inner ear by the straightforward means of gravity . the epley maneuver involves a sequence of manipulations with a patient similar to the dix - hallpike maneuver , but is a bit more involved and thus more difficult to perform correctly . having used the system 1 and e . g . the dix - hallpike maneuver to determine the extent and location of the cause of bppv in a person , the physician may set up the system 1 in a similar manner in order to perform the epley maneuver while observing the main window 20 for guidance during the various steps of the epley maneuver . the physician may subsequently perform the dix - hallpike maneuver again in order to determine if , and to what degree , the epley maneuver have provided an improvement to the patient . thanks to the elaborate guidance means provided by the main window 20 of the display 3 of the system 1 , the physician may perform a wide range of different , vestibular examinations quickly and securely , without worrying if the movements performed of the person being examined or treated are sufficiently accurate to be effective . in a preferred embodiment , the eye movement detector 6 and the rotation sensor 4 of the system 1 are built into a pair of lightweight goggles , e . g . of the kind described in european patent application ep 14169653 . 4 . the processing of data from the sensors of the goggles may be executed on a standard personal computer running suitable software providing the functionality of the computerized system 2 of the system 1 . data acquisition , recording and storage may be provided by the standard storage means provided by the personal computer , and means for subsequent analysis of the data recorded during the examinations may also be provided by the software . the system according to one or more embodiments described herein provides an improvement of diagnosis and treatment of a variety of ailments in the vestibular system of a person and is especially useful in diagnosing and treating people suffering from bppv . although particular features have been shown and described , it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the claimed invention , and it will be made obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention . the specification and drawings are , accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense . the claimed invention is intended to cover all alternatives , modifications and equivalents .	0
in the form of a block circuit diagram , the figure shows those function units of a conventional diagnostic magnetic resonance apparatus that must be modified for implementing the inventive fast feedback method . the diagnostic magnetic resonance apparatus has a measured data generating unit 2 that contains all components required for the excitation and reception of magnetic resonance signals as well as for the location encoding of these signals . the measured data generating unit includes a measurement sequence control 4 that generates control signals from a magnetic resonance measurement sequence while it is being run . the magnetic resonance measurement sequence is implemented , for example , as c ++ program that sequences within the measured data generating unit 2 under a real - time operating system , for example vxworks . first control signals 6 are generated for controlling a gradient system 8 , which comprises amplifiers and magnetic coils . the measurement sequence control 4 also generates second control signals for a radio frequency transmission system 12 . the radio frequency transmission system 12 has a radio frequency power amplifier and an antenna . finally , third control signals 14 are generated from the magnetic resonance measurement sequence 4 for a radio frequency reception system 16 that comprises a reception antenna with following pre - amplifiers as well as a digitalization unit . the received magnetic resonance signals are thus present in digital form as magnetic resonance raw data 18 for further - processing . the measured data generating unit 2 having the above - described conventional components of the magnetic resonance apparatus is modified by a multiplexer 20 . the multiplexer 20 likewise receives control signals 22 that the measurement sequence control 4 generates from the magnetic resonance measurement sequence . controlled by the control signals 22 , the multiplexer 20 attaches k - space row - specific control information 24 for a subsequent measured data evaluation to the digitized magnetic resonance raw data 18 . the magnetic resonance raw data 18 are synchronously transmitted to a measured data evaluation unit 26 as packet with the appertaining control information 24 . to that end , a data connection 28 , for example in the form of a light waveguide link , is provided between the measured data generating unit 2 and the measured data evaluation unit 2 , the magnetic resonance raw data 18 together with the row - specific control information 24 , this transmission ensuing with a serial protocol . the measured data evaluation also ensues program - controlled , for example under the operating system windows nt . the measured data evaluation unit 26 has a decoder wherein a control signal 32 for the control of a demultiplexer 34 is generated . the incoming magnetic resonance raw data are then supplied by the demultiplexer 34 either to a raw data analysis unit 36 and / or to an image reconstruction unit 38 dependent on the control signal 32 . the raw data analysis unit 36 generates first feedback information 40 , and the image reconstruction unit 38 generates second feedback information 42 , both of which are supplied via a feedback channel 44 to the measurement sequence control 4 in order to intervene in the running of the sequence . the feedback channel 44 is , for example , designed as a standard ethernet connection with tcp / ip protocol . for adhering to the real - time demands made of the dead time of the feedback , the raw data evaluation unit 36 runs as a real - time process given employment of windows nt . for example , the feedback information can cause a repetition of the sampling of k - space rows , whereby the parameters are modified at the excitation side until a desired quality feature such as , for example , a minimum signal - to - noise ratio of the measured data is achieved . another application is the control of the k - space sampling such that motion artifacts are reduced , for example in abdomen imaging or in functional imaging . a further control can ensue using the feedback information to cause a catheter or a biopsy needle always to be displayed in the middle of an image despite a positional change in the examination region . although modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art , it is the intention of the inventors to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of their contributions to the art .	6
ocular hypotensive agents are useful in the treatment of a number of various ocular hypertensive conditions , such as post - surgical and post - laser trabeculectomy ocular hypertensive episodes , glaucoma , and as presurgical adjuncts . glaucoma is a disease of the eye characterized by increased intraocular pressure . on the basis of its etiology , glaucoma has been classified as primary or secondary . for example , primary glaucoma in adults ( congenital glaucoma ) may be either open - angle or acute or chronic angle - closure . secondary glaucoma results from pre - existing ocular diseases such as uveitis , intraocular tumor or an enlarged cataract . glaucoma occurs in about 2 % of all persons over the age of 40 and may be asymptotic for years before progressing to rapid loss of vision . the underlying causes of primary glaucoma are not yet known . the increased intraocular tension is due to the obstruction of aqueous humor outflow . in chronic open - angle glaucoma , the anterior chamber and its anatomic structures appear normal , but drainage of the aqueous humor is impeded . in acute or chronic angle - closure glaucoma , the anterior chamber is shallow , the filtration angle is narrowed , and the iris may obstruct the trabecular meshwork at the entrance of the canal of schlemm . dilation of the pupil may push the root of the iris forward against the angle , and may produce pupilary block and thus precipitate an acute attack . eyes with narrow anterior chamber angles are predisposed to acute angle - closure glaucoma attacks of various degrees of severity . secondary glaucoma is caused by any interference with the flow of aqueous humor from the posterior chamber into the anterior chamber and subsequently , into the canal of schlemm . inflammatory disease of the anterior segment may prevent aqueous escape by causing complete posterior synechia in iris bombe , and may plug the drainage channel with exudates . other common causes are intraocular tumors , enlarged cataracts , central retinal vein occlusion , trauma to the eye , operative procedures and intraocular hemorrhage . in cases where surgery is not indicated , prostaglandins and prostamides have recently become the first line treatments of glaucoma . certain eicosanoids and their derivatives are currently commercially available for use in glaucoma management . eicosanoids and derivatives include numerous biologically important compounds such as prostaglandins and their derivatives . prostaglandins can be described as derivatives of prostanoic acid which have the following structural formula : various types of prostaglandins are known , depending on the structure and substituents carried on the alicyclic ring of the prostanoic acid skeleton . further classification is based on the number of unsaturated bonds in the side chain indicated by numerical subscripts after the generic type of prostaglandin [ e . g . prostaglandin e 1 ( pge 1 ), prostaglandin e 2 ( pge 2 )], and on the configuration of the substituents on the alicyclic ring indicated by α or β [ e . g . prostaglandin f 2α ( pgf 2β )]. wherein a dashed line represents the presence or absence of a bond ; y has from 0 to 14 carbon atoms and is : an organic acid functional group , or an amide or ester thereof ; hydroxymethyl or an ether thereof ; or a tetrazolyl functional group ; a is a 6 atom interarylated linear alkyl , ethereal , or thioethereal chain ; x is halo , ═ o , — oh , ═ s , — sh , — cf 3 , — cn , ═ ch 2 , ═ chalkyl or ═ c ( alkyl ) 2 having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms ; z is halo , — oh , — or , — sh , — cf 3 , or — cn ; and each r is independently — h , c 1 - 6 alkyl , c 1 - 6 hydroxyalkyl , or c 1 - 6 acyl . these compounds are useful for reducing intraocular pressure . reduction of intraocular pressure has been shown to delay or prevent the onset of primary open angle glaucoma , and to delay or prevent further vision loss in patients with primary open angle glaucoma . thus , these compounds are also useful for treating glaucoma . different types of suitable dosage forms and medicaments are well known in the art , and can be readily adapted for delivery of the compounds disclosed herein . for example , the compound could be dissolved or suspended in an aqueous solution or emulsion that is buffered to an appropriate ph , and administered topically to an eye of a mammal ( see u . s . pat . no . 7 , 091 , 231 ). one embodiment is a method of reducing intraocular pressure comprising administering a compound disclosed herein to a mammal in need thereof . another embodiment is use of a compound disclosed herein in the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of glaucoma . an ophthalmically acceptable liquid comprising a compound disclosed herein and an ophthalmically acceptable excipient . for the purposes of this disclosure , “ treat ,” “ treating ,” or “ treatment ” refers to the diagnosis , cure , mitigation , treatment , or prevention of disease or other undesirable condition . unless otherwise indicated , reference to a compound should be construed broadly to include pharmaceutically acceptable salts , prodrugs , tautomers , alternate solid forms , non - covalent complexes , and combinations thereof , of a chemical entity of a depicted structural formula or chemical name . a pharmaceutically acceptable salt is any salt of the parent compound that is suitable for administration to an animal or human . a pharmaceutically acceptable salt also refers to any salt which may form in vivo as a result of administration of an acid , another salt , or a prodrug which is converted into an acid or salt . a salt comprises one or more ionic forms of the compound , such as a conjugate acid or base , associated with one or more corresponding counter - ions . salts can form from or incorporate one or more deprotonated acidic groups ( e . g . carboxylic acids ), one or more protonated basic groups ( e . g . amines ), or both ( e . g . zwitterions ). a prodrug is a compound which is converted to a therapeutically active compound after administration . for example , conversion may occur by hydrolysis of an ester group or some other biologically labile group . prodrug preparation is well known in the art . for example , “ prodrugs and drug delivery systems ,” which is a chapter in richard b . silverman , organic chemistry of drug design and drug action , 2d ed ., elsevier academic press : amsterdam , 2004 , pp . 496 - 557 , provides further detail on the subject . in particular , alkyl esters having such as methyl , ethyl , isopropyl , and the like are contemplated . also contemplated are prodrugs containing a polar group such as hydroxyl or morpholine . examples of such prodrugs include compounds containing the moieties — co 2 ( ch 2 ) 2 oh , and the like . thus , compounds represented by the formula below are examples of useful prodrugs . tautomers are isomers that are in rapid equilibrium with one another . for example , tautomers may be related by transfer of a proton , hydrogen atom , or hydride ion . unless stereochemistry is explicitly and unambiguously depicted , a structure is intended to include every possible stereoisomer , both pure or in any possible mixture . alternate solid forms are different solid forms than those that may result from practicing the procedures described herein . for example , alternate solid forms may be polymorphs , different kinds of amorphous solid forms , glasses , and the like . non - covalent complexes are complexes that may form between the compound and one or more additional chemical species that do not involve a covalent bonding interaction between the compound and the additional chemical species . they may or may not have a specific ratio between the compound and the additional chemical species . examples might include solvates , hydrates , charge transfer complexes , and the like . y is an organic acid functional group , or an amide or ester thereof ; or y is hydroxymethyl or an ether thereof ; or y is a tetrazolyl functional group . for the purposes of this disclosure , y is limited to from 0 to 14 carbon atoms , from 0 to 5 oxygen atoms , from 0 to 2 nitrogen atoms , from 0 to 2 sulfur atoms , from 0 to 1 phosphorous , and any necessary hydrogen atoms . an organic acid functional group is an acidic functional group on an organic molecule . while not intending to be limiting , organic acid functional groups may comprise an oxide of carbon , sulfur , or phosphorous . thus , while not intending to limit the scope of the invention in any way , in certain compounds y is a carboxylic acid , sulfonic acid , or phosphonic acid functional group . esters and amides of organic functional groups are carbonyl groups directly attached to a nitrogen or oxygen atom . thus , esters of amides of carboxylic acids , sulfonic acid , and phosphonic acid functional groups are depicted below . an amide may also have an — so 2 — moiety . for example the amide — conhso 2 r 3 , wherein r 3 is a hydrocarbyl of from 1 to 14 carbon atoms , is contemplated . r , r 1 , r 2 , and r 3 are hydrocarbyl subject to the constraint that y may not have more than 14 carbon atoms . hydrocarbyl is a moiety consisting of carbon and hydrogen , including , but not limited to : a . alkyl , which is hydrocarbyl that contains no double or triple bonds , such as : linear alkyl , e . g . methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , n - butyl , n - pentyl , n - hexyl , etc ., branched alkyl , e . g . iso - propyl , t - butyl and other branched butyl isomers , branched pentyl isomers , etc ., cycloalkyl , e . g . cyclopropyl , cyclobutyl , cyclopentyl , cyclohexyl , etc ., combinations of linear , branched , and / or cycloalkyl ; b . alkenyl , which is hydrocarbyl having 1 or more double bonds , including linear , branched , or cycloalkenyl ; c . alkynyl , which is hydrocarbyl having 1 or more triple bonds , including linear , branched , or cycloalkynyl ; d . unsubstituted or hydrocarbyl substituted phenyl ; and e . combinations of alkyl , alkenyl , and / or alkynyl c 1 - 6 hydrocarbyl is hydrocarbyl having 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , or 6 carbon atoms . c 1 - 6 alkyl is alkyl having 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , or 6 , carbon atoms such as methyl , ethyl , propyl isomers , butyl isomers , pentyl isomer , and hexyl isomers , etc . an unsubstituted tetrazolyl functional group has two tautomeric forms , which can rapidly interconvert in aqueous or biological media , and are thus equivalent to one another . these tautomers are shown below . additionally , if r 2 is c 1 - c 6 alkyl , phenyl , or biphenyl , other isomeric forms of the tetrazolyl functional group such as the one shown below are also possible , unsubstituted and hydrocarbyl substituted tetrazolyl up to c 14 are considered to be within the scope of the term “ tetrazolyl .” in one embodiment , y is — co 2 r 4 , — conr 5 r 6 , — con ( ch 2 ch 2 oh ) 2 , — conh ( ch 2 ch 2 oh ), — ch 2 oh , — p ( o )( oh ) 2 , — conhso 2 r 4 , — so 2 nr 5 r 6 , wherein r 4 , r 5 and r 6 are independently h , c 1 - c 6 alkyl , c 1 - 6 hydroxyalkyl , unsubstituted phenyl , or unsubstituted biphenyl , provided that y has no more than 14 carbon atoms . a is a 6 atom interarylated linear alkyl , ethereal , or thioethereal chain . in other words , a consists of one or two linear alkyl , linear ethereal , or linear thioethereal fragments ( l ) and an interarylene moiety ( ar ) forming a structure - l - ar - l -, — ar - l -, or - l - ar —. the atoms of the one or two l groups and 2 , 3 , or 4 atoms from ar , form a 6 atom chain connecting the substituted cyclopentyl of the structure with y . thus , a may have one of the basic structures below , wherein : a . the linear portions ( l ) may have — o — or — s — in place of one or more carbon atoms ; b . the rings may be substituted ; c . the rings may have one or more nitrogen atoms in place of a ch ; and d . q is — s —, — o —, or — nh —. thus , since q is — s —, — o —, or — nh —, and the rings may have one or more nitrogen atoms in place of a ch , the ring may be , for example , pyridinyl , pyrazinyl , imidazole , thiazole , oxazole , and the like , both substituted and unsubstituted . a linear ethereal fragment is — o - alkyl , - alkyl - o —, - alkyl - o - alkyl - or — o — ch 2 ch 2 — o —, where alkyl is linear . a linear thioethereal fragment is — s - alkyl , - alkyl - s —, - alkyl - s - alkyl - or — s — ch 2 ch 2 — s —, where alkyl is linear . interarylene is aryl which connects two other parts of the molecule , i . e . l - and - l , l - and — y , or the cyclopentyl and - l . the interarylene moiety may have substituents in addition to the 2 connecting it to the rest of the molecule . there may be as many of these substituents as the ring will bear , and if they are present they are selected from alkyl , alkoxy , acyl , acyloxy , — s - alkyl , or amino ( i . e . — nh 2 , — nhalkyl , — n ( alkyl ) 2 ) having from 1 - 4 carbon atoms , halo (— f , — cl , — br , — i ), — cn , or — co 2 h . x is halo , ═ o , — oh , ═ s , — sh , — cf 3 , — cn , ═ ch 2 , ═ chalkyl or ═ c ( alkyl ) 2 having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms . the alkyl moieties of ═ c ( alkyl ) 2 are independent , i . e . they may be the same or different . thus , for example , x may be one of the groups depicted below . in another embodiment , x is ═ o . for example , the compound may have a structure shown below . each r is independently — h , c 1 - 6 alkyl , c 1 - 6 hydroxyalkyl , or c 1 - 6 acyl . hydroxyalkyl is - alkyl - oh , c 1 - 6 hydroxyalkyl is hydroxyalkyl having from 1 - 6 carbon atoms . examples include hydroxymethyl , hydroxyethyl , etc . c 1 - 6 acyl is acyl having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms . in another embodiment , r is c 1 - 6 alkyl in the structure above . in another embodiment , r is c 1 - 6 hydroxyalkyl in the structure above . in another embodiment , r is c 1 - 6 acyl in the structure above . in another embodiment , r is c 1 - 6 alkyl in the structure above . in another embodiment , r is c 1 - 6 hydroxyalkyl in the structure above . in another embodiment , r is c 1 - 6 acyl in the structure above . in another embodiment , r is c 1 - 6 alkyl in the structure above . in another embodiment , r is c 1 - 6 hydroxyalkyl in the structure above . in another embodiment , r is c 1 - 6 acyl in the structure above . wherein l 1 is —( ch 3 ) 3 —, — o ( ch 2 ) 2 —, — ch 2 och 2 —, —( ch 2 ) 2 o —; t is ═ ch — or ═ n —; provided that l 1 and y have a 1 , 3 relationship to one another . a 1 , 3 relationship between l1 and y means that the two groups are bonded to two ring carbon atoms having one ring atom between them . for example , meta substituents on phenyl have a 1 , 3 relationship . the structure depicted in the embodiment below also has a 1 , 3 - relationship between l 1 and y , where the s is the one ring atom between the two carbons attached to l 1 and y . another embodiment is a compound represented by the structure above wherein x is f , cl , ═ o , or oh . another embodiment is a compound represented by the structure above wherein z is oh . another embodiment is a compound represented by the structure above wherein y is — co 2 h or an ester or amide thereof . while there are many ways to prepare the compounds disclosed herein , useful compounds may be obtained by using or adapting the following exemplary procedures . a 250 ml , 2 neck schlenk flask was equipped with a magnetic stirbar , a n 2 inlet , and charged with 75 ml of ( s )- methyloxazaborolidine 1 in toluene ( 1 . 0 m ) at 20 ° c . approximately half the volume of toluene was evaporated under vacuum with mild warming to yield about 40 ml of 2 m oxazaborolidine . borane - dimethyl sulfide complex ( 10 ml , 10 m , neat ) was added in one portion with rapid stirring and the resulting solution was stirred for 30 min at 20 ° c . pentane ( 200 ml ) was then added via cannula to precipitate the product ( after 15 min of stirring ), followed by filtration under n 2 and the solids were washed with 2 additional 200 ml portions of pentane . the solids were dried under a stream of nitrogen to a constant weight , affording 19 . 4 g ( 88 % yield ) of borane complex 2 as a white solid . the purity was estimated & gt ; 90 % by nmr analysis 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 0 . 73 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 29 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 57 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 90 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 18 ( dt , 1h ), 3 . 37 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 61 ( t , 1h ), 7 . 2 - 7 . 6 ( m , 10h ). the corresponding ( r )- methyl cbs - borane reagent was prepared in the same manner starting with the ( r )- methyloxazaborolidine . a 250 ml , round bottom flask was equipped with a magnetic stirrer , a n 2 inlet , a type - j teflon covered thermocouple , and charged with 6 g of ( s )- methyl - cbs - borane complex 2 ( 20 . 6 mmol ) dissolved in 40 ml of dichloromethane ( dcm ). the solution was cooled to − 40 ° c . before ethyl 4 - acetylbutyrate ( 3 g , 18 . 9 mmol ) in 5 ml of dcm was added dropwise at a rate which kept the internal temperature below − 20 ° c . at the end of addition , the dry ice / isopropanol cooling bath was substituted with an ice bath maintaining the internal reaction temperature at 0 ° c . for an additional hour . g . c . analysis showed less than 5 % starting ketone . the reaction was worked up after 2 h at 0 ° c . by cautious addition of saturated aqueous ammonium chloride ( 100 ml ). the mixture was transferred to a reparatory funnel and extracted with ethyl acetate ( 2 × 100 ml ). the separated combined organic extracts were washed with brine and dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , filtered , and concentrated in vacuo to yield 7 g of crude products . flash column chromatography ( fcc ) on 120 g of flash grade silica gel eluting with 20 % etoac - hexanes yielded 1 . 94 g ( 65 %) of alcohol 3 as an oil . g . c . analysis indicated a purity of 97 . 4 a %. 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 20 ( d , j = 3 hz , 3h ), 1 . 26 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h ), 1 . 47 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 71 ( m , 3h ), 2 . 34 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h ), 3 . 89 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 13 ( q , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h ). a solution of ethyl 5 ( r )- hydroxyhexanoate 3 ( 1 . 80 g , 11 . 24 mmol ), imidazole ( 2 . 3 g , 33 . 8 mmol ), and t - butyldimethylsilyl chloride ( 2 . 54 g , 16 . 85 mmol ) in 30 ml of dmf was stirred at 23 ° c . overnight ( 19 h ). the solvent ( dmf ) was then removed in vacuo and aqueous saturated sodium bicarbonate ( 100 ml ) was added followed by ethyl acetate ( 100 ml ). the layers were separated and the aqueous layer was re - extracted with 100 ml of etoac . the combined organic layers were washed with water , brine , and dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate . flash column chromatographic purification on 30 g of silica gel yielded 2 . 71 g ( 88 %) of tbdms - ether 4 ( g . c . purity of 99 + a %); 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 0 . 04 ( s , 6h ), 0 . 91 ( s , 9h ), 1 . 18 ( d , j = 6 hz , 3h ), 1 . 25 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 3h ), 1 . 42 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 65 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 39 ( t , j = 7 . 5 hz , 2h ), 3 . 79 ( m , j = 6 hz , 1h ), 4 . 12 ( q , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h ). to a solution of dimethyl methylphosphonate ( 2 . 12 ml , 19 . 6 mmol ) in 25 ml of thf at − 78 ° c . was added butyllithium in hexanes ( 13 . 5 ml of a 1 . 6 m solution in hexanes , 21 . 6 mmol ). the mixture was stirred under nitrogen at this temperature for 30 minutes before a solution of ethyl 5 ( r )- t - butyldimethylsilyloxyhexanoate 4 ( 2 . 7 g , 9 . 8 mmol ) in 8 ml of thf was added dropwise . the mixture was stirred overnight during which the temperature was allowed to warm to room temperature of 25 ° c . the reaction was sampled by tlc after 18 h ( r f of product was 0 . 6 in ethyl acetate ) and worked up by addition of saturated aqueous ammonium chloride ( 100 ml ). the product was extracted from the aqueous layer with ethyl acetate and washed with brine . the combined ethyl acetate extracts were dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and concentrated to yield 3 . 7 g of crude products . flash column chromatographic purification on 120 g of silica gel eluted with 3 : 1 ethyl acetate : hexanes yielded 2 . 65 g ( 76 % yield ) of purified phosphonate 5 as a clear oil ; 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 0 . 04 ( s , 6h ), 0 . 88 ( s , 9h ), 1 . 11 ( d , j = 6 hz , 3h ), 1 . 30 - 1 . 75 ( m , 4h ), 2 . 62 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h ), 3 . 08 ( d , j = 22 . 5 hz , 2h ), 3 . 77 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 80 ( s , 3h ). a solution of 330 mg of alcohol 6 ( 0 . 79 mmol ) in 2 ml of dichloromethane was added via pipette to a mixture of pcc ( 400 mg , 1 . 86 mmol ), sodium acetate ( 150 mg , 1 . 83 mmol ), and celite ( 600 mg ) in 5 ml of dcm . the pipette was rinsed with an additional 3 ml of dcm to complete the transfer . the mixture was stirred sealed in a 30 ° c . water bath for 1 . 5 h . the mixture was worked up by filtration through 10 g of silica gel and washed with 100 ml of 1 : 1 ea : hexanes . the filtrate was concentrated in vacuo to yield the crude aldehyde as an oil . the crude product was purified by preparative thin layer chromatography ( 2 × 2 mm thick plates , eluted in 1 : 1 hexanes : etoac ), to yield 238 mg ( 72 %) of aldehyde 7 ; 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 53 ( br m , 6h ), 1 . 6 - 1 . 85 ( m , 5h ), 2 . 05 - 2 . 72 ( m , 4h ), 2 . 87 ( t , j = 6 . 3 hz , 2h ), 3 . 49 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 80 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 86 ( s , 3h ), 4 . 05 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 55 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 63 ( m , 1h ), 6 . 79 ( d , j = 3 . 9 hz , 1h ), 7 . 63 ( d , j = 3 . 9 hz , 1h ), 9 . 78 ( dd , j = 10 . 8 and 1 . 8 hz , 1h ). to a suspension of 54 mg of sodium hydride ( 60 % oil dispersion , 1 . 35 mmol ) in 1 ml of thf at 0 ° c . was added a solution of dimethyl ( 6r )- 6 -{[ tert - butyl ( dimethyl ) silyl ] oxy }- 2 - oxoheptylphosphonate 5 ( 552 mg , 1 . 57 mmol ) in 1 ml thf . the mixture was stirred at 0 ° c . for 30 min before a solution of aldehyde 7 ( 460 mg , 1 . 1 mmol ) in 1 ml of thf was added dropwise . the syringe containing the aldehyde was rinsed with 2 ml of thf to complete the addition and the mixture was stirred at 25 ° c . for 2 . 5 h . the reaction was worked up with addition of saturated aqueous ammonium chloride ( 50 ml ) and the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate ( 2 × 75 ml ). the ethyl acetate layers were combined and washed with brine , dried over 30 g of anhydrous sodium sulfate , filtered and concentrated in vacuo to yield 920 mg of crude products . flash chromatographic purification using a 24 g silica gel cartridge eluted with 10 % etoac - hexanes yielded 430 mg ( 60 %) of purified enone 8 ; 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 0 . 05 ( s , 6h ), 0 . 88 ( s , 9h ), 1 . 12 ( d , j = 6 . 3 hz , 3h ), 1 . 37 - 1 . 80 ( m , 14h ), 2 . 00 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 20 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 34 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 53 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 54 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h ), 2 . 83 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 45 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 80 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 86 ( s , 3h ), 4 . 02 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 17 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 57 ( m , 1h ), 6 . 15 ( m , 1h ), 6 . 77 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 62 ( d , j = 3 . 9 hz ). a solution of enone 8 ( 400 mg , 0 . 62 mmol ) in 7 ml of dichloromethane was cooled to − 20 ° c . and stirred rapidly while solid ( r )- methylcbs - borane complex 2 ( 290 mg , 1 . 0 mmol ), was added in one portion . the resulting solution was stirred at − 20 ° to − 10 ° c . for 1 h . tlc analysis at this stage showed no starting material left and the reaction mixture was quenched with 1 ml of methanol , the cooling bath was removed and the mixture was stirred at 20 ° c . 30 min . the mixture was concentrated in vacuo to remove solvents and the residual products were purified by fcc on silica gel ( 40 g silicycle cartridge ) to yield 40 mg of ( 15r + s ) isomers and 325 mg of ( 15s )- alcohol 9 ; 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 0 . 03 ( s , 6h ), 0 . 87 ( s , 9h ), 1 . 09 ( d , j = 6 . 3 hz , 3h ), 1 . 30 - 1 . 90 ( m , 18h ), 2 . 05 - 2 . 35 ( m , 3h ), 2 . 82 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 45 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 76 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 84 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 97 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 07 ( m , 2h ), 4 . 60 ( dt , j = 4 . 2 hz , 11 . 1 hz , 1h ), 5 . 57 ( m , 2h ), 6 . 77 ( d , j = 3 . 9 hz , 1h ), 7 . 61 ( d , j = 3 . 9 hz , 1h ). a solution of silyl ether 9 ( 325 mg , 0 . 51 mmol ) in 1 ml of thf was stirred at 30 ° c . with 2 ml of 1 . 0m tbaf / thf in a vial for 7 . 5 h . tlc indicated starting material was mostly desilylated and the reaction was concentrated in vacuo . the residual crude products were taken up in 50 ml of ethyl acetate and washed sequentially with saturated aqueous ammonium chloride ( 50 ml ), brine ( 50 ml ), and dried over 10 g of anhydrous sodium sulfate . the mixture was filtered and concentrated in vacuo . the residual products were purified by preparative layer chromatography on 2 × 2 mm thick silica gel plates eluted in etoac ( rf = 0 . 5 ). extraction of the major band yielded 214 mg ( 80 %) of pure diol 10 as an oil ; 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 18 ( d , j = 6 hz , 3h ), 1 . 38 - 1 . 68 ( m , 11h ), 1 . 66 - 2 . 37 ( m , 9h ), 2 . 84 ( t , j = 7 . 2 hz , 2h ), 3 . 47 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 79 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 86 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 98 ( p , j = 7 . 5 hz , 1h ), 4 . 09 ( m , 2h ), 4 . 63 ( dt , j = 3 , 27 hz , 2h ), 5 . 58 ( m , 2h ), 6 . 78 ( dd , j = 0 . 6 , 3 . 6 hz , 1h ), 7 . 62 ( d , j = 3 . 6 hz , 1h ). a 20 ml vial equipped with a magnetic stirbar was charged with 210 mg of thp - ether 10 ( 0 . 40 mmol ) was dissolved in 6 ml of methanol . to this was then added 300 mg of pyridinium p - toluenesulfonate ( 1 . 20 mmol ) and the mixture was stirred at 17 ° c . over 17 h . the reaction was sampled by tlc and worked up by concentration in vacuo to remove methanol . the residual products were taken up in ethyl acetate and filtered through a 10 g plug of silica gel , eluting the polar product away from the salts with ethyl acetate ( 300 ml ). concentration of the filtrate yielded 170 mg of products . final preparative thin layer chromatographic purification yielded 161 mg ( 91 %) of triol 11 as an oil ; 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 1 . 18 ( d , j = 6 . 3 hz , 3h ), 1 . 36 - 1 . 62 ( m , 8h ), 1 . 77 ( m , 3h ), 1 . 94 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 10 - 2 . 34 ( m , 5h ), 2 . 43 ( br s , 1h ), 2 . 83 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 50 ( br s , 1h ), 3 . 71 ( br s , 1h ), 3 . 79 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 86 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 98 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 09 ( m , 1h ), 5 . 51 ( m , 2h ), 6 . 78 ( dd , j = 3 . 9 hz , 1h ), 7 . 62 ( d , j = 3 . 9 hz , 1h ). a solution of 76 mg of ester 11 ( 0 . 17 mmol ) in 1 ml of thf was hydrolyzed with 360 ul of aqueous lithium hydroxide ( 0 . 5m , 0 . 18 mmol )) and 0 . 2 ml of methanol at 24 ° c . for 6 h . the mixture was acidified by addition of solid sodium hydrogen sulfate ( 25 mg , 0 . 18 mmol ) and the residual water was removed in vacuo . the residual solid was extracted with ethyl acetate and the product acid was purified by plc on a 0 . 5 mm thick preparative silica gel plate eluted in 10 % methanol : 90 % ethyl acetate . extraction of the uv - active band yielded 43 mg of free acid 12 as an oil ( 54 % yield ); 1 h nmr ( cd 3 od ): 1 . 13 ( d , j = 6 . 3 hz , 3h ), 1 . 28 - 1 . 63 ( m , 8h ), 1 . 75 - 2 . 21 ( m , 6h ), 2 . 86 ( t , j = 7 hz , 2h ), 3 . 70 ( m , 1h ), 4 . 04 ( m , 3h ), 5 . 52 ( m , 2h ), 6 . 86 ( br s , 1h ), 7 . 58 ( br s , 1h ). hplc purity was 100 a %. lcms ( esi : m + - h 2 0 ): 413 . 2 . dimethyl ( s )- 6 -( tert - butyldimethylsilyloxy )- 2 - oxoheptylphosphonate 13 was prepared according to the procedures described for compound 5 in scheme 1 . to a suspension of 160 . 3 mg of sodium hydride ( 60 % oil dispersion , 4 . 00 mmol ) in 8 ml of thf at 0 ° c . was added a solution of dimethyl ( s )- 6 -( tert - butyldimethylsilyloxy )- 2 - oxoheptylphosphonate 13 ( 1 . 41 g , 4 . 00 mmol ) in 4 ml thf . the mixture was stirred at 0 ° c . for 30 min before a solution of aldehyde 7 ( 1 . 10 g , 2 . 65 mmol ) in 4 ml of thf was added dropwise . the syringe containing the aldehyde was rinsed with 2 ml of thf to complete the addition and the mixture was stirred at 25 ° c . for 2 . 5 h . the reaction was worked up with addition of saturated aqueous ammonium chloride ( 50 ml ) and the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate ( 2 × 75 ml ). the ethyl acetate layers were combined and washed with brine , dried over 30 g of anhydrous sodium sulfate , filtered and concentrated in vacuo . fcc ( flash column chromatography ) purification ( silica gel , 6 : 1 hex / etoac ) provided 1 . 60 g ( 95 %) of enone 14 . lithium aluminum hydride ( 7 . 5 ml of a 1 . 0m solution in thf , 7 . 5 mmol ) was added to an oven - dried 200 ml flask . a freshly prepared solution of absolute ethanol ( 11 . 9 ml of a 1 . 0m solution in thf , 7 . 50 mmol ) was added dropwise at 23 ° c . after 15 min a solution of ( s )-(−)- 1 , 1 ′- binaphthol ( 2 . 18 g , 7 . 62 mmol ) in thf ( 10 ml ) was added dropwise . the milky - white solution was cooled to − 85 ° c . and a solution of the enone 14 ( 1 . 60 g , 2 . 50 mmol ) in thf ( 9 ml ) was added over a 5 - 10 min period . the reaction solution was stirred for 1 h and then warmed to − 78 ° c . and allowed to stir an additional 3 h . the reaction was then quenched by careful addition of meoh ( 3 . 1 ml ). the reaction was then allowed to warm to room temperature and was extracted with etoac ( 2 ×). the combined organic portions were washed with 1n hcl , saturated aqueous nahco 3 , and brine . the organic portion was then dried over anhydrous mgso 4 ), filtered and concentrated in vacuo . fcc ( silica gel , 6 : 1 hex / etoac ) afforded 1 . 20 g ( 75 %) of ( s )- alcohol 15 . pyridinium p - toluenesulfonate ( 20 . 4 mg , 0 . 081 mmol ) was added to a solution of the thp - ether 15 ( 52 mg , 0 . 081 mmol ) in meoh ( 3 ml ) at 23 ° c . the reaction was stirred for 24 h and then concentrated in vacuo . the residue was diluted with etoac and washed with 1n hcl , saturated aqueous nahco 3 and brine . the organic portion was dried over anhydrous mgso 4 , filtered and concentrated in vacuo . the crude product was purified by fcc ( silica gel , 19 : 1 etoac / meoh ) to afford 34 . 9 mg ( 97 %) of triol 11 . a solution of 40 mg of ester 16 ( 0 . 09 mmol ) in 0 . 72 ml of thf was hydrolyzed with 360 ul of aqueous lithium hydroxide ( 0 . 5m , 0 . 18 mmol )) at 23 ° c . for 16 h . the mixture was acidified by addition of 1n hcl and then extracted with etoac ( 2 ×). the combined organic portions were washed with brine ( 2 ×), dried over anhydrous na 2 so 4 , filtered and concentrated in vacuo to yield 23 . 3 mg ( 60 %) of the free acid 17 . different groups for a , x , and z may be obtained as described elsewhere . see for example , u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 569 , 369 , filed on nov . 20 , 2006 ; u . s . provisional patent application ser . no . 60 / 886 , 013 , filed on jan . 22 , 2007 ; and u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 748 , 168 , filed on may 14 , 2007 . other synthetic routes may also be used to reach the compounds disclosed herein . u . s . patent application ser . no . 11 / 553 , 143 , filed on oct . 26 , 2006 , incorporated by reference herein , describes the methods used to obtain the in vitro data in table 1 below .	2
referring to fig1 a , an exemplary conventional isolation technique employs a fully enclosed , controlled environment work stations with a hepa - filtration system . in these systems , the entire cleaning system equipment and process is integrated inside the clean chamber ( 2 ), which requires careful selection and design of internal components and subassemblies so as to not create particle contamination during operation . this design isolates the equipment . process and substrates from the outside environment ( 4 ) making it suitable in any type of ambient factory environment — controlled or uncontrolled . however , this approach is the most complex and costly of all isolation techniques and only allows for batch product flow through the system . this approach is best exemplified by the commercial snow cleaning system marketed by ats - ecosnow systems , livermore , calif . referring to fig1 b ,- an exemplary conventional isolation technique employs an open and unitized work bench with vertical or horizontal flow hepa - filtration . in these systems , the work station flows clean air over a clean area comprising , for example , a table - top incorporating a cleaning system , automation and subassemblies . this approach is similar to that described in fig1 a , except that this approach is not suitable for use within highly controlled environments such as class 100 clean rooms . ambient atmosphere ( 6 ) is filtered and flows over the equipment and process ( 8 ) and is discharged back into the ambient atmosphere ( 10 ). although this approach allows for incorporating a continuous conveyor for in - line or on - line applications , it suffers from lack of overall efficiency since the clean atmosphere is continuously created and discharged into the ambient environment . referring to fig1 c , an exemplary conventional isolation technique employs a glove box with inert gas purging . in these systems , the work cabinet is continuously purged with clean inert gas ( 12 ), wherein the substrate is placed into the cabinet ( 14 ) through some type of door and spray cleaned . this approach also suffers from loss of controlled atmosphere to the ambient atmosphere ( 16 ) and does not allow for in - line or on - line automation of the cleaning operation . referring to fig1 d , an exemplary conventional isolation technique employs a localized inert gas blanket to provide a somewhat controlled atmosphere over the substrate being processed . in this approach , ionized inert and filtered air ( 18 ) is blown over the substrate , equipment and process ( 20 ) being cleaned producing a virtually clean atmosphere in the vicinity of the process which then is diffused into the ambient atmosphere ( 22 ). this approach is the least complex and allows for any type of in - line or on - line automation . however , this approach is not desirable for clean room operations and is not cost effective due to the loss of the controlled atmosphere . referring to fig2 a , an exemplary substrate and fixture for use with the present invention comprises an auer boat filled with photodiodes . as shown in the figure , small photodiodes ( 24 ) containing a small chip ( 26 ) which is the target ( s ) to be cleaned are aligned in a single row ( top view ) of the auer boat ( 28 ). the auer boat sits vertically ( 30 ) and the end view ( 32 ) of the auer boat shows the photodiodes ( 24 ) recessed into the top of the fixture ( 32 ). referring to fig2 b , an exemplary substrate and fixture for use with the present invention comprises a tray filled with substrates . as shown in the figure , an array of substrates ( 34 ) on compartmentalized on a tray ( 36 ). the substrate ( 34 ) may need cleaning of the entire substrate or portions of the substrate thereof . referring to fig2 c , an exemplary substrate and fixture for use with the present invention comprises a reel containing a roll of lead frames . as shown in the figure , a roll of lead frames ( 38 ) in wrapped onto a reel ( 40 ). the lead frames ( 38 ) contain a critical surface portion ( 42 ) which requires cleaning . referring to fig3 a , an exemplary apparatus of the present invention comprises a polygonal prophylactic housing or shroud ( 44 ). in this top view , the shroud is designed to have an open inlet ( 46 ) for insertion of the exemplary auer boat ( 28 ) containing the photodiodes ( 24 ) described in fig1 a . the exemplary shroud ( 44 ) also contains an open outlet ( 48 ) for de - insertion of the exemplary fixture ( 28 ) during processing . the present apparatus allows for continuous feeding of the auer boat through the internal cavity ( 50 ) of the shroud ( 44 ). the internal cavity ( 50 ) is bounded by an inlet regenerated clean air plenum ( 52 ) from the clean air return plenum ( 54 ). the inlet clean air plenum ( 52 ) is fed with a regenerated clean atmosphere ( 56 ) through an inlet pipe ( 58 ) from a regeneration blower ( not shown ). the return plenum ( 54 ) is connected to an outlet pipe ( 60 ) for containing and delivering re - circulated clean air ( 62 ) to the regeneration - blower ( not shown ). the exemplary apparatus contains an internal ionizing bar ( 64 ) within the inlet manifold ( 52 ) and an optional inert gas purge line ( 66 ) which feeds clean dry air ( 68 ) as make - up for losses through the inlet port ( 46 ) and outlet port ( 48 ). the exemplary apparatus contains an opening ( 70 ) in the upper hemisphere through which is inserted the exemplary tig - snow or tig - steam spray applicator ( 72 ), which is fed with an composite mixture of clean gas and snow or steam ( 74 ) and is described in detail in u . s . patent &# 39 ; 154 and a pending patent application . the exemplary spray applicator ( 72 ) is directed at a suitable angle and distance from the exemplary substrate ( 24 ) to perform spray cleaning or treatment operations as the auer boat fixture ( 28 ) is indexed or conveyed continuously through the clean cavity ( 50 ). the arrows ( 76 ) designated as “ rca ” indicate the flow patterns for re - circulated or regenerated clean air within the cavity and from the cavity in relation to the ambient atmosphere air flow pattern ( 78 ). not shown in the figure , but may be an optional component is an internal infrared heating element to ensure that the internal cavity temperature does not drop below the ambient atmospheric temperature . this is important in preventing the influx or diffusion of ambient vapors into the clean cell environment . referring to fig3 b , the exemplary clean box ( 44 ) as described in fig3 a is designed to maintain a positive pressure ( 80 ) as compared to the ambient atmosphere ( 82 ). a optional localized exhaust system ( 84 ) is used to capture escaping atmosphere from the clean box and move the atmosphere outside the vicinity of the clean box or facility . referring to fig4 a , the exemplary clean cell described in fig3 a and 3 b may be integrated with a conveyor system and other accessories to provide - in - line automated cleaning and inspection . as shown in the figure , the exemplary auer boat ( 28 a ) containing the exemplary photodiode substrates ( 24 ) to be cleaned enters the clean cell ( 44 ) through an open inlet port ( 46 ) whereupon the auer boat ( 28 b ) is scanned at a suitable rate or indexed in succession to align each photodiode ( 24 a ) under the cleaning spray nozzle ( 72 ). the spray nozzle ( 72 ) jet cleans each photodiode contained on the auer boat ( 28 b ) as it passes through the clean cavity ( 50 ). indexing and conveying is performed using a suitable automatic conveyor ( 86 ) which traverses the distance from before the inlet port ( 46 ), through the interior of the cleaning cell ( 44 ), out through the exit port ( 48 ) and to an exemplary in - line inspection station ( 88 ). the clean cell ( 44 ) is continuously re - circulated with regenerated clean atmosphere ( 56 ) through inlet pipe ( 56 ) from the regenerative blower ( not shown ). re - circulated clean air ( 62 ) flows from the clean cell ( 44 ) through outlet pipe ( 60 ) and into the regenerative blower ( not shown ). an internal ionizer ( 64 ) which is connected to a power supply ( 90 ) ionizes the entire internal cavity ( 50 ) as the clean air recirculates through the cell . the cleaning cell may be purged periodically or continuously with a small amount of purge gas , dependent upon the volume of the cavity , using a purge gas source ( 68 ) and through a purge line ( 66 ) to maintain a slight positive pressure within the cavity ( 50 ). the spray cleaning nozzle ( 72 ) is connected through a delivery line ( 92 ) which is connected to a cleaning spray generator ( 94 ). the exemplary cleaning system is a coaxial spray system , which delivers a mixture of thermal inert gas and cleaning agent ( snow particles or steam vapor ) and is described in detail in u . s . patent &# 39 ; 154 and a pending patent by the present inventor . using the exemplary cleaning system provides the positive pressure and inert gas required to properly operate the present invention . the entire system is controlled using a computer or plc system ( 96 ) which is connected and communicates with a conveyor control system ( 98 ). the computer / plc control system indexes the auer boat ( 28 a ) through the cleaning cell ( 44 ), turning on and off the cleaning spray generator ( 94 ), and under a surface inspection device ( 100 ) to obtain surface cleanliness data from an inspection system ( 88 ). the inspection device ( 100 ) may be a video inspection camera , an optically stimulated electron emission ( osee ) analyzer or other suitable surface cleanliness verification device . finally , the clean cell ( 44 ) may be further shrouded in an exhaust plenum ( 102 ), which is connected to an exhaust duct ( 104 ), to capture escaping atmosphere from the inlet port ( 46 ) and outlet port ( 48 ) of the clean cell ( 44 ). referring to fig4 b , a sectional ( center ) side view of the exemplary conveyorized cleaning cell shows the integration of key elements of the clean cell system . as shown , the clean cell ( 44 ) shrouds the entire assembly , including the conveyor ( 86 ) section passing through the cavity ( 50 ). the exemplary auer boat fixture ( 28 ) rides on top of and at the center of the conveyor ( 86 ) and passes through an inlet opening ( 46 ). the main internal features of the cavity ( 50 ) are shown and include the inlet clean gas manifold ( 52 ) containing the ionizer ( 64 ), which is connected to a power supply ( 90 ) via power cable ( 104 ), and an inlet purge gas line ( 66 ), which is connected to an electric heater ( 106 ) and temperature controller ( 108 ). the outlet clean air manifold ( 54 ) is connected to an outlet flow pipe or duct ( 60 ) and is connected to an optional in - line dryer ( 110 ) and / or pre - filter cartridge ( 112 ) to remove water vapor and particle contamination from the re - circulated atmosphere . the pre - filter may contain activated carbon to absorb any organic vapors present in the air stream . the air stream , optionally pre - treated , flows into the inlet port ( 114 ) of a regenerative blower ( 116 ) and flows out of the outlet port ( 118 ) and through an optional high efficiency particulate air ( hepa ) filter ( 120 ) and returns to the clean cavity through inlet pipe ( 58 ) and into inlet clean air manifold ( 52 ). clean air is continuously regenerated and re - circulated through the cavity during which the auer boat ( 28 ) carried by the conveyor ( 86 ) moves under the cleaning spray applicator ( 72 ). the cleaning spray flows through a coaxial delivery line ( 92 ) from an external spray generator ( not shown ) and through the tip of the spray applicator ( 72 ). during this operation the atmosphere escaping from the cavity ( 54 ) is captured using an exhaust plenum ( 102 ) and through an exhaust fan ( 122 ). referring to fig5 a , another exemplary clean cell using the method of the present invention is a low cost and simple open - top and table - top cleaning cell . as shown in the figure , the cleaning cell ( 124 ) comprises a rectangular box having five sides — four solid vertical side panels ( 125 a , 125 b , 125 c and 125 d ) and solid bottom side panel ( 125 e ). the bottom side panel ( 125 c ) contains an inlet port pipe ( 58 ) into which it flows through a air flow diffusing manifold ( 52 ) and into the interior of the clean cell ( 50 ). the back side panel ( 125 c ) contains a outlet air flow manifold ( 54 ) located at the upper hemisphere which flows into a outlet pipe ( 60 ). located on top of the back side panel ( 125 c ) is an exhaust plenum ( 102 ) which is connected to an exhaust line ( 104 ). a cleaning spray applicator ( 72 ) and an optional purge gas line ( 66 ) is affixed to and through a side panel ( 125 a ) and into the clean cavity ( 50 ). regenerated and recirculated clean air flows from the cavity ( 50 ) through the outlet manifold ( 54 ) and outlet pipe ( 60 ) into a regenerative blower ( 116 ), through a hepa filter ( 120 ), through return inlet clean air pipe ( 58 ), through inlet manifold ( 52 ) and back into the clean cavity ( 50 ). purge gas flowing from purge pipe ( 66 ) maintains a slight positive pressure and dilutes any contaminating vapors contained in the regenerated clean air stream . the escaping atmosphere is captured using the exhaust plenum ( 102 ). a robot ( 128 ) is employed to pick up exemplary dirty substrates ( 34 ) from a tray ( 36 ) using a robot gripper ( 130 ). the dirty substrates ( 34 ) are moved into the interior of the clean cavity ( 50 ) and articulated about the front of the spray applicator ( 72 ) to clean the substrates to remove particles and thin film contaminants . clean substrates ( 34 a ) are then moved to and placed upon a clean tray ( 36 a ). the dirty tray ( 36 ) and clean tray ( 36 a ) may be automatically or manually placed into position for the robotic pick - clean - place operations as described by an in arrow ( 132 ) and out arrow ( 134 ). referring to fig5 b , the overall regenerated air flow patterns of the clean cell described in fig5 a above are balanced . during continuous recirculation and regeneration operations ( 136 ), internal clean cell atmospheric pressure ( 138 ), denoted as “ pcb ” in the figure , is increased to slightly above ambient pressure ( 140 ), denoted as “ pa ” in the figure , using excessive atmospheric pressure provided by the cleaning spray applicator ( 72 ) and the optional purge gas line ( 66 ). as shown , the optional purge gas line ( 66 ) may also be connected to a humidity sensor ( 142 ) to control the water vapor build - up within the clean cell ( 50 ). escaping internal atmosphere ( 144 ) rises to the top of the clean cell and is entrained in an exhaust flow ( 146 ), thus providing a sheath flow barrier to prevent the ambient atmosphere ( 148 ) from entering the cleaning cell cavity ( 50 ). referring to fig6 a , an alternative design to the clean cell thus described in fig5 a and 5 b incorporates small slits on the side panels of the cleaning cell ( 124 ). a inlet slit ( 150 ) and an outlet slit ( 152 ) provide for the continuous feed of an exemplary taped or reeled substrate ( 38 ) containing lead frames through the interior of the clean cell and in front of the spray cleaning applicator ( 72 ). all other features and operations of the present design as shown are equivalent to those described in fig5 a and 5 b , including balanced air flow design as shown graphically . referring to fig6 b , the alternative cleaning cell described in fig6 a is a “ feed - through ” design allowing for continuous processing of substrates contained on a strip , tape or from a reel . as shown , the exemplary substrate ( 38 ) containing lead frames ( 42 ) to be cleaned in fed continuously in a direction as indicated by product flow arrow ( 154 ) through the clean cell ( 124 ), upon which a lead frame ( 42 a ) as it passes in front of the spray applicator ( 72 ) is jet cleaned . following which , the substrate and cleaned lead frames pass through an infrared heater ( 156 ) to increase the substrate temperature above ambient temperature . this operation is useful because it helps maintain the cleanliness of the surface during inspection and during roll up onto a clean reel . the cleaned and heated substrate may be inspected using an inspection system ( 88 ) and inspection device ( 100 ) such as a video microscope or osee as described herein . using this scheme , a pay - out reel ( 158 ) containing dirty substrates ( 42 ) passes continuously through the clean cell ( 124 ), infrared heater ( 156 ) and inspection system ( 88 ) and is rolled onto a take - up reel ( 160 ). referring to fig7 an exemplary apparatus of the present invention comprises two opposing manifolds — a clean air outlet manifold ( 162 ) and an inlet clean air return manifold ( 164 ). in this isometric view , the cleaning cell manifolds are designed to produce a sheath flow of clean dry ionized air between them ( 166 ), through which an exemplary conveyor device ( 168 ) delivers the substrates ( 170 ) to be cleaned within the micro - environment thus created . a local exhaust plenum ( 172 ), which is connected to a vacuum source ( 174 ) is designed to encompass and incorporate the clean air return manifold ( 164 ) to provide an mechanism for uptake of escaping gases from the microenvironment during spray cleaning operations described herein . this type of open cell and open architecture design allows for use with virtually any type of in - line automation tool and substrate fixture device . the devices incorporated into the clean air outlet manifold ( 162 ), shown graphically in fig7 to re - cycle and filter clean air , and control positive pressure , temperature , electrostatic discharge and humidity are similar to those of the in - line cleaning cell described above in fig4 a and fig4 b . as shown graphically , a closed - loop regenerative blower with prefiltration and post - hepa filtration provides the re - circulation of a majority of the atmosphere within the cleaning cell . finally , an optional infrared heating element ( 176 ) mounted within the clean air return manifold ( 164 ) and facing the substrates ( 170 ) as they pass through the cleaning cell . this device provides directed infrared heating of the substrates as well as the re - circulating clean air . this ensures that the internal cleaning cell cavity temperature does not drop below the ambient atmospheric temperature . this is important in preventing the influx or diffusion of ambient vapors into the clean cell environment . the heating element ( 176 ) is preferably mounted downstream of substrates ( 170 ) with the infrared radiation moving in a direction which is opposite to the flow of clean dry air . this design consideration is important in preventing the flow of clean air over the heating structure , which would generate particulate contamination , prior to entering the cleaning cavity . although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described , it should be understood that various modifications and rearrangements may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention as disclosed herein .	1
various aspects and embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying figures . certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to be taken as a limitation on the present disclosure . the terminology includes the words specifically mentioned , derivatives thereof and words of similar import . the embodiments illustrated below are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed . these embodiments are chosen and described to best explain the principle of the disclosure and its application and practical use and to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention . fig1 shows an illustrative embodiment of this invention which permits a user , during an emergency situation or routinely , to use a plurality client systems 10 and to access a database server 18 by exchanging messages over a communication link 16 to access and retrieve information that is displayed on user web pages 100 a , 100 b and 100 c which denote web pages unique to each user of the server system 18 . it is appreciated that a plurality of client systems 10 , which include a browser 10 a , a mobile device 10 b , a toll - free customer center 10 c and a facsimile 10 d are connected to communication link 16 are configured to transmit messages of communication link 16 . as shown in fig1 , it is contemplated that a user can communicate with the server 18 through any of the plurality of client systems 10 which would include a browser 10 a , a mobile device 10 b , a toll - free customer center 10 c and a facsimile 10 d . in the illustrative embodiment of the present invention , a user would use client systems 10 to open a communication session with server system 18 by entering and sending user &# 39 ; s client identifier , which is stored in client id file 19 , over link 16 to system 18 . the client identifier which is entered in by the user and is known as “ user credentials ” is stored in a client id file 19 and each of client systems 10 a through 10 d utilize client id file 19 for sending the “ user credentials ”, which uniquely identifies the user of client systems 10 , to server system 18 . from then on , client system 10 includes its client identifier with all messages sent to server system 18 so that server system 18 can identify the particular user from which the message was sent . such use of client id file 19 permits a user to access , send or retrieve his / her unique notes and documents that are displayed on user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c within server system 18 . client &# 39 ; s notes and documents can be viewed or transmitted to an external recipient using multiple communication links 16 , in accordance with the teachings of this invention . in yet another illustrative embodiment of the present invention , a user initiates browser 10 a to open a communication session with server system 18 by assigning and sending client identifier to client system 18 over link 16 . the client identifier , which is entered in by the user and known as “ user credentials ”, is stored in client id file 19 . from then on , client system 10 includes its client identifier with all messages sent to server system 18 so that server system 18 can identify the particular user from which the message was sent from browser 10 a . such use of the client system 10 permits a user to access , send or retrieve particular notes and documents that are displayed on user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c within server system 18 can be transmitted to an external recipient using multiple communication links 16 , in accordance with the teachings of this invention as further described in fig2 . in another illustrative embodiment of the present invention , a user initiates a communication session with server system 18 on mobile device browser 10 b by assigning and sending over ink 16 , client identifier , to client system 18 . the client identifier or “ user credentials ” is entered by a user and is then stored in client id file 19 . from then on , client system 10 includes its client identifier with all messages sent to server system 18 so that server system 18 can identify the particular user from which the message was sent from browser 10 b . such use of client system 10 permits a user to access , send or retrieve particular notes and documents that are displayed on user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c within server system 18 , which then can be transmitted to an external recipient using multiple communication links 16 , in accordance with the teachings of this invention as further described in fig2 . in another illustrative embodiment of the present invention , a user contacts a representative at toll - free customer center 16 and authorizes the representative to open a communication session with server system 18 using browser 10 a by providing his / her client identifier to the representative and having the representative assign and send over link 16 his / her client identifier to client system 18 . the client identifier , which is entered in by the user and known as “ user credentials ”, is stored in client id file 19 . from then on , client system 10 includes its client identifier with all messages sent to server system 18 so that server system 18 can identify the particular user from which the message was sent from browser 10 a . such use of client system 10 permits a user to authorize the representative to access , send or retrieve particular notes and documents on his / her behalf that are displayed on user web pages 100 a - c , 100 b , 100 c within server system 18 which can be transmitted to an external recipient using multiple communication links 16 , in accordance with the teachings of this invention as further described in fig7 . in another illustrative embodiment of the invention , a user initiates a communication session with system server 18 on facsimile machine 10 d by assigning and sending link 16 to client system 18 . the client identifier which is entered in by the user and known as “ user credentials ” is stored in client id file 19 . from then on , client system 10 includes its client identifier with all messages sent to server system 18 so that server system 18 can identify the particular user from which facsimile 10 d transmission was sent from . such use of client system 10 permits a user to access , send or retrieve particular notes that are stored on user web pages 100 a - c , 100 b , 100 c within server system 18 which is transmitted back to facsimile machine 10 d using communication link 16 , in accordance with the teachings of this invention . in the illustrative embodiment of the invention , it is further shown in fig1 that client access servers 18 a which include web server 20 , fax server 22 , email server 24 , ftp server 26 and sms , mms , text to voice gateway 28 are designed to handle the communication sessions between the user and the server system 18 depending on the client system the user chooses to access system 18 . as shown in client access servers 18 a , web server 20 would handle communication sessions between a user and a client system such as browser 10 a , mobile device 10 b , and toll - free customer center 10 c to handle requests to add / edit / delete note ( s ) and document ( s ) as shown later in fig3 and fig4 respectively and / or search to retrieve or send note ( s ) and document ( s ) as shown later in fig5 . as shown in client access servers 18 a , fax server 22 would handle communication sessions between a user and a client system such as facsimile machine 10 d to handle requests to add document ( s ) as shown later in fig4 and to retrieve or send note ( s ) and document ( s ) as shown later in fig5 . as shown in client access servers 18 a , email server 24 would handle communication sessions between a user and a client system such as browser 10 a , a mobile device 10 b , and toll - free customer center 10 c to handle requests to add document ( s ) as shown later in fig4 and to retrieve or send note ( s ) and document ( s ) as shown later in fig5 . as shown in client access servers 18 a , file transfer protocol server or ftp server 26 would handle communication sessions between a user and a client system such as browser 10 a , and toll - free customer center 10 c to handle requests to add document ( s ) as shown in fig4 and to retrieve or send note ( s ) and document ( s ) as shown in fig5 . as shown in client access servers 18 a , the simple message service ( sms , mms , text to voice ), multimedia message service ( mms ) and text to voice server gateway 28 would handle communication sessions between a user and a client system such as browser 10 a , mobile device 10 b to handle requests to retrieve or send note ( s ) and document ( s ) as shown later in fig5 . in the illustrative embodiment of the invention , it is further shown in fig1 that application server 18 b are comprised of multiple processes that accept , dissect and process information which include request handler module 32 , parse incoming request module module 34 , populate action with obtained data module 36 , and execute action 38 which are designed to handle the communication sessions between the user and server system 18 for all of the client systems utilized to access system 18 . in the illustrative embodiment of the invention , it is further shown in fig1 that application server 18 c would include multiple processors that would process and access databases server 18 d by using the action instructions that were sent by application server 18 b . as shown in application server 18 b , request handler module 32 accepts the initial communication request between a user and a client system and receives all the raw information that the user requests the system to perform . once the information has been obtained by request handler module 32 , application server 18 b passes the raw information to parse incoming request module module 34 process which would then begin to examine the particular details about the raw information received in request handler module 32 and calculate what action is required to resolve each request sent to system 18 by the user and then parse that information into specific actions . once all the actions have been identified by parse incoming request module module 34 , the dissected information is sent to populate action with obtained data module 36 process which provides the pending actions with the specific data that was respectfully identified for that particular action . once all the actions are correctly populated by populate action with obtained data module 36 the actions are executed by a final process called execute action 38 process . these particular actions are then sent to application server 18 c to business logic processing module 42 which processes each action and converts it into a logical request to data access 44 process which then accesses database server 18 d and the particular category sub - databases 48 a - c , 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c , 58 a - c , 60 a - c for each family member indicated as user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c for each category database 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 shown in fig1 . database server 18 d comprises database 48 which stores client identifier / customer table and category databases 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 . customer database 48 may contain , for example , customer information for recent purchases or future purchasers . the customer information includes purchaser - specific order information such as the name of the customer and billing information . customer database 48 stores entries for each order that has not yet been transmitted to a purchaser . customer database 48 contains a mapping from each client identifier , which is a globally unique identifier that uniquely identifies client system 10 , to the purchaser associated with client system 10 . category databases 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 include separate storage areas for receiving respective data reflective of the different categories and services which may be processed in accordance with this invention . to be described by fig2 , the user will have the opportunity to setup a new account on the system and then have multiple methods for accessing system 18 as an existing subscriber of the system . as it will be illustrated in and described with respect to fig3 and fig4 respectively , note ( s ) can be entered into a proprietary database screen and stored into database server 18 d or document ( s ) will be uploaded and stored into database server 18 in the form of document ( s ) and uniquely labeled in proprietary database screen . though database server 18 b has been described in fig1 in terms of a plurality of distinct category databases 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 it would be appreciated by one skilled in the art that one memory or combination thereof may store this data . category database 64 , though indicated as a category database for consistency , it not a typical database but instead functions as a tool to effectively logoff system 18 . when a user logs off the system , they have secured all information stored within their account and as a result , this information is no long accessible until the users next authenticated log in . still referring to fig1 , category databases 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 are comprised of a plurality of user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c as defined by the subscriber of the system , and default category sub - databases 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c , 58 a - c , 60 a - c , wherein a plurality of default database fields , accept note ( s ) entered in by the user . after note ( s ) has been added by the user into category sub - databases 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c , 58 a - c , 60 a - c , it is stored within database server 18 d and is able to be displayed on user web pages 100 a , 100 b and 100 c which represent the particular family member or pet as defined by the subscriber of the system . a user may edit or delete his / her note ( s ) by selecting the appropriate category sub - databases 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c , 58 a - c , 60 a - c , and update or delete note ( s ) which will dynamically update database server 18 d . as will be explained in fig5 , this note ( s ) can be searched for and transmitted to an external recipient using multiple communication links 16 , in accordance with the teachings of this invention . multiple category sub - databases 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c , 58 a - c , 60 a - c , are separately needed to permit the user to store , in particular , information specific to each user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c within each category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 . still referring to fig1 , category databases 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 comprises of multiple user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c as defined by the subscriber of the system , and default category sub - databases 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c , 58 a - c , 60 a - c , wherein a plurality of default database fields , accept document ( s ) added by the user . after the document ( s ) have been added by the user into database server 18 d using a plurality of client systems 10 a - d over communication link 16 they are stored in category database 62 named incoming files . after the document ( s ) are stored in incoming files category database 62 , the user may add meta - data to specifically identify and label the document ( s ) by using a plurality of default database fields within the proprietary database screen . a user then has the ability to store the document ( s ) by placing the document ( s ) in appropriate category sub - databases 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c , 58 a - c , 60 a - c , associated with appropriate user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c which would represent the particular family member or pet as defined by the subscriber of the system which is stored within database server 18 d . a user may edit or delete his / her document ( s ) by selecting appropriate category sub - databases 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c , 58 a - c , 60 a - c , and update or delete information which will dynamically update database server 18 d . as will be explained in fig5 , this document ( s ) can be searched for and transmitted to an external recipient using multiple communication links 16 , in accordance with the teachings of this invention . multiple category sub - databases 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c , 58 a - c , 60 a - c , are separately needed to permit the user to store , in particular , information specific to each user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c within each category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 . as will be depicted via the flow diagram of fig3 and fig4 , the programming for client system 10 and server system 18 permits the user to setup a communication session between a plurality of client systems 10 a - 10 d and server system 18 , whereby the user can communicate with server system 18 to establish new category sub - databases , also known as “ add custom folders ”, in addition to default category sub - databases 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c , 58 a - c , 60 a - c , that a plurality of specific information can be stored within category databases 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 . category sub - databases 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c , 58 a - c , 60 a - c , and any addition templates that are subsequently added as “ custom folders ” may be renamed to a unique name to reflect the type of information that may be stored in the folder by the user . the naming convention that is chosen by the user to rename any of category sub - databases ( folders ) 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c , 58 a - c , 60 a - c , is arbitrary to his / her choosing , in accordance with the teachings of this invention . such a name may take the form , for example , of “ home improvement records ” to store note ( s ) or document ( s ) pertaining to a remodeling project being performed for the user by a contractor . fig2 — client system access with browser or mobile device flow chart fig2 depicts a flow diagram which illustrates the process by which the user uses his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to access the website and its server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . in one illustrative embodiment of this invention , and explained in respect to the flow diagram of fig2 , a user can use a plurality of client systems in step 100 , which include browser 10 a and mobile device 10 b to securely access system 18 over link 16 as shown in fig1 . protocols are inherent in the system which would secure the connection to system 18 in the form of encrypted keys that are generated by the system and provided to the user during the initial communication link . a user accessing system 18 cannot do so unless they are an existing subscriber to system 18 in step 110 . if the user is not an existing user of system 170 , a new user process in step 180 ( see fig2 b below for graphical detail ) is initiated and allows for the user to setup a personal account on the system or store pertinent information such as identification and billing information as well as define user credentials and security challenge questions which will be used to securely access system 18 in the future . once the user completes the new user process , the new subscriber can use a plurality of client systems 10 as described in fig1 . when accessing system 18 , an existing subscriber in step 115 will be presented with multiple authentication questions to ensure proper identification and security into system 18 over communication link 16 as shown in fig1 . in step 120 the user authentication level 1 ( see fig2 a below for graphical detail ) will prompt the user accessing system 18 to provide specific credentials that were defined in the new user process in step 180 . this is to prevent computer hackers and unauthorized users from attacking the system with programmed scripts . if the credentials provided by the user in step 120 are incorrect , then an alarm will sound in step 125 asking the user to reenter the credentials . if the user fails to provide correct credentials on three attempts , the system will lock the user out of the account and prompt them to contact the toll - free customer assistance center to reset the account . a user may also use the forgot password or username process in step 130 for online assistance with accessing their account . if the credentials are accurately defined , then the system will proceed to step 140 which is the user authentication level 2 ( see fig2 b below for graphical detail ). the system will prompt the user in step 140 to provide more specific answers to three random security challenge questions defined in the new user process in step 180 . since a new user would have to setup ten security challenge questions during the new user process back in step 180 , the user authentication level 2 in step 140 would only ask for three random questions at one time . if the credentials provided by the user in step 140 are incorrect , then an alarm will sound in step 145 asking the user to answer three new randomly selected questions that were defined by the user in the new user process in step 180 . this will be repeated until the third alarm is sounded at which time the system will lock the user account and instruct the user to contact toll - free customer center 10 c in fig1 for further instructions . if the credentials are accurately defined in step 140 , then , the system would automatically begin to generate access log file 150 which would record current session activity and securely store this information within the user account for future reference . for additional security , the session with the system will expire and logoff from the user session if no activity is detected for 30 minutes . the user would be required to log back into the system as described in fig2 . the user would then proceed to step 160 which grants the user access to user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c in fig1 . fig2 a is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface by which the user uses his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to access the website and its server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with the teachings of this invention . if the person trying to access the system is new and has not already setup an account , they may do so by using the new user process as indicated in numeral 30 in fig2 a which is further explained in fig2 b and also shown in step 180 in fig2 . the user can store pertinent information such as identification and billing information as well as define user credentials and security challenge questions which will be used to securely access the system in the future . if the person is already and existing user of the system , they may use the user authentication level 1 indicated as numeral 10 in fig2 a and referenced in step 120 in fig2 which would allow an existing user to enter in his / her credentials ( username and password ) to login to the system , using the sign in button indicated as numeral 15 . if an existing user forgot either of these credentials they could use the forgot password or username processes indicated as numeral 20 in fig2 a and referenced in step 130 in fig2 to utilize online assistance with login credentials in . these processes would require the user to answer security challenge questions after providing unique information relating to his / her account . once a user has properly identified themselves , the requested information would be sent to the email address on record in the system and the user could retry to login to the system in item 10 in fig2 a . fig2 b 1 is a diagram which illustratively illustrates the graphical user interface by which the user uses his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to setup a new user account using the new user process to access the website and its server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with the teachings of this invention . the new user process would enable a person to securely establish an account by which they could access to the system . the process has five unique steps within it to help the user create a new user account namely , new user registration , security questions , user profile and user agreements ; complete registration indicated as numeral 10 . new user registration , step 1 would require the user of the system to define a unique login id and password and verify the unique password for accuracy indicated as numeral 20 . for additional security , the system would rate the strength of the unique password as it is entered by the user indicated as numeral 25 , allowing the user to create a stronger password before proceeding with the new user process . the unique login id and password will be used when the user attempts to access the server system in fig2 a — user authentication level 1 — logon page . for additional security , the user would have to replicate a random image produced by the system showing a variety of alphanumeric characters indicated as numeral 30 . this fail - safe step would prevent unauthorized people from using malicious scripts to enter and / or damage the system . if the user fails to replicate the random image produced by the system showing a variety of alphanumeric characters , a new random image will be produced by the system showing a variety of different alphanumeric characters , which the user must replicate as indicated as numeral 30 . once the user has correctly completed the new user registration , step 1 they would use the continue button indicated as numeral 40 to proceed to security questions , step 2 , of the new user process . the user may cancel the new user process at this point by clicking the cancel button indicated as numeral 50 , and the server system will not retain in its server memory any unique information provided by the user in any fields as indicated as numeral 20 or numeral 30 . the user may display and read a privacy policy statement indicated as numeral 60 . the user may verify a third - party rating of siftsort . com and the server system indicated as numeral 70 . fig2 b 2 is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface by which the user uses his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to setup a new user account using the new user process to access the website and its server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with the teachings of this invention . the new user process would enable a person to securely establish an account by which they could access to the system . the process has five unique steps within it to help the user create a new user account namely , new user registration , security questions , user profile and user agreements ; complete registration indicated as numeral 10 . security questions , step 2 is where the user of the system would be required create 10 security challenge questions for additional security , which will be used when accessing the website and its server system shown in fig2 c — user authentication level 2 — security questions . five standard security questions as indicated as numeral 20 can be selected from the system which would offer a wide selection of “ standard ” questions allowing the user to enter in unique alphanumerical answers as indicated as numeral 25 . the remaining five security questions would be “ custom ” questions where the user would create five unique alphanumeric questions as indicated as numeral 30 and create five unique alphanumeric answers for each custom question as indicated as numeral 35 . none of the 10 security questions provided by the user of the system , as indicated as numeral 20 and 30 , may be alphanumerically identical . if the system detects that any 2 of the 10 security questions provided by the user of the system are alphanumerically identical , as indicated as numeral 20 and 30 , the system will display an error message to the user of the system , requiring him / her to make all the 10 questions alphanumerically unique . the user may return to new user registration , step 1 by using the back button as indicated as numeral 40 , and the server system will retain in the system memory the unique information provided by the user of the system indicated in numeral 20 , 25 , 30 and 35 when the user returns to security questions , step 2 . once the user has correctly completed the security questions , step 2 the user of the system would use the continue button indicated as numeral 50 to proceed to the user profile , step 3 , of the new user process . the user may display and read a privacy policy statement indicated as numeral 60 . the user may verify a third - party rating of siftsort . com and the server system indicated as numeral 70 . fig2 b 3 is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface by which the user uses his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to setup a new user account using the new user process to access the website and its server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . the new user process would enable a person to securely establish an account by which they could access to the system . the process has five unique steps within it to help the user create a new user account namely , new user registration , security questions , user profile and user agreements ; complete registration indicated as numeral 10 . user profile , step 3 is where the user of the system would be required to enter in their personal mailing address and contact information as indicated as numeral 20 . the user of the system must complete all “ required fields ” in order to complete the user profile , step 3 successfully , by entering the required information noted with an orange asterisk indicated as numeral 25 . if any information is not provided by the user of the system in the fields noted with an orange asterisk , the system will display an error message asking the user of the system to properly define all fields noted with an orange asterisk . the system will allow a user of the system to enter in a unique coupon code as indicated as numeral 30 , to obtain a future monetary discount from a paid subscription service , known as premium service . the user may enter in a unique coupon code and validate the coupon on the server system by using the validate code button as indicated as numeral 35 , and the server system will accept or reject the coupon code entered by the user of the system . the user may return to security questions , step 2 by using the back button as indicated as numeral 40 , and the server system will retain in the system memory the unique information entered by the user in the files indicated as 20 , 25 and 30 when the user returns to user profile , step 3 . once the user has correctly completed the user profile , step 3 they would click continue button 50 and proceed to the user agreements , step 4 , of the new user process . the user may display and read a privacy policy statement indicated as numeral 60 . the user may verify a third - party rating of siftsort . com and the server system indicated as numeral 70 . fig2 b 4 is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface by which the user uses his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to setup a new user account using the new user process to access the website and its server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . the new user process would enable a person to securely establish an account by which they could access to the system . the process has five unique steps within it to help the user create a new user account namely , new user registration , security questions , user profile and user agreements ; complete registration indicated as numeral 10 . user agreements , step 4 would require the user to “ agree ” to the terms of use indicated as numeral 20 . the user of the system may read the terms of use and when completed , the user of the system must acknowledge acceptance of the terms of use by checking the “ i agree to ‘ terms of use ’ box indicated as numeral 30 . if the user of the system does not check the box indicated as numeral 30 , then the system will display an error message informing the user of the system that they may not proceed with the new user process unless they accept the terms of use . the user may return to user profile , step 3 by using the back button as indicated as numeral 40 , and the server system will retain in the system memory the unique information entered by the user indicated as numeral 30 when the user returns to user agreements , step 4 . once user agreements , step 4 is completed , they would use the continue button indicated as numeral 50 to proceed to the complete registration , step 5 , of the new user process . the user may display and read a privacy policy statement indicated as numeral 60 . the user may verify a third - party rating of siftsort . com and the server system indicated as numeral 70 . fig2 b 5 is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface by which the user uses his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to setup a new user account using the new user process to access the website and its server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . the new user process would enable a person to securely establish an account by which they could access to the system . the process has five unique steps within it to help the user create a new user account namely , new user registration , security questions , user profile and user agreements ; complete registration indicated as numeral 10 . complete registration , step 5 would require the user of the system to select a plan indicated as numeral 15 which the user of the system may select one of two types of subscription plans , a basic service or a premium service plan . the user of the system can display and read the differences between the two types of subscription plans by clicking on the ‘ see features included ’ and ‘ why upgrade ’ links indicated as numeral 20 . the system will default to the basic service plan but if the user of the system chooses to subscribe to the premium service plan , the user of the system may select premium service and the user of the system will need to provide payment information indicated as numeral 25 . the user of the system may also display and read ‘ how to find code ’ for their credit card by clicking the link indicated as numeral 30 and further read the terms and conditions of the billing cycle by clicking the link indicated as numeral 35 . furthermore , if the user of the system chooses to subscribe to the premium services , the user will be required to verify or edit billing information , which had been previously entered in user profile , step 3 indicated as numeral 40 . the user of the system who elects to choose premium service plan indicated as numeral 15 must complete all “ required fields ” in order to complete the complete registration , step 5 , by entering the required information noted with an orange asterisk as indicated as numeral 43 . if any information is not provided by the user of the system in the fields noted with an orange asterisk , the system will display an error message asking the user of the system to properly define all fields noted with an orange asterisk . the user of the system must select from the pull - down menu ‘ how did you hear about siftsort ?’ indicated as numeral 45 . once the user has correctly completed the complete registration , step 5 they would use the continue button indicated as numeral 50 to complete the new user process , and the new user account with all of the user provided information from all five new user process steps would be saved in the system and automatically return the user of the system to the user authentication level 1 — logon page process illustratively illustrated in fig2 a . the user may cancel the new user process at this point by clicking the cancel button indicated as numeral 55 , and the server system will not retain in its server memory any unique information provided by the user in any fields as indicated from numeral 15 through numeral 45 , or any previous steps completed in the new user process . the user may display and read a privacy policy statement indicated as numeral 60 . the user may verify a third - party rating of siftsort . com and the server system indicated as numeral 70 . fig2 c is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface by which the user uses his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to further authenticate access the website and its server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . as part of the new user process shown in step 180 in fig2 , a user would create ten security challenge questions . these questions would be used as additional security to prevent unauthorized access to the system . these are presented to the user after successfully completing the user authentication level 1 procedure indicated in step 120 in fig2 . the user would have to complete the user authentication level 2 process in step 140 of fig2 by answering three security challenge questions that have been selected at random by the system and illustratively illustrated in fig2 c marked as numeral 10 . once these questions have been successfully answered , the user would click the ‘ continue ’ button indicated as numeral 20 to attempt to access the system . the system would verify the answered provided by the user and if the answers are accurate , the user will be granted access into the system and be presented with the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c as illustratively illustrated in fig2 d . should the user answer any of these security challenge questions unsuccessfully , an error would sound and three new questions would be presented to the user to provide answers to . the user would repeat the process again and after the third unsuccessful attempt to answer the security challenge questions , the system would lock the user account and request that the user contact the toll - free customer center for further assistance in accessing the system as shown in fig7 . fig2 d is a diagram which illustratively depicts user web pages 100 a that a user would interact with the home category database 48 by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b after successfully accessing the server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . system 18 in fig1 offers a user the ability to store personal and family information within a selection of category databases , specifically named home 48 , life 50 , medical 52 , financial 54 , contacts 56 , sharing 58 , planning 60 , pending 62 and logout 64 in fig1 and illustrated illustratively as numeral 10 category databases 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 , 64 . fig2 d would specifically show the graphical user interface showing the home category database indicated as numeral 48 . components specific to the category sub - databases would be namely 48 a dashboard , 48 b my settings and 48 c messages indicated as numeral 20 in fig2 d . 48 a dashboard component displays to the user of the system , current status and overall completion percentage indicated as numeral 25 which is calculated by the system by adding the sum of the unique note ( s ) and document ( s ), items saved or stored by the user of the system , indicated by 30 and dividing by the sum of the items needed , indicated as numeral 33 . the system will display a status icon , indicated as numeral 35 , respectively “ action required ”, if items saved indicated as numeral 30 is equal to 0 , “ in - progress ” if items saved , indicated as numeral 30 is less than the value of the respective items needed indicated as numeral 33 , and “ completed ” if items saved , indicated as numeral 30 is greater than or equal to the respective items needed , indicated as numeral 33 . 48 b my settings component would allow the user of the system to edit specific profile information related to their account such as security questions , mailing or billing address , credit card information . 48 c messages ( 1 ) would display be important electronic messages generated by the system that require the user of the system immediate attention , for example , the notification of an expired credit card , or the arrival of a new document ( s ) in the user &# 39 ; s account . the user of the system can click the “ help ( manuals and videos )” link to view siftsort . com educational videos and literature , the user may also click the “ invite a friend ” link to send an electronic invitation to a friend , requested that they become a user of the system by completing the new user process , described in fig2 , the user may also click the “ feedback ” link to send an electronic message to the customer support personnel of the system , the user may also click the “ browser support ” link to view which computer browser or mobile device is supported by the system , respectively 10 a and 10 b shown in fig1 , in accordance with the teachings of this invention ; indicated as numeral 12 . the user of the system can click the “ troubleshooting ” link to view siftsort . com technical support literature and research questions regarding specific technical issues the user of the system may be experiencing , the user may also click the “ contact us ” link to call or email the toll - free customer center , 10 c shown in fig1 , in accordance with the teachings of this invention ; the user of the system may click , display and read the “ privacy policy ” statement , and the user of the system may click , display and read the “ terms of use ” statement , indicated as numeral 14 . the user of the system may also set a reminder or alert by clicking the ‘ set a reminder ’ link indicated as numeral 40 , and create a calendar event in their personal electronic organization program . fig2 d 1 is a diagram which illustratively depicts user web pages 100 a that a user would interact with the home category database 48 , specifically category sub - database 48 b ‘ my settings ’ by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b after successfully accessing the server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . system 18 in fig1 offers a user the ability to store personal and family information within a selection of category databases , specifically named home 48 , life 50 , medical 52 , financial 54 , contacts 56 , sharing 58 , planning 60 , pending 62 and logout 64 in fig1 and illustrated illustratively as numeral 10 category databases 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 , 64 . fig2 d 1 would specifically show the graphical user interface showing the home category database indicated as numeral 48 and the category sub - databases would be namely 48 a dashboard , 48 b my settings and 48 c messages indicated as numeral 20 in fig2 d . 48 b my settings component displays to the user of the system , a plurality of methods to manage the profile and account in the system . the user of the system can use the update account button 25 to edit personal profile information captured during the new user process described previously in fig2 b 3 and illustratively depicted as numeral 27 . once the user of the system has successfully changed any of the profile information to their account , the old profile information is purged from the system and replaced with the latest one . the user of the system can use the change password button 30 to change the password to their account that was established during the new user process described previously in fig2 b 1 . once the user of the system has successfully changed the password to their account , the old password is purged from the system and replaced with the latest one . the user of the system can use the change security questions button 35 to change any of the ten security challenge questions in their account that was established during the new user process described previously in fig2 b 2 . once the user of the system has successfully changed any of the ten security challenge questions to their account , the old security challenge questions and their respective answers are purged from the system and replaced with the latest one . the user of the system can use the billing information button 40 to edit personal billing information captured during the new user process described previously in fig2 b 5 . once the user of the system has successfully changed any of the billing information to their account , the old billing information is purged from the system and replaced with the latest one . the user of the system can use the cancel account button 45 to purge from the system , their entire account profile and information captured during the new user process described previously in fig2 b 1 - 2 b 5 and illustratively illustrated in part as numeral 27 . once the user of the system has successfully cancelled the account , the profile information and any stored or shared notes or documents in their account , are purged from the system . fig2 d 2 is a diagram which illustratively depicts user web pages 100 a that a user would interact with the home category database 48 , specifically category sub - database 48 b ‘ messages ’ by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b after successfully accessing the server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . system 18 in fig1 offers a user the ability to store personal and family information within a selection of category databases , specifically named home 48 , life 50 , medical 52 , financial 54 , contacts 56 , sharing 58 , planning 60 , pending 62 and logout 64 in fig1 and illustrated illustratively as numeral 10 category databases 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 , 64 . fig2 d 2 would specifically show the graphical user interface showing the home category database indicated as numeral 48 and the category sub - databases would be namely 48 a dashboard , 48 b my settings and 48 c messages indicated as numeral 15 in fig2 d 2 . 48 c messages component displays to the user of the system , a plurality of methods to fax , email , upload documents into the system , and be able to manage new messages , that may contain documents , that the system would receive for the user of the system . the user of the system can use a plurality of methods to send documents into the system , which include using the fax server - 22 , the email server - 24 and the ftp server - 26 illustrated in fig1 and illustratively depicted by numerals 20 , 22 , 24 in fig2 d 2 , respectively . system 18 allows the user to send documents to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 , and illustrated illustratively in fig2 d 2 so that the documents can be stored in default folders or custom folders category sub - databases 50 a , 50 b , 50 c shown in fig1 , and indicated as numeral 30 in fig2 e . the user of the system can assign a dedicated unique facsimile number from the system indicated as numeral 20 and use a facsimile machine 10 d shown in fig1 to access the system 18 and connect specifically to the fax server - 22 shown in fig1 to send a new document to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 . the new document will be processed by the fax server - 22 and routed to the user web pages home 48 sub - database messages indicated as 48 c specifically , new messages , illustratively illustrated as numeral 25 , which the user of the system can access from any category database or user using the messages ( 1 ) button indicated as numeral 86 in fig2 e , or any similarly shown button throughout this detailed description of embodiment . when placed in the new messages area 25 , the user can select a new message by clicking the checkbox indicated as numeral 27 and then choose a plurality of commands to manage the new message as described below . system 18 allows the user to send documents to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 , and illustrated illustratively in fig2 d 2 so that the documents can be stored in default folders or custom folders category sub - databases 50 a , 50 b , 50 c shown in fig1 , and indicated as numeral 30 in fig2 e . the user of the system has been assigned a unique email address , specifically user id chosen by the user of the system , during the new user process in fig2 b 1 with the domain of @ siftsort . com , indicated as numeral 22 and use a browser 10 a shown in fig1 to access the system 18 and connect specifically to the email server - 24 shown in fig1 to send a new document to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 . the new document will be processed by the email server - 24 and routed to the user web pages home 48 sub - database messages indicated as 48 c specifically , new messages , illustratively illustrated as numeral 25 , which the user of the system can access from any category database or user using the messages ( 1 ) button indicated as numeral 86 in fig2 e , or any similarly shown button throughout this detailed description of embodiment . when placed in the new messages area 25 , the user can select a new message by clicking the checkbox indicated as numeral 27 and then choose a plurality of commands to manage the new message as described below . system 18 allows the user to send documents to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 , and illustrated illustratively in fig2 d 2 so that the documents can be stored in default folders or custom folders category sub - databases 50 a , 50 b , 50 c shown in fig1 , and indicated as numeral 30 in fig2 e . the user of the system choose a file stored on their local computer network and upload it to the system by using the upload button , indicated as numeral 24 and use a browser 10 a shown in fig1 to access the system 18 and connect specifically to the ftp server - 26 shown in fig1 to send a new document to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 . the new document will be processed by the ftp server - 26 and routed to the pending area , illustratively depicted by numeral 50 , and that particular area is visible from any user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c and any category databases , specifically named life 50 , medical 52 , financial 54 so that the user of the system can move the document to a category sub - database within each category database , as further described in fig4 a . the user of the system can delete a document that resides in the pending area 50 , by selecting the appropriate checkbox for the document , indicated as numeral 52 and clicking the delete button indicated as numeral 55 to purge the document from the system . once a new message has arrived into system , using the fax server - 22 or the email server - 24 the system will notify the user of the system that a new message has arrived by sending a new communication notice to the personal and business email addresses stored within the account , captured during the new user process in fig2 b 3 provided the notification “ email me an alert ” is checked , indicated as numeral 60 . the user can disable this notification at anytime by unchecking the alert flag indicated as numeral 60 . after selecting the new message by clicking the appropriate checkbox 27 , the user can choose the accept button 35 , which would move the document into the pending indicated as 50 and that particular area is visible from any user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c and any category databases , specifically named life 50 , medical 52 , financial 54 so that the user of the system can move the document to a category sub - database within each category database , as further described in fig4 a . after selecting the new message by clicking the appropriate checkbox 27 , the user can choose the delete button 40 , which would delete the new message and any document ( s ) attached to the new message from the system . after selecting the new message by clicking the appropriate checkbox 27 , the user can choose the print button 45 , which would print the new message and any document ( s ) attached to the new message from the system , in its native program and with a local printer device attached to the user &# 39 ; s computer . the system will automatically check for new message at intervals of 5 minutes , but at any time , the user of the system can use the refresh 30 to refresh the connection to the fax server - 22 or the email server - 24 of the system to check for new messages that may have been sent . fig2 e is a diagram which illustratively depicts user web pages 100 a that a user would interact with the life category database 50 by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b after successfully accessing the server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . system 18 in fig1 offers a user the ability to store personal and family information within a selection of category databases , specifically named home 48 , life 50 , medical 52 , financial 54 , contacts 56 , sharing 58 , planning 60 , pending 62 and logout 64 in fig1 and illustrated as numeral 10 category databases 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 , 64 . fig2 e would specifically show the graphical user interface showing the life category database indicated as numeral 50 . within the category database 50 are default folders which cannot be deleted or renamed by the user and are illustrated in fig2 e marked as numeral 30 named category sub - database 50 a , 50 b , 50 c . these folders would allow the user to store the specific information pertaining to the subject matter of each folder for that specific category database 50 named life . custom folders can be created for this category database by the user using the add custom folder wizard indicated as numeral 34 illustrated in fig2 e . when a custom folder is created the user may customize the name the folder and then proceed to save notes and documents within that new custom folder as they would in a default folder . custom folders may be renamed or deleted by the user of the system by using the rename custom folder wizard indicated as numeral 38 in fig2 e or the delete custom folder wizard indicated as numeral 32 . an unlimited amount of custom folders can be created by the user within each category database allowing the user to store an infinite amount of notes and documents in each folder . if the user wants to generate a report to list the contents of each folder after storing information in the system , they would use the folder contents marked as numeral 36 in fig2 e . furthermore , system 18 allows the user to add multiple family members into more specific user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 , and illustrated in fig2 e marked as numeral 20 , indicating 100 a , 100 b , 100 c . by using the add members feature indicated as numeral 15 in fig2 e , the user would be able to add a new family member to the system and then be able to separate stored notes and documents specific to that family member in the category databases 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 and subsequently in the category sub - databases 50 a , 50 b , 50 c indicated as numeral 30 in fig2 e and also shown in fig1 . fig2 e specifically displays family member user 100 a namely “ darren conte ” and category sub - databases ( folders ) would represent information only stored for that particular family member . if a user wanted to update the profile of this particular family member 100 a , he / she would use the update button 42 to edit the details relating to a specific user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 , and illustratively depicted in fig2 e marked as numeral 20 , indicating 100 a , 100 b , 100 c for the selected family member . if the user wanted to print the details of the selected family member ( for example 100 a ), then the user would use the print 44 button to print to an external printer a “ fact sheet ” of the family member profile details and picture on one page for a specific user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 , and illustratively depicted in fig2 e marked as numeral 20 , indicating 100 a , 100 b , 100 c for the selected family member . if the user wanted to send the details of the selected family member ( for example 100 a ), then the user would use the send 46 button to send an electronic communication to a recipient a “ fact sheet ” of the family member profile details and picture on one page for a specific user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 , and illustratively depicted in fig2 e marked as numeral 20 , indicating 100 a , 100 b , 100 c for the selected family member . this function would be available for all family members 100 a - c and any additional family members that are subsequently added to the system by the user using the add members button indicated as numeral 20 . furthermore , system 18 allows the user to send documents to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 , and illustratively depicted in fig2 e so that the documents can be stored in default folders or custom folders category sub - databases 50 a , 50 b , 50 c shown in fig1 , and indicated as numeral 30 . the user of the system can assign a dedicated unique facsimile number from the system indicated as numeral 70 and use a facsimile machine 10 d shown in fig1 to access system 18 and connect specifically to the fax server - 22 shown in fig1 to send a new document to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 . the new document will be processed by the fax server - 22 and routed to the user web pages home 48 sub - database messages indicated as 48 c shown in fig2 d , which the user of the system can access using the messages ( 1 ) button indicated as numeral 86 in fig2 e . furthermore , system 18 allows the user to send documents to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 , and illustratively depicted in fig2 e so that the documents can be stored in default folders or custom folders category sub - databases 50 a , 50 b , 50 c shown in fig1 , and indicated as numeral 30 . the user of the system is automatically assigned a unique email address which is derived by the system from the login id indicated as numeral 20 in fig2 b 1 , then adding the “@ siftsort . com ” extension to the login id , indicated as numeral 73 so that the user of the system can connect to the email server - 24 shown in fig1 to send a new document ( s ) to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 . the new document will be processed by the email server - 24 and routed to the user web pages home 48 sub - database messages indicated as 48 c shown in fig2 d , which the user of the system can access using the messages ( 1 ) button indicated as numeral 86 in fig2 e . furthermore , system 18 allows the user to send documents to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 , and illustratively depicted in fig2 e so that the documents can be stored in default folders or custom folders category sub - databases 50 a , 50 b , 50 c shown in fig1 , and indicated as numeral 30 . the user can upload a document from a computer to the system by clicking the choose file button , indicated as numeral 75 browse to a particular document on their local computer , and select that document , then click the upload button , indicated as numeral 75 so that the user of the system can connect to the ftp server - 26 shown in fig1 to transfer a new document ( s ) to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 . the new document will be processed by the ftp server - 26 and routed to the user web pages specifically to the category sub - database namely pending indicated as 62 shown in fig1 , which the user of the system can illustratively see the new document in the category sub - database pending area indicated as numeral 80 in fig2 e . the user of the system may open any document in its native program ( such as microsoft word ) by clicking the document link created by the system , indicated as numeral 80 , in which the system will automatically launch the native program from the user local computer to view the document . furthermore , system 18 allows the user to delete any new document by selecting the document check box indicated as numeral 82 in the category sub - database pending indicated as numeral 80 and proceed to delete the document by clicking the delete button indicated as numeral 84 in which the system will permanently purge the document from the category sub - database pending indicated as numeral 80 . furthermore , system 18 allows the user to move any new document ( s ) to a specific category sub - database ( folder ) 30 by selecting the document ( s ) check box indicated as numeral 82 in the category sub - database pending indicated as numeral 80 and proceed to move the document ( s ) by clicking the move to . . . button indicated as numeral 88 in which the system will prompt the user of the system to select a target category sub - database ( folders ) 50 a - 50 c from a list which derives from the current existing category sub - databases ( folders ) 50 a - 50 c for the category database ‘ life ’ indicated as numeral 50 . once the user of the system has selected the desired target category sub - database ( folder ) 50 a - 50 c , the system would move the selected document ( s ) from the category sub - database pending 62 to the selected target category sub - category ( folder ) 50 a - 50 c . furthermore , system 18 can print the unique methods to add a new document to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 by clicking the print button indicated as numeral 78 , the system will print these unique methods by sending the document to the user &# 39 ; s printer attached to their local computer . if a user of the system wanted to search the category sub - databases 50 a , 50 b , 50 c for the category databases 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 for specific content or text that matched a user provided query , the user could use the search tool 12 to search and find specific content based off of user provided queries . the user would enter in unique context in the search tool and click the go button 12 to execute the search . the system would return a listing of content that matched the query entered by the user in the search tool only for the specific user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c selected , in this fig2 e , user web pages 100 a is selected , so the search tool would only query and return content stored in the system for user web pages 100 a and not 100 b or 100 c . fig2 f is a diagram which illustratively depicts user web pages 100 b that a user would interact with the medical category database 52 by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b after successfully accessing the server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . system 18 in fig1 offers a user the ability to store personal and family information within a selection of category databases , specifically named home 48 , life 50 , medical 52 , financial 54 , contacts 56 , sharing 58 , planning 60 , pending 62 and logout 64 in fig1 and illustratively depicted as numeral 10 category databases 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 , 64 . fig2 f would specifically show the graphical user interface showing the medical category database indicated as numeral 52 . within the category database 52 are default folders which cannot be deleted or renamed by the user and are illustratively depicted in fig2 f marked as numeral 30 named category sub - database 52 a , 52 b , 52 c , 52 d , 52 e , 52 f and 52 g . these folders would allow the user to store the specific information pertaining to the subject matter of each folder for that specific category database 52 named medical . custom folders can be created for this category database by the user using the add custom folder wizard illustratively depicted in fig2 f marked as numeral 34 . when a custom folder is created the user may customize the name the folder and then proceed to save pertinent information within that new folder as they would in a default folder . custom folders may be renamed or deleted by the user of the system by using the rename custom folder wizard marked as numeral 38 in fig2 f or the delete custom folder wizard marked as numeral 32 in fig2 f . an unlimited amount of new folders can be created by the user within each category database allowing the user to store an infinite amount of information in each folder . if the user wants to generate a report to list the contents of each folder after storing information in the system , they would use the folder contents marked as numeral 36 in fig2 f . furthermore , system 18 allows the user to define multiple family members into more specific user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 , and illustratively depicted in fig2 f marked as numeral 20 , indicating 100 a , 100 b , 100 c . by using the add members feature indicated as numeral 15 in fig2 f , the user would be able to add a new family member to the system and then be able to separate stored notes and documents specific to that family member in the category databases 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 and subsequently in the category sub - databases 52 a , 52 b , 52 c , 52 d , 52 e , 52 f and 52 g shown in fig1 . fig2 f specifically displays user 100 b namely “ laurie conte ” and category sub - databases ( folders ) would represent information only stored for that particular family member . if a user wanted to update the profile of this particular family member 100 b , he / she would use the update button 42 to edit the details relating to a specific category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 for the selected family member . if the user wanted to delete a selected family member entirely , he / she would use the delete 44 button and completely remove the selected family member and the entire store notes and documents across all category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 respective to the selected family member 100 b . this delete function is only available to non - primary family members ( all family member added in addition to 100 a ) since the system requires at least one primary member be part of the system . if the user wanted to print the details of the selected family member ( for example 100 b ), then the user would use the print 46 button to print a “ fact sheet ” of the family member profile details and picture on one page for a specific category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 . if the user wanted to send the details of the selected family member ( for example 100 b ), to a recipient in electronic format , then the user would use the send 48 button to send and electronic email of a “ fact sheet ” of the family member profile details and picture on one page for a specific category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 . this function would be available for all family members 100 a , 100 b , 100 c and any additional family members that are subsequently added to the system by the user . furthermore , system 18 allows the user to send documents to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 , and illustratively depicted in fig2 f so that the documents can be stored in default folders or custom folders category sub - databases 50 a , 50 b , 50 c shown in fig1 , and indicated as numeral 30 . the user of the system can assign a dedicated unique facsimile number from the system indicated as numeral 70 and use a facsimile machine 10 d shown in fig1 to access the system 18 and connect specifically to the fax server - 22 shown in fig1 to send a new document to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 . the new document will be processed by the fax server - 22 and routed to the user web pages home 48 sub - database messages indicated as 48 c shown in fig2 d , which the user of the system can access using the messages ( 1 ) button indicated as numeral 86 in fig2 f . furthermore , system 18 allows the user to send documents to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 , and illustratively depicted in fig2 f so that the documents can be stored in default folders or custom folders category sub - databases 50 a , 50 b , 50 c shown in fig1 , and indicated as numeral 30 . the user of the system is automatically assigned a unique email address which is derived by the system from the login id indicated as numeral 20 in fig2 b 1 , then adding the “@ siftsort . com ” extension to the login id , indicated as numeral 73 so that the user of the system can connect to the email server - 24 shown in fig1 to send a new document ( s ) to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 . the new document will be processed by the email server - 24 and routed to the user web pages home 48 sub - database messages indicated as 48 c shown in fig2 d , which the user of the system can access using the messages ( 1 ) button indicated as numeral 86 in fig2 f . furthermore , system 18 allows the user to send documents to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 , and illustratively depicted in fig2 f so that the documents can be stored in default folders or custom folders category sub - databases 50 a , 50 b , 50 c shown in fig1 , and indicated as numeral 30 . the user can upload a document from a computer to the system by clicking the choose file button , indicated as numeral 75 browse to a particular document on their local computer , and select that document , then click the upload button , indicated as numeral 75 so that the user of the system can connect to the ftp server - 26 shown in fig1 to transfer a new document ( s ) to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 . the new document will be processed by the ftp server - 26 and routed to the user web pages specifically to the category sub - database namely pending indicated as 62 shown in fig1 , which the user of the system can illustratively see the new document in the category sub - database pending area indicated as numeral 80 in fig2 f . the user of the system may open any document in its native program ( such as microsoft word ) by clicking the document link created by the system , indicated as numeral 80 , in which the system will automatically launch the native program from the user local computer to view the document . furthermore , system 18 allows the user to delete any new document by selecting the document check box indicated as numeral 82 in the category sub - database pending indicated as numeral 80 and proceed to delete the document by clicking the delete button indicated as numeral 84 in which the system will permanently purge the document from the category sub - database pending indicated as numeral 80 . furthermore , system 18 allows the user to move any new document ( s ) to a specific category sub - database ( folder ) 30 by selecting the document ( s ) check box indicated as numeral 82 in the category sub - database pending indicated as numeral 80 and proceed to move the document ( s ) by clicking the move to . . . button indicated as numeral 88 in which the system will prompt the user of the system to select a target category sub - database ( folders ) 50 a - 50 c from a list which derives from the current existing category sub - databases ( folders ) 50 a - 50 c for the category database ‘ life ’ indicated as numeral 50 . once the user of the system has selected the desired target category sub - database ( folder ) 50 a - 50 c , the system would move the selected document ( s ) from the category sub - database pending 62 to the selected target category sub - category ( folder ) 50 a - 50 c . furthermore , system 18 can print the unique methods to add a new document to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 by clicking the print button indicated as numeral 78 , the system will print these unique methods by sending the document to the user &# 39 ; s printer attached to their local computer . if a user of the system wanted to search the category sub - databases 52 a , 52 b , 52 c , 52 d , 52 e , 52 f , 52 g for the category databases 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 for specific content or text that matched a user provided query , the user could use the search tool 12 to search and find specific content based off of user provided queries . the user would enter in unique context in the search tool and click the go button 12 to execute the search . the system would return a listing of content that matched the query entered by the user in the search tool only for the specific user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c selected , in this fig2 f , user web pages 100 b is selected , so the search tool would only query and return content stored in the system for user web pages 100 b and not 100 a or 100 c . fig2 g is a diagram which illustratively depicts user web pages 100 c that a user would interact with the financial category database 54 by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b after successfully accessing the server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . system 18 in fig1 offers a user the ability to store personal and family information within a selection of category databases , specifically named home 48 , life 50 , medical 52 , financial 54 , contacts 56 , sharing 58 , planning 60 , pending 62 and logout 64 in fig1 and illustrated illustratively as numeral 10 category databases 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 , 64 . fig2 g would specifically show the graphical user interface showing the financial category database indicated as numeral 54 . within the category database 54 are default folders which cannot be deleted or renamed by the user and are illustratively depicted in fig2 g marked as numeral 30 named category sub - database 54 a , 54 b , 54 c , 54 d , 54 e , 54 f and 54 g . these folders would allow the user to store the specific information pertaining to the subject matter of each folder for that specific category database 54 named financial . custom folders can be created for this category database by the user using the add custom folder wizard illustratively depicted in fig2 g marked as numeral 34 . when a custom folder is created the user may customize the name the folder and then proceed to save pertinent information within that new folder as they would in a default folder . custom folders may be renamed or deleted by the user of the system by using the rename custom folder wizard marked as numeral 38 in fig2 g or the delete custom folder wizard marked as numeral 32 in fig2 g . an unlimited amount of new folders can be created by the user within each category database allowing the user to store an infinite amount of information in each folder . if the user wants to generate a report to list the contents of each folder after storing information in the system , they would use the folder contents marked as numeral 36 in fig2 g . furthermore , system 18 allows the user to define multiple family members into more specific user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 , and illustratively depicted in fig2 g marked as numeral 20 , indicating 100 a , 100 b , and 100 c . by using the add members feature indicated as numeral 15 in fig2 g , the user would be able to add a new family member to the system and then be able to separate stored notes and documents specific to that family member in the category databases 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 and subsequently in the category sub - databases 54 a , 54 b , 54 c , 54 d , 54 e , 54 f and 54 g shown in fig1 . fig2 g specifically displays user 100 c namely “ shannon conte ” and category sub - databases ( folders ) would represent information only stored for that particular family member . if a user wanted to update the profile of this particular family member 100 c , he / she would use the update button 42 to edit the details relating to a specific category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 for the selected family member . if the user wanted to delete a selected family member entirely , he / she would use the delete 44 button and completely remove the selected family member and the entire store notes and documents across all category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 respective to the selected family member 100 c . this delete function is only available to non - primary family members ( all family member added in addition to 100 a ) since the system requires at least one primary member be part of the system . if the user wanted to print the details of the selected family member ( for example 100 c ), then the user would use the print 46 button to print a “ fact sheet ” of the family member profile details and picture on one page for a specific category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 . if the user wanted to send the details of the selected family member ( for example 100 c ), to a recipient in electronic format , then the user would use the send 48 button to send and electronic email of a “ fact sheet ” of the family member profile details and picture on one page for a specific category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 . this function would be available for all family members 100 a , 100 b , 100 c and any additional family members that are subsequently added to the system by the user . furthermore , system 18 allows the user to send documents to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 , and illustratively depicted in fig2 g so that the documents can be stored in default folders or custom folders category sub - databases 50 a , 50 b , 50 c shown in fig1 , and indicated as numeral 30 . the user of the system can assign a dedicated unique facsimile number from the system indicated as numeral 70 and use a facsimile machine 10 d shown in fig1 to access the system 18 and connect specifically to the fax server - 22 shown in fig1 to send a new document to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 . the new document will be processed by the fax server - 22 and routed to the user web pages home 48 sub - database messages indicated as 48 c shown in fig2 d , which the user of the system can access using the messages ( 1 ) button indicated as numeral 86 in fig2 g . furthermore , system 18 allows the user to send documents to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 , and illustratively depicted in fig2 g so that the documents can be stored in default folders or custom folders category sub - databases 50 a , 50 b , 50 c shown in fig1 , and indicated as numeral 30 . the user of the system is automatically assigned a unique email address which is derived by the system from the login id indicated as numeral 20 in fig2 b 1 , then adding the “@ siftsort . com ” extension to the login id , indicated as numeral 73 so that the user of the system can connect to the email server - 24 shown in fig1 to send a new document ( s ) to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 . the new document will be processed by the email server - 24 and routed to the user web pages home 48 sub - database messages indicated as 48 c shown in fig2 d , which the user of the system can access using the messages ( 1 ) button indicated as numeral 86 in fig2 g . furthermore , system 18 allows the user to send documents to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 , and illustratively depicted in fig2 g so that the documents can be stored in default folders or custom folders category sub - databases 50 a , 50 b , 50 c shown in fig1 , and indicated as numeral 30 . the user can upload a document from a computer to the system by clicking the choose file button , indicated as numeral 75 browse to a particular document on their local computer , and select that document , then click the upload button , indicated as numeral 75 so that the user of the system can connect to the ftp server - 26 shown in fig1 to transfer a new document ( s ) to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 . the new document will be processed by the ftp server - 26 and routed to the user web pages specifically to the category sub - database namely pending indicated as 62 shown in fig1 , which the user of the system can illustratively see the new document in the category sub - database pending area indicated as numeral 80 in fig2 g . the user of the system may open any document in its native program ( such as microsoft word ) by clicking the document link created by the system , indicated as numeral 80 , in which the system will automatically launch the native program from the user local computer to view the document . furthermore , system 18 allows the user to delete any new document by selecting the document check box indicated as numeral 82 in the category sub - database pending indicated as numeral 80 and proceed to delete the document by clicking the delete button indicated as numeral 84 in which the system will permanently purge the document from the category sub - database pending indicated as numeral 80 . furthermore , system 18 allows the user to move any new document ( s ) to a specific category sub - database ( folder ) 30 by selecting the document ( s ) check box indicated as numeral 82 in the category sub - database pending indicated as numeral 80 and proceed to move the document ( s ) by clicking the move to . . . button indicated as numeral 88 in which the system will prompt the user of the system to select a target category sub - database ( folders ) 50 a - 50 c from a list which derives from the current existing category sub - databases ( folders ) 50 a - 50 c for the category database ‘ life ’ indicated as numeral 50 . once the user of the system has selected the desired target category sub - database ( folder ) 50 a - 50 c , the system would move the selected document ( s ) from the category sub - database pending 62 to the selected target category sub - category ( folder ) 50 a - 50 c . furthermore , system 18 can print the unique methods to add a new document to the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 by clicking the print button indicated as numeral 78 , the system will print these unique methods by sending the document to the user &# 39 ; s printer attached to their local computer . if a user of the system wanted to search the category sub - databases 54 a , 54 b , 54 c , 54 d , 54 e , 54 f , 54 g for the category databases 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 for specific content or text that matched a user provided query , the user could use the search tool 12 to search and find specific content based off of user provided queries . the user would enter in unique context in the search tool and click the go button 12 to execute the search . the system would return a listing of content that matched the query entered by the user in the search tool only for the specific user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c selected , in this fig2 g , user web pages 100 c is selected , so the search tool would only query and return content stored in the system for user web pages 100 c and not 100 a or 100 b . fig2 h is a diagram which illustratively depicts user web pages 100 a that a user would interact with the contacts category database 56 by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b after successfully accessing the server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with the teachings of this invention . system 18 in fig1 offers a user the ability to store personal and family information within a selection of category databases , specifically named home 48 , life 50 , medical 52 , financial 54 , contacts 56 , sharing 58 , planning 60 , pending 62 and logout 64 in fig1 and illustratively depicted as numeral 10 category databases 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 , 64 . fig2 g would specifically show the graphical user interface showing the contacts category database indicated as numeral 56 . within the category database 56 are default folders which cannot be deleted or renamed by the user and are illustratively depicted in fig2 h marked as numeral 30 named category sub - database 56 a , 56 b . these folders would allow the user to store the specific information pertaining to the subject matter of each folder for that specific category database 56 named contacts . custom folders can be created for this category database by the user using the add custom folder wizard illustratively depicted in fig2 h marked as numeral 34 . when a custom folder is created the user may customize the name the folder and then proceed to save pertinent information within that new folder as they would in a default folder . custom folders may be renamed or deleted by the user of the system by using the rename custom folder wizard marked as numeral 38 in fig2 h or the delete custom folder wizard marked as numeral 32 in fig2 h . an unlimited amount of new folders can be created by the user within each category database allowing the user to store an infinite amount of information in each folder . if the user wants to generate a report to list the contents of each folder after storing information in the system , they would use the folder contents marked as numeral 36 in fig2 h . furthermore , system 18 allows the user to define multiple family members into more specific user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c shown in fig1 , and illustratively depicted in fig2 h marked as numeral 20 , indicating 100 a , 100 b , and 100 c . by using the add members feature indicated as numeral 15 in fig2 h , the user would be able to add a new family member to the system and then be able to separate stored notes and documents specific to that family member in the category databases 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 and subsequently in the category sub - databases 56 a , 56 b shown in fig1 . fig2 h specifically displays user 100 a namely “ darren conte ” and category sub - databases ( folders ) would represent information only stored for that particular family member . if a user wanted to update the profile of this particular family member 100 a , he / she would use the update button 40 to edit the details relating to a specific category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 for the selected family member . if the user wanted to print the details of the selected family member ( for example 100 a ), then the user would use the print 42 button to print a “ fact sheet ” of the family member profile details and picture on one page for a specific category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 . if the user wanted to send the details of the selected family member ( for example 100 a ), to a recipient in electronic format , then the user would use the send 44 button to send and electronic email of a “ fact sheet ” of the family member profile details and picture on one page for a specific category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 . this function would be available for all family members 100 a , 100 b , 100 c and any additional family members that are subsequently added to the system by the user . if a user of the system wanted to search the category sub - databases 56 a , 56 b or the category databases 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 for specific content or text that matched a user provided query , the user could use the search tool 12 to search and find specific content based off of user provided queries . the user would enter in unique context in the search tool and click the go button 12 to execute the search . the system would return a listing of content that matched the query entered by the user in the search tool only for the specific user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c selected , in this fig2 h , user web pages 100 a is selected , so the search tool would only query and return content stored in the system for user web pages 100 a and not 100 b or 100 c . fig2 i is a diagram which illustratively depicts user web pages 100 a - c that a user would interact with the sharing category database 58 by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b after successfully accessing the server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . system 18 in fig1 offers a user the ability to store personal and family information within a selection of category databases , specifically named home 48 , life 50 , medical 52 , financial 54 , contacts 56 , sharing 58 , planning 60 , pending 62 and logout 64 in fig1 and illustratively depicts as numeral 10 category databases 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 , 64 . fig2 i would specifically show the graphical user interface showing the sharing category database indicated as numeral 58 . within the category database 58 are listed all the default folders and custom folders for all which by the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c and are illustratively depicted in fig2 h marked as numeral 15 named category sub - databases 50 a - c , 52 a - g , 54 a - g , 56 a - b . sharing is a unique hierarchy component of the system which allows a user of the system to share particular note ( s ) or document ( s ) stored in a particular category sub - databases 50 a - c , 52 a - g , 54 a - g , 56 a - b , the entire category sub - databases 50 a - c , 52 a - g , 54 a - g , 56 a - b or the entire user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c . these sharing tools and functions are further described below in fig6 . 0 - 6 . 1 and fig6 a - 6c . as previously described , a user can add an unlimited number of notes and documents into system 18 and securely store the notes and documents into category sub - databases or folders 50 a - c , 52 a - g , 54 a - g , 56 a - c sorted by user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c . the system allows the user to share the notes and documents using the advanced sharing feature . after successfully accessing the system , the user would use the category database 58 known as ‘ sharing ’ 10 . to enable the sharing feature , the user would have to “ agree ” to the access permission disclosure agreement 20 which would activate the sharing capabilities for the users account . once the sharing capabilities have been activated , the user would then be able to select a particular family member 35 , and proceed to further select category databases 45 for the previously selected family member . once a category database has been selected , the user would select a category sub - database or folder 55 and ultimately a particular note or document stored within these folders . by selecting a specific folder , or note or document 55 , they system would temporarily place these selected records and documents in the sharing queue 70 . the user can add as many notes and documents to the sharing queue . the sharing queue keeps track of the exact location of each selected note and document . when the user has finished selecting notes and documents , the user must then assign recipients to each selected note and document using the recipients assigned tool 75 . the recipients assigned tool is similar to the assign contact to a note procedure explained in fig3 b , in which it would allow the user to choose from all the stored contact records in the category database 56 known as ‘ contacts ’ and tag a particular email address of each selected contact as a recipient of the particular shared note and document placed in the sharing queue . if a valid email address does not exist , the recipients assigned tool would sound an alarm , forcing the user to enter in a valid email address . once all of the sharing recipients have been assigned to the appropriate category databases , the user would then have to send now 80 a sharing email link . this process allows the user to review the contact names who have been assigned sharing privileges before the sharing email link is sent to the intended recipients , in recipients assigned tool 75 . after the encrypted email has been sent the user may also generate a report 90 showing the list of who has been granted sharing privileges to the user account . the system would automatically begin to generate an access history log 95 which would record current session activity and securely store this information within the user account for future reference . the access history log 95 would record information such as date , time , ip address and internet service provider , when the recipients access the shared notes and documents , further described in fig6 . 1 below . fig2 j is a diagram which illustratively depicts user web pages 100 a - c that a user would interact with the planning category database 60 by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b after successfully accessing the server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . within the category database ‘ planning ’ 60 are multiple sub - components called content listings , indicated as get organized 20 , estate planning 40 , natural disasters 42 and elderly care 45 . content listings are features in system 18 which use application programming interface , also known as apis , which is programmed to dynamically lookup relative content from external sources residing on the internet based off of preset keywords , which results are then illustratively depicted in a sortable format indicated as numeral 25 . at anytime , the user may click in the hyperlink 27 associated with the content generated by the system to open a new browser window to read the content , without terminating their session within the system . the user may also use a search tool 30 to refine the or alter the preset keywords programmed into the system to dynamically lookup relative content from external sources residing on the internet and ultimately dynamically alter the results shown in numeral 25 . similarly , there are different preset keywords and external sources to the system that are programmed into the system to display other relative content , indicated as numeral 38 and the user would use the search tool 35 to search on relative keywords within those programmed external sources to further refine the content listed by the system , indicated as numeral 38 . each other content listing , indicated as estate planning 40 , natural disasters 42 and elderly care 45 are similarly programmed with application programming interfaces , also known as apis , which are programmed to dynamically lookup different relative content from external sources residing on the internet based off of preset keywords , related to the subject matter named for each content listing which results are then illustratively illustrated in a sortable format indicated as numeral 25 and numeral 38 respectively , providing the user of the system a mechanism of reading externally generated content from within the system , relative to their user profile and notes and documents stored on the system . fig2 k is a diagram which illustratively depicts user web pages 100 a - c that a user would interact with the logout category database 64 by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b after successfully accessing the server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with the teachings of this invention . after securely accessing the system , the user can end the session with the system by using the category database 60 which would instruct the system to disconnect the browser 10 a or the mobile device 10 b from the system and remove the cookie session associated with the session to ensure a secure disconnect has occurred . after the user of the system has performed a logout of the system , in order to access the system again , the user would need to reestablish a session by performing a logon , described previously in fig2 a and fig2 c . fig3 is a flow diagram which illustratively depicts the process by which the user uses a client system login shown in fig2 to access the website and its server system shown in fig1 to add , edit or delete the stored note ( s ) using the proprietary database screen shown in fig3 a in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . as described earlier , system 18 is capable of storing two types of information within the category sub - databases ( folders ) 48 a - c , 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c , 58 a - c , 60 a - c shown in fig1 and illustratively depicted as numeral 30 in fig2 e , 2 f , 2 g , 2 h . the following diagram illustratively depicts how the user of the system would add , edit and delete notes stored within the system . in one illustrative embodiment of the present invention , and explained in respect to flow diagram fig3 , a user can use a plurality of client systems in step 200 , which include browser 10 a and mobile device 10 b to enter and send the notes to system 18 over link 16 shown in fig1 . once a user is securely connected to system 18 , the system automatically generates access log file 205 which records current session activity and securely stores information within the user account for accessibility in the future . for additional security , the session with the system will expire and logoff from the user session if no activity is detected for 30 minutes . the user would be required to log back into the system as described in fig2 . the user would be able to choose from a selection of category databases 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 as shown in step 210 . after a user is connect to the selected category database , they can select user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c or create a new user web page ( i . e . 100 d ) as shown in step 215 also known as family members which would represent the multiple family members as defined by the account holder who has signed up for the service . upon selection of a user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c , the user of the system can choose from a selection of default category sub - database 48 a - c , 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 58 a - c , 60 a - c in step 220 or create a new category sub - database ( i . e . d ) to store the notes . once a user has selected a specific category sub - database , in step 230 the user would choose between adding new notes or editing or deleting existing notes by using the default proprietary database screen fig3 a or fig3 c in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . if a user chooses to add a new note in step 232 , they would be prompted by a default selection of database fields illustratively displayed by proprietary database screen ( see fig3 a ) in step 234 and then begin to fill - in database fields with the appropriate unique information . after the user had finished entering in the personal information into the default or customized database fields illustratively displayed in proprietary database screen fig3 a the user would be given the opportunity to save the new information in step 236 . if the user chooses to save the information in step 238 the note would be successfully saved in step 242 placing the note ( s ) into the specific category sub - database also known as a folder chosen in step 220 , hence adding the note to the specific user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c chosen in step 215 and adding the note to the database server 18 d in fig1 . if the user chooses to discard the information that was entered into the database fields in step 234 they may discard all personal information in step 240 and the note will not be added to the specific user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c chosen in step 215 and not added to the database server 18 d in fig1 . as further shown and explained with respect to the flow diagram of fig3 , the notes that are stored in the category sub - database 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c , 58 a - c and 60 a - c can be edited by the user in step 256 which would edit the note information or contents stored in the category sub - database selected in step 220 . the user would be prompted in step 258 to view and edit the personal information already stored in the database fields illustratively displayed in proprietary database screen ( see fig3 c ). once the user edited the personal information stored in the database fields displayed in proprietary database screen the user would be given the opportunity in step 260 to save the changes made to the note . if the user chooses to save the edited information in step 258 then in step 264 the note would be successfully saved in step 266 placing the note into the specific category sub - database also known as a folder chosen in step 220 , hence adding the note to the specific user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c chosen in step 215 and adding the note to the database server 18 d in fig1 . if the user chooses to cancel the changes made to the information that was edited into the database fields in step 258 they may discard all edited information in step 262 and the original note will not be altered in the specific user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c chosen in step 215 and not altering the database server 18 d in fig1 . as further shown and explained with respect to the flow diagram of fig3 , the notes that are stored in the category sub - database 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c , 58 a - c and 60 a - c can be deleted by the user in step 244 which would delete the note information and contents stored in the category sub - database selected in step 220 . the user would be prompted in step 246 to view the personal information already stored in the database fields illustratively displayed in proprietary database screen fig3 c . if the user decided to delete the personal information stored in the database fields displayed in proprietary database screen ( see fig3 c ) the user would be given the opportunity to permanently delete the note in step 248 . if the user chooses to delete the information from step 246 then in step 252 the note would be successfully deleted in step 254 removing the note from the specific category sub - database also known as a folder chosen in step 220 , hence permanently deleting the note from the specific user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c chosen in step 215 and deleting the note to the database server 18 d in fig1 . if the user chooses not to delete the information that was viewed in the database fields , then in step 246 they may discard all intentions to delete the note in step 250 and the original note will not be altered in the specific user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c and ultimately not altering the database server 18 d in fig1 . fig3 a is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface of a typical proprietary database screen representing how note ( s ) are securely added within a typical category sub - database ( folder ) that which a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to access the website and its server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . system 18 in fig1 offers a user the ability to store personal and family notes within a selection of category sub - category ( folders ) 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c , illustratively depicted as numeral 10 specifically category sub - database ( folder ) 50 c in fig3 a . these folders would allow the user to store the specific information pertaining to the subject matter of each folder — for this example that specific category sub - database ( folder ) 50 c is named identification . the users would open the desired category sub - database ( folder ) to display the open category sub - database ( folder ) view indicated as numeral 20 . on the notes tab indicated as numeral 22 , the user may create a new note by clicking on the add new note button indicated as numeral 24 . once this button as been pressed , a new window is opened showing the add new note proprietary database screen indicated as numeral 30 . the user may then enter in the specific information pertaining to note in the proprietary fields provided by the system indicated as numeral 32 . these fields are unique in the respect that they are specifically referring to data that would pertain exclusively to the subject matter indicated by the name of the category sub - database ( folder ). by using the lookup function indicated as numeral 34 a user can assign a contact record from the contact category database ( indicated as numeral 56 in fig1 ) and dynamically display the contact record details on the add new note screen indicated as numeral 30 thus associating two individual records together through a link and displaying the information into the fields indicated as numeral 35 . since the database screen only displays a few fields that are assigned from the chosen contact record as shown in numeral 35 , the edit details function indicated as numeral 36 would allow the user to view and edit all the fields within the contact record stored in the contacts database , numeral 56 in fig1 . the user may also remove the assigned contact record by using the remove lookup button indicated as numeral 38 . the proprietary database that provides the fields for each record has the unique ability to dynamically add custom fields that would pertain to the specific note being added to the system . by using the additional information fields indicated as numeral 41 the user would be offered a selection of additional fields that are provided by the system to dynamically add into the note . if the user wishes to add their own custom fields to the note they may do so by typing in the blank spaces indicated also as numeral 41 . these text spaces can be used to define and describe the field and the pertaining information associated with it . if the user needs to add more additional information fields , they may use the add more button indicated as numeral 40 . if the user has decided to remove any of the custom fields that have been added , he / she may click on the remove selection boxes indicated in numeral 42 which would highlight the particular custom field then click the remove button also indicated as numeral 43 . this would then remove the custom field and all of its values from the note . once the data has been successfully entered into the note , the user would then have the choice to save the note or discard the note and not save any information . if the user wishes to save the note to the system , he / she would click the ok button indicated as numeral 44 , which would then save the note to the category sub - database ( folder ). should the user wish to discard the note completely , he / she would click the cancel button indicated as numeral 45 which would discard the note contents from the category sub - database ( folder ). an unlimited amount of new notes can be created by the user within each category sub - database ( folder ) allowing the user to store an infinite amount of information . if the user wants to generate a report to list the notes of each category sub - database ( folder ) after storing information in the system , they would use the folder contents report later described in fig3 d . fig3 b — assign a contact record to a new note in a category sub - database fig3 b is a diagram which illustratively depicts the proprietary database screen that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to assign a contact record to a typical category sub - database ( folder ) in the server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . as previously described in fig3 a , a user can assign a contact record from the category database 56 known as contacts , into a new note that is to be stored in a different category database — in this example category database 50 known as life . fig3 b illustratively depicts the database screen that the user would utilize to assign the contact record to the new note within the particular category sub - database ( folder ). as described earlier , the user would open the desired category sub - database ( folder ) indicated as numeral 10 to display the open category sub - database ( folder ) view indicated in numeral 20 . the user would display the notes tab indicated as numeral 22 then click the add new note button indicated as numeral 24 to view the add a new note screen indicated as numeral 30 . the user would then click the lookup button indicated as numeral 34 to display the lookup contact screen indicated as numeral 40 . it is here , that the user can select and assign a particular contact record that is stored in the category database named contacts and as shown as numeral 56 in fig1 in which the contents of this database are illustratively illustrated as numeral 41 . the user of the system may select the category sub - database ( folder ) tree from the pull - down menu indicated as numeral 42 to choose a particular category sub - database ( folder ) of contact records . to assign an existing contact record from the chosen category sub - database ( folder ) the user would select the checkbox indicated as numeral 43 next to the desired contact record and then click the assign contact button indicated as numeral 44 . that function would automatically display the information in the fields indicated as numeral 35 in the add a new note screen indicated as numeral 30 . if the desired contact record in which the user wishes to assign does not exist in the category database 56 , the user may dynamically add a new contact by clicking the add new contact button indicated as numeral 46 which would add a new contact to the contact database 56 , in which the user may then select the newly added contact to have it assigned to the new note in the fields indicated as numeral 35 . should a user notice that the desired contact to be assigned has incorrect information within its contact record , the user may use the edit / view contact button indicated as numeral 48 to edit the contact record prior to assigning it to the new note in the add a new note screen indicated as numeral 30 . once the contact record has been successfully assigned to the new note screen , the user may continue entering the remaining data needed to complete the new note screen indicated as numeral 30 . fig3 c is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface of a typical category sub - database ( folder ) view showing how note ( s ) are securely stored within a typical category sub - database ( folder ) that which a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to access the website and its server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . as previously described , a user can add notes to a category sub - database ( folder ) using the proprietary database screen indicated as numeral 30 in fig3 a . fig3 c shows a typical category sub - database ( folder ), in this case , category sub - database ( folder ) 50 c as indicated in numeral 10 illustratively depicts the notes tab indicated as numeral 20 which would list the stored notes created by the user indicated as numeral 30 . if a user chooses to edit a stored note , he / she may select the target note by placing a check in the box indicated as numeral 22 and then use the edit / view note button indicated as numeral 24 which would allow the user to alter the information that is stored within the note . the user may also choose to delete the note and may do so by placing a check in the box indicated as numeral 22 next to the desired note and then by using the delete note button indicated as numeral 26 to delete the note from the system . a warning message would appear asking the user to confirm the deletion of the note from the system and once confirmed by the user , the note and all of the information stored within the note would be permanently removed from the system . a user of the system may choose to send the note from the target category sub - database ( folder ) to a recipient which the user may do so by placing a check in the box indicated as numeral 22 and then by using the send note button indicated as numeral 40 to send the note from the category sub - database ( folder ) to an external recipient ( s ) using the system email server - 24 or fax server - 22 indicated in fig1 which is further described in fig3 e . a user of the system may choose to print the note from the target category sub - database ( folder ) to a local connected printer by placing a check in the box indicated as numeral 22 and then by using the print note button indicated as numeral 50 to print the note to a designated printer which may be connected to the user &# 39 ; s local computer . a user of the system may choose to e - notary the document from the target category sub - database ( folder ) by securely routing the document through the veroha e - notarytrust system for official notarization using the e - notary wizard which the user may do so by placing a check in the box indicated as numeral 22 and then by using the e - notary button indicated as numeral 60 to initiate the e - notary wizard and connect to the veroha e - notarytrust system using the system web server - 20 and the email server - 24 indicated in fig1 which is further described in fig9 , 9 a 1 - 9 a 7 , below . fig3 d is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface generated by the folder contents report function showing all note ( s ) stored within a typical category database that which a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to access the website and its server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . indicated as numeral 36 in fig2 e , 2 f , 2 g , 2 h a user can display all notes stored in all category sub - databases ( folder ) by using the folder contents report function . once this button is pressed by the user , a report is instantly generated displaying all notes stored within all category sub - databases ( folder ) as indicated as numeral 10 in fig3 d . on the notes tab of this folder contents report indicated as numeral 20 the list would display the note files as name indicated as numeral 30 as well as the location of each particular notes in the particular category databases indicated as numeral 40 . the location indicates the specific category database indicated as numeral 42 , followed by the specific user web page indicated by numeral 44 , followed by the specific category sub - database ( folder ) indicated by numeral 46 . the user could also print the folder contents report by using the print function button indicated as numeral 15 . fig3 e is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to send a note stored within all category sub - databases ( folders ) in the server system using the email server - 24 or fax server - 22 shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . as previously described , a user can send notes from a category sub - database ( folder ) using the send note button indicated as numeral 40 in fig3 c and illustratively depicted as number 10 in fig3 e . the user of the system would select the notes tab indicated as numeral 12 and select a desired note by placing a check in the box indicated as numeral 15 then clicking the send note button 18 to initiate the send process . once this send note button indicated as number 18 is pressed by the user , the send wizard screen appears 20 in which the selected note is carried forward 22 and the user is presented with a choice of sending the note using either the fax server protocol or the email server protocol 25 . the user of the system can select one protocol by placing a check in the respective check box the clicking the next button 29 . if the user of the system decides to cancel the send wizard at this point , the user may click the cancel button 27 . in this example , the email protocol is selected and demonstrated and is similar to the fax protocol process except that the send wizard will deliver the selected note using the email server - 24 to an email address of the desired recipients . when the fax protocol is selected , the send wizard will deliver the selected note using the fax server - 22 to a facsimile number of the desired recipients . when next button 29 is pressed , the next send wizard screen 30 prompts a user of the system to assign a contact recipient ( s ) 33 to the receive the selected note carried forward and indicated as numeral 22 . the user can enter in recipient email address or facsimile number in the space provided 33 or perform a lookup of the recipients email address or facsimile number in the contacts database 56 by using the to . . . button indicated as numeral 32 . if the user needed to return to the previous send wizard screen , the user may click the back button indicated as numeral 36 . if the user of the system decides to cancel the send wizard at this point , the user may click the cancel button 38 . by clicking the to . . . button indicated as numeral 32 the contact listing screen would appear indicated as numeral 40 which would allow the user of the system to choose the desired recipient ( s ) to receive the selected note 22 . the user of the system has many selections to find the desired recipient ( s ) which the user can do by placing a check in the box 42 to select a contact recipient ( s ) then clicking the assign contact button indicated as numeral 43 . this would automatically populate the desired email address or facsimile number into the recipient &# 39 ; s field indicated as numeral 33 . the user may also browse to find other recipients by using the pull - down menu indicated as numeral 49 to browse other category sub - database ( folders ) indicated as numeral 30 in fig2 h in the category database 56 shown in fig1 and also indicated as contacts 56 in fig2 h for all user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c indicated as numeral 20 in fig2 h . the user of the system may also click add a new contact 44 to dynamically add a new contact to the system and category database 56 and then select and assign it as a recipient using numeral 42 and 43 respectively . the system also allows the user to import recipients from other external systems into the category database 56 by using the import contacts button 46 . the import contacts wizard allows contact information to be imported from any external system such as an external email program such as microsoft outlook , or online services such as google contacts . the user of the system may also update an email address or facsimile number dynamically to an existing recipient contact record stored in the category database 56 by using the edit / view contact 48 button to update the contact record before the user selects and assigns it as a recipient using numeral 42 and 43 respectively . as soon as the user of the system selects and assigns a recipients ( s ) the user of the system would then finalize the send wizard by clicking the send button indicated as numeral 39 . the system would use the respective fax server - 22 or the email server - 24 of the system 18 indicated in fig1 to send the selected note 22 to the desired recipient ( s ) facsimile number or email addresses respectfully . once completely , the system would display a confirmation screen 55 to the user of the system that the message has been successfully sent by the system o the desired recipient ( s ) facsimile number or email addresses . fig4 is a flow diagram which illustratively depicts the process by which the user uses a client system login shown in fig2 to access the website and its server system shown in fig1 to add , edit , move or delete documents in accordance with the teachings of this invention . in one illustrative embodiment of this invention , and explained in respect to the flow diagram of fig4 , a user can use a plurality of client systems in step 300 , which include a browser 10 a , a mobile device 10 b and a facsimile machine 10 d to enter and send the documents to the system 18 over the link 16 . once a user is securely connected to the system 18 , the system would automatically begin to generate a log file 305 which would record current session activity and securely store this information within the user account for future reference . for additional security , the session with the system will expire and logoff from the user session if no activity is detected for 30 minutes . the user would be required to log back into the system as described in fig2 . the user would be able to choose from a selection of category databases 48 , 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , 58 , 60 as shown in step 310 . after a user is connect to the selected category database , they can select a user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c or create a new user web page ( i . e . d ) as shown in step 315 also known as family members which would represent the multiple family members as defined by the account holder who has signed up for the service . after a specific user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c is selected , the user of the system can choose from a selection of default category sub - database also known as folders 48 a - c , 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 58 a - c , 60 a - c in step 320 or create a new category sub - database ( folder ) ( i . e . d ) to store the documents . once a user has selected a specific category sub - database ( folder ), in step 330 the user would choose between adding a new document or editing or deleting an existing document in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . if a user decides to add a new document in step 340 , they would be prompted by a default selection of methods to add a new document in step 342 which would include to fax , email or upload a new document into the system 18 over the link 16 and securely store it within the database server 18 d in fig1 . as further described by fig4 , if a user chose to fax a document in step 344 that would indicate that a facsimile document specifically would be stored in to the system 18 . a user would use their own client system 10 in fig1 , specifically a facsimile machine 10 d in fig1 to fax the desired document to our system 18 using a pre - assigned fax number generated by the fax server 22 in fig1 in step 344 . once a user has successfully faxed in a new facsimile document , it is passed through the system 18 by the fax server 22 in fig1 and converted from its original format to a portable document format ( pdf ) in step 345 . during step 345 the file is reduced in size , which is to save storage space in the database server 18 d , and then sent to the home 48 in fig1 more specifically , new messages 48 c in fig1 and illustrated as 348 where the new document will reside for the user of the system to either accept or delete 351 the new document from the system 18 . if the user of the systems decided to delete 352 the new document , the new document would be purged from the system 18 . if the user of the systems decided to accept 353 the new document , the new document would be added to the system 18 and stored in the pending 62 fig1 container within the user specific account in step 354 , where it will be stored for the user . the user may then select the chosen category sub - database ( folder ) from step 320 , move the newly created document file from the pending 62 into that chosen category sub - database ( folder ) selected in step 355 . when the new document file is moved to the selected category sub - database ( folder ), the user will be prompted to enter in specific information within default fields that will be illustratively displayed in the proprietary database screen 356 and further described in fig4 a . once the user added the specific information stored in the database fields displayed in proprietary database screen 356 the new document would be successfully saved in step 357 placing the document into the specific category sub - database ( folder ) chosen in step 355 , hence adding the document to the specific user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c chosen in step 315 and ultimately adding the document to the database server 18 d in fig1 . if a user decides to add a new document in step 340 , they would be prompted by a default selection of methods to add a new document in step 342 which would be to fax , email or upload a new document in to the system 18 over the link 16 and securely store it within the specific user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c and ultimately storing the documents in the database server 18 d in fig1 . as further described by fig4 , if a user chose to e - mail a document in step 346 that would indicate that an assortment of documents may be sent to be stored in to the system 18 . a user would use their own client system 10 in fig1 , specifically a browser 10 a or a mobile device 10 b in fig1 to email the desired document ( s ) as an attachment file to our system 18 using a pre - assigned email address generated by the email server 24 in fig1 in step 342 . once a user has successfully emailed in a new document , it is passed through the system 18 by the email server 24 in fig1 and scanned for viruses in step 349 . if step 349 fails to clean the document of a virus , an alarm is sounded in step 350 . if the virus scan in step 349 is successful , the file is then sent to the home 48 in fig1 more specifically , new messages 48 c in fig1 and illustrated as 348 where the new document will reside for the user of the system to either accept or delete 351 the new document from the system 18 . if the user of the systems decided to delete 352 the new document , the new document would be purged from the system 18 . if the user of the systems decided to accept 353 the new document , the new document would be added to the system 18 and stored in the pending 62 fig1 container within the user specific account in step 354 , where it will be stored for the user . the user may then select the chosen category sub - database ( folder ) from step 320 , move the newly created document file from the pending 62 into that chosen category sub - database ( folder ) selected in step 355 . when the new document file is moved to the selected category sub - database ( folder ), the user will be prompted to enter in specific information within default fields that will be illustratively displayed in the proprietary database screen 356 and further described in fig4 a . once the user added the specific information stored in the database fields displayed in proprietary database screen 356 the new document would be successfully saved in step 357 placing the document into the specific category sub - database ( folder ) chosen in step 355 , hence adding the document to the specific user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c chosen in step 315 and ultimately adding the document to the database server 18 d in fig1 . if a user decides to add a new documents in step 340 , they would be prompted by a default selection of methods to add a new documents in step 342 which would be to fax , email or upload a new documents in to the system 18 over the link 16 and securely store it within the database server 18 d in fig1 . as further described by fig4 , if a user chose to upload a document in step 347 that would indicate that an assortment of documents may be sent to be stored in to the system 18 . a user would use their own client system 10 in fig1 , specifically a browser 10 a or a mobile device 10 b in fig1 to upload the desired document to our system 18 from a pre - assigned location on the user client system 10 , for example a personal computer and send it to ftp server 26 in fig1 in step 342 . once a user has successfully uploaded a new document , it is passed through the system 18 by the ftp server 26 in fig1 and scanned for viruses in step 349 . if the virus scan in step 349 fails to clean the document of a virus , an alarm is sounded in step 350 . if the virus scan in step 349 is successful , the file is then sent to the pending 62 fig1 container within the user specific account in step 354 , where it will be stored for the user . the user may then select the chosen category sub - database ( folder ) from step 320 , move the newly created document file from the pending 62 into that chosen category sub - database ( folder ) selected in step 355 . when the new document file is moved to the selected category sub - database ( folder ), the user will be prompted to enter in specific information within default fields that will be illustratively displayed in the proprietary database screen 356 and further described in fig4 a . once the user added the specific information stored in the database fields displayed in proprietary database screen 356 the new document would be successfully saved in step 357 placing the document into the specific category sub - database ( folder ) chosen in step 355 , hence adding the document to the specific user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c chosen in step 315 and ultimately adding the document to the database server 18 d in fig1 . there is no limit or restriction to the amount of documents that a user can store on the system server 18 , in accordance with the teachings of this invention . as further shown and explained with respect to the flow diagram of fig4 , the documents that are stored in the category sub - database ( folder ) 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c , 58 a - c and 60 a - c can be moved by the user in step 335 which would move the document stored in a specific category sub - database ( folder ) selected in step 320 to another category sub - database ( folder ) 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c , 58 a - c and 60 a - c within the same or another specific user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c in step 315 and within the same or another category database 50 , 52 , 54 in step 310 by moving the document to the pending 62 fig1 container within the user specific account in step 354 , where it will be stored for the user . the user may then select a different category sub - database ( folder ) from step 320 , to move the document file from the pending 62 into that chosen category sub - database ( folder ) selected in step 355 . when the new document file is moved to the selected category sub - database ( folder ), the user will be prompted to enter in specific information within default fields that will be illustratively displayed in the proprietary database screen 356 and further described in fig4 a . once the user added the specific information stored in the database fields displayed in proprietary database screen 356 the document would be successfully saved in step 357 placing the document into the specific category sub - database ( folder ) chosen in step 355 . the user may further refine the move of the document by selecting a different category database 50 , 52 , 54 as in step 310 additionally selecting a different user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c as chosen in step 315 and ultimately adding the document to the database server 18 d in fig1 . as further shown and explained with respect to the flow diagram of fig4 , the documents that are stored in the category sub - database ( folder ) 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c , 58 a - c and 60 a - c can be deleted by the user in step 358 which would delete the document stored in the category sub - database ( folder ) selected in step 320 . the user can select a particular document in step 360 and would be prompted in step 361 to view the personal information already stored in the database fields illustratively displayed in proprietary database screen , further described in fig4 a . if the user decided to delete the personal information stored in the database fields displayed in proprietary database screen fig4 a the user would be given the opportunity to permanently delete the document in step 362 . if the user chooses to delete the information from step 361 then in step 366 the file would be successfully deleted in step 368 removing the document from the specific category sub - database ( folder ) chosen in step 320 , hence permanently deleting the document from the specific user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c chosen in step 315 and ultimately deleting it from the database server 18 d in fig1 . if the user chooses not to delete the information that was viewed in the database fields , then in step 361 they may discard all intentions to delete the document in step 364 and the original document will not be altered in the specific user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c chosen in step 315 and not altering it in the database server 18 d in fig1 . as further shown and explained with respect to the flow diagram of fig4 , the documents that are stored in the category sub - database ( folder ) 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c , 58 a - c and 60 a - c can be edited by the user in step 370 which would edit the document stored in the category sub - database ( folder ) selected in step 320 . the user can select a particular document in step 372 and would be prompted in step 373 to view the personal information already stored in the database fields illustratively displayed in proprietary database screen , further described in fig4 a . if the user decided to edit the personal information stored in the database fields displayed in proprietary database screen 373 the user would be given the opportunity to edit the document in step 373 . the user would be given the opportunity to save the changes to the document properties in step 374 . if the user chooses to save the changes to the document , then the user would select yes in step 378 and the document would be successfully saved in step 380 to the category sub - database ( folder ) selected in step 320 , hence permanently saving the document in the specific user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c chosen in step 315 and ultimately saving it in the database server 18 d in fig1 . if the user chooses not to save the document properties that was edited in the database fields , then in step 373 the user may discard all intentions to save the document changes in step 376 and the original document will not be altered in the specific user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c chosen in step 315 and not altering it in the database server 18 d in fig1 . fig4 a is a diagram which illustratively depicts the proprietary database screen that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to add a document to a typical category sub - database ( folder ) in the server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . system 18 in fig1 offers a user the ability to store documents within a selection of category sub - databases also known as folders 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c , illustratively illustrated as numeral 10 specifically category sub - database folder 50 c illustratively illustrated as number 20 in fig4 a . these folders would allow the user to store the specific information pertaining to the subject matter of each folder — for this example that specific category sub - database 50 c is named identification . the users would be able to add documents to the system using three methods and temporarily storing the documents in the category sub - database known as ‘ pending ’ indicated as numeral 61 . the first method would be to fax a document into the system by using a dedicated facsimile number dynamically assigned by the system to the user of the system indicated as numeral 30 . the system would dynamically assign a number that the user could use a facsimile machine to communicate with the system and send the document to the category sub - database ‘ pending ’ indicated as numeral 61 . the second method would be for the user to email the document into the system by sending a secure electronic mail to the unique email address assigned to the user by the system indicated as numeral 33 . by sending the document to the email system , the document would be sent directly to the category sub - database ‘ pending ’ indicated as numeral 61 . the third method that a user could use to send a document to the system would be upload the document from his / her personal computer into the system by using the browse or choose file button indicated as numeral 35 to locate the document on his / her personal computer . once the document has been selected on the personal computer , the user would click the upload button indicated as numeral 37 to send the document to the category sub - database ‘ pending ’ indicated as numeral 61 . once the document has been delivered to the category sub - database ‘ pending ’ indicated as numeral 61 the user may move and store the document to a desired target category database indicated as number 10 , a specific user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c indicated as number 15 and more specifically a category sub - database , also known as a folder 20 . once the user of the system has selected the desired target category database 10 and the desired target user web pages 15 and the desired category sub - database ( folder ) 20 the user of the system can move , or drag and drop the document from the category sub - database ‘ pending ’ indicated as numeral 61 to the desired category sub - database ( folder ) indicated as numeral 20 illustratively illustrated as number 50 c , to the folder named identification . when the user of the system moves the document from the category sub - database ‘ pending ’ indicated as numeral 61 to the desired category sub - database ( folder ) indicated as numeral 20 a proprietary database screen indicated as numeral 22 would appear and prompt the user to define specific meta - data information regarding the document being added to the category sub - database ( folder ) indicated as number 20 , or more specifically in this illustrative illustration as number 50 c , namely identification . the user would define specific document name indicated as number 24 , which is defaulted by the system as the original name of the source document , in this example “ passport . jpg ”. the user of the system may keep this default name or rename it to a newly desired name . the user of the system would then select a document type indicated as number 26 which is a pull - down menu of unique definitions relative to the subject matter or name of the category sub - database ( folder ). the user of the system would be able to select the document type that best describes that properties of the document from a system generated list , for example “ drivers license ” or “ passport ”. then , the user of the system would then write any notes referring to the document indicated as numeral 28 . when the user has completed the proprietary database screen indicated as number 22 and the user of the system is ready to move the document and the associated meta - data information to the desired target category sub - database ( folder ) 20 , the user of the system would click the ‘ ok ’ button in the proprietary database screen indicated as numeral 22 , which would move the document from the category sub - database ‘ pending ’ indicated as numeral 61 to the desired category sub - database ( folder ) indicated as numeral 20 , in this specific illustrative illustration to category sub - category ( folder ) number 50 c . if the user elects not to move the document to the target category sub - database ( folder ) 20 the user of the system would click the ‘ cancel ’ button in the proprietary database screen indicated as numeral 22 , which would leave the document in the category sub - database ‘ pending ’ indicated as numeral 61 , and remove any meta - data defined in the proprietary database screen indicated as numeral 22 . in accordance with the functionality of this invention , each category sub - database ( folder ) 20 is uniquely named within each specific category database 50 , 52 , 54 and offers a unique document type 26 pull - down menu of definitions in the proprietary database screen 22 relative to the subject matter or name of the category sub - database ( folder ) 20 . hence , when the user of the system selects to move a document to a particular target category sub - database ( folder ) indicated as number 20 , within any selected category database 50 , 52 , 54 and furthermore within any selected user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c the system displays relative meta - data for the user of the system to select for each document stored in the system so that it is properly defined and may be searched for by using the search tool 70 , which is described later in this document . for example , the category sub - database ( folder ) 50 c namely identification may prompt a document type 26 pull - down menu list of “ drivers license ” or “ military identification ” where as category sub - database ( folder ) 50 b namely education would prompt a document type 26 pull - down list of “ diploma ” or “ masters degree ” as appropriate meta - data for the user of the system to associate with the source document that the user will move to the target category sub - database ( folder ) 20 . fig4 b — typical category sub - database ( folder ) view showing stored documents fig4 b is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to view the open category sub - database ( folder ) view showing the documents stored within a typical category sub - database ( folder ) in the server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . as previously described , a user can add documents to the system and furthermore move a document into a category sub - database ( folder ) and define specific meta - data to be associated with document before moving the document to the target category sub - database ( folder ) using the proprietary database screen indicated as numeral 22 in fig4 a . once the document has been moved to the target category sub - database ( folder ), fig4 b shows a typical category sub - database ( folder ) view , in this example , category sub - database ( folder ) 50 c in fig4 a and indicated in numeral 10 in fig4 b illustratively depicts the documents tab indicated as numeral 20 displays the numerous documents stored by the user in the target category sub - database ( folder ) indicated as numeral 30 . a user of the system may choose to edit the meta - data properties of a specific document , by placing a check in the box indicated as numeral 32 to select the target document and then use the edit document button indicated as numeral 34 which would allow the user to edit the assigned meta - data information that is stored within the proprietary database screen described and illustratively depicted as numeral 22 in fig4 a . any changes that the user makes to the proprietary database screen will ultimately be saved with the document and be saved in the system . a user of the system may choose to delete the document from the target category sub - database ( folder ) by placing a check in the box indicated as numeral 32 and then by using the delete document button indicated as numeral 36 to delete the document from the category sub - database ( folder ) and ultimately purging the document from the system . a warning message would appear asking the user to confirm the deletion of the document from the system and once confirmed by the user , the document and all of the meta - data information stored within the document properties would be permanently removed from the system . a user of the system may choose to remove the document from the target category sub - database ( folder ) by placing a check in the box indicated as numeral 32 and then by using the remove document button indicated as numeral 38 to remove the document from the category sub - database ( folder ) and place it in the category sub - database known as ‘ pending ’ indicated as numeral 61 in fig4 a . a warning message would appear asking the user to confirm the removal of the document from the target category sub - database ( folder ) and once confirmed by the user , the document would be moved to the category sub - database known as ‘ pending ’ and all of the meta - data information stored within the document properties would be permanently removed from the document . a user of the system may choose to send the document from the target category sub - database ( folder ) to a recipient which the user may do so by placing a check in the box indicated as numeral 32 and then by using the send document button indicated as numeral 40 to send the document from the category sub - database ( folder ) to an external recipient ( s ) using the system email server - 24 or fax server - 22 indicated in fig1 which is further described in fig4 d . a user of the system may choose to print the document from the target category sub - database ( folder ) to a local connected printer by placing a check in the box indicated as numeral 32 and then by using the print document button indicated as numeral 50 to print the document to a designated printer which may be connected to the user &# 39 ; s local computer . a user of the system may choose to e - notary the document from the target category sub - database ( folder ) by securely routing the document through the veroha e - notarytrust system for official notarization using the e - notary wizard which the user may do so by placing a check in the box indicated as numeral 32 and then by using the e - notary button indicated as numeral 60 to initiate the e - notary wizard and connect to the veroha e - notarytrust system using the system web server - 20 and the email server - 24 indicated in fig1 which is further described in fig9 , 9 a 1 - 9 a 7 , below . fig4 c is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface generated by the folder contents report function showing all document ( s ) stored within a typical category database that which a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to access the website and its server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . indicated as numeral 36 in fig2 e , 2 f , 2 g , 2 h a user can display all documents stored in all category sub - databases ( folders ) while having selected a specific category database 50 , 52 , 54 and selecting any user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c using the folder contents report button . once this folder contents report button 36 is pressed by the user , the system generates a report to display all documents stored within all category sub - databases ( folders ) as indicated as numeral 10 in fig4 c for the specific selected category database 50 , 52 , 54 . on the documents tab of this report indicated as numeral 20 the report would display the meta - data information associated with each document , that was assigned by the user on the proprietary database screen shown as numeral 22 in fig4 a when the document was moved to the target category sub - databases ( folders ). meta - data such as document name indicated as numeral 30 , which the user may open the document in the native application to view the document by clicking the link indicated as numeral 30 . document type meta - data indicated as numeral 40 which was assigned by the user using the proprietary database screen 22 in fig4 a . the folder contents report also displays the particular category sub - databases ( folders ) or location of each stored document in the system . the location indicates the specific category database indicated as numeral 42 , followed by the specific user web page indicated by numeral 44 , followed by the specific category sub - databases ( folders ) indicated by numeral 46 . the user of the system may browse to the location of the stored document by clicking on the link indicated by either 42 , 44 , 46 to open the category sub - database ( folder ) view illustratively illustrated in fig4 b where the user can further manage the document . a user of the system may choose print the folder contents report by using the print function button indicated as numeral 15 . fig4 d — send a document using email or fax server fig4 d is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to send a document stored within all category sub - databases ( folders ) in the server system using the email server - 24 or fax server - 22 shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . as previously described , a user can send documents from a category sub - database ( folder ) using the send document button indicated as numeral 40 in fig4 b and illustratively depicted as number 10 in fig4 d . the user of the system would select the documents tab indicated as numeral 12 and select a desired document by placing a check in the box indicated as numeral 15 then clicking the send document button 18 to initiate the send process . once this send document button indicated as number 18 is pressed by the user , the send wizard screen appears 20 in which the selected document is carried forward 22 and the user is presented with a choice of sending the document using either the fax server protocol or the email server protocol 25 . the user of the system can select one protocol by placing a check in the respective check box the clicking next button 29 . if the user of the system decides to cancel the send wizard at this point , the user may click cancel button 27 . in this example , the email protocol is selected and demonstrated and is similar to the fax protocol process except that the send wizard will deliver the selected document using the email server - 24 to an email address of the desired recipients . when the fax protocol is selected , the send wizard will deliver the selected document using the fax server - 22 to a facsimile number of the desired recipients . when next button 29 is pressed , the next send wizard screen 30 appears prompting the user of the system to assign a contact recipient ( s ) 33 to receive the selected document carried forward and indicated as numeral 22 . the user can enter in recipient email address or facsimile number in the space provided 33 or perform a lookup of the recipients email address or facsimile number in contacts database 56 by using the to . . . button indicated as numeral 32 . if the user needed to return to the previous send wizard screen , the user may click the back button indicated as numeral 36 . if the user of the system decides to cancel the send wizard at this point , the user may click the cancel button 38 . by clicking the to . . . button indicated as numeral 32 the contact listing screen would appear indicated as numeral 40 which would allow the user of the system to choose the desired recipient ( s ) to receive the selected document 22 . the user of the system has many selections to find the desired recipient ( s ) which the user can do by placing a check in the box 42 to select a contact recipient ( s ) then clicking the assign contact button indicated as numeral 43 . this would automatically populate the desired email address or facsimile number into recipient field indicated as numeral 33 . the user may also browse to find other recipients by using the pull - down menu indicated as numeral 49 to browse other category sub - database ( folders ) indicated as numeral 30 in fig2 h in the category database 56 shown in fig1 and also indicated as contacts 56 in fig2 h for all user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c indicated as numeral 20 in fig2 h . the user of the system may also click add a new contact 44 to dynamically add a new contact to the system and category database 56 and then select and assign it as a recipient using numeral 42 and 43 respectively . the system also allows the user to import recipients from other external systems into the category database 56 by using the import contacts button 46 . the import contacts wizard allows contact information to be imported from any external system such as an external email program such as microsoft outlook , or online services such as google contacts . the user of the system may also update an email address or facsimile number dynamically to an existing recipient contact record stored in the category database 56 by using the edit / view contact 48 button to update the contact record before the user selects and assigns it as a recipient using numeral 42 and 43 respectively . as soon as the user of the system selects and assigns a recipients ( s ) the user of the system would then finalize the send wizard by clicking the send button indicated as numeral 39 . the system would use the respective fax server - 22 or the email server - 24 of the system 18 indicated in fig1 to send the selected document 22 to the desired recipient ( s ) facsimile number or email addresses respectfully . once completely , the system would display a confirmation screen 55 to the user of the system that the message has been successfully sent by the system o the desired recipient ( s ) facsimile number or email addresses . fig5 — search to manage or send stored notes or documents flow chart fig5 is a flow diagram which illustratively depicts the process by which the user uses a client system login shown in fig2 to access the website and its server system 18 shown in fig1 to search , access and view stored note ( s ) or stored document ( s ) in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . in one illustrative embodiment of this invention , and explained in respect to the flow diagram of fig5 , a user can use a plurality of client systems in step 400 , which include browser 10 a , mobile device 10 b to enter system 18 over link 16 as shown in fig1 to search and request that particular note or document be retrieved and viewed from database server 18 d . after securely connecting to system 18 the system would automatically begin to generate access log file 405 which would record the current session activity and securely store this information within the user account for future reference . for additional security , the session with the system will expire and logoff from the user session if no activity is detected for 30 minutes . the user would be required to log back into the system as described in fig2 . once the user is connected to the system 18 the user would be able to use multiple types of tools or methods to search database server 18 d and selection of category databases 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 , user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c and category sub - databases ( folders ) 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c for a particular note ( s ) or document ( s ) that the user of the system may then view its contents or properties . the user would have multiple tools or methods available to search the notes or documents such as browse , folder contents report or search tool depending on the preference of the user of system 18 . a user connected to system 18 using a plurality of client systems such as browser 10 a , mobile device 10 b would be able to select category databases 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 as shown in step 410 then choose to browse in step 415 to further select the appropriate user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c in step 425 representing the multiple family member profiles as defined by the user of the system . once the proper user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c has been selected , the user would select the appropriate category sub - databases ( folders ) 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c in step 430 then select the desired notes or documents in step 460 to view its content or properties . see fig5 a for further illustration and description of how to search to access or view notes or documents by using the browse method . a user connected to system 18 using a plurality of client systems such as browser 10 a , mobile device 10 b would be able to select category databases 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 as shown in step 410 then choose to use the folder contents report in step 440 to generate a complete listing of all notes and all documents stored in a particular the category databases 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 as shown in step 410 which would ultimately include of all the notes and documents stored for user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c in step 425 and all the notes and documents stored in the category sub - databases ( folders ) 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c in step 430 within the selected category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 to produce a folder contents report in step 440 which can be viewed in alphabetical order , by date created or file size so that the user can select the appropriate notes or documents in step 460 . see fig5 b for further explanation and description of search to access or view notes or documents by using the folder content report tool . a user connected to system 18 using a plurality of client systems such as browser 10 a , mobile device 10 b would be able to select a particular category databases 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 as shown in step 410 then choose to use the search tool in step 450 to easily locate the desired notes or documents by entering in meta - data or keywords that best describe and would match the properties and meta - data of the notes or documents . the search tool would dynamically search all the category databases 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 as shown in step 410 as well as all user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c in step 425 and all of the category sub - databases ( folders ) 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c in step 430 to resolve the search query results in step 455 so that the user can select the appropriate notes or documents in step 460 . see fig5 c for further explanation and description of search to access or view notes or documents by using the search tool . once the user of the system is able to select a desired note or document in step 460 the user may perform multiple functions from within the system to manage or send the selected note or document to an external recipient ( s ). the user of the system may choose to edit or delete the selected note in step 470 as described above in fig3 . the user of the system may choose to e - notary the selected note or document in step 475 as described above in fig4 e . the user of the system may choose to edit , move or delete the selected note in step 480 as described above in fig4 . if the user is connected to the system by browser 10 a or mobile device 10 b the user would be able to print the selected note or document in step 490 . once the user has chosen to print the selected note or document via print , the system sent the selected note or document to a desired printer connected to the user &# 39 ; s local computer . additionally , if the user is connected to the system by browser 10 a , and / or mobile device 10 b , the user can then select to send the selected note or documents to a particular recipient in step 500 . once the user has chosen to send the selected note or document , the user can further decide to send using the email protocol in step 510 . the user of the system would select the appropriate recipient with a valid email address from the contacts database 56 in fig1 in step 515 then send the selected note or document using the email server 24 in fig1 to that particular recipient in step 530 . additionally , if the user is connected to the system by browser 10 a , and / or mobile device 10 b , the user can then select to send the selected note or documents to a particular recipient in step 500 . once the user has chosen to send the selected note or document , the user can further decide to send using the fax protocol in step 520 . the user of the system would select the appropriate recipient with a valid facsimile number from contacts database 56 in fig1 in step 525 then send the selected note or document using fax server 22 in fig1 to that particular recipient in step 530 . as an additional security , audit and compliance feature , the system is able to generate an access log file 405 so that the registered user of the system would have a report showing activity pertaining to searching and sending details within the system under their user account credentials . fig5 a — search to access or view notes or documents by using the browse method fig5 a is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to search , select and view a particular note or document by browsing within system 18 through a particular category databases then a particular user web pages then a particular category sub - database ( folders ), in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . as previously described , a user can add an unlimited number of notes and documents into system 18 and can ultimately securely store the notes and documents into category sub - category sub - databases ( folders ) 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c sorted by user web pages . 100 a , 100 b , 100 c with a particular category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 . the user has numerous tools methods available through the system to quickly search and view a particular note or document contents or its properties . after securely accessing system 18 , the user would choose the desired category database indicated a numeral 10 and then select the desired user web pages indicated as numeral 20 . then the user would have to choose the desired category sub - database ( folder ) indicated as numeral 30 and finally select the desired notes or document tab indicated as numeral 40 from the open category sub - database ( folder ) view indicated as numeral 35 . in fig5 a , the documents tab is selected and displayed . the user of the system can then select the specific document for viewing its meta - data properties by placing a check in the box indicated as numeral 42 to select the target document . once the document has been selected , the user can click edit document button of the category sub - database ( folder ) view , indicated as numeral 44 and the properties of the document would be illustratively displayed by the system within the proprietary database screen described and indicated as numeral 22 in fig4 a . while the user of the system is browsing the documents tab indicated as numeral 40 the user may also choose to open the document in its native application program installed on the users local computer system by clicking the hyperlink indicated as numeral 50 which will instruct the system to open the document for viewing by launching a native application program such as microsoft word or picture viewer to view such a document . respectively , the user may choose to select the notes tab as indicated as numeral 40 while browsing for a particular note , and the viewing procedure and functionality would be similar to that previously described to viewing a selected document as the user would select the desired note by respectfully placing a check in the box indicated as numeral 42 and respectfully click the edit note button of the category sub - database ( folder ) view indicated as numeral 44 similar to the edit documents button numeral 44 . then the system would respectfully illustratively display the properties of the selected note using the proprietary database screen described and indicated as numeral 30 in fig3 a . while the system enables the viewing of documents and its content properties by either the proprietary database screen indicated as numeral 22 in fig4 a or a native application program installed on the users local computer , the system only allows the viewing of notes and its content properties with the proprietary database screen indicated as numeral 30 in fig3 a and not with native applications installed on the users local computer . fig5 b — search to access or view notes or documents by using the folder content report tool fig5 b is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to search , select and view a particular note or document by using the folder contents report tool in the server system 18 through a particular category databases then any user web pages in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . as previously described , a user can add an unlimited number of notes and documents into system 18 and can ultimately securely store the notes and documents into category sub - category sub - databases ( folders ) 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c sorted by user web pages . 100 a , 100 b , 100 c with a particular category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 . the user has numerous tools methods available through the system to quickly search and view a particular note or document contents or its properties . after securely accessing the system , the user of the system would select a category database indicated as 10 more specifically 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 and then select any user web pages 20 and then select the folder contents report tool indicated a numeral 40 . the folder contents report tool has the ability to search the selected category databases 10 , and all the user web pages indicated as numeral 20 and all category sub - databases ( folders ) indicated as numeral 30 for all notes and documents stored within each respective database . after the tool has compiled its folder contents report results view indicated as numeral 45 , the user would have to option to select the desired notes or document tab indicated as numeral 70 and in fig5 b , the notes tab is selected and displayed . the user of the system would then select the specific note , by clicking on the hyperlink indicated in numeral 72 then the system would respectfully illustratively display the properties of the selected note using the proprietary database screen described and indicated as numeral 30 in fig3 a . if the user of the system wanted to view the specific location or category sub - database ( folder ) of the desired note , the user could click on the hyperlink indicated as numeral 75 which would open the category sub - database ( folder ) as indicated in fig3 c displaying the notes tab and subsequently all the notes stored within the target category sub - database ( folder ) referenced in the hyperlink as numeral 75 , providing the user with additional functionality for managing the note . respectively , the user may choose to select the documents tab as indicated as numeral 70 while browsing for a particular document , and the viewing procedure and functionality would be similar to that previously described to viewing a selected note as the user would select the desired document by respectfully clicking the hyperlink indicated as numeral 72 which would open the document in its native application program ( e . g ., microsoft word , picture viewer ) installed on the users local computer system to view such a document . additionally , if the user of the system wanted to open the target category sub - database ( folder ) where the specific document is stored in the system , the user can click the hyperlink indicated as numeral 75 which would open the category sub - database ( folder ) as indicated in fig4 b displaying the documents tab and subsequently all the documents stored within the target category sub - database ( folder ) referenced in the hyperlink as numeral 75 , providing the user with additional functionality for managing the document . if the user of the system wanted to print the folder contents report results view indicated as numeral 45 , the user would click the print button indicated as numeral 80 to print to a printer installed to their local computer . the print button indicated as numeral 80 is available to the user of the system on both the notes and the documents tab in the folder contents report results view indicated as numeral 45 . fig5 c — search to access or view notes or documents by using the search tool fig5 c is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to search , select and view a particular note or document by using the search tool in server system 18 through a particular category databases in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . as previously described , a user can add an unlimited number of notes and documents into system 18 and can ultimately securely store the notes and documents into category sub - category sub - databases ( folders ) 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c , 56 a - c sorted by user web pages . 100 a , 100 b , 100 c with a particular category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 . the user has numerous tools methods available through the system to quickly search and view a particular note or document contents or its properties . after securely accessing the system , the user of the system would select a category database 10 more specifically 50 , 52 , 54 , and 56 and then select the search tool 25 to enter in a string of meta - data variables that are used to help locate the desired notes or documents . in fig5 c , the term “ sachs ” was entered into the search tool . the search tool has the ability to search selected category databases 10 , and all the user web pages indicated as numeral 20 and all category sub - databases ( folders ) indicated as numeral 30 for all notes and documents stored within each respective database , that match the meta - data string entered in search tool 25 . after the search tool has finished , the user would choose the specific note or document from the search report results view indicated as numeral 40 by clicking on hyperlink 70 or 72 to view the document or note respectively . if the user chooses to open the document by using the hyperlink 70 the document would open in its native application program installed on the user &# 39 ; s local computer system such as microsoft word or picture viewer . if the user selected the hyperlink 72 then the system would illustratively display the properties of the selected note using the proprietary database screen described and indicated as numeral 30 in fig3 a . fig6 is a flow diagram which illustratively depicts the process by which the user uses a client system login shown in fig2 to access the website and server system 18 shown in fig1 to share particular note ( s ) and document ( s ) stores within a particular category databases 50 a - c , 52 a - g , 54 a - g , 56 a - b for a specific user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c in accordance with the teachings of this invention . in one illustrative embodiment of the present invention , and explained in respect to flow diagram fig6 , a user can use a plurality of client systems in step 200 , which include browser 10 a , mobile device 10 b and facsimile machine 10 d to enter system 18 over the link 16 as shown in fig1 to share particular notes or documents stored in a particular category databases 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 for a specific user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c as shown in fig1 . after securely connecting to system 18 the system would automatically begin to generate a log file 205 which would record current session activity and securely store this information within the system for future reference . for additional security , the session with the system session will expire if no activity is detected for 30 minutes . the user would be required to log back into the system as described in fig2 . continuing , the user would select the category databases 58 known as ‘ sharing ’ 210 . to enable the sharing feature , the user would have to “ agree ” to the sharing disclosure statement 215 which would activate the sharing capabilities for the users account . once the sharing capabilities have been activated , the user would then be able to select the specific family member in step 220 or user web pages 100 a , 100 b , and 100 c as shown in fig1 . once a specific family member or user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c has been selected , the user would then have to select and open in step 230 a specific category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 in fig1 for that family member or user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c . the user would then have to select and open 240 a specific folder or category sub - database 50 a - c , 52 a - g , 54 a - g or 56 a - b in fig1 stored within the selected category databases 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 in fig1 . the user would then have to select the specific notes and / or documents 250 that are stored within the selected category sub - database 50 a - c , 52 a - g , 54 a - g or 56 a - b to be shared . as these notes and documents are selected to be shared , the notes and documents are placed in a sharing queue awaiting a recipient ( s ) to be assigned and granted sharing privileges to them . the user could then repeat steps 220 - 250 and add or remove notes and documents to the sharing queue , which awaits recipients to be assigned sharing privileges . as explained previously in fig3 b , a user has the ability to store personal contact information of family , friends and colleagues in the system , specifically in category database 56 known as ‘ contacts ’. within these contact records the user would store email addresses specific to each contact . if a valid email address is not present in the contact record after the user has selected the contact 260 , an alarm 265 would sound warning the user that the sharing feature requires a valid email address to be present for all intended sharing recipients . the user would then have the opportunity to add a valid email address by going directly to the category database 56 known as ‘ contacts ’ and adding the email address to the record of any intended sharing recipient . once all intended sharing recipients have at least one valid email address , the user may then assign sharing privileges to the specific notes and documents that he / she wishes to share with the intended recipients 250 . once the user has selected all the specific notes and documents in the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c , the user would then have to verify and send a sharing email link 270 . this process allows the user to review the contact names who have been assigned sharing privileges before the sharing email link is sent to the intended recipients . if the user chooses to send the email link 275 , then an encrypted sharing email link would be successfully sent by the system to the intended contact records email addresses 280 . if the user does not wish to send the sharing email link 290 , no sharing email link would be sent by the system . fig6 . 1 — accessing shared notes and documents flow chart fig6 . 1 is a flow diagram which illustratively depicts the process by which an intended sharing recipient uses a client system login shown in fig2 to access the website and server system 18 shown in fig1 to securely access the shared notes or documents stored in particular category sub - databases ( folders ) for specific family members in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . in one illustrative embodiment of the present invention , as depicted by fig6 . 1 , intended sharing recipients can use a plurality of client systems in step 10 , which include browser 10 a , mobile device 10 b to enter system 18 over link 16 as shown in fig1 to access shared notes or documents stored in the category databases 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 as depicted in fig1 . once the intended sharing recipient has received the encrypted email link from step 270 in fig6 , the recipient can click the encrypted email link to securely connect to the system 20 . when attempting to access the system , the intended sharing recipient would be presented with two authentication levels of security . first level of security 30 would require the intended sharing recipient to answer a specific question regarding the user who had sent the encrypted email link . the correct answer to this question is listed and hidden within a list of twenty false answers that the intended sharing recipient must select from . the recipient would proceed to the sharing authentication level 2 security question 40 which would require the intended sharing recipient to answer another specific question regarding the user who had sent the encrypted email link . the correct answer to this question is listed and hidden within a list of twenty false answers that the intended sharing recipient must select from . if both sharing authentication level 1 and sharing authentication level 2 question are not correctly answered , an alarm 45 would sound and warn the intended sharing recipient that the encrypted link will expire if the answer to the sharing authentication level 1 and sharing authentication level 2 security question are not properly answered by the third attempt and ultimately lock out the intended sharing recipient from using the system . the intended sharing recipient would then be instructed by the system 48 to contact the user who had sent the encrypted email link and ask them to generate a new encrypted email link by repeating the steps in fig6 . if the intended sharing recipient correctly answers the sharing authentication level 1 and sharing authentication level 2 security questions within three attempts the intended sharing recipient would be allowed securely into the system and have read only access to the folder report 50 showing the particular shared notes and documents within the specifically shared category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 . as an additional security , audit and compliance feature , the system is able to generated a log file 55 so that the registered user of the system would have a report showing access details pertaining to the all the visitors of the system who accessed the shared notes and documents . for additional security , the session with the system will expire and logoff from the user session if no activity is detected for 30 minutes . the user would be required to log back into the system as described in fig2 . fig6 a is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that an intended sharing recipient would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to receive an encrypted email link instructing the recipient to access any shared notes and documents within all category databases 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 in the server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . as previously described in fig6 and fig2 i , a user can send an encrypted email link to a recipient 10 name stored in the category database 56 known as ‘ contacts ’ in to allow secure sharing of notes and documents stored within the system . fig6 a shows a typical email communication letter sent instructing the intended sharing recipient how to securely access the system using encrypted sharing link 20 . the intended recipient would use their browser to click on this link to securely access the system and view the shared notes or documents . fig6 b is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that an intended sharing recipient would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to securely authenticate in order to access the shared notes and documents stored within particular category sub - databases ( folders ) in the server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . once the intended sharing recipient has received the encrypted email link , the recipient can click the encrypted email link to securely connect to the system . when attempting to access the system , the intended sharing recipient would be presented with two authentication levels of security . first level of security 10 requires the intended sharing recipient to answer a specific question regarding the user who had sent the encrypted email link . the correct answer to this question is listed and hidden within a list of twenty false answers that the intended sharing recipient must select from . then he / she would proceed to the sharing authentication level 2 security question 20 which would require the intended sharing recipient to answer another specific question regarding the user who had sent the encrypted email link . the correct answer to this question is listed and hidden within a list of twenty false answers that the intended sharing recipient must select from . by clicking verify details 30 button , system would authenticate the security and if answered correctly , the intended recipient would enter securely into the system and have read only access to the folder report showing the shared notes and documents for the specifically shared category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 . fig6 c is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that an intended sharing recipient would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to securely view read only access the shared notes and documents stored within particular category sub - databases ( folders ) in the server system shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . as previously described , an intended recipient who has been sent an encrypted email link may access the system after successfully answering the authentication security questions as shown in fig6 b . after the questions have been successfully answered , the recipient would be granted secure access to the system and presented with folder report 10 showing all the shared notes and documents for the intended category databases 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 shared by the user of the system . the recipient can choose to view notes tab 20 or documents tab 30 which show all shared notes and documents 40 respectively . the recipient may click on the records or document links 45 to view each note or document . when the recipient is finished viewing shared content 40 the user can logoff the system 50 to end the session . fig7 is a flow diagram which illustratively depicts the process by which a user does not have access to client system browser 10 a and mobile browser 10 b shown in fig1 to access the website and server system 18 shown in fig1 and described in fig2 . such a user may access server system 18 by requesting toll - free customer assistance center 10 c in fig1 to send user notes or documents on his / her behalf in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . in one illustrative embodiment of the present invention , as explained by fig7 , a user with the ability to use other client systems as shown in fig1 such as browser 10 a , mobile device 10 b to access system 18 can use the client system in step 10 in fig7 . client system may be accessed via toll - free customer center 10 c in fig1 and a request that the toll - free customer center securely access system 18 on his / her behalf over link 16 . protocols are inherent in the system which would secure the connection to system 18 in the form of encrypted keys that are generated by the system and provided to the toll - free customer center during the initial communication link . a user requesting toll - free customer center accessing the system 18 cannot do so unless they are an existing subscriber to system 18 and have completed the new user process in step 180 as shown in fig2 . if the user is existing to the system , the new user process allowed the user to setup a personal account on the system and store pertinent information such as identification and billing information as well as define user credentials and security challenge questions which will be used to securely access system 18 by toll - free customer center 10 c . when accessing system 18 using the toll - free customer center 10 c the toll - free customer center in step 20 will be presented with the customer representative authentication level 1 procedure to ensure proper identification and secure login to the system 18 over communication link 16 shown in fig1 . this step will identify the representative attempting to login to the system and once successfully authentication is established , a log file 22 will begin to record the session of the customer center representative , for security purposes . in step 30 the user authentication level 1 will prompt the toll - free customer center representative to ask the user accessing system 18 to provide specific credentials that were defined in the new user process in step 180 in fig2 , specifically last name . the toll - free customer center representative will use the search tool 40 to search the entire system database for all users who have an identical match for that specific last name . once the closest match is found by the toll - free customer center representative , the user will be asked to further identify them self by providing their current billing address that is stored in the system . this will help the toll - free customer center representative properly identify the user if a duplicate last name is found . if the last name provided by the user in step 30 does not exist in the system , then an alarm will sound in step 45 prompting the toll - free customer center representative to ask the user to provide the for the correct spelling of the last name . this will be repeated until a valid last name is identified that match an account in the system database . the toll - free customer center representative will verify the credentials with the system and if the credentials are accurately defined in step 30 , then the operator will select and use the identified account and proceed to step 50 which is the user authentication level 2 . the system will prompt the toll - free customer center representative in step 50 to ask the user for more specific information defined in the new user process in step 180 in fig2 , such as login identification and email address on file in the system . the toll - free customer center representative would use the lookup tool 60 to search the account of the user to match the login identification and email address provided by the user and if successful , the system will retrieve three of the ten random security challenge questions from the user account , which were established during the new user process in step 180 in fig2 . if the credentials provided by the user in step 50 are incorrect , then an alarm will sound in step 65 asking the toll - free customer center representative to repeat step 50 . this will be repeated until the login identification and email address are properly identified . once the system has successfully verified the credentials using the lookup tool 60 , the toll - free customer center representative will ask the user to properly answer the three security challenge questions using the advanced verification tool 70 . if these security challenge questions are not correctly answered by the user , the toll - free customer center representative can retrieve three additional security challenge questions from the user account using the more lookup 75 . this will be repeated until the user has properly answered all ten security challenge questions . once the security challenge questions are correctly answered by the user in step 70 , the toll - free customer center representative will be granted viewing capabilities to the notes and documents displayed in a user content report 80 on behalf of the user . the system is intentionally designed and programmed so that the toll - free customer center representative can not read any sensitive data stored within the users notes and documents in the system . viewing capabilities will permit the toll - free customer center representative to view note and document names and descriptions that would help the toll - free customer center representative properly identify notes and documents that the user is requesting having sent by the toll - free customer center representative on their behalf via fax server - 22 or email server - 24 in step 90 . this is to ensure proper security measures are in place to protect highly sensitive user data stored within the system . should the user require the toll - free customer center representative to open a note or document to read its sensitive data , the toll - free customer center representative would be required to use the activate tool 85 to have the user answer a specific security challenge question defined in the new user process in step 180 in fig2 which if answered correctly , would unlock all the notes and documents in the user account and display in a content report 95 with reading and viewing capabilities for the toll - free customer center representative . with this content report 95 , the user can instruct the toll - free customer center representative to open up and read the specific personal contents of any note or document that is stored in the user account and securely send via fax server - 22 or email server - 24 in step 90 . after the toll - free customer center representative has successfully sent all the notes and documents requested by the user , he / she would logoff and locks the user account 100 for security purposes and return to the customer representative authentication login screen 20 and either wait for another call from another user or logoff the system entirely 25 . fig7 a is the graphical user interface which illustratively depicts the process by which a user does not have access to the a client system browser 10 a and mobile browser 10 b shown in fig1 to access the website and its server system 18 shown in fig1 and described in fig2 but can access the system 18 by requesting the toll - free customer assistance center 10 c in fig1 to access the system 18 and the stored notes and documents on behalf of the user , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . in one illustrative embodiment of the present invention , as represented by flow diagram of fig7 , a user with the access to use other client systems as shown in fig1 such as browser 10 a , mobile device 10 b to access system 18 can use the client system known as a toll - free customer center 10 c in fig1 and request that the toll - free customer center securely access system 18 on his / her behalf . before an authorized toll - free customer center representative can access the user account , for security and monitoring purposes , the authorized toll - free customer center representative would be required to logon to the system using an assigned operator identification number 10 which would be a unique identifier that would authenticate the toll - free customer center representative as an authorized user of the system and allow the system to monitor the use of the toll - free customer center representative after it is accessed . this unique identifier would be assigned by his / her supervisor . once the operator identification number has been entered into the system , the toll - free customer center representative would then have to enter his / her unique password 20 assigned to his / her account . after the toll - free customer center representative has entered his / her credentials , the can use the login button 30 to access the system . once the toll - free customer center representative has successfully logged into the system , the system will then begin to monitor in a log file the actions of the toll - free customer center representative . details such as login date and time and which user had requested the toll - free customer center representative to access their account on their behalf would be captured in the log file . then after the toll - free customer center representative had accessed the user account , the log file would capture which notes and documents where viewed , accessed or sent using fax server - 22 or email server - 24 protocols during the session . the system would continue to monitor the toll - free customer center representative actions until he / she has successfully logged out of the system , in which the log file would be stored on the system for security and future auditing purposes . fig7 b is the graphical user interface which illustratively depicts the process by which a user does not have access to the a client system browser 10 a and mobile browser 10 b shown in fig1 to access the website and its server system 18 shown in fig1 and described in fig2 but can access the system 18 by requesting the toll - free customer assistance center 10 c in fig1 to access the system 18 and the stored notes and documents on behalf of the user , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . in one illustrative embodiment of the present invention , and explained in respect to the flow diagram of fig7 , a user with the absent to use other client systems as shown in fig1 such as a browser 10 a , a mobile device 10 b to access the system 18 can use the client system known as a toll - free customer center 10 c in fig1 and request that the toll - free customer center securely access the system 18 on his / her behalf to send notes or documents stored within his / her account without compromising the security to their account by having to provide logon credentials that would be used to access the system through a browser 10 a , mobile device 10 b like username and password . this process will leverage the security challenge questions setup by the user during the new user process in step 180 in fig2 . when a user calls the toll - free customer center , the representative would ask the caller to identify themselves by asking for their last name and then entering their last name 10 into the system . once entered into the search field , the toll - free customer center representative would use the search tool 20 to search the entire system for accounts that closely match that of the caller &# 39 ; s last name . once the system returns the complete listing 30 of all accounts that include the same last name of the caller , the toll - free customer center representative would ask the caller to further identify themselves by providing the current billing address associated with their account , which is viewable in the search results shown in numeral 30 . once an exact match is located in the results 30 , the toll - free customer center representative would select that particular account by using the select box 35 and clicking the use tool 40 to enter the user account . at any time , the toll - free customer center representative can completely disconnect from the system and end of his / her session by clicking the logoff system tool 50 which would securely logoff the representative and end the monitoring session as explained in fig7 a and shown as the log file as numeral 22 in fig7 . fig7 c is the graphical user interface which illustratively depicts the process by which a user does not have access to the a client system browser 10 a and mobile browser 10 b shown in fig1 to access the website and its server system 18 shown in fig1 and described in fig2 but can access system 18 by requesting toll - free customer assistance center 10 c in fig1 to access system 18 and the stored notes and documents on behalf of the user , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . in one illustrative embodiment of the present invention , and explained in respect to the flow diagram of fig7 , a user with the ability to use other client systems as shown in fig1 such as a browser 10 a , a mobile device 10 b to access system 18 can use the client system known as a toll - free customer center 10 c in fig1 and request that the toll - free customer center securely access system 18 on his / her behalf to send notes or documents stored within his / her account without compromising the security to their account by having to provide logon credentials that would be used to access the system through a browser 10 a , mobile device 10 b like username and password . this process will leverage the security challenge questions setup by the user during the new user process in step 180 in fig2 . after the toll - free customer center representative successfully selects the correct user account from fig7 b , the system would pull account information 10 from the previous screen and then prompt the toll - free customer center representative to ask the caller to identify login id 20 and email address 30 on file so that the toll - free customer center representative can use to lookup tool 40 to pull three random security challenge questions 50 from the user account . at any time , the toll - free customer center representative can cancel the lookup of user information to start over or clear the values entered in numeral 20 and 30 by clicking cancel button 45 . after a successful lookup in numeral 40 the toll - free customer center representative will now ask the caller to answer the three security challenge questions 50 that were retrieved from the system , in order to securely access the user account . if the caller does not properly answer the three security challenge questions , the toll - free customer center representative would be able to pull three more random security challenge questions from the user account by using the more questions tool 55 to further validate the caller identification before accessing the user account . once the user has successfully answered the security challenge questions , the toll - free customer center representative can then access the account using the access account tool 60 . at any time , the toll - free customer center representative can cancel the lookup of user information to start over or clear the values entered in numeral 20 and 30 by clicking the cancel button 65 . once access account tool 60 is used by the toll - free customer center representative , the system will generate a folder content report listing all notes and documents for this specific user account which will be explained in fig7 d . at anytime , the toll - free customer center representative can completely disconnect from the system and end of his / her session by clicking the logoff system tool 70 which would securely logoff the representative and end the monitoring session as explained in fig7 a and shown as the log file as numeral 22 in fig7 . fig7 d — toll free customer center viewing notes and documents fig7 d is the graphical user interface which illustratively depicts the process by which a user does not have access to the a client system browser 10 a and mobile browser 10 b shown in fig1 to access the website and its server system 18 shown in fig1 and described in fig2 but can access system 18 by requesting the toll - free customer assistance center 10 c in fig1 to access system 18 and the stored notes and documents on behalf of the user , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . in one illustrative embodiment of the present invention , and explained in respect to the flow diagram of fig7 , a user with the ability to use other client systems as shown in fig1 such as browser 10 a , mobile device 10 b to access system 18 can use the client system known as toll - free customer center 10 c in fig1 and request that the toll - free customer center securely access the system 18 on his / her behalf to send notes or documents stored within his / her account without compromising the security to their account . the user &# 39 ; s logon credentials would be used to access the system through browser 10 a , mobile device 10 b , similar to a username and password . this process will leverage the security challenge questions setup by the user during the new user process in step 180 in fig2 . after the caller has successfully answered the security challenge questions shown as numeral 50 in fig7 c , a folder content report would be generated for the toll - free customer center representative shown at numeral 5 in fig7 d . the folder content report would list all notes and documents stored within the user account for each specific category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 shown in fig1 , and listed in a pull - down menu 10 , which can be selected by the toll - free customer center representative and the user or caller may then instruct the toll - free customer center representative to select the specific notes tab or document tab 15 from the folder contents report results view illustratively illustrated as numeral 20 , which would be stored within a specific category database 10 selected . the toll - free customer center representative would then select the specific note or document requested by the user of the system , by clicking on the select box 25 to have the note or document sent over a secure transmission using the send tool 30 to a designated recipient using either the fax server - 22 or the email server - 24 protocols as shown in fig1 . sending functions indicated as numeral 30 will be further described in fig7 f . as an additional security precaution , the system would monitor the toll - free customer center representative activities while assisting the user or caller , and the toll - free customer center representative would not have the ability to read any personal information stored within the specific notes or documents . if the caller instructs the toll - free customer center representative to open a specific note or document and read its personal contents or properties , the toll - free customer center representative would be required to ask the user of the system , or the caller to answer a random security challenge question from a pull - down menu 40 . the security challenge questions were established by the user of the system during the new registration process indicated in fig2 b 2 and are stored in the system . after selecting a random security challenge question from the pull - down menu 40 , the toll - free customer center representative would then ask the user of the system , or the caller , to properly answer the question , in which the toll - free customer center representative would type in the answer in case - sensitive letter in the answer box , indicated as numeral 50 . the toll - free customer center representative would validate the answer provided by the caller by clicking the activate viewing button indicated as numeral 55 which would attempt to validate the answer against what is stored in the system . if the security question is correctly answered by the caller , the activate viewing button 55 would activate special viewing privileges for the toll - free customer center representative showing the contents and properties of all the notes and documents stored in all category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 listed in pull - down menu 10 , associated with the specific user account . if the security question was not correctly answered by the caller , the activate viewing button 55 would not activate special viewing privileges for the toll - free customer center representative and would require the toll - free customer center representative to choose another security challenge question from the pull - down menu 40 and re - enter the answer in the answer box 55 and click the activate viewing button 55 to attempt to activate special viewing privileges showing the contents and properties of all the notes and documents stored in all category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 listed in pull - down menu 10 , associated with the specific user account . once the toll - free customer center representative has completed sending any notes or documents that have been requested by the caller , the toll - free customer center representative would then logout of the caller account 60 which would systematically secure the personal notes and documents by locking the customer account , and return the toll - free customer center representative to the access screen illustratively illustrated in fig7 b . a log file which records the activity within the customer account by the toll - free customer center representative would be stored on the system for security and future auditing purposes , as described as numeral 22 in fig7 . if the user of the system , or the caller , requests the toll - free customer center representative to send an alert message to specific contact recipients stored within the category database 56 for the user of the system , the toll - free customer center representative would use the send alert message tool indicated as numeral 70 which would use the fax server - 22 or the email server - 24 protocols of the system to send a communication to the desired contact recipients in the user account . this functionality would be similar to the blast alert message tool described in fig8 c , except that this function would be performed by the toll - free customer center representative on behalf of the user of the system , or the caller using the toll - free customer center 10 c indicated in fig1 . if the user of the system , or the caller , has locked their account by failing to correctly answer the three random security challenge questions during the client system access as described in numeral 140 in fig2 and further illustrated fig2 c , with three unsuccessful attempts , the toll - free customer center representative could unlock and reset the user account by using the unlock and reset the password button indicated as numeral 80 which is a tool which would replace the users established password with a random generated password and also purge all existing answers to all ten security challenge questions for the user account , listed in the pull - down menu 40 , and replace each one with a random generated answer provided by the system . a secure email communication would then be sent to the user email addresses stored in the system to notify the user of what the random generated password and security challenge questions answers are and how to access the system using these temporary credentials , which is further described and illustrative illustrated in fig7 d 1 . at anytime , the toll - free customer center representative can completely disconnect from the system and end of his / her session by clicking the logoff system tool 90 which would securely logoff the representative and end the monitoring session as explained in fig7 a and shown as the log file as numeral 22 in fig7 . fig7 d 1 — unlock and reset password email notification fig7 d 1 is the graphical user interface which illustratively depicts the process by which a user does not have access to the a client system browser 10 a and mobile browser 10 b shown in fig1 to access the website and its server system 18 shown in fig1 and described in fig2 but can access system 18 by requesting the toll - free customer assistance center 10 c in fig1 to access system 18 and the stored notes and documents on behalf of the user , in accordance with the teachings of this invention . in one illustrative embodiment of the present invention , and explained in respect to the flow diagram of fig7 d , a user with the ability to use other client systems as shown in fig1 such as browser 10 a , mobile device 10 b to access system 18 can use the client system known as a toll - free customer center 10 c in fig1 and request that the toll - free customer center unlock and reset the user account after the user of the system , or the caller , has locked their account by failing to correctly answer the three random security challenge questions during the client system access as described in numeral 140 in fig2 and further illustrated fig2 c , with three unsuccessful attempts . the toll - free customer center representative could unlock and reset the user account by using the unlock and reset the password button indicated as numeral 80 in fig7 d which is a tool which would replace the users established password with a random generated password and also purge all existing answers to all ten security challenge questions for the user account and replace each one with a random generated answer provided by the system . a secure email communication would then be sent to the user email addresses stored in the system indicated as numeral 10 to notify the user of what the random generated password 15 and the random generated security challenge questions answer 25 are and how to access the system using these temporary credentials , which is further described in the email communication . fig7 e — toll free customer center viewing notes and documents fig7 e is the graphical user interface which illustratively depicts the process by which a user does not have access to client system browser 10 a and mobile browser 10 b shown in fig1 to access the website and its server system 18 shown in fig1 and described in fig2 but can access system 18 by requesting the toll - free customer assistance center 10 c in fig1 to access system 18 and the stored notes and documents on behalf of the user , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . in one illustrative embodiment of this invention , and explained in respect to the flow diagram of fig7 , a user without access to other client systems as shown in fig1 such as browser 10 a , mobile device 10 b to access system 18 can use the client system known as a toll - free customer center 10 c in fig1 and request that the toll - free customer center securely access system 18 on his / her behalf to view or send notes or documents stored within his / her account without compromising the security to their account by having to provide logon credentials that would be used to access system through browser 10 a , mobile device 10 b like username and password . as previously explained , a caller may request that the toll - free customer center representative open a specific note or document within the account of the caller . if the caller instructs the toll - free customer center representative to open a specific note or document and read its contents or properties , the toll - free customer center representative would be required to ask the caller to answer a random security challenge question from the pull - down menu 10 , the toll - free customer center representative would then ask the user of the system , or the caller , to properly answer the question , in which the toll - free customer center representative would type in the answer in case - sensitive letter in the answer box , indicated as numeral 15 . the toll - free customer center representative would validate the answer provided by the caller by clicking the activate viewing button indicated as numeral 20 which would attempt to validate the answer against what is stored in the system . if the security question is correctly answered by the caller , the activate viewing button 20 would activate special viewing privileges for the toll - free customer center representative by activating hyperlinks to all the notes and documents 30 and when these hyperlinks are clicked by the toll - free customer center representative , the system would display the contents and properties of all the selected notes or documents stored in all category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 and illustratively depicted by numeral 40 . if the security question was not correctly answered by the caller , the activate viewing button 20 would not activate special viewing privileges or active hyperlinks 30 for the toll - free customer center representative and would require the toll - free customer center representative to choose another security challenge question from the pull - down menu 10 and re - enter the answer in the answer box 15 and click the activate viewing button 20 to attempt to activate special viewing privileges showing the contents and properties of all the notes and documents stored in all category database 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 associated with the specific user account . fig7 f is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that is used by the toll - free customer center representative 10 c to securely logon to system 18 to send notes and documents on behalf of the user as shown in fig1 , within all category sub - databases ( folders ) in the server system using the email server - 24 or fax server - 22 shown in fig1 , in accordance with the teachings of this invention . as previously described , a user can request a toll - free customer center representative to send note or a document from a category sub - database ( folder ) using the send button indicated as numeral 30 in fig7 d . the toll - free customer center representative would then select the specific note or document requested by the user of the system , by clicking on the select box 25 in fig7 d to have sent over a secure transmission using the send tool 30 in fig7 d to a designated recipient using either the fax server - 22 or the email server - 24 protocols as shown in fig1 . after the toll - free customer center representative has pressed the send button indicated as 30 in fig7 d the toll - free customer center representative would be presented with the send wizard screen indicated as numeral 20 in which the selected note is carried forward 22 and the toll - free customer center representative is presented with a choice of sending the note using either the fax server protocol or the email server protocol 25 , according to the user of the system , or the caller instructions . the toll - free customer center representative of the system can select one protocol by placing a check in the respective check box the clicking the next button 29 . if the user of the system decides to cancel the send wizard at this point , the toll - free customer center representative may click the cancel button 27 . in this example , the email protocol is selected and demonstrated and is similar to the fax protocol process except that the send wizard will deliver the selected note using email server - 24 to an email address of the desired recipients . when the fax protocol is selected , the send wizard will deliver the selected note using fax server - 22 to a facsimile number of the desired recipients . when next button 29 is pressed , next send wizard screen 30 appears prompting the toll - free customer center representative to assign a contact recipient ( s ) 33 to the receive the selected note carried forward and indicated as numeral 22 . the toll - free customer center representative can enter in recipient email address or facsimile number in the space provided 33 or perform a lookup of the recipients email address or facsimile number in the contacts database 56 by using the to . . . button indicated as numeral 32 , as instructed by the user of the system . if the toll - free customer center representative needed to return to the previous send wizard screen , the user may click the back button indicated as numeral 36 . if the user of the system decides to cancel the send wizard at this point , the toll - free customer center representative may click the cancel button 38 . by clicking the to . . . button indicated as numeral 32 the contact listing screen would appear indicated as numeral 40 which would allow the toll - free customer center representative to choose the desired recipient ( s ) to receive the selected note 22 . the toll - free customer center representative has many selections to find the desired recipient ( s ) which the toll - free customer center representative can do by placing a check in the box 42 to select a contact recipient ( s ) then clicking the assign contact button indicated as numeral 43 , as instructed by the user of the system or the caller . this would automatically populate the desired email address or facsimile number into the recipient &# 39 ; s field indicated as numeral 33 . the toll - free customer center representative may also browse to find other recipients by using the pull - down menu indicated as numeral 49 to browse other category sub - database ( folders ) indicated as numeral 30 in fig2 h in the category database 56 shown in fig1 and also indicated as contacts 56 in fig2 h for all user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c indicated as numeral 20 in fig2 h , on behalf of the user . the toll - free customer center representative may also click add a new contact 44 to dynamically add a new contact to the system and category database 56 and then select and assign it as a recipient using numeral 42 and 43 respectively , as instructed by the user of the system or the caller . the system also allows the toll - free customer center representative to import recipients from other external systems into the category database 56 by using the import contacts button 46 , if instructed by the user of the system , or the caller . the import contacts wizard allows contact information to be imported from any external system such as an external email program such as microsoft outlook , or online services such as google contacts . the toll - free customer center representative , if instructed by the user of the system may also update an email address or facsimile number dynamically to an existing recipient contact record stored in the category database 56 by using the edit / view contact 48 button to update the contact record before the user selects and assigns it as a recipient using numeral 42 and 43 respectively . as soon as the toll - free customer center representative of the system selects and assigns a recipients ( s ) the toll - free customer center representative of the system would then finalize the send wizard by clicking the send button indicated as numeral 39 . the system would use respective fax server - 22 or email server - 24 of system 18 indicated in fig1 to send the selected note 22 to the desired recipient ( s ) facsimile number or email addresses respectfully , as instructed by the user of the system or the caller . once completely , the system would display a confirmation screen 55 to the user of the system that the message has been successfully sent by the system o the desired recipient ( s ) facsimile number or email addresses . fig8 is a diagram which illustratively depicts the process flow that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b after successfully accessing the server system shown in fig1 , to access a proprietary software tools embedded within the system in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . in one illustrative embodiment of the present invention , and explained in respect to the flow diagram of fig2 , a user would use client systems as shown in fig1 such as a browser 10 a , a mobile device 10 b to access the system 18 as shown in step 200 . once the user has securely entered the system , the user would select category database 56 ‘ contacts ’ in step 205 and then select the desired user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c in step 210 , then open up the category sub - database ( folder ) 56 b named ‘ tools ’ in step 215 . category sub - database ( folder ) 56 b namely ‘ tools ’ has two tabs included within it , and the user of the system would select the tab named ‘ software ’ in step 218 to view a suite of software applications embedded into the system . the user of the system can select a particular software application to perform specific tasks embedded within category database 56 known as contacts . a software application tool “ import contacts from . csv file ” 220 is embedded in the system which would allow the user of the system to select a file 225 from their computer and then upload 230 the selected file to the system . in step 235 , the system would format and import the contact records stored in the selected file 230 to the system and place them in category database 56 ‘ contacts ’ specifically for the active user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c selected in step 210 and finally in category sub - database ( folder ) 56 a named ‘ my contacts ’, or any custom category sub - database ( folder ) subsequently created by the user of the system . the user of the system would be able to view or browse the imported contact records from within the category sub - database ( folder ) 56 a named ‘ my contacts ’ after the import process had been completed in step 240 . a software application tool named “ import contacts from gmail ” 250 is embedded in the system which would permit the user of the system to remotely logon to their existing gmail system by entering in a valid email address , known as “ username ” in step 255 then the system would prompt the user for a valid password 260 which the gmail system would attempt to match the username 255 in the external gmail system . if the gmail system locates and successfully matches the provided password 260 to the provided username 255 , the gmail system would initiate an import command of all the existing contact records stored in the external gmail system by the user of the system and would format and place them in the category database 56 ‘ contacts ’ specifically for the active user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c selected in step 210 and finally in the category sub - database ( folder ) 56 a named ‘ my contacts ’, or any custom category sub - database ( folder ) subsequently created by the user of the system in step 265 . the user of the system would be able to view or browse the imported contact records from within the category sub - database ( folder ) 56 a named ‘ my contacts ’ after the import process had been completed in step 270 . a software application tool named “ export contacts ” 280 is embedded in the system which would permit the user of the system to select multiple contact records stored in any category sub - database ( folder ) 56 a named ‘ my contacts ’, or any custom category sub - database ( folder ) subsequently created by the user of the system in step 285 , for all user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c . once the user has selected the desired contact records instep 285 , the system would prompt the user to name the file in step 290 . after the file name has been defined by the user of the system , the system formats and creates a file in portable digital format , known as pdf , and places the file in the category database 56 ‘ contacts ’ specifically for the active user web page 100 a , 100 b , 100 c selected in step 210 and finally in the category sub - database ( folder ) 56 b named ‘ tools ’, in the tab called ‘ tools ’ step 295 . the user of the system would be able to export or open the file in a native program such as adobe acrobat reader to view or print the newly generated file in step 300 after the system process had been completed in step 295 . a software application tool named “ alert message ” 310 is embedded in the system which will prompt the user to select the fax server - 22 or email server - 24 protocol to send a communication to in step 315 then select contact records or recipients stored in the system to send the communication to in step 320 from any category sub - database ( folder ) 56 a named ‘ my contacts ’, or any custom category sub - database ( folder ) subsequently created by the user of the system , for all user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c . once the user of the system has completed selecting contact records or recipients 320 , the user may send the communication by clicking a send button , to initiate a send command to the system in step 325 , which the system would then display a confirmation message that the communication has been sent in step 330 over the respective fax server - 22 or email server - 24 protocol in fig1 selected in step 315 . fig8 a is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b after successfully accessing the server system shown in fig1 , to access a proprietary software tools embedded with the system in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . in one illustrative embodiment of the present invention , and explained in respect to the flow diagram of fig8 , a user can use multiple client systems as shown in fig1 such as browser 10 a , mobile device 10 b to access system 18 to access the proprietary software tools embedded in the system to perform specific tasks that would manipulate the contact records stored in the category database 56 , contacts and more specifically , the category sub - database ( folder ) 56 a named ‘ my contacts ’, or any custom category sub - database ( folder ) subsequently created by the user of the system , for all user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c in fig1 . after securely accessing the system , the user of the system would click on category database 56 named ‘ contacts ’ from a selection of all category databases indicated as numeral 10 . the user of the system would then select a desired user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c indicated as numeral 12 . the user of the system would then find the category sub - database ( folder ) 56 b named ‘ tools ’ 15 and open this folder to view the embedded software applications 20 that are located the tab named ‘ software ’ 25 where they are illustratively illustrated and indicated as numeral 30 . the user would have the option to select any of the proprietary software tools shown in the view , specifically “ read me — how to use these tools ”, “ import contacts — from . csv file ”, “ import contacts — from gmail ”, “ export contacts to a pdf file ” and “ alert messenger — create a new blast email or fax message ”. each tool is described further below in fig8 b through fig8 e , respectively below . fig8 b is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b after successfully accessing the server system shown in fig1 , to access a proprietary software tools embedded with the system , namely import contacts from . csv file , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . in one illustrative embodiment of the present invention , and explained in respect to the flow diagram of fig8 , a user can use multiple client systems as shown in fig1 such as browser 10 a , mobile device 10 b to access system 18 to access the proprietary software tools embedded in the system to perform specific tasks that would manipulate the contact records stored in the category database 56 namely , contacts , more specifically , the category sub - database ( folder ) 56 a named ‘ my contacts ’, or any custom category sub - database ( folder ) subsequently created by the user of the system , for the actively selected one or more embodiments of the present invention 100 a , 100 b , 100 c in fig1 . after securely accessing the system , the user would have the option to import contacts from an external file by using the “ import contacts — from . csv file ” software tool indicated as numeral 30 in fig8 a . the user of the system would select category database 56 namely , contacts , more specifically , the desired user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c then find the category sub - database ( folder ) 56 b named ‘ tools ’ 10 and open this folder to view the embedded software applications that are located the tab named ‘ software ’ 15 where they are illustratively illustrated and indicated as numeral 20 . the user would have the option to select any of the proprietary software tools shown in the view , specifically the “ import contact — from . csv file ”, indicated as numeral 22 to import contact records that are external to the system 18 and import and store them in the in the category database 56 namely , contacts , more specifically , the category sub - database ( folder one or more embodiments of the present invention 56 a named ‘ my contacts ’, or any custom category sub - database ( folder ) subsequently created by the user of the system , for the actively selected user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c in fig1 . when the user of the system clicks on the hyperlink “ import contact — from . csv file ”, indicated as numeral 22 the tool is activated and the import contact wizard is launched and illustrative illustrated in numeral 25 . on this wizard screen , the user would have the choice to import contact records in multiple methods , either from an external gmail account 30 or by an external file or email program 40 . fig8 b will illustratively illustrate the method of importing from an external source or email program indicated as numeral 40 . to import contacts from an external source , the user of the system would click the choose file 45 button to browse their computer for the source file which contains the contact records and once located , the user would click the upload 50 button to import the contact records stored in the source file to the system 18 and ultimately store them to the category database 56 ‘ contacts ’ and specifically the category sub - database ( folder ) 56 a ‘ my contacts ’ or any custom category sub - database ( folder ) subsequently created by the user of the system for the actively selected user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c in step 210 in fig8 a . at anytime , the user may view detail instructions of how to successfully import contact records by clicking the find out how hyperlink 55 for further instructions . fig8 c is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b after successfully accessing the server system shown in fig1 , to access a proprietary software tools embedded with the system , namely import contacts from gmail , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . in one illustrative embodiment of this invention , and explained in respect to the flow diagram of fig8 , a user can use multiple client systems as shown in fig1 such as a browser 10 a , a mobile device 10 b to access the system 18 to access the proprietary software tools embedded in the system to perform specific tasks that would manipulate the contact records stored in the category database 56 namely , contacts , more specifically , the category sub - database ( folder ) 56 a named ‘ my contacts ’, or any custom category sub - database ( folder ) subsequently created by the user of the system , for the actively selected user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c in fig1 . after securely accessing the system , the user would have the option to import contacts from an external source by using the “ import contacts — from gmail ” software tool indicated as numeral 30 in fig8 a . the user of the system would select category database 56 namely , contacts , more specifically , the desired user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c then find the category sub - database ( folder ) 56 b named ‘ tools ’ 10 and open this folder to view the embedded software applications that are located the tab named ‘ software ’ 15 where they are illustratively illustrated and indicated as numeral 20 . the user would have the option to select any of the proprietary software tools shown in the view , specifically the “ import contact — from gmail ”, indicated as numeral 22 to import contact records that are external to the system 18 and import and store them in the in the category database 56 namely , contacts , more specifically , the category sub - database ( folder ) 56 a named ‘ my contacts ’, or any custom category sub - database ( folder ) subsequently created by the user of the system , for the actively selected user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c in fig1 . when the user of the system clicks on the hyperlink “ import contact — from gmail ”, indicated as numeral 22 the tool is activated and the import contact wizard is launched and illustrative illustrated in numeral 25 . on this wizard screen , the user would have the choice to import contact records in multiple methods , either from an external gmail account 30 or by an external file or email program 50 . fig8 c will illustratively illustrate the method of importing from the external source , known as the gmail platform , indicated as numeral 30 . to import contacts from a gmail account , the user of the system would enter in a valid gmail email address indicated as numeral 35 then click the import button 40 . the system will prompt the user for a valid password associated with the gmail email address provided in numeral 35 . the system would securely send the credentials provided by the user to the gmail platform , and attempt to match the credentials with the gmail system . if the credentials match , the system will invoke an export command to the gmail system and then an import command to extract and place the contact records that are stored in the respective gmail system to be copied and imported to the system 18 and ultimately store them to the category database 56 ‘ contacts ’ and specifically the category sub - database ( folder ) 56 a ‘ my contacts ’ or any custom category sub - database ( folder ) subsequently created by the user of the system for the actively selected user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c in step 210 in fig8 a . if the credential provided by the user are found to be invalid after the user presses the import button 40 , the system will display and error message , prompting the user to repeat steps 35 and 40 . fig8 d — contact tools : export contacts to a pdf file fig8 d is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b after successfully accessing the server system shown in fig1 , to access a proprietary software tools embedded with the system , namely export contacts to a pdf file , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . in one illustrative embodiment of the present invention , and explained in respect to the flow diagram of fig8 , a user can use multiple client systems as shown in fig1 such as a browser 10 a , a mobile device 10 b to access the system 18 to access the proprietary software tools embedded in the system to perform specific tasks that would manipulate the contact records stored in the category database 56 namely , contacts , more specifically , the category sub - database ( folder ) 56 a named ‘ my contacts ’, or any custom category sub - database ( folder ) subsequently created by the user of the system , for the actively selected user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c in fig1 . after securely accessing the system , the user would have the option to export contacts to a pdf file by using the “ export contacts to a pdf file ” software tool indicated as numeral 30 in fig8 a . after launching the wizard , the ‘ build a walletcard wizard ’ screen 10 would appear and the user would choose any of the contact records stored in the category database 56 namely , contacts , more specifically , the category sub - database ( folder ) 56 a named ‘ my contacts ’, or any custom category sub - database ( folder ) subsequently created by the user of the system , for the actively selected user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c by using the pulldown menu indicated as numeral 12 . the user would select the desired contact records to add to the exported file by placing a check in the appropriate checkboxes indicated as numeral 15 . if a contact record does not exist in the system , the user may create and add a new contact record to the system by using the add new contact button 20 as previously described as numeral 46 in fig3 b . since it is important that all contacts records placed in the exported file have accurate contact information , the user may choose to select a particular contact by using the checkbox 15 and then edit the contact record information by using the edit / view contact tool 25 which would edit the contact record , as previously described as numeral 48 in fig3 b . once all the desired contacts have been selected the user would continue the wizard by clicking the next button 40 . at any time the user could cancel the wizard by clicking the cancel button 30 . after continuing the wizard 40 , the final step would be displayed in a screen 50 which would require the user to provide a name of the exported file 52 and provide any notes 54 that should be associated with the exported file . if the user has discovered that user of the system has made a mistake and would like to alter the list of contact records added to the list , the user could use the back button 56 to return to previous screen , “ export contacts to a pdf file ” indicated as numeral 10 . or the user may cancel the entire process by using the cancel button 58 . if the user of the system does not need to make any other changes to the exported file , the user of the system can export the file to a portable digital format , also known as pdf by using the “ export to pdf ” button indicated as numeral 60 . the system will process and format the selected contact records in a pdf format , and then display a confirmation screen indicated as numeral 70 and once the user of the system clicks the “ ok ” button 75 , the system would place the newly exported file in the category database 56 ‘ contacts ’ as shown in fig1 , specifically in the category sub - database ( folder ) 56 b named ‘ tools ’, indicated as numeral 80 and specifically in the tab within this window named “ my tools ” 82 for the actively selected user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c . a user may then select the exported file by placing a check in the appropriate checkbox 85 and perform a host of commands such as send 90 which would allow the user to send the exported file using the fax server - 22 or the email server - 24 in fig1 and previously described in fig4 d . the user of the system may also choose to select the exported file by placing a check in the appropriate checkbox 85 and perform a host of commands such as print 95 which would allow the user to print the exported file to an installed printer device attached to the user local computer . the user of the system may also choose to select the exported file by placing a check in the appropriate checkbox 85 and perform a host of commands such as delete 97 which would allow the user to delete the exported file from the system . the user of the system may also choose to open the exported file in a native application , such as adobe acrobat , by clicking the hyperlink 100 associated with the stored exported file in the system 18 . fig8 e is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b after successfully accessing the server system shown in fig1 , to access a proprietary software tools embedded with the system , namely alert messenger , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . fig8 e is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to send an electronic communication message using the email server - 24 or fax server - 22 shown in fig1 , in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . in one illustrative embodiment of the present invention , and explained in respect to the flow diagram of fig8 , a user can use multiple client systems as shown in fig1 such as a browser 10 a , a mobile device 10 b to access the system 18 to access the proprietary software tools embedded in the system to perform specific tasks that would manipulate the contact records stored in the category database 56 namely , contacts , more specifically , the category sub - database ( folder ) 56 a named ‘ my contacts ’, or any custom category sub - database ( folder ) subsequently created by the user of the system , for the actively selected user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c in fig1 . as previously described , after securely accessing the system , the user of the system would have the option to send an electronic communication by using the “ alert messenger — create a new blast email or text message ” software tool indicated as numeral 30 in fig8 a , and once launched , the system would initiate the send wizard screen 20 in which the user is presented with a choice of sending the electronic communication using either the fax server protocol or the email server protocol 25 . the user of the system can select one protocol by placing a check in the respective check box the clicking the next button 29 . if the user of the system decides to cancel the send wizard at this point , the user may click the cancel button 27 . in this example , the email protocol is selected and demonstrated and is similar to the fax protocol process except that the send wizard will deliver the electronic communication using the email server - 24 to an email address of the desired recipients . when the fax protocol is selected , the send wizard will deliver the electronic communication using the fax server - 22 to a facsimile number of the desired recipients . when the next button 29 is pressed , the next send wizard screen 30 appears prompting the user of the system to assign a contact recipient ( s ) 33 to receive the electronic communication . the user can enter in recipient email address or facsimile number in the space provided 33 or perform a lookup of the recipients email address or facsimile number in the contacts database 56 by using the to . . . button indicated as numeral 32 . if the user needed to return to the previous send wizard screen , the user may click the back button indicated as numeral 36 . if the user of the system decides to cancel the send wizard at this point , the user may click the cancel button 38 . by clicking the to . . . button indicated as numeral 32 the contact listing screen would appear indicated as numeral 40 which would allow the user of the system to choose the desired recipient ( s ) to receive the electronic communication . the user of the system has many selections to find the desired recipient ( s ) which the user can do by placing a check in the box 42 to select a contact recipient ( s ) then clicking the assign contact button indicated as numeral 43 . this would automatically populate the desired email address or facsimile number into recipients field indicated as numeral 33 . the user may also browse to find other recipients by using the pull - down menu indicated as numeral 49 to browse other category sub - database ( folders ) indicated as numeral 30 in fig2 h in the category database 56 shown in fig1 and also indicated as contacts 56 in fig2 h for all user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c indicated as numeral 20 in fig2 h . the user of the system may also click add a new contact 44 to dynamically add a new contact to the system and category database 56 and then select and assign it as a recipient using numeral 42 and 43 respectively . the system also allows the user to import recipients from other external systems into the category database 56 by using the import contacts button 46 . the import contacts wizard allows contact information to be imported from any external system such as an external email program such as microsoft outlook , or online services such as google contacts . the user of the system may also update an email address or facsimile number dynamically to an existing recipient contact record stored in the category database 56 by using the edit / view contact 48 button to update the contact record before the user selects and assigns it as a recipient using numeral 42 and 43 respectively . as soon as the user of the system selects and assigns a recipients ( s ) the user of the system would then finalize the send wizard by clicking the send button indicated as numeral 39 . the system would use the respective fax server 22 or email server 24 of system 18 indicated in fig1 to send the electronic communication to the desired recipient ( s ) facsimile number or email addresses respectfully . once completely , the system would display a confirmation screen 55 to the user of the system that the message has been successfully sent by the system o the desired recipient ( s ) facsimile number or email addresses . fig9 is a flow diagram which illustratively depicts the process by which the user uses a client system login shown in fig2 to access the website and its server system 18 shown in fig1 to search , access and select a stored document ( s ) to notarize the document using electronic methods , herein known as ‘ e - notary ’ or ‘ e - notarized ’ or ‘ e - notarization ’ in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . in one illustrative embodiment of the present invention , and explained in respect to the flow diagram of fig9 , a user can use a plurality of client systems in step 100 , which include browser 10 a , mobile device 10 b to enter system 18 over link 16 as shown in fig1 to search and request that particular document be retrieved and viewed from database server 18 d . after securely connecting to system 18 the user would be able to use multiple types of tools or methods to search database server 18 d and selection of category databases 50 , 52 , 54 in step 105 , then select a specific user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c in step 110 and category sub - databases ( folders ) 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c in step 115 for a particular document ( s ) that the user of the system may have stored in that selected category sub - database ( folder ) by selecting the documents tab in step 120 . the user would then select the desired document ( s ) to be e - notarized by selecting the document ( s ) in step 125 . once the desired document ( s ) have been selected , the user of the system would click the e - notary button in step 130 to initiate the e - notary wizard . once the user of the system has initiated the e - notary wizard , the user must agree to the e - notary disclosure statement 135 to continue the e - notary wizard , at which time the user of the system may select no 140 to abort the e - notary wizard or click yes 145 to continue . the user would then be asked to confirm the document ( s ) that were selected in step 130 to ensure that the document ( s ) selected are in fact , the desired document ( s ) to be e - notarized . the user may at this point select cancel 155 to abort the e - notary wizard or click yes 160 to continue . the next step of the e - notary wizard would be to enter in the details of the signer ( s ) of the document ( s ) 165 , as this would be the person ( s ) who would be placing an electronic signature onto the selected document ( s ) 130 ultimately to verify their acknowledgement of e - notarization procedure that will take effect as part of the e - notary wizard . in step 165 the system would offer a selection of family members from the user web pages 100 a , 100 b , 100 c in the database server 18 d , and by selecting a particular family member details , the system would automatically populate the details as the default signer , to avoid the user from having to manually type in signer information . the user of the system may edit or add information to these details if needed . then , the system would prompt the user if there will be another signer 170 , and the user would either select yes 160 and repeat step 165 to select or enter in the additional details of each signer ( s ), and repeat these steps 165 , 170 , 160 as many times as are needed . when there are no more signer ( s ) to enter into the system , the user would select no 175 to continue with the e - notary wizard . after the user of the system has entered in the signer ( s ) information 165 , the e - notary wizard would then prompt the user to verify the identity of each of the signer ( s ) entered in step 165 using an electronic verification system in step 180 . for each signer ( s ), the system would allow them to select a financial institution that they currently have an online account with and enter in the logon credentials of that account and the 5 - digit zip code associated with that account . the system would then utilize a proprietary verification script to effectively verify the logon credentials and 5 - digit zip code provided by the user in step 180 , including the first name , last name , address provided in 165 by remotely connecting over a secure network to the selected financial institution verification system tool and attempt to compare the logon credentials and 5 - digit zip code provided , including the first name , last name , address provided in 165 with what is stored on the remote system of the financial institution selected in step 180 . this transmission encrypts the information being sent to the remote financial institution and occurs securely through the web server - 20 of system 18 in fig1 . if the verification fails , a warning message will be displayed 185 and prompt the user of the system to re - enter the credentials and 5 - digit zip code and re - verify the process again , repeating step 180 . if the verification successfully competes , a message will be displayed 190 and prompt the user of the system to verify the identity of any additional signer ( s ) 195 entered during step 165 . if the user selects yes 200 , the user would then repeat steps 180 for the additional signer ( s ). if there are no more signer ( s ) that require identification verification , the user of the system will select no 205 to continue the e - notary wizard . any credentials provided in step 180 are then purged from the system 18 for security purposes . the system would then prompt the user of the system for verification of billing information to pay for the e - notary service . the system would lookup any existing billing information stored in the category database home 48 ; specifically 48 b named settings stored in the database server 18 d for the user of system 18 . the user can edit this billing information , if needed , and then select to process the e - notary request . the system would securely connect to the credit card authorization system and attempt to verify and charge the credit card provided in step 210 . if the verification fails , a warning message will be displayed 215 and prompt the user of the system to re - enter the billing information credentials and try again , repeating step 210 . if the verification successfully competes , a message will be displayed to the user 220 and the system will initiated to submit the request to the proprietary notarization service in step 225 . this process will securely connect via the internet to the veroha e - notarytrust system and encrypt and route the document ( s ) and credentials collected in steps 130 , 165 , 180 and request for a notarization submission , further described in fig9 — e - notary a document ( s ) flow chart — part 2 below . fig9 is a flow diagram which illustratively depicts the process by which the system processes a e - notarization request to connect to the veroha e - notarytrust system and ultimately the secretary of state of delaware authority notarization system after the user of the system has completed the e - notary wizard using to ultimately notarize the document ( s ) using electronic methods with the web server 20 and the email server 24 shown in fig1 , herein known as ‘ e - notary ’ or ‘ e - notarized ’ or ‘ e - notarization ’ in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . as previously described in fig9 — e - notary a document ( s ) flow chart — part 1 , a user can submit the request to complete the e - notary wizard after entering in billing information 210 , and after the system successfully verifies and charges the provided billing information , a confirmation receipt is displayed 220 and after this confirmation receipt is displayed , the e - notary wizard continues to execute in system 18 to submit the request to the proprietary notarization service , herein called ‘ veroha e - notarytrust ’ system 225 , shown in fig9 — e - notary a document ( s ) flow chart — part 1 and fig9 — e - notary a document ( s ) flow chart — part 2 . after the system has compiled the submitted request , system 18 will encrypt the request and securely connect via the internet using web server 20 , shown as step 230 , and send to the veroha e - notarytrust system 235 , the document ( s ) and information collected during the e - notary wizard procedure described in fig9 — e - notary a document ( s ) flow chart — part 1 to initiate a formal request for a notarization submission . the veroha e - notarytrust system , 235 is a proprietary system authorized to accept notarization requests from approved commissioned electronic notary agents , namely siftsort . com . upon connecting to the veroha e - notarytrust system , 235 system 18 would send logon credentials such as digital certificate with encrypted key credentials to the veroha e - notarytrust system , and the veroha e - notarytrust system would verify the digital certificate with encrypted key credentials to ensure that the request is from an authorized commissioned electronic notary agent , as part of step 235 . if system 230 or web server 20 receives a ‘ failed ’ response from the veroha e - notarytrust system 235 , after sending the digital certificate with encrypted key credentials , a warning message will be received from the veroha e - notarytrust system , and request the system 230 , or web server 20 to initializing the request again . if system 230 , or web server 20 receives a ‘ success ’ response from the veroha e - notarytrust system 235 , after sending the digital certificate with encrypted key credentials , the veroha e - notarytrust system will process and format the request and its content , and assign a unique multi - digit serial number to the request and record it in the veroha e - notarytrust system database , as a stage 1 request , in step 235 . once the stage 1 request is prepared by the veroha e - notarytrust system , the veroha e - notarytrust system will encrypt the stage 1 request and its content and securely connect via the internet to the secretary of state of delaware authority system , in step 240 and send the formatted stage 1 request to the secretary of state of delaware authority system for official notarization . the secretary of state of delaware authority notarization system , in step 240 is a proprietary system that only accepts notarization requests from the veroha e - notarytrust system , shown in step 235 . this system would process the veroha e - notarytrust system stage 1 request generated in step 235 and the content provided within it including the unique multi - digit serial number and records it in the secretary of state of delaware authority notarization system database . the secretary of state of delaware authority notarization system would then generate an official digital copy of the stage 1 request and its content , by embedding on the digital copy of the document ( s ) the following pieces of information , including but not limited to ; a notary public stamp , timestamp , date , unique multi - digit serial number matching the unique multi - digit serial number provided by the veroha enotary trust system and the official state of delaware secretary of the state seal , in step 240 . once the secretary of state of delaware authority notarization system has generated and embedded the official pieces of information onto the stage 1 request , the secretary of state of delaware authority notarization system records it in the secretary of state of delaware authority notarization system database and converts the stage 1 request to a stage 2 request , in step 240 . then , encrypts the stage 2 request and its content and securely connects over the internet to the veroha e - notarytrust system , and delivers the stage 2 request and its content as officially notarized , in step 245 . the veroha e - notarytrust system upon receiving the completed stage 2 request , in step 245 , would accept the content and record the transaction and the data in the veroha enotary system database , searching for the original stage 1 request by matching the unique multi - digit serial number contained within stage 2 request , with its former stage 1 request , from step 235 and records it as a stage 2 request , in step 245 , in the veroha e - notarytrust system database . finally , the veroha e - notarytrust system will encrypt the stage 2 request content , and securely connect via the internet to the system , in step 250 specifically the email server 24 and deliver the formatted stage 2 request and its content to users secure email address provided as part of siftsort . com e - notary wizard described above in step 165 of fig9 — e - notary a document ( s ) flow chart — part 1 so that the official document ( s ) can be stored in the database server 18 d for the user who generated the original request . the user of the system may then store the official digital copy of the document ( s ) in a particular category sub - databases ( folders ) 50 a - c , 52 a - c , 54 a - c by performing add a document to a category sub - database ( folder ) described in fig4 a . fig9 a 1 is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to browse to select a document ( s ) stored within any category sub - databases ( folders ) in the server system 18 and connect to the veroha e - notarytrust system using the e - notary wizard to ultimately notarize the document ( s ) using electronic methods with the web server 20 and the email server 24 shown in fig1 , herein known as ‘ e - notary ’ or ‘ e - notarized ’ or ‘ e - notarization ’ in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . as previously described , a user can add documents to the system and furthermore move a document into a category sub - database ( folder ) and define specific meta - data to be associated with document before moving the document to the target category sub - database ( folder ) using the proprietary database screen indicated as numeral 22 in fig4 a . once the document has been moved to the target category sub - database ( folder ), fig9 a 1 shows a typical category sub - database ( folder ) view , in this example , category sub - database ( folder ) 50 c identification and indicated in numeral 10 in fig9 a 1 and illustratively illustrating the documents tab indicated as numeral 20 displays the numerous documents stored by the user in the target category sub - database ( folder ) indicated as numeral 30 . a user of the system may choose to e - notary the document from the target category sub - database ( folder ) by securely routing the document through the veroha e - notarytrust system for official notarization using the e - notary wizard which the user may do so by placing a check in the box indicated as numeral 40 for each desired document and then by using the e - notary button indicated as numeral 50 to initiate the e - notary wizard and connect to the veroha e - notarytrust system using the system web server 20 and the email server 24 indicated in fig1 which is further described in fig9 a 2 - 9 a 7 . fig9 a 2 — e - notary a document ( s ) using e - notary wizard — step 2 fig9 a 2 is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to browse to select a document ( s ) stored within any category sub - databases ( folders ) in the server system 18 and connect to the veroha e - notarytrust system using the e - notary wizard to ultimately notarize the document ( s ) using electronic methods with the web server 20 and the email server 24 shown in fig1 , herein known as ‘ e - notary ’ or ‘ e - notarized ’ or ‘ e - notarization ’ in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . as previously described in fig9 a 1 , a user can choose to e - notary a document ( s ) from the target category sub - database ( folder ) by securely routing the document through the veroha e - notarytrust system for official notarization using the e - notary wizard using the e - notary button shown as numeral 50 in fig9 a 1 . once the user of the system has initiated the e - notary wizard which is illustratively illustrated as numeral 10 , the user must agree to the e - notary disclosure statement by clicking the checkbox 20 or clicking the “ i agree ” hyperlink 30 which the system would illustratively display the e - notary disclosure statement so that the user of the system can thoroughly read the e - notary disclosure statement . if the user of the system does not choose to agree with the details of the e - notary disclosure statement , the user of the system can click the cancel button 40 which would abort the e - notary wizard . if the user of the system choose to accept the terms of the e - notary disclosure statement and has placed a check in the box 20 the user of the system can continue the e - notary wizard by clicking the next button 50 , which is further described in fig9 a 3 - 9 a 7 . fig9 a 3 — e - notary a document ( s ) using e - notary wizard — step 3 fig9 a 3 is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to browse to select a document ( s ) stored within any category sub - databases ( folders ) in server system 18 and connect to the veroha e - notarytrust system using the e - notary wizard to ultimately notarize the document ( s ) using electronic methods with web server 20 and the email server 24 shown in fig1 , herein known as ‘ e - notary ’ or ‘ e - notarized ’ or ‘ e - notarization ’ in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . as previously described in fig9 a 2 , a user can choose to agree to the e - notary disclosure statement and continued the e - notary wizard using the next button shown as numeral 50 in fig9 a 2 . once the user of the system continues the e - notary wizard , the system will prompt the user with a screen 10 to confirm the document ( s ) 20 that were selected in fig9 a 1 to ensure that the document ( s ) selected are in fact , the desired document ( s ) to be e - notarized . the user may at this point select cancel 30 to abort the e - notary wizard or click the next button 40 to continue the e - notary wizard , which is further described in fig9 a 4 - 9 a 7 . fig9 a 4 — e - notary a document ( s ) using e - notary wizard — step 4 fig9 a 4 is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to browse to select a document ( s ) stored within any category sub - databases ( folders ) in server system 18 and connect to the veroha e - notarytrust system using the e - notary wizard to ultimately notarize the document ( s ) using electronic methods with the web server 20 and the email server 24 shown in fig1 , herein known as ‘ e - notary ’ or ‘ e - notarized ’ or ‘ e - notarization ’ in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . as previously described in fig9 a 3 , a user can choose to continue the e - notary wizard after acknowledgment that the document ( s ) selected in fig9 a 1 are indeed the document ( s ) intended to be e - notarized , by clicking the next button shown as numeral 40 in fig9 a 3 . once the user of the system continues the e - notary wizard , the system prompt the user with a screen 10 to enter in the details of the signer ( s ) or executors of the document ( s ) 20 , as this would be the person ( s ) who would be placing an electronic signature onto the selected document ( s ) shown as numeral 20 selected in fig9 a 3 . the system would display the primary family member information and populate these details , shown as numeral 20 from the user web pages 100 a fields stored in the database server 18 d , to avoid the user from having to manually enter or type in signer information details into these various fields , illustrative illustrated as numeral 20 . the user of the system may edit or add information to these details if needed , which would override and be saved in the database server 18 d , ultimately updated the information from user web pages 100 a fields . once the user of the system has entered in the information for signer # 1 , the system would prompt the user if there will be another signer 30 , and the user would may select yes 50 in which the system would save the details 20 for signer # 1 in the database server 18 d and then repeat e - notary wizard — step 4 . the system would then display the next family member information , if any , and populate the details 20 from the user web pages 100 b in the database server 18 d , to avoid the user from having to manually enter or type in signer information details into these various fields , illustrative illustrated as numeral 20 . again , after the user of the system has entered in the information for signer # 2 , the system would prompt the user if there will be another signer 30 , ultimately allowing the user to repeat the e - notary wizard — step 4 as many times as is needed , by clicking the yes button 50 . if there are no more signer ( s ) to enter into the system , the user would select no 60 to continue with the e - notary wizard , which is further described in fig9 a 5 - 9 a 7 . at anytime , the user of the system may abort the e - notary wizard by clicking the cancel button shown as numeral 40 . fig9 a 5 — e - notary a document ( s ) using e - notary wizard — step 5 fig9 a 5 is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to browse to select a document ( s ) stored within any category sub - databases ( folders ) in the server system 18 and connect to the veroha e - notarytrust system using the e - notary wizard to ultimately notarize the document ( s ) using electronic methods with the web server 20 and the email server 24 shown in fig1 , herein known as ‘ e - notary ’ or ‘ e - notarized ’ or ‘ e - notarization ’ in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . as previously described in fig9 a 4 , a user can choose to continue the e - notary wizard after entering in the details of the signer ( s ), and by clicking the no button shown as numeral 60 in fig9 a 4 . after the user of the system has entered in the information for the signer ( s ), the e - notary wizard would then prompt the user of the system with a screen 10 to verify the identity of each of the signer ( s ) entered in e - notary wizard — step 4 using a proprietary electronic verification system , in which the credentials provided are not permanently stored in the database server 18 d . the system will explain the method it does this when the user of the system clicks the ‘ how does this work ?” hyperlink shown as numeral 20 . for further security , the user of the system can display the ‘ privacy policy ’ by using the hyperlink shown as numeral 30 to display the company terms and conditions shown in the privacy policy statement , as available and shown during the new user process previously described in fig2 b . for each signer ( s ) entered in the system in e - notary wizard — step 4 , the system would require the user to verify the identity of each signer , but one at a time . the system will begin by asking the user to verify the identity of signer # 1 , shown as numeral 40 , and prompt the user to select a financial institution 45 in which signer # 1 currently has an online account with . after doing so , the user would be prompted to enter in the logon credentials , username and password and the 5 - digit zip code 50 associated with that online account , for the financial institution selected in numeral 45 . once the required logon credentials and 5 - digit zip code is entered into the system 50 , the user would click the verify button 60 and the system would then utilize a proprietary verification script which will attempt to verify the logon credentials and 5 - digit zip code provided by the user in numeral 50 , including the first name , last name , address provided in e - notary wizard — step 4 and illustratively illustrated as numeral 20 in fig9 a 4 by remotely connecting over a secure network to a verification system tool provided by the selected financial institution selected previously , shown as numeral 45 . this proprietary application program interface will securely connect over the internet to the selected financial institution verification tool and present the logon credentials and 5 - digit zip code provided 50 , including the first name , last name , address provided in e - notary wizard — step 4 shown as numeral 20 in fig9 a 4 and compare it with what is stored on the remote verification system of the financial institution selected in step 45 . this proprietary application programming interface transmission encrypts the information being sent from the system 18 and received by the remote financial institution by securely transmitting through the web server 20 of the system 18 in fig1 . if the proprietary application programming interface verification receives a ‘ failed ’ response from the remote verification system of the financial institution , after sending the logon credentials , 5 - digit code and the first name , last name , address provided in e - notary wizard — step 4 shown as numeral 20 in fig9 a 4 , a warning message will be displayed , shown as numeral 70 which will prompt the user of the system to re - enter the logon credentials and 5 - digit zip code 50 and initiate the process again , by clicking the verify button 60 . if the proprietary application programming interface verification receives a ‘ success ’ response from the remote verification system of the financial institution , after sending the logon credentials , 5 - digit code and the first name , last name , address provided in e - notary wizard — step 4 shown as numeral 20 in fig9 a 4 , a success message will be displayed , shown as numeral 65 and prompt the user of the system to click the next button 100 to continue the e - notary wizard , and the system would automatically purge the logon credentials and 5 - digit zip code previously provided by the user 50 , for that particular signer , for example , signer # 1 . if the user of the system had entered in more than one signer in e - notary wizard — step 4 , by clicking yes 50 in fig9 a 4 , when the user of the system clicks the next button 100 to continue the e - notary wizard , the system would automatically repeat e - notary wizard — step 5 by asking the user to verify the identity of signer # 2 , indicated as numeral 40 , in which the user of the system would have to select a financial institution 45 in which signer # 2 currently has an online account with . after doing so , signer # 2 would be prompted to enter in the logon credentials , username and password and the 5 - digit zip code 50 associated with that online account , for the financial institution selected in numeral 45 and clicking the verify button 60 to repeat the verification process described above , using the newly entered logon credentials and 5 - digit zip code provided for signer # 2 including the first name , last name , address provided in e - notary wizard — step 4 and illustratively illustrated as numeral 20 in fig9 a 4 for signer # 2 . this process , and the proprietary application programming interface verification tool described above will repeat until all signer ( s ) provided in e - notary wizard — step 4 , have been successfully completed and a ‘ success ’ message , shown as numeral 65 is displayed for each of the signer ( s ) provided in e - notary wizard — step 4 . if for any reason , the user of the system needs to edit the details provided in the previous screen , the e - notary wizard — step 4 , the user can click the back button 80 which would return the user to the previous screens , caching all the data in the system 18 provided for each of the signer ( s ) in e - notary wizard — step 4 and illustratively illustrated as numeral 20 in fig9 a 4 so that the information provided can be edited by the user of the system . when there are no more signer ( s ) that require identity verification , the e - notary wizard will continue , as further described in fig9 a 6 - 9 a 7 by clicking the next button 100 . once the next button 100 is clicked , the system will automatically purge the logon credentials and 5 - digit zip code previously provided by the user , shown in numeral 50 , for a particular signer . at anytime , the user of the system may abort the e - notary wizard by clicking the cancel button 90 , and the system will automatically purge all information provided during the e - notary wizard . fig9 a 6 — e - notary a document ( s ) using e - notary wizard — step 6 fig9 a 6 is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to browse to select a document ( s ) stored within any category sub - databases ( folders ) in the server system 18 and connect to the veroha e - notarytrust system using the e - notary wizard to ultimately notarize the document ( s ) using electronic methods with the web server 20 and the email server 24 shown in fig1 , herein known as ‘ e - notary ’ or ‘ e - notarized ’ or ‘ e - notarization ’ in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . as previously described in fig9 a 5 , a user can choose to continue the e - notary wizard after verifying the identity of all the signer ( s ) provided in the e - notary wizard — step 4 , by clicking the next button shown as numeral 100 in fig9 a 5 . after the user of the system has verified the identity for all of the signer ( s ), the e - notary wizard would then prompt the user of the system 10 to verify the billing information of the user of the system to complete the transaction , and pay for the e - notary service for the document ( s ) shown in numeral 20 , as selected in numeral 40 in fig9 a 1 . system 18 would lookup any existing billing information stored in the category database home 48 , specifically 48 b named settings : billing information stored in the database server 18 d for the user of system 18 , and display this billing information in the e - notary wizard screen shown as numeral 30 and 40 . if there is no billing information currently stored in system 18 , the user can add new billing information shown in numeral 30 and 40 which would saved to the category database home 48 , specifically 48 b named settings : billing information stored in the database server 18 d . if the user of the system wanted to abort the e - notary wizard , the user can do so by clicking cancel 50 to purge all information provided in the e - notary wizard up to this point . when the user has entered in the required billing information , the user can complete the e - notary wizard by clicking the submit request button 60 to process the e - notary request . the system would securely connect to the remote credit card authorization system over the internet using the web server 20 and attempt to verify and charge the credit card for the tallied amount , shown as numeral 25 by encrypting and sending to the remote credit card authorization system the information provided in numeral 30 and 40 . if the system receives a ‘ failed ’ response from the remote credit card authorization system , after sending the information provided in numeral 30 and 40 , a warning message will be displayed , shown as numeral 45 which will prompt the user of the system to verify the billing information and try again , by clicking the submit request button 60 . if the system receives a ‘ success ’ response from the remote credit card authorization system , after sending the information provided in numeral 30 and 40 , a receipt of the transaction will be displayed to the user , as shown and described in fig9 a 7 namely e - notary wizard — step 7 , below . although this receipt is displayed , the e - notary wizard continues to execute in the system 18 by submitting the request to the proprietary notarization service , further described in fig9 a 7 . fig9 a 7 — e - notary a document ( s ) using e - notary wizard — step 7 fig9 a 7 is a diagram which illustratively depicts the graphical user interface screen that a user would interact with by using his / her browser 10 a or his / her mobile device 10 b to browse to select a document ( s ) stored within any category sub - databases ( folders ) in server system 18 and connect to the veroha e - notarytrust system using the e - notary wizard to ultimately notarize the document ( s ) using electronic methods with the web server 20 and the email server 24 shown in fig1 , herein known as ‘ e - notary ’ or ‘ e - notarized ’ or ‘ e - notarization ’ in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . as previously described in fig9 a 6 , a user can submit the request to complete the e - notary wizard after verifying billing information of the user of the system , by clicking the submit request button shown as numeral 60 in fig9 a 6 . when the billing verification script successfully competes and charges the credit card for service amount , shown as numeral 25 in fig9 a 6 a receipt of the transaction will be displayed to the user shown in screen 10 , and displays a message to the user that their request is being processed and that the official e - notarized document ( s ) will be securely sent back to the system using their secure email address , including instructions of how to retrieve the official document ( s ), as shown in numeral 20 . in addition , the order number 30 and transaction number 35 which has been generated by the system 18 and saved in the database server 18 d are also displayed on this receipt 10 . in addition , a specific details of the transaction shown are numeral 40 are displayed including instructions on how to contact the toll - free customer center 10 c in the event that the official document ( s ) are not received within a 30 - minute time period of the transaction , shown as numeral 50 . the user may print the receipt 10 and all of its details by clicking the print receipt button 60 which would send the receipt to a local installed printer attached to the user &# 39 ; s computer . when this confirmation receipt is displayed , the e - notary wizard continues to execute in the system 18 to submit the request to the proprietary notarization service , further described in fig9 e - notary a document ( s ) flow chart — part 2 , above . it should again be emphasized that the above - described embodiments of the invention are presented for purposes of illustration only . many variations and other alternative embodiments may be used . for example , although described in the context of particular system and device configurations , the techniques are applicable to a wide variety of other types of information processing systems and processing devices . in addition , any simplifying assumptions made above in the course of describing the illustrative embodiments should also be viewed as exemplary rather than as requirements or limitations of the invention . numerous other alternative embodiments within the scope of the appended claims will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art .	6
as required , a detailed illustrative embodiment of the present invention is disclosed herein . however , techniques , systems and operating structures in accordance with the present invention may be embodied in a wide variety of forms and modes , some of which may be quite different from those in the disclosed embodiment . consequently , the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely representative , yet in that regard , they are deemed to afford the best embodiment for purposes of disclosure and to provide a basis for the claims herein which define the scope of the present invention . the following presents a detailed description of a preferred embodiment ( as well as some alternative embodiments ) of the present invention . certain terminology will be used in the following description for convenience in reference only and will not be limiting . the words “ in ” and “ out ” will refer to directions toward and away from , respectively , the geometric center of the device and designated and / or reference parts thereof . the words “ up ” and “ down ” will indicate directions relative to the horizontal and as depicted in the various figures . the words “ clockwise ” and “ counterclockwise ” will indicate rotation relative to a standard “ right - handed ” coordinate system . such terminology will include the words above specifically mentioned , derivatives thereof and words of similar import . fig6 shows a typical contra - rotating propeller system . an upper set of blades 602 rotates in anti - clockwise direction 604 , and a lower set of blades 603 rotates in a clockwise direction 605 . the system is driven by a motor 600 coupled to an axle 601 which blades 602 and 603 are coupled to such that they rotate in said directions . referring to fig7 when blades 602 ( rotating in direction 604 ) and 603 ( rotating in direction 605 ) are viewed from the side , air 701 passing through the upper blades 602 is pushed downwards with a horizontal component to the right . when the air 701 reaches the lower blades 603 , it is further deflected downwards and right hand motion ( anti - clockwise from the top ) is removed by the lower blades 603 pushing air horizontally to the left ( clockwise from the top ). the resulting airflow 702 is downwards without any sideways component of motion . total removal of any sideways ( tangential ) motion of the air is accomplished by adjusting the relative pitches of the upper 602 and lower 603 blades . when such a contra - rotating propeller is operated close to the ground 805 , a lifting platform , as illustrated in fig8 is made . the system of fig8 comprises a motor 801 coupled to an axle 806 to which upper blades 802 and lower blades 803 are coupled . axle 806 is such that upper blades 802 and lower blades 803 rotate in opposite directions . such axles are well known in the art . the elimination of tangential air movement components that can cause a destructive cylindrical vortex allows the blades to operates close to the ground and generate a large back pressure beneath the blades 802 and 803 . the airflow is generally depicted by flowstreams 804 . however , this system may be impracticable because of the likelihood of blades 802 and 803 hitting the ground 805 . fig9 shows the system of fig8 with addition of shroud 901 to prevent contact with surface 903 . as before , the system comprises motor 801 coupled to axle 806 which is in turn coupled to upper blades 802 and lower blades 803 . particularly , note the elimination of tip vortices from air stream 902 due to the addition of shroud 901 . such an arrangement is superior to prior lifting platform arrangements because the structure needed to support shroud 901 is much less complicated than that required to support flow straightening vanes . the two propellers both provide lift so that the overall system could have a higher overall lifting force to weight ratio than ever before possible . when the lifting platform is required to fly , the system can be easily modified to enhance performance . referring to fig1 , motor 801 is again coupled to axle 806 . this time , upper blade 1001 and lower blade 1004 have a dihedral to enhance stability . performance close to surface 1003 can be maintained by extending the shroud 1002 downwards to a level slightly below that of the propeller hub 1005 . while the present invention has been described with reference to one or more preferred embodiments , which embodiments have been set forth in considerable detail for the purposes of making a complete disclosure of the invention , such embodiments are merely exemplary and are not intended to be limiting or represent an exhaustive enumeration of all aspects of the invention . the scope of the invention , therefore , shall be defined solely by the following claims . further , it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that numerous changes may be made in such details without departing from the spirit and the principles of the invention .	1
as discussed above , the invention can be used for compensating the variations in the manufacturing process of micromechanical resonators . a void which is produced using the same process as the resonator plate itself , acts as a counterelement which compensates for dimensional inaccuracies of the structure . thus , a any deviation of the plate lateral dimensions from the desired are compensated by a deviation of the opposite sign of the central void . in both cases , the effects counteract each other , and the resonator frequency variation is independent of the small process variations in the first order . to give one example , the invention can be applied for silicon resonators . in order for the changes of the void dimensions to be similar with the changes of the resonator outer dimensions , the void is preferably produced using the same manufacturing process , and , in particular , in the same step , as the outer dimensions of the resonator portion . the trench defining the void is preferably of the same width as the trench defining the outer dimensions of the resonator . this ensures that the same processing non - idealities are repeated for the both trenches and high frequency self - compensation . however , in some designs the trenches can also be of different widths . the working principle of the present passive frequency compensation according to particular embodiments is illustrated in fig1 - 3 . the resonator lateral dimensions are defined by a trench , whose design width is w 0 — this trench will be referred to as the “ outer trench ”. the trench width is changed to w = w 0 + d by the process variations captured by the trench widening parameter d . the variation leads to change in the resonator side length : l = l 0 − 2d . since resonator frequency is given by f = c /( 2l ), the resonator frequency is an increasing function of d . fig1 a and 1 b illustrate this situation . fig2 a and 2 b illustrate the effect of a circular annular void in the resonator center ( the effect of the void only is now concerned , it is assumed that the plate side dimension stays constant ). we assume that the void is created using a trench ( hereinafter “ inner trench ”), which has a similar width to the outer trench . the inner trench is thus widened in a similar manner to the outer trench , and hence the circular void &# 39 ; s radius is given by r = r 0 + d . the resonator frequency is a decreasing function of d ; the effective spring of the resonator is loosened as the void gets larger . with an optimized size of the central void the two effects can be made to cancel each other in first order . thus self - compensation takes place . fig3 a and 3 b illustrate this situation . typically the void diameter has to be ˜ 25 % of the plate side . referring to fig3 a , the substrate is denoted with reference numeral 12 , the resonator portion with reference numeral 16 , the outer trench separating the substrate 12 and the resonator portion 16 with reference numeral 14 , and the void ( inner trench ) with reference numeral 18 . for example , if etched trenches define the lateral dimensions of a 13 - mhz square extensional plate silicon resonator and process inhomogeneity results in a trench width variation of 1 um , this leads to ˜ 6000 ppm frequency variation . by including a 38 - um - radius hole in the center of the plate , the frequency variation is reduced to less than 30 ppm . the modeshape of a self - compensated se - plate resonator can be characterized to be as a mixture of the se - mode of the non - pierced plate and a flexural - type of vibration . a single circular void is not the only possibility to achieve the first - order compensation effect . there are , naturally , an innumerable variety of other void geometries . one can for example use a square - shaped void , or use multiple voids for the purpose . some possibilities are discussed below . according to one embodiment of the invention , illustrated by fig4 a ( for rectangular plate ) and 4 b ( for circular plate ) there is provided a circular hole co - centric with the plate . according to one embodiment ( fig4 c and 4 d ) there is provided a true elliptical ( i . e . non - circular ) hole co - centric with the plate . according to one embodiment ( fig4 g - 4 j ), there is provided a hole of other shape , whereby the center of gravity of the hole or holes is co - centric with the plate . for example , the hole can be rectangular or cross - shaped and oriented in any desired angle within the resonator plate . according to one embodiment ( fig4 k - 4 m ), there are provided a plurality of holes in an array , whereby the center of gravity of the array is co - centric with the plate . the array may be annular , elliptical or rectangular , for example . the shapes of the individual holes may vary . according to one embodiment , there are provided a plurality of holes such that the density of holes is larger in the middle of the plate than at the periphery . the outer and inner threnches may have a similar shape ( e . g . both elliptical / circular or both rectangular ) but they need not be . if the void is provided in the form of a trench , it is typically of constant width . as shown in fig4 e and 4 f , the resonator portions may be anchored at the resonator edges by bridges . the anchoring locations may coincide with the nodal points of a resonance mode . although there are many geometrical possibilities , there are certain advantages in using a single circular void in a rectangular resonator . the inner trench defining a circular void is — apart from its curvature resulting from its circular shape — similar to the straight sections of the outer trench at all of its points ( it contains no corner points , for example ). therefore , it should behave during processing in a very similar manner when compared to the outer trench , and describing of the trench widening effect with a single parameter d is realistic . with a more complicated void geometry , the trench variation of the outer trench may not be as accurately reproduced in the inner trench . for example , rounding takes place at the corners of a square - shaped void . such a situation is challenging to model , and device design is thus more difficult . in addition , compare 1 ) the dimension r1 of one representative void from a group multiple voids used for achieving self - compensation , and 2 ) the dimension r2 of a void , which is the single void used for self - compensation . r1 must be smaller than r2 . therefore , the relative void dimension change d / r1 is larger than the corresponding relative change d / r2 . when the effects illustrated in fig1 b and 2 b cancel each other in first order , the higher - order terms dictate the frequency deviation . it is , in particular , the relative change of the void dimension , which defines the magnitude of the higher - order terms , and thus the frequency deviation for case 1 ) is larger than that of case 2 ). as is apparent from the above discussion , the resonator geometry does not have to be the rectangular plate geometry . for example , the disk geometry ( elliptical geometry ), well studied in ghz - range polycrystalline silicon resonators , can be self - compensated using a central void . it should be noted , that the disk geometry , in particular , is not restricted to using isotropic polycrystalline materials , such as silicon ; for example crystalline silicon cut in the ( 111 ) plane is isotropic within the plane , and thus disk resonators can be fabricated on ( 111 ) wafers . other geometries apart from symmetrical plates and disks can be designed to be self - compensated . the resonant mode of the resonator is preferably extensional . however , the invention can be used also for non - extensional modes . for example , the lame mode of a plate resonator , or the wine glass mode of the disk resonator can be self - compensated with a central void . higher order bulk - acoustic modes can also be self - compensated , possibly by using multiple voids within the resonator body . a self - compensated resonator geometry can be scaled up or down in size in order to change the resonator frequency . the design stays at its optimal operation point , i . e ., it stays self - compensated also after the scaling operation . such a behavior is a direct result of the scaling properties of the acoustic wave equation . the following examples illustrate the scaling behavior . the operating frequency of the resonator can be any . in particular , the frequency can be 1 mhz - 10 ghz . it has to be noted , however , that in order to reach the same level of frequency accuracy , the process variation parameter would have to be scaled in the same manner as the device dimensions . since the process variation typically is given , and cannot be scaled simultaneously with the design , higher frequency resonators suffer from a higher frequency deviation . a single trench widening parameter d has been used above for capturing the process variations both of the inner trench and of the outer trench . this assumption is justified , when the inner and outer trench widths are similar and trench geometries are simple ( no corners or zigzag - patterns , for example ). if the trench width variation d is known as a function of the trench design width , different design widths of the inner and outer trench widths , w i and w o , may be used . this may be advantageous if , for example , some design boundary condition requires a certain central void dimension . to clarify this with an example , assume , that for certain choice of w i and w o we have d i = 0 . 5 * d o . in such a case the optimal void dimension is larger than that of the case when d i = d o . if we interchange the roles of d i and d o so that 0 . 5 * d i = d o the optimal void dimension is made smaller — this can be advantageous from the point of view that it makes the resonating mass larger . different geometries were simulated using the comsol multiphysics finite element method ( fem ) software . 3d models were used , and crystalline anisotropy was included in the models when needed . modal analysis was used to solve for the resonance modes . the relevant modeshapes of plate and disk resonators are illustrated in fig5 a and b , respectively . a single crystal silicon plate resonator operating in the se mode was analyzed . the sides of the plates were aligned in the & lt ; 100 & gt ; crystalline directions , and the side length was l = 320 μm . the optimal circular void radius is 38 um ( fig6 a ). fig6 b shows the frequency variation of a similar resonator with dimensions scaled down by a factor of 0 . 5 . se plate oriented in & lt ; 110 & gt ; crystalline direction , circular void . results corresponding to fig6 a and 6 b ( plate dimensions 320 um and 160 um ) are shown in fig7 a and 7 b . se plate oriented in & lt ; 100 & gt ; crystalline direction , rectangular void . result with plate dimension 320 um is shown in fig8 . se plate oriented in & lt ; 110 & gt ; crystalline direction , rectangular void . result with plate dimension 320 um is shown in fig9 . 20 um disk resonator in polycrystalline silicon with 5 . 75 um central circular void . result is shown in fig9 .	7
embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a schematic equivalent circuit diagram of the reference supply circuit in the present embodiment . the drive timing and others in the present embodiment can be similar to those in the conventional example . in the present embodiment , low - pass filter ( lpf ) circuits are added to outputs of regulator ic . the dc output 101 from the dc / dc converter ( for example , dc / dc converter of the fig9 ), the dc power , etc . is outputted by ic 102 ( a )– 102 ( d ). the random noise of the regulator ic appears in the form of line noise in an image and can degrade the image quality . particularly , high - frequency noise components provide great negative effect on the image quality . this is because the effective value of thermal noise of the regulators is determined by the product of noise density n ( v /√{ square root over ( hz )}) and the bandwidth b (√{ square root over ( hz )}). namely , an effective means for reducing the effective value of noise of the regulators to decrease the line noise is to couple the low - pass filter ( lpf ) circuits to the outputs of the regulators as in the present embodiment . in this case , the cutoff frequency of lpf is desirably determined according to a required response time for each reference voltage . the following presents examples of the “ required response time for each reference voltage ” stated herein . a time between supply of power from a dc / dc converter or the like to the reference supply circuit and stabilization of the voltage level of each reference voltage at a certain level . or a time between supply of power from the dc / dc converter or the like and establishment of a state of being ready for acquisition of an image . an interval of acquisition of image , i . e ., a frame rate ( particularly , in the case of the voltage such as the sensor bias voltage vs or the like being changed by an unrepresented control circuit or the like ), or the cutoff frequency of lpf is desirably a frequency lower than a sampling frequency determined by the period of the smpl signal . specifically , the cutoff frequency of lpf is set to be 3 to 10 times the frame rate , which is effective to the line noise . in the case of photography of still images ( e . g ., approx . 2 frames / sec ), it is preferable that fc ( cutoff frequency )= 6 to 20 hz . when the number of frames is large as in the case of moving pictures or the like , for example , in the case of 30 frames / sec , it is preferable that fc = 90 to 300 hz . it is verified from the result of experiment that it is hard for a man to visually perceive the line noise of the image pick - up apparatus when it is not more than one tenth of the random noise in pixels . accordingly , the cutoff frequency of lpf is desirably determined so that the effective value of noise of each reference voltage becomes not more than one tenth of the effective value of the random noise in pixels . in the present embodiment the lpfs are provided for the respective reference voltages of the sensor bias vs , tft off voff , tft on von , and amp reset vref 2 , but the lpfs may be provided for part of these reference voltages or for other reference voltages . the cutoff frequencies of the respective lpfs may be equal to or different from each other . the following will describe the effect achieved by the provision of the lpfs . it is well known that the human visual sense characteristics are band pass characteristics for spatial frequencies . namely , as shown in fig1 , the human visual sense has such characteristics that a peak of visual sense exists at the spatial frequency of about one line pair / mm at the distance of distinct vision of 25 cm and the visual sense is lower in the lower frequency and higher frequency areas than the peak . at the spatial frequency of dc , i . e ., 0 line pair / mm , the visual sense characteristics become approximately zero , so that almost nothing is seen . since the line noise in the image should not be seen by an observer , it is desirable that the line noise should possess characteristics matching the human visual sense characteristics . in consideration of the limitation of the line noise , the hardest point is the spatial frequency corresponding to the peak of the human visual sense characteristics . since the visual sense characteristics are lowered at the lower spatial frequencies than the peak , the limitation can be relaxed there . namely , since the human visual sense characteristics can be employed as a limitation to the perception of line noise , the limitation characteristics of line noise become reverse to the visual sense characteristics , as shown in fig1 , and are thus such low - pass characteristics that the limit is infinity at the spatial frequency of dc , i . e ., 0 line pair / mm and is minimum at the peak frequency of visual sense . electrical temporal frequencies are sampled and held line by line in the sensor and thereafter reconstructed as an image ; that is , they correspond in one - to - one correspondence to spatial frequencies of the image . therefore , insertion of an electrical low - pass filter is equivalent to insertion of a spatial low - pass filter in the image , whereby the aforementioned effect can be achieved . fig2 is a schematic circuit diagram of the reference supply circuit in the present embodiment . the equivalent circuit diagram , the drive timing , etc . in the present embodiment are similar to those in the conventional example . a point to be noted in the present embodiment is that amplifiers are further coupled to the outputs of the lpfs in embodiment 1 . this method is effective in the case where the reference voltages need to be supplied in low impedance . it is , however , necessary to pay attention to selection of the amplifiers coupled to the outputs of the lpfs when the configuration of the present embodiment is employed . in order to reduce the line noise , it is desirable to select the amplifiers with the noise density of not more than 3 . 3 nv /√{ square root over ( hz )}. ( it is particularly desirable to select them in the frequency region of 100 hz to 100 khz .) describing this in further detail , the random noise of the area sensor used in the x - ray image pick - up apparatus is normally approximately several hundred μvrms . since the line noise is preferably controlled to not more than one tenth of the random noise as described previously , the line noise needs to be not more than several ten μvrms . accordingly , the sum of contribution of the lpf circuits to the line noise and contribution of the amplifiers to the line noise is preferably not more than several ten μvrms . for example , supposing that the contribution of the amplifiers to the line noise is set to not more than 1 μvrms and the frequency region of the amplifiers is 100 hz to 100 khz as described above , the noise density of the amplifiers is nnv /√{ square root over ( hz )}×√{ square root over ( 100 khz )}& lt ; 1 μvrms , and by deforming this relation , we obtain n & lt ; 3 . 3 nv /√{ square root over ( hz )}. fig3 shows an application example of the above embodiments to the image pick - up system . the present embodiment is an x - ray image pick - up system for taking an x - ray image , and the above embodiments are applied to x - ray image pick - up apparatus 6040 . an x - ray tube 6050 as an x - ray generator generates x - rays 6060 , the x - rays 6060 travel through an observing portion 6062 such as the chest part or the like of a patient or subject 6061 , and they are then incident to the x - ray image pick - up apparatus 6040 . the incident x - rays carry information about the interior of the subject 6061 . the x - ray image pick - up apparatus 6040 acquires electrical information in correspondence to the incidence of x - rays . this information is converted into digital data , the digital data is subjected to image processing in an image processor 6070 as an image processing means , and the resultant image can be observed on a display 6080 as a display means placed in a control room . this information can also be transferred through a transmission means such as a phone line , a radio link 6090 , or the like to a remote place , whereby it is feasible to display the image on a display 6081 or output the image on a film or the like in a doctor room at a different place , thereby allowing a doctor at a remote place to make diagnosis . the information obtained can also be recorded or stored in recording media using various recording materials such as an optical disk , a magnetooptical disk , a magnetic disk , etc . or in a recording medium 6110 such as a film , paper , or the like by means of a recording means 6100 such as a film processor or the like . the image pick - up apparatus in the image pick - up system used in nondestructive inspection , e . g ., for medical diagnosis or for internal inspection , is required to read the image with a high degree of accuracy . embodiments 1 and 2 are suitably applicable to such application , because the effect of the line noise is reduced . fig4 is a sectional view in one pixel of the x - ray image pick - up apparatus of the present embodiment . fig4 shows an example in which the incident x - rays are converted into light and the light is detected , but it is also possible to use the image pick - up apparatus for directly detecting the x - rays as shown in fig6 . one pixel is comprised of a photosensor 401 such as a photodiode or the like , and a switching device 402 such as a tft or the like , and such pixels are formed in a matrix pattern on a glass substrate 403 . a phosphor layer 405 for converting incident x - rays into light is provided through a protective layer 404 on the pixel . the photodiode and tft are preferably made of amorphous silicon or polysilicon , and the phosphor is preferably cesium iodide or a gadolinium base material . a preferable configuration is one using an mis ( metal - insulator - semiconductor ) device as the photosensor and a tft as the switching device , because they can be produced in the same simple process . in the case of this configuration , it is preferable to prepare at least two types of biases applied to the photosensor , one as a bias for reading and the other as a bias for refreshing ( to sweep out carriers accumulated in the device ). specifically , as shown in fig5 , a preferred circuit configuration consists of a dc / dc output supply 501 , a regulator 502 , a first lpf circuit 503 , a read bias vs terminal 504 , a refresh bias vref terminal 505 , a multiplexer 506 , an amplifier 507 , and a second lpf circuit 508 . as illustrated , the lpf circuits are provided for respective vs and vref , the voltages are switched by the multiplexer , and thereafter they are again amplified by the amplifier 507 . the cutoff frequencies of the first lpf circuit and the second lpf circuit disposed before and after the multiplexer 506 are preferably approximately equal to each other . the reason for it is that if either one of the frequencies is set relatively lower the lower cutoff frequency will become dominant . in the case where the biases applied to the photosensor are switched to be used as in the present embodiment , the time of switching from vs to vref in one frame , the response time from vs to vref , needs to be set so as not to affect the frame rate . for example , when the frame rate is set to the frame rate in the case of photography of still images ( e . g ., in the case of approximately 2 frames / sec ), it is preferable to set fc = 20 to 2000 hz . fig6 is a sectional view in one pixel of the x - ray image pick - up apparatus in another embodiment . a pixel is constructed in a configuration wherein on a glass substrate 601 a drive substrate comprised of a switching device 602 such as a tft or the like and a capacitor 603 for storing a signal charge is electrically coupled through a connection bump 604 to a radiation converting section ( sensor device section ) composed of a lower electrode 605 , a conversion layer 606 for directly converting radiation such as x - rays or the like to an electric charge , and an upper electrode 607 . in this configuration , the lower electrode 605 for each pixel is separated from others , and the separate electrode zones are arranged in a two - dimensional array . in this example the pixel is composed of the semiconductor material for directly converting x - rays into an electric charge , the storage capacitor and tft coupled thereto , and so on . just as in the case of the example of fig4 , the tft is preferably made of amorphous silicon or polysilidon . further , the x - ray - to - electron converting layer can be made of a material selected from gallium arsenide , gallium phosphide , lead iodide , mercury iodide , amorphous selenium , cdzn , cdznte , and so on . when the apparatus is constructed in the configuration wherein the area sensor part is formed on the insulating substrate and the read circuit , the lpf circuits , etc . are made of ordinary crystalline silicon as in the present embodiment , it is feasible to decrease the time necessary for processing of detected signals . since the sensor part ( drive circuit substrate ) is the insulating substrate , the above configuration is preferable , because the noise can be reduced , particularly , in application as radiation image pick - up apparatus .	7
the invention is a combination of three key components configured in the proper way to determine the maximum dimension of particles in solution . the key components are an illumination module , a sensor module , and an image processing system with specific software . the invention has offers several unique components that allow the particle to sized accurately . the invention has many uses but is designed primarily for the detection of contamination in clear solutions like those used in the pharmaceutical products . the first key component is a unique illumination system designed to provide a very uniform background for the inspection of product in cylindrical vessels such as pharmaceutical vials . the illumination system is cube shaped with a channel slightly larger than the diameter of the vessel removed from the center , hereafter we shall reference to this system as the illumination module . the basic configuration is illustrated in fig1 . the cube is constructed using an upper and lower halves indicated by items 1 & amp ; 2 . the construction is from a solid piece of aluminum that has material removed to hollow its inner . the aluminum is anodized black to insure that no reactive surfaces are on the components . the sample product ( pharmaceutical vial with liquid contents ) is centered on a recessed puck and held in position by a spring loaded clamping device . item 3 in the illustration represents the retaining sleeve for spring and alignment shaft . fig2 illustrates the front view of the illumination cube with the channel exposed . the sample product ( item 14 ) is positioned on a recessed bottom holder ( item 7 ). the cap of the sample product ( item 5 ) is usually constructed of a rubber liner ( cap ) and a protective aluminum closure . the clamping device used to securely hold the sample container during rotation also has a recessed cup in the contact area to center the sample ( item 4 ). the clamping device incorporates ball bearings to insure that the closure on the sample is not damaged . the recessed bottom holder has two different recessed diameters on the top and bottom surfaces . the recessed holder is held tightly during rotation of the drive mechanism ( item 8 and rotational drive of fig1 ) using three equally spaced pins . the inspection window ( item . 6 ) is centered in the most uniform area of the illumination field . the illumination field is made uniform by properly shaping the diffusing media and adjusting the led lighting sources . fig3 is the top view of the illumination module as seen through section a - a of fig1 . the aluminum housing ( item 9 ) is hollowed out to leave only a thin wall . placed around the three walls opposite the opening , are flat panels light emitting devices ( led &# 39 ; s ). the led flat panels are fabricated with a high density of led &# 39 ; s per unit area , reference phoenix imaging 4100 series led backlights . the led panels provide a uniform illumination and can be turned on or off as required for the inspection . the uniform illumination field is created using a special design diffusing media , item 11 in fig3 . the diffusing media is fabricated from a cube of optical grade polycarbonate or acrylic . as can be seen in the figure the test sample is placed along the centerline of the illumination module . a cutout shaped like an elongated “ u ” is made in one side and faces the optical sensor . the cutout is slightly larger than the diameter of recessed bottom holder and test sample . the led illumination panels can be adjusted for backlight , diffuse sidelight ( forward scatter ) or a combination of both . a voltage controller allows the output of the led lighting panels to set for optimum contrast / performance . the front surface of the illumination module , except for the viewing channel , is hidden by the aluminum housing to protect over exposure of the sensor from the led lighting panels . fig4 illustrates the cut away view of the illumination module as seen through section b - b of fig3 . the illumination diffuser and led panels extend below the bottom of the sample vessel to insure uniform lighting across the entire image . this unique design hides the corners of the led panels and makes the entire illumination field a uniform intensity . variations in the height of sample container are accommodated in the inspection position with the aid of compliance spring ( item 13 ) and low friction guide ( item 12 ). unlike previous designs this system allows particles in the solution to be tracked throughout the entire volume . the technology implements high resolution area scan sensors that acquire full frame images in several milliseconds . the sensor is able to scan the entire volume of the solution each frame . the detection of particles & gt ; 40 μm are isolated with 100 % certainty within the inspection cycle . the second major component in the inspection system is the sensor module . the sensor module is designed as a sealed unit with no user serviceable components . the image sensor , optics , filters are pre - calibrated in known positions in the sensor module . fig5 illustrates the front surface of the sensor module ( item 16 ) and the viewing window ( item 17 ). the viewing window is constructed using a material with anti - reflective coating . the window is sized to accommodate the field of view ( fov ) necessary to acquire the image of the sample under inspection . fig6 illustrates one internal configuration of the sensor module . the photosensitive detection system used in the sensor module is either a high - resolution ccd sensor or in some applications a sensitive cmos sensor may be used . the ccd sensor ( item 18 ) must be of mega - pixel resolution or larger and is located in one corner of the sensor module . the optical system is very important in the detection of small particles in solution . high quality lenses should be used to enhance performance of the inspection ( item 19 ). the optical path length ( the distance between the ccd sensor and the sample under inspection ) has an effluence of the imaging characteristic and performance of the system . in some cases the path length must be longer than the available distance between the physical location of the ccd sensor and the sample under inspection . in this case , a folded optical path is employed by reflecting an image of the object through one or more mirrors to increase the apparent distance between object and ccd sensor as illustrated by items 20 in fig6 . the longer the focal length of the lens the greater the depth of field and therefore the larger the volume that can be inspected . when instrument volume is at a premium the folded optical path allows for better system performance in a small footprint enclosure . the sensor module incorporates an internal optical filter wheel . the wheel is a disk with one or more filters ( polarizing , grayscale attenuation or color ) that allow the system to change the ccd sensor characteristics very rapidly . the filter wheel is illustrated as item 21 in fig6 . the filter wheel is optional and is not required for every inspection . the filter wheel is driven by a small stepper or servomotor ( item 22 ) from inside the sensor module . the filter wheel may be substituted with a liquid crystal window in grayscale applications and has the benefit of not having a mechanical moving components . the liquid crystal window attenuates the amount of light allowed to pass in the optical path . this ability to attenuate the optical path , whether electronically or mechanically , is critical in the inspection application . the inspection process will be discussed later in this document . the sensor module is a seal box with all optical devices mounted inside . the sensor connections are made by way of a multi - pin connector on the rear of the module . the multi - pin connector system allows the user to easily replace a defective sensor module with another sensor module that is pre - configured for the application with no user setup required . when the initial application is installed it defines the configuration of the sensor module . this configuration is archived at the plant of manufacture so that an exact duplicate sensor module can be assembled for use as required . on the bottom of the sensor module is a pair of holes designed to accept mating tapered dowel pins ( item 25 of fig8 ). the dowel pins only allow the sensor module to be installed in a specific location in the inspection system . the multi - pin connector is used to connect the sensor and aperture control ( liquid crystal window or filter wheel ) inside the sensor module without having the user open the enclosure . the relative position of components with respect to each other is critical for system operation . the locations are defined by each application . enhancement have been made to the interior of the sensor module to allow each unique configuration to be setup easily and quickly . the ccd sensor is mounted on one or more dovetailed slides that permit the unit to translate in orthogonal directions as indicated by item 28 in fig8 . the dowel pins insure that the sensor module is mounted the proper distance from the object under inspection ( item 29 .). the front a surface mirrors used to guide the optical path use goniometer mountings for fine alignment of the field of view to the target position ( items 26 & amp ; 27 ). the region of interest ( roi ) when inspecting solution filled pharmaceutical vials is from the bottom of the meniscus to the bottom of the vial as illustrated by item 29 . the solid angle of the optical path defines the fov of the image and is determined primarily by the focal length of lens used , identified as item 30 . the solid angle of the optical path must be clear of obstructions . fig9 illustrates the complete configuration of a single inspection cell . the key components illumination and sensor modules are mounted on a flat tabletop or work piece . the working distance and angle of viewing of the inspection cell is defined by the distance between the axis of rotation of the rotational drive ( item 33 ) and the dowel pins ( item 32 ). the object height above the work plane ( item 31 ) is defined by the height of the recessed container holder mounted on top of the drive shaft . a word should be said about the rotational drive ( item 33 ). the method of rotation is not as important as the parameters used to perform the function . the best results are achieved with a drive system that is capable of accelerating and decelerating quickly . the physics of the inspection require that the drive system accelerate rapidly , maintain a constant velocity and then decelerate rapidly . the profile of the motion curve is very important and defines the motion or path of the contaminating particle in the solution . the wall of the vessel must couple with the solution within . it is important the acceleration / velocity profile does not cause cavitation ( the generation of air bubbles in the solution ). if cavitation is the result of the motion profile the sample can not be inspected reliably . the motion profile must move the heavier particles without allowing the meniscus to creep up the walls to the vial neck . if the vial is spun too vigorously the particle may be spun up into the cap of the container and be held there . the correct motion profile of an inspection is defined by the size / shape of the container and the viscosity of the solution inside it . this invention allows the user to study the shape characteristics of the meniscus while defining the motion profile . the illumination module is mounted on a linear translator that allows it to be raised and lowered . raising the illumination module provides clear access to the sample container and rotational drive / recessed holder . the linear translator ( item 34 ) is normally positioned at the rear of the illumination module . this has the additional benefit of reducing the spacing between adjacent inspection units if more than one is implemented . the linear translator implementation can be assisted by air ( cylinders ), electric ( or magnetic ), or mechanical ( lead screws or cams ). the linear translator should be parallel to axis of rotation . the last key component in the inspection system is the image processor and specialized vision software . the sensor module sends image data ( optical picture in electronic format ) to the image processor ( item 35 ). the image processor acquires high resolution ( minimum 1280 × 1024 pixels ) with a minimum signal to noise of 1 . 0 . bits ( 1024 grayscale levels ). much higher resolution sensors may be used when cost or cycle times at not as critical . the preferred data transport mechanism is to use the camera - link ( cl ) format indicated as item 37 . the analysis of the image data is performed using special software written to extract the particles in solution . the system acquires multiple hr images in rapid secession ( 4 - 60 images ) and stores them in separate frame buffers . the sensor acquisition control allows the application to define the region of interest ( roi ) from within the field of view ( fov ). the system should use frame rates ( number of full pictures per second ) in the range of 24 - 60 frames per second . if partial frames are used to acquire images with smaller field of view the frame rates increase . the optimum frame rate is one in which the largest diameter particle ( assuming spherical object ) translates or moves at least one diameter between successive images . it may be the case that the viscosity or fluid motion is slow and a delay must be placed between successive image acquisitions . the software compares each image with the previous image ( except in the case of the first ) and isolates any object with the image field of view that moves . a more advanced approach is for the software to compare each image to a specified image in the acquisition sequence so that the relative movement of the particle ( s ) can be very small and still be detectable . this is important when detecting the motion and then sizing of heavy or large particles that tend to settle very rapidly . a special image - processing algorithm is used to extract the moving particles and then determine their relative size . the image processor ( item 35 ) acts as the inspection cell master controller and controls the other modules or devices in the inspection cell . the motor controller ( item 36 ) is used to generate the motion profile in conjunction with the rotation drive . the request to perform a motion profile is given to the motor controller over item 38 . the control line between the motor controller and the motor is indicated by item 39 . in the evaluation unit a high torque stepper motor with lower inertia was used to rotate the test sample . the motor controller also controls turning the various led lighting panels on or off during the inspection ( item 40 ). when the motion profile has been completed the motor controller reports back to the image processor and the image processor begins acquiring the necessary images . depending on the number and size of image acquired the entire inspection cycle requires from one to several seconds . if the average cycle time is three seconds for a rigorous inspection then the inspection cell is limited to 20 inspections per minute . the laboratory assay system is a small single inspection cell unit designed to handle a limited number of samples per hour . this does not lend itself toward mass production inspection . however , the design concept can easily be expanded to incorporate multiple copies of the inspection cell . fig1 illustrate an approach that can handle the desired volume by implementing multiple inspection cells side by side . the inspection cell is indicated as item 45 and is comprised of a sensor module ( item 41 ), an illumination module ( item 42 ), an image processing module ( item 43 ) and the sample on rotational drive ( item 44 ). the large volumes of sample product would be moved into the inspection position this may be performed at all stations simultaneously if desired . however simultaneous operation is not necessary as each inspection cell is independent . the simultaneous operation would reduce the cost of the rotational motion by using a common drive mechanism . it would be difficult to hand - load the laboratory assay system at 20 vials per minute . however , if 10 stations were used in a large volume production system it would be easy to achieve 200 samples per minute . the key feature of this inspection technology is the ability to determine the size of particle inspection with an accuracy range of 20 μm when examining a 2 - 10 ml sample . the user can select an exact cut - off limit below which particles smaller than the limit will be accepted . the product is not rejecting simply on a detection basis but on a particle size basis . when calibrated using nist traceable standard samples the inspection system provides a method for validation for maximum dimensional particle sizing . this also provides a more realistic measurement of non - spherical particles like platelets , fibers and non - uniform shapes ( glass shards ). the module concept provides nist traceable inspection not only when shipped but virtually forever . this is possible because of a stable detector with permanent size calibration .	6
fig1 a illustrates a computer of a type suitable for carrying out the invention . viewed externally in fig1 a , a computer system has a central processing unit 100 having disk drives 110a and 110b . disk drive indications 110a and 110b are merely symbolic of a number of disk drives which might be accommodated by the computer system . typically , these would include a floppy disk drive such as 110a , a hard disk drive ( not shown externally ) and a cd rom drive indicated by slot 110b . the number and type of drives varies , typically , with different computer configurations . the computer has the display 120 upon which information is displayed . a keyboard 130 and a mouse 140 are typically also available as input devices . preferably , the computer illustrated in fig1 a is a sparc workstation from sun microsystems , inc . fig1 b illustrates a block diagram of the internal hardware of the computer of fig1 a . a bus 150 serves as the main information highway interconnecting the other components of the computer . cpu 155 is the central processing unit of the system , performing calculations and logic operations required to execute programs . read only memory ( 160 ) and random access memory ( 165 ) constitute the main memory of the computer . disk controller 170 interfaces one or more disk drives to the system bus 150 . these disk drives may be floppy disk drives , such as 173 , internal or external hard drives , such as 172 , or cd rom or dvd ( digital video disks ) drives such as 171 . a display interface 175 interfaces a display 120 and permits information from the bus to be viewed on the display . a modem bank interface ( 190 ) is used if the computer is configured as a proxy or an internet service provider ( isp ). the modems of the modem bank are connected to a telephone network ( 191 ) in the usual manner . communications with a network 195 or with other external devices can occur over communications port 185 . fig1 c illustrates an exemplary memory medium which can be used with drives such as 173 in fig1 b or 110a in fig1 a . typically , memory media such as a floppy disk , cd rom , or digital video disk will contain the program information for controlling the computer to enable the computer to performs its functions in accordance with the invention . exemplary environments in which the techniques of the invention can be usefully employed are illustrated in fig2 a and 2b . in the simplest environment ( fig2 a ) the user &# 39 ; s computing device ( 210 ), running a network browser such as a www browser software , is attached to a network ( 220 ). the specific network ( e . g . www ) server ( 230 ) the user wants to access is attached to the same network . a more complex environment is depicted in fig2 b where a user &# 39 ; s computing device ( 240 ) is attached to a network such as a telephone network ( 250 ) that is attached to an internet service provider ( isp ) proxy server ( 260 ) which is , in turn , connected to another network ( 270 ) which provides connections to desired servers ( 280 ). fig3 is a database organized as an exemplary spell - check list for storing information about past incorrect addresses , such as misspellings and their resolution . an incorrect url , found in column 300 , which matches are entered by a user is used as a key for quickly accessing potentially correct url entries in column 301 . the number of times that a particular combination of misspelled url and potentially correct url has been used is tracked in column 302 , along with the date it was last used 303 . a re - direct flag 304 is optionally maintained to indicate if the potentially correct url is the new ( moved ) location of a previously valid url . the rows indicated by 310 , 320 , 330 , 340 and 350 are examples of values stored within the database . the re - direct flag can be set when an attempted access to a url is returned &# 34 ; moved permanent .&# 34 ; fig4 is a flow chart of an exemplary process of spell checking in accordance with the invention . the user issues a get command for a network address such as a url ( 400 ). the cached spell check process of fig5 is performed ( 420 ). the process of fig5 may be performed either before the get command is sent to the network or after the server is not found . in this example it is preferred to spell check before the get is issued to reduce consumption of network resources for misspelled urls . once the cached spell check has been performed , the corrected url will be sent over the network with either a successful retrieval or error messages occurring . if the server is not found ( 430 ) or if the document is not found on the specified server ( 440 ) the prior spell checking techniques illustrated in fig7 are applied ( 450 ). fig5 is a flow chart of an exemplary process for processing cache entries against network addresses used to retrieve information . when a user issues a network address for retrieval , that address is looked up in the spell check cache ( 500 ). if it is not found ( 505 - n ), the get request is issued unchanged since presumably the spelling is correct . if it is found in the spell check cache ( 550 - y ), a check is made to see if there is only one entry in the cache for that spelling of the issued url . if there is more than one , the multiple record processing of fig6 occurs ( 520 ). if there is only one ( 515 - y ) a check is made to see if field 3 of that entry is greater than 2 ( 525 ). if it is not , prior spell check techniques of fig7 are invoked ( 530 ). if field 3 is greater than 2 ( 525 - y ), a check is made to see if field 3 is greater than 5 . if it is not , then a page is constructed and returned to the user with the candidate url as a hypertext link and an alternative selection by which the user to request other candidates ( 560 ) if the user selects other candidates , the prior spell check techniques of fig7 are invoked ( 530 ). if the user selects the hypertext link ( 560 - 1 ), a check is made to see if the spell check has been successful as shown in fig8 ( 570 ). if field 3 is greater than 5 ( 540 - y ), the &# 34 ; correct url &# 34 ; field of the record within the cache is returned to the user with a moved permanent indication ( 545 ), the correct url is issued ( 550 ) and the cache entry is updated as shown in fig9 ( 555 ). fig6 is a flow chart of an exemplary process for processing multiple cache entries resulting from a single network address used to retrieve information . when the url issued by the user results in a plurality of records being retrieved from the cache , those records are sorted by field 3 ( 600 ). if field 3 of the record having the largest value for field 3 is more than ten times the field 3 value of any other record j ( 610 - y ) a moved permanent indication is assumed and if the database of fig3 has a moved permanent column , such as optional column 304 , a moved permanent indication is stored in that column and processing begins at point b ( 555 ) of fig5 . if that is not the case ( 610 - n ), a check is made to see if field 3 of record i is more than five times field 3 of the second largest field 3 record ( 630 ). if it is , processing jumps to point c of fig5 ( 575 ). if it is not , processing jumps to point d ( 535 ) of fig5 . thus , the treatment of records within the cache depends on how dominant one record of a plurality of records might be , compared with the others , or in the case of a single record , how certain one is that these misspellings documented in the cache represent the correct spelling . fig7 is a flow chart of an exemplary process which applies prior spell check techniques to cached spell checking . once the url has been issued and the server is not found or a document is not found on a server , different processing occurs . if the server is not found , the spell check on the issued url will be performed in accordance with the prior art or in accordance with the co - pending application referred to above ( 710 ). if the document is not found , implying that the server is found , a spell check is performed on the issued url and , while that is ongoing , if the server is equipped with server side spell checking as set forth in the aforesaid co - pending application ( 730 ), that spell check will be performed and the results will be returned ( 730 ). whether or not any of processes 720 , 730 or 710 result in a spell check which is useful to the user is determined by the spell check successful process of fig8 ( 740 ). if the spell check is successful ( 740 - y ) an entry in the cached database will either be created or updated ( 750 ) and the process ends . if it is not successful ( 740 - n ), the process simply ends . fig8 is a flow chart of an exemplary process used to determine if a spell check technique resulted in a successfully corrected spelling . when a list of candidate addresses are returned to a user for selection ( 800 ) a timer is started ( 810 ). if , before the timer times out , a new get request is received from the user containing a candidate &# 34 ; correct &# 34 ; network address and if the &# 34 ; other candidates &# 34 ; selection of fig5 item 560 , has not been selected , the spell check is considered successful ( 830 ). otherwise ( 820 - f ) the spell check is considered unsuccessful ( 850 ) and the process returns . if the spell check is successful the cache entry will either be created or updated as shown in fig9 ( 840 ). fig9 is a flow chart of the process for updating the cached entries . first a check is made to determine if there are any cache entries for the issued url ( 900 ). if there are , a check is made to determine if there is an entry in the cache for the issued url which has the same &# 34 ; correct &# 34 ; url as determined by the successful spell check . if there is not ( 910 - n ) or if there is no entry at all ( 900 - n ), a new entry is created in the cache ( 940 ). field 1 is set to the issued url ( 950 ), field 2 is set to the &# 34 ; correct &# 34 ; url ( 960 ), field 3 is set to one ( 970 ) and field 4 is set to the current date ( 980 ) and the process ends . however , if an entry does exist for the issued url with the same correct url ( 910 - y ) the entry which matches will be updated by incrementing field 3 and by placing the current date in field 4 ( 920 ) and the process ends . fig1 is a flow chart of a process to prune the cached database of unneeded entries . to keep the size of the cached database reasonable , it will periodically need to be pruned of entries that have not been used in some reasonable period of time , such as y days . typically , this process should occur during periods of low load . accordingly , a check is made to see if the current time is within a low usage time of day ( 1000 ). if it is not ( 1000 - n ), a wait state is entered which lasts for a period of time t2 ( 1010 ). if it is within a low usage time of day ( 1000 - y ), all records in the cache are scanned and any record which has field 4 older than y days before the current date is deleted . a second wait state is entered ( 1030 ) before the process is tried again . an alternative embodiment of this invention may include a process of checking to see if the same user is continually entering the same misspelled url . in this case , it would be desirable to not increment the cached database record when the user does it again to avoid an exaggerated &# 34 ; hit &# 34 ; rate . systems that support customer authentication by using , for example , server generated cookies , would provide the information necessary to track which users are associated with which database records . if no such customer tracking utility is provided , the users ip address could be used instead with the caveat that many users from a single isp or proxy server might appear as the same user . although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail , it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation , the spirit and scope of the present invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims .	7
a possible measurement , evaluation and computation process according to a variant of the inventive method is shown in fig1 with a flowchart . in step i , firstly a flip - angle distribution inside the region of interest is measured for the first transmit mode m 1 . for a birdcage antenna with eight rods , the current distribution is represented for this first mode m 1 ( diagram a ) of fig2 ). the current is plotted here ( in relative units ) over the individual rods 1 to 8 . as can clearly be seen , in the first mode m 1 , the basic mode , a current distribution is plotted such that a current period is distributed precisely between the eight rods . that is , in a phase in which — as shown in fig2 — no current is being applied to the first and the fifth rods , the maximum current is being applied to the third and seventh rod , the numbering of the rods being arbitrary . with such a resonator with n = 8 rods , in principle n = 8 different , linearly independent transmit modes can be generated , the assignment between modes and bar currents i being fixed as follows : i ⁡ ( k , m ) = a ⁡ ( m ) · ⅇ ( j · m · k · 2 ⁢ ⁢ π n ) ( 2 ) m = - ( n 2 + 1 ) ⁢ ⁢ … ⁢ , 0 , … ⁢ ⁢ ( n 2 ) ( 4 ) the basic mode m 1 shown in ( diagram ( a ) of fig2 ) with m = 1 supplies a field which generates a homogeneous field in the unloaded antenna . this corresponds also to the excitation normally selected . the other higher modes produce a corresponding high - order current distribution on the bars . die modes m 2 , m 3 , m 4 for m = 2 , m = 3 and m = 4 are shown in diagrams ( b ) to ( d ) in fig2 . these modes m 2 , m 3 , m 4 can be used to improve homogeneity . the mode m = 0 and the negative modes as a rule contribute nothing or only very little toward improving homogeneity in such an 8 - rod birdcage antenna . a variety of methods for measuring the flip - angle distribution in step i are known to the person skilled in the art . for the method according to the invention , a very simple gradient echo method can basically be used which works relatively fast . both a three - dimensional measurement inside the examination object and a slice - by - slice two - dimensional measurement are possible . in step ii , the actual region of interest roi is defined and a homogeneity criterion stipulated for this area . the stipulation of the region of interest roi at this point in time has the advantage that the flip - angle distribution which was measured in step i can be used for defining the region of interest roi . in principle , it is also possible to select an area of interest even before step i and to record the flip - angle distribution in step i optionally only in this area or generously around this area . a check is than carried out in step iii as to whether the homogeneity criterion defined in step ii is fulfilled by the flip - angle distribution measured in the defined region of interest roi . if this is the case , then in step iv the appropriate set of parameters for exciting the first mode m 1 for transmitting the high - frequency pulses can be used for the actual magnetic resonance imaging , and the measurement can be started . otherwise , in step v a control variable i is checked to ascertain whether it already corresponds to the maximum number of available transmit modes , i . e . the number of resonator elements n . if this is not the case , then in step vi the control variable i is incremented by 1 , and then in step vii a new flip - angle distribution is measured with the next higher mode . that is , in the first pass , the flip - angle distribution is measured in step vii with the second mode m 2 , as shown for example in diagram b ) of fig2 b . then , in step viii an optimized flip - angle distribution is computed from the previous measurements — in the first pass from the measurements with the two modes m 1 and m 2 . a linear combination of the flip - angle distributions is generated in a simple manner , flip - angle distributions for the modes being given when superimposed both an amplitude weighting and a phase weighting . care is also taken to ensure that the amplitude parameters do not exceed defined threshold values in order to ensure that the components are not too heavily loaded and that local sar threshold values are complied with . a check is then again carried out in step iii as to whether for this computed optimized flip - angle distribution the homogeneity evaluation criterion defined in step ii is fulfilled for the defined region of interest roi . if this is the case , then the optimized set of parameters that has to be used in order to guarantee a correspondingly optimized homogeneous b 1 field when the magnetic resonance image being generated is determined immediately in step iv . this is simple insofar as those parameters which were determined previously in step viii in order to compute the optimized flip - angle distribution can be drawn upon for this purpose . i . e . the various amplitudes and phases are already known from these computations . if in step iii the criterion is still not fulfilled , then in step v a check is again carried out as to whether the control variable i has reached the number of possible modes n and otherwise in step vi incremented the control variable i by 1 and in step vii implemented a fresh measurement with the next higher mode , for example then with the third mode m 3 shown in diagram c ) in fig2 d . a computation is again carried out in step viii , three flip - angle distributions now being linearly superimposed , and then the check in step iii again made as to whether the homogeneity evaluation criterion for the optimized flip - angle distribution is now fulfilled . this method is continued until such time as either it is established that a distribution has been found that fulfills the homogeneity optimization criterion , or it is established in step v that all the transmit modes have already been included in the computed optimum flip - angle distribution . if this is the case , then in step ix the operator is informed that it was not possible to fulfill the homogeneity evaluation criterion , and then in step vi a set of parameters is determined which is based on the last computation in step viii . i . e . in the end the best possible set of parameters for this case is used . instead of the number n of overall possible modes , a lower number could also be set corresponding to the number of just those modes which can contribute significantly to improving homogeneity . fig3 shows a simple schematic block diagram in respect of an exemplary embodiment of a magnetic resonance system 1 with which the method according to the invention can be implemented . the basis of this magnetic resonance system 1 is a recording device 2 , also called a “ tomograph ” or “ scanner ”, in which a patient o is positioned on a support 3 in an annular main field magnet . located inside the main field magnet is a radio - frequency antenna 5 for emitting the high - frequency mr pulses . the antenna 5 here is formed by n resonator elements 6 that can be activated individually with high - frequency pulses . this may , for example , be an antenna structure like that described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 043 , 658 or in de 10 2004 045 691 a1 . the tomograph also has the customary gradient coils ( not shown ) for emitting suitable gradient pulses for location coding . the scanner 2 is activated by a system control unit 10 , which is shown separately here . connected to the system control unit 10 are a terminal 7 with a pointing device , for example a mouse 8 , for operating a graphic user interface , and a bulk memory 9 . the terminal 7 serves as a user interface via which an operator operates the system control unit 10 and thus the tomograph 2 . the mass memory 9 serves , for example , for storing images recorded by means of the magnetic resonance system . the terminal 7 and the memory 9 are connected via an interface 19 to the system control unit 10 . the system control unit 10 has a scanner interface 11 which is connected to the scanner 2 and which , in accordance with the measurement sequence protocol predetermined by the system control unit 10 , emits the radio - frequency pulses with the suitable amplitudes and phases for the individual resonator elements 6 and the appropriate gradient pulses . in addition , the system control unit 10 is connected via an acquisition interface 12 to the scanner 2 . the measurement data coming from the scanner 2 are acquired via the acquisition interface 12 and assembled in a signal evaluation unit 13 into images which are then , for example , displayed via the interface 19 on the terminal 7 and / or filed in the memory 9 . one component of the signal evaluation unit 13 here is a flip - angle distribution determining unit 15 which generates simple images of flip - angle distributions for representing the existing b 1 field . these flip - angle distributions can in this way also be displayed on the terminal 7 and the operator , e . g . with the aid of the mouse 8 , can specify the region of interest roi in which the selected homogeneity evaluation criterion is to be fulfilled . both the system control unit 10 and the terminal 7 and memory 9 can also be an integral part of the tomograph 2 . similarly , however , the system control unit 10 can also be formed by a number of individual components . in particular , e . g . the antenna activation device 14 can be configured as a separate unit connected via a suitable interface to the system control unit 10 . the entire magnetic resonance system 1 also has all other customary components or features such as e . g . interfaces for connecting to a communications network , for example an image information system ( picture archiving and communication system , pacs ). however , for clarity , these components are not shown in fig3 . the operator can communicate via the terminal 7 and the interface 19 with a measurement sequence control unit 18 in the system control unit 10 . this measurement sequence control unit provides the antenna activation device 14 and a gradient activation device 20 , by means of which the gradients are appropriately controlled , with suitable pulse sequences . i . e . the measurement sequence control unit 18 provides for the emission of appropriate radio - frequency pulse sequences by the antenna 5 and for suitable switching of the gradients in order to implement the desired measurements . as already explained above , the signal evaluation unit 13 , has , here as a sub - module , a flip - angle distribution determining unit 15 . the flip - angle distribution f 1 , f 2 , f 3 , f 4 , . . . determined can then be transferred to a distribution evaluation unit 16 and / or to a combination unit 17 . both the signal evaluation unit 13 or flip - angle distribution determining unit 15 and the combination unit 17 and the evaluation unit 16 are , just like the antenna activation device 14 and the gradient activation device 20 , activated by the measurement sequence control unit 18 . this measurement sequence control unit 18 , particularly for the measurement of a flip - angle distribution f 1 , f 2 , f 3 , f 4 , . . . with a defined transmit mode m 1 , m 2 , m 3 , m 4 , . . . , can transfer a corresponding set of parameters ps 1 , ps 2 , ps 3 , ps 4 , . . . to the antenna activation device 14 and suitable parameters to the gradient activation device 20 , which then correspondingly via the scanner interface 11 activates the antenna 5 such that a transmit mode m 1 , m 2 , m 3 , m 4 . . . is emitted according to the predetermined set of parameters ps 1 , ps 2 , ps 3 , ps 4 , . . . . thus a measurement made with a measurement sequence is initiated by the measurement sequence control unit 18 so that when the high - frequency pulses are emitted in the predetermined transmit mode m 1 , m 2 , m 3 , m 4 , . . . a flip - angle distribution f 1 , f 2 , f 3 , f 4 , . . . can be recorded by the flip - angle distribution determining unit 15 . the flip - angle distribution f 1 , f 2 , f 3 , f 4 , . . . measured for the respective mode m 1 , m 2 , m 3 , m 4 , . . . is then transferred by the flip - angle distribution determining unit 15 to the evaluation unit 16 and the combination unit 17 . after corresponding activation by the measurement sequence control unit 18 , the evaluation as per step iii in fig1 is then carried out , for example , during measurement of the first transmit mode m 1 as per step i in fig1 by the evaluation unit 16 . the result is delivered to the measurement sequence control unit 18 . if the result is satisfactory , the measurement sequence control unit 18 transfers the optimized set of parameters ps o found to the antenna activation device 14 , so that the actual measurement is implemented with this set of parameters ps o and the signal evaluation unit 13 can generate the desired magnetic resonance images with the aid of the signals determined . if the evaluation criterion is not fulfilled , then the measurement sequence control unit 18 initiates , by transferring a further set of parameters ps 2 , measurement with the second transmit mode m 2 , whereupon the measured - value distribution determining unit 15 measures a corresponding flip - angle distribution f 2 and transfers this likewise to the combination unit 17 . the combination unit 17 then combines this flip - angle distribution f 2 with the previously measured flip - angle distribution f 1 and delivers the result , a combined flip - angle distribution f k , on to the evaluation unit 16 . this evaluation unit evaluates the flip - angle distribution f k as described previously and delivers the result in turn to the measurement sequence control unit 18 . if the result is satisfactory , then the measurement sequence control unit 18 can , on the basis of the data supplied by the combination unit 17 , draw up from the optimized combination of flip - angle distributions f 1 , f 2 an optimized set of parameters ps o and then with this optimized set of parameters activate the antenna activation device 14 for the actual measurement . where no satisfactory result is achieved even with the last available transmit mode , the measurement sequence control unit 18 nonetheless receives from the combination unit 17 the data necessary to generate the at least best possible set of parameters ps k and then to transfer this set of parameters to the antenna activation device 14 for the subsequent magnetic resonance measurement . simultaneously , an alarm can be output via the interface 19 to the operator on the terminal 7 . as a rule , at least the measurement sequence control unit 18 , the signal evaluation unit 13 , the flip - angle distribution determining unit 15 , the combination unit 17 and the evaluation unit 16 are implemented in the form of software modules on a processor of the system control unit 10 . implementation purely in software form has the advantage that even existing magnetic resonance apparatuses can be upgraded by means of an appropriate software upgrade . it is also possible here for the units 13 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 or corresponding software modules shown respectively as individual blocks in fig3 to consist of a plurality of components or subroutines . these subroutines may also already be in use by other components of the system control unit 10 , i . e . existing subroutines of other program units will optionally also be drawn upon so as to keep the cost of implementing the modules necessary according to the invention as low as possible . the method described in detail herein and the magnetic resonance system shown are only exemplary embodiments that may be modified in a variety of ways by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention . the invention has been explained principally with reference to application in a medically used magnetic resonance apparatus , but it is not restricted to applications of this type but also can be used in scientific and / or industrial applications .	6
the shaving handle extension assembly ( shea ) 100 of the present invention is shown in the perspective illustrations of fig1 - 5 , each showing different views thereof . as it can be seen in the perspective side view of fig1 , the shea 100 is designed to frictionally receive a razor shaving device ( rsd ) 200 and subsequently serve as an extending mechanism to manually provide longitudinal extension length to any variety of razor shaving devices 200 for functions associated with hair removal . in this unique extension assembly , an upper handle section 110 and a lower handle section 160 are adjoined together to form a substantially hollow inner chamber for providing a passageway for fluid flow , and for providing a housing for razor gripping receiving means comprising a razor receiving mechanism ( rrm ) 120 and a frictional grip means 140 . in one embodiment , the shea 100 may be sized and dimensioned to have a length in the range of 15 to 18 inches . the body of the shea 100 has an angled waist portion 150 which forms the substantially curvilinear shape of the handle extension and is defined by the area by which the minimum width , or narrowed waist portion , of the body of the shea 100 is the smallest . this angle , θ is characterized by an obtuse angle having range of approximately 160 to 170 degrees , i . e ., 13 to 15 degrees deflection off the horizontal plane . the angled waist portion 150 has a diameter , d awp of about 0 . 64 inches , but can range from approximately 0 . 5 to 0 . 7 inches , which is concentrically smaller that the diameter of both the proximal end portion p and distal end portion d . furthermore , the vertex of the obtuse angle lies within the narrowed waist portion of the shea 100 . in one embodiment , the diameter of the proximal end portion d pe and the diameter of the distal end portion d de can range between approximately 1 . 25 to 2 . 0 inches , and are both greater than d awp the diameter of the angled waist portion 150 . furthermore , the diameter of the proximal end portion d pe and the diameter of the distal end portion d de can be equal to one another , or in some embodiments , they may be unequal . nonetheless , the diameter d awp of the angled waist portion 150 has a diameter ratio of about 35 - 40 %, relative to the diameter of the proximal end portion d pe and the diameter of the distal end portion d de . therefore , it follows that : this narrowed concentric diameter is critical for facilitating the angled body portion of the shea 100 . furthermore , it also follows that the diameters of each angled waist portions 101 , and 161 of the upper handle section 110 and lower handle section 160 , respectively , have the same width , therefore 101 = 161 . it is to be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art , that the length of the shea 100 may vary in range , however , the proportions of the length of the shea 100 to the diameter of the proximal end portion d pe and the diameter of the distal end portion d de as well as to that of the diameter d awp of the angled waist portion 150 have relative proportions that define the particular dimensions of the shea 100 . as seen in fig2 , the proximal end portion p of the shea 100 has a first and second set of fluid apertures 164 a and 164 b for facilitating fluid flow there through . this is useful when the apparatus is being utilized in conjunction with water sources for aiding in the process for the removal of hair . for instance , when in use , shaving devices are often used along with sources of water for the washing or rinsing of the hair being removed from a target area of the body . this may include baths or shower environments where a shaver may conveniently remove hair during bathing . the first set of fluid apertures 164 a are shown having longitudinally elongated forms and the second set of fluid apertures 164 b are shown having more circular formations . the first set of fluid apertures 164 a may have larger dimensions than that of the second set of fluid apertures 164 a , to provide drainage for larger and / or semi solid materials to exit the inner chamber during usage , such as for example , creams , shaving creams , and the like . it is to be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the dimensions , ( i . e ., shapes ) of the apertures 164 a and 164 b can be of any shape , as the shape is not necessarily critical to the requirement of the function of facilitating fluid flow out of the inner hollow body of the shea 100 . furthermore , although they are shown arranged such that the first set 164 a are grouped together and separate from the second set 164 b , it is to be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the relative arrangements and positions thereof can vary without any changes to the scope of the invention . since this shea 100 may be often used with water and / or other creams , such as shaving creams or hair removal products , handle grip means 130 and razor receiving mechanism 120 are on either ends of the shea 100 to provide friction elements for gripping and holding the distal end of the handle body d . in one embodiment 130 , handle grip means 130 is located on the distal end portion d of the handle body in a distal aperture 108 and is adapted for frictional grasping of the underside of the shea 100 . although this handle grip means 130 is shown as a separate element , it is well within the scope of the invention to manufacture the grip means 130 integrally within the handle body and moreover at more than one location . in one embodiment , a placement aperture 105 is formed in the distal end portion d of the shea 100 and is used for placing or hanging the assembly 100 for storage when not in use . this placement aperture 105 may be used to place the assembly 100 among hooks , or the like , for hanging and / or storage . the placement aperture 105 is formed by the upper aperture 115 and the lower aperture 165 of the upper and lower handle portions 110 and 160 , respectively ( note fig1 and 5 ). the underside of the shea 100 is illustrated in fig3 , showing a plan view of the second handle section 160 . the frictional grip and receiving means comprising the rrm 120 and the fgm 140 are shown at the proximal end p . the rrm 120 comprises a recessed hole 109 sized and dimensioned to frictionally house a portion of the rrm 120 and fgm 140 . this recessed hole 109 lies in a horizontal plane of the upper handle portion 110 . the rrm 120 also has a razor receiving aperture ( rra ) 122 . the rra 122 is a longitudinal opening for receiving a razor device 200 therein and lies in a vertical plane perpendicular from a lateral opening 124 ( discussed below ). the rra 122 has an elliptical form with a height rra h in the approximate range of about 0 . 6 to 0 . 72 inches and a width rra w in the approximate range of about 0 . 25 to 0 . 35 inches , thus an approximate ratio of approximately 42 %, rra w to rra h . moreover , the elliptical form is critical for receiving , and thus , maintaining position of the razor device 200 . the compromised height rra h ( in conjunction with the friction fitting of the 120 and 140 ) is such that it can fit a variety of narrowly dimensioned razor devices 200 . the width rra w is dimensioned to accommodate varying widths of razor devices 200 , including those with thin or tapered handle widths . hence , the elliptical rra 122 configuration embodies criticality in that the relative ratio of the height to the width being within 40 - 41 %. the rra 122 is sized and dimensioned to operatively receive razor devices having an array of handle sizes . furthermore , the rrm 120 has a lateral opening 124 serving as a major drainage conduit for fluids . the fgm 140 is operatively connected to the rra 122 , and together form a gripping razor receiving means , both of which are discussed in further detail below with regard to fig5 a and 5b . fig4 illustrates a front perspective view of the shea 100 , showing the proximal end p . fig5 a and 5b best illustrates the components that comprise the shea 100 . in these exploded diagrams , the relationship of the major components to one another can be gleaned . fig5 a illustrates a top exploded view of the shea 100 and fig5 b illustrates a reverse , bottom exploded view of fig5 a . in this view the components are shown in an unassembled state , however , when assembled , the upper handle portion 110 and the lower handle portion 160 are adjoined to one another via an array of fastening means 162 and 112 . the set of upper handle fastening means 112 are each arranged to matingly engage the set of lower handle fastening means 162 . as illustrated in fig5 a and 5b , the corresponding array of fastening means 112 and 162 are shown in a snap post mechanism , having mating male - female configurations such that upon assembly they are fittingly pressed into one another to mechanically couple the upper and lower handle sections 110 and 160 to one another . it is well known that other , suitable and / or equivalent adjoining means can be employed for augmenting the bond of the fasting means 112 and 162 ( such as , for example , including bonding in addition to , or in lieu of a snap post mechanism as illustrated . it is further well known that the adjoining can be a mechanical ( e . g ., snap posting ), chemical bonding ( e . g ., via any variety of epoxies , bonding solvents , or resins ), or via other adjoining means ( e . g . material molding of parts ) without departing from the scope of the invention . as can also be seen in further detail in fig5 a and 5b , some of the structural characteristics that provide functionality for the fsm 140 are illustrated . in one embodiment , the fsm 140 comprises a longitudinal base 145 having a plurality raised teeth - like flanges members 142 , extending substantially perpendicularly from said base 145 . in as much as the height of said flange members 142 may be quantified by h . in addition , h fm is substantially greater than , or equal to the rra 122 maximum width rra w . therefore , it follows that : this particular dimension is of the fsm 140 is such that the height of the flange members 142 substantially occlude the rra 122 to facilitate a secure , fitted , frictional engagement of a rsd 200 . the plurality of raised flanged members 142 also serve to maintain proper placement of the rsd 200 . the snug , friction fitting of this substantially flexible fsm 140 along with the longitudinal arrangement of the flange members 142 , exert normal forces on a rsd 200 inserted through rra 12 between the frictional grip and receiving means of the rrm 120 and fgm 140 . the lateral opening 124 may serve to provide a visual access to check the proper placement of a rsd 200 . furthermore , this lateral opening 124 may also be sized and dimensioned to provide access for manual manipulation of an inserted rsd 200 to ensure proper placement before use . moreover , in any unlikely event that an rsd 200 is lodged improperly or breaks during usage , the lateral opening 124 may serve as a point of access and may be employed to dislodge the rsd 200 . with regard to material considerations , in one embodiment , the upper and lower handle sections 110 and 160 may be comprised of high grade engineered plastics having a higher durometer ( e . g ., such as shore d scaled plastics ) such as , for example , poly carbonates , and substantially rigid . in one embodiment , the material of both the rrm 120 and fgm 140 are comprised of a softer , more flexible material than the upper and lower handle sections 110 and 160 . both the rrm 120 and fgm 140 may be comprised of any suitable rubber - type material such as , rubbers and / or elastomers commonly used for softer plastics ( e . g ., such as shore a scaled elastomers ) such as polyolefins , fluoropolymers , and vinyls . these are just exemplary listings , and it is herein noted that other non - plastic materials may be employed as well which may be suitable for manufacture of the shea 100 . the rrm 120 also comprises a set of gripping strips 126 on either lateral side thereof which serve the dual purposes of first providing friction handling means for a user of the shea 100 ; and second as a structural engagement means having latch engaging mechanism 128 therein for matingly receiving the latch means 166 of the proximal end p of lower handle section 160 ( see fig5 b ). the latch engaging mechanism 128 is a female receiving structure sized , dimensioned and adapted to receive the latch engaging mechanism 128 which may be correspondingly sized , dimensioned and adapted to provide a male fitting therein . in the foregoing manner , exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to the figures . although only exemplary embodiments are of the present disclosure are described , the present invention is not to be limited to specific details so described . the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure provided above . numerous changes and modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention .	1
the present invention relates to insulating devices for beverage containers , and more particularly , to insulating beverages and foods by using air as the insulator . in the disclosure and in the claims the term “ cup ” shall refer to any container used to house consumable liquids and solids , or for insulating dishes full of food or liquid . examples of cups include disposable cups , buckets , food storage containers , leftover food container , casserole dish containers , small soup bowls and any other similarly shaped container from which one drinks or eats that is in need of insulation . by way of general description of the embodiments of the present invention , there is an air insulation barrier used to create a temperature gradient around the contents of a cup . the barrier may be an insulating sleeve that is placed around the exterior of a cup , or it may be a lid placed on the top of a cup . the barrier material may comprise paper , plastic , or a combination of the two . the invention as taught minimizes the amount of material needed to create the insulation barrier , as well as provide a user maximum choice in how to insulate the cup , making an insulating sleeve optional with the insulating lid , and vice versa . in addition , some embodiments of the present invention teach forming barrier shapes that can be folded to compact forms , and selectively expanded to a functional form . finally , the invention teaches modifying the surface by applying material with a high friction coefficient to improve the user &# 39 ; s grip of the invention . referring to fig1 a - 5b illustrating two exemplary embodiments of a short insulating sleeve 5 wherein said sleeve can selectively receive a cup 10 , the cup 10 and sleeve 5 having support rings 15 and forming an insulating air chamber 20 with a temperature gradient from the outer surface of the sleeve 25 to the temperature of the cup . the support rings 15 support the weight of the cup 10 while sheathed by the sleeve 5 , and provide the contact points between the cup 10 and the sleeve 5 . in addition , the support medially positioned support ring 15 provides increased support to the user gripping the sleeve , thus preventing the sleeve collapsing when held , and preventing the sleeve &# 39 ; s outer wall 25 from contacting the cup 10 . the outer surface area 25 of the short sleeve is large enough to shield a user &# 39 ; s hand from the surface of the cup 10 . advantages of the short length of the sleeve are reduced manufacturing cost as well as the amount of storage space needed for several sleeves . as illustrated in fig1 b and 4a , the sleeve may be folded to minimize the profile of the sleeve . in addition , the sleeve may have indentations to allow the sleeve to fold along a desired axis . fig2 a illustrates a sleeve without a cup inserted therein . the support ring 15 can support is rigid enough to keep the sleeve in an open form even when a cup is not inserted into the center of the sleeve . a manufacturing tab or tab 30 is on the outer edge of the ring and connects the ring 15 to the outer surface 25 . fig2 b &# 39 ; s partially transparent view illustrates the insulating air chamber 20 that forms between the cup 10 and the sleeve 5 . air is known as a superior insulation because of the difficulty gaseous molecules have in transferring kinetic energy . fig3 b illustrates a sleeve 5 with a surface area 25 that extends 35 beyond the support rings 15 . this embodiment allows the rings 15 to be closer together while still providing a users &# 39 ; hand sufficient area to shield it from the temperature of the cup 10 . referring now to fig6 a - 20b illustrating several embodiments of the insulating sleeve 5 with a plurality of structural beams 40 to support the weight of the cup 10 . while the structural beams create more contact than other embodiments described herein , the beams provide superior support , thus allowing the user to sheath a cup of a variety of weights . the cup may be large or small and contain food or drink , and an appropriately sized insulating sleeve can still support the weight of the cup 10 . fig6 a through 7a show a short insulating sleeve that uses minimal material and provides minimal protection and insulation , while fig7 b illustrates a long insulated sleeve that provides the contents of the cup greater insulation by covering more of the cup &# 39 ; s surface area , as well as provide greater protection for the user &# 39 ; s hand . fig8 a , 10b , 13 b , 15 b , 18 b and 20 b illustrate the insulating sleeve 5 folded to minimizing the storage area for the sleeve . fig9 b and 10 a &# 39 ; s transparent view of the cup 10 supported by the sleeve &# 39 ; s 5 structural beams shows in detail the insulating air chamber 20 formed between the outer surface of the sleeve 25 and the surface of the cup 10 . additionally illustrated is the extension of the sleeve 35 beyond the structural members 40 that allow the manufacturer to minimize the amount of material used in creating the structural members 40 while still providing the amount of surface area 25 needed to shield the user &# 39 ; s hand from the cup . as illustrated , the sleeve may cover only a portion of the cup , or it may cover substantially all the cup . fig1 a illustrates round half - spheres as structural members . using round half - spheres to create the insulating air chamber further minimizes the amount of material needed to create the sleeve as well as the simplicity of mating the cup and sleeve . using round half - spheres allows the user to slip the cup into the sleeve while it is still partially folded , because there are no rings or members to align . fig1 a and 12b illustrate an embodiment where the structural members 40 are round half spheres that create the insulating air chamber 20 between the surface of the sleeve 25 and the surface of the cup 10 . the length may be either short , covering only a portion of the cup &# 39 ; s surface , or long covering substantially the entire length of the cup . fig1 a , and 14 a through 15 b illustrate a support structure comprising a tubular circle 40 along the sleeve &# 39 ; s inner wall 45 . the continuous contact between the structural member 40 and the cup 10 provides greater support to the cup 10 when the weight of the cup 10 is great . in addition , the continuous contact of the structural member 40 with the cup 10 creates an insulating air chamber 20 with less air moving between the cup 10 and the sleeve 5 , thus providing insulation for the cup 10 . fig1 a illustrates the teaching of the present invention wherein the number of structural support tubular rings 40 in increased with the length of the sleeve 5 to provide support for the user when gripping the sleeve 5 and cup 10 . fig1 a through 17b illustrate slanted half - circle structural beams 40 as both short and long . fig1 a and 19 a - 20 b illustrate a flame structural beam 40 , which provides increased multi - directional friction between the cup 10 and both a short and long sleeve . fig2 a and 21b illustrate an exemplary selection of cross - sections used as structural members 40 . fig2 a illustrates an exemplary selection of shaped openings in insulating lids 50 . the openings may be used for venting , passing a straw , or passing the contents of the cup . the insulating lid 50 , described below , helps create another temperature gradient around the cup to help insulate the cup &# 39 ; s contents . fig2 b illustrates an embodiment of an insulating sleeve 5 with cup inside in an adaptor 55 adapted to fit the sleeve 5 into a cup holder ( not shown ). often , cup holders are sized so a cup fits snugly into the holder . if an insulating sleeve substantially increases the circumference of a cup , the user may be precluded from using the cup holder . by providing this embodiment , the user may use both an insulating sleeve 5 and a cup holder . fig2 a and 23b illustrate the adapter 55 used to fit the sleeve and cup into a cup holder . the adapter provides a wide receiving end for receiving the cup and insulating sleeve . in addition , the adapter adapts the wide end to a narrower end to fit into a standard cup holder . it is anticipated that the narrower end can be adapted to fit any size cup holder , including widening the cup and sleeve combination , including widening the base to fit between two armrests 60 . fig2 a through 24b illustrate adapter 55 widened to support 60 a drink and provide a working or resting surface in a theatre . also anticipated are cup holders in cars , on airliners , at bars , as well as any other place commonly known in the art . referring now to fig2 a and 25b , there is illustrated an exemplary selection of layouts for structural beams 40 on an insulating sleeve wall 25 and insulating lid 50 . in addition to those illustrated here , the present invention teaches any formation of structural beams commonly known in the art to provide rigidity and support to the sleeve and lid . fig2 a , 27a , 28 a , and 29 a illustrate an exemplary selection of insulating sleeves 5 with a cup 10 inserted into the sleeve 5 , with the number of support rings 15 optimized to support the weight and size of the cup 10 . as discussed above , the support rings 15 create an insulating air chamber 20 between a set of support rings 15 or between a support ring 15 and the base 65 , that helps prevent the contents of the cup 10 from warming or cooling , as well as shield the hand of a person holding the cup 10 . the insulating sleeve 5 may cover part or substantially all the side of the cup 10 , depending on cost , manufacturing and storage considerations . the tabs 30 provide a support to attach the support rings 15 to the insulation sleeve . in addition , each ring makes a closed insulating air chamber 20 . fig2 b , 27b , 28 b , and 29 b illustrate a folded insulated sleeve 5 as well as the positioning of the support rings 15 when folded . when the user unfolds the sleeve 5 and inserts the cup 10 , all the support rings are simultaneously forced open thus allowing the cup to slide inside the sleeve . the present invention teaches a foldable insulating sleeve 5 , modifiable to include the number of support rings 15 and an optional base 65 necessary to support the desired cup weight . as such , the number or arrangement and placement of support rings is taught by the present invention as such placement optimizes the performance of the sleeve 5 . referring to fig3 a - 35b which illustrate a cup 10 with the insulating lid 50 . the lid 50 is comprised of a top wall 70 , a bottom wall 75 , a brim clasp 80 that is releaseable coupleable to the brim 85 of the cup 10 . the top wall 70 and bottom wall 75 form the walls of the insulating air chamber 20 , the bottom wall lying in the brim plane 90 so as to allow the cup 10 to be filled to capacity with content , and not have to save space for the insulating chamber 20 . the lid 50 maximizes the storage capacity of the cup 10 by not filling the storages space with the insulating air chamber . however , the present invention also teaches minimizing the profile of the lid 50 by placing the insulating air chamber 20 below the brim plane 90 . as discussed above in fig2 b , structural beams 40 may be placed in the air chamber 20 of the lid 50 to improve its structural integrity , as well as provide additional support to the container as a whole . additional support may be necessary when the lid 50 performs functions in addition to covering the cup . such functions may be providing a defined opening 53 through which a straw 95 may be inserted . a structural beam 40 would provide the necessary strength to prevent the allow the user to use a straw 95 without compromising the structural integrity of the lid . an additional function may be to provide a content funnel 100 through which the contents of the cup may be funneled to the user &# 39 ; s mouth . the content funnel 100 may be part of the insulating air chamber 20 , as shown in fig3 b , or the chamber 20 may end before reaching the funnel 100 as shown in fig3 b . to prevent cooling and spills , the funnel has acap 105 . fig3 a and 31b illustrate another embodiment of the lid where structural supports 40 may improve the function of the bubble lid 110 . due to the bubble lid &# 39 ; s 110 concave up shape , structural beams 40 enhance the functionality of the lid , allowing contents to extend above the brim plane 90 , effectively increasing the storage capacity of the cup 10 , while still being insulated and covered by the bubble lid 110 . again , the insulating air chamber 20 may be either on inside the lid to minimize the profile of the lid , as shown in fig3 b , or it may be outside on the outside of the lid to maximize the capacity of the cup . a defined opening 53 in the bubble lid 110 allows the user to insert a straw 95 . an exemplary embodiment shown in fig3 illustrates a cup 10 with a flat lid 50 comprising an insulating air chamber 20 above the brim plane 90 , and a brim clasp 80 coupled to the cup brim . this embodiment can be used for food storage , for example if a chicken restaurant wanted to keep a patron &# 39 ; s food warm until it was consumed , the chicken could be placed in the cup , the cup placed in an insulating sleeve , and the insulating lid placed on the top of the cup . the same situation could be made for hamburgers or any other food . in addition , the lid 50 may be connected to another lid to form a clamshell design and keep the food contents warm . in addition , the present invention teaches all combinations of the described arrangement . referring now to exemplary embodiments illustrated in fig3 a through 41b where show is a variety of insulating sleeve shapes that provide increased insulation for the cup . the shape of the sleeve may be substantially cylindrical , the walls of the sleeve being respectively parallel , thus creating larger insulating air chambers 20 at the bottom of the sleeve than at the top , when the cup is tapered at the bottom . this shape provides improved insulation at the bottom of the sleeve where the contents of the cup will be for the longest period of time . furthermore , the present invention teaches placing the support rings 15 in positions so as to minimize the amount of air circulating from the areas next to the empty cup , and areas insulating filled portions of the cup . in addition , the ring 15 provides the sleeve with increased structural support , thus preventing the sleeve from collapsing when gripped or held by a user . here , the insulating sleeve 5 extends the entire length of the cup 10 , so as to insulate substantially the entire cup 10 . the substantially cylindrical sleeve also provides a wider more supportive base for the cup , thus preventing potential spills or tipping of the cup while in the sleeve . additionally , the present invention teaches the bottom of the sleeve may comprise either a base 65 on which the cup 10 rests , or a support ring 15 through which the cup 10 passes . when the sleeve 5 is substantially cylindrical , the rings 15 must remain concentric , but also compensate for the change of the cup 10 size . referring now to fig4 a through 52a , the present invention also teaches a tapered sleeve 5 so as to run substantially parallel to the walls of the cup 10 , as show . alternative exemplary embodiments where the insulating sleeve 5 covers different lengths of the cup 10 , including approximately half of the cup &# 39 ; s surface , three quarters of the cup &# 39 ; s surface , and the entire length of the cup &# 39 ; s surface . in addition , as discussed previously , the present invention teaches a support ring 15 that is flush with the top of the insulating sleeve 5 , and an alternative embodiment that illustrates the sleeve 25 extending 35 beyond the top ring . again , the insulating sleeve 5 may be foldable , thus minimizing the volume of shipping or storing several sleeves at one time . referring now to fig5 b through 58 , an exemplary embodiment of a mouthpiece 115 is illustrated , with alternative embodiments showing the beveled edge in fig5 b , 55b , and wide edge 125 in 57 b . the size of the edge may be modified depending on the content of the cup , or to improve the user &# 39 ; s comfort when putting the mouthpiece to the mouth . the mouthpiece 115 may provide an additional thermal barrier when used in combination with the sleeve 5 and lid 50 creating an additional insulating air chamber above the highest support ring 15 . the mouthpiece may also provide a cooling surface when placed on the brim of a cup by allowing the hot contents of the cup to come into contact with a cool surface before being consumed by the user . thus , as discussed herein , the embodiments of the present invention embrace the field insulating devices for food or beverage containers . in particular , the present invention relates to insulating disposable cups by using air as the insulator . the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics . the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive . the scope of the invention is , therefore , indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description . all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope .	0
a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing . applicants have recognized that dtmf signaling and the spoken word are two tools telephony users almost always have at their disposal to request service features during a telephone calls . applicants have found that dtmf receivers in combination with a very simple voice recognition scheme can be combined with a timer to unambiguously and reliably detect a user &# 39 ; s mid - call need for new features . in accordance with the present invention , the telephony user is instructed to press one or two dtmf digits and then speak a single word or very short phrase . in response , the network either provides the feature implied by the particular combination , or the network connects the user to a separate system ( or human operator ) that can then prompt for more information about the particular feature requested . for example , the user could press “” and “#” followed by saying “ louder ” for an increase in connection volume . alternatively , “” and “#” followed by saying “ at & amp ; t ” could be used to signal a desire for any one of several features offered by the at & amp ; t network , for example . at that point , the at & amp ; t network could connect the user to a series of prerecorded prompts to identify which specific feature is being requested . during this detailed service requests phase , the connection to the other party in the call is held and possibly tied to a repeated “ keep alive ” prompt such as “ please wait while new services are requested ” or tied to music - on - hold . when the feature request is completed , both ends of the call are reconnected with any new features completed or in effect . the advantages to the network of the approach outlined above are that ( 1 ) the one or two dtmf signals can be easily and unambiguously recognized , ( 2 ) a very simple speaker - independent word recognition algorithm can be used to recognize very few words like “ louder ”, “ softer ” and / or “ at & amp ; t ” and ( 3 ) the mutual context of these two events assures the service provider that this is the expected command and that these dtmf signals are not intended for any other dtmf - driven system on the call . appropriately selected , the spoken words in the commands would have sufficient phonetic information to be ( a ) easily recognized and ( b ) easily distinguished from each other , independent of the speaker &# 39 ; s diction or network transmission characteristics . using the service - provider &# 39 ; s name , e . g ., at & amp ; t , mci , sprint and / or qwest , as the spoken part of the command reinforces the user &# 39 ; s association with the brand . in addition , using the service - provider &# 39 ; s name as the keyword also easily distinguishes whose services are being requested during a call crossing multiple service providers &# 39 ; jurisdictions ( e . g ., spanning local , interexchange , and international carriers .) from the users &# 39 ; perspective , one or two dtmf tones and one or two spoken words are easy to remember as a command set . in accordance with the present invention , users can then benefit from menu - driven access to all of the features offered by their service provider . dtmf tones can be used during the detailed feature selection phase while any other dtmf - driven devices are shielded from confusion about the purpose of those tones . the service provider may predetermine the exact ordering of the keyword ( s ) and the dtmf tone ( s ) and informs their customers . appropriate equipment on the network recognizes the command when the tones and words are detected in the correct order within a predefined time limit . a location within the network for such equipment is at the edge of the network , prior to the first network switch . such a location makes available to calls , including calls that traverse only one network switch , the full set of features that can be initiated with this command set . in order to reduce the possibility of confusion over which end of the call is initiating the feature request , a device for canceling network echoes can be located upstream of the dtmf and speech decoding equipment . [ 0027 ] fig1 illustrates the implementation of the present invention in a telephone system . the in - progress call includes user telephones 1 and 2 and the present invention implemented as feature control device 3 . device 3 is located in the “ four - wire ” portion 4 of the telephone network where the two directions of the voice signal ( transmit and receive ) are carried separately . echo control device 5 shields the invention from confusion due to echoes . device 3 includes speech and dtmf tone recognition circuitry as is known in the art . thus , device 3 can reliably detect and respond to feature requests during an active telephone call . as shown in fig1 feature control device 3 is “ listening ” only to signals coming from telephone 1 toward telephone 2 . although not shown in fig1 an identical feature control device may be used to “ listen ” for requests for features coming from telephone 2 . if device 3 recognizes the correct combination of dtmf tones and spoken words from telephone 1 , it will either invoke the appropriate network features or it will use switching device 6 to connect telephone 1 to a network device 7 that can prompt for detailed information about the desired features . network device 7 makes available a menu of prompts and service options . while the user of telephone 1 is selecting features , telephone 2 may be temporarily connected to a “ keep alive ” signal such as music - on - hold 8 , also using by switching device 6 . the requested service features 9 , 10 , and / or 11 , for example , may then be provided to the caller in accordance with the caller &# 39 ; s request . if only part of the command for additional service features is detected by feature control device 3 ( e . g . the dtmf signals ), and within a predetermined time limit the other part ( e . g . the spoken word ) is not detected , no network actions are taken at all . device 3 may include a watch - dog type timer for this purpose as is known in the art . unlike the system described above with respect to u . s . pat . no . 5 , 524 , 139 , the system of the present invention does not ask the user to physically call another system or entity . in that sense , the system of the present invention is a passive tool and may be implemented in a way that it is always present on every call whenever the customer might need it . the system of the present invention is always “ listening ” to every call and automatically invokes a menu of network services whenever it hears the pre - specified “ escape ” command . while prior art systems make it possible for a network to monitor calls and take action when the network believes it hears a proper command , the present system requires both unambiguously detected dtmf tones and proper detection of an adjacent spoken word . such a requirement prevents the false triggering of network actions that would occur with dtmf tones alone ( which are quite prevalent even in the middle of present day telephone calls ) and false triggering that would occur based on spoken words alone ( the user may or may not intend that the network respond to any particular sequence of spoken words ). it should be obvious from the above - discussed apparatus embodiment that numerous other variations and modifications of the apparatus of this invention are possible , and such will readily occur to those skilled in the art . accordingly , the scope of this invention is not to be limited to the embodiment disclosed , but is to include any such embodiments as may be encompassed within the scope of the claims appended hereto .	7
the present invention relates to a system for connecting a prospective or existing policy holder , for instance , an insured , to an insurance company , for instance , an insurer , using a communication network . referring to fig1 , a communication network 10 is shown . the communication network 10 includes mobile devices 12 that are owned and / or operated by the insured . the mobile devices 12 are smart phones , such as an iphone , that include memory in which software is stored , a processor for processing the software and a user interface 14 for allowing the insured to interact with the software . the user interface 14 includes an output device , such as an lcd screen , and an input device , such as a keyboard or a touch screen . the mobile devices 12 are in wireless communication with a wireless network 16 , such as a base station controller , that connects the mobile devices 12 to the internet 18 . as illustrated in fig1 , the internet 18 is also in communication with a virtual private network 20 that connects the internet 18 to a networked server 22 of the insurer . the networked server 22 includes memory in which insurance software , such as insurance models , and insurance data , such as insurer information and data , is stored and a processor for processing the insurance software and insurance data . the networked server 22 is connected to an insurer customer database 24 in which insured information and data , such as customer information and policy information , is stored . the internet 18 is also in communication with a web server farm 26 that connects the internet 18 to a remote customer database 28 . the local customer database 28 includes memory in which insured information and data is stored . referring to fig2 , the system 30 of the present invention is shown . referring additionally to fig3 , the system 30 includes a mobile insurance module 32 , such as the “ i &# 39 ; m in touch — phone ” insurance software module , which is stored in the memory of the mobile device 12 of the insured . using the mobile insurance module 32 , the insured can connect to the insurer . the mobile insurance module 32 is responsible for managing the dialogue between the insured and the insurer to capture data about the insured , a vehicle , property or asset owned or operated by the insured , and an accident or loss relating to the vehicle , property or asset of the insured . for example , the mobile insurance module 32 is capable of performing the following functions : to enable the functions listed in table 1 , the mobile insurance module 32 leverages the capabilities of the smart phone mobile device 12 , including : phone mode , voice recorder mode , sms text mode , e - mail mode , digital camera mode , digital video recording mode , photograph gallery mode , video gallery mode , gps mode , and other input devices , such as a touch screen , which minimizes the effort to collect , coordinate , administer and manage the desired data . at a database - level , the mobile insurance module 32 leverages the platform on which smart phone mobile devices 12 operate , including sql databases and 3g - standard resources . the mobile insurance module 32 also reports information to the insured , for instance , in response to an inquiry or quote request made by the insured . for instance , the mobile insurance module 32 includes a data getter 34 for receiving data from the networked server 22 and a data setter 36 for transmitting data to the networked server 22 . the data getter 34 and the data setter 36 are connected to the user interface 14 of the mobile device 12 . in total , the capabilities of the smart phone mobile device 12 enables collection and transmission of all desired and required data relating to an accident or loss at the location of the accident and loss , which , in turn , enables immediate resolution of the claim . this is particularly true for small claims ( e . g ., the reporting of loss that is below a deductible of the policy ), for which limited processing resources are committed to auditing and processing the claim . the mobile insurance module 32 , for example , is installed on the apple iphone mobile device 12 . using apple &# 39 ; s proprietary iphone sdk system ( xcode / objective c / cocoa ) or the user interface 14 , which is a graphical user interface (“ gui ”), collects information about the vehicle , property or assets of the insured , losses and new quote information . the mobile insurance module 32 of the present invention utilizes the iphone &# 39 ; s capabilities to communicate to the networked server 22 using http protocol over the communication network 10 . communications are conducted using the industry standard “ web services ” model . the mobile device 12 also uses the following iphone utility frameworks 40 to provide the mobile insurance module 32 functionalities listed above in table 1 , including : audiotoolbox — audio recording ; corefoundation — provides ‘ c ’ apis ; coregraphics — fundamental to the mac os x graphics and windowing environment ; corelocation — gps utilization ; foundation — objective - c classes that provide the infrastructure for object - based applications ; opengles — animation graphics library ; quartzcore — supports image processing and video image manipulation ; and uikit — infrastructure needed for creating iphone applications . the libsqlite3 . 0 . dylib — sqlite database access library is also utilized to provide the mobile insurance module 32 functionalities listed above in table 1 . referring to fig2 and 4 , the system 30 also includes a web insurance module 42 , such as the “ i &# 39 ; m in touch — web ” insurance software module , which is accessible on a website using a web browser on the mobile device 12 or a computer . the web insurance module 42 allows the insured to perform all of the functions of the mobile insurance module 32 outside of the mobile insurance module 32 environment . however , the web insurance module 42 can have the following additional functionality : to enable the functions listed in table 2 , the web insurance module 42 leverages the enhanced capabilities of web browsing in comparison to an application configured for use on the mobile device 12 . for instance , the web insurance module 42 facilitates input of data to the system 30 using a full keyboard , a mouse and a large display . however , in some embodiments the web insurance module 42 may exclude some functionalities that have particular synergies with the mobile insurance module 32 , for instance , the functionalities that relate to the phone mode , the camera mode , the video recorder mode , the voice recorder mode and the gps mode of the mobile device 12 . also , provided that the mobile device 12 has sufficient input , processing and display resources , the additional functions of the web insurance module 42 can be included in the mobile insurance module 32 . the web insurance module 42 is provided in a standard html interface . the web insurance module 42 includes a data getter 44 for receiving data from the networked server 22 and a data setter 46 for transmitting data to the networked server 22 . the data getter 44 and the data setter 46 are connected via a web user interface controller aspx 46 , through which the insured interacts with the system 30 . more specifically , the web insurance module 42 accesses the middle tier of the application using industry standard “ web services ” models with http protocol via soap and restful formats . for example , the web user interface controller aspx 46 is a web - enabled interface that leverages the microsoft . net framework version 2 . 0 redistribution package in conjunction with microsoft internet information server 6 . 0 . the system 30 also includes a server insurance module 50 , such as the “ i &# 39 ; m in touch — server ” insurance software module , installed on the networked server 22 and connected to the mobile insurance module 32 and the web insurance module 42 . the server insurance module 50 is a primary interactive component of the present invention and includes a number of sub - modules . for instance , the server insurance module 50 includes a database manager sub - module 52 . the database manager sub - module 52 is responsible for creating , reading , updating and deleting the application data which includes the profile , vehicle , property , assets , photographs , videos , policies , losses , quotes and contracts data of the insured . for instance , the database manager sub - module 52 is capable of the following functionalities : the database manager sub - module 52 utilizes microsoft sql server database to implement a related table - based data structure with simple primary key and foreign key structure . data is stored in the database manager sub - module 52 in a series of related tables providing database normalization and made accessible via a secure user / password methodology over tcp / ip . referring to fig6 , a database scheme 54 of the database manager sub - module 52 is shown . the database scheme 54 includes an account table 56 , a carrier table 58 , a user table 60 , a user policy table 62 , a policy table 64 , a policy type table 66 , a policy items table 68 , an attribute table 70 , an attribute type table 72 , a property table 74 , a driver table 76 , a vehicle table 78 , a vehicle driver table 80 , a claim table 82 , a claim type table 84 , a claim status table 86 , a participant table 88 , a participant type table 90 , a media table 92 , a media type table 94 , a location table 96 , a location status table 98 , a coverage table 100 , a coverage type table 102 , a quote table 104 and a quote status table 106 , which are related as shown in fig6 . the account table 56 holds basic name and address information associated the insured . for instance , the account table 56 includes the following data elements : the account table 56 is related to the carrier table 58 , the user table 60 , the user policy table 62 , the policy table 64 , the policy type table 66 , the policy items table 68 , the attribute table 70 , the property table 72 , the driver table 74 , the vehicle driver table 76 , the claim table 78 , the claim type table 80 , the claim status table 82 , the participant table 84 , the participant type table 84 , the media table 88 , the media type table 90 , the location table 92 , the location status table 94 , the coverage table 96 , the coverage type table 98 , the quote table 100 and the quote status table 102 . the carrier table 58 holds a list of the insurers that have registered with the system 30 . for instance , the carrier table 58 includes the following data elements : the user table 60 holds basic name information about the insured and information that identifies the unique signature of the mobile device 12 of the insured . the recognition of the mobile device 12 as being associated with the insured authenticates access to the system 30 and enables insurance services to be provided to the insured without the insured having to go through an identification process . in addition , by recognizing the insured , data associated with the insured , such as policy , vehicle , property and asset and claim data , can be gathered immediately . for instance , the user table 60 includes the following data elements : the user policy table 62 holds the relationship between the insured and the policy number associated with the insured . for instance , the user policy table 62 includes the following data elements : the policy table 64 holds high - level policy information provided by the insurer related to the policy identifiers of the system 30 . for instance , the policy table 64 includes the following data elements : the policy items table 68 holds a list of policy information relating to specific assets of the insured . for instance , the policy items table 68 includes the following data elements : the attribute table 70 holds a list of attribute value pairs that can be used to append the data collection . for instance , the attribute table 70 includes the following data elements : the attribute type table 72 holds a list of valid field types to be represented in the attribute value pair combinations . this table , in particular , varies between insurers . for instance , the attribute type table 72 includes the following data elements : the vehicle driver table 80 holds data that relates drivers to vehicles and the percentage of use of the vehicle for which each driver is responsible . for instance , the vehicle driver table 80 includes the following data elements : the claim table 82 holds data that relates all the data together for a specific claim . for instance , the claim table 82 includes the following data elements : the claim type table 84 contains a list of claim types and descriptions thereof . the claim type table 84 , in particular , varies by insurer . for instance , the claim type table 84 includes the following data elements : the claim status table 86 contains a list of claim statuses and their descriptions . the claim status table 86 , in particular , varies by insurer . for instance , the claim status table 86 includes the following data elements : the participant table 88 contains records about individuals and firms that were involved with a claim , for instance , other drivers , witnesses , investigators , police officers , rescue crews , tow truck operators , repairmen and repair facilities , salesmen and replacement retailers , doctors , and the like . for instance , the participant table 88 includes the following data elements : the location table 96 holds geographic latitude and longitude records that can be associated with a media file and / or a claim record . for instance , the location table 96 includes the following data elements : the location status table 98 holds a list of valid location statuses , which , in particular , varies by insurer . for instance , the location status table 98 includes the following data elements : the coverage table 100 holds records of coverages associated with the policy of the insured . for instance , the coverage table 100 includes the following data elements : the server insurance module 50 includes a transaction manager sub - module 108 that connects the server insurance module 50 to the mobile insurance module 32 and the web insurance module 42 associated with the insured . the transaction manager sub - module 108 is responsible for managing the workflows that drive the primary application functions such as registering an insured , generating a quote , buying a policy , requesting assistance and submitting a loss . for instance , the transaction manager sub - module 108 is capable of the following functionalities : to achieve the above - listed capabilities , the transaction manager sub - module 108 makes calls to the database manager sub - module 52 . referring to fig7 a - 7 b , a hierarchy of the database manager sub - module 52 tables that are accessed to register a new account with the system 30 is illustrated . for instance , the transaction manager sub - module 108 makes calls to the account table 54 in addition to performing some initial administrative requests , including requesting the generation of a user identification number 110 ( cuserid ) and a transaction request date stamp 112 ( dtedatestamp ) and allocating space in memory for a transaction reply date stamp 114 ( dtedatestamp ), an address table 116 and a status table 118 . the address table 116 holds data elements including a type of address ( caddresstype ), a first line of the address ( caddress1 ), a second line of the address ( caddress2 ), a city of the address ( ccity ), a state or province code ( cstateprovcd ) and a postal code ( cpostalcode ). the status table 118 includes a message identification number ( cmsgid ), a type of the request code ( ctypecd ), a status of the registration code ( cstatuscd ), a description of the status of the registration code ( cstatusdesc ) and an error code ( cerrorcd ). in entering and generating the account table 54 data , the transaction manager sub - module 108 makes calls to the account table 54 , which in turn makes calls to the vehicle table 78 , the driver table 76 and the coverage table 100 , and to the status table 116 , which in turn makes calls to the account table 54 , the address table 116 , the driver table 76 , the vehicle table 78 and the coverage table 100 . upon receiving or generating the required data for the tables listed - above , the transaction manager sub - module 108 completes the request for registration of the new user and commences the process of replying to the request for registration . referring to fig8 , a hierarchy of the database manager sub - module 52 tables that are accessed in replying to the request for registration with the system 30 is illustrated . for instance , the transaction manager sub - module 108 makes calls to the status table 118 of the request for registration in addition to performing some initial administrative requests , including referencing the user identification number 110 ( cuserid ) and the transaction request date stamp 112 ( dtedatestamp ) and generating the transaction reply date stamp 114 ( dtedatestamp ). the transaction manager sub - module 108 also allocates space in memory for another status table 120 , which holds the same data elements as the status table 118 . referring to fig9 , a hierarchy of the database manager sub - module 52 tables that are accessed in submitting a first notice of loss (“ fnol ”) to the system 30 is illustrated . for instance , the transaction manager sub - module 108 makes calls to the address table 116 and the vehicle table 78 , and allocates space in memory for a vehicle claim 122 table , which holds data relating to a description of damage to the vehicle ( cdamagedesc ), an estimated amount of the damage ( cdamageestimateamt ) and a description of where the damage can be seen on the vehicle ( cwherecanseedamage ). the transaction manager sub - module 108 also references the policy number of the user 124 ( cpolicyld ), generates a transaction request date stamp 126 ( dtetransactionrequestdatetime ) and allocates space in memory for another status table 128 , which holds the same data elements as status table 116 . referring to fig1 , a hierarchy of the database manager sub - module 52 tables that are accessed in replying to the submitted first notice of loss (“ fnol ”) to the system 30 is illustrated . for instance , the transaction manager sub - module 108 references the status table 128 of the submitted first notice of loss and performs initial administrative requests , including referencing the policy number of the user 124 ( cpolicyld ) and the transaction request date stamp 126 ( dtetransactionrequestdatetime ) and allocating space in memory for another status table 130 , which holds the same data elements as status table 116 , for the reply to the submitted first notice of loss . the user interface 14 of the insured or the insurer mirrors the data structure of the hierarchies illustrated in fig7 - 10 . for example , each table can be displayed in a common data panel and , more particularly , on a tab specific to each table . the transaction manager sub - module 108 leverages the microsoft . net framework version 2 . 0 redistribution package and utilizes soap basic authentication . referring to fig5 , the server insurance module 50 includes an insurer integrator sub - module 132 . the insurer integrator sub - module 132 is responsible for connecting the server insurance module 50 to the insurer , requesting and receiving policy or claim data from databases of the insurer , translating the response into a format that integrates with the system 30 , making calls to the database manager sub - module 52 to store the data and formatting the response to the insurer . for instance , the insurer integrator sub - module 132 is capable of the following functionalities : the insurer integrator sub - module 132 provides all of the processing required to interchange data with insurer . the data format of the interchanged data may be acord using xml , a proprietary ascii format or a mixture of both . requests for data made by the insured are either responded to in full , substantially immediately , or are acknowledged with a return receipt if review by an agent is required . the applications source of data for transmission and repository for received data is a sql database of the system 30 . all activity is logged for auditing and recovery . the insurer integrator sub - module 132 leverages the microsoft . net framework version 2 . 0 redistribution package in conjunction with acord 1 . 6 , and utilizes soap basic authentication . the server insurance module 50 includes a third party integrator sub - module 134 . the third party integrator sub - module 134 is responsible for connecting to third party data and service providers , translating the response into a format that integrates with the system 30 and calling the database manager sub - module 52 to store the data . for instance , the third party integrator sub - module 134 is capable of the following functionalities : the third party integrator sub - module 134 utilizes data and services provided by third parties via a web service interface . the additional third party services are accessed via http protocol using the industry standard “ web services ” model using soap and restful formats . in particular , the third party integrator sub - module 134 leverages the microsoft . net framework version 2 . 0 redistribution package and utilizes soap basic authentication . third party service data calls are made both synchronously and asynchronously . referring to fig2 and 11 , the system 30 also includes a customer service representative insurance module 136 , such as the “ i &# 39 ; m in touch — customer service representative ” insurance software module , connected to the transaction management sub - module 108 of the server insurance module 50 . the customer service representative insurance module 136 is a web - based application that enables the agents of the insurer to interact with the system 30 and , in particular , to view or update data , close contracts , assist in the completion of a quote or claim or otherwise service the needs of the insured . for instance , the customer service representative insurance module 136 is capable of the following functionalities : the customer service representative insurance module 136 is a secured terminal . the agent of the insurer must be authenticated before the customer service representative insurance module 136 can access data , such as account data , of the insured stored in the database manager sub - module 52 . referring to fig1 , the customer service representative insurance module 136 includes a data getter 138 that receives data from the server insurance module 50 , a web user interface controller aspx 140 with which the agent of the insurer interacts , and a data setter 142 that transmits data to the server insurance module 50 . the web user interface controller aspx 140 is a web enabled interface that leverages the microsoft . net framework version 2 . 0 redistribution package using soap basic authentication . referring to fig2 , an insurer data source 144 is connected to the insurer integrator sub - module 132 of the server insurance module 50 and serves as a primary repository for insurer data . for instance , the insurer data source 144 includes an insurer customer database containing information relating to the insureds including home loss ; auto loss ; policy download ; bind ; and quote request information , as well as an archive of telephone , text and e - mail correspondence . referring to fig2 and 12 , third party data sources 146 , such as google , carfax , motor trend , kelley blue book , and zillow , are connected to the third party integrator sub - module 134 of the server insurance module 50 via the internet 18 . the third party data sources 146 provide data and services to the system 30 , including vehicle identification number (“ vin ”) lookups and validations , vehicle history reports , vehicle valuations , property valuations , property replacement values , map data and a superimposition of accident and loss data onto the map data , that are accessible via http using soap basic authentication and restful formats . referring to fig1 , a process of registering an insured with the system 30 is shown at 150 . the mobile device 12 receives ( step 152 ) a selection from the insured to initiate the mobile insurance module 32 . the mobile device 12 , while booting the mobile insurance module 32 , displays ( step 154 ) a splash screen , for instance , featuring the text “ loading . . . ”. then , either automatically upon the first activation of the mobile insurance module or upon the receipt of a selection from the insured of the registration process , the mobile insurance module 32 transmits ( step 156 ) a request to the server insurance module 50 for a personal identification number (“ pin ”), such as cuserid . upon receiving ( step 158 ) the pin , the mobile insurance module 32 solicits ( step 160 ) information from the insured including a nickname , address , and other contact information . if the information is acceptable , the mobile insurance module 32 instructs the insured to capture ( step 162 ), using the mobile device 12 , a photograph for use as a thumbnail used to identify the insured . upon receiving a captured photograph , the mobile insurance module 32 determines whether the photograph is acceptable . then , once the mobile insurance module 32 receives a request to submit the registration from the insured , the mobile insurance module 32 submits ( step 164 ) the information and the photograph to the server insurance module 50 . having transmitted the information and the photograph to the server insurance module 50 related to the insured , the registration process 150 is complete ( step 166 ). the insured may then purchase a policy using the mobile insurance module 32 or register an existing policy by submitting the policy number ( cpolicyld ) to the mobile insurance module 32 for validation or by requesting an automatic search and identification of policies associated with the insured . referring to fig1 , a process of administering and managing insurance coverage for the vehicle of the insured with the system 30 is illustrated at 170 . first , the mobile insurance module 32 receives ( step 172 ) a selection from the insured using the mobile device 12 of a vehicle administration option from a master directory of the mobile insurance module 32 . in response , the mobile insurance module 32 displays ( step 174 ) a listing of previously registered vehicles of the insured , including vehicle data , and a number of action buttons , including buttons to initiate a quick quote ( step 176 ), initiate a new claim ( step 178 ), review policy coverages ( step 180 ) and review photographs ( step 182 ). if the mobile insurance module 32 receives ( step 176 ) a selection to initiate the quick quote , the mobile insurance module 32 solicits information from the insured , for instance , the vehicle identification number of the vehicle for which the quick quote is requested . the vehicle identification number may be provided by the insured by entering the vehicle identification number in text format or by taking a picture of the vehicle identification number ( e . g ., from the car window or from inside the driver - side door ) that is processed using optical character recognition software to extract the vehicle identification number . then , the mobile insurance module 32 submits ( step 184 ) a quick quote request to the server insurance module 50 . in response , the third party integrator sub - module 134 of the server insurance module 50 requests ( step 186 ) data , such as the make , model and year of the vehicle , associated with the vehicle identification number from third party data sources 146 . upon receiving the vehicle identification number of the vehicle of the insured , the server insurance module 50 calculates ( step 188 ) a quote based , in part , on the received vehicle identification number and sends ( step 190 ) the quote to the insured for review in the form of a binder . upon receiving ( step 192 ) the acceptance of the binder by the insured , the server insurance module 50 generates ( step 194 ) an insurance identification card that is stored on the mobile device 12 and which can be printed immediately as proof of insurance . if the mobile insurance module 32 receives ( step 178 ) a selection to initiate the new claim , the mobile insurance module 32 solicits ( step 196 ) information from the insured regarding the accident or the loss associated with the claim and , in particular , as the accident or the loss relates to the vehicle of the insured . upon entering the information about the vehicle of the insured , the insured can choose to enter additional information . if the mobile insurance module 32 receives a selection regarding other vehicles , other damage ( i . e ., to property , assets and / or individuals ) or witnesses , the mobile insurance module 32 solicits additional information regarding the other vehicles ( step 198 ), the other damage ( step 200 ) or the witnesses ( step 202 ). then , if the mobile insurance module 32 receives a selection by the insured to supplement the provided information , the mobile insurance module 32 instructs the insured to capture ( step 204 ) photographs , video recordings , audio recordings and text notes using the various components of the mobile device 12 . by leveraging the technological capabilities of the mobile device 12 , the mobile insurance module 32 can capture all relevant information to the processing and resolution of the claim . once the mobile insurance module 32 receives a request to submit the claim , the mobile insurance module 32 submits ( step 206 ) the claim , including all relevant information , to the insurer for processing . then , the mobile insurance module 32 displays ( step 208 ) the claim status to notify the insured of whether the claim is pending or if the claim has been accepted or denied . since the mobile insurance module 32 has captured and submitted all relevant information concerning the claim at the time of the accident or loss , the server insurance module 50 can process and resolve the claim substantially immediately , for instance , while the insured is still on location . for example , the server insurance module 50 can instruct the insured to provide additional information or the server insurance module 50 can make a direct deposit to a bank account of the insured substantially immediately . if the mobile insurance module 32 receives ( step 180 ) a selection to review coverages , the mobile insurance module 32 displays a listing of policies held by the insured and a number of action buttons . upon receiving a selection by the insured to view additional detail regarding a specific policy , the mobile insurance module 32 displays ( step 210 ) the additional detail . upon receiving a selection by the insured to view additional detail regarding aggregate coverage of all policies , the mobile insurance module 32 displays ( step 212 ) the additional detail . if the mobile insurance module 32 receives ( step 182 ) a selection to review photographs , the mobile insurance module 32 displays photographs taken by the insured either in a list , directory or thumbnail format . upon receiving a selection by the insured of a photograph , the mobile insurance module 32 edits ( step 214 ) the photographs , for instance , to provide descriptive titles , to add a note or to rearrange the order of the photographs . referring to fig1 , a process of administering and managing insurance coverage for the property of the insured with the system 30 is illustrated at 220 . first , the mobile insurance module 32 receives ( step 222 ) a selection from the insured using the mobile device 12 of a property administration option from a master directory of the mobile insurance module 32 ( i . e ., labeled “ my stuff ”). in response , the mobile insurance module 32 displays ( step 224 ) a listing of previously registered properties of the insured , including property and asset data , and a number of action buttons , including buttons to update a lienholder or mortgagee ( step 226 ), initiate a new claim ( step 228 ), review policy coverages ( step 230 ) and review photographs ( step 232 ). if the mobile insurance module 32 receives ( step 226 ) a selection to update the lienholder of the policy , the mobile insurance module 32 solicits ( step 234 ) updated information from the insured . then , the mobile insurance module 32 validates ( step 236 ) the updated information . if the updated lienholder or mortgagee information is validated and accepted , the server insurance module 50 generates ( step 238 ) an insurance identification card that is stored on the mobile device 12 and which can be printed immediately as proof of insurance . if the mobile insurance module 32 receives ( step 228 ) a selection to initiate the new claim , the mobile insurance module 32 solicits ( step 240 ) information from the insured regarding the accident or the loss associated with the claim and , in particular , as the accident or the loss relates to the property of the insured . upon entering the information about the vehicle of the insured , the insured can choose to enter additional information . if the mobile insurance module 32 receives a selection regarding other properties ( i . e ., to other buildings ), other damage ( i . e ., to contents of the property , such as assets ) or liabilities , the mobile insurance module 32 solicits additional information regarding other properties ( step 242 ), other damage ( step 244 ) or liabilities ( step 246 ). then , if the mobile insurance module 32 receives a selection by the insured to supplement the provided information , the mobile insurance module 32 instructs the insured to capture ( step 248 ) photographs , video recordings , audio recordings and text notes using the various components of the mobile device 12 . once the insured has entered all relevant information and the mobile insurance module 32 receives a request to submit the claim , the mobile insurance module 32 submits ( step 250 ) the claim to the insurer for processing . then , the server insurance module 50 displays ( step 252 ) the claim status to notify the insured of whether the claim is pending or if the claim has been accepted or denied . if the mobile insurance module 32 receives ( step 230 ) a selection to review coverages , the mobile insurance module 32 displays a listing of policies held by the insured and a number of action buttons . upon receiving a selection by the insured to view additional detail regarding a specific policy , the mobile insurance module 32 displays ( step 254 ) the additional detail . upon receiving a selection by the insured to view additional detail regarding aggregate coverage of all policies , the mobile insurance module 32 displays ( step 256 ) the additional detail . if the mobile insurance module 32 receives ( step 232 ) a selection to review photographs , the mobile insurance module 32 displays photographs taken by the insured either in a list , directory or thumbnail format . upon receiving a selection by the insured of a photograph , the mobile insurance module 32 edits ( step 258 ) the photographs , for instance , to provide descriptive titles , to add a note or to rearrange the order of the photographs . referring to fig1 , a process of capturing photographs and video footage is shown at 260 . first , the mobile insurance module 32 receives ( step 262 ) a selection from the insured using the mobile device 12 of a photo capture option from a master directory . in response , the mobile insurance module 32 displays ( step 264 ) a listing of a recently captured photograph and a number of action buttons , including buttons to review details of the photographs ( step 266 ), activate and switch over to the camera - mode of the mobile device 12 ( step 268 ), and request assistance ( step 270 ). if the mobile insurance module 32 receives ( step 266 ) a selection to review details of the photograph , the mobile insurance module 32 displays a number of action buttons , including buttons to view ( step 272 ) the photograph in a location view or edit ( step 274 ) text associated with the photograph . if the mobile insurance module 32 receives ( step 272 ) a selection from the insured to view the photograph in a location view , the mobile insurance module 32 displays stored photographs in a superimposed manner on top of a map , based upon the location where each photograph was taken . if the mobile insurance module 32 receives ( step 274 ) a selection from the insured to edit text associated with the photograph , the mobile insurance module 32 solicits updated text from the insured . if the insured chooses to activate and switch over to the camera - mode of the mobile device 12 , the mobile insurance unit displays a number of action buttons , including buttons to take ( step 276 ) photographs using the camera - mode and to use ( step 278 ) an album viewer of the camera mode to review photographs . if the mobile insurance module 32 receives ( step 276 ) a selection to take photographs using the camera mode , the mobile insurance module 32 activates and switches over ( step 280 ) to the camera mode of the mobile device 12 . when the mobile insurance module 32 is next activated , any photographs taken by the insured can be accessed and reviewed within the context of the mobile insurance module 32 . if the mobile insurance module 32 receives ( step 276 ) a selection to use an album viewer of the camera , the mobile insurance module 32 activates and switches over ( step 282 ) to a photograph gallery mode of the mobile device 12 . if the mobile insurance module 32 receives ( step 270 ) a selection to request assistance , the mobile insurance module 32 activates and switches over to the phone - mode and dials ( step 284 ) the agent of the insurer for immediate assistance . alternatively , if the insured has selected that another means of communication for assistance is preferred , such as text or e - mail communication , the mobile insurance module 32 can activate , switch over to and initiate communication using the preferred means of communication . in initiating the assistance , the mobile insurance module 32 authenticates the insured and gathers data associated with the insured , such as policy , vehicle , property and asset and claim data , for immediate use . thus , the agent of the insurer can better service the insured by eliminating the need for authentication and information gathering . referring to fig1 , an example of the mobile insurance module 32 is shown at 290 . in particular , the mobile insurance module 32 is shown installed and operating on an apple iphone mobile device 12 . the user interface 14 of the mobile insurance module 32 includes a title bar 292 at the top of the display of the user interface 14 . the title bar 292 includes a return button 294 located toward the left side of the display ( e . g ., a left pointing arrow labeled “ my stuff ”, identifying an upper level directory ). the title bar 292 includes a description 296 that is centered in the title bar 292 , identifying the current content of the display . the title bar 292 can also include a rightward action button ( not shown ) located toward the right side of the display . the rightward action button can provide many functionalities based on the context of the current content of the display , for instance , including an edit function and a save function . the user interface 14 of the mobile insurance module 32 also includes a body 298 , which consists mainly of insurance data and tables . from top to bottom , the body 298 is shown as having a photograph 300 of the vehicle of the insured located side by side with key insurance data 302 , such as a policy number of a policy associated with the vehicle the insured , a vehicle identification number of the vehicle of the insured and an effective date of the policy . below this , the body 298 is shown as having a coverage action button 304 for reviewing coverages and a photographs action button 306 for reviewing photographs . below the action buttons 304 , 306 , the body 298 is shown as having quick quote data 308 including several quick quotes , a date on which the request for a quick quote was submitted , a description of the vehicle for which the quick quote is associated , and a description of the status of the quick quote . alongside each quick quote is an expand icon 310 that , when activated , shows additional details regarding the associated item , and an add entry icon 312 that , when activated , creates a new occurrence of the table item . below this , the body 298 is shown as having claim data 314 including a claim , a date on which the claim was submitted and a status of the claim , alongside another expand icon 310 and another add entry icon 312 . toward the bottom , the body 298 is shown as having an assist me action button 316 that , when activated , initiates a communication with the agent of the insurer and a track me action button 318 that , when activated , enables the gps mode of the mobile device 12 and places the mobile insurance module 32 in a stealth tracking mode . these action buttons can also include a submit action button ( not shown ) that submits the transaction in progress to the server insurance module 50 for immediate processing . in addition , in the illustrated example , the iphone mobile device 12 also includes an iphone home action button 320 , which automatically saves all data to a database local to the mobile device 12 , exits the mobile insurance module 32 , and returns the mobile device 12 to the iphone application menu . the user interface 14 and , in particular , the display of the mobile insurance module 32 is readily configurable according to insured - inputted preferences . for instance , the insured can select from a range of preferences , including the following : it should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the invention . various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the broader aspects of the present invention . according to an alternative embodiment , the mobile insurance module can generate a quick quote for a property based on data received from the global positioning system mode of the mobile device . for instance , by capturing the longitude and latitude of the mobile device at the moment the quick quote is requested , the system can identify the property and generate a quick quote using third party data sources and the proprietary pricing models of the insurer . according to an alternative embodiment , the server insurance module or the customer service representative insurance module can register the insurer with the system . according to an alternative embodiment , the system can archive disaster sensitive assets , such as financial records , and other valuable home contents . according to an alternative embodiment , the system can be applied to other forms of property and casualty insurance as well as marine insurance and surety .	6
embodiments of the vehicle control system according to the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 generally illustrates an example of a driving apparatus 100 in accordance with the disclosure . the driving apparatus 100 may include any apparatus that moves in distance . examples of driving apparatus 100 may include a vehicle such as a car , a bus , a train , a truck , a tram , or any other type of vehicle ; may include a vessel such as a boat , a ship , a barge , a ferry or any other type of watercraft ; may include an aircraft such as an airplane , a spaceship , or any other type of aircraft ; or may include any other transportation apparatus . in one example , the driving apparatus 100 is an electrical automobile . as shown , the driving apparatus 100 may include a cabin 101 with a volume . as shown in fig1 , in the cabin 101 , there may be a dashboard 102 that has a screen 103 . although in this example , a dashboard screen 103 occupies the entire surface of the dashboard 102 , this is not intended to be limiting . it is contemplated that in some cases , the dashboard screen 103 may occupy a portion of the dashboard 102 instead of the entire dashboard 102 . in any case , the dashboard screen 103 is suitable to display one or more information panels , such as the information panels 104 shown in fig1 . in implementations , the dashboard screen 103 may include any display technology , such as liquid - crystal display ( lcd ), crystal lcd , light - emitting diode ( led ), organic light - emitting diode ( oled ), active - matrix organic light - emitting diode ( amoled ), plasma , projection panel , cathode ray tube ( crt ), and / or any other display technology . in some examples , information presented in the information panels 104 may include gauge information related to the transportation apparatus 100 , such as current speed / altitude / direction / wind , current longitude / latitude , distance traveled , rpm , fuel level , battery level , and / or any other gauge information related to the transportation apparatus 100 . in some examples , information presented in the information panels 104 may include indication information , such as seat belt , airbag , door , trunk , maintenance , safety , window lock , door lock indication information or any other indication information . in some examples , information presented in the information panels 104 may include navigational or gps information related to navigation of the driving apparatus 100 , such as current street traveled on , map of an area the transportation apparatus 100 is traveling in , the destination information , direction instructions , traffic condition , estimated arrival time , estimated delay due to traffic , and / or any other navigation information . in some examples , information presented in the information panels 104 may include cabin information , such as current temperature , humidity , wind speed , number of passengers in one or more zones in the cabin 101 and / or any other cabin information . in some examples , information presented in the information panels 104 may include configuration information regarding the transportation apparatus 100 , such as seat configuration , mirror configuration , battery configuration , driving mode configuration , and / or any other configuration . in some examples , information presented in the information panels 104 may include entertainment information . for example , such an information panel may include a video screen capable of presenting a video or still images , a browser screen capable of presenting web information , a game screen capable of presenting one or more games for user interaction , a music information screen capable of enabling a user to consume music pieces , e - commerce information screen capable of enabling a user to engage remote transaction via the internet , radio information screen capable of presenting a list of radio stations available for user consumption , and / or any other type of infotainment screen . in some examples , information presented in the information panels 104 may include notification information such as incoming call , incoming text message , incoming video chat request , and / or any other notification information . other examples of information panels 104 are contemplated . as still shown in fig1 , the driving apparatus 100 may comprise one or more virtual steering wheels 106 in the cabin 101 . as will be described in further detail , the virtual steering wheel 106 can be projected from an image projection device installed in the driving apparatus 100 . although only one virtual steering wheel 106 is shown in fig1 , this is not intended to be limiting . in some examples , the driving apparatus 100 may include more than one virtual steering wheel 106 . as also shown in fig1 , one or more users 108 may be arranged to occupy their corresponding positions in the cabin 101 . the users 108 may include one or more drivers that control the virtual steering wheel 106 , one or more passengers , and / or any other type of users 108 . in this example , the user 108 a is a driver that controls the driving of the driving apparatus 100 , while other users 108 , e . g ., users 108 b - d , are passengers . as still shown , there may be multiple rows of users 108 within the cabin 101 of the transportation apparatus 100 . as still shown in fig1 , driving apparatus 100 may include one or more processors 110 configured to control one or more electrical system or subsystems in driving apparatus 100 . types of processor 110 may include generic processor configured to execute machine - readable instructions configured to implement a control mechanism to control a control structure the driving apparatus 100 . as also shown , driving apparatus 100 may include one or more of a projection device 114 configured to project an image of the virtual steering wheel 106 as shown . as also shown , driving apparatus 100 may include one or more of a camera device configured to take an image of one or two hands of an operator of the driving apparatus on the virtual steering wheel 106 . with the driving apparatus 100 having been generally described , attention is now directed to fig2 , where a schematic diagram of a control system 200 in accordance with the disclosure is illustrated . the control system 200 can installed in the driving apparatus 100 . it will be described with reference to fig1 . the control system 200 can comprise the projection device 114 , the camera device 116 , a processor 110 , a steering motor 204 serving as an actuating device , a steering structure 202 , a storage device 206 and / or any other components . as mentioned above , the projection device 114 can be configured to project a steering wheel image 106 within the cabin of the driving apparatus 100 . in one embodiment , the projection device 114 projects the steering wheel image 106 in front of a driver seat . the camera device 102 can be configured to take an image of a motion of one or two hands of an operator of the driving apparatus 100 on the steering wheel image 106 . in some implementations , the camera device 102 may be configured to take such an image periodically , e . g ., once every 1 / 12 th seconds , 1 / 24 th seconds , every 1 / 36 th seconds , and so on . the images taken by the camera device 102 may be stored in the storage device 206 and may be processed by the control device 202 . the processor 110 can be configured to perform various operations to implement a control mechanism to control a maneuver of the driving apparatus 100 . fig3 illustrates an exemplary configuration of processor 110 for implementing the control mechanism in accordance with the disclosure . as shown , processor 110 may comprise a hand position determination component 302 , a past information component 304 , a hand movement component 306 , a steering angle and direction component 308 , a control component 310 , and / or any other components . the hand position determination component 302 may be configured to determines the positions of one or two hands on the virtual steering wheel image 106 according to the images of the hand ( s ) taken by camera device 116 . as shown , the hand position determination component 302 may receive such images from the camera device 116 periodically , e . g ., once every 1 / 12 th seconds , 1 / 24 th seconds , every 1 / 36 th seconds , and so on . the hand position determination component 302 can be configured with image recognition algorithm to recognize a position of the hand ( s ) on the virtual steering wheel image 106 . referring to fig4 now , the 403 and 405 on the virtual steering wheel image 106 at time t ( right ) indicates positions of the hands at current time that can be determined by the hand position determination component 302 via an image recognition algorithm . returning to fig3 , once having determined the hand position on the virtual steering wheel image 106 , the hand position determination component 302 can be configured to generate the position information and store it in the storage device 206 . the storage device 206 can be configured to store hand position information for a period of time as the hand position determination component 302 keep sending the position information at specific time instants periodically . the past information component 304 can be configured to obtain past position information regarding the hands on the virtual steering wheel image 106 . for example , the past information component 304 can be configured to call up hand position information at any previous time instant stored in storage device 206 . referring to fig4 now , position 402 and 404 on the virtual steering wheel image 106 at time t 0 ( left ) represent previous hand positions stored in the storage device 206 . returning to fig3 , hand movement component 306 can be configured to calculate a hand movement based on the current position information determined by the hand position determination component 302 and the past position information retrieved by the past information component 304 . for example , the hand movement component 306 can calculate a hand movement based on the hand position on the virtual steering wheel image 106 at t 1 ( current time ) and the hand position on the virtual steering wheel image 106 at to ( immediate before t 1 ). referring to fig4 again , the vector 406 and 407 can be calculated by hand movement component 306 to represent the differences between the positions 403 , 405 of the hands in the current cycle and the positions 402 , 404 of the hands in the previous cycle . returning to fig3 , the steering angle and direction component 308 can be configured to determine a steering angle and a steering direction according to the movement position difference vectors determined by hand movement component 306 . the steering angle and direction component 308 can be configured to output a corresponding current and voltage as a control signal according to the steering angle and the steering direction , so as to control the steering motor 204 . returning to fig2 , the steering motor 204 then outputs power to enable the steering structure 202 to drive vehicle wheels to turn direction . the steering structure 202 can employ a steering rack and a steering gear . fig5 illustrates an example of a process 500 for controlling a vehicle using a virtual steering wheel image projected within the vehicle . process 500 is illustrated as a logical flow diagram , the operation of which represents a sequence of operations that can be implemented in hardware , computer instructions , or a combination thereof . in the context of computer instructions , the operations represent computer - executable instructions stored on one or more computer - readable storage media that , when executed by one or more processors , perform the recited operations . generally , computer - executable instructions include routines , programs , objects , components , data structures , and the like that perform particular functions or implement particular data types . the order in which the operations are described is not intended to be construed as a limitation , and any number of the described operations can be combined in any order and / or in parallel to implement the processes . at step 501 , a projecting device can be used to project a steering wheel image in front of a driver of the vehicle . the specific projecting method may use the method in the prior art known to those skilled in the art , and the specific structure of the projecting device may be that of the existing device capable of realizing air projection . at 502 , the camera device takes images of operational motions of both hands of the driver on the steering wheel image . the shooting range for both hands of the driver in the charge of the camera device is limited within the boundaries of the steering wheel image , namely , the motions of both hands of the driver within the boundaries of the steering wheel image are considered effective steering operational motions , while the motions outside the boundaries of the steering wheel image are considered invalid . such a configuration can effectively prevent malfunction , so as to improve driving safety . at step 503 , a position of both hands can be determined . in some embodiments , 503 can be performed by a hand position determination component the same or substantially similar to the hand position determination component 302 described and illustrated herein . as described above , the hand position determination component can determine the positions of the hands according to the images of the hands . specifically , the positions of the hands on the steering wheel image are determined according to the images of the hands in the images taken by the camera device . it should be noted that in the present embodiment , no restrictions are placed on the specific hand gesture of the driver , namely no matter what hand gesture is made by the driver , the positions of the hands will be determined according to the images of the hands , so that the driver may perform steering operation freely by using his habitual operational gesture . since one cycle of steering control steps is carried out at given intervals , the images of the hands in each cycle of steering control steps are converted to the positions of the hands which are then stored in the storage device . at 504 , movement position differences can be calculated based on the position information determined at 502 . in some embodiments , 504 can be performed by a hand movement component the same or substantially similar to hand movement component 306 described and illustrated herein . as described above , the hand movement component can calculate movement position difference vectors according to the positions of the hands . fig4 shows a schematic diagram of a method for calculating the movement position difference vectors according to the present invention . in order to prevent misjudgment , a checking step is introduced into this embodiment , namely it is checked whether the left hand operation is consistent with the right hand operation , and the following steps are performed only when the consistency check is successful . specifically as shown in fig4 , after the camera device simultaneously takes images of operational motions of the left and right hands on the steering wheel image , hand movement component can determine the position 405 of the left hand in the current cycle and the position 403 of the right hand in the current cycle , and subsequently hand movement component 306 can calculate the left hand movement position difference vector 407 according to the position 405 of the left hand in this cycle and the position 404 of the left hand in the previous cycle as stored in the storage device 206 , and the right hand movement position difference vector 406 according to the position 403 of the right hand in the current cycle and the position 405 of the left hand in the previous cycle as stored in the storage device 206 . at 505 , it is determined whether the module of the left hand movement position difference vector 406 is consistent with that of the right hand movement position difference vector 407 , wherein the calculation method of the vector module is the same as that in common mathematics , and the numerical values are not necessarily exactly the same when it is judged whether the both are consistent with each other , it is acceptable as long as they are in a certain error range . when the consistency check is successful , it is indicated that the left hand operation is roughly consistent with the right hand operation . when the consistency check is unsuccessful , it is indicated that the left hand operation is different from the right hand operation , and thus the process returns to step 505 . due to such a configuration , the driver &# 39 ; s operation will not to be misjudged by the control system as steering operations when he performs other operation rather than steering operation with one hand , so that the judgment is more accurate . at 506 , a steering angle and a steering direction is determined according to the movement position difference vectors . in certain implementations , 506 can be performed by a steering angle and direction component the same or the substantially similar to steering angle and direction component 308 described and illustrated herein . specifically , when it is checked that the module of the left hand movement position difference vector 406 is consistent with that of the right hand movement position difference vector 407 , the steering angle and the steering direction are determined according to the right hand movement position difference vector 406 or the left hand movement position difference vector 407 . in some embodiments , it is configured that the steering angle and the steering direction are determined according to the right hand movement position difference vector 406 . steering angles and steering directions corresponding to respective movement position difference vectors are pre - stored in the storage device 206 , based on which the steering angle and direction component finds out the steering angle and the steering direction corresponding to the right hand movement position difference vector 406 . at step 507 , current and voltage can be output to the steering motor 104 serving as an actuating device according to the steering angle and the steering direction determined in step 506 , so as to control the output power of the steering motor 104 . in certain implementations , 507 can be performed by a control component the same or the substantially similar to control component 310 described and illustrated herein . at step 508 , the steering motor 104 can control the steering of the steering structure 202 . in this embodiment , the steering structure 202 can include a steering rack and a steering gear . the steering motor , steering rack and steering gear are similar as those in the existing steering assist system , and will not be described in detail herein . after step 508 is completed , the process returns to step 505 again after an interval of time has elapsed for the control system , and the steps are repeated as described above . referring to fig6 , a schematic diagram is shown of an example of a computer system 600 . this system is exemplary only and one having skill in the art will recognize that variations and modifications are possible . the system 600 can be used for the operations described above . for example , the computer systems shown in fig6 may be used to implement any or all of the techniques and routines described herein for facilitating a dynamic display of brake force . the system 600 includes a processor 610 , a memory 620 , a storage device 630 , and an input / output interface 640 . each of the components 610 , 620 , 630 , and 640 are interconnected using a system bus 650 . the processor 610 is capable of processing instructions for execution within the system 600 . in one implementation , the processor 610 is a single - threaded processor . in another implementation , the processor 610 is a multi - threaded processor . the processor 610 is capable of processing instructions stored in the memory 620 or on the storage device 630 to provide graphical information via input / output interface 640 for display on a user interface of one or more input / output device 6100 . the memory 620 stores information within the system 600 and may be associated with various characteristics and implementations . for example , the memory 620 may include various types of computer - readable medium such as volatile memory , a non - volatile memory and other types of memory technology , individually or in combination . the storage device 630 is capable of providing mass storage for the system 600 . in one implementation , the storage device 630 is a computer - readable medium . in various different implementations , the storage device 630 may be a floppy disk device , a hard disk device , an optical disk device , or a tape device . the input / output device 6100 provides input / output operations for the system 600 . in one implementation , the input / output device 6100 includes a keyboard and / or pointing device . in another implementation , the input / output device 6100 includes a display unit for displaying graphical user interfaces . the features described can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry , or in computer hardware , firmware , software , or in combinations of them . the apparatus can be implemented in a computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier , e . g ., in a machine - readable storage device , for execution by a programmable processor ; and method steps can be performed by a programmable processor executing a program of instructions to perform functions of the described implementations by operating on input data and generating output . the described features can be implemented advantageously in one or more computer programs that are executable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor coupled to receive data and instructions from , and to transmit data and instructions to , a data storage system , at least one input device , and at least one output device . a computer program is a set of instructions that can be used , directly or indirectly , in a computer to perform a certain activity or bring about a certain result . a computer program can be written in any form of programming language , including compiled or interpreted languages , and it can be deployed in any form , including as a stand - alone program or as a module , component , subroutine , or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment . suitable processors for the execution of a program of instructions include , by way of example , both general and special purpose microprocessors , and the sole processor or one of multiple processors of any kind of computer . generally , a processor will receive instructions and data from a read - only memory or a random access memory or both . the essential elements of a computer are a processor for executing instructions and one or more memories for storing instructions and data . generally , a computer will also include , or be operatively coupled to communicate with , one or more mass storage devices for storing data files ; such devices include magnetic disks , such as internal hard disks and removable disks ; magneto - optical disks ; and optical disks . storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non - volatile memory , including by way of example semiconductor memory devices , such as eprom , eeprom , and flash memory devices ; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks ; magneto - optical disks ; and cd - rom and dvd - rom disks . the processor and the memory can be supplemented by , or incorporated in , asics ( application - specific integrated circuits ). the features can be implemented in a computer system that includes a back - end component , such as a data server , or that includes a middleware component , such as an application server or an internet server , or that includes a front - end component , such as a client computer having a graphical user interface or an internet browser , or any combination of them . the components of the system can be connected by any form or medium of digital data communication such as a communication network . examples of communication networks include , e . g ., a lan , a wan , and the computers and networks forming the internet . the computer system can include clients and servers . a client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a network , such as the described one . the relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client - server relationship to each other . although a few implementations have been described in detail above , other modifications are possible . in addition , the logic flows depicted in the figures do not require the particular order shown , or sequential order , to achieve desirable results . in addition , other steps may be provided , or steps may be eliminated , from the described flows , and other components may be added to , or removed from , the described systems . accordingly , other implementations are within the scope of the following claims . where components are described as being configured to perform certain operations , such configuration can be accomplished , for example , by designing electronic circuits or other hardware to perform the operation , by programming programmable electronic circuits ( e . g ., microprocessors , or other suitable electronic circuits ) to perform the operation , or any combination thereof . a number of embodiments of the invention have been described . nevertheless , it will be understood that various modification may be made without departing from the scope of the invention . the specification and drawings are , accordingly , to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense . it will , however , be evident that additions , subtractions , deletions , and other modifications and changes may be made thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope . illustrative methods and systems for providing features of the present disclosure are described above . some or all of these systems and methods may , but need not , be implemented at least partially by architectures such as those shown in fig1 - 7 above . although embodiments have been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts , it is to be understood that the disclosure is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described . rather , the specific features and acts are disclosed as illustrative forms of implementing the embodiments . conditional language , such as , among others , “ can ,” “ could ,” “ might ,” or “ may ,” unless specifically stated otherwise , or otherwise understood within the context as used , is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments could include , while other embodiments do not include , certain features , elements , and / or steps . thus , such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features , elements , and / or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding , with or without user input or prompting , whether these features , elements , and / or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment .	1
the tie bar of the present invention is indicated generally by the numeral 50 in the accompanying drawings . tie bar 50 is adapted to continuously rotate about its longitudinal axis without changing its overall length and without loosening . tie bar 50 is also configured to reliably experience the continuous vibrational forces created by a boat . tie bar 50 includes a centrally - disposed , outer tube 52 , a first end assembly 54 connected to outer tube 52 , and a second end assembly 56 connected to outer tube 52 . outer tube 52 may be provided in different lengths in order to alter the overall length of tie bar 50 . first and second end assemblies 54 and 56 are adapted to connect with the drives of the boat in a variety of different mounting configurations . in the embodiment of the invention depicted in the drawings , second end assembly 56 is adapted to rotate in one direction continuously without changing the overall length of tie bar 50 and without loosening . second end assembly 56 thus provides significant benefits to tie bar 50 over prior art tie bars . first end assembly 54 ( fig6 a ) generally includes a first threaded lug 60 , a lock nut 62 , a linkage 64 , a pivot pin 66 , and a pivot pin lock nut 68 . first end assembly 54 may also include bearings or bushings 69 that are designed to reduce friction and wear between the moving parts of end assembly 54 . these elements of first end assembly 54 cooperate together to allow the first end of tie bar 50 to pivot with respect to the mounting flange to which it is mounted . first end assembly 54 also provides for fine length adjustment of tie bar 50 through the threaded engagement between threaded lug 60 and outer tube 52 . outer tube 52 includes a first end 70 that defines a recess 72 . the inner surface of first end 70 defines a thread 74 that projects inwardly into recess 72 . threaded lug 60 includes a first end 76 and a second end 78 . the outer surface of first end 76 defines a thread 80 that is adapted to cooperate and threadably engage thread 74 of outer tube 52 such that threaded lug 60 may be screwed into first end 70 of outer tube 52 . the length of threads 74 and 80 as well as the lengths of first ends 70 and 76 define the overall length of the fine adjustment of tie bar 50 . the overall length of tie bar may be finely adjusted by turning threaded lug 60 with respect to outer tube 52 to move threaded lug 60 inwardly and outwardly with respect to outer tube 52 . lock nut 62 is used to lock the position of threaded lug 60 with respect to outer tube 52 . lock nut 62 has an inner surface that defines a thread 82 that is substantially similar to thread 74 such that thread 82 will threadably engage thread 80 so that lock nut 62 may be screwed onto threaded lug 60 . lock nut 62 is screwed onto threaded lug 60 before threaded lug 60 is screwed into outer tube 52 . once the position of threaded lug 60 is set with respect to outer tube 52 , lock nut 62 is rotated until it abuts the end 84 of outer tube 52 . lock nut 62 is tightened against end 84 to create a locking force between threads 74 , 80 , and 82 . threaded lug 60 provides a stop wall 86 to prevent lock nut 62 from moving off of first end 76 . second end 78 of lug 60 defines an opening 88 adapted to slidably receive pivot pin 66 . opening 88 is preferably slightly larger than the outer diameter of pivot pin 66 so that a tight connection between second end 78 and pivot pin 66 is formed when pivot pin 66 is slidably received in opening 88 . the dimensions allow lug 60 to pivot about pin 66 . linkage 64 defines a pair of opposed ears 90 adapted to slidably extend over second end 78 of threaded lug 60 . each ear 90 defines an opening 92 sized to slidably receive pivot pin 66 in the same manner as opening 88 . linkage 64 also defines an opening 94 adapted to slidably receive a connection pin 98 that mounts linkage 64 to a mounting flange as described below . pivot pin 66 defines a flange 96 that is adapted to engage the outer surface of ear 90 when pivot pin 66 is positioned in openings 92 of ears 90 . flange 96 prevents pivot pin 66 from slipping through ears 90 and allows linkage 64 to freely pivot with respect to pivot pin 66 and threaded lug 60 . lock nut 68 threadably engages pivot pin 66 in a locking arrangement to prevent pin 66 from loosening once pin 66 is disposed through linkage 64 and threaded lug 60 . lock nut 68 may be any of a variety of lock nuts known in the art that function without compressing pivot pin 66 against linkage 64 so that free pivotal movement may be provided . second end assembly 56 ( fig6 b ) is adapted to provide the 360 degree continuous rotation feature of tie bar 50 . second end assembly 56 provides the continuous rotation while not changing the length of second end assembly 56 or the length of tie bar 50 . second end assembly 56 is also configured to remain tight and fully functional while experiencing vibrational forces . second end assembly 56 generally includes a threaded insert 102 that is threaded into the second end 104 of outer tube 52 . threaded insert 102 has an outer surface that defines an outwardly disposed thread 106 that is configured to threadably cooperate with an inwardly disposed thread 108 that projects into the recess 110 defined by second end 104 of outer tube 52 . threaded insert 102 includes a flange 112 configured to abut the end of outer tube 52 as depicted in fig5 . flange 112 may be configured to have the same outer diameter as outer tube 52 so that the transition between outer tube 52 and threaded insert 102 is smooth . threaded insert 102 defines a bore 114 that is symmetric about the longitudinal axis of threaded insert 102 . bore 114 is substantially cylindrical . insert 102 defines a seal - receiving recess 116 disposed at the outer end 118 of threaded insert 102 . recess 116 is a continuous part of bore 114 . second end assembly 56 also includes a second lug 120 ( the first lug being a part of first end assembly 54 ) that is slidably positioned through threaded insert 102 and is designed to rotate within threaded insert 102 when end assembly 56 is assembled . lug 120 has a first end 122 that defines an outwardly disposed thread 124 . as depicted in fig5 and 6b , first end 122 is stepped down ( has a smaller diameter than ) from the main body portion 126 of lug 120 so that lock nuts 128 and 130 may be threaded onto first end 122 while being disposed inside second end 104 of outer tube 52 . each lock nut 128 and 130 is configured to be threaded onto first end 122 of lug 120 . each lock nut 128 and 130 thus includes an inwardly projecting thread 132 that cooperates with thread 124 . the outer diameter of each lock nut 128 and 130 is less than the outer diameter of the threaded portion of threaded insert 102 as depicted in fig5 so that nuts 128 and 130 fit within tube 52 . second end assembly 56 further includes a sleeve 140 that slides over body 126 of lug 120 and inside threaded insert 102 to allow lug 120 to easily rotate within threaded insert 102 . sleeve 140 may be fabricated from brass or other materials that promote a rotation or sliding movement between two metal parts . brass is found to be useful when threaded insert 102 and second lug 120 are fabricated from stainless steel . sleeve 140 is held in place with a seal 142 that is seated in recess 116 defined by threaded insert 102 . seal 142 keeps lubricants used to reduce friction between sleeve 140 , lug 120 , and threaded insert 102 from exiting tie bar 50 . lug 120 includes a flange 150 configured to abut outer end 118 of threaded insert 102 as depicted in fig5 . the second end 144 of lug 120 projects outwardly from flange 150 and defines an opening 146 similar to opening 88 described above . second end assembly 56 further includes a linkage 160 that functions similar to and is connected to second end 144 of lug 120 in a manner similar to that described above with respect to linkage 64 . as such , linkage 160 includes ears 162 that each define an opening 164 . openings 164 are aligned to receive a pivot pin 166 that is locked in position with a lock nut 168 . linkage 160 also defines an opening 170 to allow linkage 160 to function in the same manner as linkage 64 described above . as described above with respect to first end assembly 54 , second end assembly 56 may be equipped with bearings or bushings 169 to reduce friction and wear between the moving parts of second end assembly 56 . when assembled and in operation , second end assembly 56 provides free rotation to tie bar 50 because second lug 120 may freely rotate with respect to threaded insert 102 . threaded insert 102 is threaded to outer tube 52 and does not loosen because it receives substantially no torque forces . the threads between threaded insert 102 and outer tube 52 may be coated with a substance that locks the position of the threads so that the position of threaded insert 102 is locked with respect to outer tube 52 . second lug 120 may continuously rotate through multiple 360 degree revolutions without changing the length of tie bar 50 and without loosening any element of second end assembly 56 . the second end assembly 56 is assembled by snapping seal 142 into recess 116 . sleeve 140 is then slid over body 126 and the combination of lug 120 and sleeve 140 is slid into threaded insert 102 . lock nuts 128 and 130 are threaded onto lug 120 . this assembly is then threaded into second end 104 of outer tube 52 . linkage 160 is then connected to lug 120 to form second end assembly 56 . [ 0057 ] fig7 depicts the prior art drive arrangement with drives 12 connected with tie bars 50 . a pair of steering cylinders 180 are connected to drives 12 to move them back and forth . although this motor mounting configuration has the same non - synchronized angles a , b , c described above with respect to fig2 tie bars 50 still provide a benefit because of their longevity and reliability . [ 0058 ] fig8 depicts an improved motor mounting configuration wherein drives 12 are connected centerline to centerline with tie bars 50 . fig9 shows that this motor mounting configuration results in synchronized drives 12 because each turning angle d is equal . fig1 shows the use of overlapped linkages on the center drive to provide the centerline - mounted configuration . fig1 also shows that the mounts 200 on drives 12 may be vertically offset from each other . the connectors 98 disclosed herein provide for different offsets while providing increased reliability and durability . connectors 98 include spacers 184 that accommodate the vertical offset . fig1 shows a different mounting configuration wherein a different vertical offset is required . in this mounting configuration , each linkage is a half overlap linkage so that each tie bar 50 is moved upwardly half the thickness of a linkage . different offsets may also be provided by altering the lengths of connectors 98 or spacers 184 . as shown in fig1 a by way of example , each connector 98 includes a first shoulder 186 and a second shoulder 188 configured to abut the lower ( or upper when reversed ) side of the flanges 204 of mounts 200 . the body also includes a first end 190 that slides through flange 204 and receives a lock nut 192 . the body further includes a central shank 194 that is disposed between flanges 204 when connector 98 is installed . a compression spacer 196 is slidable disposed on shank 194 to support flanges 204 when they are forced toward each other . spacer 184 is disposed intermediate shank 194 and a second end 197 . second end 197 slides through linkage 64 and receives lock nut 198 . in accordance with one of the objectives of the invention , motor mount 200 includes components that may be assembled in different configurations as shown in fig1 - 17 . motor mount 200 may be configured in a right hand ( fig1 ), center ( fig1 ), left hand ( fig1 ), or double ( fig1 ) configuration as needed to work with drives 12 described above . each motor mount 200 includes a base 202 and a mounting flange 204 . each reconfigurable motor mount 200 may be used with a pair of opposed mounting flanges 204 that clamp against base 202 as depicted in fig1 and 14 . in other embodiments or configurations , motor mount 200 may be used with a single flange 204 as depicted in fig1 - 21 . a right hand flange may be removed from base 202 and flipped over to create a left hand flange . base 202 defines a plurality of mounting holes 206 that are used to receive connectors that hold base 202 to drive 12 . at least three of mounting holes 206 are formed as through holes . in one embodiment of the invention , base 202 defines a pair of false holes 208 that may be used to receive a connector if the extra two connectors are desired or if drive 12 provides for five connectors instead of three . false holes 208 may be indentations instead of through holes . when holes 208 are used , holes 208 are punched or drilled through so that they may receive the appropriate connector . base 202 defines a protuberance 210 having an upper surface and a lower surface that receives mounting flanges 204 . the upper and lower surfaces of protuberance 210 are preferably substantially parallel and substantially flat . protuberance 210 defines at least two but preferably three connector openings that receive connectors 212 that are used to connect flanges 204 to base 202 . connectors 212 clamp mounting flanges 204 against protuberance 210 . reconfigurable motor mount 200 tie bars 50 to be connected to drive 12 in a variety of different mounting configurations . a few examples are depicted in fig1 - 21 . the inventor contemplates numerous configurations that are not specifically shown in the drawings . different configurations may be obtained by varying the arrangements and dimensions of connectors 98 , spacers 184 , linkages 64 , 160 , flanges 204 , and base 202 . these different configurations allow drives 12 having different vertical offsets to be interconnected with tie bars 50 . fig1 - 21 show exemplary vertical offset arrangements in different mounting configurations . in fig1 , a single flange 204 is used above protuberance 210 with linkages 160 disposed immediately on top of a flange 220 . in fig1 , a different connector 98 is used with flange 204 mounted below protuberance 210 . in fig2 , flange 204 is mounted below protuberance 210 and connector 98 having flange 220 is used . fig2 shows yet another configuration wherein flange 204 is mounted above protuberance 210 with connector 98 being disposed with flange 220 immediately against flange 204 . fig2 - 25 show the use of motor mount 200 to connect steering cylinders 180 to a single drive 12 in single and double configurations . in the foregoing description , certain terms have been used for brevity , clearness , and understanding . no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed . moreover , the description and illustration of the invention is an example and the invention is not limited to the exact details shown or described .	5
the first embodiment of the present invention is hereinafter described with reference to the appended drawings . the general structures of the gene amplification detecting apparatus 100 and the tip container 1 are described below referring to fig1 through 19 . the gene amplification detecting apparatus 100 ( see fig1 ) is used to support a diagnosis of cancer metastasis in surgically excised tissue . the gene amplification detecting apparatus 100 is configured to amplify cancer genes present in the excised tissue using the lamp ( loop mediated isothermal amplification ) method , and measure ( detect ) the turbidity of the liquid produced in conjunction with the amplification of the genes . details of the lamp method are disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 410 , 278 . the tip container 1 ( see fig2 ) which accommodates pipette tips ( hereinafter referred to as “ tips ”) 150 ( see fig3 ) is arranged in the gene amplification detecting apparatus 100 . the structure of the tip container 1 is described next below , followed by a description of the structure of the gene amplification detecting apparatus 100 . the tip container 1 includes a tip container body 10 and a cover 20 as shown in fig2 and 3 . the material of the tip container 1 is not specifically limited and may be , for example , a resin material . in the first embodiment , the tip 150 accommodated in the tip container 1 is formed of a conductive resin material containing carbon , and a filter is installed on the inside to prevent an erroneous influx of liquid . the tip 150 is tapered from the base part 150 c toward the tip part 150 b . a collar 150 a is formed on the base part 150 c of the tip 150 . note that the material of the tip 150 is not specifically limited to conductive resin material . the tip container body 10 includes a tip support ( hereinafter “ support ”) 12 which supports the tip 150 so as to be removable , and a tip holding part ( hereinafter “ holder ”) 11 which accommodates the tip part 150 b of the tip 150 supported by the support part 12 , as shown in fig3 and 4 . the holder 11 is configured by a bottom part 11 a and side part 11 b . specifically , the holder 11 has a substantially rectangular box - like shape with a substantially open top surface . the holder 11 is configured to be disposed below the support 12 . holes 11 c are provided at the respective top ends of the four corners of the holder 11 . the support 12 includes tip insertion holes ( hereinafter “ insertion hole ”) 13 , gripper 14 , fixing part 15 , and reinforcing rib 16 . the tip 150 is able to be inserted in the insertion hole 13 . thirty - six insertion holes 13 are arranged in a 6 × 6 matrix . each insertion hole 13 is cylindrical in shape extending downward from the top surface of the support 12 . the insertion hole 13 has a stepped portion 13 a near the opening . the stepped portion 13 a is configured to fit the collar 150 a of the tip 150 . the reinforcing ribs 13 b are formed between mutually adjacent insertion holes 13 . the grippers 14 are formed individually at the center of each of the four sides of the support 12 , as shown in fig5 . the respective grippers 14 are configured so as to protrude to the outside from the side surface 21 of the cover 20 when the cover 20 is mounted on the tip container body 10 . the fixing part 15 is provided in pairs on each of the four sides of the support 12 . as shown in fig3 , the fixing part 15 is configured so as to protrude in a lateral direction from the bottom end position of the side surface of the support 12 . as shown in fig5 , the reinforcing rib 16 is provided individually at the four corners of the support 12 . specifically , the reinforcing ribs 16 are configured so as to protrude to the outside from the bottom end position of the corners formed by the meeting of two adjacent sides of the support 12 . the reinforcing ribs 16 connect the two fixing parts 15 on the two adjacent sides . a projecting part ( not shown in the drawings ) also is formed on the bottom end of the respective four reinforcing ribs 16 . the support 12 is detachably mounted on the holder 11 when the projecting part engages the hole 11 c of the holder 11 . the cover 20 is configured to be removably fitted to the top part of the tip container body 10 . hence , the top part of the tip container body 10 is easily covered by the cover 20 . as shown in fig4 , the cover 20 is configured to cover the base part 150 c of the tip 150 inserted into the insertion hole 13 of the support 12 . the cover 20 integratedly includes the side surface 21 , top surface 22 , detection part 23 , and convexity 24 . the side surface 21 extends downward from the edge 22 a of the top surface 22 . as shown in fig5 , the top surface 22 is substantially square in shape in planar view . the detection part 23 is provided on all four corners 20 a of the cover 20 . the detection part 23 extends laterally to the outside from the side surface 21 . the bottom end ( side in the z2 direction ) of the detection part 23 is a flat surface , extending approximately parallel ( xy plane ) to the top surface 22 . the detection part 23 is provided at a position lower than the top surface 22 of the cover 20 . specifically , the detection part 23 is provided near the bottom end of the side surface 21 , as shown in fig4 . the detection part 23 protrudes to the outside more than the fixing part 15 and the reinforcing rib 16 of the tip container body 10 , as shown in fig5 . a cover detector 34 detects the presence or absence of the detection part 23 at a position corresponding to the cover detector 34 ( described later ) for all detection parts 23 provided on the cover 20 . hence , the presence or absence of the cover 20 on the tip container body 10 can be detected . as shown in fig2 , the detection part 23 has a reinforcing rib 23 a . the reinforcing rib 23 a extends approximately perpendicular to the detection part 23 . the reinforcing rib 23 a is provided at a lower position than the top surface 22 of the cover 20 . specifically , the reinforcing rib 23 a is provided near the bottom end of the side surface 21 , as shown in fig4 . the reinforcing rib 23 a extends on a straight line from the opposite corner of the substantially square shaped top surface 22 . the reinforcing rib 23 a passes through the vicinity of the center of the detection part 23 . four convexities 24 are provided on the top surface 22 so as to protrude upward . the four convexities 24 are disposed near the respective corners 20 a of the cover 20 . in planar view , the four convexities 24 are disposed near the inner surface 21 a of the side surface 21 . when a plurality of covers 20 are stacked as shown in fig6 , the plurality of convexities 24 of one cover 10 mutual engage the side surface ( inner surface 21 a ; refer to fig5 ) of the other cover 20 . the structure of the gene amplification detecting apparatus 100 is described below . the gene amplification detecting apparatus 100 includes a tip container mounting section 30 in which are mounted tip containers 1 , a liquid container mounting section 40 , and reaction detecting section 50 , as shown in fig7 . the gene amplification detecting apparatus 100 also includes a dispensing section 60 , tip disposal section 70 , touch panel 80 , a cpu 90 ( see fig8 ) which controls the gene amplification detecting apparatus 100 . three tip container mounting sections 30 are provided on a set rack 31 , as shown in fig9 and 10 . the tip container mounting section 30 is provided with an open part 32 , body detecting section 33 , cover detecting section 34 , and fixing mechanism 35 . the tip container body of the tip container 1 can be mounted in the tip container mounting section 30 . note that the respective placement positions of the three tip container mounting sections 30 are sequential from the back side ( x2 direction side ) in the order “ back ,” “ middle ,” “ front .” the open part 32 is substantially square in shape and corresponds to the tip container mounting body 10 in planar view . the tip container body 10 of the tip container 1 is accommodated in the open part 32 , as shown in fig1 and 12 . the open part 32 is configured so that the gripper 14 of the tip container body 10 and the side surface 21 of the cover 20 are exposed above the set rack 31 when the tip container 1 is accommodated . the body detecting section 33 includes a lever 331 , rotating shaft 332 , and light sensor 333 , as shown in fig1 and 14 . one body detecting section 33 is provided in each of the three individual open parts 32 . the body detecting section 33 is configured to detect the presence or absence of the tip container body 10 mounted in the tip container mounting section 30 , that is , to detect whether a tip container body 10 is accommodated in the open part 32 . a single lever 331 is provided on the side part inside the open part 32 . the lever 331 is configured to protrude toward the inside of the open part 32 from the inner side surface of the open part 32 . the lever 331 is configured to pivot on the rotating shaft 332 , and rotates when the end 331 a comes into contact with the tip container body 10 when the tip container body 10 is accommodated in the open part 32 . in this situation the other end 331 b of the lever 331 does not block the light from the light sensor 333 . therefore , the cpu 90 detects that the tip container body 10 is accommodated in the open part 32 . the body detecting section 33 and cpu 90 thereby detect whether a tip container body 10 is mounted in the tip container mounting section 30 . the cover detecting section 34 includes a lever 341 , rotating shaft 342 , and light sensor 343 , as shown in fig1 and 16 . one cover detecting section 34 is provided in each of the three individual open parts 32 . the cover detecting section 34 is configured to detect the presence or absence of the cover 20 on the top part of the tip container body 10 mounted in the tip container mounting section 30 , that is , to detect the whether the cover 20 is installed on the tip container body 10 . note that in the first embodiment the tip container body 1 mounted in the tip container mounting section 30 is used when the cover 20 is not installed on the top part . a single lever 341 is provided at the corner of the open part 32 . the lever 341 is configured to pivot on a rotating shaft 342 . the lever 341 is configured to rotate when in the contact part 341 a comes into contact with the detecting part 23 of the cover 20 when the cover 20 is mounted on the tip container body 10 accommodated in the open part 32 . in this situation the shield part 341 b of the lever 341 does not block the light from the light sensor 343 . therefore , the cpu 90 detects the presence of the cover 20 on the tip container body 10 accommodated in the open part 341 . the cover detecting section 34 and the cpu 90 therefore detect whether the cover 20 is installed on the tip container body 10 . when the cover 20 is removed from the tip container body 10 , the lever 341 is rotated by the weight of the perpendicular part 341 c provided on the opposite side from the contact part 341 a via the rotating shaft 342 . as shown in fig1 , the fixing mechanism 35 includes a lever 351 , and plate 352 . the lever 351 is configured to move the plate 352 in the direction ( x direction ) in which the three open parts 32 are arranged . the plate 352 is configured to be slidable above the fixing part 15 of the tip container body 10 accommodated in the open part 32 , between the fixing part 15 and the gripper 14 ( see fig4 ). hence , the tip container body 10 accommodated in the open part 32 of the tip container mounting section 30 is prevented from rising up . each type of liquid container containing a predetermined liquid is mounted in the liquid container mounting section 40 , as shown in fig7 . specifically , the liquid container set holes 41 a through 41 c are provided in the liquid container mounting section 40 to hold liquid containers . a primer reagent container 42 b , which contains cytokeratin ( ck19 ) used as a primer , is disposed in the second liquid container set hole 41 b from the innermost side ( x2 direction side ) of the gene amplification detecting apparatus 100 . an enzyme reagent container 42 a which contains cytokeratin enzyme reagent is disposed in the liquid container set hole 41 a on the innermost side sample containers 42 c which contain solubilized extract as samples prepared through processing of excised tissue through homogenization , filtration , and dilution and the like , are disposed in the other 16 liquid container set holes 41 c . a shutter member 43 which operates to open and close and is open when enzyme is dispensed from the enzyme reagent container 42 a , is disposed near the liquid container set hole 41 a which accommodates the enzyme reagent container 42 a . the liquid container set holes 41 a through 41 c are spaced at predetermined distance from one another . a plurality ( eight in the first embodiment ) of reaction detecting blocks 50 a are provided in the reaction detecting section 50 . the reaction detecting block 50 a of the reaction detecting section 50 are configured by a reaction unit 51 , turbidity detector ( not shown in the drawings ), and a cover mechanism 52 . each reaction unit 51 is provided with two detection cell set holes 51 a for placement of detection cells 51 b . the cover mechanism 52 is configured to be openable and closable so as to cover the detection cell 51 b placed in the reaction unit 51 . the turbidity detecting unit includes an led light which emits blue ( wavelength : 465 nm ) light as a light source , and a photodiode as a light receiver . two turbidity detecting units are arranged in each reaction detection block 50 a . the reaction detection block 50 a of the reaction detecting section 50 is configured to detect the presence or absence of the detection cell 51 b by the light receiver detecting the intensity of the light from the light source which irradiates the detection cell 51 b , and detect and monitoring in real time the turbidity of the liquid in the detection cell 51 b . the dispensing section 60 is movable in the x direction and the y direction by a belt driven by the drive unit 65 ( see fig8 ). the dispensing section 60 includes two syringe units 61 ( see fig1 ). the two syringe units 61 are movable in the z direction ( vertical direction ) by a syringe elevator unit ( not shown in the drawing ). the dispensing section 60 is configured to removably install the tip 150 held in the tip container body 10 . the dispensing section 60 aspirates and dispenses the liquid in the liquid containers ( enzyme reagent container 42 a , primer reagent container 42 b , and sample containers 42 c ) through the installed tip 150 . specifically , the syringe unit 61 includes a nozzle 61 a which is removably mounted on the tip 150 , a pump unit 61 b for aspirating and discharging , motor 61 c for driving the pump unit 61 b , capacitance sensor 61 d , and pressure sensor 61 e , as shown in fig1 . the syringe unit 61 aspirates and discharges by the changing the movement of a piston that rotates the motor 61 c in the pump unit 61 b . the capacitance sensor 61 d detects the capacitance of the liquid and the tip 150 which is formed of conductive resin . the pressure sensor 61 e detects the pressure during aspiration and discharge by the pump unit 61 b . the capacitance sensor 61 d and the pressure sensor 61 e detect whether aspiration and discharge are reliably performed . in the first embodiment , the sequence of the installation of the tip 150 held in the tip container body 10 by the dispensing section 60 is predetermined . when the tip 150 is installed by the dispensing section 60 , the dispensing section 60 starts the installation of the tip 150 from the next position when it was last used because the position of the installed tip is stored in the memory unit 91 . as shown in fig7 , the tip disposal section 70 has two tip disposal apertures 70 a for discarding the used tips 150 . the touch panel 80 is provided on the front side ( x1 direction side ) of the gene amplification detecting apparatus 100 . the touch panel 80 is configured to display predetermined information ( for example , messages for the user ). the touch panel 80 also receives information by user input ( for example , instructions to start a measurement ). specifically , the user input operation is received by the touch panel 80 and the cpu 90 . the cpu 90 is configured to read the measurement process program from the memory section 91 , such as a hdd , ram or the like , and control the storage of the obtained information in memory section 91 , as shown in fig8 . the cpu 91 ( see fig8 ) also is configured to control the operation of the dispensing section 60 based on the detection results of the body detecting section 33 and the cover detecting section 34 ( hereinafter referred to simply as “ detection results ”). specifically , the cpu 90 first determines whether a tip container body 10 is mounted in all three tip container mounting sections 30 based on the detection results of the body detecting section 33 . when a tip container body 10 is not mounted in all three tip container mounting sections 30 , the cpu 90 identifies the position of the tip container mounting section 30 which does not have a mounted tip container body 10 based on the detection results of the body detecting section 33 . the cpu 90 then displays on the touch panel 80 the position information ( for example , “ front ”) identifying the tip container mounting section 30 which does not have a mounted tip container body 10 , and a message prompting the user to mount a tip container 1 in the identified tip container mounting section 30 . the cpu 90 then determines whether a cover 20 is mounted on any tip container body 10 in the three installed tip container mounting sections 30 based on the detection results of the cover detecting section 34 . the cpu 90 prohibits the operation of installing a tip 150 by the dispensing section 60 when at least one tip container body 10 has a mounted cover 20 among the three tip containers 1 . the cpu 90 permits the operation of installing a tip 150 by the dispensing section 60 when it is determined that all tip container body 10 are without a mounted cover 20 . when a tip container body 10 has an installed cover 20 among the three tip containers 1 , the cpu 90 identifies the position of the tip container body 10 which has the installed cover 20 based on the detection results of the cover detecting section 34 . the cpu 90 then displays on the touch panel 80 a message including the position information identifying the tip container 1 which has the installed cover 20 , and information prompting the removal of the cover 20 . the cpu 90 is configured to control the operation of the dispensing section 60 based on the detection results of the body detecting section 33 and the cover detecting section 34 when the touch panel 80 receives an instruction to start the measurement from the user . the measuring operation performed by the gene amplification detecting apparatus 100 of the first embodiment is described below with reference to fig7 and 18 through 20 . this process is executed by the cpu 90 . as shown in fig2 , the cpu 90 first determines whether the measurement start button has been pressed in step s 1 . specifically , the cpu 90 determines whether the user has pressed the measurement start button displayed on the touch panel 80 ( see fig7 ). the cpu 90 repeats the determination until the measurement start button is pressed ; when the measurement start button is pressed , the cpu 90 advances the process to step s 2 . in step s 2 , the cpu 90 determines whether all three tip containers 1 are mounted based on the detection results of body detecting section 33 . when the three tip containers 1 are mounted in the respective tip container mounting sections 30 , the cpu 90 advances the process to step s 3 . however , when the even one of the three tip containers 1 is not installed , the cpu 90 prohibits the operation of mounting the tip 150 by the dispensing section 60 , identifies the position of the tip container mounting section 30 which lacks a mounted tip container body 10 based on the detection results of the body detecting section 33 , and advances the process to step s 4 . in step s 3 , the cpu 90 determines whether a cover 20 is mounted on any tip container body 10 among the three installed tip containers 1 based on the detection results of the cover detecting section 34 . when at least one tip container body 10 has a mounted cover 20 , the cpu 90 identifies the position of the tip container body 10 with the mounted cover 20 based on the detection results of the cover detecting section 34 , and advances the process to step s 5 . when all tip container bodies are without a cover 20 , the cpu 90 advances the process to step s 7 . note that details of the tip installation and measurement processes executed in step s 7 are described later . in step s 4 , the cpu 90 displays a message indicating a tip container 1 is missing on the touch panel 80 . specifically , a reminder screen to mount the tip container ( see fig1 ) is displayed . this reminder screen , for example , shows a message such as “ tip container ( front ) is missing ”. thereafter , the cpu 90 advances the process to step s 6 . thereafter , the cpu 90 advances the process to step s 6 . in step s 5 , the cpu 90 prohibits the operation of mounting the tip 150 by the dispensing section 60 , and displays on the touch panel 80 a message prompting the removal of the cover 20 . specifically , the cover removal reminder screen ( see fig1 ) is shown based on the detection results of the cover detecting section 34 . the cover removal reminder screen , for example , shows a message such as “ please remove cover 20 from tip container ( front )”. thereafter , the cpu 90 advances the process to step s 6 . thereafter , the cpu 90 advances the process to step s 6 . in step s 6 , the cpu 90 determines whether the apparatus has recovered from the error . specifically , the when the process advances from step s 4 to step s 6 , the cpu 90 determines whether the a tip container 1 is mounted in the tip container mounting section 30 identified as lacking a tip container 1 based on the detection results of the body detecting section 33 . when the process advances from step s 5 to step s 6 , the cpu 90 determines whether the cover 20 has been removed from the tip container body 10 identified as having a mounted cover based on the detection results of the cover detecting section 34 . note that the cpu 90 repeats the determinations until recovery from the error is completed ; when the apparatus has recovered from the error , the process returns to step s 2 . the tip installation and measurement processes in step s 7 are summarized below with reference to fig7 . in step s 7 , the dispensing section 60 first is moved from the initial position to above the ( z1 direction ) the tip container mounting section 30 . thereafter , the two syringes 61 are lowered ( z2 direction ) and the tips 150 are respectively installed on the leading end of the nozzle 61 a ( see fig1 ) of the two syringes 61 . the dispensing section 60 is then moved so that one syringe 61 is above the primer reagent container 42 b , and this syringe 61 aspirates primer reagent . the dispensing section 60 is then moved so that the other syringe 61 is above the primer reagent container 42 b , and this syringe 61 aspirates primer reagent . after aspiration of the primer reagent , the dispensing section 60 is moved above the reaction detecting block 50 a positioned at the innermost side ( side in the x2 direction ). at the reaction detecting block 50 a , the syringes 61 are lowered and the primer reagent is respectively discharged into two detection cells 51 b . after the primer reagent has been discharged , the dispensing section 60 is moved above the tip discard section 70 . the tips 150 are then inserted into the two tip disposal holes of the tip discard section 70 . the dispensing section 60 is then moved in the y1 direction , then raised upward . thus , the collar 151 b of the tip 150 is removed from each syringe 61 and discarded . the dispensing section 60 then is again moved above the tip container mounting section 30 by the previously described operation , and tips 150 are installed on the leading ends of the nozzles 61 a of the two syringes 61 . the dispensing section 60 is then moved so that one syringe 61 is above the enzyme reagent container 42 a , and this syringe 61 aspirates enzyme reagent . the dispensing section 60 is then moved so that the other syringe 61 is above the enzyme reagent container 42 a , and this syringe 61 aspirates enzyme reagent . after aspiration of the enzyme reagent , the dispensing section 60 is moved above the reaction detecting block 50 a at the innermost side , the syringes 61 are lowered into the reaction detecting block 50 a , and the enzyme reagent is discharged from the tips 150 into two detection cells 51 b . then the tips 150 of the syringes 61 are discarded via the previously described operation . the dispensing section 60 then is again moved above the tip container mounting section 30 by the previously described operation , and tips 150 are installed on the leading ends of the nozzles 61 a of the two syringes 61 . the dispensing section 60 is moved above the sample container 42 c , and sample is aspirated from the sample container 42 c through an operation identical to that of the aspirating operation of the primer reagent and enzyme reagent . the dispensing section 60 then is moved above the reaction detecting block 50 a at the innermost side , the two syringes are lowered , and sample is discharged into the same two detection cells 51 b . note that when discharging the sample , the primer and enzyme reagents are mixed with the sample by repeated aspiration and discharge operations . then the tips 150 of the syringes 61 are discarded via the previously described operation . the cover mechanism 52 is closed after the primer reagent , enzyme reagent , and sample have been discharged into the detection cell 51 b . the target nucleic acid ( mrna ) is amplified by lamp ( nucleic acid amplification ) reaction by heating the liquid in the detection cell 51 b from approximately 20 ° c . to about 65 ° c . the turbidity caused by the magnesium pyrophosphate produced through amplification is detected ( monitored ) in real time through the light source and light receiver ( not shown in the drawings ), and the degree of turbidity is detected . thereafter , the primer reagent , enzyme reagent , and sample are discharged sequentially into the reaction cell 51 b of the reaction detecting block 50 a , which is not at the innermost side , according to the number of samples to be measured , an turbidity is detected according to the lamp reaction . in the first embodiment , the cpu 90 prohibits the operation of mounting the tip 150 by the dispensing section 60 when a cover 20 is installed on the top part of the tip container body 10 mounted in the tip container mounting section 30 , and permits the operation of mounting the tip 150 by the dispensing section 60 when a cover 20 is absent from the top part of the tip container body 10 . thus , the generation of an error caused by the dispensing section 60 coming into contact with the cover 20 can be prevented even when the user starts a measurement while having forgotten to remove the cover 20 from the tip container body 10 . as a result , there is no need to perform a process to recover from the error in order to restart the measurement , and there is no loss of time waiting to restart the measurement . therefore , the measurement can be quickly restarted . a measurement also can be smoothly started without concern of generating an error . in the first embodiment , the cpu 90 permits the operation of mounting the tip 150 by the dispensing section 60 when a cover 20 is absent from the top part of all the tip container bodies 10 mounted in the three tip container mounting sections 30 , and prohibits the operation of mounting the tip 150 by the dispensing section 60 when a cover 20 is present on the top part of at least one tip container body 10 mounted in the three tip container mounting sections 30 . a mounting operation also can be smoothly started without concern of generating an error . error generation also can be reliably prevented when there is concern of generating an error . in the first embodiment , the cpu 90 displays on the touch panel 80 a message prompting the removal of the cover 20 when a cover 20 is present on the top part of the tip container body 10 mounted in the tip container mounting section 30 . therefore , is user is easily notified that a cover 20 is on the tip container body 10 . as a result , the user can quickly remove the cover 20 from the tip container body 10 , and the operation to mount the tip 150 can be quickly restarted . in the first embodiment , when a cover 20 is present on a tip container body 10 mounted in the tip container mounting section 30 , the cpu 90 displays on the touch panel 80 the position information identifying the tip container body 10 which has the cover 20 . therefore , is user is easily notified which tip container body 10 has the cover 20 . as a result , the user can quickly identify which tip container body 10 has a mounted cover 10 and remove the cover 20 from the tip container body 10 , and the tip mounting operation can be quickly restarted . in the first embodiment , the operation of mounting the tip 150 by the dispensing section 60 is prohibited when a cover 20 is installed on the top part of the tip container body 10 mounted in the tip container mounting section 30 , and the operation of mounting the tip 150 by the dispensing section 60 is permitted when a cover 20 is absent from the top part of the tip container body 10 mounted in the tip container mounting section 30 . the cpu 90 also prohibits the mounting operation of the tip 150 by the dispensing section 60 when a tip container body 10 is not mounted in a tip container mounting section 30 . therefore , it is possible to prevent an error generated by the dispensing section 60 performing the tip mounting operation when a tip container body 10 is not mounted in the tip container mounting section 30 . in the first embodiment , the cpu 90 either prohibits or permits the operation to mount the tip 150 by the dispensing section 60 when the touch panel 80 receives an instruction to start a measurement . therefore , a measurement can be smoothly started without generating an error . in the first embodiment , a protruding detecting part 23 is provided at all corners 20 a of a substantially square shaped cover 20 , and the presence or absence of any one among all detecting parts 23 is performed by the cover detecting section 34 . therefore , when the tip container body 10 is mounted in the tip container mounting section 30 , the usability is improved for the user because the user need not be aware of the position of the detecting part 23 and the position of the cover detecting section 34 . note that the shape of the top surface of the cover 20 is not limited to being substantially square inasmuch as the top surface also may be a polygonal shape such as an approximate equilateral triangle or pentagon or the like . in the first embodiment , the detecting part 23 is provided at a position lower than the tip surface of the cover 20 so as to protrude laterally from the cover 20 . therefore , the dispensing section 60 is prevented from contacting the detecting part 23 when the tip container body 10 is mounted in the tip container mounting section 30 since the detecting part 23 is not provided on the top side above the top surface 22 of the cover 20 . the generation of an error is even more reliably prevented in this way . in the first embodiment , four convexities 24 are provided near the inner surface of the side surface 21 of the cover 20 , and the four convexities of one cover 20 mutually engage the side surface 21 of another cover 20 when a plurality of covers 20 are stacked . therefore , a plurality of covers 20 can be stacked in a stable state when several covers 20 are stacked and stored . in the first embodiment , the tip container body 10 includes a support 12 which supports the tip 150 while retaining it &# 39 ; s detachability and has an insertion hole 13 for inserting a tip 150 , and a holder 11 positioned below the support 12 to accommodate the end part 150 b of the tip 150 inserted into the insertion hole 13 of the support 12 ; and the cover 20 is configured to cover the base 150 c of the tip 150 which is inserted in the insertion hole 13 of the support 12 . contamination of the pipette tip by dust or the like is therefore more reliably prevented . the structure of the gene amplification detecting apparatus 100 of the second embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to fig8 and 21 and 22 . in the second embodiment , the gene amplification detecting apparatus 200 is configured to be capable of detecting the number of tips 150 in addition to the presence and absence of the tip container 1 and the cover 20 . in the following description , parts having the same reference numbers as the first embodiment are identical to the first embodiment and further description is omitted . in the second embodiment , the cpu 90 ( see fig8 ) is configured to be capable of detecting the number of tips 150 accommodated in the tip container body 10 . specifically , the cpu 90 calculates the number of tips 150 remaining at the current time by calculating the difference between the number of used tips 150 and the number of tips 150 previously loaded in the tip container body 10 . this calculation is executed by assuming the tip container body 10 is a new part when mounted in the tip container mounting section 30 . note that the information on the used tips 150 is stored in the memory section 91 each time an operation is performed by the dispensing section 60 of mount the tip 150 . the measuring process performed by the gene amplification detecting apparatus 200 of the second embodiment is described below with reference to fig1 , 19 , and 21 through 25 . this process is executed by the cpu 90 . note that the processes of steps identified by the same reference numbers as in the first embodiment are identical to those of the first embodiment and further description is omitted . as shown in fig2 , after the measurement start button is pressed , the cpu 90 determines whether a tip container mounting section 30 loaded with tip container 1 is present based on the detection results of the body detecting section 33 in step s 101 . when at least one tip container mounting section 30 has a mounted tip container 1 , the cpu 90 identifies the position of the tip container mounting section 30 with the mounted tip container 1 based on the detection results of the body detecting section 33 , and advances the process to step s 102 . when not even one tip container mounting section 30 has a mounted tip container 1 , the cpu 90 advances the process to step s 4 . in this case , a message such as “ there are no tip containers ” ( see fig1 ) is displayed on the reminder screen to mount a tip container in step s 4 . in step s 102 , the cpu 90 determines whether covers 20 are installed on every mounted tip container 1 . when a cover 20 is installed on every mounted tip container 1 , the cpu 90 advances the process to step s 5 . the cover removal reminder screen , for example , shows a message such as “ please remove cover 20 from tip container ( front )” in step s 5 . however , when a cover 20 is installed on every mounted tip container 1 , that is , when at least one tip container 1 does not have an installed cover 20 among the mounted tip containers 1 , the cpu 90 advances the process to step s 103 . in step s 103 , the cpu 90 calculates the number of tips 150 remaining at the current time by calculating the difference between the number of used tips 150 and the number of tips 150 previously loaded in the tip container body 10 , and determining whether the calculated number of tips 150 is equal to or greater than number needed for the dispensing operation . when the number of tips 150 is equal to or greater than the number required , the cpu 90 advances the process to step s 7 . however , when the number of tips 150 is less than the estimated number required , the cpu 90 advances the process to step s 104 . in step s 104 , the cpu 90 prohibits the operation of mounting the tip 150 by the dispensing section 60 , and displays a message on the touch panel 80 prompting the mounting of a new tip container 1 . in the second embodiment , a tip container replacement screen is displayed which includes a message to ensure that the estimated number of needed tips 150 are available . as shown in fig2 and 24 , the tip container replacement screen shows a message “ please install a new tip container ( mid ) prompting the replacement of the depleted tip container body 10 which does not have the needed number of tips 150 or has none with a new tip container body 10 . in this case , a message suggesting the removal of the cover 20 also may be displayed when a tip container body 10 with an installed cover 20 is mounted in the tip container mounting section 30 , as shown in fig2 . when a plurality of tip containers 1 have remaining tips 150 , the position ( front , mid , back ) of the tip container mounting section 30 with the newly replaced tip container 1 is determined to minimize the number of wasted tips 150 in step s 104 . thereafter , the cpu 90 advances the process to step s 6 . thereafter , the cpu 90 advances the process to step s 6 . when the process advances to step s 7 , the tip mounting and measurements are performed identically to the first embodiment , then the cpu 90 ends the measurement process . other structures of the second embodiment are identical to those of the first embodiment . in the second embodiment , the cpu 90 prohibits the operation of mounting the tip 150 by the dispensing section 60 when a cover 20 is installed on the top part of every mounted the tip container body 10 , and permits the operation of mounting the tip 150 by the dispensing section 60 when a cover 20 is absent from the top part of at least one mounted tip container body 10 . accordingly , error generation is reliably prevented when the tip mounting operation is started and the user has forgotten to remove the cover 20 from all the tip container bodies 10 . the tip mounting operation also can be smoothly started even when the tip mounting operation is started when the user has forgotten to remove the cover 20 from only some of the tip container bodies 10 . in the second embodiment described above , the cpu 90 is configured to prohibit the operation of mounting the tip 150 by the dispensing section 60 when a cover 20 is absent from the top part of at least one mounted tip container body 10 but the number of tips 150 accommodated in the tip container body 10 that lacks the cover 20 is less than the number needed , and permit the operation to mount the tip 150 by the dispensing section 60 when the number of tips 150 accommodated in the tip container body 10 that lacks the cover 20 is equal to or greater than the number needed . therefore , interruption of the mounting operation due to an insufficient number of tips 150 is prevented during the operation to mount the tip 150 . further , when there is a sufficient number of tips 150 , the tip mounting operation is smoothly started . note that other effects of the second embodiment are identical to those of the first embodiment . note that the embodiments of the present disclosure are examples in all aspects and not to be considered limiting in any way . the scope of the present invention is expressed by the scope of the claims and not by the description of the embodiment , and includes all meanings and equivalences and modifications pertaining thereunto . for example , although the sample analyzer of the present invention is described by way of example applied to a gene amplification detecting apparatus 100 and 200 in the first and second embodiments , the present invention is not limited to these examples . the sample analyzer of the present invention also is applicable to sample analyzers other than the gene amplification detecting apparatuses 100 and 200 . although the cpu 90 is configured to prohibit or permit the mounting operation of the pipette 150 by the dispensing section 60 when a measurement start input operation is received from the touch panel 80 in the first and second embodiments , the present invention is not limited to this configuration . for example , the cpu 90 also may prohibit or permit the mounting operation of the pipette 150 by the dispensing section 60 when a record of measurement items is received from the touch panel 80 . according to this configuration , measurement can be smoothly started without generating an error by prohibiting or permitting the mounting operation of the pipette 150 by the dispensing section 60 by the timing of the recording of measurement items by the user . although the first and second embodiments are described by way of examples providing three tip container mounting sections , the present invention is not limited to these examples . in the present invention , one two , or four or more tip container mounting sections may be provided . although the first and second embodiments are described by way of examples providing four cover detection parts , the present invention is not limited to these examples . in the present invention , one two , or four or more cover detection parts may be provided . although the first and second embodiments describe examples in which the detection parts protrude laterally form the cover , the present invention is not limited to this configuration . in the present invention , the detection parts also may protrude from the top surface of the cover . although the first and second embodiments describe example in which the top surface of the cover is substantially square in planar view , the present invention is not limited to this shape . in the present invention , the top surface of the cover also may be a polygonal shape with point symmetry relative to the center point ( for example , rectangular ) in planar view rather than square . in this case , it is preferable that the protruding detection part is provided at least at a mutually opposed pair of corners among the corners of the cover , and the cover detecting section detects the presence or absence of any one of the plurality of detection parts provided on the cover . in this way the usability is improved for the user because the user need not be aware of the position of the detecting part and the corresponding detecting section compared to when the detection part is provided on only one corner when the tip container is mounted in the tip container mounting section . although the first embodiment describes an example in which the measurement process is executed when tip container bodies are mounted in all tip container mounting sections , the present invention is not limited to this configuration . in the present invention , the measurement process also may be executed when a tip container body is mounted in at least one tip container mounting section . in the first and second embodiments , the provided cover detecting section and body detecting section are mechanical types which have a rotation mechanism , however , the present invention is not limited to this configuration . in the present invention , the cover detecting section and the body detecting section may be a non - mechanical type such as , for example , an electrical type . the second embodiment is described by way of example in which the number of tips accommodated in the tip container body is determined indirectly by calculating the difference between the number of tips previously mounted in the tip container body mounting in the tip container mounting section and the number of tips already used , however , the present invention is not limited to this configuration . in the present invention , the number of tips also may be obtained directly using a light source device such as a laser or an imaging device such as a camera . for example , when the tip container body is configured by a translucent material and the tip is configured by a non - translucent material , the number of tips can be obtained by calculating the number of shadows based on information obtained by irradiating light from below or above on the tip container body . although the first and second embodiments are described using a flow - driven flow for performing processes sequentially along the processing flow of the controller to facilitate understanding , the processes of the controller also may be performed by an event - driven process which executes processes in event units . in this case , complete processes may be event - driven or a combination of event - driven and flow - driven . although the cover 20 is configured to be removably mounted on the top part of the tip container body 10 in the first and second embodiments , the present invention is not limited to this configuration . for example , the cover 20 may be provided to open and close the top part of the tip container body 10 .	1
the exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and the appended drawings , wherein like elements are referred to with the same reference numerals . the exemplary embodiments describe systems and methods for providing data to workers located remotely . during large - scale outages , such as natural disasters , communications network providers may deploy field workers to repair various network components . during a single large - scale outage , a field worker may travel to a number of different equipment sites and perform maintenance work at each equipment site . information about equipment sites and outages should be provided to workers in the field in order that repairs may be completed efficiently . in order for field workers to perform their assigned tasks efficiently and expediently , network providers may wish to minimize the need for such workers to research , document and report the status of network elements being serviced during such an outage . by making such information available both to field workers and network administrators efficiently , network services may be restored as quickly as possible . this may also lead to improvements in public safety , as public utilities such as light towers and 911 telephone services may be restored correspondingly quickly . information that may be required in order for such restoration to be possible may include the location of outages , both geographically and in virtual terms . geographical location of outages may include city , county , state , market or region . outages may also be classified by a manager of the affected area . outages may be time stamped so that those existing before a selected time may be separated from those created after the selected time . information may also include resources , such as portable generators , allocated to address a given outage . fig1 illustrates an exemplary system 100 for providing data relating to problems in a network . problems may include outages , as discussed above , or any other issue with respect to network equipment . the system may be accessed by users through a plurality of user terminals 110 , 112 and 114 . those of skill in the art will understand that the number of user terminals may vary among differing implementations . user terminals 110 , 112 and 114 may be any equipment that is capable of providing data to the user in accordance with the exemplary embodiments ; the user terminals 110 , 112 and 114 may each include memory and a processor , which , for clarity , are not shown in fig1 . this may include a mobile phone , a smart phone , a mobile computer , a palmtop computer , a notebook computer , a computing system integrated with a vehicle , etc . those of skill in the art will understand that the terminals 110 , 112 and 114 may include similar or differing hardware and software . the user terminals 110 , 112 and 114 may communicate with a network 120 via communication links 130 , 132 and 134 , respectively . the network 120 may be , for example , a communications network , the internet , a proprietary network , an intranet , etc . the communication links 130 , 132 and 134 may be any type of link that is appropriate for the nature of the corresponding user terminals 110 , 112 and 114 , and of the network 120 , such as a cellular network connection , a local area network (“ lan ”) connection , a wide area network (“ wan ”) connection , a personal area network (“ pan ”) connection , a wired connection to the network 120 , etc . those of skill in the art will understand that the communication links 130 , 132 and 134 may be similar or may differ depending on the nature of the user terminals 110 , 112 and 114 . through the network 120 , the user terminals 110 , 112 and 114 may receive information from a data server 140 , which may be a dedicated server for providing data in accordance with the exemplary embodiments , or may perform various other tasks in addition to those described herein . the data server 140 includes memory 142 and a processor 144 . the data server 140 may connect to the network via communication link 136 . the data server 140 may , in turn , receive data from a plurality of sources 150 , 152 and 154 via communication links 160 , 162 and 164 respectively . the sources 150 , 152 and 154 may be any source that may provide the type of data described above . this may include a service ticketing system , a communications network switching system , a commercial or proprietary system for providing map data , or a user such as an administrator manually entering data . as above , the nature of the communication links 160 , 162 and 164 may vary appropriately depending on the nature of their corresponding sources 150 , 152 and 154 . fig2 illustrates an exemplary method 200 by which the system 100 of fig1 may operate . in step 210 , the data server 140 receives data from the sources 150 , 152 and 154 . this may be accomplished by the data server 140 requesting data ( e . g ., at set time intervals , by being prompted by a user interacting directly with the data server 140 , in response to a request from one of the user terminals 110 , 112 , 114 , etc .) or may be accomplished by one or more of the sources 150 , 152 or 154 pushing new data to the data server 140 . in step 220 , the data server 140 indexes data , including both newly - received data and data previously existing in the data server 140 . indexing may classify data based on , for example , a geographical location ( e . g ., a street address , gps coordinates , a region , etc .) of related network hardware , a virtual location ( e . g ., an ip address or other network location identifier ) of related network hardware , an amount of time for which the related network hardware has been malfunctioning , a manufacturer of the network hardware , a type of the malfunction , a field worker who has been assigned to repair the network hardware , an identifier of equipment ( e . g ., a serial number of a portable generator ) that has been allocated to use in repairing the network hardware , etc . in step 230 , the data server 140 sends a subset of the indexed data to a field worker . the sending of data may be initiated by a request by the user , in response to an instruction by a network administrator , or in accordance with a mechanism for automatically sending such data to field workers . for example , data relating to a particular outage may be automatically sent to a selected one of a group of field workers based on the selected worker &# 39 ; s current geographical proximity to the outage , based on the selected worker &# 39 ; s technical expertise in an area relating to the outage , etc . data to be sent may include , for example , a location of an outage to be repaired by the worker , directions from the worker &# 39 ; s present location to the location of the outage ( e . g ., by determining the worker &# 39 ; s present location using a gps integrated into the user terminal ), the nature of the outage to be repaired , or other pertinent information relating to the outage . in step 240 , the data server 140 receives information from the field worker about an attempt to repair the outage ( e . g ., whether the repair was successful or unsuccessful ; if unsuccessful , the nature of the failure , etc .). subsequently , in step 250 , the data server 140 determines whether there are remaining outages to be repaired . if so , the method returns to step 210 , where the data received includes that received in step 240 , and the data server 140 continues to update as described above . if no outages remain , the method terminates after step 250 . those of skill in the art will understand that while the exemplary method 200 describes a method for providing data to field workers , data may be provided to network administrators in substantially the same manner . fig3 illustrates an exemplary view 300 providing data according to the exemplary embodiments described above . the view 300 includes the locations of three outages 310 , 312 and 314 shown on a map 320 . fig4 illustrates a further exemplary view 400 providing information 410 about a selected outage 420 . selecting an outage from a map view represents one exemplary way by which the data server 140 may be prompted to send data in step 230 as described above . the exemplary embodiments described above may provide data about outages in a communications network to both network administrators and field workers in a simple , efficient manner . data provided may be selected to be appropriate for the needs of the individual to whom the data is being provided . by providing data in accordance with these exemplary embodiments , mass outages may be repaired more quickly , thereby enhancing both network performance and customer experience . the exemplary embodiments have been described above with reference to communications networks . however , those of skill in the art will understand that the broader principles may be equally applicable to any type of network . this may include , but is not limited to , communications networks , electric networks , television / cable networks , fiber optic networks , pipeline networks , water networks , etc . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the present invention , without departing from the spirit or the scope of the invention . thus , it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents .	6
referring to fig1 there is shown the general arrangement of the drill string comprising a telemetry system . as the drill string operates to continually increase the depth of the bore hole , a fluid , commonly called mud , is pumped down through the drill string past the drill bit to carry cuttings back up to the surface of the bore hole where they are then separated from the mud . the mud is then recirculated down through the drill string . mounted generally near the base of the drill string , adjacent the drill bit , is an instrumentation package generally comprising transducers capable of sensing physical parameters in the bore hole . a pulser is provided in the drill string generally adjacent the instrumentation package for generating pulses in the fluid mud . a pressure transducer , generally denoted as a receiver in fig1 is provided for receiving the pulses in the mud at a location in the drill string generally above the ground level . the data display or recording device is associated with the receiver . in a complete mud pulse telemetry system the pressure signals will be monitored at the surface by the pressure transducer . electrical power to operate the pulser and down hole electronics will be supplied by a mud turbine driven generator as shown in fig1 . measurements made down hole will be coded and fed to a control means . the control means regulates the output of pulses by the pulsing device , such pulses being received by the pressure transducer . the signals received at the pressure transducer will be decoded and displayed as data . fig2 shows in greater detail the structure of the oscillator - pulser of the invention . the device comprises a fluid oscillator combined with the vortex valve . the structure and function of fluid oscillators are generally known in the art , as evidenced by u . s . pat . no . 3 , 016 , 066 . the device of the invention comprises an inlet 2 which receives at least a portion of the mud flowing through the drill string , and outlets 4 and 6 . each outlet leads into the vortex chamber 8 . the outlet 10 from the vortex chamber is oriented axially with respect to the vortex generated in the chamber by fluid flow . control ports 13 , 15 are arranged on opposite sides of the inlet flow from inlet 2 . feedback loop 12 , 14 connects the control ports 13 , 15 with one another . a control means comprises an expansible element 16 shown as a bellows , and secured in fluid communication with a feedback loop by element 18 . means are provided to constrain expansion of the expansible element . as an example of suitable such means there is shown a solenoid comprising coil 22 , armature 24 , element 28 secured to the armature 24 and adapted to contact the expansible element to constrain the expansion thereof . disc 26 , also secured to armature 24 , cooperates with ridge 19 to limit the travel of the armature 24 . it is to be understood that , although the constraining means is shown as an electrically operated device , such constraining means could also be mechanically or pneumatically operated . all of the elements as shown in fig2 can be readily formed by cutting or milling the various passages in a block or sheet of plastic or metallic material , and covering such block or sheet with a cover element as shown generally in the above mentioned u . s . pat . no . 3 , 016 , 066 . in operation fluid enters inlet 2 and assumes a flow path , for example , through the outlet 4 by attaching to the wall of the oscillator in the region of wall portion 5 as shown in fig2 . flow through outlet 4 will create a clockwise vortical flow in the chamber 8 as shown in solid arrows in fig2 . during the vortical flow in the chamber 8 , fluid flow through the outlet 10 is restricted , thus restricting the total flow through the oscillator . the flow from inlet 2 through the outlet 4 creates a low pressure region in the area of the control port 13 , and a correspondingly higher pressure region on the side of the flow path facing control port 15 . the flow thus generates a pressure wave which propagates through the feedback loop 14 , 12 in the direction of dotted arrows shown in fig2 from the higher pressure region to the lower pressure region . the pressure wave traveling through the feedback loop will create a pressure buildup in the region of the control port 13 . this pressure buildup in the region of control port 13 and wall 5 will cause the fluid flow in outlet 4 to be diverted toward outlet 6 . as the fluid assumes a flow path through outlet 6 the process is repeated and a low pressure will develop at control port 15 while a correspondingly higher pressure will develop in the region of control port 13 . a pressure wave will then travel in the opposite direction through the feedback loop 12 , 14 toward the control port 15 . the higher pressure thus generated in the region of control point 15 and wall 7 will again divert the flow back toward path 4 . in this manner the flow will continually oscillate between the flow paths 4 and 6 . when the fluid flows through outlet 4 a clockwise vortex will be generated in chamber 8 , as shown in solid arrows in fig2 . when the fluid flow is diverted to outlet 6 , the clockwise vortex will be caused to decay , and a counter clockwise vortex will be generated by the flow through the output 6 . while the flow in chamber 8 is vortical in either the clockwise or counter clockwise directions the flow through outlet 10 of the chamber is restricted by such vortical flow . however , as the vortical motion decays and the vortical velocity passes through the value zero , the flow through outlet 10 is naturally increased due to the lessened resistance caused by decay of the vortical flow . the change in flow rate that occurs in the vortex chamber as a result of the reversal of the vortical flow produces a change in the kinetic energy of the fluid entering the pulser . this energy is expanded in compressing the fluid . a wave of increased pressure ( water hammer ) is produced which propagates back through the pulser inlet 2 , and up through the drill string . the amplitude of the wave is primarily a function of the fluid mud density and the change in velocity caused by the reduction in flow . the expansible means 16 is necessary to control the speed of the propogation of the pressure waves through the feedback loop 12 , 14 in order to enable the pulser to generate pulses in the manner described above . ordinarily , the pressure waves will travel through the feedback loop at the speed of sound , causing a very high frequency of oscillation of fluid flow between the outlet paths 4 and 6 . if the oscillation is permitted to occur at such a rapid rate , fluid flow through either of the paths 4 or 6 will not remain stable long enough to generate a vortex in the chamber 8 . the result would likely be a somewhat turbulent but steady state flow through the vortex chamber . provision of an expansible element in the feedback loop permits the effective volume of the loop to increase in response to the pressure pulses therein , thus lengthening the period required for the waves in the loop to transverse the loop , effectively slowing the rate of travel of the waves from one control port to the other . thus , while the fluid flows through outlet 4 , as shown in fig2 the rate of travel of the wave through the feedback loop from control port 15 to control port 13 will be sufficiently slowed by expansion of the bellows 16 , to enable flow through outlet 4 to generate a sufficient vortex in chamber 8 before the flow is diverted to outlet 6 . similarly , the flow will be permitted to remain through the outlet 6 for a period sufficient to reverse the vortex in the chamber 8 . therefore the continual reversals of the vortical flow in chamber 8 will be permitted to occur , thus generating pulses in the fluid flow through the oscillator as previously set forth . if the control voltage is applied to the coil 22 causing element 28 to restrict the expansion of bellow 16 the pressure wave will again travel through the feedback loop at a rate which is too rapid to permit reversal of the vortical flow in chamber 8 . the result will be that no pulses will be generated in the flow through the oscillator . fig3 is a graphical representation of the relationship between the pulse output and the control voltage applied to solenoid means 22 , 24 . it can be seen that when the control signal is applied to the solenoid to constrain expansion of the bellow 16 , there are no pulses produced by the oscillator and vortex chamber . when the signal is removed the output pulses again resume . fig3 illustrates how the pulses are turned on or off by the constraining means 28 . in addition , the constraining means can be used to modulate the frequency of oscillation of the flow through the oscillator , thus varying the frequency of the output pulses . if a variable force is applied to the bellows by means of constraining element 28 , the period of propogation of the wave through the feedback loop can be varied . when the period of travel of the wave in the feedback loop is too short , there will be no output from the pulser , as described above . when the period is increased and the frequency of travel of the wave in the feedback loop is caused to fall below a certain threshold rate by allowing expansion of the element 16 , pulses will begin to be generated by the pulsing device . by allowing greater expansion of the element 16 , the pulse output rate of the device will be slowed . the device of the invention is thus capable of being used to transmit signals in either a digital or a frequency modulated mode . in addition to being capable of a dual mode of data transmission the device of the invention is also capable of more rapid pulse rates than the devices of the prior art , as represented by the device of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 134 , 100 . the device of the present invention generates a pressure pulse for each half cycle of oscillation . the device of the referenced patent is capable of generating a pulse only for each complete cycle of oscillation . we wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described , for obvious modifications can be made by a person skilled in the art .	8
at the outset , it should be noted that in the development of any such actual embodiment , numerous implementation — specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer &# 39 ; s specific goals , such as compliance with system related and business related constraints , which will vary from one implementation to another . moreover , it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure . in addition , the composition used / disclosed herein can also comprise some components other than those cited . in the summary of the invention and this detailed description , each numerical value should be read once as modified by the term “ about ” ( unless already expressly so modified ), and then read again as not so modified unless otherwise indicated in context . also , in the summary of the invention and this detailed description , it should be understood that a concentration range listed or described as being useful , suitable , or the like , is intended that any and every concentration within the range , including the end points , is to be considered as having been stated . for example , “ a range of from 1 to 10 ” is to be read as indicating each and every possible number along the continuum between about 1 and about 10 . thus , even if specific data points within the range , or even no data points within the range , are explicitly identified or refer to only a few specific , it is to be understood that inventors appreciate and understand that any and all data points within the range are to be considered to have been specified , and that inventors possessed knowledge of the entire range and all points within the range . the statements made herein merely provide information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art , and may describe some embodiments illustrating the invention . embodiments of this invention include a method for automatically designing multi - stage hydraulic fracturing treatments in multi - payzone formations based on the minimum horizontal in - situ stress . a method was developed to select the number and locations of hydraulic fractures required to stimulate all payzones , and at the same time , with no or minimal overlapping of fractures . the hydraulic fractures are then grouped together based on available pumping capacity for each treatment stage to determine the number of stages required to treat the entire well . the method is applicable for vertical or slightly deviated wells in tight gas formations . for such formations , long fractures are required to achieve a production increase . the tight gas formations often consist of shale and sandstone sequences , and the gas production is mainly from the sandstone layers . the applicability of the method depends on stress contrasts to limit fracture heights to practical magnitude . when there is no stress contrast large enough to limit fracture height growth , other rules are required for the treatment stage design . as briefly discussed above and illustrated by fig1 ( prior art ), stress contrasts between formation layers may form barriers to contain fracture height growth . depending on the rock properties and the fracture treating pressure , the effectiveness of stress barriers depends on the magnitude of the stress contrast and the thickness of the stress layers ( fig1 prior art ). in order to determine the vertical coverage of hydraulic fractures over multiple layers , we need to know whether the stress in one or more layers is large enough for form a barrier to height growth . both the magnitude of the stress and the thickness of the layers affect the growth of the fracture in the vertical direction . it is difficult to use empirical rules to determine quantitatively whether a stress contrast is an effective barrier . on the other hand , a p3d ( pseudo 3d ) or planar 3d hydraulic fracture simulator can be used to determine fracture height growth and whether stress contrasts can limit the fracture height . however , a full p3d or planar 3d simulation requires detailed treatment design including fluid properties and a pump schedule . a best practice using an embodiment of the invention provides a fast and quantitative estimate of fracture height coverage without running full hydraulic fracture simulations . embodiments of this invention relate to methods to automatically design staged hydraulic fracturing treatments based on fracture height and in - situ stress . a method was developed to select the number and locations of hydraulic fractures required to stimulate all payzones , with no or minimal overlapping of fractures . the hydraulic fractures are then grouped together based on available pumping capacity for each treatment stage to determine the number of stages required to treat the entire well . the detailed step - by - step method , which takes into account the effect of in - situ stress and fracture height in staging design , is described below . it is assumed that the zones of petrophysical properties , mechanical properties , and in - situ stresses are generated from well logs . each zone has a single value of any property , and a zone is the smallest unit in the staging design algorithm . for example , zones based on petrophysical properties ( gas payzones ) and based on stresses are shown under the headings of gas and stress in fig2 . in addition , several payzones of different petrophysical properties may exist next to each other . it is convenient to group these payzones together in one unit , and define it as a contiguous payzone ( cp ). a cp may have one or more payzones . in fig2 , the contiguous payzones are marked by a red fill pattern and numbered as cp 1 - cp 7 . since zones of petrophysical properties and stresses are determined from different logs , they are likely to have zone boundaries at different depths . in order to apply the algorithm , these zones need to be combined so that each zone has one value of any property . an example of combined zones is shown in fig2 under the heading of “ combined zones .” the bottomhole treating pressure ( bhtp ) can be determined or estimated from previous treatments in offset wells in the same or similar formations . if a bhtp at a particular depth ( tvd ) is known , the bhtp as a function of depth can be obtained by using a pressure gradient . one estimate of the pressure gradient is the averaged value of the stress gradients of all cps . multiple bhtps at multiple depths can also be specified , in which case the bhtp as a function of depth is provided by a table of bhtp versus depth . in fig2 , the known bhtp at one depth is shown by bhtp 0 and the bhtp as the function of tvd is shown under the heading of bhtp . a fracture initiation interval is required in each simulation using a software program such as the program frachite ™ which is commercially available from schlumberger technology corporation of sugar land , tex . to determine fracture height . we need to determine the locations where the fractures initiate along the tvd of the entire formation . generally , a fracture initiation interval is a cp , for example , the intervals are shown by double arrows and numbered with i 1 , i 2 , i 3 , i 8 , and i 9 , one for each cp in fig2 . however , when there are different stresses in a cp , a number of fracture initiation intervals are needed so that each interval has one value of stress . for the example in fig2 , cp 4 has two initiation intervals i 4 and i 5 , and cp 5 has two initiation intervals of i 6 and i 7 . in total , there are nine fracture initiation intervals in fig2 . the equations for an algorithm that may benefit the software may be obtained from historical mathematical model textbooks . for example , reservoir stimulation , 3 rd edition , by michael economides and kenneth nolte , ( 2000 ) chapter 6 , pages 6 - 16 to 6 - 18 including equations 6 - 47 to 6 - 50 provide effective equations and are incorporated by reference herein . the software program frachite ™ is used to calculate a fracture height h for each fracture initiation interval based on formation mechanical properties , stresses , and bhtp . the bhtp at the depth of each initiation interval for the frachite ™ calculation is interpolated from the bhtp versus depth function . the results from the frachite ™ calculations are the fracture heights from all the initiation intervals , each height is associated with one initiation interval , as shown by h 1 - h 9 from i 1 - i 9 under the heading “ heights ” in fig2 . the results of this step show which stress barriers are strong enough to limit fracture height growth , and which stress barriers are not effective in containing fracture height growth . this provides a quantitative determination of fracture coverage in the vertical direction . it is important to note that the heights h are used to determine the effectiveness of stress barriers and they may not be the actual fracture heights in the full hydraulic fracture simulations or in the final treatment design . because the heights determined in step 4 may overlap , a number of cps may be treated or stimulated by one fracture . we need to determine the minimum number of fractures that are needed to treat all the cps , with no or minimal overlapping . this step is the procedure to determine fractures based on the heights obtained from step 4 by the following rules : a . when the stress barriers are effective , a height is contained by surrounding layers , i . e ., there is no overlapping among fracture heights from different initiation intervals . in this case , use one height as the fracture for one cp . for example , one fracture ( fracture unit 2 ) is associated with the contained height h 3 , and this fracture is used to treat cp 3 ( fig2 ). b . when the stress barriers are not strong enough , two or more heights may overlap . we consider two heights overlapping here . for two heights from two fracture initiation intervals of different stresses , two possibilities exist : b1 ) if the height from the initiation interval of low stress covers the interval of high stress , designate one fracture for this height and use this fracture to treat the two cps associated with the two intervals . for the example in fig2 , the height h 1 from the low stress interval i 1 covers the high stress interval i 2 and the associated cp 2 . we use one fracture unit 1 to treat both cp 1 and cp 2 . b2 ) if the height from the lower stress initiation interval does not cover the high stress interval , use two fractures ( fracture units ), i . e ., one for each height , to treat the two cps associated with these two intervals . for example , the height h 9 from the initiation interval i 9 does not cover the initiation interval i 8 . we use two fractures , fracture unit 5 and fracture unit 6 , for the two initiation intervals i 8 and i 9 , respectively . each fracture is to treat one cp associated with its initiation interval ( fracture unit 5 for cp 6 , and fracture unit 6 for cp 7 ). c . when there are stress differences inside a cp , multiple initiation intervals are used and the fractures from these initiation intervals are likely to overlap . we consider the case of two fracture initiation intervals inside a cp as an example ( fig3 ). the two heights associated with the two intervals will generally have some overlap since they are inside one cp . the height initiated from the high stress interval will always grow into the low stress zone and overlap with the height initiated from the low stress interval , as shown in fig3 . two possibilities exist as ( a ) and ( b ) in fig3 and are considered below : c1 ) if the height of the low stress interval grows into and covers the high stress interval , use one fracture for the entire payzone . as shown in fig3 ( a ), the height h 2 covers the entire payzone and one fracture fracture unit 1 associated with h 2 is used to treat the entire cp . c2 ) if the height from low stress interval does not cover the high stress payzone , use two fractures , one from the low stress interval and the other from the high stress interval , to treat the cp . as shown in fig3 ( b ), two fractures fracture unit 1 and fracture unit 2 , associated with h 1 and h 2 , are used to treat the payzone . ( note : the division of one cp into two fracture units is for the limited - entry design . a fracture simulation will still use one fracture for the entire cp with two perforation intervals .) similarly , for the example in fig2 , the height h 5 from the low stress interval i 5 covers the high stress interval i 4 ; and the height h 7 from the low stress interval i 7 grows into the high stress interval i 6 . both cases are the scenario of the case in fig3 ( a ) and hence , only one fracture is used in each case : fracture unit 3 for cp 4 and fracture unit 4 for cp 5 . in summary , the following table shows the relation between fracture , height , and payzones for all cps for the example in fig2 : associated covered fractures height payzones fracture h9 cp7 unit 6 fracture h8 cp6 unit 5 fracture h7 cp5 unit 4 fracture h5 cp4 unit 3 fracture h3 cp3 unit 2 fracture h1 cp1 , 2 unit 1 a . when there are more than two heights overlapping , we can extend the rules described in b and c as follows . start with the height associated with the lowest stress initiation interval , locate all payzones covered by this height and designate one fracture for all the covered payzones . next , consider the height associated with the lowest stress initiation interval among the remaining intervals that are not covered by the first height , and locate all payzones covered by this height and designate one fracture for all the covered payzones . continue this processes until all payzones are covered by fractures . we use fig4 to illustrate this procedure where three heights are overlapping . first consider the height ( h 3 ) associated with the lowest stress interval ( i 3 ). since the height h 3 covers another interval ( i 2 ) of higher stress , use one fracture ( fracture unit 1 ) of that height ( h 3 ) for these two associated cps ( cp 2 and cp 3 ). next , consider the remaining uncovered cps ( cp 1 ). in this case , there is only one cp ( cp 1 ) left . use one fracture ( fracture unit 2 ) of this height ( h 1 ) for cp 1 . if there are more than one cps left ( not shown in fig4 ), repeat the above procedure by checking the height from the interval with the lowest stress among the remaining cps , until all cps are covered by fracture . another scenario of three heights overlapping is shown in fig5 . the height associated with the lowest stress interval i 2 is h 2 and h 2 covers cp 2 only . according to the above rule , one fracture ( fracture unit 1 ) is used for cp 2 . among the remaining heights ( h 1 and h 3 ), h 1 is from the lowest stress interval i 1 . although h 1 covers cp 1 and cp 3 , there is fracture unit 1 between cp 1 and cp 3 . in this case , a fracture initiated from il is not likely pass a concurrent fracture ( fracture unit 1 ) initiated from a lower stress interval to reach cp 3 . therefore , we use fracture unit 2 for cp 1 and a separate fracture unit 3 for cp 3 . the general rule for such scenarios is : when searching for possible covered cps , the range of search is between already selected fracture units . b . when there is not enough stress barriers to limit fracture height growth , other rules are required to select fractures . for example , a height limit , e . g ., 300 ft , can be specified by the user as the maximum gross height , and only the cps covered within this height limit are treated by one fracture . the fracture units may need to be re - numbered sequentially from bottom up after this step is completed . the next step is to determine how many fractures ( fracture units ) are grouped into one treatment stage . starting from the well bottom , determine the number of fracture units that can be treated in one stage based on the available pump rate q ( bbl ) and pump rate per unit height q ( bbl / ft ) required for fracturing in a particular formation . both the available pump rate q and the pump rate per unit height q are specified by the user . the pump rate for each fracture unit is the product of the pump rate per unit height q times the fracture height or the payzone height . when the sum of the required pump rates from a number of fracture units reaches the available pump rate , these fracture units are grouped into one stage . if using fracture height to determine pump rate , we need to consider overlapping heights . when fracture units have overlap heights , only one of the overlap parts is used in the flow rate calculation . for the example in fig2 , the heights h 8 ( fracture unit 5 ) and h 9 ( fracture unit 6 ) are overlapping . the part of h 8 below h 9 is used in the flow rate calculation . the reason is in a vertical or slightly deviated well , the height growth of one fracture is likely to be hindered by the height growth of the fractures immediately below or above in an actual treatment . the amount of overlap will be small when two fractures are growing simultaneously due to the mechanical interaction between them . if using the height of the payzones in the flow rate calculation , there is no overlap issue . this process is repeated upwards along the wellbore until all fracture units are grouped into stages . the stage determination can also be based on other criteria , such as based on maximum gross height , minimum distance between the stages , and minimum net height . when there is more than one fracture in a stage , limited entry perforating may be needed when the stress differences between the fractures are large . for each stage , if the stress difference between the fracture units is larger than a user specified value , use the limited entry design algorithm to determine the number of perforation holes for each fracture . the limited entry design algorithm is based on the stresses of fracture units . the stress of a fracture unit is the stress of its initiation interval . in the example of fig2 , for stage 1 , the stress of fracture unit 1 is the stress in the interval il , the stress of fracture unit 2 is the stress of the interval i 3 . if the difference is less than the specified value , no limited entry is required and the number of perforation holes is determined by other rules that may be used to minimizing perforation pressure drop during treatment or perforation skin during production . the method has been implemented in a hydraulic fracturing treatment design software package . fig5 is an example screen shot of the fracture height and fracture unit determination and the stage design from the software . the required formation mechanical properties of stress , young &# 39 ; s modulus and poisson &# 39 ; s ratio are determined from well logs as shown by the log graphs in fig5 . the zones are determined from petrophysical properties and mechanical properties . the payzones are marked by a green color . the fracture height for each payzone is calculated by the procedure described in step 3 using the mechanical properties from the logs and a bhtp value , which is determined by the user as the payzone stress plus 500 psi ( net pressure of hydraulic fracturing ). the fracture heights are shown by the vertical bars . the fracture units are then determined by the procedure described in step 4 of the method . the stages are then determined by the procedure described in step 5 . as can been seen in fig5 , one fracture unit may include one or more payzones and one stage may include one or more fracture units . in this way , the entire formation is treated with a minimum number of stages that generate fractures covering all payzones . the particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only , as the invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein . furthermore , no limitations are intended to the details herein shown , other than as described in the claims below . it is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the invention . accordingly , the protection sought herein is as set forth in the claims below .	4
reference is now made to fig1 which is a highly schematic block diagram of a representative embodiment of expert support system 1 . system 1 comprises computer 3 , output device or monitor 5 , input device or keyboard 7 , and software program or programs 9 which preferably reside ( s ) in computer 3 . system 1 may also comprise printer 11 and mouse 13 . in an alternative embodiment , system 1 may comprise network 15 and all or part of program or programs 9 comprising sets of instructions that may reside and / or be executed in second computer 21 . in yet another embodiment , system 1 comprises modem 23 which connects computer 3 with third computer 25 in which all or part of program or programs 9 may reside and / or be executed . invention disclosures serve a variety of purposes . most basically , invention disclosures allow for management of ( hopefully valuable ) intellectual property by giving it an identity . thus , an initial purpose of an invention disclosure is to establish the date of conception of an invention . this is important because currently u . s . patents are granted to the “ first to invent .” while other patent - granting organizations grant patents on a “ first to file ” basis , they still require that no one else can have disclosed the invention publicly . thus , a public invention disclosure can preclude patentability in certain situations . a second purpose of invention disclosures is to facilitate evaluation of the market value of the invention by technology managers . such an evaluation is necessary because preparation , filing , and prosecution of patent applications can be time - consuming and expensive . care must be taken to ensure that the commercial potential of the invention is commensurate with such efforts . an invention disclosure can also serve the purpose of compliance with the terms of an employment agreement or with the terms of a contract or grant award . for example , in accordance with the bayh - dole act ( public law 98 - 620 , which amended public law 96 - 517 ), inventions “ first conceived or actually reduced to practice ” during the performance of federally - funded research must be disclosed to the research sponsor under regulations contained in 37 cfr 401 , rights to inventions made by nonprofit organizations and small business firms . most employment contracts also require disclosure of inventions produced by employees during working hours or inventions made using facilities of the employee . a “ non - enabling ” invention disclosure serves a fourth purpose . this type of disclosure is used by technology managers to attract commercial interest in an invention in a period during which secrecy is still required ( i . e ., prior to the filing of a patent application ). a fifth purpose of invention disclosures is to facilitate preparation of a patent application by a patent professional ( patent attorney or agent ). in exchange for the granting of a patent , patent laws require disclosure of a description of an invention and an explanation of its operation . to a large degree , content requirements for an invention disclosure depend on the purpose for which it is prepared . content requirements for a number of types of invention disclosures are summarized below . this section comprises a knowledgebase concerning invention disclosure requirements . an invention disclosure required by a contract , termed herein an initial invention disclosure , must comply with the terms of that contract . generally , the following information is required : inventor ( s ) including name , social security number , position , department , citizenship , work address , work voice telephone number , work fax telephone number , work e - mail address , home address and home voice telephone number contract or grant project ( s ) during which the invention was conceived or first reduced to practice including identifying number , sponsor and principal investigator dates and details of and witnesses to important events including initial idea , first oral or written description of the complete invention ( conception ), first successful demonstration ( actual reduction to practice ), publications containing a full description of the invention and oral disclosures of the invention potential licensees including organization , reason for interest , contact name , address and voice telephone number a non - enabling invention disclosure is designed to motivate the reader to want to learn more about the invention . because the secrecy of the invention must be maintained , the disclosure should provide less information than the amount that a person skilled in the art would need to practice the invention . generally , the following information is appropriate : content requirements of patent application invention disclosures are established by law and stipulated in regulations . all patent - granting organizations have established format requirements for invention disclosures as noted below . general disclosure requirements of the u . s . patent and trademark office ( pto ) are stipulated in subpart b of title 37 of the code of federal regulations , and specific requirements for biotechnology disclosures are given in subpart g ( pto , 1992 ). seventy - three pages of detailed procedural guidelines concerning the parts , form , and content of a u . s . patent application are given in chapter 600 of the manual of patent examining procedure ( mpep ) ( pto , 1992 ). guidelines for patentability determinations are given in chapter 2100 of the mpep . guidelines for drafting a model patent application presented in the mpep suggest the following headings ( mpep 608 ): statements as to rights to inventions made under federally - sponsored research and development ( if any ) description of related art including information disclosed under sections 1 . 97 and 1 . 98 patent cooperation treaty ( pct ) invention disclosure requirements are documented in the following publications : handbook on industrial property information and documentation ( world intellectual property organization , wipo , 1991 ); patent cooperation treaty ( pct ) and regulations under the pct ( wipo , 1992 ) and pct applicant &# 39 ; s guide ( wipo , 1994 ) the pct applicant &# 39 ; s guide stipulates that the description of an invention should have the following headings : it also provides specific format requirements for disclosures of nucleotide and amino acid sequences . the pct applicant &# 39 ; s guide further notes that “ the details required for the disclosure of the invention . . . depend on the practice of the national offices .” the disclosure requirements of the european patent office ( epo ) are documented in the following publications : national law relating to the epc ( epo , 1991 ); european patent convention ( epo , 1991 ); how to get a european patent : a guide for applicants ( epo , 1992 ) and guidelines for examination in the european patent office ( epo , 1992 ). the guide for applicants stipulates that the description of the invention should have the following sections : detailed account of at least one way of carrying out the invention provisions regulating representation of nucleotide and amino acid sequences in patent applications became mandatory on jan . 1 , 1993 ( epo , 1992 ). a computer program , patentin , is available to assist applicants in meeting the physical requirements of u . s . and epo sequence listing rules . the disclosure requirements of the japanese patent office ( jpo ) are documented in the following publications : guide to industrial property in japan ( jpo , 1988 ); guideline for accelerated examination and accelerated appeal ; examination system for working - related patent ( or utility model ) applications ( jpo , 1989 ); patent application paperless system guide book ( jpo , 1990 ); industrial property rights in japan ( jetro , 1991 ); japanese laws relating to industrial property ( aippi japan , 1992 ); examination manual for patent and utility model ( aippi japan , 1992 ) and supplemental guidelines for examination practice under revised system of multiple claims ( aippi japan , 1992 ). the guide to industrial property in japan stipulates that specification of a japanese patent application should have the following headings : in any rapidly developing art such as biotechnology , criteria for determining patentability and the adequacy of disclosure are in constant flux . decisions of the u . s . board of patent appeals and interferences and the u . s . courts , as well as decisions of the epo technical boards of appeal , regularly establish new criteria and refine existing criteria . these decisions are published in such journals as the us . patent quarterly and the official journal of the epo and are analyzed in a variety of legal journals . proposed legislation , such as the biotechnology patent protection act ( 1991 ), may indicate trends in disclosure requirements and suggest potential disclosure strategies . u . s . patent and trademark office requirements reflect the fact that a u . s . patent may be obtained by its inventor ( s ) for a useful , new , and unobvious invention . the invention must fall into one of the following five classes of inventions : 1 . a process ( which may be a process of making something or a process of using something ) a complete u . s . patent application comprises the following elements ( 37 cfr 1 . 51 ): the content and format of the oath or declaration and filing fee calculations are standardized and have been automated by electronic patent application filing aids such as easy or patent it yourself ( eds , 1994 ). for that reason , they are not covered here . the material presented below was incorporated into the legal guide section of the software . the material was quoted or derived from u . s . government publications , such as the patent academy instructors manual ( pto , 1989 ). salient portions of the manual of patent examining procedure ( mpep ), the code of federal regulations ( cfr ), and administrative and judicial decisions concerning the sections of a u . s . patent application are presented in appendix a , b and c of exhibit b , respectively . at least one example of each section is presented in appendix d of exhibit b . inventors . care must be taken in identifying the inventor or inventors , as only the inventor or inventors may sign the oath or declaration and obtain a u . s . patent . each person who actually conceived claimed subject matter must be listed as one of the inventors . the degree of contribution to claimed subject matter is irrelevant , but it must constitute real invention , and not merely “ a pair of hands .” the inventors need not have physically worked together , or at the same time , or made the same type or amount of contribution , or each have contributed to all claimed subject matter . when two or more parties claim the same invention in separate u . s . patent applications , the patent will be awarded to the party who can prove that he / she / they were the “ first to invent .” the first party to apply for a patent on the invention ( i . e , the party who first “ constructively ” reduced the invention to practice , or “ senior party ”) is presumed to be the “ first to invent .” this presumption can be overcome by a “ junior party ” who can prove actual reduction to practice before the senior party , unless the senior party can prove that he was first to conceive of the invention and that he was reasonably diligent in developing the invention during the period between his conception of the invention and his reduction of the invention to practice . thus , the general rule is that the law “ regards the first conceiver , if he used reasonable diligence in perfecting his invention and reducing it to practice , as the first inventor , not withstanding the invention was first reduced to practice by another ” ( in re harper , 1930 ). uncorroborated and undocumented testimony of an applicant as to a critical date is insufficient proof that an action occurred . the date upon which an invention can be proven to have been completed also affects which references ( patents , publications , etc .) can be used as “ prior art ” during the examination of a patent application . in general , only those references that were published prior to the date of invention can be used as prior art . the “ general working consensus ” is that the actual date on which the journal issues ( to subscribers or other members of the public ) is the effective date ( of “ publication ”) for purposes of patent law . title of the invention . the title of the invention should be technically accurate and descriptive , but brief . preferably , the title should consist of two to seven words ( less than 250 characters ). it should be placed at the top of the first page of the specification . in that the first step in bibliographic ( key word ) and classification ( class and subclass ) patent searches is viewing a listing of the first 69 characters of patent titles , care should be taken in choosing each word of an invention title . a reading of the first 69 characters of the title should be sufficient to motivate the reader to view the entire title and patent abstract . cross - references to related applications . a u . s . patent application is entitled to the filing date of an earlier “ related ” application under certain conditions . the subsequent application ( which is called a continuing application ) must be for an invention disclosed in the earlier application , must be filed before the earlier application is issued as a patent , is abandoned , or rejected by the courts , must be filed by at least one inventor named in the earlier application , and must contain a reference to the earlier application at the time of filing . thus , a patent application is entitled to the benefit of the filing date of one or more prior , copending applications which have at least one common inventor if the invention claimed in the subsequent ( continuing ) application is disclosed in the prior application and the prior application is referenced in the continuing application . an appropriate reference to a related application will be generated by this software as follows : “ this is a ( division , continuation , or continuation - in - part ) of application serial no . () filed ( date ). statement as to rights to inventions . most contracts and grants awarded by the u . s . government require reporting of inventions created or first actually reduced to practice during the contract or grant period . the government typically has rights in such inventions . when a contractor or grantee retains the patent rights to an invention that was conceived or first reduced to practice under a u . s . government contract or grant , the patent application must include a statement of government rights in the invention . in most situations , an appropriate statement for disclosing government rights will be generated by this software as follows : “ the u . s . government has a paid - up license in this invention and the rights in limited circumstances to require the patent owner to license others on reasonable terms as provided for by the terms of ( contract no . or grant no .) awarded by ( agency ).” background of the invention . the background of the invention is set forth in two parts : ( 1 ) the field of the invention , and ( 2 ) a description of related art . the field of the invention is a statement of the field of art to which the claimed invention pertains . if a patent search has identified the classification ( class and subclass ) of the invention , then the subclass definition may be paraphrased . this section may also be titled “ technical field .” the description of related art section presents a sunmary of the prior art in the field of the invention . reference should be made to specific documents , if appropriate . problems left unsolved by the prior art that are solved by the present invention should be discussed . this is the first place in the disclosure that evidence that the invention meets the three criteria for patentability ( utility , novelty , and unobviousness ) can be presented . this is accomplished by pointing out the limitations of the prior art , thus setting the stage for a delineation of the advantages of the present invention in the summary of the invention section . summary of the invention . a brief summary of the inventive concept ( s ) is presented in this section . the nature and gist of the inventive concept ( s ) should be set forth in broad statements . these statements may paraphrase and amplify the broadest claims . the summary should point out the advantages of the invention and how it solves problems existing in the art ( that were described in the description of related art section ). the utility of the invention should be pointed out . the section may end with statements of the “ objects ” of the invention . it is in this section that the applicants provides a summary of the information upon which a determination of the utility , novelty , and unobviousness of the invention can be based . if a reading of this section does not convince a patent examiner that the invention meets the criteria of patentability , then that difficult task will have to be accomplished during prosecution of the application . for this reason , it is prudent to state the specific , credible uses of the invention to establish its utility . it is also effective to provide a listing of the elements ( or steps ) of the embodiment ( version ) of the invention described in the broadest ( least limited ) claim . the use or uses must be credible to a person skilled in the art of the invention . examples should be provided of means for accomplishing functions recited in the broadest claims . unexpected or surprising results that bear on a determination of unobviousness should be summarized . brief description of the drawing ( s ). most disclosures contain drawings that illustrate the elements and / or steps of the invention . this section of an invention disclosure contains an initial reference to each drawing by number and a brief description of the nature ( e . g ., plan , elevation , schematic block diagram , etc .) of each drawing . description of the preferred embodiment ( s ). this is the heart of the disclosure . here , a written description of the invention and a description of the process of making and using the invention are presented . at least one , and preferably several , preferred embodiments ( also called best modes ) of the invention are described in great detail . u . s . law requires that the disclosure be sufficient to teach the invention to a “ person skilled in the art ”. it is also the case that “ new matter ” ( additional disclosure of the inventive concept ) cannot be added to a patent application after it is filed . for these reasons , it is better to err on the side of too much disclosure rather than on the side of too little . in the typical case of a biotechnology invention involving molecular biology or genetic engineering , the following descriptive material may be appropriate for inclusion an invention disclosure , if applicable : identification of any dna sources , including accession numbers and addresses of depositories identification and sources of preferred and alternative cloning vectors , promoters , terminators , etc . preferred and other host cells for transformation , including accession numbers and addresses of depositories nature and source of all trademarked material used in making the invention . references in u . s . patent applications as filed to deposits of biological materials should include the following : while any word - processing program which has the capability to convert a file into ascii text can be used to generate a sequence listing , it is recommended that the patentin computer program be used . in any event , extreme care must be taken in following sequence listing format rules given in the manual of patent examining procedure ( mpep ) and in patentin documentation . in the typical case of a biotechnology invention involving molecular biology or genetic engineering , the following sequence information may be appropriate for inclusion an invention disclosure , if applicable : u . s . patent law requires that at least the “ best mode ” of the invention be disclosed . it is prudent , however , to include in the specification at least a mention of all conceivable alternatives to the mode that is considered the best mode at the time of filing of the patent application . this will make it more difficult for other inventors to obtain patents on improvements to the present invention and could facilitate obtaining broader claims . claims . u . s . patent applications must contain at least one claim . a patent application that is filed without at least one claim is not entitled to a filing date ( mpep 608 . 01 ). a claim is a legal description of the “ metes and bounds ” of an embodiment of an invention . as such , claims contain terms and phrases that have come to have meanings particular to patent law . abstract of the disclosure . the abstract is a summary of the disclosure as a whole in a single paragraph of 250 words or less . in that the most widely - available patent searching software is capable of searching for patent titles and abstracts by key words and phrases , care should be taken to ensure that appropriate key words and phrases occur in patent abstracts . it should fulfill the purpose of permitting the pto and the public to rapidly determine the nature and gist of the technical disclosure from a cursory inspection . drawings . in the typical case of a biotechnology invention involving molecular biology or genetic engineering , the following types of drawings may be appropriate for invention disclosure : schematic block diagram of the process of making the invention with each block being a step in the process , e . g ., the procedure for isolating and purifying or synthesizing a gene , for synthesizing and labeling an oligonucleotide probe , for preparing a genomic or cdna library ( or for enriching the dna of interest ), or for constructing a hybrid plasmid . obtaining patent protection under the patent cooperation treaty ( pct ) is accomplished in two phases . it begins with the filing of an international patent application and ends ( hopefully ) with the grant of a number of national and / or regional patents : hence the terms , “ international phase ” and “ national phase .” it is the international phase patent application that is the subject of this disclosure . the description of an invention in a pct application must disclose the invention in a manner sufficiently clear and complete for it to be carried out by a person skilled in the art . the sections of a pct patent application are described below ( wipo , 1994 ): title of invention . the title of the invention must be short ( preferably two to seven words , when in english or translated to english ) and precise . applicant ( s ). the applicant ( s ) for a pct international patent need not be the “ first inventor ( s )” as is the case in the u . s . at least one of the applicants must be a resident or national of a pct contracting state . the applicant ( s ) must be the first inventor ( s ), however , if a u . s . patent will be sought in the national phase . technical field . this section specifies the technical field to which the invention relates . background art . this section indicates the background art which the applicant , regards as useful for the understanding , searching , and examination of the invention . preferably , it should cite the documents that contain the prior art . disclosure of invention . in this section , the invention as claimed , is disclosed in such terms that the technical problem that it solves ( even if not expressly stated as such ) and its solution can be understood . the advantageous effects of the invention , if any , with reference to the background art are stated . brief description of the drawings . the figures in the drawings , if any , are briefly described in this section . mode ( s ) or best mode for carrying out the invention . if at least one of the designated states requires the indication of the “ best mode ” ( for instance , the pto ), that best mode must be indicated in the description . this is done in terms of examples , where appropriate , and with reference to the drawings , if any . industrial applicability . when it is not obvious from the description or nature of the invention , the way in which the invention is capable of exploitation in industry is explicitly stated in this section . the way in which it can be made and used , or , if it can only be used , the way in which it can be used is described . the term “ industry ” is to be understood in its broadest sense as in the paris convention for the protection of industrial property . the european patent office establishes requirements for obtaining a european patent . a european patent confers on its owner , in each contracting state for which it is granted , the rights that would be conferred by a national patent granted by the state . european patents are granted for inventions with industrial applicability which are new and which involve an inventive step . the sections of the disclosure portion of an epo patent application are described below ( epo , 1992 ): technical field . this section indicated the technical field to which the invention relates . this can be indicated by repeating fully , or in substance , the initial ( prior art ) portion of an independent claim , or by referring to it . background art . an account of the background art that would be useful for understanding the invention is presented . documents describing prior art should be cited wherever possible . the citations should be sufficiently complete to allow them to be consulted : i . e ., in the case of patent specifications , giving the country and number ; in the case of books , the author , title , publisher , edition , place and year of publication , plus the page numbers ; and in the case of periodicals , the title , year , issue and page numbers . disclosure of the invention . the disclosure of the invention must be such that the technical problem ( even if not expressly stated as such ) and its solution can be understood . to facilitate understanding the solution as given in the independent claim or claims , the characterizing portion of the independent claim or claims may be repeated or referred to or the features of the solution can be set out in a form which corresponds in substance to the claim ( s ). details of the embodiments of the invention as given in the dependent claims are elucidated only if this is not done in the description of the way or ways of carrying out the invention as claimed , or in the figures in the drawings . any advantageous effects of the invention vis - à - vis the background art are stated . care must be taken , however , not to disparage a particular earlier product or process . brief description of the figures . a brief description of the figures in any drawings is presented , indicating the numbers of the figures . detailed account of at least one way of carrying out the invention . a detailed description of at least one embodiment of the invention is presented . this is usually done by means of examples that are explained by reference to the drawings using the reference manuals . statement of how the invention is capable of industrial application . because a criterion of patentability is that the invention be capable of industrial application , a statement to that effect is included in the application . “ in exceptional cases the description may be set out in a different manner and sequence to that described above if this would afford a better understanding and a more economic presentation .” “ although the description should be clear and straightforward with avoidance of unnecessary technical jargon , the use of recognized terms of art is acceptable , and will often be desirable . little known technical terms may be allowed provided that they are adequately defined and that there is no generally recognized equivalent .” “ proper names or similar words may not be used to refer to articles unless they would thereby be identified unambiguously . even if such a word is used the product must be sufficiently identified , without reliance upon the word , to enable the invention to be carried out by the skilled person . if such proper names or similar words are registered trade marks , that fact must be mentioned .” the japanese patent office establishes requirements for obtaining a japanese patent . a japanese patent may be obtained by the first to file a patent application that describes a useful and novel invention that involved “ an inventive step .” the description of the sections presented below was derived from the guide to industrial property in japan ( jpo , 1988 ): industrial field of application . this is a statement of the technical field to which the invention pertains . it is particularly important in those situation in which the industrial applicability of the invention is not clear . prior art . the content of the prior art ( s ) to which the invention is to be compared is described . as a rule , documents that describe prior art are cited in the application . if the invention is totally novel and no prior art exist , a statement to that effect is included . problems that the invention is to solve . the application contains an analysis of the problems involved with ( or limitation of ) the prior art that are solved by the invention . disparaging the prior art is not allowed . means of solving the problems . the means ( e . g ., constituents or elements ) of the invention that overcome the problems of the prior art are described . the description explains how the elements are related to one another . operation of the invention . the specification describes how the elements of the invention function . how the elements , in combination , operate to solve the problems of the prior art is described . working examples . the invention must be described in such concrete terms as to enable its reproduction . as many different embodiments of the invention as possible should be described . if claims are written to recite invention elements generically ( e . g ., means claims ), the specification is required to give representative examples of what is meant , except in cases in which the meaning of such claims can be grasped theoretically or from experience . effects of the invention . the effects produced by the indispensable constituent features ( i . e ., required elements ) of the invention are described . comparative data on the results of the invention compared to the results of the prior art are presented . in a preferred embodiment , software program 9 is developed by means of an object - oriented design process and is implemented in an object - oriented computer language , such as c ++. object - oriented design is the process by which software requirements are turned into a detailed specification of objects ( wirfs - brock , r ., et al . designing object - oriented software . new jersey : ptr prentice - hall , 1990 ). the object - oriented design process is typically iterative . following procedures recommended by wirfs - brock ( 1990 ) and booch ( booch , g . object - oriented design with applications . u . s . a . : benjamin / cummings publishing company , inc ., 1991 ), an initial exploratory phase of object - oriented software design is conducted . key abstractions that occur in the problem domain are identified . in this way , the requirements specification is decomposed into a variety of objects which communicate with one another to achieve the overall goal of the software . objects are instances of classes and comprise sets of instructions for the operation of computer 3 . one way this is accomplished is by reviewing an outline requirements specification to extract noun phrases from which to build a list of candidate classes of objects . candidates for abstract superclasses are identified by grouping classes that share common attributes . a short statement of the purpose of each class is prepared . the responsibilities of the software are extracted from the specification noting actions and information . these responsibilities are then assigned to specific classes . collaborations between classes are identified by examining the responsibilities associated with each class . a collaboration is the embodiment of a contract between a client class and a server class . a client class sends a message to a server class requesting assistance in fulfilling a client responsibility . the output of this design phase is class tables ( wirfs - brock , 1990 ). exploration of the problem domain begins with identification of the key classes of objects by capturing the user &# 39 ; s vocabulary in nouns ( classes ) and verbs ( methods ). the key classes of objects included in the invention are : exploratory design of the software identifies classes of persistent database objects the application must manage . the attributes of each class of database objects are quantified . specifically , for each data object ( instance of a class ), the description , type and length of database field that will hold the object is presented . key components of domain - interaction systems are database objects . the purpose of these objects is to maintain data in a form that is changeable , but that persists from one use of the software to another . a list of classes of database objects is presented in alphabetical order in tables 3 and 4 . database classes responsible for managing databases comprised of multiple element records are described in table 5 . database classes responsible for managing databases comprised of text file names are described in table 4 . also listed are the data members ( field names ) and types of data elements that comprise each database . each database class is responsible for management of its data elements . as this database management behavior is shared by all database management classes , an abstract superclass ( database ) is created to capture this shared behavior in one place . those shared behaviors ( member functions ) are described in alphabetical order in table 5 . expert ( or knowledge - based ) objects are also key components of domain - interaction systems . these objects comprise knowledgebases ( typically rules ) and an inference engine that uses the rules and user input to make ( or support ) decisions . a list of classes of expert objects is presented in table 6 . the class names describe the decision that is being supported ( the inference that is being made ). a single inference engine object searches an appropriate knowledgebase to allow the overall question ( hypothesis ) that is posed to each expert object to be answered . the inference engine object is responsible for performing a backward chaining , rule - processing operation . these capabilities are typically provided by expert system shells . user interface objects facilitate communication between the software application and its users . development of software applications that run in the microsoft ® windows ™ graphical environment is most efficiently accomplished by means of an application framework that provides windows user interface classes and functionality which can be inherited by application specific objects . a list of classes of windows objects is presented in table 7 . classes of screen objects are described in table 8 . other user interface classes are described in table 9 . in object - oriented software programs , a collaboration is a request from client class to server class for assistance in fulfilling a responsibility to the client class . an object collaborates with another object if , to fulfill a responsibility , it needs to send the other object any messages . thus , collaborations are one - way interactions , from a client to a server . for this reason , classes that represent external interfaces are typically servers and not clients . collaborations between classes are presented in table 10 . this information is the starting point of the analysis phase of the object - oriented design process . during a second , analysis phase of object - oriented design , class hierarchies , subsystems , and protocols are documented . cad techniques are used to prepare graphics that illustrate class hierarchies , shared responsibilities , and class collaborations . each collaboration embodies a contract between a client and a server object . classes that collaborate to support a small and strongly cohesive set of responsibilities are grouped into subsystems . finally , class protocols are defined in detail . the output of this phase is specifications for each class , subsystem , and contract . the analysis phase of database design involves refinement of the database model . the data dictionary is also normalized . knowledge - based expert system ( kbes ) design alternatives are also evaluated . the different ways knowledge can be represented and structured are evaluated in the light of the nature of the knowledgebase . rule - based knowledge representation technology ( backward - chaining , and forward - chaining ), frame object - based representation , multiple context representation , model - based representation , and blackboard representation were considered . based on this evaluation , the form ( s ) of representation that best matched the inherent structure ( s ) of the problem are identified . finally , user interface issues are addressed . a visual metaphor for the application is selected and means by which an extensive user guidance system can be implemented are developed . class hierarchies are developed for each of the classes of objects . in establishing class hierarchies , a development team preferably follows the rule advocated by wild ( wild , f . h . managing class coupling , unix review , october 1991 , 45 - 47 ) and lorenz ( lorenz , m . object - oriented software development . a practical guide . new jersey : ptr prentice - hall , inc ., 1993 ). this rules states the “ subclasses inherit all the superclass &# 39 ; s methods only adding new methods and instance variables that work with the superclass &# 39 ; s structure , or the new class should be positioned elsewhere .” hierarchy graphs are used to present graphical representation of the inheritance relationships between related classes . in hierarchy graphs classes are represented by rectangles which are labeled with the class names . inheritance is indicated by a line from a superclass to a subclass and by position , with superclasses being positioned above their subclasses . the upper left hand corners of the rectangles representing abstract classes is filled in while that of concrete classes are not . a hierarchy graph for database classes is presented on fig2 . abstract subclass recordsdatabases 31 and abstract subclass textfilesdatabases 33 inherit behavior ( member functions or methods ) from superclass databases 32 . class datarecords 30 inherits behavior from abstract class recordsdatabases 31 and class textrecords 34 inherits behavior from abstract subclass textfilesdatabases 33 . a hierarchy graph for expert classes is presented on fig3 . concrete class ptopatentabilityassessments 37 , concrete class pctpatentabilityassessments 39 , concrete class epopatentabilityassessments 41 , and concrete class jpopatentabilityassessments 43 inherit the behavior from abstract class patentabilityassessments 51 . abstract class patentabilityassessments 51 and concrete class marketabilityassessments 53 inherit behavior from superclass experts 55 . a hierarchy graph for windows classes is presented on fig4 . concrete class answerwindows 61 inherits from concrete class recordeditwindows 63 . concrete class orderedrecorddisplaywindows 65 and concrete class recordeditwindows 63 inherit from concrete class orderedrecordeditwindows 67 . concrete class orderedrecordeditwindows 67 and concrete class textdisplaywindows 69 inherit behavior from abstract superclass windows 71 . a hierarchy graph for screen object classes is presented on fig5 . concrete class editlines 81 inherits from concrete class editboxes 83 . concrete classes editboxes 83 and concrete class comboboxes 85 inherit from abstract class editobjects 87 , but class comboboxes 85 also inherits from concrete class listboxes 89 . abstract class editobjects 87 , concrete class listboxes 89 , concrete class menus 91 , concrete class buttons 93 , concrete class checkboxes 95 , and concrete class radiobuttons 97 inherit behavior from abstract class screenobjects 99 . subsystems are groups of classes , or groups of classes and other subsystems , that collaborate among themselves to fulfil a responsibility . subsystem and class collaborations can be illustrated in a collaborations graph . collaboration graphs can illustrate superclass — subclass relationships as well as collaborations . rectangles representing subclasses are graphically nested with the rectangles that represent their superclasses . a cross - hatched rectangle boundary is used to indicate that a superclass is expanded elsewhere ( e . g ., in a hierarchy graph ). as was noted earlier , the responsibilities of a class comprise one or more contracts for which that class is a server . on collaboration graphs , contracts are shown as small semicircles inside the server class to which they belong . collaborations between classed are represented by on arrow from the client class to the contract supported by the server class . subsystems are represented on collaborations graphs by rectangles with rounded corners . these rectangles enclose the classes and subsystems that comprise the subsystem . a collaboration graph for the text file handling subsystem 111 is presented on fig6 . text file handling subsystem 111 is comprised of windowing subsystem 113 which , in turn , is comprised of class texteditwindows 115 and class textdisplaywindows 117 . text file handling subsystem 111 is further comprised of class texteditors 119 , class textmovers 121 , and class textfiles 123 . this subsystem supports the following contracts : a collaboration graph for record handling subsystem 131 is presented on fig7 . the subsystem comprises the classes that support data - persistence contracts . this includes class recordwindows 133 , class editobjects 135 , class recorddatabases 137 , class orderedrecordeditwindows 139 , class orderverifiers 141 and class orderedrecorddisplaywindows 143 . it coordinates the transfer of information into and out of database records . this subsystem supports the following contracts : a collaboration graph for expert support subsystem 151 is presented on fig8 . expert support subsystem 151 comprises class answerwindows 153 , class radiobuttons 155 , class inferenceengines 157 , class recorddatabases 159 , and class knowledgebases 161 . this subsystem supports the following contracts : the expert support subsystem uses rules in either a forward - chaining mode or backward - chaining mode . the final step in specifying an object - oriented design is to construct protocols for each class . protocols are the specific signature for the member functions that each class will perform . thus , a protocol comprises the name of a member function , the name and order of its parameter , and what it returns . member functions for the database class are those provided by the dbase version of the knowledgepro windows data ( knowledge garden , inc . knowledge pro windows database toolkit . nassau , n . y . : knowledge garden , inc ., 1991 ). member functions for expert , windows , and screenobject classes are those provided by knowledgepro windows version 2 . 0 ( knowledge garden , inc ., knowledge pro windows reference manual version 2 . 0 . nassau , n . y . : knowledge garden , inc ., 1991 ). the analysis phase of database design involves refinement of the database model and normalization of the data dictionary . the final version is described in tables 3 and 4 . analysis of the problem domain is conducted to determine an appropriate form of knowledge representation . the findings of that analysis are presented in table 11 . because the patentability in any jurisdiction depends on the application of a fairly complex set of legal rules , a rule - based representation was found to be appropriate for patentability assessments . with this type of knowledge representation , rules are conceptually represented as if / then statements in the form : an inference engine then analyzes and processes the rules . in a preferred embodiment , a backward - chaining approach to rule processing was appropriate . with backward - chaining , the inference engine works backward from a hypothesized consequent ( e . g ., probably unpatentable ) to locate known predicates that would provide support for either hypothesis . the rules used in the pto patentability assessment knowledgebase in the working example are presented in table 12 . a similar “ rulebase ” is appropriate for other knowledgebase classes . when display or output of an invention disclosure is required , the software organizes information on the characteristics of each invention in an appropriate order and format . the information may be displayed on monitor 5 and / or it may be output on printer 11 . the organized information may also be transmitted via modem 23 to third computer 25 and / or it may be transmitted to second computer 21 via network 15 . in some embodiments , the user of second computer 21 and / or third computer 25 may modify the information stored by program 9 . user interface design activities include selection of “ metaphors ” for the interface , implementing that metaphor in a series of prototype screens , and testing . screens are then revised in response to user comments . a verbal metaphor is the “ application of a word or phrase to an object or concept it does not literally denote , in order to suggest comparison with another object or concept ” ( random house college dictionary . revised ed . u . s . a . : random house , 1973 ). the visual metaphors used in software design communicate the designer &# 39 ; s model of the problem domain . effective metaphors trigger application of the desired knowledge and experience in the minds of users ( heckel , p . the elements of friendly software design . san francisco : sybex inc ., 1991 ). a number of metaphors are appropriate in designing the main program entry screen . one is to use a parent window having a blank screen and a main menu similar to that used in word processing applications , such as wordperfect for windows ™ or microsoft word for windows ™. the primary advantage to using this approach is that the software &# 39 ; s users are experienced with using this kind of interface to manipulate documents . a disadvantage is that the application bears more similarity to a database ( e . g ., accounting program ) than it does to a word processing program ( although some of the “ fields ,” or subdocuments , will become parts of related master documents ). a second approach involves using a parent window with an abbreviated main menu with an introductory text display ( child ) window and a “ control panel ” ( child ) window along the right edge of the screen . the metaphor is that of an electronic instrument having a control panel . because potential users of the software are scientists , this approach is preferred for implementation . this interface design communicates the nature of the application : an instrument for data management , not a file - based word processor . an extensive user guidance system is part of the user interface . the components of that system are : in a preferred embodiment , the software provides motivational information and legal guidance information in a child window located beneath the input / output window . a forward - chaining expert system is used to infer which motivational material or content and format requirements or guidelines to display . the online help system is located in a vertical window that overlays the right one - third of the parent window . motivational information is provided in a window having the title “ why is this information required ?”. the default mode is for this “ why ?” information to be displayed at the same time each input window was displayed . by changing a setting in the main menu , a motivated or experienced user can cause the legal guidance to be automatically displayed . legal guidance is provided in “ legal guide ” screens . initially , legal guidance specific to the displayed input screen is provided that was deemed appropriate for a “ lay ” ( i . e ., inexperienced ) user . the user uses buttons to select one or more of the following more detailed legal guidance options : the online help system is developed following the guidance of boggan et al . ( boggan , s ., et . al . developing online help for windows . u . s . a . : sams publishing , 1993 ) and microsoft ( microsoft windows version 3 . 1 . u . s . a . : microsoft corp ., 1994 ). help topic files are compiled with the microsoft help compiler ( hc31 . exe ). both general and context - specific help topics were provided . help topics provide an overview of intellectual property management issues and guidance concerning the key steps in obtaining and maintaining patent protection . context - sensitive help topics provide guidance on how to operate the software and how to input data . a working example of system 1 was implemented to lead a scientist / inventor through the process of preparing a disclosure for a recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid ( rdna ) invention that would be sufficient for disclosing the invention to a research sponsor or to a patent professional who had the responsibility of preparing a u . s . patent application . the software organized disclosure information into the following nested subdivisions : thus , the software &# 39 ; s model or schema was that technology groups contain inventions and inventions contain disclosures . the working example also provided an expert system a scientist / inventor could use to conduct a preliminary assessment of the patentability of a rdna invention under u . s . ( pto ) rules . the working example provided functionality for reverse - chaining rules processing and a windows ™ user interface . the working example was implemented in the borland c ++ language . portions of the c ++ code were prototyped in knowledge garden &# 39 ; s kpwin ++. a listing of the c ++ code , for which u . s . copyright protection has been applied , is included as exhibit a . the working example ran in the microsoft windows ™ operating system . it included a fully - functional subset of an online help system . the text of help topics is presented in appendix c included in exhibit b . photographs of key user interface screens are presented on the following figures : explanatory information was retrieved ( read only ) from text files and displayed . the text files could be tailored to a particular inventor &# 39 ; s needs by a patent professional or another knowledgeable party using a commercially - available word processor text files are included in the following appendices included in exhibit b : appendix i epo procedures ( e . g ., wordperfect for windows or microsoft word for windows ). testing of the prototype included verification , validation , and user acceptance testing ( preece , a . d . towards a methodology for evaluating expert systems . expert systems , 215 - 223 , 1990 ). verification included a determination of internal self - consistency and completeness . validation was carried out to determine if the prototype performed the critical real - world tasks for which it was created . user acceptance testing addressed ergonomic and organizational aspects and was verified by alpha testing by 10 faculty and student practitioners of rdna technology at montana state university . in addition , two individuals from biotechnology companies , one from a software company , and one from an inventors &# 39 ; group tested the software prototype . many variations in configurations have been discussed and others will occur to those skilled in the art . some variations within the scope of the claims include network implementations of the invention . other variations within the scope of the claims include single - user implementations of the invention . all such variations within the scope of the claims are intended to be within the scope and spirit of the present invention .	6
in the detailed description , like elements are marked throughout the specification and drawings with the same reference numerals , respectively . the drawing figures are not necessarily to scale and certain elements are shown in generalized or schematic form in the interest of clarity and conciseness . it should be understood that the embodiments of the disclosure herein described are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention . generally , described herein is an elevator belt splice device for splicing the ends of a belt together in juxtaposed relation . the belt splice device includes a central plate and two outer clamping plates . the belt is disposed between the central plate and respective outer clamping plates so that the clamping plates are drawn together upon the central plate by a clamping means , such as a pair of bolts , to minimize stress concentrations and more evenly distribute the pressure forces across the belt splice . the outwardly facing sides of the central plate have outwardly curving belt engaging surfaces . opposing each outwardly facing side of the central plate is one of the outer clamping plates . each outer clamping plate has an outwardly curving belt engaging surface that has at least a portion that complements the outwardly curving belt engaging surface of the central plate . the two outer plates and the central plate cooperate to pre - tension the belt as the clamping elements are tightened together . referring now specifically to fig1 and 2 , the elevator belt splice 10 is depicted splicing together two ends 18 of a typical industrial belt 12 . as shown schematically , the industrial belt 12 is positioned about a pulley 14 , which rotates about a shaft 16 during operation . the elevator belt splice device 10 comprises a generally elongate central plate 20 and a pair of outer clamping plates 22 , 24 . when configured a belt 12 , as depicted in fig2 , the outer clamping plates 22 , 24 are in juxtaposed position about the central plate 20 and the belt 12 . as shown , the elongate central plate 20 , the belt 12 and the outer clamping plates 22 , 24 are retained in functional position by two clamping means 26 . the clamping means , as depicted in fig2 , include two threaded bolts , each of which include mating nuts 27 threadedly disposed at their ends and washers 27 a when the threaded bolts are positioned through apertures on the central plate 20 and each of outer clamping plates 22 and 24 , as discussed in further detail below . alternative clamping means 26 may be used , in their customary manner , including locking nuts , locking fasteners , locking pins and the like , that secure the outer clamping plates 22 and 24 with the belt 12 in place as generally represented in fig2 . exploded views of the belt splice device 10 are shown in fig3 and 4 , each illustrating the central plate 20 and outer clamping plates 22 and 24 . the central plate 20 includes a generally planar mid - portion 28 and curvilinear sections 34 and 36 that terminate in first and second ends adjacent respective first and second edges 30 and 32 . in the orientation shown , when both belt ends 18 are as illustrated in fig2 , section 34 having a first edge 30 is commonly referred to as the leading end of the belt splice device 10 and section 36 having a second edge 32 is referred to as the trailing end of the belt splice device 10 . as shown , the central plate 20 with its planar mid portion 28 and divergent curvilinear sections 34 and 36 provides a configuration that is an “ i ” or somewhat bone - shaped in cross - section , as illustrated specifically in fig2 and 3 . first and second edges 30 and 32 of central plate 20 have surfaces that are generally coplanar . each of the planar mid portion 28 , section 34 and section 36 further comprise belt engaging surfaces . according to some embodiments , the belt engaging surface 38 of the planar portion 28 is generally continuous with each of the belt engaging surfaces of sections 34 and 36 . in one or more embodiments , the belt engaging surfaces of sections 34 and 36 each include a series of generally uniformly spaced apart teeth 39 having rectangular or square - shaped cross - sectional areas between which are valleys or basins 40 . the teeth 39 are continuous with raised regions forming “ peaks ” or ridges 42 that terminate at planar mid portion 28 . other configurations of teeth are also suitable . as will be explained in greater detail below , the divergently curving belt engaging surfaces of sections 34 and 36 cooperate with mating surfaces on the two outer belt clamping plates 22 and 24 . the complementary configurations of the belt engaging surfaces of central plate 20 and outer clamping plates 22 and 24 are so designed to retain belts 12 in a juxtaposed functional relation more efficiently with improved gripping forces , better weight distribution , and decreased stress concentrations along the belt surfaces than alternative belt clamping devices known and used in the industry . still referring to fig3 and 4 , each of the divergently curving belt engaging surfaces of sections 34 and 36 formed of the series of parallel and essentially linear ridges 42 provide an outwardly curving patterned surface for gripping onto the corresponding surface of belt 12 . the radius of curvature of the ridges 42 is greater than curvatures found in alternative belt splice devices . and , in combination with the recessed and wider valleys 44 located between wider ridges 42 of the described belt splice device 10 , the overall gripping surface of the described belt splice device is considered to offer better engaging surfaces in which to conform the surface of belt 12 to the device , without significantly deforming the regions of contact that may result in buckling of the belt 12 or other unwanted outcomes . in the embodiment illustrated in fig3 and 4 , the outer clamping plates 22 and 24 have a general shape that is complementary to and allow a generally mating relationship with the central plate 20 . thus , each of outer clamping plates 22 and 24 include a generally planar mid - section 48 and first and second curvilinear end regions 46 and 50 . the generally planar mid - section 48 mates with the planar mid portion 28 of central plate 20 . the curvilinear section 34 of central plate 20 is in a generally mating or complementary relationship with the outwardly curving first region 46 . the curvilinear section 36 of central plate 20 is in a generally mating or complementary relationship with at least a portion of outwardly curving second region 50 . as shown , first and second outwardly curving regions 46 and 50 are curved in a manner to complement the curvilinear shape of sections 34 and 36 , respectively . however , while outwardly curving first region 46 is formed of valleys 52 and ridges 54 that complement ridges 42 and valleys 44 , respectively , of central plate 20 , the outwardly curving second region 50 includes a different configuration . second curvilinear region 50 has a series of individualized teeth 56 positioned in rows so as to be disposed in valleys 44 of curvilinear section 36 of central plate 20 . in one or more embodiments , the length of the outwardly curving second region 50 is not the same as the length of the curvilinear region 36 . nonetheless , the combination of complementary ridges and valleys in outwardly curving first region 46 when mating with curvilinear section 34 as well as the individualized teeth 56 that are disposed within valleys 44 of curvilinear section 36 provide a unique gripping surface for better force and pressure distribution across belts 12 when the belts 12 are gripped by the belt splice device 10 . in some embodiments , it may also be desired to include a series of transverse spaced apart ribs 58 in the planar mid - section 48 , which is considered to provide even further gripping force when desired , as depicted in fig3 . the transverse ribs 58 further assist in inhibiting or otherwise reducing the tendency of the belt 12 to shift along the gripping surfaces in the direction of the tension force thereon . those skilled in the art will appreciate that particular orientations or thicknesses of gripping surfaces shown in fig3 may be modified , or in some embodiments , be in a differing orientation , such as in the mid portion 28 of central plate 20 , the mid sections 48 of the outer clamping plates 22 , 24 , or the outwardly curving second regions 50 of the outer clamping plates 22 , 24 . all of the above features described as well as the implementation of two apertures 60 and 62 on outer clamping plates 22 and 24 that mate with apertures 64 and 66 , respectively , of central plate 20 , have been found to be effective in providing an even better distribution of force and pressure on belts 12 as compared with alternative belt splice devices . the improved configurations shown in fig1 - 4 , which include better gripping forces over the surface area of the belt 12 , ensure that there is little belt movement in both an axial and transverse directions when the belt splice device 10 is in use . thus , when outer clamping plates 22 and 24 mate with and are clamped together with central plate 20 , the gripping force has an added effect of further reducing the linear deflection ( stretching ) and also improving the resistance to axial shear , and reducing belt delamination in the area of transition between the normal planes of axial tension as compared with alternative belt splice devices . referring specifically to fig2 , the thickness of the outer clamping plates 22 and 24 at arrow a , which is greater than the thickness at arrow b , allows more torque force and clamping force . this is particularly useful when gripping unusual shaped belts . in some embodiments the width of the splice device 10 is greater than alternative devices used for similar purposes . for example , the width of the splice device 10 may be about three inches . as is best shown in fig2 , when the central plate 20 and outer clamping plates 22 and 24 are juxtaposed in functional relation about the belts 12 , and as a first means 26 for tightening is positioned through apertures 60 and 64 and a second means 26 for tightening is positioned through apertures 62 and 66 , outer clamping plates 22 and 24 are drawn together to compress the belt 12 against the central plate 20 . in so doing , the surfaces and some material of the belt 12 is gripped by the belt engaging surface of the respective valleys and ridges of first curvilinear section 34 and first outwardly curving region 46 . similarly , the surface of belt 12 is gripped by teeth 56 of outwardly curving second region 50 , the teeth 56 disposed in the valleys of second curvilinear section 36 . teeth 56 are preferably shaped with non - piercing tips or ends , or ends that minimize puncturing of the outer surface of the belt 12 . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the gripping or flow of material along the belt engaging surfaces of plates 20 , 22 , and 24 effectively provides an increase in shear resistance and a higher grip strength upon the elevator belt 12 that is difficult to break . as also depicted in fig2 and 3 , a wedge member 68 is optionally included , the wedge 68 having a first surface 70 and a second surface 72 is configured to be disposed onto first edge 30 of the central plate 20 . thus , the second surface 72 is also coplanar with the surface of first edge 30 . the wedge 68 is affixed to central plate 20 by a means for fastening , which as shown , may include threaded screws 76 . the wedge 68 is typically designed to be removable and replaceable in response to general wear and also to accommodate differing thicknesses of belts 12 . accordingly , wedge 68 may be of a number of desired thicknesses and / or widths in order to best accommodate the shape and size of belt 12 . in addition , the side edges 74 of wedge 68 may be more or less angled , depending on the shape and size of belt 12 . referring specifically to fig3 , the elevator belt splice 10 optionally includes at least one plate or spacer member 71 sized to fit between the wedge 68 and the central plate 20 to accommodate belts having different thicknesses . for example , in the event the belt 12 has a larger thickness , a plate 71 may be mounted between the wedge 68 and the central plate 20 , which positions the first surface 70 of the wedge to be flush or substantially flush with an inner surface of the belt 12 ( i . e ., the surface of the belt 12 that contacts the pulley 16 ), as best illustrated in fig2 . accordingly , as the belt splice 10 and the belt 12 travel around the pulley 16 , the first surface 70 contacts the pulley 16 and reduces the amount of stress acting directly on the belt 12 as it travels therearound , if , for example , the first surface 70 were recessed and / or otherwise below the outer surface of the belt . similarly , with belts 12 having a lesser thickness , a smaller / thinner plate 71 may be used or , if necessary , removed altogether . according to some embodiments , the plate 71 is approximately 2 mm thick and is sized to substantially fill the space between the wedge 68 and the central plate 20 ; however , it should be understood that the thickness of the plate 71 may vary along with the overall size and shape ( i . e ., it may only fill a portion of the space between the wedge 68 and the central plate 20 ). in operation , one or a number of the belt splice devices 10 are arranged to secure the belt ends 18 and / or two or more belts 10 together . with a plurality of belt splice devices 10 , the devices 10 are generally in a side by side relation along the entire width of the belt 12 to be spliced . in some embodiments , one of the belt clamping elements may be used as a pattern to punch clearance holes in the belt 12 . through the punched hole the fastening means 26 is inserted through the holes in the belts 12 when assembling the belt splice 10 as shown in the figures . when the belt splice device 10 is so disposed with belts 12 , the wider surface area , improved gripping surface and increase radius of curvature at ends of the of the belt splice device 10 improve the distribution of shear forces acting upon the surface of the belt and along the entire belt engaging surfaces of the belt splice device . the wedge 68 , along with the spacer 71 , enables the belt splice 10 to accommodate belts 10 of different thicknesses . those skilled in the art will appreciate that these improvements are accomplished without the use of small pins , cutting edges , etc ., affixed to the belt , such as to restrain surfaces of belt splicing devices , as is often used , in which such pins and cutting edges tend to pierce the belt surface , and occasionally the cords of the belts , thereby tending to reduce the ultimate tensile strength of the belt . in one or more embodiments , the belt splice device 10 is manufactured , molded or cast using a non - sparking material . one example is a special cast aluminum . in certain embodiments , wedge 68 is a rubberized or rubber type material , natural or synthetic . from the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to retain all of the ends and objectives hereinabove set forth , together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the apparatus . it will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed with reference to other features and subcombinations . this is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims . as many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof ; it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . the foregoing description is of exemplary embodiments and methods for operation . what is described is not limited to the described examples or embodiments . various alterations and modifications to the disclosed embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the embodiments and appended claims .	8
the invention relates to a computing unit and method for key verification through time varying item presentation based on a key hash result . such time varying item presentation may include ( 1 ) successive selection / generation and graphical display of selected images or characters , ( 2 ) successive selection / generation and play back of audible sound ( s ) such as musical note ( s ), pronounceable syllables , or ( 3 ) any other sorts of periodic sensory presentations . in one embodiment , a source ( first computing unit ) is configured to transmit at least a global identifier and a current local time realized at the source . these parameters ( or related variations thereof ) may undergo a periodic cryptographic hash function at a destination ( second computing unit ) to produce a time varying key hash result . the same process is performed at the source . the periodic key hash result is used at both the source and the destination to periodically select or generate items for presentation that are substantially contemporaneous . an observer who is engaged in key verification then senses both the source and the destination simultaneously and can determine by the apparent simultaneity of these time - varying items produced by each that the global identifiers ( typically keys ) at the source and destination are the same . the longer the observer monitors these time varying items , the more certain he or she is that the two keys are identical . herein , certain terminology is used to describe certain features of the invention . for example , a “ computing unit ” may generally be considered as hardware , software , firmware or any combination thereof that is configured to process information and enable items to be presented to and perceived by the user . some illustrative examples of a computing unit include a computer ( e . g ., laptop , hand held , etc . ), a wireless telephone handset , alphanumeric pager or any other portable communication device . when the computing unit is employed as software , such software features a plurality of software modules , each being instructions or code that , when executed , perform certain function or functions . the software is stored in platform readable medium , which is any medium that can store information . examples of “ platform readable medium ” include , but are not limited or restricted to a programmable electronic circuit , a semiconductor memory device , a volatile memory ( e . g ., random access memory , etc . ), a non - volatile memory ( e . g ., read - only memory , flash memory , etc . ), a floppy diskette , a compact disk , an optical disk , a hard drive disk , or any other medium determined to be statutory . in addition , a “ packet ” is generally considered herein as a collection of data in a selected format . the packet may be configured as a data stream having a varying bit length or bit segment of a predetermined length . a “ key ” is normally an encoding and / or decoding parameter . one type of key is a “ public key ” that need not be kept secret and therefore may also be used to identify a computing unit or its user . the cryptographic hash result of a key ( either public or symmetric / secret ), assuming the hash is noninvertible and non - colliding , can also be used as an identifier for a computing unit or its user . the term “ contemporaneous ” means at the same time or generally about the same time with a nominal latency ( e . g ., less than one second ). referring now to fig1 , an exemplary embodiment of two parties that are performing operations in accordance with one embodiment of the key verification technique is shown . herein , a first user ( sender ) 100 is in close physical proximity to a second user ( receiver ) 140 . this allows a computing unit 110 of the sender 100 to communicate with a computing unit 120 of the receiver 140 over a link 150 . as shown , the link 150 is any communication pathway over a wired / wireless information - carrying medium ( e . g ., electrical wire , optical fiber , cable , bus , radio frequency “ rf ”, infrared “ ir ” or another wireless communication scheme such as bluetooth ™, past or future institute of electrical and electronics engineers ( ieee ) 802 . 11 standards published nov . 16 , 1998 and entitled “ wireless lan medium access control ( mac ) and physical layer ( phy ) specifications ” or any future related standards . as generally shown , the first computing unit 110 uniquely stores data that is used to identify itself or the sender 100 . this identification data is referred to as a “ global identifier ” 115 . in one embodiment , a cryptographic public key ( puk 1 ) is just one type of global identifier . similarly , the second computing unit 120 is configured to store a global identifier 125 that differs from global identifier 115 , such as a different cryptographic public key ( puk 2 ) for example . the first computing unit 110 is capable of broadcasting a verification packet including its global identifier ( e . g ., puk 1 ) to all other computing units that are able to receive the broadcast information . when the broadcast is conducted over a wireless medium , all computing units within a specific geographic area 160 and tuned into a certain frequency may receive the verification packet from the first computing unit 110 . however , when the broadcast is conducted over a wired medium , all computing units coupled directly or indirectly to the wired medium may receive the verification packet from the first computing unit 110 . in the situation where the wired medium is the internet , any computing unit having access to the internet may receive the verification packet . referring now to fig2 , an illustrative embodiment of one of the computing units ( e . g ., computing unit 110 ) is shown . for illustrative purposes , the computing unit 110 comprises an input / output ( i / o ) interface 200 , internal circuitry 210 , a display screen 220 and a keypad 230 integrated into a casing 240 . the casing 240 is made of an inflexible material such as hardened plastic , and thus , protects the internal circuitry 210 from damage and contaminants . more specifically , the i / o interface 200 enables the reception of incoming data and the transmission of outgoing data . in one embodiment , as shown , the i / o interface 200 may be implemented as an antenna and perhaps transceiver logic for transmitting and / or receiving verification packets as rf - based signals . of course , other embodiments of the i / o interface 200 may include , but are not limited or restricted to a wired or wireless modem logic , a light emitting diode ( led ) transmitter and / or receiver to transfer data through light pulses , and the like . as shown , the internal circuitry 210 controls the i / o interface 200 and the display screen 220 in response to incoming data from the i / o interface 200 and / or the keypad 230 . for instance , the internal circuitry 210 may be used to adjust time displacement to cancel any perceived delay between presentation of identical items at computing units 110 and 120 to achieve exact simultaneity . examples of the internal circuitry 210 include one or more of the following : processor ( e . g ., microprocessor , application specific integrated circuit , digital signal processor , or micro - controller ), memory ( nonvolatile or volatile ), combinatorial logic , clocking circuit and the like . as shown , the display screen 220 is a flat panel screen ( e . g ., liquid crystal display ) although any type of display screen may be used . while the display screen 220 may be used as an output device in one embodiment , it is contemplated that the display 220 may be implemented as a touch screen display , thereby operating as an i / o device . for that embodiment , the keypad 230 may be removed . alternatively , it is contemplated that the computing unit 110 may be implemented with any mechanism or combination of mechanisms that would allow persons to sense time - varying item presentation . for instance , although the computing unit is shown with a display screen , it is contemplated that the computing unit may be implemented with speakers to provide an audio interface in addition to or in lieu of the display screen . this would allow presentation of time - varying audible sounds . similarly , the computing unit may be implemented with a tactile device to allow one to compare time - varying patterns by placement of a hand on both computing units . referring now to fig3 , an exemplary embodiment of a data structure for a verification packet 300 of the key verification technique is illustrated , as shown for this embodiment , the verification packet 300 is transmitted from the first computing unit . herein , the verification packet 300 includes a plurality of fields ; namely , an identifier field 310 and a time field 320 . other optional fields may include , but are not limited or restricted to a data field 330 . herein , the identifier field 310 includes a global identifier for the source ; namely , the sender or the first computing unit used by the sender . in one embodiment , the global identifier may be a public key corresponding to a private key held and controlled by the sender or his / her computing unit . for this exemplary embodiment , the identifier field 310 may include puk 1 . the time field 320 includes a value such as the time at which the verification packet 300 is formed by the first computing unit . as subsequent verification packets are formed and transmitted , the time field 320 of those packets will have different values . the data field 330 includes information that is to be transferred between computing units . examples of such information may include , but are not limited or restricted to software ( e . g ., application , applet or any segment of code ), a table of items ( e . g ., images , bit patterns , data representative of audible sound patterns , etc .) or any data to assist in the presentation of time - varying items . referring now to fig4 , an exemplary embodiment of a flowchart outlining the operations performed in accordance with the key verification technique using a time varying item presentation is shown . first , initialization operations are performed prior to transmission of the verification packet from a source to a destination . one initialization operation involves placement of a global identifier associated with the source in the verification packet ( see block 400 ). another initialization operation involves the selection of a time interval ( ti ) for updating the key hash result by the sender and the receiver ( see block 410 ). the selection may be accomplished through a prior agreement ( e . g ., hard coded into software running this application ) or by inclusion of the time interval with the verification packet ( e . g . part of the data field ). selected in seconds or fractions thereof , this time interval determines the period at which an item is presented by the computing unit . for example , the time interval may determine when another image is illustrated on the display of the computing units , when an audible sound is played back from speakers integrated within or coupled to the computing units and the like . at blocks 420 and 430 , the verification packet is transmitted to the second computing unit , which computes a clock skew between these computing units . in particular , for one embodiment , the clock skew may be computed by the second computing unit recording the time upon which the transmitted verification packet is received and determining a difference between this receipt time and a local time realized at the first computing unit when the verification packet is being formed ( hereinafter referred to as the “ original source time ”). the original source time is contained in the time field of the verification packet . after computing the clock skew , as shown in block 440 , the second computing unit can estimate , within a small error range corresponding to the time it took to deliver the verification packet from the source to the destination , a current local time at the source ( t source ) as it corresponds to the local time at the second computing unit . at every time interval ( ti ), namely when the current source local time ( t source ) equals zero modulo ti ( e . g ., t source mod ti = 0 ), both ( t source ) and the global identifier for the source ( id s ) undergo a cryptographic hash operation at both the first computing unit and the second computing unit . the result of the cryptographic hash operation produces a key hash result ( see blocks 450 and 460 ). for one embodiment , the key hash result ( h t ) is produced by a random cryptographic function “ h ( x , y )” as set forth below in equation ( 1 ). “ id s is a global identifier of the source ( e . g ., a public key ), and “ t source ” is the current local time at the source at the beginning of the current time interval . for this embodiment , a truly random source is used to define the mapping from each element of a two - dimensional domain of the function to a value in the range of that function . however , for h ( x , y ) to be truly random , an extremely large table would be required , which would be difficult to initialize , much less store . for another embodiment , instead of using a random cryptographic function ( h ( x , y )), a computational approximation of h ( x , y ) is performed . for example , there are well - known and recognized cryptographic hash functions such as a federal information processing standard publication 180 - 1 entitled “ secure hash standard ” ( apr . 17 , 1995 ), which specifies secure hash algorithm ( sha - 1 ). one type of approximation s ( z ) is set forth below in equation ( 2 ). in essence , the approximation may be accomplished by using the current source local time ( t source ) and combining such information with the source global identifier ( id s ) extracted from the identifier field of the verification packet . the “ combining ” operation may be accomplished through concatenation as set forth in equation ( 2 ) or perhaps through other arithmetic or logical operations . the key hash result h t is a time sequence of apparently random quantities , due to the characteristics of the random function h ( x , y ) or the approximation of it using s ( z ) or some other computation involving a cryptographic hash of the two values or some function ( s ) of those values . at block 470 , the key hash result h t is used by both the first computing unit and the second computing unit to select an item to be contemporaneously presented to the users of these devices . for one embodiment , an item may be selected from a table known in advance to all parties or from a table transmitted by the sender . alternatively , the item may be computed such as through a fractal pattern or via some program producing a graphical image or audible sounds . the program that computes these items would be known to all parties in advance or can be transmitted by the first computing unit within the data field of the verification packet . the presentation of an item includes display of an image on a display screen such as within a special dialog box or adjacent to the name of the user , playback of one or more audible sounds , and the like . these items are presented to the users and compared ( block 480 ). if the items match ( i . e ., a successful comparison ), if desired , another comparison at the next time interval is conducted by a user to determine whether the items have changed contemporaneously and are also matching ( block 490 ). it is important to note that any comparison is merely a brief recognition that two items are displayed generally contemporaneously and are the same or different . if both conditions are repeatedly satisfied as required by the user , the global identifier is verified . when the global identifier is a public key , the receiver or verifier of that key might use the global identifier to generate a digital certificate or a local database record that binds the key to information about the keyholder ( sender ). such subsequent use might include the generation of : an x . 509 distinguished name certificate , a pgp e - mail name certificate , a simple distributed security infrastructure ( sdsi ) or simple public key infrastructure ( spki / sdsi ) local name certificate , an x9 . 59 bank account public key record and the like . thus , for future uses of the public key , the receiver or verifier could use the generated certificate or record for subsequent key verifications without requiring a physical presence and sensing of a time - varying presentation . if there are no future uses of this verified key , the receiver or verifier need not do any such binding and can instead use the verified key for some immediate purpose . referring to fig5 , an exemplary embodiment of operations for selecting an item based on bit values obtained from the key hash result is shown . the value of the key hash result 500 is produced by a cryptographic hash operation on at least some unique data 510 ( e . g ., a global identifier ) and a time varying data 520 ( e . g ., source local time ). normally , the key hash result 500 contains 128 or more bits . it is contemplated , however , that certain key hash results may have more than 128 - bits , such as 160 - bits . not all of these bits would be needed to select or compute an item . rather , each key hash result is reduced to some manageable size , such as m bits for example ( where m ≦ 32 ). as shown in fig5 , such reduction can be accomplished by a selection of a selected sub - field 530 of the key hash result 500 for use in accessing an entry of a table 540 . as shown , the table 540 features 2 m entries . alternatively , the reduction can be achieved by separating the key hash result 500 into a number of fields 600 and performing logical operations on bits of these fields 600 to generate an address for accessing data within certain entries of the table 540 . for example , one type of logical operation is an exclusive or ( xor ) 610 as shown in fig6 . for example , when indexing a table of 256 items using an 8 - bit key reduced hash result , at each interval , a new item may be accessed from the table for display as shown by pseudo - code set forth below in table a . the probability of an interloper interjecting an unauthorized global identifier that would show the same item as the authorized global identifier is 1 / 256 . however , because all of the key hash results are independent of one another , the probability of the interloper being able to mimic two successive items is 1 / 65 , 536 . the probability continues to shrink geometrically over time as more and more items are perceived contemporaneously . thus , the level of security achieved by the user depends on the amount of time comparing items contemporaneously presented at the exchanging computing units . if the time interval between display changes is short , then the overall time to achieve cryptographically strong comparison ( in excess of 90 bits ) is also short . in an ideal embodiment , that time to achieve strong comparison would be less than or equal to the time a human would normally spend in looking at or listening to the sample sequence without spending special effort on the task . { time varying hash pseudocode ( in the manner of pascal } } { this assumes 256 different icons to be displayed , every 3 seconds . } const int = 3 ; { time interval in seconds between new displays } id : array [ ] of byte ; { global identifier -- probably a public key } { display icon number n , where n is 8 bits } hv : array [ 1 . . . 20 ] of byte ; { key hash result } t := t − ( t mod int ) ; { back up to the start of the current sha_final ( shae , hv ) ; { get the key hash result } res := 0 ; { reduce the key hash result to 1 for i := 1 to 20 do res := res xor hv [ i ] ; referring now to fig7 , as described in fig5 and 6 , the key hash result can be reduced by selection of a sub - field or through logical operations ( see blocks 700 – 720 ). however , in lieu of using a lookup table for selections of items to be presented to the user , the contents of the reduced key hash result are used to generate the item to be presented ( block 730 ). namely , bits of the reduced key hash result are used to govern generation of the particular item . for instance , in one embodiment , the key verification technique may be used to generate different types of images . for the m - bits of the reduced key hash result , at least one bit may be reserved to indicate whether the image is displayed in a vertical or horizontal orientation . another bit ( s ) of the reduced key hash result may be used to select the color of the image . other bits may be used to indicate certain clearly identifiable features of the image or possible image types . in another embodiment , the key verification technique may be used to generate different series of musical notes or chords . for example , certain bits are used to select the type of musical note and the remainder bits are used to generate duration , meter rate , octave change , etc . although these embodiments have described comparison of selected or generated items for users in close proximity and contemporaneous , it is contemplated that such comparison may be performed remotely ( e . g ., over telephone lines when comparing audible sounds or over television when comparing images ). such comparison may occur substantially contemporaneous or entirely non - contemporaneous when lesser data security is acceptable . the comparison is most effortlessly done when the two presentations are not just contemporaneous but simultaneous . simultaneity might be prevented by substantial communication delays from sender to receiver . however , since the receiver is using a computed estimate of the sender &# 39 ; s time , if the disagreement is one of simple offset ( as would be the case when the disagreement was due to transmission delay of the verification packet ), the receiver &# 39 ; s computation can include a manually controlled offset ( perhaps seen by the user / operator as a knob or other continuous control ) that can be adjusted to cancel any time difference between the two presentations . in the audio - based embodiment , the time difference might be perceived as an echo , for example , and the knob could be viewed as an echo cancellation control . this echo cancellation does not reduce the security of the key verification process . while this invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments , this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense . various modifications of the illustrative embodiments , as well as other embodiments of the invention , which are apparent to persons skilled in the art to which the invention pertains are deemed to lie within the spirit and scope of the invention .	7
as required by the statutes , a detailed embodiment of the present invention is disclosed herein , however , that the disclosed embodiment is merely exemplary of the invention , which may be embodied in various forms . therefore , specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting , but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure . referring to fig1 an adjustable corner strip 10 is used to fasten an assemblage of concrete form panels , or form 12 together , such as in the column form shown in fig1 . each separate form panel 14 includes a face 16 for contact with the poured concrete , top rail 18 , bottom rail 20 , and spaced side rails 22 , 24 . arranged in a configuration having square or rectangular cross sections throughout its length , the form includes opposite side rails 22 , 24 each connected to the adjoining side rails of the next form panel 14 by adjustable corner strip 10 . referring to fig2 the adjustable corner strip 10 is a single , extruded member , preferably made from aluminum , having spaced opposing wings 26 , 28 , each terminating in a rounded head 30 , 32 , respectively . wings 26 , 28 extend perpendicularly from arm portion 34 and are flexible , yet strongly resilient . arm portion 34 terminates in perpendicular faces 36 , 38 for engaging against a 90 ° outside corner between perpendicularly arranged panel side rails 22 or 24 . wings 26 , 28 become progressively thinner along the direction from rounded heads 30 , 32 to perpendicular faces 36 , 38 to allow resilient deflection about the juncture 40 . a preferred material for adjustable corner strip 10 is 6061 - t6 aluminum , which provides for sufficient rigidity without being brittle , which could cause cracking upon flexing . adjustable corner strip 10 may be extruded and cut to any convenient length . multiple lengths may be used on a single concrete column form panel . such columns are typically about eight feet long . rounded heads 30 , 32 include longitudinal slots 42 , 44 , respectively , extending the length of adjustable corner strip 10 and opposing and facing one another for receiving a plurality of adjustment means 46 . referring to fig3 there is shown adjustment means 46 , comprising right - hand screw 48 , left - hand screw 50 , having screw shafts in confronting relationship and being threaded into adjusting nut 52 , having right - hand threaded portion 54 and left - hand threaded portion 56 . right - hand screw 48 is threaded into right - hand threaded portion 54 and left - handed screw 50 is threaded into left - hand threaded portion 56 of adjustment nut 52 . the heads of bolts 48 , 50 fit into longitudinal slots 42 , 44 so that two opposing flats of each bolt head bear against side walls 58 , 60 of longitudinal slots 42 , 44 to prevent rotation of the bolts upon adjustment . the described arrangement of adjustment means 46 permits the adjustment means to be lengthened or shortened by turning adjustment nut 52 in one direction . when the desired adjustment has been reached , jamb nut 62 is tightened against adjusting nut 52 to prevent slippage . a plurality of fastening means 46 are equally spaced throughtout the length of each adjustable corner strip 10 , typically about two feet apart . if desired , filler strips of spongy , resilient material may be urged into longitudinal slots 42 , 44 betwwen adjacent adjustment means 46 to prevent them from becoming improperly spaced . it is not intended that adjustment means 46 be removed from adjustable corner strip 10 in the ordinary course of use . to secure adjustable squaring corner strip 10 to form panel side rails 22 , 24 , there is provided a plurality of holes 64 . holes 64 are provided in pairs on opposed , facing straight portions 66 of wings 26 , 28 . pairs of holes 64 are longitudinally spaced throughout the length of adjustable corner strip 10 and match the spacing and size of holes 68 in side rails 22 , 24 . when holes 64 and 68 are aligned , a fastener , such as a bolt or pin , is inserted through both holes and secured by a nut or other means . it is preferred that holes 64 are also aligned with fastening means 46 . in an alternative embodiment adjustable corner strip 10 does not include holes 64 , but is fastened to side rails 22 , 24 by conventional clamps , which may be a c - shaped spring - loaded clamp whose clamping ends are engaged about a side rail 22 and adjustable corner strip 10 by driving wedges into the clamp . in use , the adjustable corner strip is attached into place to connect the side rails of perpendicularly positioned form panels . some adjustment is required to bring the column form into square aligment , which is done by turning adjustment nut 52 on each of the adjustment means throughout the length of each side of the column until the diagonals of the tow open ends of the form are equal . the jamb nut 62 and adjusting nut 52 are tightened together to prevent slippage . turning adjusting nut 52 either spreads wings 26 , 28 further apart , or draws them closer together , as required . in practice , it has been found that an adjustment of up to eight degrees deviation from the desired right angle between adjacent form panels can be made with the adjustable corner strip 10 . since wings 26 , 28 bear directly against the outside edge of the form panel and are secured thereto by notches 70 in each wing , moving wings 42 , 44 also causes adjacent form panels 14 to move . notches 70 naturally run the entire length of adjustable corner strip 10 , presenting the appearance of a groove or channel in adjustable corner strip 10 . notches 70 are v - shaped having side walls 72 , 74 which meet at a 90 ° angle and accordingly mate in locking engagement with the 90 ° angle of the edge of side rails 22 , 24 . naturally , notches 70 are spaced apart by the distance required to bring them into mating engagement with the 90 ° angle of the edge of eace of side rails 22 , 24 ( see , especially , fig6 ). although relatively shallow in appearance , notches 70 provide an extremely tight grip on side rails 22 , 24 , permitting adjustable corner strip 10 to maintain the squared up shape of a completed column mold under severe loads . after adjustable corner strip 10 has been installed and adjusted as discussed above , it forms a springing resilient reinforcement member providing a triangular reinforcement of the open square formed by the convergence of spaced side rails 22 , 24 . forces generated by the poured concrete at the bottom of an eight foot column may exceed 1 , 250 pounds per square foot . as illustrated in fig2 by the arrows labeled &# 34 ; f ,&# 34 ; these forces tend to bow form panels 14 , but these outward forces are largely translated into longitudinal forces that flow through the metal frame outwardly toward spaced side rails 22 , 24 . when these corner joint are secured by adjustable corner strip 10 , combined with adjustment means 46 , any force tending to bend one form panel outwardly is translated into a stiffening force through both wings 26 , 28 . the outside corner angle is prevented from flexing by the rigid corner support provided by adjustable corner strip 10 , which also prevents outward rotational motion of side rails 22 , 24 . in this manner , adjustable corner strip 10 increases end fixity and overall mold rigidity by about 30 %, allowing the use of ligter - weight form panels . often it is desired to install a chamfer on each corner of a poured concrete column . referring to fig4 there is shown chamfer strip 80 , comprising chamfer portion 82 and tail 84 . chamfer strip 80 is preferably a unitary , exturded aluminum member , which may be cut to any desired length and typically would run the entire length of a column in an unbroken strip . chamfer 82 typically includes uniformly triangular cross sections of 45 ° right triangles having its hypotenuse , or face 86 , exposed to the concrete that will be poured and its legs 88 , 90 abutting the interior walls of adjacent panels 14 . tail 84 extends outwardly from leg 90 of the triangular cross section formed by chamfer 82 and lies snugly in channel 92 of side rail 22 , being made in the exact shape of channel 22 . the matched shape of tail 84 and channel 92 provide the only locating means necessary for precisely positioning chamfer strip 80 relative to form panels 14 . a plurality of spaced holes 94 in tail portion 84 aligned with holes 60 in side rails 22 , 24 , also allows these members to be readily fastened together by means of bolt 96 and nut 98 . alternatively , chamfer strip 80 may include a tail 84 that has no aperture , which is intended for use with form panels 14 whose side rails 22 , 24 do not have holes . in this embodiment , a set of conventional clamps as is used to fasten the adjacent form panels 14 together and to fasten chamfer strip 80 to form panels 14 . referring to fig7 tail 84 further comprises first flat tail portion 100 , channel tail portion 102 having dimensions that allow for snug locating engagement with the channel side rail 22 ( see , for example , fig4 ) and second flat tail portion 104 . the embodiment shown in fig7 further includes flange 106 on the end of tail 84 remote from chamfer 82 . flange 106 is integrally formed with chamfer strip 80 and lie at a 90 ° angle with respect to flat tail portions 100 , 104 , and is bent to the left as shown in fig7 providing a snap fit on side rail 22 , hence providing a second means for locating chamfer strips 80 in relation to form panels 14 . when chamfer strip 80 is utilized in a mold whose panels are held together by an angle iron , as in the prior art , poured concrete frequently seeps between faces 16 and legs 88 , 90 of chamfer 82 , resulting in an unfinished appearance in the column , or pillar . this effect is partially due to a poor fit between the chamfer and the mold , and partially due to translation of outward forces of the poured concrete being translated into bending moments that distort the panel side rails and result in column corners that are not square , thereby disrupting a seal between the chamfer and the mold that may have been acceptable prior to the pouring of the concrete . when , however , chamfer strip 80 is used in conjunction with adjustable corner strip 10 , as illustrated in fig6 the square joinder of legs 88 , 90 can be very accurately matched by a square joinder of panels 16 of adjacent form panels 14 , bringing legs 88 , 90 into tightly mating engagement with the corners of form panels 16 and side rails 22 , 24 , thereby preventing any seepage of concrete into that joint . the result is nearly perfectly formed chamfers . in the preferred embodiment disclosed herein , the cross section of chamfer strip 80 is substantially a 45 ° right triangle whose hypotenuse defines the chamfer face 86 that will actually form the chamfer on the molded product . the specific shapes of corners , corner braces , and side rails , however , need not be those illustrated . the chamfer system shown here is designed for producing a flat - edged 45 ° bevel on a rectangular cross section concrete column . naturally , the chamfer system disclosed herein can be readily adapted for producing other shapes of bevels , such as , for example , curved bevels ( which may incorporate a portion of the circumference of a circle , a french curve , and so forth ) a straight - edged bevel on a triangular , hexagonal , octagonal , and so forth shaped column or piece . this would require adjustments in the specific angles of adjustable corner strip 10 used for holding form panels together and in the specific shape and dimensions of the chamfer strip . such design modifications are well within the skill of a person of ordinary skill in the art . utilizing the techniques of the chamfer system disclosed herein any of a wide variety of different chamfers or bevels can be created , depending on the chosen shape and dimensions of chamfer 21 . utilizing the techniques of the adjustable corner strip 10 as disclosed herein a wide variety of different shaped columns or other building structures can be created . although the chamfer system here has been discussed primarily in connection with forms for molding poured concrete , it is apparent that form panels may be assembled in various designs to produce molds for concrete , indoor or outdoor plaster , clay , expanded polystyrene , rubber , any plastic materials that subsequently harden ( for example , epoxy resins ), or any other moldable material into a variety of shaped pieces . it is to be understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described , it is not limited thereto , except in so far as such limitations are included in the following claims .	4
the present invention provides an ion mobility spectrometer of the type described in document u . s . pat . no . 7 , 838 , 826 b1 ( m . a . park , 2008 ), additionally equipped with an upfront rf ion trap operated as an accumulation unit . the accumulation unit operates in parallel with the trapping ion mobility separator , preferably implemented as a separator tunnel . that is , while the trapping ion mobility separator is being used to analyze a first group of ions according to ion mobility , the accumulation unit is simultaneously collecting a second group of ions from an ion source . this second group is then rapidly transferred — in about a millisecond to the trapping ion mobility separator once the analysis of the first group is complete . this allows the accumulation unit to collect ions nearly continuously while the trapping ion mobility separator analyzes ions nearly continuously . in a first preferred embodiment , the accumulation unit is located between an entrance funnel and a separation tunnel . in a second embodiment , the entrance funnel itself can be designed to serve as the accumulation unit . in a third embodiment , the accumulation unit is located upstream of the entrance funnel . particularly , in the case of the first embodiment with the accumulation unit located between the entrance funnel and the trapping ion mobility separator , the accumulation unit is preferably designed identical to the trapping ion mobility separator ( scan unit ), just doubling the scan unit with segmented diaphragm electrodes for generating a quadrupole rf field , and doubling the voltage supply units ( with voltage dividers ) for generating two independent axial dc electric field barriers . the rising edge of the electric field barrier may not increase as a single linear ramp , but may show a flatter gradient near the top of the barrier , to decompress the density of ions of low mobility . this decompression may be used in both axial dc electric field barriers , in the accumulation barrier and in the scan barrier , to reduce losses of ions . experience shows that the transfer of ions by the gas flow from the accumulation unit to the scan unit of the device only needs a single millisecond . the delivery of further ions from the ion source need never be stopped . if the accumulation time can be increased to about 300 milliseconds , also a scan time of 300 milliseconds can be used , resulting in a high mobility resolution of r mob ≈ 120 . if no ions get lost in the accumulation unit and scan unit , the utilization of ions amounts to 100 percent . the accumulation unit must not necessarily be identical with the scan unit of the device . as an example , ions can be accumulated in an octopole or hexapole rf field , instead of a quadrupolar one . hexapole and octopole rf fields can take up more ions . they can be made shorter than the scan unit , because it is useless to collect more ions than can be held in the scan unit of the device . if the entrance funnel ( 10 ) of fig1 is used as the accumulation unit , only small design changes need to be made to adapt its size and function to take up sufficient ions for the subsequent mobility analysis . an accumulation unit located upstream of the entrance funnel can be designed as a common rf linear ion trap comprising a quadrupole , hexapole or octopole rf rod system . fig2 shows an embodiment with an accumulation unit ( 11 a ) between an entrance funnel ( 10 ) and separator tunnel ( 11 b ). the accumulation unit ( 11 a ) is designed identical to the mobility separator tunnel ( 11 b ) ( scan unit ), just doubling the separator tunnel ( 11 b ) with its segmented diaphragm electrodes for generating a quadrupolar rf field , and doubling the voltage supply units ( with voltage dividers ) for generating two independent axial dc electric field barriers in series . in the lower part of fig2 , the field profiles for the two operation phases are shown ; the accumulation and scan phase ( d ), and the ion transfer phase ( e ). in fig2 , both rising edges ( ramps ) of the field profile are linear , which can result in an unfavorable high density of ions with low mobilities near the top of the profile leading to high losses of these ions due to coulomb repulsion (“ space charge effect ”). with long accumulation times , the high mass ions , usually having low mobilities because of their high cross sections , get lost first because they are much less strongly focused by the pseudo - potential within the quadrupolar rf field than low mass ions , showing high mobility due to their lower cross section . the effective force corresponding to the pseudo - potential is proportional to z 2 / m , z being the number of elementary charges of the ion , and m their mass . high mass ions are only weakly focused , and thus are more sensitive to space charge repulsion , driving the ions radially out of the device . with standard high performance electrospray ion sources , severe losses of high mass ions already start with accumulation times above 40 milliseconds . if the accumulation and scan times are restricted to only 40 milliseconds , the mobility resolution is restricted to only r mob ≈ 65 , because the mobility resolution of a trapping ion mobility spectrometer depends on the scan time t s . the scan time t s is defined here as the time needed to scan over a common mobility range from low mobility ( ko ≈ 0 . 5 cm 2 / vs ) to high mobility ( ko ≈ 1 . 0 cm 2 / vs ). the dependence of the mobility resolution on the scan time is shown in fig3 . since the mobility resolution r mob also depends on the mobility k itself , the dependence is shown for ions with ko ≈ 0 . 5 cm 2 / vs . to overcome losses of high mass ions , the present invention further proposes to decrease the density for low mobility ions near the summit , and to accept a higher density of high mobility ions near the foot of the axial dc electric field barrier . this goal can be achieved by a non - constant gradient ( slope ) of the electric field e ( z ) at the rising edge of the axial dc electric field barrier . a preferred embodiment is given by the profile in part ( f ) of fig4 . here , the electric field increases non - linearly according to the function e ( z )˜ z p , with an exponent p = ⅔ . this form of field ramp decreases the field gradient near the summit , decompressing the high mass ion density , and increases the field gradient near the foot , compressing the low mass ion density . the value p = ⅔ is only an example ; in fact , p may assume any value smaller than 1 . 0 . a favorable range for the exponent p is 0 . 3 ≦ p ≦ 0 . 9 . if the mixture of ions contains many high mass ions , a value of p = ½ may be more favorable ; in the extreme , even p = ⅓ may serve the purpose best . another embodiment of the invention is shown in part ( g ) of fig5 , showing a piecewise linear increase with three different gradients of the electric field . the field gradient between z positions ( 52 ) and ( 53 ), and between ( 57 ) and ( 58 ) near the top are flattest , decompressing the ions with low mobility and reducing the space charge repulsion . of course , more than just three gradients may be applied . in another embodiment , the electric field profiles are adjusted with respect to the ion density in the mobility spectrum determined in one or more preceding measurements . as an example for a variable field profile , the gradients of the piecewise linear parts of the rising edge , as shown in part ( g ) of fig5 , can be varied by two voltage generators delivering each three adjustable voltages v 51 , v 52 and v 54 , and v 56 , v 57 and v 59 , which are applied to diaphragms at corresponding positions on the z axis . by adjusting , for example , the voltages v 51 and v 52 relative to voltage v 54 , a variety of field profiles for the accumulation unit can be generated . if a preceding measurement shows a high density of low mobility ions , the field gradient between positions ( 52 ) and ( 53 ) can be made as flat as necessary to avoid losses . the preceding measurement can also be used to adjust the field profile of the scan unit . as a matter of course , more adjustable voltages may be used at more z positions . with a more complex device , voltages at all or a large part of the diaphragms along the z - axis may be generated by a series of digital - to - analog converters ( dac ). then , any field profile can be generated , enabling an operation which reacts exactly to any density distribution of ions on the mobility scale . for reason of comparison , the upper parts ( d ) of fig4 and 5 show a field ramp of linear increase , where it is to be seen that the ions of a mixture having a uniform mobility distribution are uniformly distributed along the rising edge . in practice , however , the mobilities of ions are rarely uniformly distributed . experience shows that the transfer of ions by the gas flow from the accumulation unit to the scan unit of the device only needs some millisecond or less when the gas has a velocity of about 100 m / s at a pressure of some millibar . the delivery of further ions from the ion source need never be stopped . if the accumulation time can be increased to about 300 milliseconds without major losses of ions , a scan time of 300 milliseconds can be used , resulting in a high mobility resolution of r mob ≈ 120 . if no ions get lost in the accumulation unit and scan unit at all , then the duty cycle would be to 100 percent . the accumulation unit of the device must not necessarily be identical in design with the scan unit . as an example , the ions can be accumulated in an octopole or hexapole rf field , instead of a quadrupolar one . hexapole and octopole fields can take up more ions . segmented diaphragms for generating hexapole or octopole rf fields may be designed similar to the segmented diaphragms ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ) used for the scan unit ( 11 b ), only with more radial electrode segments . because it is useless to collect more ions than can be held in the scan unit ( 11 b ) with a quadrupolar rf field , the multipole accumulation unit can be made shorter . in case an entrance funnel is used as accumulation unit , only small design changes need to be made to the setup shown in fig1 in order to accumulate a sufficient number of ions from the ion source . the funnel ( 10 ) can be made longer to increase its volume , and an additional voltage supply unit may deliver a switchable repelling dc potential ( stopping voltage ) to the last diaphragm of the funnel ( 10 ). an accumulation unit upstream of the entrance funnel can be implemented as a common linear rf ion trap comprising a quadrupole , hexapole or octopole rf rod system . storage devices of this type are well - known to the specialist in the field and need not be further described here . it should be mentioned that the scan need not necessarily be performed by linearly decreasing the voltage for the field profile . in the u . s . pat . no . 8 , 766 , 176 b2 ( m . a . park et al , 2011 ), different scan modes are presented . in particular , a scan mode with a partial slow scan speed can increase the mobility resolution for ions in a smaller range of mobilities . a “ zoom scan ” consists of three phases : a first partial scan with highest scan speed , a second “ zoom ” phase with a reduced scan speed for highest resolution , and a third phase with fast scan speed to empty the trap . it goes without saying that the capacity of the accumulation and scan units also can be increased by enlarging the inner diameter of the device . a larger ion mobility spectrometer with higher rf voltages may still be acceptable for a mass spectrometer , but the gas flow , increasing with the fourth order of the inner diameter , needs much bigger and more expensive vacuum pumps .	7
in the figures , parts with like effect are in each case provided with the same reference signs . referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first , particularly to fig1 and 2 thereof , there is shown a contact connection described below and contains a board 2 and a plurality of data lines which are in electrical contact therewith and are in each case configured as shielded pairs of insulated wires 4 . a shielded pair of insulated wires 4 of this type is in particular also illustrated with reference to fig4 . the shielded pair of insulated wires 4 contains data conductors 6 which are in each case surrounded by insulation 8 . the pair of insulated wires 4 is surrounded by a common pair shielding 10 which is configured as a film shielding . the pair shielding 10 typically has a multi - layered structure composed of a metal layer ( aluminum ) and a plastics layer . for example , the metal layer is applied to a plastics layer by metallization . the plastics layer may be a plastics film , in particular pet film . as can be gathered in particular from fig4 , the individual insulated wires consisting of the data conductor 6 with the respective insulation 8 run parallel to one another . the pair shielding 10 is configured as a longitudinally folded film , wherein an overlapping region is formed in the gusset region between the two insulated wires . as can furthermore be gathered from fig4 , an otherwise customary ground wire which is typically likewise arranged running in the longitudinal direction of the pair of insulated wires 4 , for example in the gusset region between the individual insulated wires , is omitted in the case of the shielded pair of insulated wires 4 . the board 2 has a multi - layered structure and is formed symmetrically with respect to a center plane . the layer structure here contains a centrally arranged carrier 12 on which a layer sequence is in each case constructed on both sides . a ground conductor 14 which is configured in particular as a metallization of the carrier 12 , for example as a copper metallization , is fitted on the carrier 12 , preferably over the full surface . the ground conductor 14 extends over the entire length of the carrier 12 . in the figure , the individual layers are illustrated separately from one another with an intermediate space in the manner of an exploded illustration merely for better illustration . they are directly consecutive without intermediate spaces . the carrier itself is composed of a customary insulating printed circuit board material , for example with the material identification fr 4 . further insulation layers 16 and strip conductor planes 18 adjoin the ground conductor 14 in an alternating manner . the further insulation layers 16 are preferably composed here of a special insulating printed circuit board material which is suitable for high - frequency applications . the outermost strip conductor layer 18 is equipped in a central region with electronic components 20 which are electrically in contact with one another via the individual strip conductors 20 . furthermore , the outermost strip conductor layer 18 has a plurality of connection pads 24 to which the data conductors 6 of the individual pairs of insulated wires 4 are connected . connection pads 24 are likewise formed on the front side of the board 2 opposite the pairs of insulated wires 4 . an electrical connection to corresponding contact elements of a contact connector , into which the board 2 is plugged in order to form a plug - in connection , takes place via the connection pads . the connection pads 24 are preferably formed here by the application of an additional metal layer , in particular gold layer . as can be seen in particular from fig1 , the carrier 12 is extended in a rearward region of the board 2 , which region is oriented toward the pairs of insulated wires 4 , beyond the rest of the layer structure such that a type of projecting tongue is formed . together with the carrier 12 , the ground conductor 14 is also extended into the projecting region . the carrier 12 forms a ground plane 26 with the ground conductor 14 . the projecting partial region forms a ground contact zone 28 of the ground plane 26 . in the region of the ground contact zone 28 , an additional metal layer 30 , in particular composed of gold , is applied to the ground conductor 14 . the respective pair of insulated wires 4 rests by the pair shielding 10 on this ground contact zone 28 in a contacting manner . in addition , a respective clamping element 32 , which is illustrated merely schematically and in highly simplified form in fig1 and 2 , is arranged on the side opposite the ground contact zone 28 . with the clamping element , the pair of insulated wires 4 is pressed in the region of the exposed pair shielding 10 against the board 2 . the clamping element 32 here is in particular of conductive design , and therefore an additional contacting of the pair shielding 10 also takes place via the clamping element 32 . the clamping element 32 here is configured , for example , as a metal strip or metal clip which is connected , for example , to the board in order to exert the desired clamping force . for this purpose , a screw fastening or else an adhesive fastening can be provided . this measure overall permits simple connection of the pair shielding 10 to the ground plane 26 of the board 2 . all that is needed is for a plurality of pairs of insulated wires 4 to be placed next to one another onto the ground contact zone 28 and to be braced against the ground contact zone 28 by the clamping element 32 . significantly simplified installation is achieved as a result in comparison to the previously customary contactings via individual ground wires . in comparison to the contacting of ground wires , the contact security is also significantly increased , and there is no risk of short circuits etc . occurring due to an imprecise positioning of the ground wires . finally , dispensing with ground wires also makes it possible overall to reduce the diameter of the pair of insulated wires 4 and in particular of a data cable consisting of a multiplicity of such pairs of insulated wires 4 . in addition to the contacting of the pair shielding 10 , the individual data conductors 6 are also connected to the respective connection pads 24 individually in an electrically contacting manner , for example by soldering . in order to form the shield contacting , the possibly interfering plastics film of the pair shielding 10 is removed when required . depending on the variant embodiment , the plastics film may constitute that layer of the pair shielding 10 which is located on the inside or outside . if the plastics film is on the outside , it is removed before the shield connection . for this purpose , in particular a thermal laser treatment is provided . in order to improve the contact connection , the pair shielding 10 is expediently folded back in the front region such that it is overall of double - layered design . in the case of pair shieldings 10 with an inner plastics film , this leads to the latter now lying on the outside and therefore being removed as described . a seal which is formed by a sealing compound 33 and is indicated by a dashed line is formed at least in the region of the ground contact zone 28 and , in the exemplary embodiment , also in the region of the connection pads 24 . the seal in particular surrounds the ground contact zone 28 with the shieldings 10 which are in contact therewith and are therefore embedded together in the sealing compound 33 . in addition , in the exemplary embodiment , the clamping element 32 is also embedded . in particular the critical contact region between the gold ground contact zone 28 and the aluminum shields 10 is sealed off from moisture by the sealing compound 33 . the sealing compound 33 is applied , for example , by an ( injection molding ) casting process or else in the manner of an adhesive as an epoxy resin or a hotmelt . the sealing compound 33 is applied exclusively in the contact region where the data conductors 6 and the shielding 10 are in contact with the board 2 . the contact connection described here between pairs of insulated wires 4 and a board 2 is used in particular in the case of high - speed data cables in which a connector 36 is connected to a corresponding data cable 34 ( see fig3 ). the connectors 36 are in particular small form pluggable connectors which are known under the abbreviated terms sfp connectors , sfp + connectors , qsfp connectors or else cxp connectors . a connector 36 of this type is illustrated in greatly simplified form in fig3 . such a connector 36 accommodates the board 2 in its interior . the data cable 34 contains a cable sheath 38 and preferably a plurality of the pairs of insulated wires 4 illustrated in fig4 . in the case of a qsfp connector , use is made , for example , of a data cable 34 having a total of eight pairs of insulated wires 4 . in the connector 36 , all of the pairs of insulated wires 4 of the data cable 34 are connected to the board 2 . in this case , in each case both a contacting of the pair shielding 10 with the ground plane 26 and an electrical connection of each individual data conductor 6 to the corresponding connection pads 24 take place . such pre - manufactured cables with connected connectors 36 are used , for example , as “ patch cables ” in computer networks . the connectors 36 are introduced into connector sockets in order to form the data connection . the data connection takes place automatically here . the front - side connection pads 24 ( see fig2 ) are automatically contacted here by the corresponding contact element of the contact socket . the board 2 is therefore configured overall in the manner of a plug - in board . the following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention :	7
motion of the moving coil system results in pumping of air by the dust cap through the ferrofluid around the voice coil with attendant noise of the cavity behind the dust cap is not vented . the annular area of the rear of the voice coil pumps air in and out of the cavity in the magnetic structure through the ferrofluid with resultant noise which is unacceptable with unvented full range type loudspeakers . in the utilization of commecial available ferrofluids , it has been found that hydrocarbon liquids , silicone liquids , fluorocarbon liquids and polyester liquids are available in very fluid mixtures and in very viscous mixtures . blending within the same liquid class , eg ., blending polyester at 1 centipoise with polyester at 100 , 000 centipoises is all that is necessary to achieve a mixture at 1000 centipoises or at 10 , 000 centipoises or at a value which lies at any preselected value between these . the presence of ferromagnetic fluid of a selected viscosity of ferromagnetic fluid confined in the voice coil magnetic air gap and enveloping the portion of the voice coil magnetic air gap and enveloping the portion of the voice coil within the air gap results in a damping force on the voice coil due to motion of the voice coil in response to electrical excitation of the voice coil in the loudspeaker . this damping force is the reaction force of the voice coil resulting from the shear stress developed in the ferromagnetic fluid in response to motion in the voice coil . the presence of a ferromagnetic fluid of a selected viscosity of ferromagnetic fluid confined in the voice coil magnetic air gap and enveloping the portion of the voice coil within the air gap results in a damping force on the voice coil due to motion of the voice coil in response in electrical excitation of the voice coil in the loudspeaker . this damping force is the reaction force of the voice coil resulting from the shear stress developed in the ferromagnetic fluid in response to motion in the voice coil . in an ideal configuration where the ferromagnetic fluid is contained between two closely spaced parallel plates with one plate movable , and with the plates large enough to minimize edge effects , the damping force , f , will be directly proportional to the area of the plate , a . the velocity , u , of a movable plate and the viscosity , μ , of the fluid are inversely proportional to the spacing , μ , between the plates as in equation 1 . ## equ1 ## in a loudpspeaker this ideal configuration is only approximated . also typically both the inside and the outside areas of the coil are acted on by the ferromagnetic fluid , although in certain configurations having voice coils at least two times as long as the air gap height , the ferromagnetic fluid is confined to either the outer diameter , o . d . or inner diameter , i . d . of the voice coil only . this proportionality of the damping force to velocity is called viscous damping and is of particular importance in modifying the acoustical response of a loudspeaker at frequencies in the vicinity of the principal resonance frequency . it is in this low frequency region of the amplitude versus frequency response , that insufficient damping may be present resulting in deleterious effects in the acoustic performance . it is also at frequencies in this region that the moving system velocity becomes greatest , therefore the introduction of viscous damping can reduce the amplitude of motion of the moving system in this region without significantly affecting the acoustic output over the remainder of the useful frequency range of the loudspeaker . in the present invention ferromagnetic fluids of a diester base have been found particularly useful in this application due to their stability and availability in a wide range of viscosities . viscosities on the order of 500 - 6000 centipoises , preferably 1000 centipoises have been found to be effective in increasing the damping force on the moving system . quantitavely , the acoustic output of direct radiator dynamic loudspeaker at frequencies in the vicinity of the principal resonance frequency is a function of the q of the loudspeaker ( acoustic power output is proportional to q z ). q is defined as the ratio of energy stored in a system to the energy dissipated at the resonance frequency per cycle of excitation . this ratio is expressed in equation 2 . ## equ2 ## in equation 2 w - 2 f o where f o is the principal resonance frequency , determined by the values of total mass and stiffness elements of the loudspeaker moving system ( cone , voice coil , cone suspensions , the acoustic load ); wm is the reactance of either the mass or stiffness element at f o . r is the total damping ( resistance ) elements in the system . thus an increase in the value of the parameter r accomplished by introducing viscous damping will decrease the value of q . values of q greater than unity result in undesirable enhanced acoustic output and impared transient response at frequencies in the vicinity of f o . inexpensive loudspeakers often exhibit too high a value of q for optimum performance . lowering the q by increasing electrodynamic damping in general requires increased magnet volume so therefore is a relatively expensive approach . the use of a ferromagnetic fluid to lower q is much less expensive . it also has another beneficial property of increasing the loudspeaker electrical power dissipation capability due to the improved heat sink that the intimate contact of the ferromagnetic fluid provides with the voice coil and air gap pole faces . see fig1 , and 12 . a reduction in the average voice coil temperature from 103 ° c to 60 ° c occured with the addition of ferromagnetic fluid to the loudspeaker so that the electrical power rating could be increased by over 100 % for the same coil temperature . reduced values of q also result in improved transient response ( reduced ringing ) for the loudspeaker . loudspeakers having a magnetic structure which presents , in conjunction with the ferromagnetic fluid in the voice coil air gap cavity , a sealed cavity behind and contigous with the voice coil air gap cavity may require venting to the atmosphere in order to reduce the generation of spurios noise at excitation levels above a critical level , which is a function of the particular loudspaker due to the pumping of air into and out of the sealed cavity through the ferromagnetic fluid in the voice coil air gap . the annular cross sectional area of the rear end of the voice coil acts as a piston to pump the air . the spurious voice generated by this action is generally objectionable only in a full range type loudspeaker which has a principal resonance frequency below 300 hz so that voice coil velocities become high enough to create internal pressures great enough to force air through the ferromagnetic fluid at normal excitation levels . performance characteristics of ferrofluids automotive speakers , closed cone speakers and double horn speakers the watt output performance of this type is shown in fig1 and provides a reduction in the average voice coil temperature from 103 ° to 60 ° c occurred with the addition of ferromagnetic fluid to the loudspeaker so that the electrical power rating may be increased by over 100 % for the same coil temperature . reduced values of q also result in improved transient response ( reduced ringing ) for the loudspeaker . an air vent is provided as shown for each of the fig1 and 11 into which dust may enter and an air permeable material in the form of fabric may serve to cover the vent and prevent the entry of dust and even as clogged , will be cleaned by the pumping action of the air as the air pressure is generated during pumping action . the loudspeaker which is illustrated in fig1 and 2 is one which is adapted for use in an automobile and is subject to the performance requirements by the automobile manufacturer . the radio or tape deck in the car must provide the desired performance at extremes of temperature , e . g ., - 20 ° f + 120 ° f as encountered during climate extremes in different location ( desert , arctic regions , tropics , etc .). referring now to fig1 , 8 and 10 , the improvement in performance characteristics are surprisingly found to be the same order of magnitude for each of the different speaker type despite the differences in operation , e . g ., the automotive speaker of fig1 the midrange or tweeter speaker of fig5 characterized by operation over a restricted range of frequencies generally 400 - 5 , 000 hertz for a midrange unit and 2 , 000 - 20 , 000 hertz for a tweeter unit and having an optimal tight dust cap over the core , the double cone speaker of fig1 and the dynamic horn speaker of fig8 and these performance characteristics are summarized in fig1 and 12 of the drawings . the basic speaker structure of automotive type of speaker is that shown in fig1 and 5 . the performance graphs which are summarized in fig1 and 12 , although made with the automotive speaker of fig1 are representative of tests conducted on all of the speaker embodiments illustrated herein and the same enhancement is shown to thereby establish the general applicability of the ferrofluid development at critical viscosity range within the composition parameters . reference is now made specifically to fig1 which shows the coil temperature in each of the speaker for the conventional voice coil without the ferromagnetic fluid and for the voice coil with the ferromagnetic fluid in the air gap plotted against watts input to the coil for the simpliest low cost 5 inch speaker of fig1 . the generalized date referred to here and above is reflected , e . g ., a reduction in the average voice coil temperature from 103 ° c to 60 ° c occurred with the addition of ferromagnetic fluid to the loudspeaker so that the electrical power rating could be increased by over 100 % for the same coil temperature . reduced values of q also result in improved transient response ( reduced ringing ) for the loudspeaker . the data in fig1 were obtained with the standard brule and kjor copenhagen acoustic testing machine which measures the decibels output against frequency . the control speaker performance measured the air gap containing no ferromagnetic fluid and compared this with the speaker of fig1 . thus the invention permits one to balance acoustic heat transfer and hysterisis effects which can be defined as mechanical energy of the speakers converted into heat energy absorbed by the fluid rather than retained by the voice coil in the air environment . since non - newtonian fluids will absorb more heat and since the heat radiation contributed by the metal powder will enhance heat loss , these two factors can be separately controlled while at the same time effecting mechanical damping to smooth out or remove distortion peaks in the cone . it appears that increasing viscosity and dropping the metal content for the tweeter will result in entirely different specifications for the tweeter than for the woofer . fig1 shows cancellation of the mid - range resonance frequency of a tweeter , which may be at values of 50h to 2 , 000h could require a more viscous liquid , and a lower metal content than the suppression of cancellation of the resonance frequency of a woofer or of a full range speaker . it appears from my study of the i . r . analysis , the 10 , 000 cps diester fluid , that the liquid is an aliphatic diester such as sebacate and not an aromatic diester ( dibutyl phthalate ), and that the specification for low temperature performance used by the automobile manufacturers , e . g ., american motors , general motors and ford is met by these fluids having higher and low viscosities before the metal particles are added in making the fluid ferromagnetic . the ferrofluid liquid for a home indoor speaker need not meet the - 20 ° f specification of ford or the - 40 ° f specification of american motors , yet it often will meet more difficult requirements at high temperatures because continued performance at 100 - 300 % overhead for long time periods . it has been found by extensive experiment that the iron metal content or magnetic oxide content may be any metal which is magnetic or those mentioned in the rosensweig patents acknowledged in the prior art and that the metal or oxide contained may vary from fluidity or causing leaking . the metal need not be magnetized and cost savings will result from omitting the magnetizing step . the liquid selection for the ferrofluid is one which meets the requirements of the environment in which the speaker is placed and must also meet the requirements to permit handling by a skilled pesonnel . poisonous or toxic materials which represent a hazard to animal life or to man must be avoided . for this reason , chlorinated hydrocarbons and phosphates which are damaging to living cells are to be avoided . only after comparable experimentation , the suitable fluid had been determined to be the polyester of the aliphatic type , the silicone liquids , the fluorocarbons and the hydrocarbons , all of these being non volatile and not being easily added to this , a commercially available suspension as required . the ferrofluid is a colloidal suspension of irregular shaped magnetic particles on the order of magnitude of 100 angstroms ( microinches ) in size in the liquid carrier , which in the present invention must be non volatile , non - toxic and usable over a wide temperature range and of critical viscosity . brownian motion prevents any tendency toward settling of the particles . the particles may be coated with an antistick agent in very small amounts to insure against coalesing . there are only about 10 17 particles per cc so that the unmagnetized fluid behaves essentially like the carrier . the preferred aliphatic diesters are particularly useful because of low vapor pressure ( 1 torr at 150 ° c ) to insure long life , a wide operating range of temperature (- 35 ° c to 150 ° c ), chemical inertness , and availability in a wide range of viscosities ( 100 - 10 , 000 centipoise ). the ferrofluid is magnetically saturated in a typical loudspeaker voice coil air gap . an mmf of 5000 ousteds produces a saturation induction of 100 - 200 gauss . this induction is not great enough to increase the air gap flux density significantly . the magnetically saturated ferrofluid also exhibits an increase in viscosity . in a typical loudspeaker air gap , it is nearly impossible to dislodge the fluid , ie , dropping the loudspeaker will not result in a loss of ferrofluid from the air gap . the ferrofluid is normally placed into the voice coil air gap cavity by magnetizing the unit prior to the assembly of the voice coil and injecting the desired quantity with a calibrated syringe . a normal quantity forms a convex meniscus on the top of the air gap annulus . the voice coil assembly can then be installed by inserting it through the ferrofluid using a temporary alignment shim ( if required for centering ). the fluid will be temporarily displaced by the shim , but upon removal of the shim the fluid will envelope the coil . alternatively the ferrofluid may be placed into the inner portion only of the voice coil and gap cavity after the voice coil assembly has been installed by injecting the fluid into the cavity between the coil inside diameter and the pole piece outside diameter again after magnetization of the unit . a higher viscosity mix of ferrofluid may be required in this case to achieve the same degree of damping of the moving system . the automotive speaker 14 of fig1 and 2 , is of the conventional type and the vent 31 is located in the rear plate 30 and pole 36 of the speaker . the vent permits the escape of air under the dynamic action of the voice coil . the speaker 14 is connected with leads 17 and 18 and mounted within basket 16 . the openings in the basket serve an acoustic purpose which is well - known to improve the sound in the mid - range , e . g ., from the low frequencies up to about 500 hertz . the diaphragm 24 is improved by the voice coil which is best shown in fig4 the voice coil 40 being formed of windings and the air gap being filled with ferrofluid 42 . the front plate 34 serves as one of the barrier to the ferrofluid 40 and the core pole 36 as shown in fig4 serves as the other . the meniscus for the liquid ferrofluid 42 is slightly exaggerated as shown in fig4 but represents the configuration observed in all of the other embodiments in approximately the same spacing and voice coil structure herewith . compare fig5 with fig4 . the voice coil 38 is generally mounted on a nonpourous aluminum form so that leakage through the form does not occur . wicking action can also be eliminated by a polyimide or similar non - porous coil form as noted by legend in fig4 . the magnet 32 is of the conventional type and the opening which is provided in the magnet represents an example of a vent which is convenient to provide in the magnet . the diaphragm connection is shown best in fig3 and the dust cap 26 which protects the ferrofluid 42 against contamination is not a tight fitting relationship with the bellows portion of the diaphragm . the clip 19 and jack 20 serve to permit the easy mounting and plugging of the automotive speaker 14 inside of the door of a vehicle . the connector 22 which is used at the ends of leads 17 and 18 is of the conventional flat type . the rear plate 30 magnet 32 and central opening in the magnet 33 are those which are found in the conventional air gap speaker of this type and are best viewed in the section shown in fig3 . the behavior of the ferrofluid may be contrasted by various mixes and established that there is a remarkable change at the low frequency , a flattening of the curve at the fundamental and a repression of the harmonic of about 1500 cycles . in the absence of any ferrofluid , the curve shows a steep rise up to almost 100 decibels at the fundamental , a sharp drop in the range of 150 - 500 to show much poor performance , a rise between 500 and a thousand cycles in a critical range at human ear and a sharp drop at the fundamental . the addition of a 700 cp ferrofluid brings the output down and flattens the curve very substantially between 30 cycles and a thousand . the addition of 1000 cp fluid brings the output even lower and gives almost a flat response between 150 and 1 , 000 and a great repression of the fundamental . the addition of 6 , 000 cp fluid ( 2 : 1 mix ) cuts the decibels even further and gives the performance that one could achieved in only a very high quality speaker . the vent locations are comparable in each of the embodiments , for example , vent 57 is provided under dust cap 46 in the embodiment shown in fig7 vent 37 is shown in the core pole 36 of the embodiment shown in fig5 and vent 77 is provided in the core pole 76 of the double horn configuration in fig9 . also , vent 137 is provided in the core pole 136 of the embodiment of fig1 double cone configuration . the double cone configuration represents a full range speaker which covers a wider figure range than the mid - range speaker of fig1 and 2 . as mentioned hereinabove , the constructions of the other embodiments of fig5 , 9 and 10 are along conventional lines and improved in much the same manner as the speaker of fig1 but the venting is distinctive for the introduction of the ferrofluid . this conventional construction in fig5 comprises rear plate 50 having aperture 51 for the air column magnet 50 , core pole 56 and mounting plate 54 with its fasteners . the vented pole piece 56 fits in aperture 51 of the rear plate 50 and defines one boundary of the ferrofluid 62 and the front plate defines the other boundary . the voice coil 58 is similar to that in fig1 - 5 . the horn speaker 64 of fig8 is also of conventional construction , having depending flange 65 at the rear of the horn bell 66 and mounting screws 67 to attach the bell to the speaker 68 . the arms 69 of the speaker attach to the front plate 74 . magnet 72 having an annular opening 73 is mounted between front plate 74 and rear plate 70 . the core pole 76 is mounted in the opening 71 of the rear plate . the central vent 77 in pole 76 vents the air column and the voice coil form 78 mounts coil 80 for conversion in ferrofluid 82 . the diaphragm 84 is thus effectively vented . the horn tone arm 86 is conventionally mounted in reflector 88 , the latter being fastened by screws 89 to the horn arms 66 . in fig1 , the reference numerals of the construction are identical in the last two digits with all of those in fig1 - 5 except that they are preceeded with 100 - eg ., are in the 100 series and the auxiliary cone 143 having the added acoustical function is present , it being attached to diaphragm 124 at its center by means of adhesive 145 .	7
a transceiver unit being a microprocessor controlled hand held 720 channal communication transceiver covering the band of 118 . 00 to 135 . 975 mhz and a 200 channal nav receiver covering the band of 108 . 00 to 117 . 95 mhz is provided . an antenna is included which antenna is removable and the unit may be connected to the aircraft &# 39 ; s com antenna . nav and com frequencies are displayed on a liquid crystal display ( lcd ) and are entered by a 16 - key keyboard . in the rad mode of operation the vor radial is displayed . the user is alerted when an illegal setting is made by the appearance of the letter &# 34 ; e &# 34 ; ( error ) in the display . ten pre - programmable nav or com frequencies may be stored in a non - volatile memory and manually selected for use or automatically scanned by one of three selected automatic scanning modes . a memory lockout feature is provided in which programmable frequencies can be locked out of the manual or automatic scan . the unit is powered by a rechargeable , quickly changed , nicad battery pack . an optional non - rechargeable alkaline battery pack for emergency use is connectable . the operation of the unit is altered when the battery pack voltage has dropped below its usable limit . this is indicated by the display of the letters &# 34 ; batt &# 34 ; in the lcd display . the liquid crystal display can be illuminated to facilitate viewing in darkness . fig1 shows a general block diagram of the main circuit portions of the invention 100 . an antenna 101 is connected to the unit 100 to receive signals and to transfer these signals through a connection 103 to a radio receiver circuit 105 . the radio receiver circuit 105 is connected to send its output to an audio amplifier circuit 107 which in turn drives an assortment of speaker systems 109 . the radio receiver circuit 105 , through a connection 111 , sends signals to a microprocessor circuit 113 . this microprocessor 113 drives a liquid crystal display 115 . a keyboard 117 is connected to enter certain limited instructions into the microprocessor 113 . microprocessor 113 also includes an program memory 119 which contains navigational processing software in non - volatile memory . an rf phase lock loop circuit 121 is included . this phase lock loop circuit 121 is connected through a connection 123 to the radio receiver circuit 105 , and through another connection 125 to the microprocessor 113 . a radio transmitter circuit 127 receives audio from an operator microphone 129 . the output of the radio transmitter circuit 127 is connected to an output amplifier 131 which feeds signals to the antenna 101 . the radio transmitter circuit 127 is also connected to the microprocessor 113 through a connection 133 . a vor phase lock loop circuit 120 ( detector ) is connected to the output of the radio receiver 105 and has its output connected to the mircoprocessor 113 through line 122 . the circuitry shown in fig1 as well as , the additional components which complete the portable unit of the invention are housed in a case 135 , fig1 a . this case 135 includes a push - to - talk switch ( ptt ) 137 , a liquid crystal display 115 , a 16 key keyboard 117 , a microphone 129 , and four individiual function switches 139 in a panel on the front face of this case . the speaker 109 is also included . case 135 has a top panel 141 which includes an on / off switch 143 . also , on this top panel 141 is a receiver squelch adjustment knob 145 , an external speaker - microphone connector 147 , an earphone jack 149 , and a bnc antenna connector 151 for connecting to the antenna 101 of fig1 . the bottom panel 153 of the case 135 is shown in fig1 c . this bottom includes a jack for external slow charge adapter 155 , and terminal 157 for optional desk top quick charger and stand . the 16 key keyboard 117 includes entry keys for the operator . the numbered keys are used to assign a frequency . the letters m0 - m9 define 10 memory locations in the memory of the microprocessor 113 where assigned frequencies may be stored . these keys are also used to recall or access these stored frequencies . set key : this key is used to set the assigned com or nav frequency . after a frequency is selected and displayed , the set key must be depressed . when this key is depressed , a decimal will appear after the third digit in the display 115 . scan mode selector key : this key selects any one of the 4 modes ( man , scan , srch , open ) in sequence as the key is repeatedly depressed . each mode appears in the display 115 . 1 . in the band mode , when this key is depressed , scanning starts toward a frequency higher than the frequency displayed . 2 . in memory mode , scanning starts toward the next higher numbers memory channels ( m0 - m9 ) in sequence until all 10 memory channels have been scanned . 3 . memory lockout : any memory location , m1 to m9 , may be locked out of the scanning sequence when the m - set slide switch is on and this key is depressed . location ( m ) cannot be locked out . 1 . when operating in the band mode and this key is depressed , scanning starts down from the frequency displayed . 2 . in the memory mode , when this key is depressed , scanning starts toward the next lower numbered memory location that appears in the display 115 . memory mode key (&# 34 ; d &# 34 ;): when this key is depressed , the radio switches from the band mode to the memory mode of operation . simultaneously a letter &# 34 ; m &# 34 ; ( memory ) appears in the upper left corner of the display . memory write key (&# 34 ; mw &# 34 ;): the function of this key is to place the radio in a &# 34 ; write to memory &# 34 ; location mode . this key is disabled when the m - set slide switch on panel 139 is turned off . when the m - set slide switch on panel 139 is turned on and the memory write key depressed , the letters &# 34 ; mw &# 34 ; will appear in the upper left corner of the display 115 . as stated above four select switches 139 comprise a panel on the face of the case 135 . these select switches operate as follows : lock switch : if the lock - on position is set , all 16 keys are dispabled and no keyboard 117 operation is possible . lamp switch : if the lamp - on is set , the lcd display 115 is illuminated by an internal lamp to facilitate viewing in low ambient light . 1 . when this switch is placed in the freq position and the m - set switch in the off position , nav or com frequency setting ( lcd displays the set frequency ) and com band mode scanning ( automatic or manual ) are possible . 2 . when the freq and m - set &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; positions are set , selected frequencies may be stored by using the mw ( memory write ) key and keys m0 to m9 as the locations in memory . 3 . when the rad position is selected and the active frequency is a vor channel , the lcd indicates the vor radial . if the active frequency is a loc channel , the lcd indicates the letter &# 34 ; loc &# 34 ;. all keys are inoperative when a radial or loc legend is displayed and band scanning is not possible . 1 . when the m - set &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; position is selected and the freq rad switch is set to freq , the memory write key (&# 34 ; mw &# 34 ;) is enabled permitting the programming of memory locations m0 to m9 . 2 . when the m - set and freq slide switches are both on and the radio is in the memory mode of operation , the memory lock out key is (&# 34 ; b &# 34 ;) is enabled . the liquid crystal display 115 is shown in detail in fig1 d . this display 115 is capable of providing the following information which is identified with respect to the numeral appearing on the figure : ( 154 ) numerical frequency in mhz is displayed in both the band and memory modes . shown displayed is 135 . 525 mhz . ( 161 ) the letter &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; is displayed when the unit is in the memory mode of operation and one of the memory locations m1 to m9 has been &# 34 ; locked out &# 34 ; by the switch on the panel 139 . the display shows memory location m1 has been locked out of the scanning sequence . ( 163 ) memory location digit is displayed when the unit is placed in the memory mode of operation , and a memory location key ( m0 to m9 ) is depressed , that location digit will appear here . shown displayed is memory location m1 . ( 165 ) the letter rx will appear here when the receiver locks on to a valid nav or com received signal . the received frequency will also be displayed . ( 167 ) the letters tx will appear here when the ptt switch 137 is depressed provided the displayed frequency is a com frequency . ( 169 ) the letter e ( error ) appears here whenever an illegal setting is made into the display . in addition , all of the numerical display will blank . ( 171 ) two modes can be displayed here . the letter m ( memory mode ) will be displayed whenever the &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; key is depressed . the letters mw ( memory write ) will be displayed whenever the m - set slide switch on panel 139 is on and the &# 34 ; mw &# 34 ; key on the keyboard 117 is depressed . ( 173 ) this area displays the particular one of the possible scanning modes . four distinct sets of letters will appear here indicating the selected scan mode . when the &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; key depressed repeatedly , the following letters will sequentialy appear : man ( manual ), scan , srch ( search ), open . ( 175 ) battery alert signal is also displayable . the letters batt will appear here when the battery pack voltage has fallen below the lower limit of useable charge . ( 177 ) up / down scanning indicators are also provided . when the &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; key is on keyboard 117 is depressed , the &# 34 ; up arrow &# 34 ; will appear ( up scan ). when the &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; key on keyboard 117 is depressed , the &# 34 ; down arrow &# 34 ; appears ( down scan ). when the freq rad switch on panel 139 is set to the rad position and the active frequency is a vor / loc channel , the vor radial or a &# 34 ; loc &# 34 ; legend will be displayed in the previously discussed display areas for &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; 161 and channel frequency 159 . vor radial example : &# 34 ; f196 &# 34 ;; loc legend example : &# 34 ; loc &# 34 ;. the display 115 , fig1 d , provides an 8 digit alphanumeric display of which the frequency of any com channel or nav channel selected is display by 6 digits ( 159 ). the circuitry for the communications and navigational signal processing is housed partially on a com / nav board , fig2 . here the antenna 101 feeds a transmitter - receiver switch 179 which is controlled by a signal 180 from the microprocessor which will be discussed below . the signal from this switch 179 is feed to rf amplipher 181 . the rf amplifier sends the signal onto a mixer 183 , and then i . f . filter 185 . the output from this i . f . filter 185 is connected into an if amplifier circuit 187 which has associated on its output a detecter circuit 189 . the detecter 189 output is connected into a noise limiter circuit 191 . the noise limiter circuit 191 has its output connected to a manual volume controller circuit 193 . this controller 193 is connected to feed the signal onto an audio amplifier 195 . the audio amplifier 195 has audio outputs to a speaker 109 , an earphone 197 whose connection is made through the previously discussed jack 149 , and a head set jack previously discussed as the external speaker - microphone connector 147 . an output from the detector 189 is connected back into an automatic gain control circuit 199 ( a . g . c .). an output from this a . g . c . 199 is connected into the if amplifier , and into the rf amplifier 181 . a squelch circuit 201 receives a signal from the a . g . c . 199 , and provides an input signal to the audio amplifier 195 . this squelch circuit 201 is controlled through a squelch switch signal 203 from the microprocessor 293 discussed below , and receives an input from a squelch adjustment pot ( potentiometer ) 145 . the above described circuit components of fig2 are implemented in circuitry of standard design , the details of which are known to those in this technology including some discussed above . the circuit fig2 includes a nicad battery pack 205 of standard design . this battery pack 205 provides + 9 . 6 vdc to the system . this voltage is used in must of the components or divided down to a lower level as know by those in this technology . this battery pack 205 is charged via quick charge jacks or external slow charge jacks 155 . a 3 . 2 mhz oscillator 207 provides the basic timing pulses to the circuitry . this oscillator 207 is connected into an rf phase lock loop and synthesizer circuit 209 . as an example , this circuit 209 can be implemented using a motorola corporation model mc 145156 synthesizer circuit which is a cmos lsi ( c - metal oxide semi - conductor , large scale intergration ) circuit . an output from this circuit 209 is connected into a voltage controlled oscillator ( vco ) 211 . a first output from this vco 211 is connected into the mixer 103 . a second output from this vco 211 is connected through a buffer amplifier 213 into a prescaler circuit 215 and back into the synthesizer circuit 209 . the r . f . phase lock loop / synthesizer circuit 209 also has an output directly to the vco 211 . the synthesizer circuit 209 has an additional output into a r . f . loop filter 217 . an output from this loop filter 217 is connected back into vco 211 , while a second output from this loop filter 217 is connected back into the rf amplifier 181 . the output from the vco 211 is also connected into an rf buffer circuit 219 which passes this signal onto a buffer amplifier circuit 221 . the output from this buffer amplifier circuit is passed onto a transmitter circuit 127 and then onto an output amplifier 131 . the output from the output amplifier 131 passes through a low pass filter and output matching circuit 223 . this low pass filter and output matching circuit 223 is connected to feed its signal onto the transmit and receive switch 179 and out to the antenna 101 . again the additional cicuitry described herein above with respect to fig2 is implemented with circuit components known circuitry . the following additional circuitry described below has not been implemented in the past . the synthesizer circuit 209 as implemented with mc 145156 , has a clock input signal 231 , a data input signal 235 , and a enable input 233 . clock signals 231 are feed from a microprocessor board 235 described below . likewise , the enable signal 233 is connected into this synthesizer 209 from this microprocessor board 235 . this microprocessor board also supplies data including nav and com status over the line 235 into the synthesizer circuit 209 . the enable line 233 is also connected into the squelch circuit 201 to selectively control its operation from the microprocessor board 235 . a transmitter inhibit logic circuit 237 acts as an isolation controller and receives an input on the line 239 from the synthesizer circuit 209 . the transmitter inhibit circuit 209 circuit 237 is of resonable common design as op amp switch logic . a first outputs from this inhibit logic circuit 237 is a first status line being a com and not nav signal line 241 and a second status line being a not com and a nav signal line 243 . the signal lines 241 , and 243 are connected into the a . g . c . circuit 199 . a switch a + input 245 is connected to a push to tuck switch 247 which receives power from the battery pack 205 . this push to talk switch 247 acts a relay to enable operation of a push to talk control logic circuit 249 which provides a plurality of output lines signaling various components that the unit is in the transmission mode . an input line 251 carries an inhibit status signal from nav mode from the inhibit logic 237 to the ptt control logic 249 . an output line 253 from the push to talk logic circuit 249 is connected to a modulator circuit 255 . the push to talk logic circuit receives a ptt signal 257 from the microprocessor board 235 . a pair of bias circuit amplifiers 259 and 261 are used to receive an internal microphone input 263 and external microphone input 265 , with the input 263 connected to the bias circuit amplifier 259 and the input 265 connected to the bias circuit amplifier 261 . each bias circuit amplifier 259 and 261 is connected to feed its output signal into a microphone amplifier circuit 267 . the output from this microphone amplifier circuit 267 is con - nected into the modulator 255 . the modulator 255 has an output line 269 connected to the transmitter 127 . also connected to this circuit are a plurality of additional signals commonly used in the nav and com circuits . these signals are provided from a nav decoder board 271 which will be described below and are passed onto the microprocessor board 235 . the signals include a bearing a + signal 273 , a voltage reference signal 275 , a nav flag signal 277 , a 30 hz am signal 279 , and 30 hz fm signal 281 . the navigational decoder board 271 is shown above in fig3 . here the composite nav signal from the antenna 101 is connected into an operational amplifier circuit 283 . the output from this operational output circuit is fed first into a phase lock loop circuit 285 operated as a fm discriminator circuit , and likewise fed into a 30 hz am filter circuit 287 and a threshold detector circuit 289 implemented as a half wave rectifier . the output from the fm discriminator circuit 285 is connected into a 30 hz fm filter circuit 291 . the 30 hz fm filter circuit 291 provides the 30 hz fm reference signal 281 , while the 30 hz am filter 287 provides the 30 hz am reference signal 279 and the threshold detector 289 provides the nav flag signal 277 . the microprocessor board 235 is shown in greater detail in fig4 . the 16 key key board 117 is connected through a bus to a microprocessor circuit 293 . this microprocessor circuit 293 can be implemented by a n . e . c . model 7503 microprocessor . this microprocessor 293 is a cmos lsi implemented circuit . this microprocessor 293 circuit is available in the marketpalce , but it has a program memory which must be custom loaded with software . the microprocessor 293 drives a model d . s . 201 liquid crystal display 115 through a connection bus 275 . the select function panel 139 includes the frequency / rad selection switch 297 , the &# 34 ; m &# 34 ; set switch 299 , the lock switch 301 and the lamp switch 303 . each of the first three switches 297 , 299 and 301 has its output connected into the microprocessor 293 . the lamp switch 303 is connected to a lamp 305 for illiminating the liquid crystal display and connects to the switch a + signal 245 . the nav flag signal 277 from the decodor board 271 is input to the microprocessor 293 . this microprocessor also send a pttsignal 257 to the circuit of fig2 discussed above . the microprocessor 293 also has connected to it a bearing clock circuit 311 . this timing circuit 311 operates at 32 khz . the microprocessor 293 includes a clock output signal 231 , a data signal 235 , and an enable signal 233 each of which are sent to the synthesizer 209 on the com and nav circuit of fig2 . microprocessor 293 also includes a voltage reference signal 313 which can be maintained by a capacitor storage circuit 315 connected to this line . this reference signal 213 is connected into a voltage regulator 317 which has an input signal being the bearing a + signal 273 sent from the com and nav circuit of fig2 . the regulator circuit provides an output voltage ref signal 275 sent to the circuit , fig2 . the ptt signal 257 is generated by the push to talk switch 137 and is input into the microprocessor 297 . this microprocessor 293 also has as an output squelch switch signal 203 . the 30 hz am signal 279 from the decoder board 271 is input into a first zero cross over detector circuit 319 which operates as a pulse shaper . the output from this first zero cross over detector circuit into a differential phase counter 321 . the 30 hz fm signal 281 from the decoder board 271 is input into a zero cross over detector circuit 323 . the output from this second detector 323 is input into the differential phase counter 321 . this phase counter circuit 321 provides its output line 325 as an input into the microprocessor 293 . a microphone 327 provides a mic out signal 329 and is connected to mic ground signal 331 , as well as , a connection to a speaker 333 . the model 7503 microprocessor 293 is shown in greater detail in fig5 . this microprocessor is an four bit internal bus 335 device . it includes seven ports 337 , 339 , 341 , 343 , 345 , and 347 connected through respective buffers to the bus 335 . bus 335 is also has connected to it a serial interface circuit 349 , an interupt control 351 , and a timer and event counter circuit 353 . the timer and event counter circuit 353 is connected to a clock control circuit 355 which in turn is connected to a clock count generator 357 . a plurality of general registers 359 are also connected to the bus 335 , as well as , to a data memory 361 which operates as a working memory . this data memory 361 is connected to the bus 335 , as well as , to a liquid crystal display controller driver interface circuit 363 . the circuit includes an arithmetic logic unit 365 connected to the bus 335 , as well as , a system clock generator 367 , and a stand by control circuit 369 which provide general microprocessor 293 timing signals . an instruction decoder 371 receives information from a program memory 373 . program memory holds the custom loaded software previously mentioned . this program memory is also connected to a program counter 375 . the program counter is also connected to the bus 335 . a custom program of software instructions is loaded into the program memory 373 . this memory 373 is implemented as programable read only memory commonly known as a rom . fig6 through 19 show the logic flow chart for implementing this software . fig6 shows the initiation of the main program and an interrogation of the status of the unit including initialization of the system . fig7 and 8 show the initialization of the bearing search mode , loc display and nav flag display . fig9 through 12 show the calculation of the bearing value digitally . this calculation sets up a phase difference of two received signals to determine a window i . e . an electronic count period . this electronic count is equated to bearing degrees . while the output from the calculation is in bearing degrees from the station , the bearing in degrees to the station can be easily obtained as the suplemental angle in degrees ( i . e . the difference from 360 °). fig1 through 18 show the scan operation for station search as selected between manual , automatic and up / down scan . fig1 shows the receiver mode operation for blanking bearing and scan and intializing the system for the receiver operation in com mode and also small rountines including tuning the rf phase lock loop operation . the operator can program the com and nav frequencies in the microprocessor 293 memory 373 according to the following 10 steps : 2 . clear the display of the letter &# 34 ; e &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; m &# 34 ; if one is present . to clear an &# 34 ; e &# 34 ;, depress any key . to clear an &# 34 ; m &# 34 ; depress &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; key . 4 . turn the m - set slide switch to the on position to enable the &# 34 ; mw &# 34 ; key . 5 . depress the &# 34 ; mw &# 34 ; key . confirm that the letters &# 34 ; mw &# 34 ; appear in the display . 6 . depress that location key ( m0 to m9 ) at which the frequency is to be stored . when the key is depressed , the frequency is stored . confirm that when the location key is depressed that the letters &# 34 ; mw &# 34 ; change to &# 34 ; m &# 34 ; ( memory mode ), and that a numeral corresponding to the location number appears to the left of the frequency in the display . 7 . depress &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; key (&# 34 ; m &# 34 ; disappears from lcd ) to take the radio out of the memory mode and put it in the band mode . remember , you can only assign a frequency in the band mode of operation . 9 . keep repeating steps 5 , 6 , 7 and 8 until all the desired locations are programmed . 10 . turn m - set slide switch off to disable the &# 34 ; mw &# 34 ; key . the band mode of operation permits transmission and reception over any of 720 com channels or over selected bands . the operator may choose to receive and transmit over a single channel or to automatically scan a chosen band of frequencies . when the freq rad slide switch is in the freq position and the letter &# 34 ; m &# 34 ; ( memory mode ) does not appear in the display , then the radio is in the band mode of operation . if the letter &# 34 ; m &# 34 ; appears in the display , then the radio is in the memory mode of operation . the &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; key must be depressed to switch the radio out of the memory mode and into the band mode of operation . band mode scanning proceeds up or down in 25 khz steps . one of the four scanning modes ( man , scan , srch , open ), can be selected . the display shows man , scan , srch , open , man ------ in repeated order . the operation of each of the following four scanning modes is a follows . man : to select this mode , repeatedly depress the &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; key until man appears in the display . the man ( manual ) scanning mode permits the operator to manually shift the frequency in 25 khz steps by repeatedly depressing either the up scan key &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; or down scan key &# 34 ; c &# 34 ;. each time the &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; key is depressed , an up arrow appears at the right hand side of the display signifying that the previously displayed frequency was shifted up by 25 khz . each time the &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; key is depressed an down arrow appears at the far right hand side of the display signifying that the previously displayed frequency was shifted down by 25 khz . the frequency was shifted down by 25 khz . the frequency that appears in the display is the one the operator can receive ( rx ) or transmit ( tx ) over . scan : to select this mode , repeatedly depress the &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; key until scan appears in the display . when the scan mode is selected , the radio will automatically scan up or down ( selected by operator ) in 25 khz steps between upper and lower frequency limits that are selected by the operator . when a busy channel is encountered ( rx appears in display ) the scan stops for 10 seconds and then resumes . when the scanning limit is reached , up or down , the scan automatically returns to the opposite limit and resumes . srch : to select the srch ( search ) mode , repeatedly depress the &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; key until srch appears in the display . when the srch mode is selected , searching will be identical to the scan mode except that when a busy channel ( rx appears in the display ) is encountered , the search stops and will not resume . the search will remain frozen at this channel until the operator depresses either the &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; key to resume the search scan . when the upper or lower search limit is reached , the search automatically returns to the opposite limit and resumes . open : to select the open mode , repeatedly depress the &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; key until open appears in the display . scanning in the open mode is identical to the scan mode , except that when a busy channel is encountered , the scan stops and monitors the busy channel for as long as the channel remains active . three seconds after the signal opens , the scan is automatically resumed between its limits . there are differences between the memory mode of operation and the band mode of operation ; and , they are : reception and transmissions are possible only over those com frequencies stored in locations m0 to m9 . there are no lower or upper scan limits to set . up scanning is from location m0 to m9 sequentially . down scanning is from location m9 to m0 sequentially . memory location lockout : locations m1 to m9 can be locked out of the scanning sequence . location m0 cannot be locked out . pcs ( priority channel scanning ): this feature is restricted to the scan scanning mode and , in addition , only when the radio is in the memory mode of operation . the scan mode of scanning has an added feature called &# 34 ; priority channel scanning &# 34 ;. when the radio locks onto a busy channel for 10 seconds and then resumes the scan , the scan does not begin with the next memory channel in sequence . the scan departs the normal sequence and shifts over to location m1 , the designated priority channel . if m1 is not active , the scan jumps back in sequence starting with the next location above the previously locked location . however , if m1 is busy when it is scanned , then the radio will lock onto m1 and stay locked on until the signal opens . the scan then departs m1 and jumps back into sequence starting with the location next in sequence from the previously locked on location . the unit has a memory location lockout feature that allows one or all of the locations m1 to m9 to be locked out of manual or automatic scanning . location m0 cannot be locked out as this location determines the upper frequency limit of an up scan . this lockout feature pertains only to the memory mode of operation . when a memory location is locked out , that location is passed over in the sequential up or down scanning . this feature can be chosen to be implemented by the operator when only a few selected stored channels need to scanned or one or more particular channels are so busy that they interfere with the scanning of the other channels . the unit can be selectively switched into the 200 channel nav mode of operation since vor navigation is made possible by the digital radial from station feature . when swithed into the nav made the com transmitter operation is inhibited . the various methods and modes of operation are implemented by the software resident in the microprocessor 293 rom 373 the flow chart for this software being shown in fig6 - 19 . the discrete component implementation of the nav decoder board 271 is shown in fig2 . the operational amplifier circuit 283 is implemented with a motorola 3240 type amplifier circuit 377 . the output of the amplifier is connected to theinput of a motorola 4046 cmos type discriminator circuit 379 through a 15 pf capacitor 381 . the output of the discriminator circuit 379 is connected into a second amplifier 383 circuit set up to filter out signals and pass 30 hz fm . the output from the first operational amplifier circuit 377 is also connected as the input to a third operational amplifier circuit 385 . this operational amplifier circuit 385 is set up to filter out signals and pass 30 hz am . the output of the third operational amplifier circuit 385 is also input to a fourth operational amplifier circuit 387 . this fourth amplifier circuit 387 is set up as a threshold detector . each of the above circuits 377 , 379 , 383 , 385 and 387 are connected with attendant resistor and capacitor circuit components to establish timing and frequency desired . this information is available from the manufacturer . the output from the second amplifier 383 is the 30 hz fm signal 281 . the output from the third amplifier circuit is the 30 hz am signal 279 . the output from the fourth amplifier circuit 387 is the nav flag signal 277 . fig2 shows in more detail the bearing clock timing circuit 311 and the differential phase counter 321 of fig4 . this circuit includes a triad of two input nor gates 389 , 391 , 393 . the first of these nor gates 389 is connected on the input of the second nor gate 391 with a 1 megohm resistor 395 feed back line . the output of the second nor gate 391 is input into the third nor gate 393 with a 200 kohm resistor 397 and 32 khz crystal 399 series connection feed back from the second nor gate 391 output to the first nor gate 389 input . the third nor gate 393 also has an input line from the divide by 16 flip flops 321 . the 30 hz am signal 279 is input into a first 2903 type operational amplifier 401 circuit supplied by motorola . this operational amplifier 401 is connected with attendant resistor and capactor circuitry to operate as a zero cross over detector to become the detector 319 of fig4 . the 30 hz fm signal 281 is input into a second 2903 type operational amplifier 403 circuit . this circuit 403 is also connected as a zero cross over detector to become the detector 323 of fig4 . the output from the amplifier 401 is connected to clock a first d - type flip flop 405 . the output from the amplifier 403 is connected to clock a second d - type flip flop 407 . the flip flops 405 , 407 are connected in series with the output of the first flip flop 405 being connected into the input of the second flip flop 407 . the true output of the second flip flop 407 is connected into an input of the third nor gate 393 . the complement output from the second flip flop 407 is connected into pin 55 of the microprocessor 293 . some other connections seen from fig2 for the microprocessor 293 include an 8 - bit bus from the keyboard 117 connected to microprocessor 293 pins 12 through 19 and the output of the third nor gate 393 connected to microprocessor pin 21 . the description above is intended to be illustrative of the invention . changes can be made in the circuitry of the software program implementation without changing the scope or intent of the invention .	6
an aspect of the invention was the realization that data storage for large scale , enterprise - level applications presents issues that are substantially different from those of relatively small scale applications . the instant inventor also realized that contrary to conventional wisdom among much of the relevant industry , metadata and the underlying data to which it pertains , may be separated from one another without sacrificing desired functionality . turning now to fig1 , can be seen that in order to use conventional cloud - based data storage services 28 , all of the data , i . e ., the underlying data bits and their corresponding metadata , must be moved from an original location ( e . g ., data store 14 ) into the cloud - based service 28 . as shown in fig2 , once in service 28 , the data may be transferred to a remote data store , such as via sharepoint &# 39 ; s remote blob storage feature , shown at 14 ′, where it may be accessed by service 28 . however , both of these scenarios require the initial upload of the underlying data , as well as its corresponding metadata , to service 28 . turning now to fig3 , an embodiment of the present invention will be described in connection with an exemplary system 10 . as shown , system 10 may be accessed by a storage administrator , via a user device 12 , which may take the form of a computer , laptop , pda , smart phone or the like . other examples of user devices 12 include a workstation , personal computer , personal digital assistant ( pda ), wireless telephone , or any other suitable computing device including a processor , a computer readable medium upon which computer readable program code ( including instructions and / or data ) may be disposed , and a user interface , all of which require or may be used by a storage administrator to migrate data to a cloud - based or virtual data storage service for primary and / or archiving storage . a similar device usable by an end - user , shown as end - user device 12 ′, may be used in a conventional manner to access files administered by embodiments of the present invention . as shown , the user device 12 is communicably couplable via a network 18 , e . g ., a wide area network such as the internet , to a storage device 14 that may be used for primary ( day to day ) storage , and / or that may also be used for long term storage or archiving . the primary storage and long - term or archiving storage may be performed on two different areas of the same physical storage device 14 or alternatively , may be performed on two physically different and / or remotely located storage devices 14 . storage device 14 may include any number of storage devices , including , but not limited to , network attached storage ( nas ) such as those available from emc corporation ( hopkinton , mass ., usa ) and netapp ( sunnyvale , calif ., usa ), storage area network ( san ) devices such as , but not limited to , those from emc corporation ( hopkinton , mass ., usa ), and direct attached storage devices ( das ) such as , but not limited to , devices running the microsoft windows server operating system . a cloud - based ( virtual ) data store / storage system 28 is also shown communicably coupled to network 18 . this storage system 28 may take the form of any number of commercially available services , such as the aforementioned microsoft ® sharepoint ™, bycast , and xanet services , etc . for ease of explication , the embodiments disclosed herein will be shown and described with respect to the microsoft ® sharepoint ™ service , with the understanding that these embodiments / descriptions are applicable to substantially any cloud - based or other virtual storage environment data store / storage system currently available or which may be developed in the future . as also shown , system 10 includes a cloud storage import utility ( csiu ) 30 . this csiu 30 is located on a server ( e . g ., a webserver ) that may enable user access via webpage ( s ). this server may also perform other functions and may provide various other features to the network such as database hosting , etc . the csiu 30 enables users , such as storage administrators , to select files , e . g ., by accessing a file selection application 15 , to select files for in - place - migration from a storage device 14 to a sharepoint system 28 . the csiu 30 receives file selections from the file selection application 15 and then captures information ( e . g ., metadata ) associated with the selected files . csiu 30 is configured to then insert this captured metadata into the metadata database of the sharepoint data store 28 . the csiu 30 may also be configured to index ( or to enable communication with sharepoint enabling it to index ) the files selected by file selection application 15 , e . g ., to enable end - users to effect content - based , full text searching of the selected files via the sharepoint interface . it should be recognized that the file selection application 15 may be a software application , such as a version of the ntp software storage investigator ™ available from ntp software ( nashua n . h .) and incorporated herein by reference , that may be modified in accordance with the teachings hereof , to permit users to designate specific files or categories of files for use by csiu 30 . the file selection application 15 may reside directly on the server hosting csiu 30 , or on another server or platform , including , optionally , user device 12 . it should also be recognized that storage device 14 may be substantially any data store which is remote from the sharepoint store 28 , including , for example , a data store connected via sharepoint &# 39 ; s remote blob storage , shown as 14 ′ in fig4 . as mentioned hereinabove , user device 12 , 12 ′, storage device 14 , 14 ′, cloud storage service 28 , and the server that holds csiu 30 , are communicably coupled to one another over a network communication path 18 , such as the internet . the user device 12 , 12 ′ may be any form of computing or data processing device capable of communicating via network 18 . terms such as “ server ”, “ application ”, “ engine ”, “ module ” and the like are each intended to refer to a computer - related component , including hardware , software , and / or software in execution . for example , an engine may be , but is not limited to being , a process running on a processor , a processor including an object , an executable , a thread of execution , a program , and a computer . moreover , the various components may be localized on one computer and / or distributed between two or more computers . the term “ cloud - based data storage ” will be used herein to refer to substantially any virtual storage environment . the term “ in - place migration ” and / or “ post - facto migration ” refers to publishing or otherwise making data usable by the cloud - based storage service without having to first move the data to the cloud - based storage service . in various embodiments , the csiu 30 and / or file selection application 15 may provide a user interface that takes any of various forms including , but not limited to , a standard web browser based application that operates with web browsers such as , but not limited to , microsoft internet explorer ( ie ) and mozilla firefox . the csiu 30 is an application configured to effectively translate selections made using the file selection application 15 e . g ., using lookup tables , database , hard coded programming , configuration files or the like , into instructions or commands usable by csiu 30 as discussed hereinabove . csiu 30 is also configured to capture information ( e . g ., metadata ) associated with the file selections and effectively package it with these instructions / commands for use by cloud - based service 28 . csiu 30 may also handle appropriate security requirements , e . g ., to ensure that the particular user at device 12 has requisite permissions , etc . in particular embodiments , csiu 30 may include a version of the ntp software oda ™ engine commercially available from ntp software , inc . ( nashua , n . h ., usa ) and incorporated herein by reference , and which has been modified in accordance with the teachings hereof . in a representative method of operating system 10 , a user ( e . g ., storage administrator ) may use device 12 to access 40 the file selection application 15 of the csui 30 and select files or folders on primary data store 14 . the csiu 30 may then capture information ( e . g ., metadata ) for the selected files and / or folder ( s ), and translates the intended actions into instructions , including metadata , to be conveyed 42 to the sharepoint service 28 for incorporation into the sharepoint metadata file ( s ), to effect the desired in - place - migration of the selected files / folders . thereafter , an end - user 12 ′ may query 44 the sharepoint data store 28 , to retrieve 46 data files stored on remote data store 14 . turning now to fig4 , an alternate embodiment of the present invention is shown as exemplary system 10 ′. system 10 ′ is substantially similar to system 10 of fig3 , while also including another remote data store 14 ′ which may serve as a new repository for the underlying source data for the files / folders selected by the user via device 12 . during operation of this system 10 ′, a user ( e . g ., storage administrator ) may use device 12 to access and select 40 files using the file selection application 15 of the csui 30 . the csiu 30 may then capture information ( e . g ., metadata ) for the selected files / folder ( s ), translate the intended actions into instructions , and convey 42 this information , including the metadata , to the sharepoint service 28 . the underlying data may also be moved 43 ( e . g ., in response to a command sent via device 12 ) from data store 14 to the other data store 14 ′ ( e . g ., via sharepoint remote blob storage ), where it may be handled by cloud - based service 28 . in this manner , system 10 ′ effects the desired in - place - migration of the files selected by the user , by moving them to target data store 14 ′ where they may be accessed via service 28 without ever having to be moved to the service 28 . thereafter , an end - user 12 ′ may query 44 the sharepoint data service 28 , to retrieve 46 data files stored on remote data store 14 ′. a more detailed example of in - place - migration in accordance with the present invention will now be shown and described with reference to fig5 - 15 . turning now to fig5 , user device 12 may be used to access a particular end - user &# 39 ; s home directory on data store 14 . in this example , the entire contents of this home directory will be selected for ( in - place ) migration into this user &# 39 ; s home documents site on sharepoint 28 . it should be recognized that the data files shown in this home directory on data store 14 are indexed , e . g ., by the csiu 30 using any number of conventional indexing approaches , to enable end - users to search the contents based on keywords . for example , as shown in fig6 , the word “ royalty ” has been used to search for the eula . doc file . the index ( es ) of this home directory may thus be imported into service 28 as part of the migration process , and / or the data files may be indexed by service 28 after receiving the metadata , as will be discussed in greater detail hereinbelow . as shown in fig7 , in this example , prior to file migration , the contents of the end - user &# 39 ; s home documents site on sharepoint 28 is empty . as shown in fig8 , the csiu 30 , e . g ., accessed by a storage administrator via device 12 , displays a dialog screen by which the user may select data files , e . g ., by entering the source directory path of the end - user &# 39 ; s home directory on the file server 14 , along with that of the target sharepoint site 28 . clicking the “ import ” button causes the utility to perform the import by capturing and forwarding the corresponding metadata , while leaving the underlying data files in place at data store 14 . after the import / in - place - migration is complete , the sharepoint site 28 contains “ links ” to each file imported , such as shown in fig9 . to illustrate the items in sharepoint 28 are simply “ links ” to the files on file server 14 , the screenshot of fig1 shows the contents of a “ dragimg ” word document . this document was launched ( e . g ., by the end - user device 12 ′) from the “ link ” in the user &# 39 ; s home documents site on sharepoint 28 . thereafter , as shown in fig1 , the title of the dragimg document file is modified from the end - user &# 39 ; s home directory on the original file server 14 ( i . e ., not through sharepoint 28 ), and then stored back to the file server 14 . then , the same file is opened through its “ link ” on sharepoint 28 . as can be seen in fig1 , the title of this document shows the change made outside of sharepoint 28 . thus , it can be seen that the contents of the file still resides on the original file server 14 , not in the sharepoint database 28 . turning now to fig1 , once they have been published or “ migrated ” as described herein , sharepoint 28 may use its indexing service , e . g ., as part of its external “ blob storage ” feature to index the files . this indexing service may be run on a schedule set by the storage administrator . alternatively , the indexing process may be initiated manually using the “ start full crawl ” feature as shown . turning to fig1 , the end - user may verify successful indexing by returning to his sharepoint home directory site 28 and perform a search for the word “ royalty ”. as shown in fig1 , the search results indicate the search string was located in the eula . doc file , illustrating successful indexing of the files imported using the in - place - migration of the present invention . in this manner , the present invention can interface with and can be programmed to interface with essentially any archiving application that will allow it &# 39 ; s command set / command interface to be made known to third parties for interfacing with that archiving application . it should be recognized that information , e . g ., commands , instructions , metadata , etc ., may be passed between the various components ( modules ) disclosed herein by any convenient means , including conventional push or pull technology , without departing from the scope of the present invention . moreover , modifications and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be within the scope of the present invention , which is not to be limited except by any allowed claims and their legal equivalents .	6
in all the figures of the drawing , sub - features and integral parts that correspond to one another bear the same reference symbol in each case . referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first , particularly , to fig1 thereof , there is shown a transceiver fg containing an operator control unit mmi , a control device ste , a processing device ve , a power supply device sve , a subscriber identification module sim , an interface ss for data transmission and for supplying power , a radio frequency part hf containing a receiving device ee , a transmitting device se , a frequency synthesizer syn , and an antenna device ant . individual elements of the transceiver fg are also interconnected by conductor tracks , wires , cables and / or bus systems . the operator control unit mmi contains a loudspeaker element ls for playing back audio signals and a microphone element m for picking up audio signals . in addition , the operator control unit mmi is provided with a keypad tas for the input of numbers and letters and for the selection of menu items . the menu items , numbers or other information relevant for the communication procedure or the execution of the supplementary functions can be presented by a display dpl . the control device ste essentially contains a microcontroller mc and the processing device ve contains a digital signal processor dsp , both having read and write access to memory chips spe . the microcontroller mc controls and monitors all the essential elements and functions of the transceiver fg and essentially controls the communication and signaling procedures and the switching of the transceiver into the desired equipment states . analog audio signals and analog signals originating from the radio frequency part hf are converted into digital signals by analog / digital converters a / d and are processed by the digital signal processor dsp . after processing , the digital signals are converted in turn into analog audio signals and analog signals to be fed to the radio frequency part hf by digital / analog converters d / a . for this purpose , a demodulation or modulation is possibly carried out . stored in the volatile or non - volatile memory chips spe are the program data required for controlling the transceiver fg , the communication procedure and the supplementary functions , equipment information , information and settings entered by the user and information arising during the processing of signals . the essential elements of the transceiver fg are supplied with power by the power supply device sve . for receiving and transmitting signals via the radio interface of a mobile radio system , the antenna device ant is provided . in the case of some known mobile radio systems , such as the global system for mobile communication ( gsm ), the signals are received and transmitted in timed pulses or so - called bursts . the mobile radio transceiver also has a socket for the subscriber identification module sim or a corresponding , possibly permanently installed , element for the storage of subscriber - or network - specific information . fig2 a - 2 f shows different variants a to f for user prompting and for the interactive procedure for the selection of an equipment state using the operator control unit mmi . the controlling of the procedures takes place by the controlling device ste , which may also be software - controlled . variant a shown in fig2 a shows that the transceiver fg is initially in the switched - off state off . in the switched - off state off , all the essential elements of the transceiver fg are switched off ; however , certain elements , such as for example the element for determining a time of day or certain memory elements , can be supplied with energy . after the actuation of a keypad button tas 1 , the user is requested to enter his personal identification number pin 1 . after the transmission of the personal identification number pin 1 , the transceiver is switched into an application state a . in the application state a , the following functions can be carried out for example : games , entry of new telephone numbers or addresses , managing of an appointments calendar , dictation onto a storage medium integrated in the transceiver , preparation of brief messages or e - mails to be sent later or an infrared transmission of data from or to another electronic device , such as a printer , scanner or another transceiver . in one variant of the invention , these supplementary functions can also be executed in a first state . to get from the application state a into a first equipment state , for example a ready - to - receive state ez or a communication state kz , another keypad button tas 2 is pressed and , after the entry of a second personal identification number pin 2 and its verification , the corresponding change of stage is initiated . in this case , the pin 2 may in particular be a personal identification number which is stored on an insert card ( sim ) or in the network . variant b shown in fig2 b shows that to get from the application state a into a first equipment state ez / kz requires the actuation of the keypad button tas 1 also required for changing the equipment state from the switched - off state off into the application state a . the entry of the personal identification number pin 2 is not required for the change of state from the application state a into the first equipment state ez / kz . variant c shown in fig2 c shows that to get from the switched - off state off into the application state a , the entry of a personal identification number is not required . instead of this , the entry of the personal identification number pin 1 is required for a change of state from the application state a into the first equipment state ez / kz . variant d shown in fig2 d shows that once the personal identification number pin 1 has been entered , the user is asked , for example via the display dpl or a voice output , whether the transceiver fg is to be switched into the application state a . if he answers this question with a yes y , a change of state into the application state a takes place . if he answers the question with a no n , a change of state into the first equipment state ez / kz takes place . the user entry can in this case likewise take place by buttons or corresponding soft keys or via voice . variant e shown in fig2 e shows that once the keypad button tas 1 has been actuated , an inquiry concerning the equipment state now to be set takes place internally in the equipment by the controlling device ste . for this purpose , the controlling device ste reads from the memory device spe information which has possibly been entered or set in advance by the user and executes in accordance with this information a change of equipment state . before switching the transceiver fg into the first equipment state ez / kz , the subscriber identification takes place by inquiring the personal identification number pin 1 . variant f shown in fig2 f shows that after actuation of the keypad button tas 1 , the inquiry concerning the equipment state into which the device is now to be switched takes place . if the application state a is selected , the first personal identification number pin 1 is to be entered . if the first equipment state ez / kz is selected , the second personal identification number pin 2 is to be entered . to change from the application state a into the first equipment state ez / kz , the same keypad button tas 1 is to be actuated and after this the second personal identification number pin 2 is to be entered . in one variant , after actuation of the keypad button tas 1 , the entry of the personal identification number is requested . depending on the personal identification number pin 1 or pin 2 entered , the transceiver is automatically switched into the corresponding equipment state . another development provides that , in certain environments , the transceiver fg is automatically switched from the first equipment state ez / kz into the application state a . the control information necessary for this can be transmitted , for example within an aircraft , by an infrared transmission to the controlling device ste of the transceiver fg . another variant provides that , after the ending of certain first procedures in the application state a , a second procedure specific for these first procedures is automatically carried out in a first equipment state . in this way it is possible in the application state a to write an e - mail which is transmitted via the mobile radio network after the actuation of a button and the associated change into the communication state kz . in a further development of the invention , the subscriber identification does not take place by the entry of a personal identification number pin but by a fingerprint identification . it is also possible to leave the selection of one of the variants described above optionally to the user . a corresponding setting can be stored in the memory spe . the variants described above allow a person skilled in the art easily to use in the transceiver further variants , possibly containing a combination of the variants described above .	8
the present invention is accomplished by providing a corebolt stem with at least two distinct diameter sections . particularly , the corebolt section engaging the fastener body is of a larger diameter that the threaded corebolt stem section engaging the drive nut and separated by a break groove . therefore , as the corebolt is rotated and driven radially outwardly the larger corebolt section engages the drive nut , and is prevented from being driving through the drive nut . therefore , the torque as applied by the driving tool to the small threaded corebolt section causes the drive load to increase and the corebolt to shear in the predefined break groove at a predetermined position relative to the fastener body head . further , it is anticipated that the present invention can be utilized with any fastener configuration to provide positive mechanical engagement between the corebolt and the drive nut to provide increased shear or tensile stress in the corebolt to accurately predict corebolt break off for a substantially flush finish . referring now to fig1 of the drawings , a blind fastener 10 in accordance with the teachings of the invention is shown . fastener 10 includes a fastener body 11 and a corebolt or stem 12 . the fastener 10 may further include a deformable sleeve 13 . the fastener body 11 has a body portion 14 with a threaded axial bore 15 therethrough . a nose 16 is provided at one end of the body portion 14 in the preferred form of a conically shaped chamfer having an angle of about 15 degrees to 30 degrees to the axis of fastener body 11 . an enlarged flange head 17 is provided at the other end of the body portion 14 . the flange head 17 is adapted to seat in a cavity in the access side of a pair of structural panels or the like being fastened together . the flange head 17 may also be of a protruding type , setting on the surface of the access side panel . the length of fastener body 11 is adapted to extend the external surface of the body portion 14 beyond the blind side of the parts being fastened even in the maximum grip situation by a distance sufficient to permit the thin wall of sleeve 13 to adapt to the external surface of body portion 14 , as will be discussed . the corebolt 12 has a first threaded stem portion 25 extending through fastener body 11 and having an enlarged head 26 at one end thereof ( on the blind side ). the diameter of head 26 is generally related to the diameter of the body portion 14 . the corebolt 12 further comprises a second threaded stem portion 24 extending through the drive nut 23 . the thread diameter of the first threaded stem portion 25 is larger than the thread diameter of the second threaded stem portion 24 but has the same pitch , as shown in fig4 , so as to act as a screw stop as will be discussed in greater detail below . corebolt 12 further includes a localized weakened region located between the first threaded stem portion 25 and the second threaded stem portion 24 . in particular , as shown in fig1 , the localized weakened region is a break groove 27 . the break groove 27 causes the corebolt 12 to fracture when a preselected stress is applied to it during installation of the blind fastener 10 . such fracture is designed to occur when the break groove 27 is located flush with or slightly below the surface 28 on the access side of the part being fastened upon completion of the installation of blind fastener 10 . drive nut 23 may be threaded on the second threaded stem portion 24 . drive nut 23 may also include a deformable portion to engage the flange head 17 so as to help prevent relative rotation between the fastener body 11 and the drive nut 23 as well as to assist in aligning the thread leads of the fastener body 11 and drive nut 23 to prevent lock up . as particularly contemplated in the present invention , and clearly shown in fig2 , the corebolt 12 utilizes a stem having two threaded portions of different thread diameters . as shown in fig3 , the break groove 27 can be formed between the two threaded portions 25 , 24 and could optionally include a step or unthreaded portion 30 . the operation of fastener 10 during installation thereof is shown in fig5 for the fastener of fig1 . when the fastener 10 is inserted into the aligned openings of a pair of workpieces , the drive nut 23 is held and a drive tool engages the wrenching flats 42 in order to the turn the corebolt 12 relative to the drive nut 23 . the drive nut 23 likewise is designed to engage the flange head 17 so as to prevent relative rotation therebetween , as through the use of a deformable feature 32 . thus , as the corebolt 12 is rotated , the first threaded stem portion 25 is driven through the threaded fastener body 11 and the second threaded stem portion 24 is driven through the drive nut 23 so as to draw the corebolt head 26 toward nose 16 so as to deform the sleeve 13 against the inner surface of the inner workpiece to form a blind side head . alternatively , however , the fastener 10 may not include a separate deformable sleeve . instead the fastener body 11 includes a sleeve portion that is integral thereto or just the body portion 14 can be used . the operation of this alternative fastener is the same as previously discussed . as the corebolt 12 is rotated , the first threaded stem portion 25 is driven through the threaded fastener body 11 and the second threaded stem portion 24 is driven through the drive nut 23 so as to draw the corebolt head 26 toward nose 16 so as to deform the sleeve portion or the body portion 14 of the fastener body against the inner surface of the inner workpiece to form a blind side head . when the corebolt 12 has been driven a predetermined distance , a stop member , such as the step 30 , or in the alternative a shoulder 31 of the first stem portion 25 , engages the threads of the drive nut 23 so as to substantially prevent further withdrawal of the corebolt 12 relative to the drive nut 23 to shear the corebolt 12 at the break groove 27 . therefore , with the first threaded stem portion 25 held by mechanical engagement with the drive nut 23 , the continued torque applied to the second threaded stem portion 24 of the corebolt 12 causes increased torque at the break groove 27 thereby forcing the corebolt 12 to shear a predetermined distance from the flange head 17 . therefore , the present design forces a bolt break at a predetermined position with the head 17 so that the corebolt 12 stem breaks off in a flush relationship therewith . a second embodiment is shown at fig6 where the stop member comprises a deformable lock ring 38 that prevents relative movement between the fastener body portion 14 and the corebolt 12 , acting as a self locking feature after the fastener 10 is installed . drive nut 23 forces and deforms the locking ring 38 into the cavity between the remaining first threaded stem portion 25 and the inner walls of the fastener body portion 14 in the region 38 a . a third embodiment is shown at fig7 wherein the drive nut 23 includes the stop member , which is a deformable feature 40 that engages the first threaded portion 25 so as to prevent further withdrawal of portion 25 . it is contemplated that this deformable feature 40 for engaging the first threaded portion 25 could either be integral with the drive nut 23 or be a separate member . a fourth embodiment is shown at fig8 wherein the stop member comprises a separate member 42 that is located between the first threaded portion 25 and the drive nut 23 so as to provide a corebolt screw stop . as shown in fig8 , the corebolt screw stop member 42 preferably a washer , stops the withdraw of the first threaded portion 25 relative to the drive nut 23 so as to break the corebolt stem at a predetermined position relative to the head 17 . this fourth embodiment may also optionally utilize a deformable portion 43 on the drive nut 23 for engaging the head 17 . an internally threaded blind fastener with a corebolt that breaks off flush with the top of the nut head in a grip condition is shown in the accompanying drawings . other fastener designs attempt to achieve break - off requirements of 0 . 000 / 0 . 103 ″ when measured from the top of the installed fastener nut head . the break - off distances can vary within the required limits and still be considered a satisfactory installation , but requires a subsequent milling operation to mill the protruding corebolt flush with the surface of the workpiece . the present design is targeted to provide break - off from approximately 0 . 000 / 0 . 010 ″ when measured from the top of the installed fastener nut head to eliminate subsequent corebolt milling operations after installation . this improvement will reduce break off distance variation and eliminate the need for subsequent milling operations . therefore , when installation is complete , the unthreaded portion of the corebolt or step and the smaller thread size of the drivenut prevents further thread engagement , resisting the applied torque resulting in the corebolt breaking off at the break - off - groove with no need for any secondary grinding operation . alternatively , as shown in fig1 where it should be understood that for simplicity , like elements are identified by like numbers , the proposed fastener could also be applied to a rivet - type fastener 110 . the fastener 110 comprises a corebolt 112 having a first portion 125 and a second portion 124 . the first portion 125 is not threaded , whereas the second portion 124 is threaded . additionally , the first portion 125 has a diameter that is greater than that of the second portion 124 . the fastener 110 further comprises a fastener body 111 with a non - threaded axial bore 115 therethrough similar to that of the previous embodiment . finally , the fastener 110 comprises a drive nut 23 identical to that previously described . during installation of the fastener 110 , the drive nut 23 pulls the second portion 124 which causes the first portion 125 to be pulled through the unthreaded axial bore 115 of the fastener body 112 to cause the deformable sleeve 13 located intermediate the corebolt head 26 and the fastener body 114 to deform on the blind side of the inner work piece . again , the unthreaded to thread transition of the corebolt 112 may be provided with a localized weakened region or break groove 27 adapted to sever the corebolt 112 at a predetermined tension stress . finally , when the corebolt 112 has been driven a predetermined distance , the stop member , or more particularly a step 30 , or in the alternative the first portion 125 because of its greater diameter , engages the threads of the drive nut 23 so as to prevent further withdrawal of the corebolt 112 . therefore , with the first portion 125 held by mechanical engagement with the drive nut 23 , the continued torque applied to the second portion 124 of the corebolt 112 causes increased torque at the break groove 27 thereby forcing the corebolt 112 to shear a predetermined distance from the flange head 17 . therefore , the present design forces a break at a predetermined position with the flange head 17 so that the corebolt 112 breaks off in a flush relationship therewith . the invention has been described above and , obviously , modifications and alternations will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of this specification . the claims as follows are intended to include all modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the claims or the equivalent thereof .	5
a description will be given of embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings . a digital copy machine which is an embodiment of the electronic equipment according to the present invention is formed as shown in fig1 . referring to fig1 the digital copy machine 1 has a main controller 2 , a read control unit 3 , a write control unit 4 , an image forming unit ( an electrophotographic process unit ) 5 , a power supply unit 6 , a power switch 6 a and an operation unit 7 . the operation unit 7 includes a display device 7 a and an operation switch 7 b . the read control unit 3 reads an original image and outputs image signals representing the original image . the image signals from the read control unit 3 are supplied to the main controller 2 . the main controller 2 processes the image signals in accordance with predetermined programs . the processed image signal is supplied from the main controller 2 to the write control unit 4 . the write control unit 4 converts the processed image signals into writing signals and supplies the writing signal to the image forming unit 5 . the image forming unit 5 executes , using the writing signals from the write control unit 4 , an electrophotographic process ( including an electrostatic latent image forming process , a developing process , a transferring process and a fixing process ) so that an image corresponding to the original image is formed on a predetermined medium ( e . g ., a recording sheet ). when the power switch 6 a is turned on by an operator , the power supply unit 6 supplies an electric power to the main controller 2 and the other units . the main controller 2 is formed as shown in fig2 . referring to fig2 the main controller 2 has a reset ic 10 , a cpu 11 , a boot selector 12 , a flash rom 13 , a card connector 14 and a card connection detector 15 . an ic card 8 is capable of being connected to the card connector 14 . the operation switch 7 a which is operable by the operator outputs a switching signal having one of two states : an on state and an off state . the operation switch 7 a is formed as shown in fig3 a . that is , the operation switch 7 a has a switch device sw and a resistor r 1 both of which are serially connected between a dc - power line ( 5v ) and the ground ( gnd ). the switching signal is output from a point at which the switch device sw and the resistor r 1 are connected . the state of the switch signal is changed in accordance with the operation of the switch device sw as shown in fig3 a . when the switch device sw is opened , the switching signal is in the off state having a high level . when the switch device sw is closed , the switching signal is in the on state having a low level . the switching signal from the operation switch 7 a is supplied to the boot selector 12 . the card connection detector 15 is formed as shown in fig4 a . referring to fig4 a , ports x 001 and x 002 of the ic card 8 are grounded . a resistor r 2 is connected to the dc - power line ( 5v ) and a first connector pin to be connected to the port x 001 of the ic card 8 . a resistor r 3 is connected to the dc - power line ( 5v ) and a second connector pin to be connected to the port x 002 of the ic card 8 . the first and second connector pins are connected to input terminals of an and gate 151 ( a negative logic ). the output of the and gate 151 is a card connection detecting signal output from the card connection detector 15 . the state of the card connection detecting signal is changed in accordance with whether the ic card 8 is connected to the card connector 14 as shown in fig4 b . when the ic card 8 is not connected to the card connector 14 , the card connection detecting signal is in the off state having the high level . on the other hand , when the ic card 8 is connected to the card connector 14 , the card connection detecting signal is in the on state having the low level . the card connection detecting signal output from the card connection detector 15 is supplied to the boot selector 12 . the reset ic 10 has a watch dog timer and receives watch dog pulses . the reset ic 10 outputs a reset signal as shown in fig5 . until a predetermined time period elapses from a time t 1 at which the power switch 6 a is turned on , the reset ic 10 maintains the reset signal in an on state having a low level ( an initial state ). when the predetermined time elapses ( at t 2 ), the reset signal is turned off so as to have a high level . after this , while the cpu 11 is operating in a normal state , the watch dog timer is reset by the watch dog pulses received at predetermined intervals . in this state , the reset ic 10 maintains the reset signal in the off state . if a watch dog pulse is not received within the predetermined interval ( a watch dog time period ) because of an error in the cpu 11 , the reset signal is turned on so that a reset pulse having the low level is generated ( at t 3 ). the reset signal output from the reset ic 10 as described above is supplied to the cpu 11 and the boot selector 12 . the cpu 11 is reset by the reset pulse of the reset signal . the boot selector 12 is formed as shown in fig6 . referring to fig6 the reset signal output from the reset ic 10 as described above ( see fig5 ) is supplied to one of two input ports of an and gate 123 and one of two input ports of an and gate 124 in parallel . the switching signal from the operation switch 7 a ( see fig3 a and 3b ) is input to another one of the input ports of the and gate 123 . the output port of the and gate 123 is connected to a preset terminal ( pr ) of a flip flop 16 . the switching signal is supplied , via an inverter 125 , to another one of the input ports of the and gate 124 . that is , an inverted signal of the switching signal is supplied to the and gate 124 . the output port of the and gate 124 is connected to a clear terminal ( clr ) of the flip flop 16 . when the reset signal gets into the active state ( having the low level ) under a condition in which the switching signal is in the on state ( having the low level ), the flip flop 16 is preset by the output of the and gate 123 . when the reset signal gets into the active state ( the reset pulse is generated ) under a condition in which the switching signal is kept in the off state ( having the high level ), the flip flop 16 is cleared by the output of the and gate 124 . when the flip flop 16 is preset once , an inverted output signal / q (/ means inversion ) of the flip flop 16 gets into the active state having the low level and is kept in such a state unless the flip flop 16 is cleared . after the power switch 6 a is turned on , the cpu 11 outputs a boot device selection signal to the boot selector 12 at a predetermined timing . the boot device selection signal having a low level is valid . the boot device selection signal is input to one of input ports of an and gate 122 and one of three input ports of an and gate 126 in parallel . the and gate 122 is controlled by an output of a nor gate 121 having two input ports . the card connection detecting signal from the card connection detector 15 ( see fig4 a and 4b ) and the inverted output signal / q of the flip flop 16 are respectively input to the input ports of the nor gate 121 so that the output of the nor gate 12 depends on the card connection detecting signal and the inverted output signal / q of the flip flop 16 . thus , when at least one of the card connection detecting signal and the inverted output signal / q of the flip flop 16 is in an inactive state ( having the high level ), the and gate 122 is controlled so that the boot device selection signal passes through the and gate 122 and is output as a flash rom selection signal . otherwise , the output of the and gate 122 is kept in an inactive state ( having a high level ). the and gate 126 is controlled by the card connection detecting signal and the inverted output signal / q of the flip flop 16 . when both of the card connection detecting signal and the inverted output signal / q of the flip flop 16 are in the active state ( having the low level ), the and gate 126 is controlled so that the boot device selection signal passes through the and gate 126 and is output as an card selection signal . otherwise , the output of the and gate 126 is kept in an inactive state ( having a high level ). the flash rom selection signal output from the boot selector 12 ( output from the and gate 122 ) is supplied to the flash rom 13 so that the flash rom 13 is booted . the card selection signal output from the boot selector 12 ( output from the and gate 126 ) is supplied to the ic card 8 connected to the card connector 14 so that the ic card 8 is booted . a description will now be given , with reference to fig7 - 11 , a boot operation in the main controller 2 . in a first case where the ic card 8 storing programs to be executed by the cpu 11 is connected to the card connector 14 , an operator carries out an on - operation of the power switch 6 a while keeping the on - operation of the operation switch 7 a . in this case , when the power switch 6 a is turned on , the reset ic 10 outputs the reset signal which is in the active state under a condition in which the switching signal is in the on state . thus , the flip flop 16 is preset so that the inverted output signal / q gets into the active state ( having the low level ). in addition , since the ic card 8 is connected to the card connector 14 , the card connection detector 15 outputs the card connection detecting signal which is in the on state ( see fig4 a and fig4 b ). in this state , when the cpu 11 outputs the boot device selection signal after the reset signal from the reset ic 10 is turned off , the boot device selection signal passes through the and gate 126 and is output as the card selection signal as shown in fig7 . as a result , the card selection signal is supplied from the boot selector 12 to the ic card 8 , so that the ic card 8 is booted . the cpu 11 then obtains the programs from the ic card 8 and executes the programs . if the ic card 8 stores a new program to be down loaded in the flash rom 13 , the new program is down loaded in the flash rom 13 . that is , the program in the flash rom 13 is updated so as to be changed to the new program from the ic card 8 . in a second case where the ic card 8 storing option programs and / or data required in processes executed by the cpu 11 , the operator carries out the on - operation of the power switch 6 a without the on - operation of the operation switch 7 a . in this case , when the power switch 6 a is turned on , the reset ic 10 outputs the reset signal which is in the active state under a condition in which the switching signal is in the off state . thus , the flip flop 16 is cleared so that the inverted output signal / q gets into the inactive state ( having the high level ). in addition , the card connection detector 15 outputs the card connection detecting signal which is in the on state in the same manner as in the first case . in this state , when the cpu 11 outputs the boot device selection signal after the reset signal from the rest ic 10 is turned off , the boot device selection signal passes through the and gate 122 and is output as the flash rom selection signal as shown in fig8 . as a result , the flash rom 13 selection signal is supplied from the boot selector 12 to the flash rom 13 , so that the flash rom 13 is booted . the cpu 11 then obtains the programs from flash rom 13 and executes the programs . in the processes executed by the cpu 11 , the option programs and / or the data stored in the ic card 8 are read out and used . in a third case where the operator carries out the on - operation of the power switch 6 a while keeping the on - operation of the operation switch 7 a by mistake although the ic card 8 is not connected to the card connector 14 , the ic card 8 is not booted . in this case , when the power switch 6 a is turned on , the reset ic 10 outputs the reset signal which is in the active state under a condition in which the switching signal is in the on state . thus , the inverted output / q of the flip flop 16 is in the active state in the same manner as in the first case . however , the card connection detecting signal from the card detection detector 15 is in the off state ( having the high level ). in this state , when the cpu 11 outputs the boot device selection signal after the reset signal from the reset ic is turned off , the boot device selection signal does not pass through the and gate 122 , but passes through the and gate 122 and is output as the flash rom selection signal as shown in fig9 . as a result , the flash rom 13 is booted by the flash rom selection signal in the same manner as in the second case . the cpu 11 then obtains the programs from flash rom 13 and executes the programs . in a fourth case where the ic card 8 is not connected to the connector , the operator carries out the on - operation of the power switch 6 a without the on - operation of the operation switch 7 a . in this case , when the power switch 6 a is turned on , the reset ic 10 outputs the reset signal which is in the active state under a condition in which the switching signal is in the off state . thus , the inverted output signal / q is in the inactive state ( having the high level ) in the same manner as in the second case . in addition , since the ic card 8 is not connected to the card connector 14 , the card connection detector 15 outputs the card connection detecting signal which is in the off state ( see fig4 a and fig4 b ). in this state , when the cpu 11 outputs the boot device selection signal after the reset signal from the reset ic 10 is turned off , the boot device selection signal does not pass through the and gate 126 , but passes through the and gate 122 and is output as the flash rom selection signal as shown in fig1 . as a result , the flash rom 13 is booted by the flash rom selection signal . the cpu 11 then obtains the programs from the flash rom 13 and executes the programs . if the ic card 8 stores a program to be installed in the flash rom 13 , the program is installed in the flash rom 13 . that is , the program in the flash rom 13 is updated using the program from the ic card 8 . in a fifth case , the operator carries out the on - operation of the power switch 6 a while keeping the on - operation of the operation switch 7 a under a condition in which the ic card 8 storing the option programs and / or data is connected to the card connector 14 . in this case , the respective signals are varied as shown in fig1 . the ic card 8 is booted by the card selection signal based on the boot device signal from the cpu 11 in the same manner as in the first case . however , since the ic card 8 does not store the programs to be executed by the cpu 11 , an error occurs in the cpu 11 . the cpu 11 thus stops outputting the watch dog pulses , so that the reset ic 10 activates the reset signal ( outputs a reset pulse ). when the reset pulse is supplied from the reset ic 10 to the cpu 11 and the boot selector 12 , the cpu 11 is reset and outputs the boot device selection signal at a predetermined timing . the ic card 8 is then rebooted by the card selection signal output from the boot selector 12 based on the boot device selection signal . however , the cpu 10 does not start a process . after this , since the above conditions of the operation switch 7 a and the ic card 8 are maintained , the reset pulse is repeatedly output from the reset ic 10 to the cpu 11 and the boot selector 12 . every time the reset pulse is supplied to the cpu 11 and the boot selector 12 , the cpu 11 outputs the boot device selection signal and the ic card 8 is booted by the card selection signal based on the boot device selection signal . during the above operation in the main controller 2 , the operator carries out the off - operation of the operation switch 7 a . in this state , when the reset pulse is supplied to the boot selector 12 , the flip flop 16 is cleared , so that the inverted output signal / q gets into the inactive state . after this , when the cpu 11 which has been reset by the reset pulse outputs the boot device signal , the boot device signal does not pass through the and gate 126 , but passes through the and gate 122 and is output as the flash rom selection signal . as a result , the flash rom 13 is booted by the flash rom selection signal from the boot selector 12 . thus , the cpu 11 obtains the programs from the flash rom 13 which is booted and executes the processes in accordance with the programs . in the processes , the cpu 11 may use the option programs and / or the data stored in the ic card 8 . as has been described above , in a case where the ic card 8 storing programs to be executed by the cpu 11 is connected to the card connector 14 , when the operator carries out the on - operation of the power switch 6 a while keeping the on - operation of the operation switch 7 a , the ic card 8 is booted and the cpu 11 executes the programs stored in the ic card 8 ( the first case shown in fig7 ). in a case where the ic card 8 is not connected to the card connector 14 , when the operator carries out the on - operation of the power switch 6 a without the on - operation of the operation switch 7 a , the flash rom 13 is booted and the cpu 11 executes the programs stored in the flash rom 13 ( the fourth case shown in fig1 ). in a case where the ic card 8 storing no program to be executed by the cpu 11 ( storing , for example , data other than the programs ) is connected to the card connector 14 , when the operator carries out the on - operation of the power switch 6 a without the on - operation of the operation switch 7 a , the flash rom 13 is booted and the cpu 11 executes the programs stored in the flash rom 13 ( the second case shown in fig8 ). in this case , during the process in accordance with the programs stored in the flash rom 13 , the cpu 11 may use the data stored in the ic card 8 . further , even if the operator carries out the on - operation of the power switch 6 a while keeping the on - operation of the operation switch 7 a by mistake under a condition in which the ic card 8 is not connected to the card connector 14 , the flash rom 13 is booted and the cpu 11 executes the programs stored in the flash rom 13 ( the third case shown in fig9 ). in addition , in a case where the operator carries out the on - operation of the power switch 6 a while keeping the on - operation of the operation switch 7 a although the ic card 8 connected to the card connector 14 stores no program to be executed by the cpu 11 , the ic card 8 is repeatedly booted . in this case , since the ic card 8 stores no program to be executed by the cpu 11 , the cpu 11 is repeatedly reset . however , when the operator carries out the off - operation of the operation switch 7 a , the flash ram 13 is booted substituting for the ic card 8 and the cpu 11 executes the programs stored in the flash ram 13 ( the fifth case shown in fig1 ). the boot selector 12 may be also formed as shown in fig1 . in fig1 , those parts which are the same as those shown in fig6 are given the same reference numbers . referring to fig1 , the boot selector 12 according to the present example has the and gates 122 , 123 , 124 and 126 , the flip flop 16 , the nor gate 121 and the inverter 125 in the same manner as that shown in fig6 . thus , the boot selector 12 outputs the flash rom selection signal or the card selection signal in accordance with the states of the reset signal , the switching signal , the card connection detecting signal and the boot device selecting signal in the same manner as in the above example shown in fig6 . the boot selector 12 further has a flip flop 127 , a flip flop 128 and a nand gate 129 . d - input ports of the flip flops 127 and 128 are connected to the dc - power line ( 5v ) so as to be maintained at the high level . a clock port ( ck ) of the flip flop 127 is connected to the output of the and gate 126 so as to be provided with the card selection signal . a clock port ( ck ) of the flip flop 128 is connected to the output of the and gate 122 so as to be provided with the flash rom selection signal . an output signal q of the flip flop 127 is supplied to one ( q 1 ) of two input ports of the nadn gate 129 . an output signal q of the flip flop 128 is supplied to another one ( q 2 ) of the two input ports of the nand gate 129 . the output signal of the nand gate 129 is used as an error signal for an error indicator ( not shown ). the error indicator may be a lamp , a display unit or the like . a power - on reset signal is supplied to clear ports ( clk ) of the flip flops 127 and 128 . the power - on reset signal rises when the reset signal gets into the inactive state ( having the high level ) after the power switch 6 a is turned on . the boot selector 12 outputs the flash rom selection signal and the card selection signal in the first through fifth cases ( see fig7 - 11 ) as described above . when only either the flash rom selection signal or the card selection signal is output ( the first through fourth cases shown in fig7 - 10 ), the output signal q of only one of the flip flops 127 and 128 is in the high level . thus , the output of the nand gate 129 is maintained at the high level ( the inactive state ). in this case , the error signal which is the output signal of the nand gate 129 is in the inactive state , so that the error indicator is not activated . on the other hand , in the above fifth case ( see fig1 ), after the ic card 8 storing no program to be executed by the cpu 11 is repeatedly booted by the card selection signal , the flash rom 13 is booted by the flash rom selection signal . in this case , as shown in fig1 , when the card selection signal is output first , the output signal q of the flip flop 127 rises , that is the input q 1 of the nand gate 129 rises to the high level . the input q 1 of the nand gate 129 is then maintained at the high level . in this state , when the flash rom selection signal is output , the output signal q of the flip flop 128 rises , that is , the input q 2 of the nand gate 129 rises . at this time , the error signal which is the output of the nand gate 129 gets into the active state ( having the low level ). the error indicator is activated by the error signal so as to provide an error indication ( the lamp is turned on , an error message is displayed , or the like ). the user who looks the error indication can know that the process was not started in accordance with information stored in the ic card 8 for same reason although the operation switch 7 a was operated but has been started in accordance with the program stored in the flash rom 13 . the present invention is not limited to the aforementioned embodiments , and other variations an modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claimed invention . for example , other external storage units , such as a rom card , a floppy disk and the like may be substituted for the ic card 8 as described above . a functional key or switch for another function may be used also as the operation switch 7 a . further , the present invention may be applied to electronic instruments , such as personal computers , computer controllable home electronic instruments , computer controlled office machines and the like , other than the digital copy machine as described above .	6
an example of the semiconductor device of the present invention is shown in fig1 . the semiconductor device 10 shown in fig1 is a semiconductor device , which is referred to as a system - in - package , in which the semiconductor elements 14 a , 14 b respectively having different functions are mounted on one face of a piece of multilayered circuit substrate 12 . this semiconductor device will be referred to as sip 10 , hereinafter in this specification . a size of this sip 10 is appropriate to be handled as a chip . as described later , on the multilayered circuit substrate 12 forming sip 10 , there are provided resin layers 12 a , 12 b which are successively laminated on each other . on the resin layer 12 a forming one face of the multilayered circuit substrate 12 , there is provided a semiconductor element mounting face from which a connection face of each connection pad 11 , 11 , . . . to be connected with each electrode terminal of the semiconductor element 14 a , 14 b are exposed . the other face of the thus composed multilayered circuit substrate 12 is joined to the plate member 26 , the rigidity of which is higher than that of the multilayered circuit substrate 12 , via the elastic resin layer 28 . concerning this plate - shaped member 26 , it is preferable to use a plate - shaped member made of silicon ( si ) or alloy of iron ( fe )- nickel ( ni ) or alloy of iron ( fe )- nickel ( ni )- cobalt ( co ), the coefficient of thermal expansion of which is approximate to that of silicon composing the semiconductor elements 14 a , 14 b to be mounted . the reason is described as follows . when members , the coefficients of thermal expansion of which are approximate to each other , are attached to both sides of the multilayered circuit substrate 12 , it is possible to effectively prevent the multilayered circuit substrate 12 from warping . concerning the resin composing the elastic resin layer 28 , it is preferable to use an insulating resin having a rubber elasticity , for example , it is preferable to use silicone rubber or elastomer . when the plate - shaped member 26 is joined to the other face of the multilayered circuit substrate 12 via the elastic resin layer 28 as described above , rigidity of the multilayered circuit substrate 12 can be enhanced , and it can be handled easily . further , on the multilayered circuit substrate 12 on which the resin layers 12 a , 12 b are successively laminated , the via holes 18 , 18 , . . . , which are electrically connected with the conductor patterns 16 , 16 , . . . formed on one side of each resin layer 12 a , 12 b , are formed in such a manner that the via holes 18 , 18 , . . . are open to the other face of the multilayered circuit substrate 12 . therefore , the other face of multilayered circuit substrate 12 is affected by the via holes 18 , 18 , . . . and tends to be formed irregular , however , the irregularities formed on the other face of the multilayered circuit substrate 12 are absorbed by the elastic layer 28 and joined to the plate member 26 . even if thermal stress is caused by a difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the multilayered circuit substrate 12 , the primary component of which is resin , and the plate - shaped member 26 , it is absorbed by the elastic resin layer 28 . therefore , the occurrence of cracks on the multilayered circuit substrate 12 and the plate - shaped member 26 can be prevented . in the case of sip 10 shown in fig1 , the plate - shaped member 26 , on which external connection pads are not formed , is joined to the other face of the multilayered circuit substrate 12 . therefore , in the peripheral section of the semiconductor element mounting face of the multilayered circuit substrate 12 , there are provided external connection pads 24 which are electrically connected via the wires 22 with the inner leads 20 , 20 . . . of the lead frame connected with the other electronic parts . the connection pads 11 , 11 , . . . and the external connection pads 24 , 24 , . . . are electrically connected with each other by the conductor patterns 16 , 16 , . . . , which are formed on one face of the resin layers 12 a , 12 b , and the via holes 18 , 18 , . . . . further , one face of the multilayered circuit substrate 12 is covered with the protective film 25 made of solder resist except for the connection pads 11 , 11 , . . . and the external connection pads 24 , 24 , . . . . in this connection , potting resin is charged between the semiconductor element mounting face , which is formed on one face of the multilayered circuit substrate 12 , and the semiconductor elements 14 a , 14 b mounted on the mounting face . as shown in fig2 and 3 , the multilayered circuit substrate 12 composing sip 10 shown in fig1 is composed in such a manner that after the resin layer 12 a has been formed on one face of the metallic plate , the resin layer 12 b is laminated on it . in other words , after the thin resin layer 32 has been formed on one face of the metallic plate 30 made of copper , the thin metallic layer 34 made of copper is formed by means of spattering or electroless plating as shown in fig2 ( a ). further , the connection pads 11 , 11 , . . . and the external connection pads 24 , 24 , . . . are formed on the thin metallic layer 34 by the semiadditive method . according to the semiadditive method , a resist layer , which is formed by coating photosensitive resist on the thin metallic layer 34 , is subjected to patterning by which the thin metallic layer 34 is exposed following a profile of the connection pad to be formed , and then electrolytic copper plating is conducted while the thin metallic layer 34 is used as an electric power supplying layer , so that the connection pads 11 , 11 , . . . and the external connection pads 24 , 24 , . . . are formed . after that , the residual resist layer is removed as shown in fig2 ( b ). insulating resin is coated on the thus formed connection pads 11 , 11 , . . . and external connection pads 24 , 24 , . . . so that an insulating resin layer is formed . after that , the via holes , from the bottom faces of which the connection pads 11 and external connection pads 24 are exposed , are formed at predetermined positions by laser beams . on the surface of the insulating resin layer including inner wall faces of the via holes , the resin layer 12 a is formed which is made in such a manner that the conductor patterns 16 and the vias 18 are formed by the semiadditive method on the thin metallic layer made of copper formed by means of spattering or electroless plating as shown in fig2 ( c ). according to the semiadditive method which forms the conductor patterns 16 and the via holes 18 , when the residual resist layer is removed and the thin metallic layer exposed between the conductive patterns 16 is removed by means of etching , the conductive patterns can be insulated from each other . in the same manner , on the resin layer 12 a , there is provided a resin layer 12 b on which the conductor patterns 16 , 16 , . . . and the via holes 18 , 18 , . . . are formed , so that the multilayered circuit substrate 12 is formed as shown in fig2 ( d ). after that , the plate - shaped member 26 composed of a silicon ( si ) substrate is joined to the resin layer 12 b as shown in fig2 ( e ). in this case , joining is conducted by the elastic resin layer 28 made of insulating resin having rubber elasticity . rigidity of the plate - shaped member 26 composed of the thus joined silicon ( si ) substrate is higher than the multilayered circuit substrate 12 , the primary component of which is resin . therefore , it is possible to enhance rigidity of the multilayered circuit substrate 12 integrated with the plate - shaped member 26 . accordingly , the multilayered circuit substrate 12 can be easily handled . next , the metallic plate 30 is removed from the other face side , which is exposed , by means of etching as shown in fig3 ( a ). since the metallic plate 30 shown in fig2 and 3 is made of copper , an aqueous solution of ferric chloride is used as an etching solution . in this process of etching , the thin resin layer 32 formed on one face of the metallic plate 30 is not etched by the etching solution used for etching the metallic plate 30 . therefore , the connection pads 11 and the external connection pads 24 are prevented from being overetched . the thin resin layer 32 , the surface of which is exposed when the metallic plate 30 is removed , is etched by plasma of o 2 so as to be removed , and the surface of the thin metallic layer 34 made of copper is exposed as shown in fig3 ( b ). when this thin metallic layer 34 is removed by etching in which an aqueous solution of ammonium persulfate is used as an etching solution , connection faces of the connection pads 11 formed on the resin layer 12 a and the external connection pads 24 can be exposed as shown in fig3 ( c ). it is preferable that thus exposed connection faces of the connection pads 11 and the external connection pads 24 are subjected to electroless nickel plating and then subjected to electroless gold plating . the thus obtained multilayered circuit substrate 12 is a multilayered circuit substrate for a semiconductor device on which a semiconductor element mounting face , on which a plurality of semiconductor elements can be mounted in the plane direction , is formed . the connection pads 11 , 11 , . . . , the resin layer 12 a and the external connection pads 24 , 24 . . . , which are formed on the multilayered circuit substrate , are formed first on one face of the metallic plate 30 . therefore , the connection faces of the connection pads 11 , 11 , . . . and the external connection pads 24 , 24 . . . and the surface of the resin layer 12 a are formed into a remarkably flat face . therefore , when the semiconductor elements are mounted on the connection pads 11 , 11 , . . . formed on the semiconductor element mounting face of the multilayered circuit substrate 12 , the electrode terminals of the semiconductor elements are positively contacted with the connection faces of the connection pads 11 , 11 , . . . . accordingly , reliability of sip 10 finally obtained can be enhanced . in fig3 , there is shown a process in which one piece of multilayered circuit substrate 12 is formed . however , it is possible to adopt a process in which after a plurality of multilayered circuit substrates 12 are formed on one piece of plate - shaped member 26 , the plate - shaped member 26 is cut off so as to make the individual multilayered circuit substrates 12 . alternatively , after the semiconductor elements 14 a , 14 b are mounted on the multilayered circuit substrate 12 , the plate - shaped member 26 may be cut off . alternatively , the following process may be adopted . after a plurality of multilayered circuit substrates 12 are formed on one piece of metallic plate 30 , the metallic plate 30 is cut off so as to make the individual multilayered circuit substrates 12 , and then the individual multilayered circuit substrates 12 are joined to the plate - shaped member 26 . alternatively , after the metallic plate 30 is joined to the plate - shaped member 26 with respect to each multilayered circuit substrate 12 , the metallic plate 30 may be cut off . in the case of the multilayered circuit substrate 12 shown in fig1 to 3 , the plate - shaped member 26 composed of a silicon ( si ) substrate is joined onto the other face of the multilayered circuit substrate 12 . however , it is possible to join a circuit substrate , the rigidity of which is higher than that of the multilayered circuit substrate 12 , as the plate - shaped member 26 . an example is shown in fig4 ( a ). a multilayered circuit substrate shown in fig4 ( a ), the rigidity of which is higher than that of the multilayered circuit substrate 12 , is a multilayered circuit substrate 40 , the rigidity of which is enhanced by arranging the core substrate 36 made of metal or ceramics at its center . reference numeral 38 denotes resin layers . the multilayered circuit substrate 40 and the multilayered circuit substrate 12 are joined to each other by the anisotropic conductive adhesive layer 29 in which conductive particles are blended in elastic resin . as shown in fig4 ( b ), in the anisotropic conductive adhesive agent forming the anisotropic conductive adhesive layer 29 , the conductive particles 39 , 39 , . . . such as silver particles are blended in the elastic resin . therefore , when pressure is partially given to the anisotropic conductive adhesive agent , the elastic resin flows out from the pressured portion , and the residual conductive particles 39 , 39 , . . . come into contact with each other , so that an electrically conductive path can be formed . therefore , as shown in fig4 ( b ), in a portion where the conductive pattern 16 on the multilayered circuit substrate 12 and the conductive pattern 37 on the multilayered circuit substrate 40 are put on each other , when both the substrates are put and pressed to each other via the anisotropic conductive adhesive agent , pressure is partially given to the anisotropic conductive adhesive agent , and elastic resin flows out and the conductive particles 39 , 39 , . . . remain . the thus remaining conductive particles 39 , 39 , . . . form an electrically conductive path between the conductive patterns 16 , 17 . in the case where a circuit substrate , the rigidity of which is higher than that of the multilayered circuit substrate 12 , is joined as the plate member 26 as described above , the solder balls 42 , 42 . . . , which are external connection terminals provided on the multilayered circuit substrate 40 , can be used for the electrical connection with the mounting substrate as shown in fig4 ( a ). in the case of sip 10 shown in fig4 ( a ) and 4 ( b ), the multilayered circuit substrates 12 and 40 are joined to each other by the anisotropic conductive adhesive layer 29 . however , in the case where the multilayered circuit substrates 12 and 40 are joined to each other by the insulating elastic resin layer 31 as shown in fig5 , the conductor patterns respectively provided on the multilayered circuit substrates 12 and 40 can be electrically connected with each other by the solder balls 33 , 33 , . . . . in the embodiment shown in fig4 ( a ) and 4 ( b ), a ceramic circuit substrate may be used as the circuit substrate 40 . such a ceramic circuit substrate comprises an insulating layer of ceramic , such as an alumina ceramic , and wiring patterns made of tungsten or molybdenum paste formed thereon . sip 10 shown in fig4 ( a ), 4 ( b ) and 5 may be provided with both the solder balls 42 , 42 , . . . , which are external connection terminals of the multilayered circuit substrate 40 , and the external connection pads 24 which are electrically connected via the wires 22 with the inner leads 20 , 20 , . . . of the lead frame connected with the other electronic parts . further , in the case of sip 10 shown in fig4 ( a ), 4 ( b ) and 5 , filling material such as potting resin may be charged between the semiconductor elements 14 a , 14 b and the multilayered circuit substrate 12 . in the case of sip 10 shown in fig4 ( a ), 4 ( b ) and 5 , the solder balls 42 , 42 , . . . provided on the multilayered circuit substrate 40 can be used for the electrical connection with the mounting substrate . fig6 ( a )- 6 ( c ) are views showing a state in which sip 10 shown in fig1 is mounted on the mounting substrate . also , in the embodiment shown in fig4 ( a ), 4 ( b ) and 5 , it should be noted that the external connection pads 24 can be omitted . since the size of sip 10 is appropriate to be handled as a chip , as shown in fig6 ( a ), after the inner leads 20 of the lead frame 35 and the wires 22 are electrically connected with each other , the inner leads 20 , sip 10 and wires 22 are sealed with the sealing resin layer 36 so as to form a sealing body . next , the sealing body can be mounted on the mounting substrate 41 by the end portions 21 of the outer leads of the lead frame 35 protruding from the sealing resin layer 36 . as shown in fig6 ( b ), sip 10 joined to the wiring substrate 50 is electrically connected with the wiring substrate 50 by the wires 52 , and sip 10 and the wires 22 are sealed with the sealing resin layer 36 , so that a sealing body can be formed . next , the sealing body is mounted on the mounting substrate 41 by the solder balls 54 which are the external connection terminals provided on the wiring substrate 50 . further , as shown in fig6 ( c ), the solder balls 56 , which are the external connection terminals , may be directly provided in sip 10 without sealing sip 10 with sealing resin . in this connection , the via holes 18 , 18 , . . . shown in fig1 to 6 are formed to be concave , however , the via holes may be filled - via - holes in which metal is filled by means of copper plating . a modified embodiments of a semiconductor device according to the present invention are shown in fig1 and 11 . if the plate - shaped member 26 is made of an electrically conductive metal , the plate - shaped member 26 itself can be used as a ground layer or a power supply layer , which can be electrically connected to the conductor patterns 16 via solder bumps 60 , as shown in fig1 . on the other hand , if the plate - shaped member 26 is made of an insulating material , such as silicone resin , a metal layer is formed on the plate - shaped member 26 by plating or sputtering . thus , the metal layer is used as a ground layer or power supply layer , which can be electrically connected to the conductor patterns 16 via solder bumps 60 . although , in the above - mentioned embodiment as shown in fig1 , the solder bumps 60 are used , an anisotropic conductive adhesive layer can be used in place thereof so as to electrically connect the plate - shaped member 26 with the ground layer or power supply layer . a further modified embodiment of a semiconductor device according to the present invention is shown in fig1 . in this embodiment , an electronic element , such as , a capacitor or resistance , can be formed on the plate - shaped member 26 . if the plate - shaped member 26 is made of an insulating material , such as silicone resin , a first electrode layer 62 is formed on the plate - shaped member 26 by plating or sputtering , then a ferroelectric layer 64 is formed on the first electrode layer 62 , and then a second electrode layer 66 is formed on the ferroelectric layer 64 by plating or sputtering . thus , a capacitor 68 can be formed . also , if the plate - shaped member 26 is made of silicone resin , it is preferable that , before the capacitor 68 is formed , an insulating layer , i . e ., a silicone oxide film ( not shown ) will be formed on the silicone plate - shaped member 26 by thermal - oxidation process . on the other hand , if the plate - shaped member 26 is made of a metal , the plate - shaped member 26 can be used as one of the electrode layers to form thereon the ferroelectric layer 64 and the other electrode layer to form a capacityor . in addition , if the plate - shaped member 26 is made of silicone resin , a semiconductor circuit ( not shown ) similar to a circuit of a semiconductor element can be formed on the plate - shaped member 26 . also , in this case , an anisotropic conductive adhesive layer can be used , in place the solder bumps , so as to electrically connect the electrode of the plate - shaped member 26 with the conductor patterns . according to the multilayered circuit substrate for a semiconductor device of the present invention , the connection faces of the connection pads exposed to the semiconductor element mounting face on which a plurality of semiconductor elements are mounted can be formed to be a flat face . therefore , when the plurality of semiconductor elements are mounted , the electrode terminals of the semiconductor elements can be positively contacted with the connection faces of the connection pads . accordingly , reliability of the finally obtained semiconductor device , which is called “ system - in - package ”, can be enhanced . according to the method of manufacturing the multilayered circuit substrate for a semiconductor of the present invention , the connection faces of the connection pads exposed to the semiconductor element mounting face on which a plurality of semiconductor elements are mounted can be formed to be flat without adding a polishing process . therefore , the manufacturing cost of the finally obtained semiconductor device , which is called “ system - in - package ”, can be reduced . it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing description relates to some of the preferred embodiments of the disclosed invention , and that various changes and modifications may be made to the invention without departing the sprit and scope thereof .	7
the present invention relates to a novel efficient process for the preparation of 24r , 25 - and 24s , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol starting from precursors readily available from natural sources . more particularly , the present invention relates to methods of synthesizing 24r , 25 - and 24s , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol comprising the steps of photolyzing 3 , 24r , 25 - and 3 , 24s , 25 - trihydroxy - 5 , 7 - cholestadiene 24 , 25 - ketals and alkanoyl derivatives thereof to 24r , 25 - and 24s , 25 - dihydroxyprecholecalciferol ketals and alkanoyl derivatives thereof , isomerizing 24r , 25 - and 24s , 25 - dihydroxyprecholecalciferol ketals and alkanoyl derivatives thereof to 24r , 25 - and 24s , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol ketals and alkanoyl derivatives thereof , deketalizing and saponifying , if necessary , 24r , 25 - and 24s , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol , ketals and alkanoyl derivatives thereof to 24r , 25 - and 24s , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol . as used throughout the specification and the appended claims , the term &# 34 ; alkyl group &# 34 ; refers to a monovalent substituent consisting solely of carbon and hydrogen of from 1 to 20 carbon atoms which may be straight or branched - chain . examples of alkyl groups are methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , i - propyl , tert .- butyl , hexyl , octyl and so forth . the term &# 34 ; alkylene group &# 34 ; refers to a divalent substituent consisting solely of carbon and hydrogen of from 1 to 20 carbon atoms which may be straight or branched - chain and whose free valences are attached to two distinct groups . examples of alkylene groups are methylene , ethylene , propylene and so forth . the term &# 34 ; alkoxy group &# 34 ; refers to a monovalent substituent which consists of an alkyl group linked through an ether oxygen having its free valence bond from the ether oxygen . examples of alkoxy groups are methoxy , ethoxy , isopropoxy , tert .- butoxy and so forth . the term &# 34 ; phenyl alkoxy &# 34 ; refers to an alkoxy group which is substituted by a phenyl ring . examples of phenyl alkoxy groups are benzyloxy , 2 - phenylethoxy , 4 - phenylbutoxy and so forth . the term &# 34 ; alkanoyloxy group &# 34 ; refers to the residue of an alkylcarboxylic acid formed by removal of the hydrogen from the hydroxyl portion of the carboxyl group . examples of alkanoyloxy groups are formyloxy , acetoxy , butyryloxy , hexanoyloxy and so forth . the term &# 34 ; substituted &# 34 ; as applied to &# 34 ; phenyl &# 34 ; refers to phenyl which is substituted with one or more of the following groups : alkyl , halogen ( i . e ., fluorine , chlorine , bromine or iodine ), nitro , cyano , trifluoromethyl and so forth . the term &# 34 ; alkanol &# 34 ; refers to a compound derived by protonation of the oxygen atom of an alkoxy group . examples of alkanols are methanol , ethanol , 2 - propanol , 2 - methyl - 2 - propanol and the like . the term &# 34 ; lower &# 34 ; as applied to any of the aforementioned groups , refers to those groups having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms . in the formulas presented herein , the various substituents are illustrated as joined to the steroid nucleus by one of these notations : a solid line (--) indicating a substituent which is in the β - orientation ( i . e ., above the plane of the molecule ), a dotted line ( ) indicating a substituent which is in the α - orientation ( i . e ., below the plane of the molecule ), or a wavy line ( ) indicating a substituent which may be in the α - or β - orientation . the formulas have all been drawn to show the compounds in their absolute stereochemical configurations . since the starting materials are derived from naturally occurring stigmasterol , the products exist in the single absolute configuration depicted herein . however , the processes of the present invention are intended to apply as well to the synthesis of steroids of the &# 34 ; unnatural &# 34 ; and racemic series , i . e ., the enantiomers of the compounds depicted herein and mixtures of both . thus , one may begin the synthesis utilizing &# 34 ; unnatural &# 34 ; or racemic starting materials to prepare &# 34 ; unnatural &# 34 ; or racemic products , respectively . the greek letter xi ( ξ ) in the name of a vitamin d 3 intermediate or metabolite indicates that the stereochemistry of the substituent to which it refers is undefined or that the product consists of a mixture of compounds epimeric at the designated position . the nomenclature adopted to define absolute configuration of substituents bound to carbon atom 24 of the steroid nucleus is described in the journal of organic chemistry , 34 , 2849 ( 1970 ) under the title &# 34 ; iupac tentative rules for the nomenclature of organic chemistry . section e . fundamental stereochemistry &# 34 ;. in the first step of the process of the present invention for the preparation of 24r , 25 - and 24s , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol of the formula ## str1 ## wherein the absolute configuration at c - 24 is r or s 3 , 24r , 25 - and 3 , 24s , 25 - trihydroxy - 5 , 7 - cholestadiene 24 , 25 - ketal and 3 - alkanoyl derivatives thereof of the formula ## str2 ## wherein r 1 is hydroxy or lower alkanoyloxy , r 2 and r 3 each independently are lower alkyl , r 2 and r 3 taken together are lower alkylene , and the absolute configuration at c - 24 is r or s the preparation of which is described in u . s . pat . application ser . no . 664 , 848 filed of even date herewith , dissolved in a suitable organic solvent system is irradiated under an inert atmosphere by means of a mercury lamp equipped with a glass cooling finger at a temperature of about - 40 ° to about + 25 ° c ., - 5 ° c . being the preferred irradiation temperature , for the period of time necessary to effect about 50 % conversion of the starting material . suitable sources of irradiation energy include high and low pressure mercury , xenon - mercury and thallium - mercury lamps . high pressure mercury lamps are preferred . a 450w hanovia high pressure mercury lamp is the most preferred source of irradiation energy . the glass cooling finger may be fabricated from vycor or corex glass or quartz . suitable inert organic solvent systems for the irradiation include mixtures of saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons , such as pentane , hexane , isooctane and the like , and ethereal solvents , such as monoglyme , diglyme , tetrahydrofuran , and the like . upon completion of the irradiation , the solvents are removed by evaporation and the residue is separated into pure 24r , 25 - or 24s , 25 - dihydroxyprecholecalciferol 24 , 25 - ketals and alkanoyl derivatives thereof of the formula ## str3 ## wherein r 1 , r 2 and r 3 are as above and the absolute configuration at c - 24 is r or s and pure unchanged 3 , 24r , 25 - or 3 , 24s , 25 - trihydroxy - 5 , 7 - cholestadiene 24 , 25 - ketals and alkanoyl derivatives thereof of formula ii on a high pressure liquid chromatograph employing a solid absorbent column and an inert organic eluent . suitable inert organic eluents for the separation step include mixtures of hydrocarbons , such as n - hexane , isooctane , benzene , toluene and the like and esters such as ethyl acetate , ethyl benzoate and the like . suitable solid absorbents include porasil , corasil , biosil , zorbax , zorbax - sil , sil - x and the like . a waters associates chromatograph model 202 using an 8 - foot by 3 / 8 inch porasil a column and a mixture of n - hexane / ethyl acetate as the eluent is the preferred high pressure liquid chromatographic system . unchanged 3 , 24r , 25 - or 3 , 24s , 25 - trihydroxy - 5 , 7 - cholestadiene 24 , 25 - ketals and alkanoyl derivatives thereof are recycled through the irradiation process to obtain additional quantities of pure 24r , 25 - or 24s , 25 - dihydroxyprecholecalciferol 24 , 25 - ketals and alkanoyl derivatives thereof , thereby rendering this crucial step of the process and the overall process highly efficient in comparison with related processes previously disclosed , for example , by d . h . r . barton et al ., j . c . s . chem . comm ., 203 ( 1974 ) and by h . deluca et al ., tetrahedron letters , 4147 ( 1972 ). in the second step of the present process , 24r , 25 - and 24s , 25 - dihydroxyprecholecalciferol 24 , 25 - ketals and alkanoyl derivatives thereof are isomerized to 24r , 25 - and 24s , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol 24 , 25 - ketals and alkanoyl derivatives thereof of the formula ## str4 ## wherein r 1 , r 2 and r 3 are as above and the absolute configuration at c - 24 is r or s by heating the previtamin in an inert organic solvent , such as dioxane , tetrahydrofuran , monoglyme , diglyme and the like , under an inert atmosphere , such as argon , nitrogen , helium and the like , by methods well known in the art . see , for example , d . h . r . barton et al ., j . am . chem . soc ., 98 , 2748 ( 1973 ). in the final steps of the synthetic sequence , 24r , 25 - and 24s , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol 24 , 25 - ketals and alkanoyl derivatives thereof are diketalized to 24r , 25 - and 24s , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol and alkanoyl derivatives thereof of the formula ## str5 ## wherein r 1 is as above and the absolute configuration at c - 24 is r or s the deketalization is conducted by treating a compound of formula iv with an excess of an alkanol containing an acid . suitable acids include mineral acids , such as hydrogen chloride , hydrogen bromide , sulfuric acid , boron trifluoride and the like , organic acids such as para - toluenesulfonic acid , trifluoroacetic acid and the like , and cationic exchange resins in the hydrogen form such as bio - rad ag 50w - x4 , bio - rad ag 50w , dowex 50w , duolite c20 , amberlite 1r , zeocarb , permutit q , nalcite and the like . cationic exchange resins in the hydrogen form are preferred . bio - rad ag 50w - x4 is most preferred . suitable alkanols include methanol , ethanol , 2 - propanol , 2 - butanol , 2 - pentanol and the like . also included as suitable alkanols are aliphatic diols such as ethylene glycol , propylene glycol and the like . alkanols are preferred , methanol being most preferred . while the deketalization temperature is not critical , it is desirable to perform the reaction at a reduced temperature of between - 20 ° c . and + 20 ° c . to avoid the formation of side products . a deketalization temperature of about - 5 ° c . is most preferred . the saponification of compounds of formula v wherein r 1 is lower alkanoyloxy is performed by methods well known in the art . for example , the saponification can be accomplished by dissolving the alkanoyl derivatives of formula v in an alcoholic solution of an alkali metal hydroxide and allowing the solution to stand at a reduced temperature of about - 20 ° c . to about + 20 ° c ., a reduced temperature of about 0 ° c . being preferred . it is also preferable to perform the saponification under an inert atmosphere of nitrogen , helium and the like . suitable alcoholic solvents include methanol , ethanol , 2 - propanol and the like . suitable alkali metal hydroxides include sodium and potassium hydroxide . methanol and potassium hydroxide are preferred . the intermediates of the present invention as delineated herein are useful for the preparation of 24r , 25 - and 24s , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol . the following examples are illustrative only of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the invention in any manner . a solution of 0 . 498 g . ( 0 . 001 mol ) of 3s , 24r , 25 - trihydroxy - 5 , 7 - cholestadiene 3 - acetate 24 , 25 - acetonide in 40 ml . of n - hexane and 40 ml . of tetrahydrofuran was irradiated for 10 minutes at - 5 ° c . and under argon using a 450w hanovia high pressure mercury lamp , cooled with a vycor - glass cooling finger . the solvents were then removed at 25 ° c . in vacuo and the residue purified with a waters associates liquid chromatograph model 202 using a 8 &# 39 ; × 3 / 8 &# 34 ; porasil a column and a 9 : 1 mixture of n - hexane / ethyl acetate as eluent to give 0 . 265 g . of 24r , 25 - dihydroxyprecholecalciferol 3 - acetate 24 , 25 - acetonide as a thick oil . a solution of 0 . 509 g . ( 0 . 00111 mol ) of 3s , 24r , 25 - trihydroxy - 5 , 7 - cholestadiene 24 , 25 - acetonide in 40 ml . of n - hexane and 40 ml . of tetrahydrofuran was irradiated for 10 minutes at - 5 ° c . and under argon using a 450w hanovia high pressure mercury lamp , cooled with a vycor - glass cooling finger . the solvents were then removed at 25 ° c . in vacuo and the residue purified with a waters associates liquid chromatograph model 202 using a 8 &# 39 ; × 3 / 8 &# 34 ; porasil a column and a 4 : 1 mixture of n - hexane / ethyl acetate as eluent to give 0 . 258 g . ( 50 %) of 24r , 25 - dihydroxyprecholecalciferol 24 , 25 - acetonide as a thick oil . a solution of 0 . 518 g . ( 0 . 00104 mol ) of 3s , 24s , 25 - trihydroxy - 5 , 7 - cholestadiene 3 - acetate 24 , 25 - acetonide in 40 ml . of n - hexane and 40 ml . of tetrahydrofuran was irradiated for 10 minutes at - 5 ° c . and under argon , using a 450w hanovia high pressure mercury lamp , cooled with a vycor - glass cooling finger . the solvents were then removed in vacuo at 25 ° c . and the residue purified with waters associates liquid chromatograph model 202 using a 8 &# 39 ; × 3 / 8 &# 34 ; porasil a column and a 9 : 1 mixture of n - hexane / ethyl acetate as eluent , to give 0 . 220 g . of 24s , 25 - dihydroxyprecholecalciferol 3 - acetate 24 , 25 - acetonide as a thick oil . a solution of 0 . 477 g . ( 0 . 00104 mol ) of 3s , 24s , 25 - trihydroxy - 5 , 7 - cholestadiene 24 , 25 - acetonide in 40 ml . of n - hexane and 40 ml . of tetrahydrofuran was irradiated for 10 minutes at - 5 ° c . and under argon , using a 450w hanovia high pressure mercury lamp , cooled with a vycor - glass cooling finger . the solvents were then removed in vacuo at 25 ° c . and the residue purified with a waters associates liquid chromatograph model 202 using a 8 &# 39 ; × 3 / 8 &# 34 ; porasil a column and a 4 : 1 mixture of n - hexane / ethyl acetate as eluent to give 0 . 201 g . ( 42 %) of 24s , 25 - dihydroxyprecholecalciferol 24 , 25 - acetonide as a thick oil . a solution of 0 . 250 g . ( 0 . 000502 mol ) of 24r , 25 - dihydroxyprecholecalciferol 3 - acetate 24 , 25 - acetonide in 20 ml . of dioxane was refluxed under argon for one hour . the solvent was then removed in vacuo and the residue purified with a waters associates liquid chromatograph model 202 using a 8 &# 39 ; × 3 / 8 &# 34 ; porasil a column and a 9 : 1 mixture of n - hexane / ethyl acetate as eluent to give 0 . 200 g . of 24r , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol 3 - acetate 24 , 25 - acetonide as a thick oil . a solution of 0 . 258 g . ( 0 . 000565 mol ) of 24r , 25 - dihydroxyprecholecalciferol 24 , 25 - acetonide in 20 ml . of dioxane was refluxed under argon for 1 hour . the solvent was then removed in vacuo and the residue purified with a waters associates liquid chromatograph model 202 using a 8 &# 39 ; × 3 / 8 &# 34 ; porasil a column and a 4 : 1 mixture of n - hexane / ethyl acetate as eluent to give 0 . 200 g . ( 77 %) of 24r , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol 24 , 25 - acetonide as a thick oil . a solution of 0 . 200 g . ( 0 . 000401 mol ) of 24s , 25 - dihydroxyprecholecalciferol 3 - acetate 24 , 25 - acetonide in 20 ml . of dioxane was refluxed under argon for one hour . the solvent was then removed in vacuo and the residue purified with a waters associates liquid chromatograph model 202 using a 8 &# 39 ; × 3 / 8 &# 34 ; porasil a column and a 9 : 1 mixture of n - hexane / ethyl acetate as eluent to give 0 . 170 g . of 24s , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol 3 - acetate 24 , 25 - acetonide as a thick oil . a solution of 0 . 340 g . ( 0 . 000745 mol ) of 24s , 25 - dihydroxyprecholecalciferol 24 , 25 - acetonide in 20 ml . of dioxane was refluxed under argon for 1 hour . the solvent was then removed in vacuo and the residue purified with a waters associates liquid chromatograph model 202 using a 8 &# 39 ; × 3 / 8 &# 34 ; porasil a column and a 4 : 1 mixture of n - hexane / ethyl acetate as eluent to give 0 . 240 g . ( 70 %) of 24s , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol 24 , 25 - acetonide as a thick oil . a solution of 0 . 200 g . ( 0 . 000402 mol ) of 24r , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol 3 - acetate 24 , 25 - acetonide in 5 ml . of methanol to which 0 . 500 g . of the hydrogen form of a cation exchange resin ( bio - rad ag 50w - x4 ) was added and stirred under argon for 40 hours at - 5 ° c . the reaction mixture was then filtered , the exchange resin washed with 3 × 10 ml . of methanol and the combined methanol phases evaporated in vacuo at 25 ° c . to give 0 . 173 g . of crude 24r , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol 3 - acetate as a thick oil . a solution of 0 . 200 g . ( 0 . 000438 mol ) of 24r , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol 24 , 25 - acetonide in 5 ml . of methanol to which 500 mg . of the hydrogen form of a cation exchange resin ( bio - rad ag 50w - x4 ) was added , was stirred under argon for 40 hours at - 5 ° c . the reaction mixture was then filtered , the exchange resin washed with 3 × 10 ml . of methanol and the combined methanol phases evaporated in vacuo at 25 ° c . the residue was purified by liquid chromatography , using a waters associates model 202 liquid chromatograph and a 1 : 1 mixture of n - hexane / ethyl acetate as eluent to give 0 . 127 g . ( 70 %) of 24r , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol . crystallization from methyl formate gave 0 . 094 g . ( 40 %) of the above product as white crystals , m . p . 136 °- 137 ° c . ; [ α ] d 25 + 113 . 0 ° ( c 0 . 33 , etoh ). a solution of 0 . 200 g . ( 0 . 00042 mol ) of 24s , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol 3 - acetate 24 , 25 - acetonide in 5 ml . of methanol to which 0 . 500 g . of the hydrogen form of a cation exchange resin ( bio - rad ag 50w - x4 ) was added and stirred under argon for 40 hours at - 5 ° c . the reaction mixture was then filtered , the exchange resin washed with 3 × 10 ml . of methanol and the combined methanol phases evaporated in vacuo at 25 ° c . to give 0 . 168 g . of crude 24s , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol 3 - acetate as a thick oil . a solution of 0 . 170 g . ( 0 . 000372 mol ) of 24s , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol 24 , 25 - acetonide in 5 ml . of methanol to which 500 mg . of the hydrogen form of a cation exchange resin ( bio - rad ag 50w - x4 ) was added , was stirred under argon for 40 hours at - 5 ° c . the reaction mixture was then filtered , the exchange resin washed with 3 × 10 ml . of methanol and the combined methanol phases evaporated in vacuo at 25 ° c . the residue was purified by liquid chromatography , using a waters associates model 202 liquid chromatograph and a 1 : 1 mixture of n - hexane / ethyl acetate as eluent to give 0 . 086 g . ( 60 %) of 24s , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol . crystallization from methyl formate gave 0 . 045 g . ( 29 %) of the above product as white crystals , m . p . 111 °- 112 ° c . ; [ α ] d 25 + 93 . 7 ° ( c 0 . 3 , etoh ). a solution of 0 . 173 g . ( 0 . 000377 mol ) of crude 24r , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol 3 - acetate ( see example 9 ) and 0 . 200 g . ( 0 . 00356 mol ) of potassium hydroxide in 5 ml . of methanol were stirred at 0 ° c . under argon for 6 hours . the methanol was then evaporated in vacuo and the residue mixed with 30 ml . of water and extracted with 3 × 50 ml . of methylene chloride . the combined organic phases were washed with 3 × 30 ml . of saturated brine , dried over sodium sulfate , filtered and evaporated in vacuo at 25 ° c . the residue was purified by liquid chromatography , using a waters associates model 202 liquid chromatograph and a 1 : 1 mixture of n - hexane / ethyl acetate as eluent to give 0 . 132 g . ( 84 %) of 24r , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol . crystallization from methyl formate gave 0 . 098 g . of the above product as white crystals , m . p . 136 °- 137 ° c . a solution of 0 . 168 g . ( 0 . 000366 mol ) of crude 24s , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol 3 - acetate ( see example 11 ) and 0 . 200 g . ( 0 . 00356 mol ) of potassium hydroxide in 5 ml . of methanol were stirred at 0 ° c . under argon for 6 hours . the methanol was then evaporated in vacuo and the residue mixed with 30 ml . of water and extracted with 3 × 50 ml . of methylene chloride . the combined organic phases were washed with 3 × 30 ml . of saturated brine , dried over sodium sulfate , filtered and evaporated in vacuo at 25 ° c . the residue was purified by liquid chromatography , using a waters associates model 202 liquid chromatograph and a 1 : 1 mixture of n - hexane / ethyl acetate as eluent to give 0 . 126 g . ( 82 %) of 24s , 25 - dihydroxycholecalciferol . crystallization from methyl formate gave 0 . 085 g . of the above product as white crystals , m . p . 111 °- 112 ° c . a solution of 0 . 500 g . ( 0 . 0011 mol ) of 3s , 24r , 25 - trihydroxy - 5 , 7 - cholestadiene 24 , 25 - acetonide in 100 ml . of tetrahydrofuran was irradiated for 10 minutes at - 5 ° c . and under argon using a 450w hanovia high pressure mercury lamp , cooled with a vycor - glass cooling finger . the solvents were removed at 25 ° c . in vacuo and the residue purified with a waters associates liquid chromatograph model 202 using a 8 &# 39 ; × 3 / 8 &# 34 ; porasil a column and a 4 : 1 mixture of n - hexane / ethyl acetate as eluent to give 0 . 274 g . of 24r , 25 - dihydroxyprecholecalciferol 24 , 25 - acetonide as a thick oil and 0 . 125 g . of unreacted starting material .	2
in the following description , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various principles of the present invention . it will be apparent to one skilled in the art , however , that not all these details are necessarily always needed for practicing the present invention . in this instance , well - known circuits , control logic , and the details of computer program instructions for conventional algorithms and processes have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure the general concepts unnecessarily . turning now to the drawings , reference is initially made to fig1 , which is a schematic , pictorial illustration of a vascular catheterization system 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . use of the system 10 involves inserting a catheter 12 into the body of a subject 14 at an insertion point 30 , for example a femoral artery or vein ; thence into an internal body cavity , such as a heart chamber . typically , the catheter 12 is used for diagnostic or therapeutic treatment performed by a medical practitioner 16 , such as mapping electrical potentials in the heart or performing ablation of heart tissue . the catheter 12 may alternatively be used for other purposes , by itself or in conjunction with other treatment devices . supporting elements related to the medical procedure are found in a control unit 26 , which contains processors for data reported by signals from sensors in the catheter 12 , e . g ., via a cable 32 . the control unit 26 may include an ablator power generator , irrigation pump and electrocardiographic circuitry . events and data reported to the control unit 26 may be displayed on a monitor 34 . however , as explained below , the control unit 26 need not include position - locating circuitry to track the location and orientation of the catheter 12 in the heart and elsewhere in the body of the subject 14 . the catheter 12 typically contains hydraulic lines to transfer fluid from the irrigation pump via the catheter &# 39 ; s handle to the distal portion of the catheter 12 as explained below . the hydraulic connection to the pump is not shown in fig1 in order to preserve clarity of illustration . reference is now made to fig2 , which is a longitudinal schematic view of the distal portion of a catheter 36 , which is useful for mapping regions in and around the heart and for tissue ablation in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . the catheter 36 comprises an elongated tubular shaft 38 . an inflatable balloon assembly 40 is provided at the distal end of the catheter body . the inflatable balloon assembly 40 comprises a containment chamber , which is internally partitioned into sectors 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 by a plurality of septa . the septa extend to an outer surface 50 from an axial core 52 and are oriented longitudinally about the axial core 52 . the sectors 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 are externally delimited by respective bounding portions of the outer surface 50 . although four sectors are shown in fig2 , the inflatable balloon assembly 40 may comprise any number of sectors greater than four . surface features and functionality of the inflatable balloon assembly 40 are described below . the sectors 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 of the inflatable balloon assembly 40 must be flexible enough to maintain mechanical contact between the outer surface 50 and the wall of the heart chamber so that when inflated , they stably press the outer surface of the pairs of the inflated sectors against the wall of the heart chamber , but are not so rigid as to interfere with the movements of heart wall . the inflation pressure may be determined empirically by the operator , or may be determined using the teachings of u . s . patent application ser . no . 13 / 343 , 024 , entitled “ contact assessment based on phase measurement ”, govari et al ., now published as u . s . patent publication no . 2013 / 0172875 , which is herein incorporated by reference . the deflated sectors occupy little space and blood readily flows around them through the heart chamber , and thus blood flow through the heart is not substantially obstructed . a tip electrode 54 can optionally be used for local measurements and ablation when the inflatable balloon assembly 40 is deflated . reference is now made to fig3 , which is a schematic cross - sectional view of the catheter 36 through line 3 - 3 of fig2 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . on this view , it can be appreciated that the inflatable balloon assembly 40 comprises a tubular structure comprising a pre - formed generally circular main region generally transverse and distal to the catheter body and having a circumferential outer surface 50 . septa 56 , 58 , 60 , 62 extending radially from the core 52 to the outer surface 50 and define the sectors 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 . each of the sectors 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 is independently connected to a fluid source 64 , and is selectively inflatable using control valves 66 , which deliver an irrigation fluid , typically saline , to the sectors 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 via respective fluid lines 68 . for example , sectors 44 , 48 , which oppose one another diametrically , are inflated concurrently , while the other sectors 42 , 46 remain deflated . fluid may be supplied to the sectors 44 , 48 by simultaneously opening their respective control valves 66 . in any case , both of the sectors 44 , 48 become inflated in an operating position for taking measurements . the control unit 26 ( fig1 ) may comprise a processor to regulate the control valves 66 . alternatively , the control valves 66 may be controlled manually by the practitioner 16 or an assistant . the portion of the outer surface 50 overlying respective sectors 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 has a flexible array of electrodes 70 mounted thereon , which can be used for mapping and ablation . the electrodes 70 and associated connectors are required to deform as the sectors 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 expand and contract . construction of flexible , stretchable electronic elements is known , for example from the documents controlled buckling of semiconductor nanoribbons for stretchable electronics , yugang sun et al ., nature nanotechnology 1 , 201 - 207 ( 2006 ) and u . s . patent application publication no . 2011 / 0254171 . devices constructed in such manner are capable of conforming to curved surfaces and withstanding mechanical deformations . optionally , perforations 72 may be formed through the outer surface 50 near the electrodes 70 . in such case , the fluid selectively delivered to the sectors 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 from the fluid source 64 egresses the inflatable balloon assembly 40 via the perforations 72 and cools the electrodes 70 and the ablation site during ablation . reference is now made to fig4 , which is a flow chart of a method of cardiac catheterization using a segmented balloon catheter , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . not all illustrated process steps may be required to implement the process . at initial step 74 the catheter 36 ( fig2 ) is inserted into the heart in a known manner , and positioned within a chamber of interest . at this point the sectors 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 are all deflated . next , at step 76 , a diametrically opposing pair of sectors is selected , for example the sectors 44 , 48 ( fig3 ). next , at step 78 , the pair of sectors selected in step 76 are inflated . all non - selected sectors remain deflated . next , at step 80 , electrical contact between the wall of the cardiac chamber and those electrodes 70 that are mounted on the selected sectors is verified . next , at step 82 a measurement or procedure is performed using the electrodes 70 of the two opposing inflated sectors , for example bipolar measurements of electrical potentials during the cardiac cycle . next , at decision step 84 , it is determined if more pairs of sectors of the inflatable balloon assembly 40 remain to be processed . if the determination at decision step 84 is affirmative , then control proceeds to step 86 . the current pair of inflated sectors is deflated . control returns to step 76 to iterate the procedure with another pair of sectors . if the determination at decision step 84 is negative then at step 88 the current pair of inflated sectors is deflated . this could occur if all pairs have been inflated , or if it was decided to evaluate the signals obtained from fewer than all pairs of sectors . indeed , it may be appropriate to evaluate the signals obtained from one pair of sectors before inflating the next pair . at step 90 , signals thus far collected from the endocardial surfaces via the electrodes of the pairs of inflated sectors are evaluated , either by the physician or automatically . after evaluating the ecg signals , as indicated by a broken line , selected pairs of sectors may optionally be reflated , and control would then return to step 76 . alternatively , the physician typically makes a decision regarding ablation at final step 92 . it will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove . rather , the scope of the present invention includes both combinations and subcombinations of the various features described hereinabove , as well as variations and modifications thereof that are not in the prior art , which would occur to persons skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description .	0
the term “( s )- omeprazole barium ” as used herein means any salt comprising ( s )- omeprazole anions and barium cations . for instance , solid as well as dissolved forms are included , and so are crystalline and amorphous forms . ( s )- omeprazole barium may exist in an anhydrous and / or solvent - free form or as a hydrate and / or a solvate . the expression “( s )- omeprazole ,” as used herein , refers to an omeprazole - containing material which is substantially free of the r - enantiomer of omeprazole , for example , it has an enantiomeric excess of 80 %, or for example an enantiomeric excess of 90 %. in some particular embodiments , s - omeprazole is in enantiomeric excess of at least about 95 %, or at least about 98 %, or at least about 99 . 5 %, or at least about 99 . 8 %. further , the term “( s )- omeprazole barium ,” as used herein , encompasses stoichiometric as well as non - stoichiometric ratios of ( s )- omeprazole anion and barium cation . the ratio of ( s )- omeprazole to barium is not required to be 1 : 1 in order to be termed ( s )- omeprazole barium . in a particular embodiment , ( s )- omeprazole barium is formed as a salt having a 2 : 1 molar ratio between ( s )- omeprazole anion and barium cation even when an excess of ( s )- omeprazole or an excess of barium salt of an acid is used in the salt formation . ( s )- omeprazole barium obtained in both crystalline and amorphous forms is non - hygroscopic . an amorphous form may be advantageous in comparison with the crystalline form as it can be obtained in a finely powdered form with better solubility properties . examples of bases which may be used in the process for preparing ( s )- omeprazole barium using ( s )- omeprazole freebase include alkali metal hydroxides such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide , alkali metal carbonates such as sodium carbonate or potassium carbonate , alkali metal bicarbonates such as sodium bicarbonate , and ammonium hydroxide . the barium salt of an acid to be used in the process can be the salt of any inorganic or organic acid . examples of such salts include barium chloride , barium nitrate , barium sulphate , barium phosphate , barium carbonate , barium oxalate , barium acetate , barium lactate , barium succinate , barium citrate , and barium tartrate . examples of suitable solvents for carrying out the salt - forming processes include water , ketones such as acetone and methyl isobutyl ketone , alcohols such as methanol , ethanol and isopropanol , esters such as ethyl acetate and isopropyl acetate , chlorinated hydrocarbons such as methylene chloride and ethylene dichloride , cyclic ethers such as dioxan and tetrahydrofuran , nitriles such as acetonitrile , dipolar aprotic solvents such as dimethylsulfoxide and dimethylformamide , and mixtures thereof . in water and methanol the reactants are more soluble than the ( s )- omeprazole barium product . in this way , the salt - forming reaction is accompanied by spontaneous precipitation of the produced barium salt out of the solution . while such a precipitation in methanol gives crystalline ( s )- omeprazole barium , in water the amorphous form is obtained . alternatively , the precipitation may be facilitated by reducing the volume of the solution and / or by adding an antisolvent , that is , a solvent in which the ( s )- omeprazole barium is insoluble or sparingly soluble . the precipitation can also be induced by reducing the temperature of the solvent , especially if the initial temperature at contact is elevated . examples of anti solvents that may be added to precipitate out ( s )- omeprazole barium include aliphatic hydrocarbons such as hexane , heptane , and octane ; aromatic hydrocarbons such as xylene and toluene ; lower alkyl ethers such as diethyl ether , and diisopropyl ether ; and mixture ( s ) thereof . the ( s )- omeprazole freebase or its sodium / potassium salt to be used in the preparation processes can be obtained by methods known in the art including those described in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 714 , 504 , 5 , 948 , 789 , and 6 , 162 , 816 , and international patent applications wo 00 / 44744 , wo 98 / 54171 , and wo 92 / 08716 . the starting ( s )- omeprazole freebase or its sodium / potassium salts may be obtained as a solution directly , from a reaction in which s - omeprazole is formed , and used as such . the precipitated barium salt may be isolated in a solid state by conventional methods such as filtration or centrifugation , optionally followed by washing and / or drying . ( s )- omeprazole barium may also be obtained in amorphous form by concentrating the solution of ( s )- omeprazole barium to dryness or by spray drying the solution . solutions of ( s )- omeprazole barium may be obtained from the salt - forming reaction in a suitable solvent or by dissolving crystalline ( s )- omeprazole barium in a suitable solvent . ( s )- omeprazole barium is a useful proton pump inhibitor and an antibacterial , and thus can be used to treat any condition that would be benefited by administration of a gastric acid secretion inhibitor . in particular , ( s )- omeprazole barium can be used for the treatment or prophylaxis of gastric acid - related diseases and gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases in mammals and man , such as erosive or ulcerative gastroesophageal reflux disease ( gerd ), gastric ulcer , duodenal ulcer , reflux esophagitis , and gastritis . furthermore , it may be used for treatment of other gastrointestinal disorders where a gastric antisecretory effect is desirable , for example in patients on nsaid therapy , in patients with gastrinomas , and in patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding . it may also be used in patients in intensive care situations , and pre - and post - operatively to prevent acid aspiration and stress ulceration . further , ( s )- omeprazole barium may be useful in the treatment of helicobacter infections and diseases related to these . the salt can be administered as a component of a pharmaceutical composition . accordingly , in a further aspect , there is provided a pharmaceutical composition that comprises ( s )- omeprazole barium and pharmaceutically acceptable carriers , diluents or excipients and optionally other therapeutic ingredients . the salt may be conveniently formulated into tablets , capsules , suspensions , dispersions , injectables and other pharmaceutical forms . any suitable route of administration may be employed for example , peroral or parental . in the following section preferred embodiments are described by way of examples to illustrate the process of the invention . however , these are not intended in any way to limit the scope of the present invention . variants of these examples would be evident to persons ordinarily skilled in the art . x - ray diffraction ( xrd ) patterns were taken with a diffractometer manufactured by rigaku corporation , specifically the model ru - h3r . the goniometer was a cn2155a3 , and the x - ray tube was equipped with cu target anode . the settings for the divergence slits were 1 0 , for the receiving slit 0 . 15 mm , and for the scatter slit 1 0 . the operating power was 40 145 kv , 100 ma , the scanning speed was 2 deg / min step : 0 . 02 deg , and the wavelength was 1 . 5406 a . infrared spectra were taken with a perkin elmer , 16 pc , with scan parameters of 16 scans , 4 . 0 cm − 1 according to the usp 25 , general test methods , page 1920 . infrared absorption spectra were obtained by the potassium bromide pellet method . differential scanning calorimetry was done by the model dsc821 e , manufactured by mettler toledo , with sample weights of 3 - 5 mg , and the sample temperature range of 25 - 100 ° c ., heating rate of 1 ° c ./ min , nitrogen flow of 80 . 0 ml / min , with one hole in the crucible . ( s )- omeprazole free base ( 5 g ) was added to methanol ( 25 ml ) and stirred at 25 - 30 ° c . barium hydroxide ( 4 . 6 g ) dissolved in methanol ( 40 ml ) was slowly added to the above solution in 10 minutes at 25 - 30 ° c . the reaction mixture was further stirred for 1 to 2 hours , the obtained solid was filtered and washed with methanol . the product was air dried at 40 to 45 ° c . for 8 to 10 hours to get ( s )- omeprazole barium ( 5 . 2 g ). hplc purity = 98 . 56 %, chiral purity by hplc = 99 . 89 %. mc % w / w by kf = 4 . 12 %. xrd , ir spectra are as shown in figure i and ii respectively , as shown in the accompanying drawings . potassium salt of ( s )- omeprazole ( 10 . 0 g ) was stirred in water ( 80 ml ) and methylene chloride ( 80 ml ). the suspension was cooled to 10 to 15 ° c . and dilute hydrochloric acid was added to adjust ph to 7 . 0 to 8 . 5 . the reaction mixture was stirred for 5 minutes . the organic layer was separated and washed with water . the solvent was recovered under reduced pressure at 30 - 35 ° c . to obtain an oily residue . methanol ( 40 ml ) was added , and the mixture 170 stirred for 10 to 15 minutes . barium hydroxide ( 9 . 0 g ) dissolved in methanol ( 90 ml ) was slowly added to the above solution in 10 minutes at 25 - 30 ° c . the reaction mixture was further stirred for 1 to 2 hours . the solid obtained was filtered , washed with methanol and air dried at 40 to 45 ° c . for 8 to 10 hours to get ( s )- omeprazole barium ( 8 . 1 g ). hplc purity = 97 . 98 %, chiral purity by hplc = 100 %. mc % w / w by kf = 7 . 46 %. xrd spectrum is as shown in figure iii , as shown in the accompanying drawings . ir spectrum is similar to that shown in fig . ii for example i . ( s )- omeprazole free base ( 5 g ) was added to acetone ( 60 ml ) and stirred at 25 - 30 ° c . barium hydroxide octahydrate ( 4 . 6 ) and water ( 15 ml ) were then added to the above mixture at 25 - 30 ° c . the reaction mixture was further stirred for 4 to 5 hours , and then filtered to remove suspended solid material . the solvent was recovered under reduced pressure to obtain the product as a foam . the product was dried at 40 to 45 ° c . under reduced pressure for 2 to 3 hours to get ( s )- omeprazole barium ( 4 . 2 g ). hplc purity = 99 . 43 %, chiral purity by hplc = 99 . 99 %, mc % w / w by kf = 2 . 66 %. xrd , ir spectra are as shown in figs . iv and v respectively , as shown in the accompanying drawings . potassium salt of ( s )- omeprazole ( 5 g ) was dissolved in water ( 60 ml ) at 25 - 30 ° c . to get a clear solution . barium chloride dihydrate ( 3 . 2 g ) dissolved in water ( 10 ml ) was slowly added to the above solution in 10 minutes at 25 - 30 ° c . the reaction mixture was further stirred for 1 to 2 hours , the obtained solid was filtered and washed with water . the product was air dried at 40 to 45 ° c . for 8 to 10 hours to get ( s )- omeprazole barium ( 3 . 4 g ), mc % w / w by kf = 0 . 10 %. xrd , ir spectra are as shown in figure vi and vii respectively as shown in the accompanying drawings . crystalline ( s )- omeprazole barium ( 3 g ) was added to acetone ( 60 ml ) and stirred at 25 - 30 ° c . the solution was then filtered to remove any suspended solid material . the solvent was recovered under reduced pressure at 40 to 45 ° c . to obtain the product as a foam . the product was dried at 40 to 45 ° c . under reduced pressure for 2 to 3 hours to get ( s )- omeprazole barium ( 2 . 5 g ). hplc purity = 99 . 27 %, mc % w / w by kf = 2 . 10 %. xrd , ir spectra are similar to those shown in figs . iv and v respectively for example 3 . crystalline ( s )- omeprazole barium ( 5 . 0 g ) was added to acetone ( 100 ml ) and stirred at 25 - 30 ° c . the solution was then filtered to remove any suspended solid material and subjected to spray drying under nitrogen atmosphere ( inlet temperature 50 to 60 ° c . and outlet temperature 40 to 45 ° c .). the product so obtained was dried at 40 to 45 ° c . under reduced pressure for 2 to 3 hours to get ( s )- omeprazole barium ( 3 . 0 g ). mc % w / w by kf = 1 . 2 %. xrd , ir spectra are similar to those shown in figure iv and v respectively for example 3 . while the present invention has been described in terms of its specific embodiments , certain modifications and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art and are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention .	2
in order to explain the present invention in detail , reference will be particularly made to fig1 . fig1 shows a semiconductor device having a light transparent window in one embodiment of the present invention . in fig1 the same reference numerals designate the same elements as those in the prior art device . the reference numeral 12 designates glass window material , and the numeral 11 designates an adhesion portion which adheres the glass window material 12 to the molding resin 9 . the process for the production method of the semiconductor device will be described with reference to fig2 . at first , the wall 3 is produced of silicon resin or silicon rubber by a screen printing process on a wafer ( refer to fig2 ( a )). next , the chip 1 is scribed , cut out , and die bonded onto the lead frame , and thereafter wire bonding is conducted ( refer to fig2 ( b ) to ( d )). next , the chip 1 is inserted into the molding metal molds 21 and 22 as shown in fig2 ( e ), and molding resin 9 is injected into the space 24 for forming the outer configuration of a package from the molding material injection aperture 23 . in this molding resin 9 injection process , the wall 3 which produced by the above - described process is tightly adheres to the upper metal mold 21 , and the molding resin 9 is not injected into the hollow section 25 . after this molding resin 9 is injected , the chip 1 is taken out from the metal molds 21 and 22 ( refer to fig2 ( f )). the glass window material 12 adheres to the molding resin 9 by the adhesive material such as an epoxy system adhesive 11 ( refer to fig2 ( g )), and the legs are bent , thereby completing the semiconductor device as shown in fig1 . in the semiconductor device produced as described above , it is possible to make a sufficient distance between the glass surface to which the light is incident 12 and the light detector of the chip 1 . therefore , even when flaws or dust of about several 10 μm in size adheres to the lower surface of the glass surface 12 ( at the side of the chip surface ), a shade does not appear on the chip surface and the flaws and dust become inconspicuous . accordingly , by adopting such a structure in a vtr camera image sensor , black point flaws which have arisen in the prior art device arise less frequently , and this greatly contributes to an enhancement in the yield . as an example , a shade of about 10 % brightness is difficult to be recognized by the naked eye of a human being if it only occupies a narrow space on an imaged screen . accordingly , it is sufficient to design a metal mold 21 having a distance between the glass surface 12 and the light detector of the chip 1 so that the shade only affects an influence of lower than 10 % brightness against the size of flaws or dust which are suppressed at the glass surface 12 . the distance between the chip 1 and the glass surface 12 may be larger than 100 to 500 μm as a criterion when dust of 10 to 20 μm in size adheres . actually , it is desirable to make the distance of about 1 mm . furthermore , the glass window material for the glass plate 12 is optically polished for use and there is no necessity of using a special glass plate . in the above - illustrated embodiment , the metal mold for producing the hollow section 21 has a rectangular portion for producing a space between the chip 1 and the window material 12 . it is possible , however , to make it easy to take out the chip from the metal mold after producing the molding resin by using a metal mold 21 which has a tapered configuration at this space producing portion 26 as shown in fig5 . furthermore , the working environment is assumed to be subjected to a temperature cycle from high temperature to low temperature or from low temperature to high temperature when using a molding resin package . therefore , a stress 28 applied to the inside may arise in the glass window material 12 as shown in fig5 ., and the package itself may warp . when a step 27 is provided on the metal mold 21 and a portion or the entire glass window 12 adheres to the molding resin 9 which is sunk therein as a solution for releasing this stress 28 , the stress 28 will be absorbed by the glass window 12 and the warping of the package is prevented ( refer to fig5 ( d )). as is evident from the foregoing description , according to the present invention , a portion corresponding to a space between a chip and a light transparent window is created when producing the molding resin by making a metal mold adhere to a wall . thereby , a light transparent window is arranged sufficiently apart from a semiconductor chip which includes a light electricity conversion section . thus , defects caused by dust or flaws at the glass surface are made difficult to be recognized , and thus the yield of the device is enhanced . furthermore , the light transparent window material may be made of a common optically polished glass plate , thereby making the device at a low cost . the invention being thus described , it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention , and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims .	7
hereinafter , preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . in the following description of the present invention , a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention unclear . a portable communication apparatus having additional function modules installed thereon , including a camera lens module 310 , a flash 320 , and an irda module 330 , will now be described with reference to fig3 to 9 . referring to fig3 , a perspective view of a portable communication apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown . the portable communication apparatus includes a first housing 210 as a main body , a second housing 220 connected to an end of the first housing 210 whereby it can be rotated about a hinge axis a 1 , and a pair of link arms 260 positioned on the second housing 220 facing each other , for rotatably connecting the second housing 220 to the first housing 210 . the link arms 260 have link arm terminals 280 having a predetermined curvature for smooth rotation in relation to the first housing 210 . the first housing 210 has a display device 230 for displaying data and a speaker device 240 disposed adjacently to the upper portion of the display device 230 . the first housing 210 has a key array portion 250 , which is composed of a number of keys , disposed adjacently to the lower portion of the display device 230 , and a microphone device 290 disposed adjacently to the lower portion of the key array portion 250 . the first housing 210 also has side key portions 270 positioned on both lateral surfaces thereof for , e . g ., taking pictures using a camera and for adjusting the volume . referring to fig4 , the second housing 220 is rotatable in either direction shown by arrow { circle over ( 2 )}, which extends along the longitudinal direction of the first housing 210 . in the first position shown in fig4 , the portable communication apparatus is ready to be used for speech mode function . referring to fig5 , the second housing 220 is directed toward a position after rotation shown by arrow { circle over ( 1 )}, the second position being perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the first housing 210 and which faces in the opposite direction of the display device 230 . in this second position , the portable communication apparatus is ready to take pictures . referring to fig6 , the second housing 220 is directed toward a third position after rotation shown by arrow { circle over ( 3 )}, the third position being perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the first housing 210 and which faces in the same direction of the display device 230 . in this state , the portable communication apparatus is ready to take pictures of the user himself / herself with the camera lens module 310 or to perform video communication . referring to fig7 , a top view of the second housing 220 is shown . the second housing 220 has a camera lens module 310 , a flash 320 , and an irda module 330 for additional functions , in addition to the basic function of the portable communication apparatus of performing communication . although not shown in the drawing , the second housing 220 may also have additional function modules . referring to fig8 , a front view of the first and second housings 210 and 220 , which are connected to each other , is shown . as shown , the portable communication apparatus is provided with a flexible circuit 410 for an electrical connection between the first and second housings 210 and 220 , a link arm inner space 420 through which the flexible circuit 410 can pass , hinge protrusions 440 formed on the first housing 210 , and hinge holes 430 formed in the link arm 260 to accommodate the hinge protrusion 440 to allow the second housing 220 to rotate about the hinge axis a 1 . the uppermost end surface 450 of the first housing and the bottom surface 460 of the second housing are adapted to face other with a predetermined curvature for smooth rotation . specifically , the uppermost end surface 450 of the first housing has a convex shape , and the bottom surface 460 of the second housing is contoured to accommodate the convex shape of the uppermost end surface 450 . according to the above relationship , the second housing 220 , which has the camera lens module 310 , the flash 320 , and the irda module 330 positioned thereon , can be rotated into the first , second , and third positions , by the user . the flexible circuit 410 permits rotation of the second housing 220 into the first , second , and third positions . referring to fig9 , a rear view of the portable communication apparatus is shown . the portable communication apparatus has an embedded antenna 510 , which is positioned inside the rear upper end of the first housing 210 , a battery lock 530 and a battery pack 520 , which are positioned adjacent to the lower portion of the embedded antenna 510 . as mentioned above , the portable communication apparatus according to the present invention has additional function modules , such as a camera lens module 310 , a flash 320 , and an irda module 330 , positioned on the second housing , which is separate from the first housing . as a result , the additional function modules can be used extensively for additional functions . in addition , although the mounting structure of the portable communication apparatus has become increasingly complicated , noise from the additional function modules are less likely to affect an electronic components , such as an embedded antenna 510 , of the first housing 210 . while the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred 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 .	7

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